Radio Free History

How Art Got Ugly continues as we move into the 1940s, and examine how mainstream American Art went from American Gothic to Jackson Pollock in less than 20 years. We take side jaunts to look at the legacies of Nelson Rockefeller, Peggy Guggenheim, Hans Hofmann, John Graham, and the Museum of Modern Art. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory  

We finish our survey of 1930s art by looking at architecture. We look at the evolution of Modernist architecture, and we look at the ideological architecture of the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. We also take a detour to look at the 1937 Paris Expo. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory  

After a decade of radical aesthetics in the 1920s, art of the 30s went back to being figurative, not least because it made for better propaganda for dictators in need of it. We look at Socialist Realism in Stalinist Russia, and the aesthetics of Nazi Germany. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory

Intro:  Ska Revolution by DavidKBD (Shared under CC BY 4.0) Outro: Skank the Summer by DavidKBD (Shared under CC BY 4.0)

Kruptos joins us for a long discussion about the decline of Rome, and what parallels, if any, we see in the world as the 20th century geopolitical order seems to be crumbling. Find Kruptos's writing and podcast at https://www.seekingthehiddenthing.com/ Support us at https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory

How Art Got Ugly continues, as we move from the Modernist aesthetics of the 1920s to the more conservative and realistic art of the 1930s. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory

Gio joins RFH to talk about Futurism and art from 100 years ago, why some of it was profound, and the ways in which it remains relevant to the culture of today. We talk about culture on every level, from philosophy to internet memes. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory

A continuation of the last episode, as we finish our deep dive into 1920s Paris's avant garde. We look at the Purists, the Surrealists, Art Deco, the 1925 Expo, and the legacy of 1920s Paris on modern aesthetics and architecture. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory

Our hosts continue their investigation of why modern art is ugly. Today's episode takes us through 1920s Paris, the world of Ernest Hemingway, Dada, and Surrealism. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory

(NOTE: We started recording before realizing that the mic wasn't properly connected, but the vibe was good, so we didn't stop. The sound gets better after about 20 minutes when we realized it) Our hosts look continue their investigation of how modern art got so ugly, and arguably the lynchpin of the whole story is 1920s Germany, during the Weimar Republic. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-...

In our hosts' ongoing quest to figure out when art started to go off the rails, they dig into Russian Constructivism and the early years of the Soviet Union. It turns out that this era is full of clues that are crucial to solving the mystery. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory  

"How Art Got Ugly" reaches the crux of the story: The 1920s and the aftermath of WW1. We examine Modernism across the creative endeavors, and start by looking at the art before, during, and after the rise of Benito Mussolini. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory

We look at the back-story behind the movie Lawrence of Arabia, from the Islamic Golden Age through its legacy on the Middle East conflicts going on today. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory

The "How Art Got Ugly" series continues. After spending several episodes tracking the evolution of art from Michelangelo to Picasso, we take some time to survey the creative landscape in the aftermath of WW1. We examine Monet's Water Lilies, the legacy of the Futurists, the Museum of Modern Art, and a theory that culture is still, to this day, stuck in 1925. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-fre...

Episode five of our hosts' deep dive into how modern art got so ugly. This time, we look at the early 20th century, as avant garde movements pop up across Europe, from the Cubists and Fauvists in Paris, to the German Expressionists in Berlin and Munich, to the Futurists in Milan, to the Dada movement in Zurich. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory

Our hosts look continue their investigation of how modern art got so ugly, and this episode takes us to Montmartre during the fin de siècle. What we now call "modern art" starts to emerge in Paris's answer to 2000s Williamsburg. We also look at Cezanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory

We look at the history of professional wrestling, from its obscure origins in the British Isles through the billion-dollar business that it is today. Whether you care to admit it or not, pro wrestling looms large in our 21st century culture. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory

This is the second half of the conversation in the previous episode. Our investigation of modern art goes to 19th century France, when avant garde art begins to look a little less realistic, and a little more "modern", whatever that even means. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory

Our hosts look continue their investigation of how modern art got so ugly, starting with a look at some of the entries in the 2024 Whitney Biennial. We then look at how the concept of art came about in the 18th and 19th centuries. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory

Our hosts look (with some exasperation) at the finals of the 2024 Turner Prize, and ask how modern art got so ugly. More importantly, what is art and why does it cover so many of these ugly works? The story behind that question goes all the way back to the Renaissance. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history   https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory  

Our hosts look at the life and times of Fred Phelps, the founder and face of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history   https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory  

In a break from the usual format, this is Radio Free History's first interview episode, where we talk to a local (and well-respected) martial arts instructor about the history of Kung Fu and martial arts generally in the West, up to the current day with MMA. He dispels some common myths about martial arts that persist, often due to dramatic depictions in movies and media. At the end, we spend some...

The conclusion of the previous episode about Francis Walsingham and the Elizabethan spy rings. In this episode, we see how Walsingham was directly involved with two historic events: the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the defeat of the Spanish Armada. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history   https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory  

The Elizabethan age was in inflection point, when a lot of the things we associate with England came into being. The foundations of modern English culture, art, and religion are all products of the age. It was also a time when spies and informants were everywhere, and they played a crucial role in the struggle between the English Protestants and Catholics. James Bond may have been written during t...

When you dig into the history of any European country, the 16th century is always an inflection point, either because of the Reformation or the Renaissance. Our hosts take a bird's eye view to see just what the Continent (as a whole) looked like before and after this period of change. https://www.subscribestar.com/radio-free-history   https://ko-fi.com/radiofreehistory