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theshymuseumgoer.com
Diane Tucker
@theshymuseumgoer.com
11K followers 1.7K following 2K posts
Writer/producer prev seen on NATGEO, HIST, DISC, MBN, HuffPo.
Now writing about great works of art and the deeply human stories they tell at TheShyMuseumgoer.com
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Diane Tucker @theshymuseumgoer.com · Nov 17
Like art history? Here’s a starter pack of art historians and arts writers on Bluesky. Lots of fun and engaging stuff for your feed....
Reposted by Diane Tucker
taylordahlin.com
brass solidarity band performing “stand by me” in the streets of whittier next to alex pretti’s memorial. the crowd started chanting “the people united will never be defeated” so they incorporated it into the song. i love minneapolis
January 27, 2026 at 12:22 AM
theshymuseumgoer.com
#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡

Just announced:
Medievalist Aden Kumler will present the 75th A.W. Mellon Lecture at the National Gallery of Art, May 3-24, 2026.

Kumler will explore 'difficulty' as a medieval aesthetic and theme, using her research into how material conditions shape human thought and action.
Photograph of Aden Kumler, associate professor of art history at the University of Chicago
January 26, 2026 at 6:40 PM
theshymuseumgoer.com
#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡

Happy Sunday, Blueskiis

If you’re in the path of Winter Storm Fern, I hope you are safe and warm.

Henri Matisse, "Snow Flowers (1951)” • More in the ALT
Henri Matisse "Snow Flowers (1951)" • By 1951, the bedridden artist had stopped painting and devoted himself to making large-scale cutouts from painted sheets of paper. Here, the abstract "snow flowers" are a mixture of mostly white plant forms placed against a patchwork of bold color. Although they appear to be imaginary, one small plant growing up from the bottom center edge suggests that maybe these shapes were inspired by the snowdrop, a small frosty-white, bell-shaped flower that blooms in early spring. • The handwriting along the lowest orange edge reads “Fleurs de Neige Henri Matisse 1951"
January 25, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by Diane Tucker
governorwalz.mn.gov
I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening.

The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.
January 24, 2026 at 4:04 PM
Reposted by Diane Tucker
lizzieohreally.bsky.social
genuinely stunning image
Thousands of protesters shut down parts of Minneapolis and St. Paul on Friday as hundreds of businesses closed their doors. David Guttenfelder/The New York Times
January 24, 2026 at 1:37 AM
Reposted by Diane Tucker
joycewhitevance.bsky.social
Good morning members of the GOP in Congress. Today would be a good day for you to wake up.
January 19, 2026 at 3:26 PM
theshymuseumgoer.com
#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡

Happy Sunday, Blueskiis

Enjoy 19th-century Stockholm on a snowy afternoon...

Influenced by the Impressionists, this Swedish painter captures the nuances of daily life, with a keen eye for light and atmosphere

Wilhelm Smith “Winter Scene from the Streets of Stockholm” (1896) • ALT
Wilhelm Smith “Winter Scene from the Streets of Stockholm” (1896) • This oil painting depicts a snow-covered city street lined with contiguous buildings in muted tones. All the lampposts are lit because the sun sets mid-afternoon during the winter months. The sky is painted a soft, overcast grey. An open umbrella suggests it may be snowing. Textured snow covers the ground, showing faint tracks. • Scattered through the middle-ground are horse-drawn carriages and people bundled up in winter clothing. Predictably, two dogs grab center stage.
January 18, 2026 at 3:56 PM
Reposted by Diane Tucker
katierich.bsky.social
I feel bad for Aaron Rodgers*

*is what I would say to signal to my family I have been kidnapped.
January 13, 2026 at 3:50 AM
theshymuseumgoer.com
#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡

Happy Sunday, Blueskiis

Renoir probably painted this during the early weeks of 1868, when temps were so low they froze the Seine.

Among a remarkable variety of figures, the gray dog who stands alert for the arrival of a gold dog is especially charming.

More in the ALT...
Pierre-Auguste Renoir “Skaters in the Bois de Boulogne” (1868) • As rare as it is to see the Seine frozen over, it’s equally rare to see a snow scene by Renoir, who said, “If you can’t stand the cold, why paint snow?” • The scene is captured from a high vantage point. The figures, rendered in sketchy brushstrokes, assume a remarkable variety of poses, ranging from couples who glide effortlessly across the ice to a man who has fallen and is depicted with his feet up in the air. Iron gas lamps illuminate the pond, located in a park along the Seine. • Among Renoir’s earliest canvases, this picture prefigures a theme that will dominate his body of work: social leisure.
January 11, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by Diane Tucker
jasonkirk.fyi
We're getting within range of an Indiana team ... the Hoosiers, of Bloomington's Indiana University, to be clear ... putting themselves into the Best College Football Team Ever debate. Indiana, mind you. Regulation American football, to be clear
January 10, 2026 at 2:08 AM
theshymuseumgoer.com
#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡

This may not seem like a winter scene at first glance, but Monet offers clues: a thin layer of snow on black carriages, bare trees, a dusting of snow on the ground.

But what are those pink blobs of paint in the lower right?

Claude Monet, “Boulevard des Capucines” (1873) • See ALT
Claude Monet “Boulevard des Capucines” (1873) • In 1874, art critic Ernest Chesneau described this painting as “an extraordinary animation of the public street, the crowd swarming on the sidewalk, the carriages on the pavement — never has movement’s elusive, instantaneous quality been captured and fixed in all its fluidity as it has in this marvelous sketch.” • Note he describes the painting as a sketch. He goes on to say, “Obviously this is not the last word in art, nor even of this art. It is necessary to go on and to transform the sketch into a finished work.” It seems Mr. Chesneau has not yet embraced the core concept of impressionism, which is to depict a fleeting moment. • What do you make of those pink daubs of paint? Some historians think they probably represent balloons on strings being held by a sidewalk vendor. What do you think?
January 4, 2026 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Diane Tucker
petebuttigieg.bsky.social
It's an old and obvious pattern. An unpopular president - failing on the economy and losing his grip on power at home - decides to launch a war for regime change abroad.

The American people don’t want to “run” a foreign country while our leaders fail to improve life in this one.
January 3, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Reposted by Diane Tucker
santiagomayer.com
Timezones are so weird. Australia is in 2026, Canada is in 2025, and the United States is in 1939.
December 31, 2025 at 6:12 PM
theshymuseumgoer.com
#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #painting #snow

Happy Sunday (and Happy Snow Day), Blueskiis
Rare but beautiful: The art of snow
You rarely see snow falling in an art museum painting. So I tip my warmest hat to these six artists who accepted the challenge.
theshymuseumgoer.com
December 28, 2025 at 4:05 PM
theshymuseumgoer.com
#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡

Wishing you Happy Holidays, Blueskiis

Did you know that in 1447, Renaissance artist Fra Angelico painted scenes on an altarpiece that narrate the story of a 4th-century bishop named Nicholas who inspired the "Santa Claus" we know today?

See his predella panels here....
Fra Angelico: The devil is in the details
See how artist Fra Angelico led a revolution in Italian painting that profoundly shifted the focus from religious dogma to human potential.
theshymuseumgoer.com
December 24, 2025 at 12:53 AM
theshymuseumgoer.com
#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #Art #Painting

Happy Sunday, Blueskiis

This painting is a departure from Rockwell’s typically idealized holiday scenes, conveying the quiet exhaustion and humanity that fuels festive holiday cheer.

Norman Rockwell, “Tired Salesgirl on Christmas Eve” (1947) • More in ALT
Norman Rockwell “Tired Salesgirl on Christmas Eve” (1947) • The scene takes place in the toy department of a store specifically modeled after Chicago’s Marshall Field flagship store. The floor is littered with remnants of the Christmas rush, including crumpled wrapping paper and several unsold dolls. • A young woman, appearing exhausted, sits on the edge of a toy car, leaning her back against the store wall. She is rubbing her tired feet together after casting aside her shoes. • A small watch pinned to her lapel reads 5:05 PM, while the sign directly above her states that the store closes at 5 PM on Christmas Eve.
December 21, 2025 at 4:22 PM
theshymuseumgoer.com
#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #art

Pissarro created this painting on a wintry day in Norwood. He and his family were living temporarily in England after escaping France during the Franco-Prussian War.

See the rest of the story (from me) here: wp.me/pdQwQ8-1f

Camille Pissarro, “Fox Hill, Upper Norwood” (1870)
Camille Pissarro “Fox Hill, Upper Norwood” (1870) • An Impressionist oil painting of a winter scene in Upper Norwood, London. A snow-dusted road curves into the distance, lined by houses on the right and a cluster of buildings on the left with smoke rising from the chimneys. A man in a black suit walks down the path, while two women in heavy clothing walk in the opposite direction. Bare trees, dark bushes, and a grayish-blue sky add to the feeling of a cold winter’s day.
December 19, 2025 at 3:42 AM
theshymuseumgoer.com
#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡

Rest in peace, Rob Reiner

Vincent van Gogh, “At Eternity’s Gate” (1890)
Vincent van Gogh "At Eternity's Gate" (1890) • The artist shows us an older man seated by a fire, with his head buried in his hands. Hunched over and with his fists pressed against his face, he seems completely overwhelmed by sorrow.
December 16, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Reposted by Diane Tucker
marawilson.bsky.social
Rob Reiner either made your favorite movie, or made somebody you know’s favorite movie. If you’re a Californian, he’s also part of the reason you or your friends can get married. He has changed more lives for the better than this asshole commenting on him ever did.
December 15, 2025 at 7:36 PM
theshymuseumgoer.com
#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡

Happy Sunday, Blueskiis

“To paint the blue hour must be the most impossible, the greatest joy for an artist,” said (Russian-born) French artist Wassily Kandinsky, whose dreamlike painting of Moscow evokes a fantasy that's been lost to time.

“Riding Couple” (1906-07) • More in ALT
Wassily Kandinsky “Riding Couple” (1906-07) • Lovers wrap their arms around each other while they ride a horse under a canopy of golden leaves. Behind them, the white sails of two Viking ships are visible. On the opposite bank of the river, the outline of an imaginary Moscow reflects Kandinsky’s childhood memories of the city’s colorful domes. • Kandinsky became a naturalized French citizen in 1939, before WWII
December 14, 2025 at 4:48 PM
theshymuseumgoer.com
#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 #painting

Happy Sunday, Blueskiis

Miró painted the moon and the stars as a coping mechanism to escape from the cruelty and devastation of World War II into the comfort of a fantasy world.

Joan Miró “Nightingale’s Song & Morning Rain” (1940) • More in ALT
Joan Miró “The Nightingale’s Song and Morning Rain” (1940) • To make this painting, the artist painted fanciful black lines and vibrant flat shapes that change color whenever they cross over a line. Red switches to black…black switches to blue…blue switches to red. This picture pulses, like a universe with music in its soul. • “I felt a deep desire to flee,” said Miró. “I shut myself within myself. Music and the stars began to play a major role in suggesting my paintings."
December 7, 2025 at 3:51 PM
theshymuseumgoer.com
#Writers on #Writing

"When you get deep into a flow state, it’s really nice. But before you get to that point, it’s harder. Still, I always feel a bit unsettled if I’m not writing regularly — it’s like I haven’t got my handbag or something," said journalist/novelist Helen Fielding last Monday.
December 5, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Reposted by Diane Tucker
bencollins.bsky.social
Hey all,

The Onion is accepting applicants for our writing, video and graphics fellowships.

Fellowships last six months, pay well, and provide full benefits.

You can apply at theonion.com/fellowship.
Fellowship
theonion.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:26 PM
theshymuseumgoer.com
#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡 🎨

This documentary about artist Anselm Kiefer by Wim Wenders is something I truly loved watching.

There’s less narration than usual because the stunning cinematography lets viewers connect with the art on a more intimate level.

(now available on streaming)
Anselm - Official US Trailer
YouTube video by Janus Films
www.youtube.com
December 3, 2025 at 1:45 AM
theshymuseumgoer.com
#ArtHistory 🗃️ 🐡

Happy Sunday, Blueskiis

Modern artist Georgia O’Keeffe painted magnified leaves and flowers "to force viewers to slow down and truly see their unexplainable beauty.”

Georgia O’Keeffe, “Autumn Leaves” (1924) • More in the ALT
Georgia O’Keeffe, “Autumn Leaves” (1924) • A close-up illustration of overlapping leaves painted in shades of red, orange, yellow, and green. • In 1924, O’Keeffe was living primarily in the Shelton Hotel on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan with her husband, photographer Alfred Stieglitz. However, they spent the autumn months at Stieglitz’s family home on Lake George in upstate New York, where O’Keeffe converted a barn into a studio. "I wish you could see the place here," said O'Keeffe. "There is something so perfect about the mountains and the lake and the trees, sometimes I want to tear it all to pieces, it seems so perfect. But it is really lovely."
November 30, 2025 at 3:19 PM