Monthly Archives: March 2019

“All right — take the picture!”

Posted on March 31, 2019 by JMN

Annie Leibovitz’s latest exhibition of her photography is Annie Leibovitz: The Early Years, 1970-1983. It includes a shot of Henri Cartier-Bresson, one of her idols, during her time roaming Paris as a budding photographer. The notoriously camera-shy Frenchman glares into … Continue reading →

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Some Fizz for ‘Fissile’

Posted on March 31, 2019 by JMN

“That’s Alex Jones’s M.O.,” Owens said of the deposition. “To flood any topic with confusion and doubt so no one can grab onto anything.” But under oath, Mr. Jones’s tactics fissile. (Charlie Warzel, “Why Courtrooms Are Kryptonite for Alex Jones,” … Continue reading →

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Stubborn Repetition

Posted on March 29, 2019 by JMN

In my own modest easel practice I’m trying to psych myself into painting a subject more than once. Artists I admire do it. Real artists. They dwell and go deep; obsess, in a good way. I’m afraid I have a … Continue reading →

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Dyspeptic Rumination

Posted on March 29, 2019 by JMN

A French aphorism says, “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose”: “the more it changes, the more it’s the same thing.” It’s sometimes paraphrased in English as, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” My comments, … Continue reading →

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Cartoon Transfer Technique

Posted on March 28, 2019 by JMN

The article is about Raphael’s preparatory cartoon for his fresco “The School of Athens” in the Vatican. What caught my eye in particular was mention of the method used to transfer the image to the walls. Its value must have been … Continue reading →

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Scott Walker (1943-2019)

Posted on March 28, 2019 by JMN

As a latecomer to Scott Walker’s music I’ve only scratched its surface. The admiration other artists have expressed for his solo work makes me want to hear more. I want to appreciate the zone of listening that stretches from the … Continue reading →

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Van Gogh in London

Posted on March 27, 2019 by JMN

A new exhibition at Tate Britain, “Van Gogh and Britain,” opens March 27, 2019. This article causes me to think somewhat differently about van Gogh. Of several good illustrations it contains, I chose the painting reproduced here because I’ve never … Continue reading →

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To ‘E’ or Not to ‘E’

Posted on March 27, 2019 by JMN

A silly title, yes. I get pleasure from reflecting on minutiae of language — syntax, spelling, grammar, etymology, what have you. Language is part of “what makes us us,” to borrow Jacinda Ardern’s clarion phrase. It’s worth talking about. If … Continue reading →

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“You Invent Your Own Game”

Posted on March 24, 2019 by JMN

Older artists profiled in this article are achieving belated critical and financial success after laboring in obscurity for much of their careers. In her title the author makes the artists’ ethnicity explicit, providing good context for the categorization, and it’s … Continue reading →

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W. S. Merwin (1927-2019)

Posted on March 24, 2019 by JMN

This tribute to W. S. Merwin is by Dr. A. Hope Jahren, a geobiologist who is author of the memoir “Lab Girl” and a professor at the University of Oslo. My own experience of Merwin has been mostly through his … Continue reading →

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