Swiss painter Henry Fuseli (1741-1825) was the man behind one of art history’s most famous spooky paintings: ‘The Nightmare.’ But how much do you actually know about this dream-fuelled Gothic image?
Henry Fuseli, The Nightmare (1781). Oil on Canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, Michigan.
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Sep 2025
Free as a Verb: Art, Speech, and Conflict in Antebellum America
What did “free speech” mean before the Civil War...and what did it cost? Today, I'm exploring how Americans have debated the meaning of liberty through words, images, and even violence beginning with Samuel Jennings’s 1792 painting 'Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences' in 17 ... Show More
44m 27s
Aug 2025
The New Modern: The Post-Impressionists
In the final installment of our Impressionism primer, we meet the artists who broke away from light and surface to paint something deeper. From Van Gogh’s turbulent skies to Gauguin’s mythic Tahitian scenes, Cézanne’s geometric still lifes to Seurat’s scientific dots, the Post-Im ... Show More
1h 17m
Apr 2023
Shiva Nataraja, Lord of the Dance
<p>In today's episode of Metropolitan Masterpieces, I'm examining a stunning statue of Shiva in the guise of Nataraja, Lord of the Dance. </p>
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<p>For images and sources: <a href="https://www.accessiblearthistory.com/post/podcast-episode-87-statue-of-shiva-nata ... Show More
8m 47s
Apr 2023
Hudson River: America's First Art Movement
<p>English-born artist Thomas Cole emigrated to the United States in 1818. Six years later he began what is now known as the Hudson River School, which became the first art movement of the United States.. Betsy Jacks, director of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, tells Don ... Show More
27m 50s