“Great Art Explained”

The art world is full of clich?s, but it’s never too late to learn something new. The YouTube channel Great Art Explained is proof of that and is a precious art find.

In general, I am not a huge fan of “explained” series, but this one turned out to be very different. In it, curator and gallerist James Payne focuses on a particular famous painting or artist and makes an in-depth analysis of the work / artist, placing them in the context of the times in which they were created / worked, the family they grew up in, the political and social environment.

The analyzes are interesting, sometimes unexpected, informative and educational. Of course, however factual and historical they may be, they remain one (of many) perspectives on one’s art. However, I’m gladly devouring this content and thinking how wandering around museums with tons of paintings might turn out to be highly pointless without much-needed context.

Here are some of the videos: