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The Blog of the National Gallery of Art

Blog posts from the NGA, written and contributed by various staff, from 2022 to 2020. Unavailable anywhere else, and well worth a read.

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  • National Gallery Staff
    National Gallery Collects Leonardo da Vinci’s Strange and Sublime
    2022-11-18
    This work is tiny, but it tells us a lot about how Leonardo da Vinci drew human faces.
  • Brooks Rich
    This 16th-Century Print Made Hans Lützelburger Famous
    2022-11-03
    Battle of Naked Men and Peasants is both evidence of the Renaissance printmaker’s immense skill and a statement of his career ambition.
  • Paul Schmelzer
    Doubling Across Time: Three Artists on Racism, Revolution, and Feminism
    2022-10-20
    Three artists whose works are in “The Double” talk with us about how their art resonates over time—and today.
  • John Strand
    Arshile Gorky: Double Life, Double Portrait
    2022-09-29
    Pain and longing lurk beneath the surface of the Gorky’s emotionally charged double portrait, The Artist and His Mother.
  • Sandi Burtseva
    Co-Creating: An Interview with Art Models
    2022-09-29
    Professional art models who advised on “The Woman in White: Joanna Hiffernan and James McNeill Whistler” discuss the work of modeling and their role in creating art.
  • John Strand
    Teaching Art in a Time of War
    2022-09-23
    After her experience inside the brutal conflict in Ukraine, museum educator Hanna Rudyck thinks about the role of museums in change and revival.
  • Sally
    Free to Roam: On Life with Robert and Kerstin Adams
    2022-09-15
    Meet Sally, a West Highland terrier who lived with photographer Robert Adams and his wife Kerstin, and roam with her around their yard in Colorado or out for picture-taking expeditions.
  • Joyce Townsend
    How Whistler Painted White in Full Color
    2022-09-08
    A conservation scientist at the Tate reveals the rainbow of colors James McNeill Whistler used to paint Joanna Hiffernan's iconic white dress.
  • Molli Kuenstner
    Sam Salz: Art Dealer to the Stars
    2022-09-01
    Salz knew everyone from Diego Rivera, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse to Edward G. Robinson and Greta Garbo—and his inventory book documents some of the most important art sales of the day.
  • Paul Schmelzer
    If Robert Adams Wants His Eco-Conscious Photography to Change Anything, It’s Us
    2022-08-12
    Robert Adams is an advocate for policy change, but he sees the role of art as personal and poetic, a path to hope amid despair.
  • Catherine Southwick
    Portrait by a Grandson: Motley’s "Portrait of My Grandmother"
    2022-08-04
    Archibald John Motley Jr. captured the significance and dignity of his grandmother’s lived experience, ensuring that her story would be remembered.
  • Reema Ghazi
    László Moholy-Nagy: Artist Spotlight
    2022-07-25
    László Moholy-Nagy believed that art and technology would work hand in hand in shaping a better future.
  • Shawn Michelle Smith
    Twoness: Rashid Johnson’s Doubled Portrait of Emmett Till
    2022-07-21
    The doubling in Johnson’s “The New Negro Escapist Social and Athletic Club (Emmett)” recalls the paired images of Emmett Till, but it imagines him alive and thriving.
  • Amanda Choo Quan
    “Afro-Atlantic Histories” Belong to All Black Folk Everywhere
    2022-07-14
    “Afro-Atlantic Histories,” plural, helps us collectively, deliberately remember the varied experiences of Black people across time and geography.
  • Cynthia R. Greenlee
    John Philip Simpson’s “The Captive Slave”: From Margin to Center
    2022-07-12
    Simpson’s painting, which appears in the “Afro-Atlantic Histories” exhibition, both draws on and subverts artistic traditions, seemingly to send an abolitionist message.
  • Terry Tempest Williams
    Terry Tempest Williams on Walking with Robert Adams
    2022-05-19
    For author Terry Tempest Williams, looking at photographs by Robert Adams brings back childhood memories of cottonwoods and dark summer nights in the American West.
  • Reema Ghazi and Melita West
    Step by Step: Sketching a Nature Series
    2022-04-22
    In this drawing exercise, follow Georgia O’Keeffe’s example by taking a very close look at a natural object.
  • Caroline Weaver
    Afro-Atlantic Histories: Where Do I Start?
    2022-04-08
    From memorializing those lost in the transatlantic slave trade to celebrating Black beauty and resilience, this exhibition lifts up expressions and experiences of the African Diaspora.
  • Gretchen Hirschauer
    A Poem of Exile on Dante Day
    2022-03-25
    Dante Aligheri’s Divine Comedy reflects his desperate desire to return home to Florence.
  • Reema Ghazi and Rachel Trinkley
    Five Artworks to Talk about Protest
    2022-03-10
    How do artists both document protest and create art as protest? Use these works and questions to start your own discussion.
  • Eve Straussman-Pflanzer
    Posing for Lavinia Fontana
    2022-03-02
    We know too little about the daily lives of Italian Renaissance women artists, but we can imagine what it would have been like to meet them.
  • Laura Panadero
    James Van Der Zee’s Retouched Portraits
    2022-02-22
    To present sitters in the best possible light and perfect his portrait photographs, Van Der Zee even drew jewelry onto his negatives.
  • Reema Ghazi and Rachel Trinkley
    Five Artworks for Talking about Climate Change
    2022-02-04
    From John James Audubon to Ansel Adams, artists respond to our rapidly changing environment. Start a conversation about climate change through these five works from the National Gallery's collection.
  • Rena M. Hoisington
    The Woman in Joseph Fischer’s Aquatint
    2022-02-04
    Fischer placed her at the center of his composition, the only woman at a gathering of art enthusiasts. But who was she?
  • Andrea Nelson
    Queer Artists Grete Stern and Ellen Auerbach: ringl + pit
    2022-01-07
    Die Ringlpitis documents the life and work of two queer artists through beautiful, witty, and sometimes irreverent mixed media art.
  • Molly Donovan
    Artist Projects: An Interview with Avish Khebrehzadeh
    2021-12-02
    Avish Khebrehzadeh reveals her process for creating videos and her inspiration for drawing on a wall in the National Gallery.
  • Sarah Greenough
    Remembering Private Alexander Howard Johnson
    2021-11-10
    What do we know about the soldier who inspired the drummer in Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial?
  • Valeria Federici
    Taming the Waters on the National Mall
    2021-10-26
    The most prominent architects of their time designed the National Mall around the waters of the Potomac River. As we seek solutions to the flooding of the Tidal Basin, those old plans have new resonance.
  • Sarah M. Turner
    Video: Alma Thomas, Your New Favorite Artist
    2021-09-24
    In this short video, former First Lady Michelle Obama and others discuss the significance of Alma Thomas, a pioneering artist and a force of nature.
    Please note, the embedded media does not work.
  • John Strand
    Unlocking the Secrets of Vermeer
    2021-08-20
    Scientists and conservators used advanced technology to peer beneath the surface of Vermeer’s masterpieces to reveal his technique—“like looking over the artist’s shoulder as he paints.”
  • Molly Donovan
    Artist Projects: An Interview with Sarah Cain
    2021-08-10
    Sarah Cain talks about making a site-responsive work for the National Gallery from thousands of miles away.
  • Aaron Wile
    Blackface in Watteau’s The Italian Comedians?
    2021-08-05
    How did slavery and racial constructs influence one of the National Gallery’s best-known French paintings?
  • Mollie Salah
    Walking Around Art in DC
    2021-08-04
    Public art by Martha Jackson Jarvis, Richard Hunt, Louise Nevelson, and other notable artists may be just around the corner in your neighborhood.
  • Sarah Greenough
    The Tangled Web of History - Carrie Mae Weems and The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial
    2021-06-24
    Carrie Mae Weems's series of seven photographs reframes a Civil War memorial to create a complex and compelling narrative about African American history.
  • Paige Rozanski
    Artist Projects: An Interview with Kay Rosen
    2021-06-18
    In this insightful interview, Kay Rosen talks about SORRY and evolving interpretations of her site-specific installation.
  • Kaywin Feldman
    Of the Nation, For the People: Welcome to the National Gallery of Art
    2021-05-13
    Director Kaywin Feldman welcomes visitors back to the West Building and introduces our new brand.
    Please note, the embedded media does not work.
  • Sandi Burtseva
    Seventy-Five Years of National Gallery Paintings in the White House
    2021-05-07
    Over 75 years, the National Gallery has loaned hundreds of works of art to the White House.
  • Reema Ghazi and Jennifer Riddell
    Five Artworks for Talking about Feminism
    2021-04-28
    From Judy Chicago to the Guerrilla Girls, explore feminism with these five works from the National Gallery’s collection.
  • John Strand
    The Mars Rover Connection
    2021-04-16
    Perseverance may be 300 million miles away, but space exploration and art research are sometimes more closely related than you might think.
  • Molli Kuenstner
    Anna Maria van Schurman: Reflections on a “Learned Lady”
    2021-03-31
    In honor of Women's History Month, image specialist Molli Kuenstner reflects on a portrait of 17th-century education pioneer Anna Maria van Schurman.
  • Liz Diament
    Theresa Bernstein Inside the New York Public Library
    2021-03-19
    Theresa Bernstein depicts the library as a public space and captures subtle gendered differences.
  • Sarah Greenough
    Human Archipelago, by Teju Cole and Fazal Sheikh
    2021-03-05
    Watch award-winning author Teju Cole and celebrated photographer Fazal Sheikh discuss their book Human Archipelago—and watch a video adaptation of the book.
    Please note, the embedded media does not work.
  • Elise Ferone
    The Art of Letter Writing
    2021-02-26
    Elena del Rivero’s Letter to the Mother highlights the shared human experiences and connections that can be made through the mail.
  • Jay Krueger
    From a Cartoon to a Pop Art Classic
    2021-01-14
    Scientific imaging reveals how Roy Lichtenstein developed the painting Look Mickey, a defining work in his career.
  • Alison Luchs
    A Renaissance Bronze and the Need to Talk
    2021-01-08
    Often overlooked, this small metal relief from the 16th century portrays the timeless need to converse and connect in person.
  • Michael Wallover
    The Exhaustion of 2020: Taking a Breath
    2020-11-27
    This 1966 painting by Alice Neel evokes a weariness that gallery aide Michael Wallover recognizes.
  • Kimberly Schenck
    An Experiment in Pastel and Watercolor by Degas
    2020-11-17
    Closeup viewing of a curious drawing by Edgar Degas highlights his instinct for experimenting with materials and color.
  • Catherine Southwick
    Veterans Day: Letters from Home
    2020-11-11
    A painting by World War I vet Horace Pippin inspires contemplation of sacrifice and family.
  • Andrea Nelson
    Meeting Tsuneko Sasamoto
    2020-11-05
    One of Japan’s first women photographers began her pioneering work with the camera some 80 years ago. She passed away in August 2022 at the age of 107.
  • Betsy Wieseman
    Frans Hals and the Duchess Goldblatt
    2020-10-09
    Duchess Goldblatt, one of Twitter's most engaging personalities, discusses the Frans Hals portrait she has chosen as her avatar.
  • Gretchen Hirschauer
    Infinite Healing
    2020-10-02
    Flowers carry symbolic meanings and messages in Pietro Perugino’s meditative Renaissance painting.
  • Mollie Salah
    DC Art Walk Self-Guided Tour
    2020-09-30
    Take a walk through the District’s neighborhoods and discover the art and history around the next corner.
  • Rachel E. Boyd
    What Do We Owe Each Other?
    2020-09-25
    A small painting by Fra Angelico inspires reflection on caregiving, community, and gratitude.
  • Barbara Berrie
    Why This Renaissance Painting Glows
    2020-09-23
    How do you make a painting glow? Lotto’s sophisticated technique and unconventional materials demonstrate the Renaissance artist’s creative ingenuity.
  • David Gariff
    The Presence of Absence
    2020-09-10
    The desire to reconnect animates a drawing by Charles Sheeler.
  • Anjuli Lebowitz
    On Transcendence and Belonging
    2020-09-08
    Ming Smith’s photography opens paths to healing.
  • Sarah Cash
    Still Life, Life Stilled
    2020-09-04
    A mysterious encounter on a wooded trail evokes vanitas still-life paintings — and some quiet contemplation.
  • Joel Vincii Ulmer
    Finding Your Window
    2020-09-01
    What do you see when you look out your window? An artist reflects on Cézanne, Murillo, and shifting our perspectives in the face of uncertainty.
  • Kaywin Feldman
    Memory, Museums, and the Once Known
    2020-08-28
    Kaywin Feldman, director of the National Gallery of Art, contemplates the presence—and absence—of a name.
  • Nikki Georgopulos
    Mary Cassatt’s Suffragist Symbolism
    2020-08-26
    What do sunflowers, Mary Cassatt, and the 19th Amendment have to do with each other?
  • Jeannette Ibarra Shindell
    Women's Equality Day
    2020-08-26
    One hundred years ago this month, with the adoption of the 19th Amendment, women in the United States won the right to vote — certain women, that is.
  • Haywood Turnipseed
    Catching My Breath
    2020-08-21
    An encounter with the works of Oliver Lee Jackson provides a breathtaking moment of inspiration and hope.
  • C.D. Dickerson
    The Ancient Art of Handwashing
    2020-08-14
    Maybe it is time to take inspiration from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, when art added purpose to an otherwise mundane act.
  • Mervin Richard
    In Memory of Alan Shestack (1938 – 2020)
    2020-08-07
    Since his death a few months back at age 81, not a day goes by without my thinking of Alan, the Gallery’s former deputy director and chief curator, renowned for his scholarship, humor, and gift for storytelling.
  • Molly Donovan
    In Memory of Christo (1935 – 2020)
    2020-08-07
    Molly Donovan, curator of contemporary art, remembers Christo’s drive to ignite the senses and “make things that are real.”
  • Nancy Anderson
    In Memory of David Driskell (1931–2020)
    2020-08-07
    Nancy Anderson, curator and head of American and British paintings, remembers David Driskell—a gifted artist, an inspiring teacher, and a respected scholar, curator, and advisor.
  • Shelley R. Langdale
    In Memory of Emma Amos (1937–2020)
    2020-08-07
    Shelley Langdale, curator and head of modern prints and drawings, remembers an artist whose powerful works "dislodge, question, and tweak prejudices, rules, and notions."
  • Mary Lee Corlett
    In Memory of Richard Anuszkiewicz (1930 – 2020)
    2020-08-07
    Throughout his 60-year career, his painting, sculpture, and prints offered complex investigations of color defined by a profound synergy of the conceptual and the technical.
  • Harry Cooper
    In Memory of Susan Rothenberg (1945 – 2020)
    2020-08-07
    Harry Cooper, senior curator of modern and contemporary art, remembers a brave and honest painter who “got all the way home.”
  • Lynn Kellmanson Matheny
    A Perfectly Imperfect Moment
    2020-07-27
    A Sally Mann photograph embraces imperfection and reminds us of the historical tangling of beauty and pain.
  • Alexandra Libby
    The Days Are Long, but the Centuries Are Short
    2020-07-09
    A poignant tension between childhood and the longing to grow up is captured in a Judith Leyster painting.
  • Jen Rokoski
    Berlin Abstraction as a Portrait
    2020-06-29
    To close out Pride month, please join me in taking a close look at Berlin Abstraction to contemplate Hartley’s work, his relationship with Von Freyburg, and his life in Berlin.
  • Genesis Flores
    Pride Month Art-Making
    2020-06-29
    In celebration of Pride Month, I am excited to bring you an art-making activity inspired by the work of Robert Rauschenberg.
  • Shana Condill
    Denadagohvgee (I Will See You Again)
    2020-06-25
    The first painting by a Native artist in the Gallery’s collection asks us to consider what we think we know about history, race, and identity.
  • Sherri Williams
    And a Special Fear for My Loved Ones
    2020-06-23
    A powerful Elizabeth Catlett print resonates with the pain of our current moment.
  • Steven Nelson
    Juneteenth: Past and Present
    2020-06-19
    To look backward and forward in the context of Juneteenth is to use Black heritage to strengthen connections and to effect social and political change.
  • Mel Harper
    Look to the Light
    2020-06-19
    On Juneteenth, Aaron Douglas’s Into Bondage prompts reflections on the way forward through oppression and anguish.
  • Mel Harper
    Challenging What We See
    2020-06-15
    Mel Harper, interpretive projects manager, reflects on Emma Amos's self-portrait as the world wrestles with the same societal norms the artist challenged.
  • Kaywin Feldman
    Director's Message
    2020-06-01
    A message from Kaywin Feldman.
  • Sarah Durkee
    Becoming the Schoolteacher
    2020-05-29
    A William Edmondson sculpture provides inspiration for parents navigating the demands of teaching students at home.
  • Artists
    Artists’ Voices on Resilience and Inspiration
    2020-05-27
    Artists’ talks at the Gallery remind us of the richness and resilience of human expression.
    Please note, the embedded media does not work.
  • Emily Pegues
    Service, Anonymity, and Commemoration
    2020-05-22
    A bronze medal by Mico Kaufman invites reflection and gratitude on Memorial Day.
  • Robert Price
    Reflecting on Touch
    2020-05-22
    Some things have no virtual substitutes. A conservator reflects on the complicated role of touch in his work treating French marble sculptures.
  • Mary Morton
    Living in a House of Cards
    2020-05-21
    How can we build anything now, given the uncertainty of the future? Chardin’s The House of Cards asks us to remain beguiled by the pleasure of creating.
  • Molly Donovan
    Swept Drawings
    2020-05-15
    When he is not traveling the globe, Andy Goldsworthy is at his home in the Southern Uplands of Scotland, where he creates ephemeral works around his studio and in the rural environment.
  • Richard J. Powell
    Tribute to a Grandmother
    2020-05-08
    Archibald Motley’s deep love for his Grandma Emily led to a stunning portrait, as described by Richard J. Powell, former Edmond J. Safra Visiting Professor.
  • Kimberly Jones
    Reflections on Mary Cassatt and Mother’s Day
    2020-05-08
    Mary Cassatt, an artist often associated with images of motherhood, had definite opinions about Mother’s Day. Kimberly Jones, Curator of 19th-Century French Paintings, explains.
  • Lorena Bradford
    Artful Moments for Frontline Workers
    2020-05-05
    Explore Childe Hassam’s Poppies, Isles of Shoals in a guided meditation, shared in appreciation for nurses, health care professionals, and frontline workers.
  • Lorena Bradford
    Mindful Looking: Finding Personal Meaning in a Work of Art
    2020-05-01
    Spending a few mindful minutes with a work of art can be especially powerful during this time, when life is unexpectedly complex and we often feel we have more questions than there are answers.
  • Julie Carmean & Liz Diament
    Look Slowly, Think Artfully
    2020-04-27
    “I started this webinar feeling anxious, and now I am calmer.” Learn about our new webinars that support slow looking, critical thinking, and community building.
  • Lorena Bradford
    Connecting through Conversation
    2020-04-14
    Gather the family, schedule a video chat with friends, or get in touch with someone you’ve been meaning to call for a while, and let our works of art bring you and your loved ones closer together.
  • Kaywin Feldman
    What Is Essential?
    2020-03-31
    We have temporarily closed our doors to staff and visitors until further notice. All of us at the Gallery will do our part to flatten the curve for our fellow citizens and health care heroes.
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