Thomas grew up in Northern California where he fell in love with music and photography while going to punk shows and shooting skate photos. He photography in college, which may or may not qualify him to host an art podcast. When he's not working on Art Uncovered, Thomas works as photographer, retoucher, and audio editor and also plays guitar in the band Sleepies. He lives in Queens, New York, for now.
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The Girl King
Mika Kaurismäki is the director of the new film The Girl King. The film tells the story of Queen Kristina of Sweden, who in the 17th century at the age of eighteen attempted to modernize Sweden and has become known as one of the earliest feminist figures in Europe. The Girl King picks up as Kristina assumes official control of her country at age eighteen and finds herself at odds with a conservative court dominated by men. They distrust her military acumen when she proposes to end a thirty-year war between Protestants and Catholics, and they bristle when she decides to make Sweden a country of "curiosity and knowledge," and begins importing important artwork, scientific texts, and the ideas of René Descartes. In addition to challenging her conservative court on issues of military strategy and religion, Kristina turns away all her suitors and rejects the idea that she has to produce male heir. Instead, she pursues a romance with her lady in waiting, a relationship that takes center stage in The Girl King. Last week, I spoke with director Mika Kaurismäki about his new film. We talked about Kristina's life, the challenges of making a period film, and what a person from the 17th century has to teach us in the 21st. Playlist 00:00 - The Girl King 01:39 - Interest in Kristina 03:21 - Raised as a Prince 05:56 - Wearing Trousers 07:40 - Gender and Sexuality 09:40 - Descartes 12:25 - Kristina's Ideas 14:37 - Malin Buska 16:46 - Period Films 19:25 - Lessons 21:43 - Finish