Adam Kirsch: “If you Google ‘Homer’ and ‘bees,’ you get images of Homer Simpson, not quotations from the Iliad.”
James Parker: “I resent it, this mania for topicality. Update, refresh, delete cache, clear history, change your underpants.”
(But they agree that if you aim for timelessness, you’ll probably miss.)
Tag: 10.18.15
Look, Opera Tickets Are *Not* Expensive (And Here’s Proof)
“The entry-price (i.e. the cheapest ticket available for a performance or event) for opera is more or less the lowest entry-price of anything comparable. Let’s rephrase that, for all those suffering from opera-cliché syndrome: tickets are available for operas at cheaper prices than for any major cultural, sporting or tourist activity.”
Discovering A Treasure Trove Of Paintings In The Farmhouse Attic
“What had been languishing in Ro’s attic for the best part of 50 years was a stash of more than 500 paintings and drawings. Overnight, it doubled the number of Dunbar’s known works.”
The Artist Who Just Won Canada’s Top Theatre Design Prize
“Instead of using her $75,000 to ‘pay the rent,’ La Bissonnière wants to use it for a dream project – most likely, to publish a book on her philosophy of “poetic space” that would also be an illustrated retrospective of her career.”
The God-Hates-Renoir Movement Comes To The Met – And Meets Counter-Protesters
“One man who took severe offense at RSAP’s cause approached demonstrators, shouting at them, ‘You know who else tries to ban things they don’t like? Nazis! That’s what you are! Nazis!'” Renoir defenders’ signs read “You can take our Renoir when you pry them from our cold dead hands” and “Je suis Pierre-Auguste.”
Netflix Faces Some Hurdles To The International Domination It Desires
“‘We had expectations for Netflix to be doing slightly better, but the broadcasting landscape is very locally oriented,’ David Sidebottom, an analyst at Futuresource Consultancy, said in reference to Netflix’s international reach. ‘People are also more reluctant to pay for a monthly subscription to a video service in France and Germany.'”
A Syrian Film Collective Risks Everything To Give Glimpses Of Life During This Civil War
“The idea is to present an alternative to mainstream coverage of the country’s fractured state, with its focus on conflict and destruction. ‘Our first enemy is pity,’ Charif Kiwan, the group’s spokesman and only active named member, said in an interview at the New School in Manhattan. ‘Since the beginning, we tried to say that we are fighting for freedom, for dignity.'”
Why Artists Can’t Depend Only On Ticket Sales During A Tour
“What I do is make a mish-mash tour that combines hired gigs with arts presenters and universities I’ve created relationships with, as well as some co-produced shows (although I’m backing off on those as much as possible because they are similar to self-producing) and putting together a string of house shows where the host is responsible for paying me and getting a crowd.”
Egyptian Novelist Gamal Al Chitani Dies After Being In A Coma For Months
“Acclaimed locally and internationally, Al Ghitani won many awards, the latest being the Nile Award for Literature in 2015, the highest literary honour granted by the Egyptian government.”
Imelda Staunton And ‘Gypsy’ Win UK Theatre Awards
And the writer of the best new play says, “When this recession started, we expected the big beasts of British drama to show what was happening to people. And it hasn’t happened at all. So thank God theatre is still there to shout about what is happening.”