Tag Archives: art

Boredom, Doubt and Isolation in the Arts

Posted on August 6, 2020 by

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 →

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‘Stretched by an Unholy Desire’

Posted on August 2, 2020 by

“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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Painted Birds

Posted on July 30, 2020 by

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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Dalí Among the Tchotchkes

Posted on July 25, 2020 by

When Dalí, who died in 1989, finished the project [illustrating the “Divine Comedy”], he had completed 100 watercolors for the poem’s 14,233 lines: 34 illustrating Inferno, 33 illustrating Purgatory and 33 illustrating Paradise. Then, over several years, artisans carved 3,500 … Continue reading →

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Indelible Obscure Abstractions

Posted on July 22, 2020 by

Bearden (1911-88) is best known for his indelible figurative collage depictions of African-American life in all its quotidian richness, strength and struggle… Bearden’s far more obscure abstractions… have tended to be given short shrift in his biographies and retrospectives… While … Continue reading →

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“No Mimetic Ability”

Posted on July 21, 2020 by

[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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‘The Degeneracy of War’

Posted on July 19, 2020 by

I’m fond of the colorful, map-like painting by the Austrian Hundertwasser. Also, of the sun figure that recurs in his work. “These artists have something in common: They all turned against the ideals of the Third Reich… I’m doing a … Continue reading →

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History Not Happened Yet

Posted on July 13, 2020 by

A few years ago, I interrupted a panel discussion at the Guggenheim as it moved toward the dead-horse question of whether painting was still viable. How, I asked, uninvited, from the audience, could people talk of the end of painting … Continue reading →

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Navy Blue: A Nurse’s Medallion

Posted on July 10, 2020 by

(c) 2020 JMN

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The Islamic Influence on Dylan’s Hair

Posted on June 27, 2020 by

Milton Glaser is dead at 91. His life and work are exhilarating. For the Dylan poster, a promotional piece included in the 1967 album “Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits,” he created a simple outline of the singer’s head, based on a … Continue reading →

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