Art in the Time of Coronavirus.
Welcome to Tiny Art History, "a teeny tiny living room art museum i [sic] made to teach my cats about art history." The informative and cheeky Instagram account started in September 2020, features tiny cross-stitch embroideries of classic works of art—from Vincent van Gogh's "Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette" to Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring." Each artwork also features a fun, well-researched caption about the original piece's history, an "art history snippet."
The account came about because, as creator and art educator @kiaosdystl wrote, "One of the things I miss the most during the pandemic is going to museums. Being able to see artwork by my fav artists and discovering new ones is one of my happiest places. I created this account to explore and learn more about art history from the safety of my own living room, but also to share what I learn with you! (and my cats. the tiny embroideries are just the right size for kitties to view😸)." And the embroideries really are tiny. Even her biggest piece, Sandro Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus," her "biggest tiny art history yet ... (at) 8,103 stitches and 50 hours of work later ... is only 4 inches across, 28 times smaller than the 6 by 9 foot original."
Want to create your own "teeny tiny living room art museum"? You can buy these beautiful little pieces for yourself! Shop here or here, or commission a piece here. Or if you're a cross-stitcher yourself, you can see what patterns Tiny Art History has available here, here, or request one.
Which classic artwork would you like to see as a tiny cross-stitch embroidery? What's your favorite art story? Let us know in the comments.