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Curator's Corner

March 2026 is Women's History Month

Monday, March 2, 2026 | Karl Cole

I have always maintained that there is no period in history anywhere in the world when women artists did not play a significant role in the world’s cultures. Up until about fifty years ago, howe ...

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Curator's Corner

This day in History: Premier of "The Beggar's Opera" (1728)

Thursday, January 29, 2026 | Karl Cole

The Beggar's Opera is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay (1685-1732) with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch (1667-1752). It is the only example of the once thrivin ...

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Curator's Corner

December is National Pear Month

Monday, December 1, 2025 | Karl Cole

In 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared December as “National Pear Month.” I did not realize that pears have as much potassium as bananas. And they are certainly interesting a ...

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Curator's Corner

Art for National Fig Week: Luis Meléndez

Monday, November 3, 2025 | Karl Cole

November 1-7 is National Fig Week, and we celebrate with Baroque art! Just as very different painting styles co-existed in late Baroque France – the Rococo which catered to the nobility, and ...

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Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday Giovanna Fratellini

Monday, October 27, 2025 | Karl Cole

By the late 1600s, there were many women artists who became professional artists with successful careers. Unlike most women artists, Giovanna Fratellini was trained by a professional artist who was no ...

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Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday: Francesco Borromini

Thursday, September 25, 2025 | Karl Cole

Francesco Borromini was one of a trio of Italian architects (along with Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669) and Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680)) who helped define the Italian Baroque style in architectu ...

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Curator's Corner

National Oyster Day: Osias Beert, the Elder

Tuesday, August 5, 2025 | Karl Cole

Art historians consider Osias Beert possibly the first significant Baroque Flemish still life painter. The still life medium was just catching on in popularity during his period of activity, ...

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Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday: Juan Sánchez Cotán

Wednesday, June 25, 2025 | Karl Cole

Juan Sánchez Cotán was a Spanish Baroque painter who helped popularize the still life genre in Spanish Baroque painting. Spanish Renaissance and Baroque art were greatly influenced by th ...

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Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday: Ferdinand Bol

Tuesday, June 24, 2025 | Karl Cole

Ferdinand Bol was one of the outstanding history, portrait and still life painters to emerge from the studio of Rembrandt (1606–1669). In addition, he carried on the excellent development of the ...

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Curator's Corner

National Cheese Day: Clara Peeters

Wednesday, June 4, 2025 | Karl Cole

Although little is known about her upbringing or training, Peeters was one of a growing number of women artists who were widely acclaimed as professional artists. She was also a pioneer in the relativ ...

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Curator's Corner

Humor in Art Since the 1500s

Monday, January 13, 2025 | Karl Cole

Now that winter has set in with a vengeance, I think it is the perfect time to look at some art that can elicit a smile. ...

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Curator's Corner

Art for National Peach Month 2024

Monday, August 19, 2024 | Karl Cole

August was first declared National Peach Month in the United States in 1982. Since August is the month when peaches are supposed to be at their peak ripeness, let’s look at some works of art tha ...

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Curator's Corner

Celebrating Rembrandt's Birthday

Monday, July 15, 2024 | Karl Cole

As one of the most remarkable talents of the Dutch Golden Age of painting, Rembrandt had the distinction of becoming a fantastically successful artist. Although his contemporaries raved about him, Rem ...

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Curator's Corner

Gem of the Month: Pieter de Hooch

Monday, May 13, 2024 | Karl Cole

Gardens are probably not in full bloom as yet, but I cannot resist showing this idyllic garden genre scene by Pieter de Hooch. Did you ever want to crawl right into a painting to experience the atmosp ...

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Curator's Corner

National Meat Week 2024

Monday, January 29, 2024 | Karl Cole

National Meat Week, a celebration founded in 2005 by Chris Cantey and Erni Walker in Tallahassee, Florida, goes from 28 January to 4 February this year. It is meant to be a celebration of feastin ...

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Curator's Corner

Romance Awareness Month 2022

Monday, August 22, 2022 | Karl Cole

I happen to be a romantic slob at heart, and when the subject of “romance” comes up, works of art that I think characterize the concept naturally spring to mind. The following works may no ...

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Blogs

Baroque

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March 2026 is Women's History Month

This day in History: Premier of "The Beggar's Opera" (1728)

December is National Pear Month

Art for National Fig Week: Luis Meléndez

Artist Birthday Giovanna Fratellini

Artist Birthday: Francesco Borromini

National Oyster Day: Osias Beert, the Elder

Artist Birthday: Juan Sánchez Cotán

Artist Birthday: Ferdinand Bol

National Cheese Day: Clara Peeters

Humor in Art Since the 1500s

Art for National Peach Month 2024

Celebrating Rembrandt's Birthday

Gem of the Month: Pieter de Hooch

National Meat Week 2024

Romance Awareness Month 2022

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Always Stay in the Loop