Mary Phelan
I am an art historian, magazine editor, design philosopher and fiction writer. I am also a sometime artist and photographer. I write for and edit Artyonline, an online arts magazine that I founded with a colleague in 2004. It can be accessed on Artyonline.co.uk In addition to editing the magazine and writing for Suite 101, I write two blogs; Design Victim and Myths of Old. You can follow me on Twitter @BlondeMary.
I graduated in 2001 from University College London, with a degree in the History of Art. Within six months, I had a feature on the Roman writer, Vitruvius, published. Since then, I have worked as a freelance writer and editor, most notably on the new translation of the Benezit art historical dictionary. I am available to write features on medieval history, art and modern architecture, and can be reached through this site or through my website, above. My book Where Do You Live? A New Look At Old Houses, has been revised, refreshed and updated. With the addition of a new essay, it has been transformed into Where Do You Live? Urban Dwellings and Open Spaces, and is available from Amazon as a Kindle book, ISBN 9780955941931.
I have in-depth knowledge of the Renaissance, its visual arts and literature. I write on all stages of European architecture, which is where my features on Nicholas Barbon and Robert Adam stem from. My interest in scientific history is the genesis of pieces like Three Colours Purple, Academy of Lynxes, and Alchemy and Chaucer. I also have a taste for contemporary cooking and film history. But the lure of fiction is as strong as ever, and I will continue to write it.
Latest Articles
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The Elusive Object: Why Pursuit Has Always Made a Great Story
An exploration of the quest for love, riches and other desirable states, in fact and fiction.
May 1, 2012
- Mary Phelan
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The Fool's Charter: The Seven Jestures of Wisdom and Success
A light-hearted look at the seven jesters or 'jestures' to success, wisdom and happiness. What are they?
Mar 31, 2012
- Mary Phelan
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Fascinating Glass: A Material both Ancient and Modern
Glass has been used in antiquity and has endured through the ages to become a tenet of modern architecture.
Mar 23, 2012
- Mary Phelan
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History of the Brick: Testimony to that Ubiquitous Building Unit
The brick as a standard unit of building and construction has endured through the ages. Why?
Mar 7, 2012
- Mary Phelan
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Theory Of Colours: An Overview of Johann von Goethe's Book
An overview of Goethe's book on colour, two hundred years after its publication, and in the light of scientific progress since.
Feb 22, 2012
- Mary Phelan
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A Laodicean: Analysis of Thomas Hardy's Novel
An exploration of theme and character in one of Thomas Hardy's less well-know novels.
Feb 13, 2012
- Mary Phelan
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Old Father Time: An Encounter With The Ultimate Opponent
A meditation on time, on how we define it, divide it, work with and against it, but can never truly hope to beat it.
Feb 6, 2012
- Mary Phelan
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Dickens and Shakespeare: How the Poet Influenced the Novelist
A light-hearted look at the ways that Renaissance playwright, William Shakespeare, influenced the novels of nineteenth-century writer, Charles Dickens
Jan 25, 2012
- Mary Phelan
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The Seven Ages of Man: How We Have Progressed Throughout History
A debunking of William Shakespeare's seven ages of individual man in favour of charting general human progress into various stages and milestones.
Jan 10, 2012
- Mary Phelan
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Bleak House: Themes, Twinnings and Juxtapositions.
This is an exploration of the novel by Charles Dickens, with special reference to metaphors represented by the architecture in relation to the characters.
Dec 13, 2011
- Mary Phelan
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