The main reason I think I love art so much is because it's full of mystery. I've long had a soft spot for the unusual. Somewhere between Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, I realized my fascination with the unexplained, and I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since. It was only a matter of time before that curiosity led me to the art world. After all, every great mystery leaves clues. So does every great work of art.
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Art rewards those willing to think like a detective. Understanding a work of art means leaning into that mystery, and following its scent down a long trail of clues, symbols, and intentions. Why are certain objects illuminated while others recede into darkness? What’s the difference between an open palm and a closed fist? Why does one figure meet your gaze while another looks away? It all means something, if you’re willing to look closely enough.
Of course, when I learned about Jane! at Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, I had to speak with its curator. Jane! explores the enigmatic life, and even more mysterious death, of Jane Stanford, founder and matriarch of Stanford University. An advocate of the arts, a collector of oddities, a spiritualist, and the steward of the Cantor, Jane was a remarkably complex woman of the Gilded Age. After surviving one apparent poisoning attempt, Jane died just weeks later under circumstances that remain as mysterious today as they were in 1905. Perhaps it's no wonder that her final resting place lies in a mausoleum just steps from the museum she built. What may be even more mysterious are the numerous staff and students who claim to have seen a woman eerily similar to her portrait wandering Stanford's grounds.
You can listen to the entire interview on Spotify and Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.
On this episode of The Unibrow Radio, I speak with Patrick R. Crowley, Associate Curator of European Art at the Cantor, about why it's time for everyone to know Jane, (and her ghost,) a little better. No Ouija board needed. –– Shaquille Heath
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