“Olitski rose to prominence in the 1960’s as a leading exponent of Color Field painting, an outgrowth of Abstract Expressionism. With its emphasis on the visual properties of paint applied to a flat surface, Color Field shies away from illusions of depth and visible brushwork, instead prizing the subtlety and expressiveness of swaths of pure color.”
Tag: 02.05.07
At Tehran’s Fadjr Festival, No Touching, No Dancing
“Censorship is one of the major issues facing Iranian artists today. … The more fundamental restrictions, however, are cultural rather than political. ‘In Iran, we have all these limitations on how we use the body,’ says the actress Sara Reyhani. ‘Before we even move, we have to censor ourselves.'”
God Ate My Homework
Teaching in the U.S. recently, playwright Mark Ravenhill encountered a Christian student who was allowed to opt out of course material he found objectionable on the basis of his Christian beliefs. It’s not just an American phenomenon, Ravenhill says; it’s happening in the U.K., too. “Surely the university should declare itself a liberal organisation, and insist that those joining it must abide by its liberal values? … There should be no opt-outs when it comes to culture.”
The Opera And The Video Game
“In an unlikely alliance between an English opera company and a Japanese electronics giant, Sony’s PlayStation 3 games console is sponsoring a production of La Bohème which opens in London later this month. As a result, the 103-year old London Coliseum will host hi-tech PS3 machines in the theatre foyer and the show will be supported by interactive programs, in an attempt to woo fans of the high art to more modern forms of entertainment.”
UK Museums – Feeling It In Their Bones
“British pagan groups are increasingly asking for human remains and grave goods from pre-Christian burials to be returned to them as well. The presence of what they see as their ancestors in dusty drawers or under harsh display lights is an affront to their religion. To them, the bones are living beings, whose existence is bound up with their religious descendants and the sacred land.”
World’s Oldest Newspaper Drops The Paper
“The world’s oldest paper still in circulation – located in Sweden – has dropped its paper edition and now exists only in cyberspace. The newspaper, founded in 1645 by Sweden’s Queen Kristina, became a Web-only publication on Jan. 1. It’s a fate, many ink-stained writers and readers fear, that may await many of the world’s most venerable journals.”
OJ Finds A Publisher
A Canadian publisher says it’s considering publishing OJ Simpson’s controversial book. “The Montreal-based company’s employees were initially disgusted by reports of the book’s topic, according to a statement released today. Now, the company said, in the name of free speech, it wants to give it a try.”
Should Internet Video Play By Same Rules As Broadcast?
“The EC argues that new broadcasters are effectively competing for viewers and advertising and should be subject to the same rules. But the all-party Lords European Union Committee rejected this, saying it was not the role of regulation to protect established broadcasters from new competition operating under different business models.”
No Ads On European Kids TV?
“The European Union has proposed getting rid of ad breaks in all children’s and news shows lasting 30 minutes or less. The House of Lords European Union Committee said it was ‘concerned about the likely implications of these rules for free-to-air programming’.”
Remembering Whitney Balliett
The great New Yorker jazz critic’s “heart and his soul were with the artisan-poets of jazz, the late-night pianists and unsung singers, the long line of jazzmen and women who ‘piece out their lives in the shadows and shoals of show business’ and keep alive the music’s lyric heart.”