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Category Archives: Commentary
Mother Power
The “club” of Sarah Vowell’s title is clarified in the subtitle of this article: “They’re the graduates of public universities, and they’ve stepped into the void of presidential leadership.” President Lyndon Johnson was a graduate of Southwest Texas State College … Continue reading
Extreme Centrality. Yeah
Credit… Mason Trinca for The New York Times. The philosopher Isaiah Berlin once said he occupied the “extreme right-wing edge of the left-wing movement.” If that’s good enough for Isaiah Berlin, it’s good enough for me. (David Brooks, “This Is … Continue reading
Welcome, Bone-Breaker
The first bearded vulture born among the crags of Spain’s Picos de Europa mountains in 75 years has left the watchful gaze of her parents and taken to the sky. The chick, named Bienvenida (Welcome), was born in March to … Continue reading
Boredom, Doubt and Isolation in the Arts
The Kunsthaus Bregenz in western Austria exhibits “Unprecedented Times,” comprised mostly of works produced by artists as the virus spread and they sheltered in place this year. The only work created pre-pandemic is by the Austrian artist Markus Schinwald, who … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Quotations
Tagged art, coronavirus, exhibitions, museums, painting
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‘Horrific Surrealism’
Behrouz Boochani wrote his book with desperate means from imprisonment in a brutal Australian camp for migrants. A collaborator from outside who helped assemble the book terms it a work of “horrific surrealism.” Boochani’s book challenges readers to acknowledge that … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Quotations
Tagged coronavirus, language, pandemic, rhetoric, society, writing
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Multiple Choice Denial
Mr. Young, who did not reply to email inquiries for this article, previously told The Times that the accusations against him were “either untrue, greatly exaggerated or taken out of context.” [My bolding] This type of assertion is oddly chinky … Continue reading
‘Stretched by an Unholy Desire’
“Stretched by an unholy desire to be outrageous.” More than I care to admit, my pleasure in reading art criticism can amount to quivering at a splash of brandished lingo. I also quiver to Kahn’s paintings, which remind me of … Continue reading
The Romance of Aerated Water
Mr. Patel, a historian, chronicles how soda pop became fiendishly soda-popular in India; or in his finer language: “how Parsis helped shape India’s taste for soft drinks.” The Parsis, whose name means “Persians,” are descended from Persian Zoroastrians who emigrated … Continue reading
John Lewis
[When I inserted the photograph of Mr. Lewis included in the NYTimes I triggered the above warning, so I substituted a sketch of mine for the photograph.] Representative John Lewis died on July 17, 2020. These are the last words … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Quotations
Tagged language, miscellaneous, poetry, religion, rhetoric, society, style
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‘A Difference That Adds Up’
In 2019, the Serpentine Sackler Gallery in London hosted the first international retrospective of Ms. Hurtado’s art, “I Live I Die I Will Be Reborn.” Reviewing it in The Guardian, Adrian Searle wrote, “Vitality, tenderness, spookiness, intimacy, gawkiness, sexiness, subtlety, … Continue reading →