Episode #96: Cherchez La Femme, or The Woman Behind the Art--Johanna Van Gogh (Season 11, Episode 5)

ArtCurious Podcast

ArtCurious

Arts, History, Visual Arts

4.8 • 847 Ratings

🗓️ 13 June 2022

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

There’s a phrase in the French language that goes, “Cherchez la femme.” In translation, it means “find the woman,” or “look for the woman,” and typically it’s derogatory, a phrase used as an explanation for the reasons why a man may be behaving badly. Cherchez la femme, some say, meaning that “woman troubles” are assumed to be at the core of any man’s real problems. But I like the idea of appropriating the phrase “cherchez la femme” to mean that we’re going to look for the women who made things right in art history, who bolstered and brought attention to some big-name artists. Welcome to season 11 of ArtCurious, where we’re highlighting the lives and work of the women who supported some of the world’s favorite artists. Today, I am so excited to share with you the life of Jo van Gogh-Bonger, the woman who single-handedly made Vincent van Gogh, her brother-in-law, a household name. Please SUBSCRIBE and REVIEW our show on Apple Podcasts and FOLLOW on Spotify Instagram / Facebook / YouTube SPONSORS: Kiwi Co: Get 30% off your first month plus FREE shipping on ANY crate line with promo code ARTCURIOUS Indeed: Listeners get a free $75 credit to upgrade your job post Want to advertise/sponsor our show? We have partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle our advertising/sponsorship requests. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email [email protected] or click the link below to get started. https://www.advertisecast.com/ArtCuriousPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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0:31.2	The Art Curious podcast is sponsored by Anchorlight. For more information about their programs
0:36.6	and residences, please visit
0:38.5	anchorlightrolly.com. I spend a lot of time picking through the well-worn concept of genius.
0:47.7	How much is someone's assumed amazingness due to something innate in them? This something
0:53.3	untouchable or God-given, a blessing that
0:56.2	makes them special in a particular way. How much of genius is our misunderstanding of the hard work
1:02.1	that it actually really takes to get good at a skill? How much of genius is truly due to talent?
1:07.9	How much to suffering? How much to being at the right place at the right time,
1:12.5	and how much of it isn't due to that particular genius or that specific person at all.
1:17.6	How much of someone's genius is, in fact, due to someone else's hard work, someone else who
1:23.5	was there at the right place at the right time, or just knew the right people.
1:28.3	In the case of art history's favorite tortured boyfriend, Vincent Van Gogh,
1:32.9	it might be a combination of all the above.
1:35.8	But that last part, the question of someone else's toil and connections,
1:40.5	it might be even more integral to Van Gogh's genius than you may have previously thought.
1:50.8	Some people think that visual art is dry, boring, lifeless.
	...

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