“A lost painting by Caravaggio which art lovers have long hoped might still be found was burnt and destroyed by the Mafia, according to a former hitman turned pentito (informer). The painting, Nativity with Saints Francis and Lawrence, was stolen from the oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo in 1969.”
Tag: 12.09.09
Why ‘God Has All The Best Art’
“[N]o god of any shape, size or hue owns those great works of art we would classify as religious. These works – and the secular flourishing of art that springs from and reacts to the sacred tradition – are human to the core.… Religious in title and content; human in the stretch and reach of imagination trying to give meaning to life, in the same way that religion itself is a human creation.”
A La Recherche De Quentin Crisp In Manhattan
“In the 80s and early 90s, New York was a place where eccentricity and individuality were absolutely paramount and Quentin epitomised that … It’s not difficult to find people on the British gay scene who find him inspirational but in New York they knew him personally – they’re less focused on ‘icon Quentin’ and more on him as a friend.”
Officer, This ‘Jazz’ Sounds Like Contemporary To Me
“Spain’s pistol-carrying Civil Guard police force descended on the Sigüenza Jazz festival to investigate allegations that [the] music was not, well, jazz. Police decided to investigate after an angry jazz buff complained that the Larry Ochs Sax and Drumming Core group was on the wrong side of a line dividing jazz from contemporary music.”
HarperCollins Signs On To E-Book Delays
“HarperCollins, which has already delayed the e-book of its No. 1 best seller Going Rogue, by Sarah Palin, will start to ‘window’ e-book editions this winter, starting with five to 10 titles per month, a spokeswoman said.”
Flexing The Brain By Reading Strengthens Ability To Read
According to a new study, some intensive reading programs “improved the integrity of fibers that carry information from one part of the brain to another,” a change of brain structure that correlated with improved reading ability.
New Mexico Raises The Stakes On Hollywood
“With the support of a $10-million economic development grant from the state, developers are about to break ground on a major production studio just outside of Santa Fe, the state’s capital. The $25-million project” is the latest enticement from a state that’s already doing well at luring films and television shows.
Seattle’s Elliott Bay Book Co. Moving To New Neighborhood
“Hurt by the recession and ongoing issues in Pioneer Square, Elliott Bay Book Co. is leaving after 36 years for an old Ford truck-repair center on Capitol Hill. … Bookstore owner Peter Aaron said he expects sales to improve immediately and in a big way.”
Variety Online Goes Back Behind Pay Wall
The magazine’s president says that “the change is not about generating increased revenue from readers, … [but rather] about becoming more focused on an entertainment industry clientele, rather than the casual reader, and about stemming a decline in paid circulation.”
Baltimore SO’s Education Program Receives $1M Gift
“OrchKids, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s innovative educational initiative launched last year at an inner city school, will receive a $1 million gift from Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker.” The project “received its initial seed money of $100,000 from BSO music director Marin Alsop.”