The Easel

29th August 2023

Easel Essay: Borromini – mystery man of the Baroque. Jed Perl and Deborah Rosenthal in conversation with Morgan Meis

Morgan Meis | The-Easel | 29th August 2023

Borromini has long been overshadowed by his illustrious contemporary, Bernini. Some years ago writer Jed Perl and artist Deborah Rosenthal spent time in Rome and became fascinated with Borromini’s work. In a new book – a “duet” of prose and prints – they sing the praises of this mystery man of Baroque Roman architecture.

“Their distinct but related styles – Bernini’s thunderous, Borromini’s musical – defined the dynamism of the Roman Baroque style. Borromini [focused on] the productive synthesis of opposites. People invariably point to the plainness of his churches, which have none of the elaborate, sculpted and painted figures that dominate so many Baroque buildings. Yet, 350 years later, his work seems the more modern achievement.”

Kehinde Wiley is selling kitsch

Sebastian Smee | msn.com | 29th July 2023

Wiley’s show An Archeology of Silence is a big hit, further increasing demand for his work. To cope with these pressures, the artist has a streamlined production system. This seems not to have helped his art. “The exhibition is … pure kitsch. Kitsch is rooted in emotional cliché … and [presumption]. The presumption is that everyone feels the same way as you. His works offer none of the pleasures and surprises afforded by good painting. Their surfaces are immaculate … and utterly dead”.

The Art of the Mug Shot

Jerry Saltz | Intelligencer | 27th August 2023

Leaving the politics aside, former President Trump’s jarring mug shot illustrates the power of an image. Mug shots traditionally provide entertainment and, with their harsh lighting, a measure of humiliation. This one also conveys belligerence and agency in a situation where normally there is none. Surely that took a great deal of practice in front of a mirror. Sales of Trump merch are already benefitting. Will it be the image of the year? Very likely.

Ick Art: Why a Rising Generation of Female Sculptors Is Embracing Body Horror

Taylor Dafoe | Cultured | 2nd August 2023

Describing Lee’s work as “kinetic sculpture” is way too polite. She uses motors, scaffolding, fabric and hoses to create bizarre organic systems that slop, squish and drip goo. It’s “a bit grotesque” she admits, identifying one inspiration as the desire to devour or be devoured. Where are we going here? Her objective is to create art that makes us feel, not think. One critic calls her work “unflinching”, another says it’s “not pleasant and certainly not nice. But it works.”

British Museum’s director resigns, says he didn’t take warning about possible theft seriously enough

Brian Melley | The Hill | 25th August 2023

The British Museum Director has abruptly resigned due to the multi-year theft of over one thousand precious items. The story has the usual elements – incompetence, complacency and whistleblower abuse. Much more consequentially, the debacle erodes the Museum’s assertion that it is an exemplary custodian of cultural treasures. That capability has been a key argument in its refusal to return the Parthenon Marbles and other colonial-era treasures.

The Problem of Art Without Men

Jillian Steinhauer | The New Republic | 21st August 2023

The first time London’s National Gallery gave a solo show to an historical female artist was in 2020! It’s amazing facts like that that make Hessel’s book on women in the history of art such a revelation. Many examples of erasure are detailed – misattribution being suspiciously common. Hessel’s bigger argument is that “the story of art would not be the rich, eclectic, challenging one we know today if [the making of the art] had been reserved solely for men”. An interview is here.

22nd August 2023

The Dueling Dualities of Remedios Varo

Alivé Piliado | ARTIC | 25th July 2023

When working alongside the macho males of surrealism in pre-war Paris, Varo’s role was that of “timid listener”. Later, in Mexico, she blossomed. Combining science and “great mysticism” she sought to portray the non-rational world that lies beyond our perceptions. Often, her images depict empowered female figures interacting with a complex “animistic world ordered by unseen forces.” Says one critic, this is a “resplendent” body of work. Images are here.

Josh Kline’s Exercise in Poverty Porn

Nevdon Jamgochian | Hyperallergic | 6th August 2023

To accompany this survey of Klein’s work, the Whitney has published an essay linking it to the “unsung struggle to maintain a middle-class existence”. But does it work as art? Some critics like its accessibility. Not all. Klein’s art is melodramatic, says a critic, subjugated to “the cause of social and political criticism”. This writer generally concurs – social justice issues are important but “the Barbie movie [is better at introducing such issues] to a broad audience”.

Federal Judge Rules A.I.-Generated Art Isn’t Copyrightable But Questions Remain

Christa Terry | Observer | 21st August 2023

Visual artists everywhere will sleep more easily following a US court decision that AI art cannot be copyrighted. As set out in the “monkey selfie” case (no joke) copyright is only available for works of “human authorship”. Many think even more complex copyright cases are imminent. What happens when an artist jointly creates an image with AI? And can artists prevent their works being used to train an AI? For now, though, “AI will just have to find another way to world domination”.

Woman With a Film Camera

Jack Murphy | The Architect's Newpaper | 16th August 2023

After years away, Abbott returned to New York a fan of Eugène Atget’s urban photography. Finding that “old New York” was disappearing, she embarked on a project to document its transformation. Those images show a city of tremendous dynamism and exemplify a “straight” style of photography no longer derivative of Atget. Abbott rarely featured people in her images, showing that her real ambition was to “make New York’s modernity her subject”.

Among saints & skeletons

Suzanna Murawski | The New Criterion | 14th August 2023

Some place the initial impetus for the Renaissance in Flanders, rather than Italy. Its universities, trade links and entrepreneurship made it an ‘absolute powerhouse” of culture, and its ambitious merchant class wanted art that showed this. Unlike the Italians, who prioritized the human figure, Flemish artists didn’t have a hierarchy. People, flowers, scientific inventions, interiors, all were shown in exquisite detail. This was Flanders’ take on humanism – a world brimming with the fruits of human agency. Images are here.

W. Eugene Smith and the largest stories of his career

Robert Gerhardt | Blind | 9th August 2023

Smith’s photo-essays for Life magazine made his reputation as a great photojournalist. After Life, he focused obsessively on two huge projects. One was a photographic “poem” to Pittsburg and its “vistas of melancholy”. The other was to photograph and record illustrious jazzmen practicing in his seedy New York apartment. Both projects posthumously yielded photobooks, recently re-published. A 1978 obituary stated that he was an “obsessive, maverick genius … [who left] behind 22 tons of archive material”.

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