Episodes

May 17, 2025

The Bedroom by Pieter de Hooch

Well, here we are my friends, the 100th and final episode!

We go back to where it all started, the National Gallery of Art, for a look at one of Pieter de Hooch's idealized depictions of what a Dutch household was supposed to be. This cozy home may have been more wishful thinking than reality, though!

We'll find out how an embarrassing meeting helped create the Gallery! And I'll share final thoughts and thank yous and a few podcast recommendations I think you'll really like (listed below).

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April 25, 2025

Beach at St. Malo by Maurice Prendergast

When critics hinted Maurice Prendergast was getting a little repetitive as he approached 50, he could've hung up his brushes. After all, he'd been pretty successful. Instead, he headed back to where it all began--Paris--and came away reinvigorated with "a new impulse," as he called it. Today's episode takes us to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington DC. We'll find out how an idea that started with Congress just before the Depression led to an official modern art museum on the
March 22, 2025

Luncheon of the Boating Party by Renoir

So much better than Instagram! Pierre-Auguste Renoir invited 14 friends to lunch one summer--several lunches actually--and ended up creating this spectacular work of art. In today's episode we find out about this happy group and that beautiful riverside restaurant they're clearly enjoying. And I'll tell you a pretty funny story about how Duncan Phillips was able to get this stunner for his new modern art museum, the Phillips Collection in Washington DC. Click here to view artwork SHOW NOTES "
Feb. 21, 2025

Callers by Walter Ufer

No bows and arrows, no hunting buffalo on horseback. Walter Ufer saw first-hand that Native Americans in the 1920s weren't the romanticized caricatures from the old Wild West shows. In today's episode we're looking at "Callers" and find out how a city boy from Chicago ended up in Taos, NM and broke all the rules when it came to depicting his friends and neighbors as real people trying to balance the modern world with tradition. Click here to view artwork SHOW NOTES "A Long Look" themes are "E
Jan. 11, 2025

Encore-Woman Holding a Balance by Vermeer

While I'm taking a break, I thought you might enjoy this encore presentation of a popular episode from 2019—the gorgeous Woman Holding a Balance at the National Gallery of Art. If you want to follow along, you can find it at alonglookpodcast.com/vermeer. And make sure to stick around to the end for a special announcement! Click here to view artwork SHOW NOTES "A Long Look" themes are "Easy" by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs and "At the Cafe with You" by Onion All Stars https://pixa
Dec. 14, 2024

Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi

And you thought YOU were gonna have a lot of holiday company! Poor Mary, who's only given birth a week or so ago, now faces this onslaught of unexpected visitors in today's episode. We'll find out who exactly all those folks are, their connection to one of the most powerful families in Europe, and what's up with the peacock. Pretty sure that wasn't one of the animals at the Nativity... Click here to view artwork SHOW NOTES "A Long Look" themes are "Easy" by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/2QGe6s
Nov. 22, 2024

On the Coast of New Jersey by William Trost Richards

Today's episode is all about relaxing, taking a little break after a long year and before the holidays hit. So I offer you a quiet beach at the Jersey Shore in this serene painting by William Trost Richards. We'll find out how this Philadelphia-born artist embraced the idea of nature and art as keys to a better life and his connection to the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C. Thomas Cole and the Corcoran are key parts of the story, so here are previous episodes about them: "A Pastoral Visit"
Nov. 1, 2024

Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl by James Whistler

Welcome back! I hope you all had a great summer. We'll be spending the rest of 2024 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, starting off with a stunning portrait of a red-headed Irish beauty that shocked London society. We'll find out who she is and how she was much more than a pretty face. Then we'll learn about the very mercurial artist she had to put up with, James McNeill Whistler and the chaos he caused in his own life and others! Click to view artwork SHOW NOTES "A Long Look" op
Oct. 10, 2024

What's Ahead for A Long Look?

"A Long Look" returns with new episodes soon! Meanwhile, I've been looking down the road trying to figure out the future of the show and realized I've been doing all the talking for the past 7 years! So now, I'd like to hear from you. I've put together a short audience survey to find out your thoughts and experience with "A Long Look." To be honest, I'm deciding whether or not to continue the show and your feedback will really help. You can find it at alonglookpodcast.com/survey and it shouldn'
July 20, 2024

American Art Finale

Well, we've reached the end of our brief tour of the Smithsonian American Art Museum! I hope you've enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun getting to share this unique place with you and introduce you to some artists you might not have heard of. I'll tell you about the two-for-one experience of visiting the museum and its hidden gems. And I have...thoughts...about the stories it tells. SHOW NOTES (TRANSCRIPT BELOW) "A Long Look" themes are "Easy" by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/2QGe6skVzSs and "At t