Stuff about Things: An Art History Podcast
Hi! My name is Lindsay and I host Stuff about Things: An Art History Podcast. It is a podcast where I tell you stuff about things. From giant Buddhas to lost paintings, each episode is a deep dive into a particular work of art, artist, or issue within the world of art history. My goal is to make art history accessible, enjoyable, and fun for anyone with a digital device and a desire to learn! My dog, Gus, also plays a key role as the podcast's muse and mascot. Come for the information, stay in spite of my very bad jokes. Please note that episodes may contain mild language, the occasional innuendo, and a healthy dose of sass. Happy listening!
Episodes
May 24, 2024 • 57 mins
**insert Jaws theme song here** A new episode swimmin’ straight for you! This one features the classic trio: sharks, death, and formaldehyde. That is to say, it is a deep dive (ha) into Damien Hirst’s The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, AKA The Shark One. Come for facts about optimal methods for shark taxidermy, stay in spite of the bleeped f-bombs.
Please note that this track contains the occasional...
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March 17, 2024 • 70 mins
🌊🗿 🌊🗿🌊 The emojis say it all: this episode is a deep dive into the monolithic moai of Rapa Nui—also known as Easter Island. Come for the in-depth discussion of how generations of Rapanui (i.e. the people of Rapa Nui) made and moved moai; stay in spite of the bad puns about 🌋 volcanoes 🌋.
The wave noises are courtesy of Tim Kahn via FreeSound.
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December 30, 2023 • 70 mins
As R.L. Stein would say, “Say 🧀 and ☠️!” In this episode, it’s more like “The 💀👻 say 🧀!” This episode explores the strange world of spirit photography, a whacky offshoot of early photography that had its heyday in the 1860s and 1870s. Come for the lite sarcasm regarding Spiritualism, stay in spite of the primordial ooze.
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November 26, 2023 • 32 mins
Ahoy hoy! A new minisode is upon thee: the early history of photography! Come for the history, stay in spite of the science (or vice versa). Episode 38 will follow in about 3 weeks. Until then, your girl is headed on vacation.
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October 13, 2023 • 28 mins
All aboard! This minisode covers a trifecta of Titanic gemstones and the diamond links that may--or may not--bind them. Come for information about a movie prop and its replicas, stay in spite of the very bad dramatic rendition of the interlude from Britney Spears's 2000 masterpiece of a music video, Oops I Did It Again!
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September 1, 2023 • 73 mins
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Marilyn Monroe and Madonna told me so! That is… unless those diamonds are cursed! This episode is a deep-dive into the Hope Diamond, a 45.52 carat blue diamond in the collection of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Come for an almost too-thorough history, stay for stories about a blingy great dane named Mike.
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July 10, 2023 • 69 mins
This episodes is a deep-dive into the mysterious (and, as of 1945, missing) Amber Room. Come for the in-depth research into the Amber Room's 300-year existence, stay in spite of the unhinged reference to the lickability of its peanut-brittle-esque panels.
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July 10, 2023 • 24 mins
This minisode delves into the million-year-old material that is amber. Come for the references to Jurassic Park, stay in spite of me using the word "excrete."
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April 15, 2023 • 32 mins
Bonjour, mes bijoux! Yes, that's you--my jewels. Speaking of a jewel... this minisode celebrates an art historical jewel known as the Clothilde Missal, an early twentieth-century illuminated manuscript by Clothilde Coulaux in the collection of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. Come for the jewel-toned escapism into an idealized version of the Middle Ages, stay in spite of the toxic white lead.
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March 18, 2023 • 85 mins
This episode covers the wonderful, majestic, so-detailed-it-almost-hurts Book of Kells, from cover to cover and page to page. Come for the resolution to Episode 34's reference to "pendulous breasts," stay in spite of a rant about mis-matched mustache and beard colors. Slainte, friends!
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March 11, 2023 • 61 mins
Dia dhuit! That means "hello!" in Old Irish. This episode is the first in a two-part series on the world's most famous book: The Book of Kells. Part I focuses on the uncertain history of the book, a history that may (or may not, but probably does...) go back 1,200 years. That's real old, y'all. Come for the into-the-weeds tramp through the book's history, stay in spite of Scottish women throwing chairs.
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February 13, 2023 • 29 mins
This minisode is dedicated to the illuminated manuscript, an art form whose heyday stretched from the 5th to the 15th centuries. Come for the cover-to-cover breakdown of the manuscript production process, stay in spite of the Silence of the Calves joke.
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August 27, 2022 • 26 mins
This half-hour ‘sode discusses the exciting discovery of a previously unknown self-portrait by Van Gogh, which he painted on the back of his painting known as Head of a Peasant Woman in the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland. Come for the knowledge, stay in spite of your hypothetical broken ankle.
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August 5, 2022 • 24 mins
Did you know that there are TWO Starry Nights? Well, you do now! This minisode covers the harrowing, fascinating, and infuriating story of Van Gogh's drawing of Starry Night. Come for the intrigue, stay in spite of the bad Russian pronunciation.
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July 28, 2022 • 92 mins
Art history nerds, lend me your… ear? Because there’s a new episode in town! This episode is a one-and-a-half-hour deep dive into the life of Vincent Van Gogh and one of his most famous works: The Starry Night! Come for the bashing of Paul “Googy” Gauguin, stay in spite of the ear-severing and alleged paint-eating.
Edit 8/9 - Small corrections made to the episode. Gustave Courbet's L'Origine du monde is at the Musée d'Orsay, not t...
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February 9, 2022 • 63 mins
Howdy, you rootin' tootin' listener! This episode is the second in a two-part series on the Benin Bronzes, a group of a few thousand objects looted from the Kingdom of Benin in 1897. This episode covers the 1897 Benin Punitive Expedition, the subsequent scattering of the bronzes throughout the world, demands for the bronzes to be sent back to Nigeria, and why museums are saying “no” (or, in some cases, “NEIN!”). Come for the commen...
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January 20, 2022 • 47 mins
Ahoy, there! This episode is the first in a two-part series exploring the Benin Bronzes, a body of several thousand objects in bronze and brass that were looted from the Kingdom of Benin by the British in 1897. In this episode, we explore the historical and cultural context in which these magnificent bronze works were created, used, and beloved before talking about the bronzes themselves: what do they show? For what purposes were t...
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November 21, 2021 • 64 mins
Will your biographer say you died from "amorous excesses"? Are you saving yourself for unicorn hunting? Have you ever heard of death by spiked wheel? You have now! In this episode, we dive deep into an alleged Raphael masterpiece known as the portrait of a Young Woman with a Unicorn. Come for the art historical facts, stay for the excursus on the benefits of hosting a two year old's birthday party. **contains mild language and innu...
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June 16, 2021 • 60 mins
All hail the queen of monsters, Niki de Saint Phalle! This episode is a deep dive into Niki de Saint Phalle, her career, and the culmination of her life’s work: the Giardino dei Tarocchi, or Tarot Garden. Come for the facts, stay in spite of the bad puns. #nikidesaintphalle #tarot #giardinodeitarocchi #tarotgarden #nana #monumental #sculpture #tinguely #modernart #arthistory #arthistorian #arteducation #pesciafiorentina
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March 9, 2021 • 68 mins
Columns, thorns, and superscriptions, oh my! This episode is a deep-dive--not into the Tiber River but rather the almost 2000 year history of the Ponte Sant'Angelo in Rome, Italy. It includes background on the bridge's ancient past, a little dip into the biography of Gianlorenzo Bernini, and even an excursus on the bridge's appearance in cinematic masterpieces (ahem...)such as Angels & Demons. Come for the angels, stay in spite of ...
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