Mar 22 2025

Selects: Seven - No, Wait, Five - Mysteries of the Art World

Selects 56 min 8 movies discussed
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When you get a bunch of artistic types together into a community – aka, the art world – some intrigue and mystery are bound to arise. Listen in to this classic episode as Chuck and Josh cover strangeness around Van Gogh, Caravaggio, Raphael, and Vermeer – plus don’t miss Hilter!

AI Summary

# Art Mysteries: From Caravaggio to Hitler's Paintings

Josh and Chuck dive into a fascinating collection of art world mysteries and oddities, starting with the troubled Italian Baroque master Caravaggio—a murderer and scoundrel whose violent life contrasted sharply with his breathtaking mastery of light and shadow. They explore the enduring enigma of Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring," one of history's most iconic paintings, and ponder whether the mysterious subject was ever a real person or simply an imaginary figure painted to show off gorgeous fabrics and jewelry. The guys also discuss the tragic disappearance of a Raphael portrait during Nazi plundering in World War II and dig into the controversial theory that Vincent van Gogh may not have shot himself but was accidentally killed by local boys playing with a gun—a revelation that challenges everything we thought we knew about his famous death.


Movies Discussed

Girl with a Pearl Earring
Girl with a Pearl Earring
2003 PG-13 1h 41m
★ 6.6
"there was a 1999 novel from Tracy Chevalier, The Girl with the Pearl Earring and then the 2000 film adaptation starring Scarlett Johansson. — Chuck discusses the 2003 film adaptation of Tracy Chevalier's novel about Vermeer's famous painting, noting it was historical fiction." — Chuck
Girl with a Pearl Earring: And Other Treasures from the Mauritshuis
Girl with a Pearl Earring: And Other Treasures from the Mauritshuis
2015 1h 30m
★ 7.8
"There was a 1999 novel from Tracy Chevalier, The Girl with the Pearl Earring and then the 2000 film adaptation starring Scarlett Johansson. — Discussion of the 2003 film adaptation of the Vermeer painting, noting it was historical fiction with invented elements." — Chuck
Manhattan
Manhattan
1979 1h 36m
★ 7.7
"It was from a Woody Allen movie. I think it was in the most problematic movie, Manhattan, when he's with Diane Keaton. — Chuck references Woody Allen's Manhattan while discussing Van Gogh's name pronunciation in a scene with Diane Keaton." — Chuck
The Fast and the Furious
The Fast and the Furious
2001 1h 46m
★ 7.0
"they should have called that series fast and loose. Tokyo Drift. — Josh jokingly suggests the Fast and Furious franchise should have been called 'fast and loose' instead, referencing Tokyo Drift." — Josh
The Monuments Men
The Monuments Men
2014 1h 58m
★ 6.1
"that movie Monuments Men, they show the Nazis igniting it with the flamethrower in a cave with a bunch of other art. — Chuck references The Monuments Men film showing Nazis destroying art with a flamethrower in a cave." — Chuck
The Shield
The Shield
2002
★ 8.1
"what was Vic's last name in the shield? Vic Tabeck. No, not Vic Tabeck. I don't know, I didn't watch the shield. — Chuck mentions rewatching the last seven episodes of The Shield and that it still holds up." — Chuck
The Simpsons
The Simpsons
1989
★ 8.0
"in the Fighting Healthish episode when Grandpa Abe and Burns are stealing art. This is one of the paintings Portrait of a Young Man. — Josh mentions a Simpsons episode where Grandpa and Mr. Burns steal art, including Raphael's Portrait of a Young Man." — Josh
Tim's Vermeer
Tim's Vermeer
2013 PG-13 1h 20m
★ 7.2
"Have you ever seen Tim's Vermeer, the documentary? I have not. Oh, Chuck, you've got to see it. — Josh recommends the documentary directed by Teller from Penn and Teller about a man who figured out Vermeer used projection." — Josh

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