Elaine de Kooning (1918-1989) was a vital figure in 20th-century American art. She was a renowned Abstract Expressionist painter, portraitist, and writer. Elaine de Kooning's 1963 portrait of John F. Kennedy, now at the National Portrait Gallery, is a significant work reflecting her Abstract Expressionist style applied to portraiture. Commissioned by the Truman Library, the painting captures Kennedy's dynamic energy and charisma through vibrant colors, bold brushstrokes, and a fragmented, almost unfinished quality. Created during and after Kennedy's time in office, the work became a poignant memorial after his assassination, symbolizing the turbulence and vitality of his presidency, and cementing de Kooning's reputation as a master portraitist.

Related episodes:

Willem de Kooning

Jackson Pollock

Janet Sobel

Lee Krasner

Mark Rothko

Erased de Kooning

Check out my other podcasts  Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab

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Willem de Kooning, a Dutch-American Abstract Expressionist painter, was born in Rotterdam in 1904. He stowed away on a freighter in 1926, eventually settling in New York City. De Kooning's early work transitioned from figurative studies to abstraction, though he never fully abandoned the figure, famously stating, "Flesh was the reason oil paint was invented." He gained recognition for his black-and-white abstract paintings and married fellow artist Elaine Fried. Known for his perfectionism, he often reworked his canvases extensively. He moved to East Hampton in 1963, and despite later suffering from Alzheimer's, continued painting until the late 1980s. De Kooning died in 1997, leaving a lasting legacy as a key figure in 20th-century art.

Willem de Kooning's "Woman I," created between 1950 and 1952, is a seminal work of Abstract Expressionism. This large-scale painting, now housed at the Museum of Modern Art, is the first in his "Woman" series and is renowned for its intense process and controversial imagery. De Kooning worked on the canvas for nearly two years, repeatedly painting over and scraping away layers, embodying the "action painting" style. Inspired by diverse sources, from contemporary advertisements to ancient fertility figures, "Woman I" depicts a distorted, powerful female figure with aggressive brushstrokes, vibrant yet garish colors, and a chaotic composition. The painting sparked debate upon its 1953 exhibition, with some critics viewing it as misogynistic, while others recognized its challenge to traditional notions of beauty and the female nude. "Woman I" remains an influential piece, reflecting de Kooning's struggle with representation and solidifying his reputation as a major, albeit provocative, force in post-war art.

Related episodes:

Jackson Pollock

Janet Sobel

Lee Krasner

Mark Rothko

Erased de Kooning

Check out my other podcasts  Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab

Who ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: [email protected]

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The CIA secretly leveraged Abstract Expressionism, particularly the art of Jackson Pollock, during the Cold War. This wasn't about controlling artists but using their work as a symbol of American freedom and individualism against Soviet Socialist Realism. Through the Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF), the CIA funded major art exhibitions like "The New American Painting" and collaborated with institutions like the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to promote this art internationally. While the CIA didn't create Abstract Expressionism, they amplified its impact, making it a powerful cultural weapon and shifting the art world's focus to New York. Discover the hidden history of how art became a tool in the battle for hearts and minds during the Cold War.

Related episodes:

Jackson Pollock

Janet Sobel

Lee Krasner

Mark Rothko

Erased de Kooning

Check out my other podcasts  Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab

Who ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tembe Denton-Hurst (@tembae) is a beauty and culture writer at New York magazine and the author of Homebodies. Her newest book Fresh Sets: Contemporary Nail Art from Around the World travels the world to put today’s most inspired nail art at your fingertips. It features profiles of 35 professionals who are carving out a name for themselves on the streets of cities like New York, LA, Vancouver, London, Berlin, Paris, Moscow, Seoul, Tokyo, Punjab, Melbourne/Naarm, and more.

In the second segment, we discussed work by Leslie Arrañaga and a photo of her work is used as the cover art for this episode. Photo credit: © Lesly Arrañaga / @leslydidthem

Who ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: [email protected]

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Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's Arts Madness Tournament. After 6 weeks and thousands of votes, we have narrowed the field from 64 down to 1 ultimate artist. Listen for fun facts about our two final artists, Katsushika Hokusai and Maurizio Cattelan, and find out who came out on top in our final round.

Check out my other podcasts  Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab

Who ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: [email protected]

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Joan Miró, a renowned Spanish painter, sculptor, and ceramicist, was born in Barcelona on April 20, 1893. Initially steered towards business, Miró's true passion was art. He studied at Barcelona's La Llotja School of Fine Arts and later the Escola d'Art. A period of illness led him to Mont-roig del Camp, a pivotal experience that solidified his commitment to painting and connection to nature. Miró absorbed influences from Fauvism and Cubism, joining the Courbet Group. In 1920, he moved to Paris, befriending Picasso and experiencing poverty, which fueled his art. His work The Farm marked a shift away from realism, and he later embraced Surrealism, developing a unique symbolic language.

Arts Madness 2025

Season 11 is all about my Arts Madness Tournament. Once again, I hope you will weigh in on your favorite artists/artworks as we go from 64 down to 1. For this year’s tournament, I put 32 works from the AP Art History list in one bracket, and on the other side, I have 32 artists/works from my personal “Salon des Refusés” that were not included in the curriculum. Voting for Round 2 will begin Monday, March 3.

Arts Madness 2025 links:

Check out my other podcasts  Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab

Who ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I was thrilled to interview Justin Witte, curator at the Cleave Carney Museum of Art. This summer, the Cleave Carney Museum of Art will be hosting Hokusai & Ukiyo-e | The Floating World. This is will be the first time this collection of works has come to the United States. They will be exhibiting not only prints, but also hand painted pieces from Edo, Japan. The collection features works by Hokusai, Hiroshige and other great artists from the period. Anyone interested in learning more or wanting to buy tickets for the show, go to Hokusai2025.org

Arts Madness 2025

Season 11 is all about my Arts Madness Tournament. Once again, I hope you will weigh in on your favorite artists/artworks as we go from 64 down to 1. For this year’s tournament, I put 32 works from the AP Art History list in one bracket, and on the other side, I have 32 artists/works from my personal “Salon des Refusés” that were not included in the curriculum. Voting for Round 2 will begin Monday, March 3.

Arts Madness 2025 links:

Check out my other podcasts  Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab

Who ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lee Krasner, born Lena Krassner in 1908, was a pivotal Abstract Expressionist artist often overshadowed by her marriage to Jackson Pollock. Despite this, she forged a unique artistic path, studying at the Women's Art School of Cooper Union and the National Academy of Design before embracing modernism after the opening of MoMA in 1929. Influenced by Hans Hofmann's Cubist theories, Krasner experimented with abstraction, contributing to the WPA's Federal Art Project and the American Abstract Artists group. Her significant "Little Images" series, collages, and later large-scale works like the "Earth Green" and "Umber" series showcased her evolving style and resilience. While initial critical reception was mixed, Krasner gained recognition later in her career, culminating in retrospectives at the Whitechapel Gallery and the Whitney Museum, solidifying her legacy as a vital figure in 20th-century art.

Arts Madness 2025

Season 11 is all about my Arts Madness Tournament. Once again, I hope you will weigh in on your favorite artists/artworks as we go from 64 down to 1. For this year’s tournament, I put 32 works from the AP Art History list in one bracket, and on the other side, I have 32 artists/works from my personal “Salon des Refusés” that were not included in the curriculum. Voting for Round 2 will begin Monday, March 3.

Arts Madness 2025 links:

Check out my other podcasts  Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab

Who ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Vincent van Gogh is one of the most beloved and widely celebrated artists, but in his lifetime, he had extremely limited commercial success. When Vincent died and his brother Theo unexpectedly passed shortly later, the widow Jo van Gogh was left with a young child to raise and no apparent means to support herself. She inherited a collection of Vincent van Gogh's paintings and drawings, but most considered them to be worthless. Joan Fernandez takes us into her her world and shares how Jo crafted Vincent van Gogh's legacy. Saving Vincent, A Novel of Jo van Gogh is a wonderful read that captures the triumphs and struggles that will help you see Jo, Vincent and the artwork in a new way.

Joan Fernandez spent 30 years in Corporate America with a professional career in marketing. This background made Jo van Gogh’s marketing genius leap off the page. In 2018, Joan decided to retire to write Jo’s story. She also pens a weekly blog sharing tidbits about Jo as well as essays about shattering limitations that stand in the way of reaching our true potential—a lesson she learned from studying both Jo and Vincent. Check it out at https://joanfernandez.substack.com/

Find Joan online:

Arts Madness 2025

Season 11 is all about my Arts Madness Tournament. Once again, I hope you will weigh in on your favorite artists/artworks as we go from 64 down to 1. For this year’s tournament, I put 32 works from the AP Art History list in one bracket, and on the other side, I have 32 artists/works from my personal “Salon des Refusés” that were not included in the curriculum. Voting for Round 2 will begin Monday, March 3.

Arts Madness 2025 links:

Check out my other podcasts  Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab

Who ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A young, up-and-coming Robert Rauschenberg knocked on the door of Willem de Kooning, one of the biggest stars of the art world in his day. Rauschenberg had a big ask. He didn't want advice or help in the traditional sense. He wanted de Kooning to give him a drawing so he could erase it. After an uncomfortable conversation, de Kooning agreed. He looked through his portfolios and picked out a drawing. It was not easy. Rauschenberg spent weeks and wore through numerous erasers on the mixed media piece. In the end he obliterated nearly every trace of de Kooning's drawing in an act that some consider to be an iconoclastic destruction of the artist's legacy and others see as an incredible tribute that completely upended the way we encounter the work moving it from the paper to the imagination.

Arts Madness 2025

Season 11 is all about my Arts Madness Tournament. Once again, I hope you will weigh in on your favorite artists/artworks as we go from 64 down to 1. For this year’s tournament, I put 32 works from the AP Art History list in one bracket, and on the other side, I have 32 artists/works from my personal “Salon des Refusés” that were not included in the curriculum. Voting for Round 2 will begin Monday, March 3.

Arts Madness 2025 links:

Check out my other podcasts  Art Smart | Rainbow Puppy Science Lab

Who ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. If you are interested in advertising on this or any other Airwave Media show, email: [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices