art history
This guest post was written by Mona S. Rowe, science writer for Brookhaven National Laboratory's National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) and NSLS-II.
The quest to authenticate an unknown Rembrandt painting, titled "Old Man with a Beard," hit a dramatic high at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Using an advanced x-ray detector developed at NSLS, scientists found compelling evidence that the famous Dutch master did indeed have his own hand on the painting.
"After doing the experiments at NSLS, I felt that the painting I held in my hands was a…
(from here)
The Honoré Daumier exhibit is at the Central Library and is phenomenal. The BPL also has a great online exhibit of old travel posters (the amount of stuff the BPL has is incredible--if only there were more funding to exhibit it all...).
Check them both out.
The Boston Public Library has a really interesting exhibit of George Bellows' drawings. Here's one drawing, "The Law Is Too Slow":
Powerful stuff. Some additional pictures are here.
By way of Martini Revolution, I came across this Scott Horton post about Bush's favorite painting, "A Charge to Keep." We definitely need better art history education in the U.S., if for no other reason than to prevent people from embarrassing themselves. Horton:
Bush was so taken by it ["A Charge to Keep"], that he took the painting's name for his own official autobiography. And here's what he says about it:
I thought I would share with you a recent bit of Texas history which epitomizes our mission. When you come into my office, please take a look at the beautiful painting of a horseman…