As we cold and sodden Seattle denizens crawl toward the winter solstice (thank you oh gods), doing our best to dodge puddles of despair, could there be a more welcome art exhibit than one that bathes us in light? And stimulates our hibernation-tempted imaginations at the same time. Such a [...] Continue reading »
In Praise of Small Art Museums
Less is more. This spare assertion, applied to Minimalism by its great architectural proponent Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, also works for art museums. I usually manage a couple of trips to New York each year and while my visits are organized around the theatre world, I always make time [...] Continue reading »
Death Be Not Enervating
I often think about death. Some reasons are my father’s early death, my daily writing work and my agnostic uncertainty about the hereafter. I also suspect that it’s just the warp of my basic personality to keep mortality mounted on a prominent easel. My hunch is that most people view [...] Continue reading »
Memento Mori, With Cedar Trees On the Side
“Remember that you will die” is one way to translate the Latin “Memento Mori.” The Romans included in their environment objects to serve as that harsh reminder. Such objects later became the basis of a genre in Medieval and Renaissance painting and sculpture. This 1671 painting by Philippe de Champaigne, titled [...] Continue reading »
Mixing Really Old Paint
A red ochre powder in a pair of abalone shells is evidence for the oldest art studio. The shells were discovered in 2008 in Blombos cave on the coast of South Africa. A team led by Christopher Henshilwood, an archaeologist at the University of Bergen in Norway and the University [...] Continue reading »
The Struggle To Make Art
In recent years, as I have moved writing to the center of my life, I think more frequently about the why and how of art. Why, going back as far as 30,000 years in caves, was Homo sapiens compelled to create art? To create paintings, compose music, tell stories? And [...] Continue reading »
Painting Clay Feet On Cezanne
One pattern in human affairs is that proximity punctures idealization and admits realism. Many have had the experience of becoming familiar with someone – perhaps a professor, performer, politician or business leader – and finding that they aren’t quite the rarified demigod we had imagined. Perhaps this is nothing more [...] Continue reading »
Seeing “Red” In Chicago and Seattle
As judged by the Tony Awards the two best new plays on Broadway last year were the musical Book of Mormon and the drama Red, written by John Logan. Red pulled down six Tonys, including Best Play. This year Red is being produced all over the country. Besides being a [...] Continue reading »
First There Was Light, Then Struggle
If you’ve entertained the notion that light can be the primary component in a work of art but have not been fully persuaded, go see a dramatic installation currently presented in Seattle by the Lilienthal/Zamora company. Ben Zamora and Etta Lilienthal are the artists leading this project, along with choreographer [...] Continue reading »
Archeological Digest Features the Art Room
Even if you consider your residence some sort of safe cave that you rarely leave, I urge you to get out of there for at least a few hours and go see another cave, specifically one featured in Werner Herzog’s new documentary, Cave of Forgotten Dreams. (See trailer here.) Prepare [...] Continue reading »