By Nina Heyn When we think of Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) we evoke his paintings of jungles and monkeys, which are indeed what made him immortal, but this self-taught painter started with something else. He embarked on the path of an artist when he was a middle-aged man holding the mundane job of tax collector at…
By Nina Heyn This is the time of year when spring is in full force in Paris—trees are green (after months of gray emptiness), people sit outside in cafés (after months of bundling up), and museums are brimming with new art shows. Here is a sampling of the latest offerings at principal museums in the…
“No work from classical antiquity, either Greek or Roman, has exerted such a continuing and decisive influence on European literature as Ovid’s Metamorphoses.” ~ Ian Johnston By Nina Heyn Sometimes it is good when an art exhibition is not reduced to a predictable subject like “masterpieces of xx artist” or “the art of xx period.”…
By Nina Heyn To continue with the idea of celebrating a ”Year of Vermeer” at Food for the Soul, let’s start with this master when searching for letters in art history. Images of women with letters appear throughout the body of Vermeer’s work. He searched for ways of showing people’s thoughts, so portraying his subject…
By Nina Heyn Rapid changes in social and material status can create a social group called the nouveau riche—people who suddenly gain wealth and influence but lack the refinement that comes with generations of elevated social position. Even though the term itself is from the 20th century, the phenomenon has existed for much longer. In…
By Nina Heyn If you want to learn about fine art, sometimes it is best to start with the basics. Getting familiar with Raphael (Raffaello di Giovanni Santi, 1483-1520) constitutes just such a “basic” because, alongside a dozen other artists throughout history, his works are not only some of the most alluring but also seeded…
By Nina Heyn There are many reasons why the film industry is in trouble. The two-pronged pressure of streaming platforms and the ravages of AI are some of the main drivers, but there other factors, too. They range from the inflationary costs of production and exhibition, a lack of tax incentives (a constant struggle in…
By Nina Heyn During a trial in 1913, when Vincenzo Peruggia was asked why he stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre, he said that he wanted to return the masterpiece to its rightful owners, that is, the Italian nation. He may have been fashioning an explanation to cover his theft, but his argument matched…
By Nina Heyn Victoria & Albert Museum, a sprawling red brick pile in the middle of Kensington, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in London, to the tune of almost four million visitors per year. The museum, which holds millions of objects and archival documents, is a mecca for anyone who is interested…
By Nina Heyn The start of the year is the time for some interesting shows to be launched or the successful ones to premiere new seasons. I took a look at some of them, on the condition that they be cinematically ambitious (script, filmmakers, production values, casting, costume and production design, etc.) and that they…