Matter of Art

Liz Provost
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Welcome to Matter of Art, where art comes alive through captivating stories and insightful interviews with artists, conservators, and art historians. From the enigmatic strokes of a painting to the intricate details of sculpture to the efforts to protect our cultural heritage, each episode brings you closer to the heart of artistic expression. Connect with the host and creator of Matter of Art, Liz Provost, on the podcast ⁠website⁠: ⁠https://matterofart.co/

  1. EP18. Arms and Armour with Jeremy Reeves: Rethinking Firearms in Early Modern Europe

    May 29

    EP18. Arms and Armour with Jeremy Reeves: Rethinking Firearms in Early Modern Europe

    Browse the visual companion to this episode: https://matterofart.co/ep18 In this episode, we speak with historian and curator Jeremy Reeves about the cultural lives of arms and armour in early modern Europe. Moving beyond the battlefield, the conversation explores what happens when firearms are understood as crafted objects embedded within systems of art, status, technology, and power. Jeremy discusses his research on sixteenth-century French firearms, examining how these objects circulated through courtly culture, collecting practices, diplomacy, hunting, and elite display during a moment of profound technological and social transformation. Together, we consider firearms as works of material culture: objects shaped by specialized craftsmanship, guild structures, decorative practices, and evolving ideas about identity and prestige. Connect with Liz at Matter of Art on the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://⁠matterofart.co/⁠⁠. Kunz Lochner (German armorer, 1510–1567), Armor of Emperor Ferdinand I (1503–1564), 1549, steel, brass, leather, Metropolitan Museum of Art

    48 min
  2. EP17. Invisible Hands: Who Really Made Early Modern Bronze Sculpture?

    Jan 8

    EP17. Invisible Hands: Who Really Made Early Modern Bronze Sculpture?

    In this episode, I speak with Jen Liu, PhD student at the University of Toronto, about the hidden stories behind baroque bronze sculpture. Focusing on Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Cathedra Petri in St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as other contemporaneous projects in the Vatican, we discuss how large foundry teams—often erased from art historical narratives—were essential to bringing these works into being. Jen’s work as a research assistant on the technical study of Bernini’s bronze multiples has inspired her research and methodology. This conversation challenges the myth of the solitary artistic genius and invites you to rethink authorship, making, and the many invisible hands behind your favourite works. Check out the Bernini's Bronzes projects: https://berninisbronzes.com/ Connect with Liz at Matter of Art on the podcast ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://⁠matterofart.co/⁠⁠. Episode art: Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, 1598–1680), Chair of Saint Peter, 1657–66, gilt bronze, St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City.

    49 min
  3. EP16. Carving Out History: Rediscovering Emma Stebbins with Karli Wurzelbacher

    10/31/2025

    EP16. Carving Out History: Rediscovering Emma Stebbins with Karli Wurzelbacher

    In the heart of Central Park, the Angel of the Waters rises above the Bethesda Fountain—one of New York’s most beloved public monuments. But few know the name of the woman who created it. Emma Stebbins (1815–1882) was the first woman to receive a public art commission in New York City, a celebrated sculptor in her day, and a pioneering queer artist whose legacy was later written out of history. In this episode, Liz speaks with Dr. Karli Wurzelbacher, Chief Curator at The Heckscher Museum of Art, about Emma Stebbins: Carving Out History—the world’s first exhibition and catalogue devoted to Stebbins’s life and work. Together, they trace Stebbins’s extraordinary career: from her groundbreaking depictions of American laborers to her intimate portrait of her wife, actress Charlotte Cushman, and finally, to the creation of the angel that came to define a city. The conversation explores how Stebbins used the language of neoclassicism to express radical ideas about gender, labour, and love, and how her art, once forgotten, continues to inspire new generations. Visit Emma Stebbins: Carving Out History at The Heckscher Museum of Art until March 15, 2026, and order the exhibition catalogue: https://www.heckscher.org/stebbinscatalog/. Connect with Liz at Matter of Art on the podcast ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://⁠matterofart.co/⁠⁠. ⁠ Episode art: Emma Stebbins (American, 1815–1882), Bethesda Fountain, 1870. Bronze and stone, 25 ft. high. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Photo by David Almeida

    46 min
  4. EP15. Rococo: Frivolous or Fabulous?

    09/01/2025

    EP15. Rococo: Frivolous or Fabulous?

    Too often written off as decorative fluff, the Rococo wasmore than gilded mirrors and pastel palettes: it marked a profound shift in art and society. In this episode, I’m joined by Faith Brooks, a PhD student in art history, to explore how the Rococo emerged in 18th-century France as the aristocracy turned away from Versailles-style absolutism toward intimacy,salons, and private pleasure. From Boucher’s paintings to Madame de Pompadour’s taste-making influence, we unpack how Rococo reflected a revolution of the elite against the monarchy, complicating Enlightenment ideals with its blend of politics, pleasure, and play. Connect with Liz at Matter of Art on the podcast ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://⁠matterofart.co/⁠⁠. ⁠ Episode art: Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Swing, c. 1767–68, The Wallace Collection, https://www.wallacecollection.org/explore/collection/search-the-collection/les-hazards-heureux-de-lescarpolette-swing/.

    49 min
  5. EP14. Archaeology, Museums, and Memory in Sardinia

    06/16/2025

    EP14. Archaeology, Museums, and Memory in Sardinia

    How do museums tell stories—and whose stories do they tell? In this episode, I sit down with Emily Croft, a PhD student whose research digs deep into the archaeological museums of Sardinia, Italy. Between 1861 and 1939, these museums were more than just quiet halls filled with ancient objects—they were political tools used to craft a national identity in a newly unified Italy. Emily takes us behind the scenes of curatorial choices, museum politics, and excavation histories, revealing how regional pride, central authority, and even personal rivalries shaped the way Sardinia's past was displayed. Connect with Emily: https://www.queensu.ca/art/people/croft-emily Follow the Nora Isthmos Project on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isthmosproject.nora Learn more about the origins of Modern Italy: https://www.google.ca/books/edition/The_Antiquity_of_the_Italian_Nation/dXfcAAAAQBAJ Connect with Liz at Matter of Art on the podcast ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://⁠matterofart.co/⁠⁠. Episode art: Emily Croft, courtesy of.

    43 min
  6. EP13. What Art Can Tell Us About Love: A Conversation with Nick Trend

    05/13/2025

    EP13. What Art Can Tell Us About Love: A Conversation with Nick Trend

    What can a painting tell us about passion—or pain? In this episode of Matter of Art, Liz sits down with author, art historian, and Daily Telegraph Culture Editor Nick Trend to discuss his new book, What Art Can Tell Us About Love (Laurence King, 2025). Together, they explore how love—ecstatic, enduring, obsessive, and even uncomfortable—has been expressed by artists across centuries. From Raphael’s ambiguous portraits to Clifford Prince King’s intimate photographs, this episode invites you to look beyond romantic clichés and consider how art reveals the complexity of human connection. The conversation touches on themes of mythmaking, the power of the artist’s gaze, and how women artists have redefined love’s visual language. Whether you’re a romantic, a skeptic, or somewhere in between, this episode asks you to see love—and art—with new eyes. Get your copy of What Art Can Tell Us About Love: https://www.laurenceking.com/collections/author-nick-trend Connect with Nick: https://www.instagram.com/nicktrend/ Connect with Liz at Matter of Art on the podcast ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://⁠matterofart.co/⁠⁠. ⁠ Episode art: What Art Can Tell Us About Love (Laurence King, 2025).

    35 min
  7. EP12. Living Sculpture: Touch, Devotion, and the Senses in Renaissance Italy

    04/16/2025

    EP12. Living Sculpture: Touch, Devotion, and the Senses in Renaissance Italy

    What happens when sculpture isn’t just seen—but touched, kissed, and even believed to come alive? In this episode, Liz speaks with Dr. Una D’Elia about the tactile and emotional power of Renaissance devotional sculpture. From crucifixes with moveable joints to sculptures dressed and cradled, we explore how sacred objects were animated through ritual, touch, and intimacy. We begin in 1399 Pisa, where, in the middle of a plague, crowds gathered not to flee, but to touch a crucifix they believed could save them. As Dr. D’Elia explains, these devotional encounters reveal a world where physical contact with art was not only accepted, but vital. View more Renaissance sculpture here: https://hdl.handle.net/1974/14832 Article by Dr. D'Elia in The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/belief-in-touch-as-salvation-was-stronger-than-fear-of-contagion-in-the-italian-renaissance-157135 Learn more about Dr. D'Elia: https://www.queensu.ca/art/people/una-delia Connect with Liz at Matter of Art on the podcast ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://⁠matterofart.co/⁠⁠. ⁠ Episode art: Lorenzo Ghiberti, Nanni di Banco, or Fillipo Brunelleschi, attributed (sculptors) and unknown artists, Madonna and Child, 15th century, painted and gilded terracotta, Museo Bandini, Fiesole, photo: Una D’Elia.

    47 min
  8. EP 11. Missing Art: The Hunt for Stolen Treasures

    03/15/2025

    EP 11. Missing Art: The Hunt for Stolen Treasures

    What happens when masterpieces vanish? In this episode, we uncover history’s most shocking art heists—from the Mona Lisa’s daring 1911 theft to the still-unsolved Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum robbery. We also explore the disappearance of The Just Judges panel from the Ghent Altarpiece and the mystery surrounding Salvator Mundi, the world’s most expensive painting. Where do stolen artworks go, and will they ever be found? Tune in as we unravel the secrets behind these lost treasures. Connect with Liz at Matter of Art on the podcast ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://⁠matterofart.co/⁠⁠. ⁠ Episode art: Leonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa, c. 1503–1506, Louvre, Paris; Jan van Eyck, The Just Judges, 1430-1432,;Attr. Leonardo Da Vinci, Salvator Mundi, c. 1499–1510.

    33 min
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About

Welcome to Matter of Art, where art comes alive through captivating stories and insightful interviews with artists, conservators, and art historians. From the enigmatic strokes of a painting to the intricate details of sculpture to the efforts to protect our cultural heritage, each episode brings you closer to the heart of artistic expression. Connect with the host and creator of Matter of Art, Liz Provost, on the podcast ⁠website⁠: ⁠https://matterofart.co/

Information

  • Creator
    Liz Provost
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Liz Provost
  • Show Website
    Matter of Art