[Start Here] What is Cool Stories About Art ? 🤔
An introduction to the newsletter that makes art history fun.
Have you ever had that strange feeling in a museum?
That strange feeling of being surrounded by masterpieces, yet feeling like an outsider? Like you’re missing the point?
You are not alone.
Eleven seconds
That’s the average time a person spends looking at a work of art. A furtive glance for a piece that sometimes required years of work, survived centuries, endured fires, looting, wars, thefts, and bombs.
I realized I was doing the same thing. Moving through museums without really understanding what I was seeing.
Finding the Magic
The breakthrough happened with my daughter. Museum visits were a chore until I turned them into a treasure hunt: telling anecdotes, searching for hidden details, making it a game. Suddenly, the magic happened. Art became an adventure.
A Little About Me
I’m Julien. I am not an art historian, I’m just a dad working in communications in Paris. I started sharing this fun approach on Instagram, and it exploded (270k+ followers). Today, over 35,000 people get these stories on Substack.
Why? Because we all want to learn, as long as we are told the right stories.
My 3 most popular stories:
→ The Last Day of Vincent Van Gogh
→ Claude Monet’s Japanese Bridge, before and after his cataracts
→ 10 Artists you need to Know
What You Should Expect
✅ To dive into incredible stories that you’ll binge-read like a Netflix series.
✅ To discover hidden gems, incredible artists who will brighten your day.
✅ To learn anecdotes and hidden secrets in the lives of painters and in their paintings.
What You Shouldn’t Expect:
❌ Academic jargon
❌ Boring analysis
This space is for you. For those who want to learn while having fun.
Julien
Ready for the full experience?
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💎 8 captivating stories / month (vs 1 free)
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🧠 Exclusive fun facts to impress anyone
📚 Full access to the entire archive
Reader Reviews:
"Short, fun, and I actually remember the stories. Worth it."
"I've discovered so many incredible artists I'd never heard of. Hooked."
"I don't know much about art but these stories are really interesting. Easy to read and I actually learn stuff."
“Finally, art history that doesn’t make me feel stupid. Julien turns masterpieces into page-turners. ”
Thanks for sharing your story — especially the moment with your daughter and the “treasure hunt.” It captures that quiet turning point when art stops being something distant and starts belonging to us again.
That “eleven seconds” insight also stayed with me. I once came across Professor James Cutting’s Masterpiece Effect study — his findings were so close to what you describe. In this study conducted in 2001, he revealed interesting patterns about how long people gaze at art in museums. I ended up writing about it here: https://open.substack.com/pub/elenamostovova/p/art-in-numbers-15-seconds-to-see?r=389ywd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Yes! Art galleries are a great way to introduce children to the art world & encourage them to look more closely & critically. Spot the dogs. Count the horses. Draw what the children are doing. What question would you like to ask the artist? Do it as an adult 😉😍