Art Log January 23, 2024: No fancy curtains, a tag for book shelves and paint made from mummies. 

Was it just me or was I noticing more chandeliers visible from the sidewalk? An article in The Atlantic, Why Rich People Don’t Cover Their Windows, may have the answer. It seems “Americans who earn more than $150,000 are almost twice as likely to leave windows uncovered as those making $20,000 to $29,000,” according to a study for the U.S. Department of Energy (it’s not a trend that’s good for the environment or heating bills). While it may be more prevalent recently, the article traces the trend all the way back to the 1990s. If it’s so, it’s all for show. Maybe the real trend lately is for showcasing houses on the market to use open windows and fancy lighting to make up for what a house lacks in architecture. 

Another trend, this one online, is to share photos of well-arranged books on shelving. My favorite #bookshelfwealth image was of shelves built to surround a classical-style sideboard. Books are a fun thing to collect, and unlike many antiques, most haven’t lost their usefulness. I don’t have hard data, but some categories hold their value nicely. Of course, there are those out there who haven’t read a word on the self-shelf, but that’s alright. Any style trend that leads to interest in the tactile is fine by me. 

On the topic of books for the art shelf, Potomack is offering several pencil portraits by Samuel Johnson Woolf. The artist recorded his meetings, mostly with celebrities of the day, with pencil and pen. Records of his experiences are included in the 1932 book Drawn from Life. It looks like you can have your own copy for around $20 from a variety of resellers. 

Bringing it up in conversation, I may be one of the few who hasn’t heard of this, but did you know Victorian-era artists used paint made out of Egyptian mummies? My first thought was “no wonder some paintings seem haunted,” but the Pre-Raphaelite works most likely to be adorned with mummy paint are not the ones that feel haunted to me. I am curious whether this painting was limited to Europe or if artists in America used it. It’s just one of the fascinating tales told in Victoria Finlay’s Color: A Natural History of the Palette.