Category Archives: Commentary

Opinion or analysis concerning whatever’s on my mind.

‘Certitudes’

Posted on January 31, 2021 by JMN

This is the Cubist revolution: Here, for the first time in Western art since the Renaissance, the world as we see it no longer has primacy. The picture is no longer an act of perception. It’s an act of imagination, … Continue reading →

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Away with Wayward Words!

Posted on January 30, 2021 by JMN

In a dispute with the EU, AstraZeneca’s CEO insists their contract requires only “best reasonable efforts” to meet delivery schedules. Lawyers disagreed over the language of the E.U. contract, which was only partly made public.(Steven Erlanger and Matina Stevis-Gridneff, “E.U. … Continue reading →

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‘Style Is Character’

Posted on January 29, 2021 by JMN

Didion once wrote, “Style is character…” Rhetorically, a “this is that” assertion that plops two abstractions around a copulative can be a facile expedient for simulating profundity. Nathan Heller comments that Didion’s observation about style has to do with “the … Continue reading →

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‘Symphony of Tufts and Touches’

Posted on January 21, 2021 by JMN

How is this doggyphile and wannabe painter not to love the rendition of a master? The art expert Frédérick Chanoit said the painting, measuring 32.5cm by 24.5cm, had been produced in 20 minutes and is an example of Manet’s technical … Continue reading →

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Cruzifer

Posted on January 21, 2021 by JMN

I’ve sometimes wondered what was meant by American “exceptionalism.” The term had a ring of smug superiority to it. A recent article by Adam Gopnik in The New Yorker broadened my perspective, however. Gopnik pointed out that autocracy has been … Continue reading →

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Transitioning

Posted on January 19, 2021 by JMN

(c) 2020 JMN

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On a Parlous Trek the Ground Slopes East

Posted on January 17, 2021 by JMN

The gap between China and the United States is shrinking as China is the only major economy expected to report economic growth for 2020 despite the pandemic. And brawling with itself at some crossroad truck stop far over the horizon … Continue reading →

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The Rhetoric of Figments

Posted on January 12, 2021 by JMN

A classic mnemonic for spelling “graffiti” is that it “doesn’t have two fucking titties.” And the classic graffiti on locker room urinals is “A lot of pricks hang out here.” These durable tropes capture the sophomoric tenor of Chris Malone’s … Continue reading →

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The Other Virus

Posted on January 8, 2021 by JMN

The cartoon by Brendan Loper is tagged “Very good people.” The tagline evokes the Unite the Right “Tiki-torch” rally of August 12, 2017, held in Charlottesville, Virginia. A self-declared white supremacist rammed his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing … Continue reading →

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Monsieur

Posted on January 5, 2021 by JMN

All respect to Pierre Cardin’s memory and legacy. I’m no fan of censuring yesterday’s culture for not living up to today’s expectations. But in matters such as gender parity it doesn’t seem unfair to observe dispassionately how an artifact may … Continue reading →

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