Art of History
Episodes from history, viewed through great works of art. No pre-reqs required! New episodes every month. Hosted by Amanda Matta, art historian and TikTok's favorite royal commentator.
- Update frequency
- every 25 days
- Average duration
- 54 minutes
- Episodes
- 53
- Years Active
- 2021 - 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 Tahitia…
01:17:28 |
Fri 29 Aug 2025
The Real Venus: Simonetta Vespucci (presenting ArtMuse Podcast)
In this feed swap episode with ArtMuse, host Grace Anna dives into the life of Simonetta Vespucci: the Genoese noblewoman often credited as the muse for Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and Primavera.…
01:23:14 |
Thu 17 Jul 2025
Breaking the Frame: Rise of the Impressionists
In Part 2 of our Impressionism series, we leave the floating world of Japan behind and step into the bustling studios, salons, and sun-drenched riverbanks of 19th-century France. This time, we meet t…
00:51:23 |
Thu 12 Jun 2025
Influencing the Impressionists: Hokusai’s Great Wave
Before Monet painted water lilies or Degas sketched ballerinas, a wave was crashing in from the East. In this episode, we explore how Japanese woodblock prints—especially Hokusai’s ‘The Great Wave of…
00:40:46 |
Thu 08 May 2025
Mme. Tussaud, Witness to the Revolution (with Gavin Whitehead)
In this special episode, the host and producer of The Art of Crime, Gavin Whitehead, joins us to explore the fascinating life of Madame Tussaud.
Known for founding the world-renowned wax museum, Tus…
01:19:59 |
Thu 27 Mar 2025
Lucrezia Borgia: Art, Power, and Legacy
In 1501, Lucrezia Borgia—daughter of the infamous Pope Alexander VI—briefly ruled the Vatican in his absence, a moment as shocking then as it is now. But how did she gain this rare position of power?…
01:22:54 |
Fri 28 Feb 2025
The Fall of Icarus: A Myth Reframed
Pieter Bruegel the Elder's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus reimagines Ovid's Metamorphoses, transforming the myth of Icarus into a meditation on human indifference and folly. This episode unpacks h…
01:13:18 |
Thu 30 Jan 2025
Art Bite: Queen or Cake?
Inspired by The Rainbow Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I at Hatfield Park, an extravagant cake was recently unveiled by Emma Jayne Cake Design, for Cake International 2024. Learn the secrets of this ent…
00:30:21 |
Thu 28 Nov 2024
Darkness and Desire: Witchcraft in Art
Witchcraft has captivated the imagination of society for centuries, and is today viewed as an enigmatic symbol of limitless power and feminine agency. But this wasn’t always the case. Through art, we…
00:54:33 |
Thu 31 Oct 2024
Madame X, Unveiled
The story behind John Singer Sargent’s iconic painting, Portrait of Madame X, rarely focuses on on the life of its subject, Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau. A prominent Parisian socialite known for h…
01:37:00 |
Thu 19 Sep 2024
In the Margins of History: Washington & Slavery
George Washington was many things: general, president, family man, and slaveholder. This giant of American history had a complex relationship with the enslaved—and often invisible—laborers who made h…
01:42:27 |
Wed 14 Aug 2024
J.C. Leyendecker: The Making of American Manhood
Artist and illustrator J.C. Leyendecker (1874-1951) helped shape modern American visual culture as the mind behind advertising campaigns like the legendary “Arrow Collar Man.” He was also responsible…
00:52:57 |
Wed 03 Jul 2024
History Daily: The Discovery of China’s Terracotta Army & The Execution of King Louis XVI
I'm on vacation, and I hope you'll get some time away soon, too! Our featured podcast today is one that you'll 100% want to listen to on your summer travels: History Daily.
Each weekday on History D…
00:36:07 |
Sat 15 Jun 2024
Art Bite: King Charles' New Royal Portrait
The internet has been ablaze with hot takes on King Charles III's brand-new royal portrait by British artist Jonathan Yeo. Does it depict a strong, capable monarch? Or one who is overshadowed by the …
00:16:33 |
Fri 17 May 2024
Portrait of a Woman: Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (with Bridget Quinn)
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (1749–1803) rose from shopkeeper’s daughter to an official portraitist of the French royal court—only to have her achievements reduced to ash by the Revolution. While she defi…
00:52:36 |
Thu 02 May 2024
Double Agent: Chevalier d'Éon
The Chevalier d'Éon (1728–1810) is known as a transgender icon, living the first half of their life as a man, and the second as a woman. Theirs is also a life that is remarkably documented in contemp…
01:18:21 |
Thu 04 Apr 2024
Aina: The Forgotten Princess
How did the daughter of an African ruler become goddaughter to Queen Victoria? A young black girl named Aina, later called Sarah Forbes Bonetta (1843–1880), began life in West Africa. But she would g…
01:03:05 |
Thu 07 Mar 2024
The Death of Lady Jane
With the tragic demise of Lady Jane Grey (1537-1554) serving as inspiration for countless works of art, it was hard to select just one to focus our attention on. But I did it, and in this episode, we…
01:27:13 |
Thu 01 Feb 2024
The Other Side: Women Artists and the Spirit World
Amanda is joined on the podcast for this special episode by Jennifer Higgie, author of The Other Side: A Story of Women in Art and the Spirit World.
Uncover the role that spiritualism has played in …
00:54:03 |
Thu 04 Jan 2024
Unheard Melodies: Hildegard von Bingen
At age 42, a nun named Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) decided to heed the command—which she believed came from God—to write down that which she saw and heard. It just so happened that what she saw …
00:56:50 |
Thu 28 Dec 2023
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are the property of Amanda Matta. This content is not affiliated with or endorsed by eachpod.com.