Art of History

4.8 (318)
VISUAL ARTS
UPDATED MONTHLY

Episodes from history, viewed through great works of art. No pre-reqs required! New episodes every month. Hosted by Amanda Matta, art historian and TikTok's favorite royal commentator.

09/26/2025

Free as a Verb: Art, Speech, and Conflict in Antebellum America

What did “free speech” mean before the Civil War...and what did it cost? Today, I'm exploring how Americans have debated the meaning of liberty through words, images, and even violence beginning with Samuel Jennings’s 1792 painting 'Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences' in 1790. Commissioned by Philadelphia’s Library Company, this version of liberty is imagined as a goddess who uses her staff to bestow knowledge and emancipation. Fast forward six decades, and a very different rod appears in the infamous 1856 caning of Senator Charles Sumner, captured in the print engraving 'Southern Chivalry.' Here, a gold-topped cane becomes a weapon to silence anti-slavery speech on the Senate floor. Along the way, we’ll trace how abolitionists like Benjamin Franklin, John Quincy Adams, and Frederick Douglass defended speech as action, not abstraction, and how attempts to gag or punish words have only sharpened conflict in American history. Today's Works: Samuel Jennings, ‘Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences, or The Genius of America Encouraging the Emancipation of the Blacks’ (c. 1792). Library Company of Philadelphia. and John L. Magee, ‘Southern chivalry - argument versus clubs.’ 1856. ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast | @matta_of_fact

44 min
09/25/2025

Free as a Verb: Art, Speech, and Conflict in Antebellum America

What did “free speech” mean before the Civil War...and what did it cost? Today, I'm exploring how Americans have debated the meaning of liberty through words, images, and even violence beginning with Samuel Jennings’s 1792 painting 'Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences.' Commissioned by Philadelphia’s Library Company, this version of liberty is imagined as a goddess who uses her staff to bestow knowledge and emancipation. Fast forward six decades, and a very different rod appears in the infamous 1856 caning of Senator Charles Sumner, captured in the print engraving 'Southern Chivalry.' Here, a gold-topped cane becomes a weapon to silence anti-slavery speech on the Senate floor. Along the way, we’ll trace how abolitionists like Benjamin Franklin, John Quincy Adams, and Frederick Douglass defended speech as action, not abstraction, and how attempts to gag or punish words have only sharpened conflict in American history. Today's Works: Samuel Jennings, ‘Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences, or The Genius of America Encouraging the Emancipation of the Blacks’ (c. 1792). Library Company of Philadelphia. and John L. Magee, ‘Southern chivalry - argument versus clubs.’ 1856. ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast | @matta_of_fact

42 min
08/29/2025

The New Modern: The Post-Impressionists

In the final installment of our Impressionism primer, we meet the artists who broke away from light and surface to paint something deeper. From Van Gogh’s turbulent skies to Gauguin’s mythic Tahitian scenes, Cézanne’s geometric still lifes to Seurat’s scientific dots, the Post-Impressionists transformed 19th-century visual experiments into something stranger, bolder, and more modern. We’ll also drop in to Montmartre with Toulouse-Lautrec, and look ahead to the influence these artists had on the Fauves, the Cubists, and even American modernists. Vincent and the Doctor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubTJI_UphPk&ab_channel=DoctorWho ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast

1h 14m
07/17/2025 · BONUS

The Real Venus: Simonetta Vespucci (presenting ArtMuse Podcast)

In this feed swap episode with ArtMuse, host Grace Anna dives into the life of Simonetta Vespucci: the Genoese noblewoman often credited as the muse for Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and Primavera. Hailed as the most beautiful woman in Florence, Simonetta captivated the city’s most powerful leaders, artists, and intellectuals. But her story has long been shrouded in romantic legend. Who was the woman behind the myth? And what does it mean to reclaim her narrative today? You may remember Simonetta from our past discussion of Primavera, but here, ArtMuse peels back the layers of fantasy to reveal the real woman. She's far more complex, and far more human, than history has allowed her to be. Hosted by art historian Grace Anna, ArtMuse is a show dedicated to restoring the identities of women too often reduced to muses or decorative subjects. Listen or learn more at https://www.artmusepodcast.com/episodes. ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com | Instagram: ⁠@artofhistorypodcast⁠ Travel with me! Visit ⁠https://trovatrip.com/host/profiles/amanda-rgyss⁠ to see trips currently on the horizon.

1h 23m
07/07/2025

The Real Venus: Simonetta Vespucci (presenting ArtMuse Podcast)

In this feed swap episode with ArtMuse, host Grace Anna dives into the life of Simonetta Vespucci: the Genoese noblewoman often credited as the muse for Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and Primavera. Hailed as the most beautiful woman in Florence, Simonetta captivated the city’s most powerful leaders, artists, and intellectuals. But her story has long been shrouded in romantic legend. Who was the woman behind the myth? And what does it mean to reclaim her narrative today? You may remember Simonetta from our past discussion of Primavera, but here, ArtMuse peels back the layers of fantasy to reveal the real woman. She's far more complex, and far more human, than history has allowed her to be. Hosted by art historian Grace Anna, ArtMuse is a show dedicated to restoring the identities of women too often reduced to muses or decorative subjects. Listen or learn more at https://www.artmusepodcast.com/episodes. ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com | Instagram: ⁠@artofhistorypodcast⁠ Travel with me! Visit ⁠https://trovatrip.com/host/profiles/amanda-rgyss⁠ to see trips currently on the horizon.

1h 20m
06/12/2025

Breaking the Frame: Rise of the Impressionists

In Part 2 of our Impressionism series, we leave the floating world of Japan behind and step into the bustling studios, salons, and sun-drenched riverbanks of 19th-century France. This time, we meet the artists who dared to defy the rules (Monet, Morisot, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cassatt) and the dealer, Paul Durand-Ruel, who bet everything on their vision. We’ll explore how these painters broke with tradition to capture the modern world around them…and how their movement spread, against all odds, to American collectors, museums, and artists. ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast

51 min
06/11/2025

Breaking the Frame: The Rise of the Impressionists

In Part 2 of our Impressionism series, we leave the floating world of Japan behind and step into the bustling studios, salons, and sun-drenched riverbanks of 19th-century France. This time, we meet the artists who dared to defy the rules (Monet, Morisot, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cassatt) and the dealer, Paul Durand-Ruel, who bet everything on their vision. We’ll explore how these painters broke with tradition to capture the modern world around them…and how their movement spread, against all odds, to American collectors, museums, and artists. ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast

49 min
05/08/2025

Influencing the Impressionists: Hokusai’s Great Wave

Before Monet painted water lilies or Degas sketched ballerinas, a wave was crashing in from the East. In this episode, we explore how Japanese woodblock prints—especially Hokusai’s ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’—reshaped the way Western artists thought about space, subject, and form. From flattened perspective to everyday scenes, ukiyo-e wasn’t just decorative—it was revolutionary. We’ll unpack the rise of Japonisme, its deep (and sometimes uneasy) influence on Impressionism, and how one iconic wave helped turn the tide of art history. Today’s image: Katsushika Hokusai, ‘Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura),’ (1830-32). Woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. ______ New episodes every month. Let's keep in touch! Email: artofhistorypod@gmail.com Instagram: @artofhistorypodcast | @matta_of_fact

37 min

See All (58)

TRAILER

Introducing the Art of History Podcast!

Join me for episodes from history, viewed through great works of art. No pre-reqs required! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/amanda-matta/support

08/22/2021

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3 min

American Revolution Podcast explores the events of the American Revolution, from beginning to end. It publishes weekly. Be sure to check out the related blog for access to pictures, maps, and links to more useful information on each week's episode. https://blog.amrevpodcast.com

4.8 (1024)

HISTORY
A biweekly history podcast covering the last great war. Join Ray Harris Jr as he explores World War Two in intimate detail. The History of WWII Podcast is produced and narrated by Ray Harris Jr. Ray has a degree in history from James Madison University. I’ve been obsessed with the events and people from WWII since I first learned of them. I’ve been waiting years for someone to do a podcast on WWII and couldn’t wait any longer.

4.4 (3897)

HISTORY
The Explorers Podcast is about the greatest explorers and explorations in history.

4.9 (1463)

HISTORY
Ancient Egypt, from Creation to Cleopatra. This podcast tells the story of pharaonic Egypt "in their own words." Using archaeology, ancient texts, and up-to-date scholarship, we uncover the world of the Nile Valley and its people. Hosted on the Airwave Media Network.

4.8 (1824)

HISTORY
The Webby Award-winning “Box of Oddities" is a podcast that delves into the strange and mysterious aspects of our world, exploring topics ranging from bizarre medical conditions to unsolved mysteries, and from paranormal phenomena to strange cultural practices from around the world. With a focus on oddities, curiosities, and the macabre, each episode is a journey into the unknown, where hosts Kat and Jethro Gilligan Toth share their love for unusual stories and inject their humor and commentary. From the strange history of medical practices to chilling true crime stories, to natural (and unnatural) events, "The Box of Oddities" satisfies your thirst for the weird and the unusual, offering an informative and entertaining look into the dark and mysterious corners of our world. JIMMY KIMMEL, ABC-TV says, "Should you be the type who has an interest in weird stuff, this is a fun thing to allow in your head!" “Truth is stranger than fiction, and the Box of Oddities is the strangest of all!” -SLUGGO, SIRIUS XM LITHIUM “Kat & Jethro wring humor from bizarre, macabre and perplexing places.” -BOSTON MAGAZINE

4.8 (2851)

COMEDY
From the first human civilizations to the Hellenistic and Roman eras

4.7 (1833)

HISTORY

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4.8

out of 5

318 Ratings

Way above average

11/28/2025

Anita - R

Good content, interesting opinions, and I am extremely grateful there is no fake music bed behind the voice. Thank you for not doing that!!
So many nuggets of wisdom

09/18/2025

colofemme

A first rate perspective on multiple aspects in the collision of art and history. A sensitive, insightful review of artists, their works and their times that enriches my visits to museums and exhibits. Bravo!
Fun, interesting, and relaxing

09/12/2025

JennDish

I'm so pleased to have found this show by searching for the Madam X painting, and listening to that episode. I was immediately in love. Phenomenally well researched and I love the historical and cultural contextual information. Holds your attention without being distracting. High quality content + production + interesting topics = the Art of History Podcast.
My new favorite art podcast

08/26/2025

HeartFromAnotherEra

I’m an amateur art lover who was looking to become more knowledgable in art history, and I discovered this podcast. What an enjoyable listen! I like the extremely accessible way that Amanda presents her information, and I always learn something new.

Episodes from history, viewed through great works of art. No pre-reqs required! New episodes every month. Hosted by Amanda Matta, art historian and TikTok's favorite royal commentator.