If you scrolled through social media over the weekend, you can’t have missed that last Sunday was Mother’s Day. Or at least, over in the US (and most other countries) it was (here in the UK we celebrate it in March, lest my fellow Brits start panicking on behalf of their neglected mums). In honour of mothers everywhere, we’re sharing some of our favourite mothers in art history. Though all of these ladies can be found at the Louvre, none of them are actually French by birth. But they’re all mothers (good or bad), and are important to the history of France in one way or another.
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In Ancient Greek mythology, Nike was the Goddess who personified Victory. Personifications weren’t rare in Greek religion. For example, Arete was the Goddess of excellence and virtue, and Aeltheia was the spirit of truth. Sister of Kratos (Stregth), Bia (Force), and Zelus (Zeal), the Greek Goddess of Victory was famous for her grace, strength and speed.
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A few weeks ago, I wrote about my favourite books about Paris to read while stuck at home. I lived in Paris for six years, so I have a pretty good idea of the books which realistically portray the city (and those that don’t but are enjoyable anyway).
I’m not, and nor have I ever been, a Londoner. So I’m not the person to ask about whether the books about London offer a realistic picture of their setting.
But I do read a lot, and I have read a decent handful of books set in London over the years. So, if you’re dreaming of a trip to London while stuck in lockdown (or indeed stuck in lockdown in London, dreaming of going outside), read on for a few of my favourites.
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In the last 15 years, the Percy Jackson series has become one of the most popular book and movie franchises of our time. Fans of the series will know that Percy’s adventures mirror many of the deeds of the Greek hero Perseus, the inspiration for his character. But how well do you know the real story of Perseus and his nemesis, Medusa? In this blog post, we’ll delve into the real mythological story of Perseus and Medusa. So, take a seat and get ready to learn about gods and demi-gods, love, drama, monsters and heroes!
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Have you been following our #PortraitParty series? If so, you’ll know that by way of just reading this, you may be the lucky recipient of a PDF that will rock your world. WHO doesn’t want the challenge of deciphering a da Vinci decoding exercise? Who doesn’t want to spot 10 (yes, ten!) differences between an original Botticelli and a mocked-up version? Art History Word Search? We got you covered!
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With just a few days left before I go on furlough, I’ve been reflecting on all the exciting things I have worked on in the past 7 months at THATMuse. I know I’m not the only one in this situation. Numbers speak clearly: this is a terrible time for many people out there, and companies working in tourism, like ours, are currently on hold. While I’m sad to leave THATMuse for the next few weeks (or months, who knows?), I’m excited to get back to all the wonderful projects that I’ve been working on once museums open again and we can go back to our normal lives! While tidying up my work, I couldn’t help but think about how much THATMuse has taught me, and how much fun I’ve had working here.
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Anyone who has studied Greek mythology will have come face-to-face with the centaurs at some point. If you’ve never heard of these half-human, half-horse creatures of Ancient Greek mythology, or would like to know more about them, read on…
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When we think of the Greek diet, we immediately think of tomatoes, aubergines and Moussaka. However, this dish actually didn’t appear until quite recently (relatively speaking, anyway!). What did the Ancient Greeks eat before then? Well, in short, their diet was very simple, varied and healthy. It was mostly composed of vegetables, oil, fish, grains and cereals, fruits, legumes… and of course, LOTS of wine.
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In Greek mythology, the Amazons were a tribe of strong lady warriors. In some versions of the myth, they lived in isolation, at the edge of the civilised world, and only communicated with men in order to reproduce. Proud to live in their own community, the Amazons didn’t allow men to enter their country, and would only meet them once a year to prevent their community from dying out. After giving birth, they only kept their female babies, leaving the boys with the neighbouring tribe.
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This week the boys and I made a general mess, moving furniture about to convert our dining room into an avant-garde, everyone-wants-to-be-there ‘PP GALLERY’. As you know from my last blog post, this is the beginning of my homeschool art project with the kids. We’re going to PARTY with hip artists & snazzy characters from history (fictional and otherwise) whose portraits we’re sticking on the walls. The installation of this #PortraitParty will be laid out over several weeks, and involves a covert operation with which to surprise Daddy (Hernan), our guest of honor. Our secrets will be unveiled at the opening, or vernissage of the PP GALLERY (PP stands for Portrait Party, and of course has the unreasonably sophisticated reference to our refined toilet humor).
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Are you itching to explore but stuck at home? Maybe your trip to London has been cancelled, or you just need to get your brain out exploring beyond your own four walls? Let me lead you on a walking tour of London from the safety of your own home!
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After a few weeks of self-isolation, I realized my edge on getting the kids into art history wasn’t cutting it with wonderful museum virtual tours. Even the naughtiness of Beyoncé & JayZ’s Louvre music video, ApeSh**t, had lost its luster for Storsh (aged 9) and Balthazar (aged 4). Moreover, art at home with Balthazar (making a police bus out of a cherry tomato carton (clad with criminals), or becoming a pressed flower card-making factory for Easter) wasn’t replacing the in-person drip of art history games that the boys are used to.
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