Category Archives: Quotations

Things people said.

Jenny Saville

Posted on October 23, 2018 by JMN

The nude self-portrait “Propped,” by Jenny Saville, was bought by a telephone bidder at Sotheby’s on Friday night for 9.5 million pounds, or about $12.4 million… But before anyone had time to reflect on its significance, Banksy’s $1.4 million “self-destructing” … Continue reading →

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“Emphasis on the Right Syllable”

Posted on October 23, 2018 by JMN

[Neil Tennant is one half of The Pet Shop Boys, a long-running pop music duo (unknown to me) whose other half is Chris Lowe. At age 64, Tennant comes across In The Guardian interview as articulate, witty, and thoughtful in … Continue reading →

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“Two Different Paths into the Distance”

Posted on October 21, 2018 by JMN

Challenged to create work that could travel back to the States, Twombly created a series of wall hangings made from brightly colored fabrics. None of these works survive today, but in pictures of them, it is clear how Twombly is … Continue reading →

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“Woman From Bahia”

Posted on October 17, 2018 by JMN

A large 19th century painting titled “Woman From Bahia” stands in contrast to all this. We don’t know who the subject is, or who painted her, or when (the guess is around 1850). But, wearing white gloves, a midnight-blue gown, … Continue reading →

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Distance from Marfa

Posted on October 17, 2018 by JMN

That Marfa is becoming a destination might have been amusing to the artist [Donald Judd]. “When Judd lived in Marfa, he already thought it was too crowded,” [Ann Temkin, chief curator of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern … Continue reading →

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A “four-button mongoose”?

Posted on October 17, 2018 by JMN

The Times described Mr. Bruce in 1959 as “a four-button mongoose” imbued with a streak of moral indignation. “The kind of comedy I do isn’t, like, going to change the world,” Mr. Bruce said in the interview. “But certain areas … Continue reading →

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Hilma af Klint (1862-1944)

Posted on October 17, 2018 by JMN

The idea that a woman got there first, and with such style, is beyond thrilling. Yes, I know art is not a competition; every artist’s “there” is a different place. Abstraction is a pre-existing condition, found in all cultures. But … Continue reading →

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“Whereabouts”

Posted on October 17, 2018 by JMN

Quite a few readers wrote to us last week to take issue with this sentence at the end of a briefing: “His whereabouts is unknown.” Surely, they wrote, it should be “whereabouts are.” Well, yes and no. Times editors consult … Continue reading →

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Barbara Kingsolver

Posted on October 10, 2018 by JMN

“I’m in a really unusual position,” she says, “because I work as a literary writer. I work at the level of the sentence, at the level of the image, the metaphor, the theme, but I also have this commitment to … Continue reading →

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Julia Dixit

Posted on October 10, 2018 by JMN

Our project must be serious. This is not for fluffies! — Julia Child (Dorie Greenspan, “A Cake Fit for Julia Child,” NYTimes, 10-10-18) (c) 2018 JMN.

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