Tag Archives: art

‘The Degeneracy of War’

Posted on July 19, 2020 by JMN

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 JMN

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 JMN

(c) 2020 JMN

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The Islamic Influence on Dylan’s Hair

Posted on June 27, 2020 by JMN

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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Geography & Poetry

Posted on June 21, 2020 by JMN

The Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Old road in Ladakh has 37 bridges over snow-fed rivers in spate during summer melt. It leads to Karakoram Pass where, on 15 June two-thousand-and-twenty, Chinese warriors ambushed Indian warriors with rocks, staves & nail-studded clubs, tossing … Continue reading →

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The Opposite of Death

Posted on June 15, 2020 by JMN

The sweetest, life-affirming eruption of ebullience I’ve encountered today comes from Jon Stewart. The subject is his learning to play drums in middle age. [Interviewer] Do you make sure to practice your rudiments and paradiddles? I have a teacher, and … Continue reading →

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The Corona Open, 2020

Posted on June 14, 2020 by JMN

This gallery contains 1 photo.

(c) 2020 JMN

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New Artist in Town

Posted on June 13, 2020 by JMN

I like this picture. (Adam Popescu, “There’s a New Artist in Town. The Name Is Biden,” NYTimes, 2-28-20) (c) 2020 JMN

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Opening Up a Melon

Posted on June 11, 2020 by JMN

My enduring affection for Spain gets periodic boosts from ceremonies such as this. On June 6, 2020, a group of Spaniards staged a reenactment of Velazquez’s famous “Surrender of Breda” to commemorate the event itself in the Dutch war of … Continue reading →

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Horror of the Underseen

Posted on June 9, 2020 by JMN

Violence and gore, revolting and horrific in real life, are revolting and banal in the movies. What’s horrifying is how hard it is to find good horror in entertainment. Edward Tew chainsaws cleanly through the halitosis: A lot of genre … Continue reading →

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