The Easel

20th August 2019

The Right To Dare Everything: ‘Paul Gauguin: The Art of Invention’

James Balestrieri | Antiques and the Arts Weekly | 13th August 2019

It must be Gauguin’s immense influence that keeps writers gnawing away at his biography. Gauguin borrowed ideas from everywhere. A synthesis had started in Brittany but emerged fully in Polynesia – a “modern aesthetic, with its direction rather toward suggestion than description”. One writer concurs: “a protean talent who influenced the course of modern painting more than anyone except Cézanne”.

David Hammons Taunts the Art World in Los Angeles

Rachel Wetzler | Art in America | 13th August 2019

Hammons doesn’t maintain a public profile and doesn’t have a gallery relationship. If he wants to exhibit, he just asks a (“extremely blue chip”) gallery. His stellar reputation ensures ready agreement. Hammons is quoted as saying “the less I do, the more of an artist I am.” His infrequent shows are thus notable – indeed, it is difficult to decide if the linked piece reviews the art or the event.

A Depression-Era Mural, Caught in a Very Contemporary Controversy

Sarah Holder | Citylab | 5th August 2019

Debate over an “insensitive” San Francisco school mural continues. Haven’t we seen this movie before? Only two years ago some advocated removing “insensitive” Confederacy-era statues. What is the principle at issue here? One writer suggests it should be the preserving of objects that “tell the stories of our lives”. Sounds reasonable – presuming that it means all stories, not just the ones we happen to like.

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