Author Archives: Sheila Blake

The Maladies of Artists

Artists whose lives were cut short as casualties of war, or victims of epidemics; artists struggling with debilitating diseases: they made great art; and, of course, no one will ever know what art would have been made after their passing. They left their mark in the art world. Today’s show pays tribute to some of these artists and their legacies.

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Kara Walker at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

For over two decades, African American artist Kara Walker (born 1969) has been making work that weaves together imagery from the antebellum South, the brutality of slavery, and racist stereotypes. We visit the exhibition of her work: Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated)

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Calder in the East Wing: Dreaming in Gravity

Today we invite you to a “playground”, a fun park, possibly a zoo or circus- right here at the National Gallery of Art. Their large permanent collection of Alexander Calder’s pieces is arrayed in the tower of the East Wing, a place for the whole family.
Originally Broadcast on WOWD-LP, Takoma Park Radio: Dec 02, 2017

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Vermeer and the ‘Other Masters’ of Genre Painting

The blockbuster show at the National Gallery of Art is up until January 21, 2018. Tom and Sheila explore
the exhibition in two ways: first, as presented: a movement. It all happened 350 years ago: the artists lived close enough to each other to travel by horse, cart, or by foot; and the fabulous sleuthing curators had a wonderful time putting together the show. The second way is: How could artists paint like this? How did they get this luminous quality? How did they get this space? How did they ever learn to paint satin and patterns and textured rugs? What really makes these paintings great, and what makes Vermeer rise above them all?

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