Video Art Pioneer: Nam June Paik in 5 Artworks
It’s easy to notice the widespread presence of media arts in almost all aspects of our daily lives, but that wasn’t always the case: when new...
Ania Kaczynska 13 January 2024
If you are a naturally curious person and above all an art lover, Nerdwriter is a complete channel to kill all curiosities and learn a lot.
Nerdwriter releases weekly videos that “puts ideas to work”. With eight years of history, the channel first released in 2011, has had over 202 million views, and has 285,000 subscribers.
As its own description says, this YouTube channel is not limited to just one subject but permeates all kinds of discussions: politics, books, cinema, music, and, of course, paintings. If you are a person that loves knowledge, this is a channel for you.
The channel’s author is Evan Puschak, who today dedicates himself to the channel as a career project. He left Discovery Channel digital media, where he was a writer and show host, to gain greater financial autonomy as well as the freedom to dedicate more time to Nerdwriter.
Going through the channel’s videos we can find explanations on how to interpret and understand various artists and works. Such as “How To Understand A Picasso” in which Picasso’s work The Night Fishing is presented, or you can listen on the The Large Bathers by Cezanne, The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David or also about the ugliest masterpiece of Van Gogh (guess which!).
The most fascinating thing about the videos is how the narrator gets us involved in the subjects. One of the most intriguing videos about paintings is The Most Disturbing Painting. It is about the enigmatic Francisco Goya‘s masterpiece, Saturn Eating His Son.
Let me give a little spoiler of one of my favorite videos on Nerdwriter… The video begins but we don’t see the image for the first fourteen seconds. We just hear the noise of someone eating and a soundtrack worthy of a horror movie. The light rises but it is that of a flame that allows us to see only some parts of the work and not its whole.
We get to know about some works that would be candidates for the most disturbing painting until we are finally presented with the Goya’s work. The video follows the macabre track while the narrator explains the mythological scene. The video includes also another painting showing the same subject, a Baroque piece by Peter Paul Rubens.
The particular painting is just an excuse to tell more. In this video, we learn a lot about Goya’s life and how the history of the artist’s home country, Spain, influenced his oeuvre.
As we can see from this review one video, the viewer receives a very comprehensive experience. It is not only audiovisual (which is impeccable!) but also a complete historical explanation to present the reflections, guiding our gaze to the important points of the masterpiece. When these variables come together they create the perfect atmosphere to learn new things and continue watching, non-stop!
Without a doubt, the Nerdwriter stimulates thought and contributes intellectually to our daily lives in a very pleasant and accessible way. It’s definitely worth a visit!
If you’re looking for beautiful masterpieces to beautify your wall – here is the DailyArt 2021 calendar for you!
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