Category: Art History

  • Amara Andrew

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    Shocking Frank Lloyd Wright home for sale!

    If you’ve ever wanted to own a Frank Lloyd Wright home, this might be your chance! It’s one of the most affordable Frank Lloyd Wright homes to ever be listed! 🏠

    Transcript

    This, without a doubt, is one of the most affordable Frank Lloyd Wright homes that’s ever been on the market.

    This is called the Socrates Zaferiou house. It sits on 2 ½ private acres, 4 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths.

    This property is a modified Usonian house…what the hell is that? “Usonian” was a term that Frank Lloyd Wright used to describe his properties and how they interacted with nature and included it, rather than discluding it. (That isn’t a word, but you know what I mean.)

    You’re probably wondering, how much does this cost? This particular property was listed by Sotheby’s for $1.52 million.

    That isn’t a lot of money when you consider that it’s a Frank Lloyd Wright home. I still think it’s an insane amount of money to spend on anything, but that isn’t a lot if you want to own this piece of historic architecture.

    🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

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  • Amara Andrew

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    Rarest image of Trojan War found!

    The rarest depiction of the Trojan War has been found buried under a building in Syria!

    Transcript

    This week, one of the rarest depictions of the Trojan War was found.

    While it’s not the oldest, archaeologists are calling it the rarest because it’s one of the most complete, intact mosaics that’s ever been found that’s depicting the Trojan War. That’s pretty frickin’ sweet!

    This mosaic was found underneath a building in Rastan, Syria. It’s dated around 1600 years old, so it was created sometime during the 4th century CE.

    This particular mosaic is believed to have been the flooring in an ancient bathhouse, but it’s not exactly known yet.

    So far, archaeologists have revealed 65 feet of this mosaic, but it’s believed to measure 1,300 square feet.

    They’ve got a lot of work ahead of them!

    🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

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  • Amara Andrew

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    Andy Warhol: copyright infringer?!

    The Andy Warhol Foundation is currently battling it out in the Supreme Court with noted photographer Lynn Goldsmith for a possible copyright infringement case 😅

    Transcript

    Even in death, Andy Warhol is still shaking up the art world.

    There’s a case against the Andy Warhol Foundation by photographer Lynn Goldsmith that he didn’t get proper license rights to reproduce her photograph of Prince.

    This dispute started in 2016 when Vanity Fair re-used a painting that was created by Warhol in the 1980s.

    The Warhol Foundation preemptively sued Goldsmith after concerns were being raised about the use of her image.

    This case has meandered through many different courts from 2016 to now, but it finally ended up in the Supreme Court which began its hearings on October 12.

    This case all hinges on copyright, particularly fair use. In this case, this particularly boils down to the commercial vs. non-commercial, and “transformative.” And, no, I don’t mean how your crystal retreat was in Sedona. I mean, how much it’s been changed from the original.

    I’m very curious to see where this goes. This will be a really big case and will be used in many art classes for years to come.

    🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

    Read More: Andy Warhol: copyright infringer?!

  • Amara Andrew

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    RIP Cartoon Network?!

    Since the merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery in April 2022, a lot of changes have been made! But, most importantly, is this the end of Cartoon Network as we knew it?!

    Transcript

    Cartoon Network–are they dead?

    Fans got quite a shock this past week when rumors started circulating that Cartoon Network was no more. People were even using “#RIPCartoonNetwork” on Twitter.

    While Cartoon Network isn’t leaving us, something equally as terrible is happening.

    Eighty-two staffers in its scripted, unscripted, and animation departments got laid off last week. There are also 43 other vacant positions that are going to go unfilled.

    These are part of a $3 billion project that started April 2022 with the merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery.

    Another interesting part of this merger is that Cartoon Network had its own level of autonomy, so they could make decisions in creative and operational matters. Now, however, they will not be able to do that. It’s just getting folded into the rest of the major company.

    That’s never happened before in the history of Cartoon Network.

    🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

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  • Amara Andrew

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    Are NFTs stocks? The U.S. government might think so…

    If you have any NFTs, you might wanna see this 😅 The United States Securities and Exchange Commission is currently investigating whether or not NFTs are securities (a.k.a. kind of like stocks).

    Transcript

    Yuga Labs, the creators of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), is being investigated to figure out whether they violated federal law.

    The United States Securities and Exchanges Commission (USSEC) is investigating if a few NFTs that were sold are similar to securities.

    Securities are something that has monetary value and can be traded, so kind of like a stock. The USSEC is also investigating the currency that Yuga Labs created within the BAYC universe called “Apecoin.”

    🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

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  • Amara Andrew

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    A fake Vermeer painting found in a major museum!

    A fake Vermeer painting has been found at the National Gallery of Art…but who created it? 🤔

    Transcript

    I love a good reattribution story!

    A well-known piece by Johannes Vermeer called “Girl with a Flute” has been identified as having not been created by Vermeer.

    You can see in “Girl with a Flute” that the technical quality of it is very different when compared to another piece that’s at the National Gallery of Art, “Girl with a Red Hat.”

    If you look at “Girl with a Red Hat,” the colors are extremely vivid, the tapestry is more precisely painted, and the highlights are more pronounced.

    In “Girl with a Flute,” though, the scene is muddier, her facial features are not as vibrant, and the overall painting looks more static.

    “Girl with a Flute,” is now attributed to Vermeer’s studio, instead of the artist. And it’s not a bad thing that it isn’t made by Vermeer. It just changes the story as well as the monetary value of the piece.

    🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

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  • Amara Andrew

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    Should the Rosetta Stone be returned to Egypt?

    The Rosetta Stone, just like the Koh-i-Noor diamond we discussed a few episodes back, is a hot button repatriation issue.

    What do you think: should the Rosetta Stone be returned to Egypt or kept at the British Museum? 🤔

    Transcript

    The Rosetta Stone is currently located at the British Museum. There is a huge problem with the fact that the have the Rosetta Stone. The Stone is significant because it helped us decipher Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

    So, what happened, though, is that in 1799, on one of Napoleon’s campaigns throughout Egypt, they stumbled upon this stele.

    This was then packaged up, stolen from Egypt, and then taken to France. In 1802, it was then gifted to the British Museum.

    Like with the Koh-i-Noor diamond, which is being asked for by the people of India, the Rosetta Stone is being asked for by the Egyptian people. The British Museum, though, has stated and stands by their statement that the Egyptian government has never asked for the stele’s return.

    The currently petition that’s circulating amongst archaeologists not only asks for the return of the Rosetta Stone, but also 16 other artifacts that were either illegally or unethically removed from Egypt.

    🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

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  • Amara Andrew

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    How an art museum gets rid of art – what’s deaccessioning?

    How does an art museum get rid of an artwork and what do they do with the money from that sale? 🤔

    Transcript

    When an institution deaccessions something, they’re removing something from their repository so they don’t own it anymore. They then put that artwork up for sale for another institution to purchase it.

    As stated by the AAMD (the Association for American Museum Directors), in their guidelines they state that the funds from selling the artwork can only be put toward the acquisition of another artwork.

    During COVID, though, the guidelines were temporarily edited to allow museums to use the money the got from deaccessioning to pay for staff wages.

    Now, however, the AAMD have, again, edited their guidelines to state that “Direct care for purposes of this section means the direct costs associated with the storage or preservation of works of art.”

    The funds, now, cannot be used for saving jobs or for temporary display of an artwork.

    🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

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  • Amara Andrew

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    Major Ancient Mayan Discovery!

    This discovery off the coast of Belize provides MAJOR context to how ancient Mayan communities functioned! 😱

    Transcript

    This is very exciting! Something amazing was found in the Paynes Creek National Park in southern Belize.

    This discovery actually shows us multiple things about ancient Mayan civilization.

    Archaeologists at Ta’ab Nuk Na found a grouping of underwater late Classic Mayan structures. These dated from 6th century CE. Archaeologists found not only large residential buildings, but three salt kitchens.

    Archaeologists were able to see real-life Classical Mayan pole-and-thatch wooden buildings. That isn’t the only thing that’s super exciting. Salt kitchens were also found!

    People would live and work at these salt kitchen sites and provide salt to inland communities. At this site, a wide variety of different pottery was found.

    What peaked archaeologists interest most was a rare okarina, or a figurine whistle, that was found at this site. The fact that an okarina was found in this community shows that there was some trade going on with other nearby communities.

    🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

    Read More: Major Ancient Mayan Discovery!

  • Amara Andrew

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    Discovery of Ancient Mayan City // What the Hell is “Deaccession?” // The Future of the Rosetta Stone // A Fake Vermeer!

    Discovery of Ancient Mayan City // What the Hell is “Deaccession?” // The Future of the Rosetta Stone // A Fake Vermeer!

    By Amara is a weekly art and history podcast hosted by Amara Andrew. Each week, we’ll take a quick look at the goings on in the art and history world.

    This week, we’re discussing the discovery of an Ancient Mayan city, what the hell is “Deaccession?,” the future of the Rosetta Stone, and a fake Vermeer!

    🎧 Subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts!

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    Who is Amara Andrew?

    Hi there! My name’s Amara and I’m a videographer, historian, illustrator, and creator living in Chicago.

    Read More: Discovery of Ancient Mayan City // What the Hell is “Deaccession?” // The Future of the Rosetta Stone // A Fake Vermeer!