Whispering Gallery PodcastWGP: Clue of the Crumbling Cake PaintingsA 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 fro

Unreal Hollow Earth Drawings, Part 2

Mar 10th, 2024 28m 1s

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

Unreal Hollow Earth Drawings, Part 1

Dec 15th, 2023 27m 52s

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 a

Ghosts of Legendary Labyrinths, Part 2

Aug 10th, 2023 23m 8s

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

Ghosts of Legendary Labyrinths, Part 1

Jun 16th, 2023 22m 49s

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

The Cursed Painting, Part 2

Mar 29th, 2023 20m 10s

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

The Cursed Painting, Part 1

Mar 1st, 2023 24m 39s

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

Secret Recipes of Unusual Headstones

Feb 1st, 2023 25m 33s

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 cr

The Proof is in the Pudding-Paintings

Dec 22nd, 2022 29m 57s

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 julbo

The Sweet Mystery of Sugar Skulls

Nov 29th, 2022 21m 21s

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

Vaporous Prophecy & Gossamer Magic, Part 2

Oct 28th, 2022 27m 41s

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

Vaporous Prophecy & Gossamer Magic (Mini Episode)

Oct 10th, 2022 14m 6s

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 Jac

Vaporous Prophecy & Gossamer Magic, Part 1

Oct 1st, 2022 21m 3s

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 a

Trailer

Whispering Gallery Trailer

Sep 3rd, 2022 1m 13s

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

The Ghost of the Clay Tablet

Aug 31st, 2022 19m 33s

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— e

Scary Tales of Pigments Past, Part 2

Jul 8th, 2022 43m 39s

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

Scary Tales of Pigments Past, Part 1

May 16th, 2022 13m 25s

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 col

Yoshitoshi's 36 Ghost Stories

Dec 31st, 2021 40m 39s

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

Intro - Yoshitoshi's 36 Ghost Stories

Nov 30th, 2021 20m 54s

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 Folklo

A Very Gorey Art Mystery

Oct 31st, 2021 32m 56s

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 Vict

A Very Gorey Art Mystery - Intro

Sep 16th, 2021 18m 33s

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

Phantom of the Arcade, Part 2

Aug 13th, 2021 25m 37s

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.W

Phantom of the Arcade, Part 1

Jul 8th, 2021 36m 21s

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 stor

Dutch Art - The Secret of the Missing Flowers

Jun 1st, 2021 25m 42s

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 t

Sacred Sand Art Not Long for this World, Part 2

May 7th, 2021 26m 31s

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