Monthly Archives: April 2019

Body Language

Posted on April 16, 2019 by JMN

I’ve had little opportunity to enjoy the spectacle of dance except vicariously through the writing of Joan Acocella in The New Yorker. I admire the discipline and athleticism that dance demands of its performers. The passage cited here charms me … Continue reading →

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Not Ready for Answers

Posted on April 16, 2019 by JMN

Merce Cunningham comes across in these recollections of his dancers as a man who spoke volumes in few words. “Don’t make everything so pretty” and the terse statement that answers demand questions cover about ninety percent of art and life, … Continue reading →

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The Heart Is a Pump

Posted on April 12, 2019 by JMN

I like what Terence McNally says about creating character through dialogue. His “heart” trope further in the interview, however, is hackneyed. I hope writers who survive this “age of calamity” find a new way to talk about courage, tolerance, empathy, … Continue reading →

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Warholiana Keeps On Keeping On

Posted on April 12, 2019 by JMN

Sprayed with silver and decorated with tinfoil, Andy Warhol’s Factory was not only his studio, but a hangout for collaborators and muses like the Velvet Underground and Edie Sedgwick. Photojournalist Nat Finkelstein spent three years documenting it all (“All tomorrow’s … Continue reading →

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On Clarity

Posted on April 11, 2019 by JMN

As a first-year law student I, along with my peers, had to read and sort out a seeming infinitude of cases written by appellate judges whose writing skills varied widely. Navigating the dense prose of the tomes we lugged around … Continue reading →

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Wrestling With Darkness

Posted on April 11, 2019 by JMN

I wish the article quoted here had reproduced the De Chirico painting it mentions. I like to see evidence of how painting and music can interact for an artist. I’m only now becoming acquainted with Monder’s music. His recurring dream … Continue reading →

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“The End of Satire”

Posted on April 11, 2019 by JMN

I have a taste for good satire. I also revere an ability to change one’s mind in a considered, informed way. The article quoted here moves me for what it shows of this process, which can be painful, as well … Continue reading →

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A Black Hole Sings in B Flat

Posted on April 11, 2019 by JMN

There is great buzz today around black holes in celebration of the latest observations. The sense of awe these phenomena induce has intersected just now with my private boning up on fundamentals of music theory, leaving me astounded on many … Continue reading →

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“I don’t paint what I see but what I saw”

Posted on April 11, 2019 by JMN

There’s much that’s discoverable for me about Munch. These excerpts stood out. Artists I admire are similarly self-critical and leery of pretty pictures. Munch’s house and studio were on a remote hillside above Oslo, where he fled after his 1908 … Continue reading →

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Side Hustle

Posted on April 7, 2019 by JMN

How old are “old Chinese sayings” and how many are actually Chinese? Fewer than all of them, I surmise. However, one I encountered said that wisdom consists in getting things by their right names. It appealed to me because it … Continue reading →

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