The Lonely Palette
Welcome to The Lonely Palette, the podcast that returns art history to the masses, one painting at a time. Each episode, host Tamar Avishai picks a painting du jour, interviews unsuspecting museum visitors in front of it, and then dives deeply into the object, the movement, the social context, and anything and everything else that will make it as neat to you as it is to her. For more information, visit thelonelypalette.com | Twitter @lonelypalette | Instagram @thelonelypalette.
Our Editor's Take
The Lonely Palette is a podcast about art history. Tamar Avishai is the creator and host of the show.
Avishai is a multitalented person. The podcast host has a background in art history, and lectures at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She owns an audio production company and produces podcasts. She also writes and does voice acting. The Lonely Palette combines two of her skills-audio production and art.
For every podcast episode, Avishai selects a work of art. She provides social and historical context for the piece and describes it in detail. She quotes from interviews with the artists or writings they have left behind. She explains their process, how they view the world, and how they convey that worldview to others. She explains the techniques they use. Then, she draws parallels with other artists who used the same technique in other contexts. Her talk shifts to a method or event in the art world. Avishai makes connections between art in different historical eras.
Avishai chooses pieces from a wide range of eras and styles for The Lonely Palette. She features art from famous painters such as Monet, Seurat, and Picasso. American Gothic and The Great Wave off Kanagawa each get an episode. But most of the works she discusses are less familiar to the casual listener. There are contemporary pieces that can sometimes feel less accessible. Avishai's explanations invite listeners to view them in different ways. She enlightens readers puzzled by Rothko, Kandinsky, and Magritte. Pop art by Lichtenstein and Warhol gets the Avishai treatment. She also features photographers, including Ansel Adams and Henryk Ross. In addition, she discusses women artists like Frida Kahlo.
Over light jazz music, Avishai opens up the world of art for her listeners. Where there was a painting before, an artist's powerful statement about their world now stands. Each episode contains so much information that it needs digesting. The Lonely Palette is a fantastic listen for anyone who wants to discover the world of fine art.
Episodes
