Author: Matthew Westphal

Long-Awaited Statue Honoring ‘Mother Of Feminism’ Unveiled In London, And Feminists Are Livid

Sculptor Maggi Hambling argues that her statue is for Mary Wollstonecraft — who published A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792 — not of Mary Wollstonecraft. The latter it is certainly not: it is a small, silvered figure of a generic naked woman arising out of an abstract mass incorporating vague images of breasts. As writer Caitlin Moran put it, “Imagine if there was a statue of a hot young naked guy ‘in tribute’ to eg Churchill. It would look mad. This, also, looks mad.” – The Guardian

Another Art Restoration In Spain Goes Very, Very Wrong

“In the footsteps of the unintentionally iconic Monkey Christ, the Tintin St George, the near-fluorescent Virgin and Child – not to mention the less than sinlessly executed Immaculate Conception – comes … well, it’ s hard to say. The latest Spanish restoration effort to provoke anguished headlines and much social media snarking is, or rather, was, a carved figure adorning an ornate, early 20th-century building in the north-western city of Palencia.” – The Guardian

Critic Tries To Review Streamed Concert While Life Keeps Happening

Zachary Woolfe: “I wanted to try, for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic largely closed down live performing arts worldwide, to review a concert taken in the way I have most music since March: while running in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, ducking into the bodega for milk, walking [the dog], living life.” Did it work? “Well, sort of.” – The New York Times

Alan Rath, Who Created Kinetic Electronic Sculptures, Dead At 60

“Since the early 1980s, Rath has created kinetic sculptures guided by software of his own making. Rath’s robotic structures often feature computer-generated animations of disembodied human body parts — a roving eye or gaping mouth — exemplifying his interest in the relationship between human nature and mechanical and technological systems.” – ARTnews

Where Did The Expression ‘Peanut Gallery’ Come From? It’s Complicated

Early Boomers would associate the phrase with The Howdy Doody Show, where it referred to the studio audience of kids. In fact, the first known printed use of “peanut gallery” comes from an 1867 review of a vaudeville show in New Orleans, and it refers to the food item unruly patrons would throw at performers they didn’t like. (Warning: the sentence in question is pretty racist.) – The Conversation

Lengthy Lawsuit Over Robert Indiana’s Estate Is Near Settlement

“The estate of Robert Indiana and the late artist’s longtime representative have tentatively agreed to settle their legal dispute and asked the judges in the complicated case involving his art and legacy to pause the proceedings so they can work out the details of the settlement. … Indiana died at age 89 within a day after the suit was filed. In addition to dragging on for more than 2½ years, the case has cost the Indiana estate as much as $8 million in legal fees.” – Portland Press Herald