August 25, 2022 • View in browser

Good morning. 🌤️ When the pandemic closed museums around the world, some researchers at the National Gallery of Art took the opportunity to scan their beloved Vermeer paintings to find out more about the 17th-century Dutch artist’s technique. They discovered he isn’t as “polished” in his style as some may think.

Artist Lena Chen and tech collaborator Maggie Oates have created a digital game to teach people about the challenges of online sex work, David Carrier takes a close look at Matisse’s “The Red Studio,” Joshua Gomez examines the legacy of La Malinche in art, and Jonah Goldman Kay takes a rest at the Festival of Sleep in London.

— Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief 

Looking Anew at a Strange Matisse Masterpiece

In 1911 Matisse created "The Red Studio," a self-enclosed world in his studio, by showing 11 earlier works of art, without the presence of the artist. | David Carrier

WHAT'S HAPPENING

OnlyBans invites you to navigate life as a digital sex worker, learning about challenges of the profession along the way. (screen captured by Sarah Rose Sharp)

• OnlyBans is a new game developed to help players learn about the challenges facing online sex workers.

• Findings reported by the National Gallery of Art suggest that Johannes Vermeer might not have been as painstakingly meticulous as believed.

LATEST IN ART

How Do You Repair the Scientific Racism Embedded in the History of Science?

Swiss-Haitian-Finnish artist Sasha Huber has spent the last fifteen years trying to undo her countryman’s problematic legacy. | Faith Adiele

The Lasting Influence of La Malinche, the Nahua Translator

Traitor, Survivor, Icon: The Legacy of Malinche prompts new conversations about one Indigenous woman’s turbulent story. | Joshua Gomez

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ALSO ON HYPERALLERGIC

Why One Organization Is Rushing to Digitize Decades of Broadcast Media

The New Mexico Public Media Digitization Project is preserving analog and digital media from the 1960s to the present. | Steve Jansen

What Can We Learn from the History of Sleep?

Whether in a 17th-century mansion, an imagined Georgian bedroom, or a contemporary loft, the unconscious experience remains unadulterated. | Jonah Goldman Kay

IN MEMORIAM

Donald Jonas (1929–2022)
Art collector and philanthropist | New York Times

Joanne Koch (1929–2022)
New York film executive and curator | New York Times

Hanae Mori (1926–2022)
Japanese fashion designer | New York Times

Nayyara Noor (1950–2022)
Pakistani singer | Al Jazeera

Marta Palau (1934–2022)
Mexican textile artist | Artnews

Dorli Rainey (1927–2022)
Seattle political activist and figure of Occupy Wall Street | Seattle Times

Tsuneko Sasamoto (1914–2022)
Pioneering photographer and one of Japan’s first women photojournalists | Japan Times

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