Author Archives: JMN

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About JMN

I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.

Neruda LXXXII

[LXXXII]Amor mío, al cerrar esta puerta nocturnaMy love, on closing this nocturnal doorte pido, amor, un viaje por oscuro recinto:I ask, love, for a voyage through dark environs:cierra tus sueños, entra con tu cielo en mis ojos,shut your dreams, come … Continue reading

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‘A Beautiful, Pathetic Object’

It’s a pleasure to meet William T. Wiley, who moved and shook in a West Coast “funk art” scene while steering clear of wealth and fame. It’s no surprise that agreement on what exactly defined the funk art movement was … Continue reading

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Resistance Is Futile…

… when it comes to quoting Matthew McConaughey. “I’ve found that a good plan is to first recognize the problem, then stabilize the situation, organize the response, then respond.” “Knowin’ the truth, seein’ the truth and tellin’ the truth are … Continue reading

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Messing With Space

Like a pig rooting for truffles I harvest luscious phrases from Roberta Smith’s art critiques. After “he jumped on the Color Field painting bandwagon,” Jules Olitski (1922 – 2007) created works that “mess with space and scale in a visceral, … Continue reading

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‘Gloopy Glory’

The paintings of 90-year-old Frank Auerbach, “last surviving member of a pathfinding generation of postwar British figurative painters,” are up my alley. Auerbach’s iterative pigment attacks are savage and astonishing, and Jason Farago is always good for a blue-streak of … Continue reading

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How Are Posh Men Educated?

…The vanities of posh men… centre on an ancient system that trains a narrow caste of people to run our affairs…. Ever questing to penetrate British lingo, I wobble over “public” versus “private” education in the kingdom’s parlance. In my … Continue reading

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Travesía (11)

Versión castellana del poema “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” (1856) de Walt WhitmanEnglish text at http://www.poetryfoundation.orgSpanish Interpretation by JMN [Translator’s note: The whole of part 7 follows. Of the poem’s 9 parts this short one has its peculiar thorniness. The elfish spin … Continue reading

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The Wrath of Divines

Like cartooning, the act of translation has proven dangerous at times. For his role in putting Christian scriptures into English, John Wycliffe’s long-dead bones were dug up, burnt, and chucked into the river by order of churchmen. … The act … Continue reading

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Neruda LXXXIII

Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada. Cien sonetos de amor1924, Pablo Neruda y Herederos de Pablo Neruda1994, Random House MondadoriCuarta edición en U.S.A: febrero 2004 [LXXXIII]Es bueno, amor, sentirte cerca de mí en la noche,It’s good, love, to … Continue reading

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Word of Thanks

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A glance tells me this blog started in April 2018. This is April 2021. An anniversary month invites breaking the fourth wall for a moment. Brokenly, the endeavor here is twofold: (1) to practice writing; (2) to practice translating. I … Continue reading

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