What is The Lonely Palette?

When you hear the phrase “art history” you probably think dry.  Snooty.  Dusty.  A British accent on an audio guide waxing rhapsodic about the Ren-AYY-since over the strains of Vivaldi.  An intellectual velvet rope.

But do you ever think about the human beings behind the artworks?  About the centuries of soulful human experience the works depict?  About how artists lived through their moments, just as you live through yours?  About all the incredible stories there are to tell? 

And that’s where The Lonely Palette comes in.  In each episode, creator and host Tamar Avishai focuses on one object – a painting, a sculpture, an installation, a very special urinal – and tells its story.  We explore the artwork, the movement, the social context, and most importantly, why art matters, not just to its own time, but to ours. 

Which episodes should I start with?

This episode will start you off.

Here are some other essentials to get you going:

1. Understanding why the heck Paul Cezanne is considered "the father of Modern Art" will help situate almost every episode on the art of the early 20th century.

2. Jokester Marcel Duchamp's impish urinal-as-art explains the rest.

3. Mary Cassatt helps explain the painful origins of art history's "woman problem."

4. Pull up a chair to understand why pure abstraction isn't nearly as inaccessible as you think.

5. Explore the art world itself, because it turns out that the most famous painting in the world is indebted to its own fame.

Where can I find other podcasts like this?

The Lonely Palette is a proud founding member of Hub & Spoke, a collective of independent, idea-driven podcasts founded in 2017.

The Briny | Iconography | The Lonely Palette | Mementos | Ministry of Ideas | Nocturne | Open Source with Christopher Lydon | Out There | Print Is Dead (Long Live Print!) | Rumble Strip | Soonish | Subtitle

Members Emeritus:

Hi-Phi Nation | Culture Hustlers | The Constant

Follow @hubspokeaudio