Tag Archives: art

To Some Extent, Women

Posted on November 13, 2019 by JMN

… Edith Gregor Halpert (1900-1970), was a formidable, feisty and sometimes manipulative self-starter with an ecumenical eye, a passion for art and an inborn instinct for sales and promotion. Halpert was central to establishing the market for between-the-wars American art … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged | Leave a comment

“I’m a Bit Worried”

Posted on November 11, 2019 by JMN

Jim Kay, who lives in Sussex, England, talks about his work as an illustrator of Harry Potter novels. How would you say your style has evolved over the years? I haven’t found a style yet. I’m desperately trying to find … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology, Quotations | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A Week of Orgisms

Posted on November 9, 2019 by JMN

I’ve recently seen mention of cubism, orphism, synchromism, and now suprematism. This last is what Kazimir Malevich called his movement. Art history is a geyser of isms. This article illustrates the masterpiece-or-fake-ism that sprinkles journalism. Internationally [Malevich] is probably most … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

George Condo

Posted on November 3, 2019 by JMN

Mr. Condo, 61, is best known for his bold figurative paintings that blend old master techniques and cartoonish characters, capturing a range of emotions from many perspectives in a method he calls “psychological Cubism.” “In the early days of Cubism, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Meaning vs. Making

Posted on November 2, 2019 by JMN

I do wish [the show’s curators] had enforced a bit more critical distance. Mr. Haacke, as each gallery proudly proclaims, has written every single wall label himself — which offers helpful context, but turns the show into an uncomfortable act … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The History of Art, Minus Art

Posted on November 1, 2019 by JMN

I want to find this slightly bizarre article interesting, but I’m distracted by astonishment that it does not show a single illustration of the work of the artists it discusses: Stanton MacDonald-Wright and Morgan Russell. Well, unless you count the … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged , | 3 Comments

War and Art

Posted on October 26, 2019 by JMN

In this article about Hilma af Klint two themes draw my attention. First, not having been clobbered by twentieth-century wars is a sad and sobering distinction to apply to a city. While there is not currently any comprehensive display of … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology, Quotations | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

I’m Like: Whoa

Posted on October 25, 2019 by JMN

All bets are off when a subject finds the interviewer’s question “very interesting.” There’s a likelihood that the answer will go its own way. I find that to be the case in this exchange between Jori Finkel, a contributor to … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology, Commentary | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Drawing in Jail

Posted on October 22, 2019 by JMN

Hilarie M. Sheets writes an article about how people have coped with incarceration by drawing (“For the Incarcerated, Drawing Is a Lifeline,” NYTimes, 9-20-19). What interests me on the margins of this interesting article is the innocent tell favoring depiction … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Fellow Feeling

Posted on October 22, 2019 by JMN

So how did the daughter of an American stockbroker come to meet a surly, bourgeois French artist? Degas became aware of Cassatt, known for her sensitive portrayals of women and children, in 1874, historians said. He was strolling through the … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged , | 2 Comments