Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
There is something exhilarating about a truly hostile review, whether deserved or not. This one begins: "The last time I saw paintings as deluded as Damien Hirst's latest works, the artist's name was Saif al-Islam Gaddafi"
Revolt against Assad is also being fought through satire and cultural resistance. River running through Damascus was dyed red. Sound systems get hidden in ministries and municipal buildings to play revolutionary songs
"Hirst is not only the world's richest artist, but a transformative figure who can be assured of his place in history. Sadly this is not because of the quality of his work." Kunzru explains what has really been going on
From a scientist-in-residence at the prestigious Rambert ballet company to the Collide@Cern artists' residency programme, the new "sciart" movement is bringing together the contrasting cultures of science and art
Just what the headline says. Interview with Wolfgang Beltracchi. German painter of fake expressionists. "I recognised what was special about a particular artist, in order to do it just a little better than he had managed himself"
Story of UX, hacker-artists who protect, restore unloved French artefacts. Turning the whole city, above and below ground into a canvas, "its members say they can access every last government building, every narrow telecom tunnel"
It's become unfashionable to talk about art having any purpose; art is merely "for art's sake". But what if museums bore in mind didactic function of Christian art to present their collections differently? To suggest a meaning
Anthology-grade spoof. The concluding paragraph is worthy of Joyce. If you know Geoffrey Willans's books, this will send a shiver down your spine. If you don't, read them first, and then come back to this remarkable piece.
Sympathetic, very readable profile of Lucian Freud. Great painter who did some of his finest work in his old age. "His charisma was crucial to his method. It was what made his models bear happily the long ordeal of sitting for him"
Reviewing the life, work of artist David Hockney. A man who divides critics. Whilst generally admired as one of the finest draughtsmen of his generation, his finished works draw mixed reactions. How will he be seen in years to come?
How much has fashion, art, music changed over past 20 years? Little. Certainly far less than in the previous 20. Why is this? Does the rapid rate of political, technological, economic change make us yearn for cultural stability?
While local businesses struggle and economies teeter on brink of collapse, the art market powers ever onwards. One leading dealer admits: “I think very often the price paid for a work is the trophy itself.” But is there more to it?
edenandjosh on Flickr
