Category Archives: Commentary

Opinion or analysis concerning whatever’s on my mind.

Crooked Finger, Vodka, and Other Shebangs

Posted on February 26, 2020 by JMN

Mr. Huang said the intent of his show was to explore the beauty in body parts that we don’t appreciate — a thesis that stemmed from his feeling of embarrassment about his crooked finger, which he said he always hides … Continue reading →

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Lifting Skirt

Posted on February 22, 2020 by JMN

This article is about Catherine Blackledge, author of “The Story of V” (2003), which “explores the vagina from a scientific and historical perspective.” It introduces me to the word and the tradition of anasyrma — “the centuries-old gesture of lifting … Continue reading →

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Treading Fashion Pastures

Posted on February 21, 2020 by JMN

It might be nice if schools of fashion were insulated from the culture so as to indulge in questionable tomfoolery on the runway with impunity, but it isn’t so. Every so often a mess is stepped in. Someone in charge … Continue reading →

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Matthew Wong

Posted on February 20, 2020 by JMN

Matthew Wong took his life on October 2, 2019, in Edmonton, Alberta. He was 35. His obituary in the NYTimes described him as “a promising self-taught painter whose vibrant landscapes, forest scenes and still lifes were just beginning to command … Continue reading →

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Only Femicide

Posted on February 20, 2020 by JMN

“The woman, Ingrid Escamilla, 25, was stabbed, skinned and disemboweled…” “Look, I don’t want the topic to be only femicide… This issue has been manipulated a lot in the media… I ask feminists, with all due respect, not to paint … Continue reading →

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Acronymity

Posted on February 19, 2020 by JMN

Acronyms lend dignity and swagger to the entities or concepts they miniaturize. They attach like decals or tattoos to virtually every American institution, whether it be political, medical, corporate, military, legal, educationist or digital. It’s no accident that names are … Continue reading →

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“The Pencil Is a Key”

Posted on February 18, 2020 by JMN

This is an article about drawings made by persons who were in prison. They were featured in an exhibition at the Drawing Center that ran through January 5, 2020. Author Jillian Steinhauer quotes cartoonist Lynda Barry, who sounds the familiar … Continue reading →

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Balanced Learning

Posted on February 17, 2020 by JMN

The “science of reading” approach is based on phonics, which sounds out the letters of words: Bit. Buh! Ih! Tuh! The “balanced literacy” approach believes “exposing students to the likes of Dr. Seuss and Maya Angelou is more important than … Continue reading →

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World War Gucci

Posted on February 15, 2020 by JMN

[Subheading] Whether designers acknowledge it or not, World War II still shapes their collections. Even at Gucci.(Guy Trebay, “At Milan Men’s Week, the War Lives On,” NYTimes, 1-15-20) I can’t resist marveling at the look of this Gucci lineup and … Continue reading →

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“Tiepolo Meets Mad Magazine”

Posted on February 15, 2020 by JMN

The 61 works in this exhibition… span the career of an American painter whose art has, for more than half a century, both diagnosed national maladies and been shaped by them. The result is work that’s virtuosically bizarre in style … Continue reading →

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