Dragons and magic aside, "Game of Thrones" has a historical bent -- it draws extensively from medieval history. Some have complained that this flair for the Middle Ages provides an excuse for the show runners to slather the drama with gratuitous sexual violence and gore. But the era has a lot more to offer than miserable brutality, and the J. Paul Getty Museum’s Tumblr wants to draw your attention to another facet: the realm of medieval art.
The museum’s Tumblr recaps each "GoT" episode -- composed in works of art from, primarily, their own collection. According to The Observer, Getty media producer Sarah Waldorf and manuscripts curator Bryan Keene are behind the highly visual summaries. Keene told The Observer he tries to “jot down some things from the book I know are happening” before the show, as he’s read all the books.
It’s not the clarity of the recaps that captures readers, however, but the ingenuity with which the ancient art selected plays off of the themes of each episode. It doesn’t hurt, by the way, that the paintings and sculptures showcased are mesmerizing, and unlikely to be seen without this little additional incentive. (Medieval art geeks, my apologies -- you are the exceptions.) Check out last episode's recap -- and more at the Getty's Tumblr.
H/T The Observer