Category Archives: Commentary

Opinion or analysis concerning whatever’s on my mind.

Multiple Choice Denial

Posted on August 4, 2020 by JMN

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 →

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‘Stretched by an Unholy Desire’

Posted on August 2, 2020 by JMN

“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 →

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The Romance of Aerated Water

Posted on August 1, 2020 by JMN

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 →

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John Lewis

Posted on July 31, 2020 by JMN

[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 →

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Painted Birds

Posted on July 30, 2020 by JMN

The Belgian painter Luc Tuymans, a friend of Mr. Marshall’s, noted that he is an intensely “deliberate” painter, and that Audubon’s obsessive meticulousness would naturally have appealed. These decorative paintings of artificial flowers, flightless birds and exquisitely rendered birdhouses have … Continue reading →

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War on Horns?

Posted on July 27, 2020 by JMN

Demand for rhinoceros horns spiked in the 1970s and 1980s because of their use in traditional Asian medicines and their status as a symbol of wealth, and conservationists have since fought to protect the animals. (“Iliana Magra and Lynsey Chutel, … Continue reading →

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Blood & Rabbit Enchiladas

Posted on July 26, 2020 by JMN

Spencer Grammer (Kelsey’s daughter) was slashed at an NYC restaurant! Or maybe not. Dried blood remained Saturday afternoon outside The Black Ant, whose dinner entrees include $24 rabbit enchiladas and $27 braised pork cheeks… “Frasier” star Kelsey Grammer downplayed his … Continue reading →

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Memo to U.S. — Sort of How to Speak English

Posted on July 24, 2020 by JMN

Boris Johnson speaking to the BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg: “We didn’t understand (the virus) in the way that we would have liked in the first few weeks and months… The single thing that we didn’t see at the beginning … Continue reading →

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Kind of Really Mealy-Mouthed

Posted on July 23, 2020 by JMN

“The time frame from when you get a test to the time you get the results back is sometimes measured in a few days,” [Dr. Anthony] Fauci said Tuesday. “If that’s the case, it kind of negates the purpose of … Continue reading →

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“No Mimetic Ability”

Posted on July 21, 2020 by JMN

[Stella’s] emphasis on two-dimensional surfaces was a clear rejection of the idea of painting as a window into a three-dimensional space. A story in one of his mother’s Vogue magazines, featuring models posed in front of a painterly Franz Kline-esque … Continue reading →

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