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Professor creates art history for modern world in “Just a Minute”
By Lauren Hogan '10
STAFF WRITER

Sweet Briar Professor Christopher Witcombe never thought 6 months ago, when he created the idea for his first podcast “Art History in Just A Minute,” that he would be painting a picture for art history lovers around the world, from five-year-olds, to senior citizens.

Over the summer, Witcombe's youngest daughter shared a clip with him from an iTunes podcast. At the time, he didn’t know what a podcast was, but delighted by what he saw, he thought, “I could use that for Art History.”

For those of you like the professor who have been left in the dark as to what a podcast is, Urban Dictionary defines it as “A broadcast file which is commonly downloaded on an iPod or other MP3 hardware for mobile listening.”

After taking a minute to delve into the iPod world, the professor intended to do one podcast a week. Realizing that this was “overly ambitious,” Witcombe has instead started off with just two: “The Mona Lisa,” and “The Last Supper.” They combine interesting information about the paintings with humor, in `just a minute,' so as to enlighten the viewer about great works of art without putting them to sleep.

In the professor's crisp British accent, “Welcome art lovers” begins every EWart production- the company title for the podcasts. Students preparing for an art lecture, and fearing being bored to sleep, may find themselves delighted, as these programs have just the right amount of ‘wit’ and creation to keep many asking for more.

As one customer reviewer, among 35 others, commented, they are also very educational. “This is an excellent resource for struggling public school teachers to use in their classrooms.”

Starting out as a painter at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Witcombe always saw his future in art. Although he enjoyed painting, he admitted he wasn't very good at it and didn't find his real passion in art until the age of twenty, when a friend gave him a textbook entitled H. W. Janson's History of Art. “It was a discovery for me,” said Witcombe. “I didn't know much about Art History, but from this book I learned so much, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

Now, years later, but still just as enthusiastic about the subject, Witcombe has created his own art for the modern world.

Witcombe, humble, but very excited about how far his podcasts have come, explained, “I didn’t have a set goal in mind, except to make people more aware about Art History. I wanted to create something that is a fun and interesting way to study art. You have to produce something you like and if others like it- that’s great!”

Since the first production, his podcasts have received a number 1 rating on the iTunes website in the visual arts category, and a number 6 in general arts, which includes anything from cooking to fashion. With 4 ½ out of five stars and tens of millions of hits, it's no wonder EWart Productions has reached a number one spot.

Katharine Welder a '95 grad from Sweet Briar found that “Art History in Just a Minute” wasn't only for those devoted to art. After perusing the iTunes website, she found the familiar professors new productions. Her children, ages 5 and 7, were delighted by them. The following day 30 children were over, all wanting to watch the podcasts again and again, and then talking about them afterwards.

Don't fret, art lovers, there is plenty more to come. Witcombe is working to do the podcasts in stages, the first two dealing with renaissance paintings, the next in line will be ancient art: the Venus of Willendorf, followed by Stonehenge. Following those will be two works done by Picasso.

Witcombe has been starting out with pieces he can share the most knowledge about. He has a main art history page http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHLinks.html, where information about the Venus of Willendorf can be found, as well as a link to his online essay about Stonehenge which he has extensively researched.

After he has covered some of the more famous works, Witcombe hopes to pursue famous artists, followed by ideas such as visual elements and color. “I want to show that the [elements] are not just dry and boring. As far as I'm concerned the sky’s the limit.”

With help from a supportive group of Sweet Briar students and faculty, “Art History in Just a Minute” has been a relatively easy production. “We use my video camera, Greg Ingber's microphone, the front room of Aaron Mahler's house and for a green screen we use a bit of green plastic from Wal-Mart.”

Witcombe did say, however, that they were hoping to possibly receive financial support in the future to cover the cost of the software.

In the future he has expressed interest in possibly setting up a workshop, or getting other students involved to do advertisements for the Sweet Briar College Website.