“Almost everyone would agree that the art world has become a kind of spectacle. Much of the work is repetitive and derivative in a way that starts to resemble planned cultural obsolescence. A strange cycle has set in, whereby the most valuable attribute an artist can have is ‘promise.’ With a lot of big bets being placed, the artist has to be both young and verifiable. In other words, marketable. But almost none of our superstar artists have delivered on their promise.”
Tag: 03.04.07
Go Ahead: Crack That Spine!
“I find it difficult to respect books as objects, and see no harm whatsoever in abusing them. … Once a book is mine, I see no reason to read it with kid gloves. And if you have ever seen a printing press disgorge best sellers at 20,000 copies an hour, you might be tempted to agree. It is the content of books that counts, not the books themselves — no matter how well they furnish a room.”
The New Medievalism: Fortresses Grow Around Us
“After 9/11, a craving for the solidity of walls reasserted itself. … Four years after the American invasion of Iraq, this state of siege is beginning to look more and more like a permanent reality, exhibited in an architectural style we might refer to as 21st-century medievalism. Like their 13th- to 15th-century counterparts, contemporary architects are being enlisted to create not only major civic landmarks but lines of civic defense….”
On The Da Vinci Hunt
Ray DuVarney “just might play a crucial role in recovering a Leonardo da Vinci mural no one has seen in 400 years. He thinks he can build a machine that would use nuclear energy to locate ‘The Battle of Anghiari,’ thought to be hidden behind a wall in Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio. Call his idea a da Vinci decoder.”
MoMA Responds To Director Compensation Scandal
The Museum of Modern Art finally responds to revelations about its director’s inflated compensation fund. “All actions taken by the museum and the trust were legal, ethical and disclosed. All payments and compensation were reported on tax forms filed by the trust, the museum and Mr. Lowry, who paid personal income tax on compensation he received.”
Music Beyond The MP3
“Music lovers have been so preoccupied by the convenience of downloading music that sound quality hasn’t been much of a priority. But the honeymoon could be ending. Better sound could be the next lure for convincing people to buy music … again.”
Critic John Simon’s Critical Measure:
“If you like eight out of 10 shows that you review, you should be in a different business,” he said. If you like six to eight, you might be aware enough to write “puff pieces” about shows. If you like five out of 10, “then you don’t exist. You’re too perfect.” If you like two to four of those 10 shows, you might be able to be a reviewer, and if you like zero to two, “you may be a critic, but there’s no guarantee.”
Latest Philly Deaccession Battle
The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia is trying to sell its prized asset. William Vaux, “who died in 1882, left his prized collection to the academy. But with strings attached – one, that it never be sold. Last week, the academy was in Philadelphia Orphans Court, asking to do just that.”
Angry Audience Demands Money Back From Orchestra
“Music lovers came down from as far as Yorkshire to hear A Very British Symphony, by the Queen’s choirmaster Andrew Gant, in Brighton last week. As the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra concert was about to begin conductor Barry Wordsworth announced Gant’s work had been dropped and would be replaced by a Mendelssohn piece. He told the audience he ‘did not believe in it’ and later added it was a matter of artistic integrity.”
Is Religious Ignorance A Problem?
“According to various surveys conducted since 1990, half of all Americans can’t name even one of the four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), the cornerstone of the New Testament. A majority can’t name the first book of the Bible (Genesis). This suggests a curious unfamiliarity with a text that two-thirds of Americans believe contains the answers to all of life’s questions. This ignorance about basic religious and Biblical matters crosses all sorts of sectarian lines.”