Friday Links: happy little trees, celebrity art quiz, Monet’s ghost, and more
Photographer: Robert Howlett | Isambard Kingdom Brunel, builder of the Great Eastern | ca. 1857-1858 | George Eastman House, eastmanhouse.org
Some stories we’ve been reading this week:
- Fan of “happy little trees”? You’re in luck: The very first episode of the late, much-loved painting instructor Bob Ross’ show is now available online.
- Maybe you have a degree in art history, but can you pass this quiz in which you have to identify which celebrities made these paintings?
- Record drought conditions in southeastern Mexico have been affecting farmers for some time now, but the lack of rain has also brought a less unpleasant surprise: a 17th century church has been rising from the water.
- We liked this essay on the woodcut that accompanies Andreas Vesalius’s discourse on the muscles of excretion. Yes, it depicts what you think. And yes, you can find it in Artstor.
- A Renaissance scholar bought a two-and-a-half-foot tall wooden sculpture in 2012, and he and several other experts now believe the statue is a lost work by Donatello.
- Others don’t have to buy artworks; they just have to look for them in their attic. For example, this person saw a painting by her aunt hailed as a masterpiece on TV. A quick search revealed 500 more like it bundled up in her loft.
- One of 10 remaining copies of the 17th century “Sinners Bible,” which got its name because of its infamous typo imploring readers to commit adultery, is going on auction next month.
And three inevitable Halloween-related stories:
- Is Claude Monet’s ghost haunting the Cleveland Museum of Art? It sure seems like it from this photo!
- A giant red spoon sculpture unveiled by TV illusionist Uri Geller has disappeared, and the jokes just write themselves.
- Sabile, in Latvia, is mostly known for its lovely wine-growing hill, but before you go strolling there at night, be aware that you might run into a small and strange garden filled with hundreds of pale straw dolls. (Not worried about it? Then you might enjoy our selection of scary dolls!)