Diane Tucker

@theshymuseumgoer

Writer/producer prev seen on NATGEO, HIST, DISC, MBN, HuffPo. Also writing about great works of art and the deeply human stories they tell at TheShyMuseumgoer.com

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Bluesky

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Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· 14d

Mondrian is so orderly, compared to Cézanne. Grid system vs structured chaos? Paul Cézanne, "Still Life with Apples" (1894)

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· 15d

Dropping this here because it's such a great picture of Betye

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· 18d

#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #TheOdyssey Paul Klee—who knew he was dying—originally titled this painting "Calypso’s Island" after a story in Homer’s Odyssey. In the tale, Odysseus is held captive for seven years by a sexy nymph, yet his deepest desire is to get back home. Paul Klee, "Insula Dulcamara" (1938)

Paul Klee painting Insula Dulcamara (1938) • This is an abstract landscape portrayed by patches of pastel blue, green, and pink paint accented by bold, black calligraphic lines that suggest a coastline and more. A pasty white face holds the composition in balance. • Read more: https://wp.me/pdQwQ8-1O

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· 23d

#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #Museums Happy Sunday, Blueskyers Escaping reality with the ironically named "Girl Escaping" by Joan Miró on the outdoor roof terrace of the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona

Joan Miró, "Girl Escaping" "Jeune fille s'évadant" (1967) • This painted bronze surrealist sculpture features a found tap head, mannequin legs, and vibrant primary colors. 🎞️ (My photo)

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· 28d

#WorldCup 🗃️ 🐡 #ArtHistory "France Hydration Break" 🇫🇷 ⚽️

"Luncheon of the Boating Party" (1880-81) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir • A group of French people are relaxing and drinking wine on a sunlit balcony overlooking the Seine. (Fun facts: This restaurant in Chatou is still in operation, and everyone in the painting has been identified.)

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Jul 13

#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #MuseumSky Goodnight, Blueskyers — Paul Klee, "Moonlight" (1919)

Paul Klee, "Moonlight" (1919) • An abstract painting featuring a mosaic grid of interlocking geometric shapes in gorgeous shades of blue and violet. A distinctly yellow moon glows in the upper section, nested within the blocky, fragmented forms that suggest a nighttime landscape or rooftops.

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Jun 28

#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #museums Happy Sunday, Blueskiis In 1487 a young boy went to the local fish market to study the textures, colors, and scales of the creepiest sea life he could find. Then he painted "The Torment of Saint Anthony." Can you name this prodigy?

Suspended high in the air, Saint Anthony appears unfazed as a horde of demons tests his faith. (I admire his stoic chill.) Inspired by a 15th-century engraving by Martin Schongauer, the painting vanished for centuries. It resurfaced in 1905, disappeared again, and finally reemerged in 2009 when a dealer brought it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for authentication. While experts knew it originated in the Renaissance workshop of Domenico Ghirlandaio, the specific painter’s identity remained a mystery.

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Jun 23

AI is more honest than the men who promote it. Here's how it ended our discussion about the doom loop:

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Jun 23

You'll appreciate this: Google AI would prefer I use the term "model collapse." Yah, that sounds better. 😂

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Jun 21

#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #Museums #FathersDay Happy Father's Day, Blueskis Berthe Morisot, the first woman Impressionist, captured her husband and their daughter in the garden, having fun with what appears to be a toy village in their garden. Love the "female gaze" and the diaphanous brushstrokes 🥰

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Jun 14

#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #Museums Happy Sunday, Blueskis In Virgil's "Aeneid" the king's son sparks a war by shooting a sacred stag. 🦌 This painting captures the final moment of tranquility before the arrow flies—shattering the peace, causing nature to suffer, and destroying the temple. More in the ALT —

Claude Lorrain “Ascanius Shooting the Stag of Sylvia” (1682) • This oil painting, which depicts a pivotal story from Virgil’s “Aeneid,” shows a classical landscape under an overcast sky. On the left, the king’s son, Ascanius, takes aim with a bow. On the opposite riverbank, a large stag stands completely still. Behind the hunter, trees bend violently in a sudden wind. • Trusting of humans, the stag looks back at Ascanius, unaware of the danger. At this moment, the king's son can still *not* do this. But he can't help himself. He will mortally wound the animal and trigger a brutal war.

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Jun 7

#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #Museums Happy Sunday, Blueskis Found in Corot’s studio after he died, "The Woman with a Pearl" (1868-70) commands attention. With arms crossed and a direct, poised gaze, she channels Leonardo's Mona Lisa. Is this a masterful pastiche or something entirely original?

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot “The Woman with a Pearl” (1868-70) • This oil painting features a young woman with long, brunette hair sitting with her arms crossed, dressed in traditional peasant attire brought back from Italy by the artist. The “pearl” on her forehead is probably just a small leaf from her crown that casts a shadow. She looks at the viewer with the same captivating presence as Leonardo's "Mona Lisa," which was a revolutionary female portrait in its day. • Corot is famous for his landscapes, but when he died people found many works in his studio that had never been seen before—including portraits of beautifully enigmatic women.

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· May 31

Even the rear view is spectacular...

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· May 31

93 gaming pieces in total were discovered buried on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. These 11 pieces are at the National Museum of Scotland. Love the soldier biting his shield 🛡️ 💛

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· May 31

#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #Museums Happy Sunday, Blueskis How did this wonderful chessman end up on a remote island in the Scottish Hebrides, hidden away and buried? The King is hunched forward, sword on his knee and eyes wide open as he listens—to what? “The King” from the Lewis Chessmen c.1150-75

“The King” belongs to a famous chess set on view at The British Museum. The pieces are made of walrus ivory and sperm whale tooth. Their various expressions are instantly appealing, from the queen’s worried manner to warriors biting their shields. • This king is seated on a throne. He is wearing a multi-pointed crown, and both of his hands grip a flat sword that rests firmly on his lap. He has a wide-eyed expression.

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· May 17

#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #Art A sculpture in two parts—wings of brass that glitter with decorated gold, and a deep-blue kernel of ash wood. One brings light to the piece, the other offers solidity and strength. It's hard not to see a reflection of marriage. Alison Wilding “Nature: Blue and Gold” (1984)

Alison Wilding “Nature: Blue and Gold” (1984) • An abstract two-part sculpture, each part wholly distinct from the other. The outer element consists of wing-like shapes that glitter with bits of gold decoration. The textured, metallic gold wings curve inward to tightly embrace the smooth, central wooden core. • The artist would like us to accept the symbolism as untranslatable. Art historian Sister Wendy Beckett respectfully disagrees: "The Gold protects its Blue companion, and the Blue raises the Gold and enables it to fly."

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· May 13

Imagine AI writing these in a "Donald Trump" voice. Just for fun, I asked AI to give it a whirl. Here's what it wrote:

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Apr 27

#Ghostbusters #HATM My college roommate, Patty Gold Dworkin, played the role of "Girl at Party" in Ghostbusters...

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Apr 19

Probably this one—who is looking at us rather than the colossus.

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Apr 19

Indeed. Asensio Julià (A.J.) was Goya’s chief assistant. Goya painted this image of him. The inscription in the bottom left corner of the painting reads: "Goya to his friend Asensi"

Asensio Julià stands in a dark room wearing a long grey dressing gown, surrounded by artist's tools and wooden scaffolding.

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Apr 19

#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #ArtSky #Museums #Prado Goya’s “Colossus” (1808) is a masterpiece of dread. A giant looms over a world in panic, embodying the terror of war. Is he protecting or destroying the people? It’s an enigma that continues to haunt us today. More in the ALT

Attributed to Francisco de Goya “The Colossus” (1808-12) • An oil painting dominated by a muscular giant seen from the waist up. The giant is turned away from the viewer, appearing to stride toward a storm-darkened sky. His right arm is bent at the elbow with a large, clenched fist raised to shoulder height. Clouds surround his lower torso, blending him into the landscape. • In the bottom third of the canvas, a dark valley is filled with a chaotic crowd of people, wagons, and herds of cattle. They are scattering in all directions, creating a sense of frantic panic and mass exodus. • Amidst the frenzy, a lone donkey stands perfectly still and unperturbed in the lower center, seemingly unable to comprehend the surrounding horror. • Recently, while restoring the painting, the Prado found the initials A.J. in the corner of the canvas. Did one of Goya’s assistants heavily contribute to this painting? Seem likely?

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Apr 16

Absolutely!

Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel Exterior in Padua • Chapel Interior and Giotto's fresco series • Detail of the South Wall showing an architectural model of the Chapel

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Apr 15

Drop your crime fighting Catholics While he may not be the most observant Catholic, Bond's roots are deeply Catholic. As shown in the film Skyfall, his ancestors were recusants who sheltered priests during the Reformation and even had a chapel on their property.

Daniel Craig as James Bond in the Scottish Highlands

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Apr 4

Ah, you're standing near the Amstel River. Your photo looks so familiar. Last year I spent a few weeks at a spot on the Keizersgracht Canal, just a few blocks away. Great town.

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Apr 1

#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 Many Catholics call today “Spy Wednesday,” the day when Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. While artists typically focus on the infamous kiss, Giotto captures the moment when the two former friends lock eyes. Giotto “The Arrest of Christ” (1304) and detail

Giotto “The Arrest of Christ (or Kiss of Judas)" and detail (1304-06) • This 14th-century fresco in the Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy, is set against a deep blue sky filled with a forest of upright spears, torches, and clubs. In the center, Judas, wearing a heavy, bright yellow cloak that dominates the frame, wraps his arms around Jesus to kiss him. Jesus remains calm and resolute, staring directly into Judas's eyes with an intense, knowing gaze. The crowd is dense and agitated, with figures in various robes and helmets pressing in, creating a sense of claustrophobia and high-stakes drama.

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Mar 29

#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #NoKings In this Old Master painting, King Belshazzar is enjoying a grand feast and drinking from stolen sacred artifacts when, suddenly, God’s hand appears and writes a prophecy on the wall foretelling his downfall. Rembrandt, “Belshazzar’s Feast” (1635-38)

Rembrandt, “Belshazzar’s Feast” (1635-38) • A dramatic oil painting that depicts King Belshazzar at the exact moment he realizes his time is up. He recoils in shock as a divine hand writes glowing letters on a dark wall. This scene from the Old Testament (Book of Daniel) is filled with intense light and shadow, highlighting the king's ornate gold robes and the terrified expressions of his wealthy guests as they see "the handwriting on the wall."

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Mar 22

#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #Museums A young girl visiting the National Gallery of Art looked at this sculpture and said, ”It looks like a bowl of spaghetti." "I just love that," said grounds manager Brett McNish.“We light the spark, we don’t fill the bucket." Christopher Wool, “Untitled” (2017)

Christopher Wool “Untitled” (2017) • National Gallery of Art, Washington DC • This sculpture features long looping forms resembling thick cords or vines that overlap with each other in a knotted jumble. It is made of a metallic material with a bronze-like finish, set on a flat rectangular base in an outdoor setting surrounded by green grass and trees with yellow and green foliage. • The artist, Christopher Wool, was inspired by tangled wire after a tornado hit Texas.

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Mar 15

#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #Museums Painted in 1939, René Magritte’s "The Black Flag" feels chillingly prescient. Pilotless aircraft hover like sinister mechanical birds, evoking a sense of unseen menace. Typical of Magritte, there’s also a random flying window. More in the ALT

René Magritte "The Black Flag" (1939) • Does this Surrealist painting evoke the tragic day in 1937 when German planes bombed the Spanish town of Guernica, killing or injuring a third of its residents? Or does it foreshadow the horrific events Mussolini and Hitler will unleash during World War II? • In either case, Magritte wouldn’t be Magritte if his painting didn’t include at least one truly puzzling element meant to shake people out of their apathy, such as that flying window with curtains.

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Mar 11

#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 Kandinsky proved that abstract art is far more than mere decoration. Look closely at Black Lines. Produced over a century ago, its frantic energy captures the same geopolitical anxiety I’m feeling today. Do you feel it, too? Wassily Kandinsky "Black Lines" (1913) • More in the ALT

Wassily Kandinsky "Black Lines" (1913) • In one of the artist’s first forays into pure abstraction, vibrant ovals drift across the canvas beneath a frenzy of agitated black lines. This work portrays a collision of two worlds through color and form alone. • In fact, Kandinsky painted Black Lines in 1913, when worlds were colliding. Geopolitically, an era of stability was nearing its end, soon to be demolished by World War I. That same year, astronomers discovered that the massive Andromeda Galaxy may be on a collision course with our own Milky Way.

Diane Tucker@theshymuseumgoer· Mar 6

Your description of it as a 'personal language' is spot on. Here's another from the Constellations series: Joan Miró "The Poetess" (1940)