Tag Archives: painting

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

Posted in Quotations | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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 →

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

Memorial Day, 2020

Posted on May 25, 2020 by JMN

This gallery contains 1 photo.

Memorial Day, 2020.

More Galleries | Tagged | Leave a comment

Art Is God-Light

Posted on May 23, 2020 by JMN

In my language, the one I recall now only by closing my eyes, the word for love is Yeu. And the word for weakness is Yếu.How you say what you mean changes what you say.Some call this prayer. I call … Continue reading →

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

Is Art Complex?

Posted on May 22, 2020 by JMN

“Great art is, by definition, complex…” (David Zwirner, “Art Is How We Justify Our Existence,” 5-22-20) Says who?* A thing, by definition, doesn’t define itself; its definition is a human construct — like art itself. Religions are complex. Christianity, for … Continue reading →

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

Peace, Love, Productivity

Posted on May 16, 2020 by JMN

Mr. Delsarte moved out West for a time in the 1970s, painting murals in and around Laguna Beach, Calif., living on a commune and settling in Arizona… Long after he went back East, leaving his hippie days behind him, Mr. … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Detail

Posted on May 13, 2020 by JMN

Hockney has been looking into the mirror since he was a teenager. (Jonathan Jones, “David Hockney: Drawing from Life review — stripping subjects down to their gym socks,” theguardian.com, 2-25-20) [Celia Birtwell] and Hockney have a fond and teasing relationship. … Continue reading →

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

Alphabeticalism

Posted on May 5, 2020 by JMN

I once had to choose Arabic or Greek, the sole elective, in a course of study. It made a lot of difference in what I did next. I enthuse time and again over instances of letters lateraled into graven imagery … Continue reading →

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

Color in Shadow

Posted on May 3, 2020 by JMN

Jordan Casteel’s paintings come at you. There’s no subordination. They are like a roomful of stories told all at once. One figure hides in his colorful skin; two others iridesce, starkly defined. Sofas riot; a hot mirrored lamp commandeers its … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Only a Little Too Much

Posted on April 26, 2020 by JMN

Holland Cotter reviewed in February “Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945” at the Whitney Museum of American Art through May 17, 2020. Cotter traces a thread of Mexican art history leading from the “big three” — Diego Rivera, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged , , | 1 Comment