In the newsletter: A love story from CBC Short Docs (among other things)

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Hi, art lovers!

Personally, I'm not big on Valentine's Day, but since my heart temperature's holding steady at two degrees above freezing, I won't deprive you of warm, fuzzy seasonal content either. So here's your recommended network viewing: Love Letters from Everest. It's a charming little film from CBC Short Docs featuring animation by Vancouver's Anna Bron and a script by Celeste Koon. Celeste based the film on her grandparents' love story. Incredibly, her glaciologist grandpa was involved in the second expedition to reach the summit of Mount Everest (ever), and all through the adventure, he wrote to grandma in Montreal. The film's pieced together from their anguished correspondence. Hard to imagine anyone stumbling across a similar family history 60 years from now...unless you've been backing up your Tinder messages like a weirdo.

Other things that have nothing to do with Discount Chocolate Day Eve: dance crazes! Ever wondered how (or even if) their creators get recognition, especially in the age of TikTok? Related: the Los Angeles Times recently charted the rise of the "dancefluencer." Richard E. Grant commissioned a giant sculpture of Barbra Streisand's face, which might be the purest thing I've seen all week. And if that inspires you to splurge on some art yourself, there's a new way to shop work by OCAD U students.

Because the Oscars...what's the significance of that "scholar's rock" in Parasite? And who's been writing Brad Pitt's speeches? Because nostalgia...lose the next hour browsing back issues of Life magazine. Because it's just fun...what colour is your name?

And because we promised you eye candy

File under "Instagrams about art that looks like other stuff." (Hungry Art History is run by Calgary-based painter Heather Buchanan...who also happens to make Valentine's Day cards, just saying.)

Exhibit A.

Big Pufnstuf Energy c/o Toronto's Christian Piasentin.

Nap goals. Pastel and pencil crayon piece by Toronto's Lis Xu.

You've got to see this

A whole new season of Canada's a Drag - I've already teased this one like a bad beehive wig, but it's finally here, people! Watch the third season of Canada's a Drag on CBC Gem. Featuring drag kings and queens (and in-betweens), the series took us from Victoria to Moncton, N.B. Is your hometown hero in the spotlight this time around?

The art of the romance novel: a part of our heritage - They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but there's one genre where that old chestnut doesn't apply. Even in 2020, a generation since the age of Fabio, we all know a romance novel when we see one. And for decades, those sublimely cheesy love scenes have been mass-produced in Toronto.

A brief history of LGBTQ representation at the Oscars - It's a very special Academy Awards edition of Queeries, and as Peter Knegt puts it: "If there are two things I'm an expert on, it's the Oscars and the gays." Get his video primer on the show's track record for queer representation. (Spoiler: it's "generally dismal.")

Follow this artist

Pauline Loctin (@misscloudyart) - How'd Pauline make this? Well...the process is as complicated as you might imagine. Watch her in action on Paper Cuts.

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Until next week!

XOXO, CBC Arts