Spooky, supernatural, unexplained, paranormal art The Whispering Gallery podcast explores spooky, spine-tingling and hard-to-believe art stories; including cursed paintings and gems, paintings and prints of monsters, hauntings, UFOs and more. We look at art history a little differently. Learn about the spooky side of art guided by artists from around the world, and throughout history. Suzanne Nikolaisen sparks your imagination with spine-tingling and hard-to-believe art stories that are best ...
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S6 Ep2: The Clue of the Crumbling Cake Paintings
41:07
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Whispering Gallery Podcast WGP: Clue of the Crumbling Cake Paintings A still life is a category of artwork that dates back to the 1600’s. A collection of things brought together (inanimate) gathered often on a table for the artist to work from and reference. The artist can work with this grouping of items, coming back over one or more sessions to c…
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S6 Ep1: Unreal Hollow Earth Drawings, Part 2
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Come with me my friends into the strange “inner world” of—one of the unreal hollow earth drawings. I decided I needed to narrow down to one drawing for our story. Captain John Cleves’s Symmes jr, (captain of the U.S. Army, starting as an Ensign in 1802, and honorably discharged 13 years later in 1815 as a captain). After that he tried working as a …
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S5 Ep6: Unreal Hollow Earth Drawings, Part 1
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27:52
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Welcome to the Whispering Gallery podcast! I’m Suzanne Nikolaisen and if this isn’t your first rodeo - er, time listening, you know that together we seek out the spooky, unusual and fascinating stories from the art world—to understand the art and the related “unknown” a little better, and boy—howdy, did I find another “strange” doozy of a pseudosci…
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S5 Ep5: Ghosts of Legendary Labyrinths, Part 2
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On the island of Britain, between the Atlantic ocean and the North Sea, lies a haunted castle. Okay, yes—technically there are probably a bunch of haunted castles on -this- island. We’re looking for Alnwick Castle in Northumberland in northern UK, in particular. Alnwick castle (parts of which were founded in 1096) has a peculiar bamboo labyrinth in…
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S5 Ep4: Ghosts of Legendary Labyrinths, Part 1
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What would the ruins of the Palace of Knossos (nah-sohs) look like in the moonlight? An uneven grid of boxlike rooms, interrupted by darker larger forms like a midnight quilt unfolding into the night. A cascade of history—fading into silhouette, shadow and—interpretation. The Palace of Knossos (nah-sohs) was built on the largest island in Greece: C…
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The last episode was all about the Franklin expedition and it had me slinging facts and quotes left and right and because there were so many interesting things related, with some more removed than others to the cursed painting. When editing the audio I had to edit out a couple of times when I had run out of breath! There was simply a lot to cover a…
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We’re explorers of art mysteries, unusual legends and today the story of an Arctic expedition gone terribly awry This is quite the terrifying story on it’s own and it has been turned into an AMC supernatural anthology you might have seen. ships trapped in arctic ice, lead poisoning, abandoned ships and some indications cannibalism— just a hot mess …
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S5 Ep1: Secret Recipes of Unusual Headstones
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Let’s wipe away the dusty cobwebs at the edges of our memories. Did you ever take a pencil or crayon and take a rubbing of an image? When you make a rubbing, it’s like magic seeing the reproduction of the surface appear, although you rub the crayon across the surface to get the desired reproduction. Maybe it was an embossed book or a sampler of aut…
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S4 Ep8: The Proof is in the Pudding-Paintings
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Join me in the Whispering Gallery for Scandinavian jul (you-lll) card art where artists are very good at making “spirits” (ahem) bright and visible! Are home, barn and mound spirits, not spooky enough for you? Just wait for the unsettling julbocken! Join me for some of the spookier side of Jul, coming up next. Special FX and Music courtesy of www.f…
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S4 Ep7: The Sweet Mystery of Sugar Skulls
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Sugar skulls are considered folk art and said to have come from Southern Mexico—they are part of the celebration for Día de los Muertos in English: Day of the Dead. This is not the celebration of Halloween—in Mexico. The “day” of the dead is actually two days of remembering loved ones who have passed away and welcoming their spirits home. I feel li…
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S4 Ep6: Vaporous Prophecy & Gossamer Magic, Part 2
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So who did Circe turn into pigs? What specialty of magic could have done that? Did she really live alone on an island? Find out next on the Whispering Gallery! In the northern hemisphere the days are growing shorter, and the air, crisp as the snap of a Halloween apple, makes our cheeks ruddy—join me to finish our two parter about two hauntingly spe…
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S4 Ep5: Vaporous Prophecy & Gossamer Magic (Mini Episode)
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Join me for more of the mysteries of the Oracle of Delphi, including some science about the vapors, and I attempt to sort out the multiple titles being thrown around including sybil, oracle, pythia and prophetess. Episode Image: Pytia, by Jacek Malczewski (1854-1929). Painting: oil on canvas (1917), height: 82.6 in; width: 43.3 in. Location: Collec…
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S4 Ep4: Vaporous Prophecy & Gossamer Magic, Part 1
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This episode (Part 1) starts out with the Oracle of Delphi (from Greece) and some of the less known things about this "individual" and what she did that warranted such fame that has crossed the centuries. Was she simply extraordinarily gifted at prophecy? Look for the Whispering Gallery podcast on Facebook and Instagram. Episode Image: Pytia, by Ja…
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Is that mummy brown on your palette? If you’re unsure, we can always check for DNA. May I invite you to turn your flashlight on? Welcome to the spooky cool (or rather, spooky ghoul) world of paranormal and unexplained art! Our creepy gallery of scary goodies include cursed paintings, uap phenomena, poisonous pigments, sea monsters, ghost stories, a…
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In ancient Mesopotamia people didn’t just want to believe in ghosts, or yearn for an extraordinary encounter in a shadowy haunted building. They believed in ghosts. Ghosts were simply part of normal everyday life. They were to put it plainly— expected. Let's take a closer look at the first known drawing of a ghost--drawn in clay. If a ghost were to…
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S4 Ep2: Scary Tales of Pigments Past, Part 2
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Listen to find a young scientist recording color while at the cusp of discovery, —a bilingual Swedish chemist adding a new but dangerous pigment to the game, —and we will put a well-intentioned pigment-based hypothesis to bed about the death of Napoleon Bonaparte—just a few of the unforgettable stories of pigments from our colorful past! You’re lis…
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S4 Ep1: Scary Tales of Pigments Past, Part 1
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Dig up the disturbing story of the many desecrated mummies of ancient Egyptians, and their feline friends, who were meant to be undisturbed. It’s not just a scary story but the terrifying reality of Mummy Brown paint. “A few odd limbs…” The color: Mummy Brown has a seriously haunting story. Fair Use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwXfvfPy6fc PBS …
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Yoshitoshi's 36 Ghost woodblock prints are the focus of this episode. I’ve read he wanted to create 100, but there are 36 Ghost woodblock prints and I’ve heard the “ghost” expression may not be an entirely accurate translation especially as you dig into the stories. There are some ghosts, but there are other “strange” things depicted including demo…
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S3 Ep9: Intro - Yoshitoshi's 36 Ghost Stories
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Grab a warm cup of tea and join us for some Japanese ghost stories and folklore in this introduction to Yoshitoshi's Thirty-six Ghosts (that he created as woodblock prints). The stories are read to you from the book "Japanese Legends and Folklore - Samurai Tales, Ghost Stories, Legends, Fairy Tales, Myths and Historical Accounts" by A.B. Mitford. W…
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Just over two decades ago Edward St. John Gorey left us to follow the path taken by the doomed Gashlycrumb Tinies. A Pisces, he was born in February of 1925 he used his pen and ink drawings to invite us into his cross-hatched Edwardian and Victorian styled stories. E is for Edward who attended the ballet G is for Gorey who poked the bear with his s…
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Edward Gorey's pen and ink drawings, with cross hatching, give off a spooky vibe. He leaves quite a bit to the reader/viewers imagination. Join me for a a reading of "The Doubtful Guest" written and illustrated by Edward Gorey. Then we take a detour to his favorite breakfast haunt with "Edward Gorey's Favorite Diner Isn't Spooky At All" by Tove Dan…
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What made the Polybius arcade game strange, and so scary? Well, it’s not a real game. It’s fakelore, better known as urban legend (from what I’ve read there are games by that name now, but they came out after the rumor-mill had been started. What made it scary? The threat it posed to players Health and well-being. The men in black, the possibility …
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Special Note: 07/09/21 This episode is steeped video game history (art/games/Atari). A industry insider is reviewing the episode and I'll re-upload this episode with any updates. I'll be getting episode 2 ready with more behind the scenes stories about art revisions at Atari, and the story of Polybius, the Phantom of the arcade. We’re tracking earl…
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S3 Ep4: Dutch Art - The Secret of the Missing Flowers
25:42
25:42
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Join me for some detective work, to find clues about the missing flowers and find out why the Semper Augustus bulb was so highly regarded, and how tulips made it to Holland in the first place. And what's the deal with the missing flowers when they appear to be all accounted for in the Dutch Golden age paintings? Let’s get started and dig into the s…
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S3 Ep3: Sacred Sand Art Not Long for this World, Part 2
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Today we’re continuing our two part journey into sand paintings not long for this world. This time we’re heading into the world of sacred sand paintings at what’s known as the roof of the world, Tibet, an autonomous zone in China which is just north of the Himalayan mountains. Let’s go beyond the spinning Tibetan prayer wheels, the luminous glow of…
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S3 Ep2: Sacred Sand Art Not Long for this World, Part 1
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This episode of unusual art stories takes us into the parched mysteries of the the southwest desert in the United States to the Navajo (Dine') Nation where sunburnt stone and windswept canyons have witnessed generations of legendary healing from sand paintings that may seem to be an enigma to outsiders of this solitary wilderness. This is part one,…
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Venture into the past where some viking art was expressed as stone ships put to harbor inland. Within the pages of a book a stone ship rests, nestled in a clearing surrounded by pine-tree-guardians, where the grasses grow right up against the stones; breaking like calm seas in wispy dry strands. Listen to this episode to find out why the stone ship…
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S2 Ep9: The Painter’s Ghost or Le Fantome des Peintres, Part 3
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This art ghost story should not be missed! Join Emily and Suzanne to wrap up this series on the sighting (and photo) of who some say is Claude Monet's ghost! Find out about the colors Monet painted with as an impressionistic artist, his vegetable garden, and even his final resting place. If you're new to the Whispering Gallery podcast and our spook…
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S2 Ep8: The Painter's Ghost or Le Fantome des Peintres, Part 2
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In this second episode we talk more about the impressionistic French artist Claude Monet. Gain insight on his famous water lilies, and find out what happened at the art gallery to make them believe his ghost had visited them. Stay tuned to catch the third and final episode about the artist Claude Monet and the mystery surrounding the ghost story. I…
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S2 Ep7: The Painter's Ghost or Le Fantome des Peintres, Part 1
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As we begin to explore the possibility of Claude Monet's ghost visiting the Cleveland Museum of Art, we wanted to get to know the impressionist painter. Monet lived in Giverny, France. He loved flowers and he painted the waterlilies in his garden many times. He is quoted as saying: "My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece" Find out where his wat…
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Monet loved flowers and he had two thriving gardens. It seemed that Persephone's story was appropriate to lead us in to the ghost story. Please check out the WhisperingGalleryPodcast on Instagram for photos that we post about these episodes. The image displayed is Water Lillies painted in 1916 by Claude Monet. https://www.wikiart.org/en/claude-mone…
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Join us in the fairy circle to learn about the painting "Midsummer Eve" by Edward Robert Hughes. He was influenced by aestheticism, his uncle who was also an artist, and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood; ultimately studying at the Royal Academy of Arts. Ok Gallery-whisperers let’s tread softly through the fog that lingers and hides shadows, and that …
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S2 Ep5: Classic Science Fiction Book Cover Art
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Put on your reading glasses join us in the Whispering Gallery to hear about some groovy science fiction books from the 1960's and 1970's! When it comes to the sci fi book covers we try to paint pictures with words. Thank you for joining us in far away jungles, with rockets and robots! This episode was a funky journey into the realm of science ficti…
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Thanks for being curious with us! We talk about Vincent van Gogh - his art, including his painting of the Almond Blossoms for his godson and his mental and physical health. We hypothesize that his death wasn't a suicide. We hope you'll join us! If you're new to the Whispering Gallery podcast and our spooky, spine-tingling and hard-to-believe art st…
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Vincent van Gogh is known for his art. For impressionistic paintings bursting with intensity of color and brushstrokes! Uncover some of the mysteries of Vincent's life, from what Theo called his "storms" to the complexity of what physical and mental health issues may have been ongoing. (The art shown is Still Life of Two Sunflowers by Vincent Van G…
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S2 Ep2: UFOs - Woodcut Prints of Celestial Phenomena - Part 2
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How could we not talk about the Black Forest gateau (or cake) for a moment? We get back to reality with the real Black Forest which stands between the Nuremberg, Germany and Basel, Switzerland. Find out about the history and current practices of creating engravings and prints. Thanks for listening! Be sure to tell a friend about the podcast to help…
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S2 Ep1: UFOs - Woodcut Prints of Celestial Phenomena - Part 1
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A broadsheet news article was printed and circulated reporting an event that had taken place in the skies over the city of Nuremberg, Germany before dawn on April 14, 1561. The broadsheet featured a woodcut engraving illustrating the “celestial phenomenon” that many who lived in the city, and outside the city gates had witnessed. The woodcut engrav…
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Find out more about the mysterious kraken and dive into deep-sea gigantism and find out who's likely the largest of the cephalopods! We hope you'll join us! If you're new to the Whispering Gallery podcast and our spooky, spine-tingling and hard-to-believe art stories I hope you'll subscribe and join our community! Please rate and review the podcast…
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The Pacific Northwest is beautiful in October; at the Heceta Head Light Keepers home the sweet peas were still in bloom, the herbs in the garden were doing great and pumpkins adorned the stairs to the porch. The Heceta Head lighthouse is a working lighthouse that first went into service in the spring of 1894. Learn more about the historic lighthous…
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We unfurl the stories of octopus of ancient Greece, and feature sculpture, mosaics and digital art. We were able to find the Scandinavian folklore that told the tale of the kraken. We hope you enjoy the thrills and chills of creatures from the deep in this episode! If you're new to the Whispering Gallery podcast and our spooky, spine-tingling and h…
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Dive into the watery deep to learn about the kraken. Set sail with us to understand the biology of cephalopods like the squid and octopus. And find out about a piece of kraken-inspired art by a French naturalist. We share a short reading from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Vern and some incredible stories. If you're new to the Whispering Gal…
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S1 Ep7: St. George and the Dragon, Part 3
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Join Emily and Suzanne as they share more about dragons and illuminated lettering. If you're new to the Whispering Gallery podcast and our spooky, spine-tingling and hard-to-believe art stories I hope you'll subscribe and join our community! Please rate and review the podcast and share it with a friend. Take care! Say hello, DM me on Instagram and …
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S1 Ep6: St. George and the Dragon, Part 2
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Jump into the dragon's pond and track down ancient crocodiles (Cretaceous period) who could potentially "be" the dragon in the story. One of the paintings "Saint George Killing the Dragon" by Leonhard Beck (1515) shows something very much like a crocodile. If you're new to the Whispering Gallery podcast and our spooky, spine-tingling and hard-to-be…
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S1 Ep5: St. George and the Dragon, Part 1
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We're digging into the story of Saint George, a princess in distress, and a dragon. We uncover more about the story, types of dragons, and even self-rescuing princesses. Reference links at https://whisperingpodcast.blogspot.com/ Follow us on Instagram for updates on the stories @whisperinggallerypodcast. We've posted related art on Instagram. Thank…
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Delve into the mysteries surrounding several haunted and cursed paintings. We also discuss why the eyes in some portraits seem to follow you! If you're new to the Whispering Gallery podcast and our spooky, spine-tingling and hard-to-believe art stories I hope you'll subscribe and join our community! Please rate and review the podcast and share it w…
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In the last of our series of episodes covering Hope Diamond, we talk about the curse in detail. We also cover a more in depth time line of the diamond. We hope you'll tune in as we wrap up the first story that we've told on this podcast! If you're new to the Whispering Gallery podcast and our spooky, spine-tingling and hard-to-believe art stories I…
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Dig into where the history of the Hope Diamond started out. We'll follow this beautiful gem from the French Monarchy, then possibly onto King George in the United Kingdom. Find out who surfaced with the diamond after it was stolen before it left the hands of royalty entirely. If you're new to the Whispering Gallery podcast and our spooky, spine-tin…
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We introduce the legendary Hope Diamond, take a look at the geology of diamonds, the 4 C's: cut, clarity, colour and carat. We also present Marco Polo's writings on where diamonds are found and how they are obtained. Stay tuned for the next episode on The Hope Diamond. We are covering the Hope Diamond in 3 episodes. If you're new to the Whispering …
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