Monthly Archives: December 2019

A. O. Scott on Sontag

Posted on December 10, 2019 by JMN

The credit on this piece says “A.O. Scott is a chief film critic at The Times and the author of ‘Better Living Through Criticism: How to Think About Art, Pleasure, Beauty, and Truth.’” I read him frequently. (Strictly as a … Continue reading →

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Robert Johnson

Posted on December 10, 2019 by JMN

It was in… popular juke joints — segregated stores or private houses that doubled, after hours, as recreational places — that his now legendary music career began… The young musician had trained on a diddley bow — one or more … Continue reading →

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“Do Not Erase”

Posted on December 9, 2019 by JMN

For the last year, Jessica Wynne, a photographer and professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, has been photographing mathematicians’ blackboards, finding art in the swirling gangs of symbols sketched in the heat of imagination, argument and … Continue reading →

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Random Woke Affect & Filth Squirting

Posted on December 8, 2019 by JMN

A phrase from the past has pungent currency today. In 1896, an editorial in the Guardian mentioned a derogatory rumor about Lord Rosebery. Quoth the lord: “… The allusion in the Guardian… gave me the opportunity that I had long … Continue reading →

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Outrenoir: Ultra-Black

Posted on December 6, 2019 by JMN

French painter Pierre Soulages turns 100 this December, 2019. He is being accorded an exhibit at the Louvre. The only other painters given an exhibit there during their lifetimes were Picasso and Chagall. Since 1979, Soulages has worked exclusively in … Continue reading →

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Don’t Slip, Ma’am

Posted on December 3, 2019 by JMN

Americans watch the royals, rapt, for signs of slippage and failure, but also out of a kind of awe at how long they’ve sustained the illusion of honor. Yes, they’re mooches and hypocrites, but—… (Lili Loofbourow, “The Mesmerizing Disgrace of … Continue reading →

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‘Your Painting Is Your Best Friend’

Posted on December 2, 2019 by JMN

Cecily Brown, age 50, is the daughter of British writer Shena Mackay and David Sylvester, the art critic and curator. When Brown was 18 and struggling financially, the painter and sculptor Maggi Hambling let her paint in her garage. “Maggi … Continue reading →

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Celia Paul

Posted on December 1, 2019 by JMN

Celia Paul was one of five daughters of Christian missionaries. She spent her early childhood in India, then in Exmoor, southwest England. Her father became bishop of Bradford. “Why, she wonders, did he have all these children he didn’t have … Continue reading →

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