New Yorker Art Critic Peter Schjeldahl Dies at 80

Jasmine Liu | Hyperallergic | 22nd October 2022

Schjeldahl came to art criticism via poetry, a background that equipped him to say a lot in a few words. He only ever wrote essays (“I am a miniaturist”) and preferred painting above all other art forms. A stellar critic, he was by his own lights “just another art lover” who tried to communicate with clarity. “Writing clearly is immensely hard work that feels faintly insane, like painting the brightest possible target on my chest. To write clearly is to give oneself away.” Some notable essays are here.