Thursday, April 26, 2018

Random Good Visual Things


It has been one hectic month.  There has been a lot of bad.  But I have been trying to (distract, nourish, treat?) myself and so here is a random list of things related to the visual that are worth something:


1. I finally read Night Studio, a memoir of Guston by his daughter, and it is a messy and enchanting and depressing thing.  I'm thinking a lot about vulnerability and it tapped right into that and gave me some new thoughts on who is allowed to be vulnerable and when and why.  



 2. Took my students up to Chelsea to see some galleries in person.  Beautiful discussion with Bill Scott at his show at Hollis Taggart, along with Polina Barskaya at Monya Rowe and Angelina Gualdoni at Asya Geisberg being my highlights.  Big highlights.

Polina Barskaya

Angelina Gualdoni




3.  The Princeton University Museum -- Went over to this small but excellent collection to see the still life show, modernist works from the Phillips.  It was stunning as well as the permanent collection.


Ben Nicholson, John Graham and Milton Avery
































4.  Artist Interview Podcasts -- I am a podcast devotee from way back but always resisted listening to art ones.  Why, I don't know.  Enjoying the Savvy Painter and Sound and Vision.  



5.  Betty Woodman -- Just looking at images but she has been bringing me joy.


6.  The film Everybody Knows Elizabeth Murray.  It's not the best I ever saw, but its recognizing a woman slogging through when times are tough and sticking to her work.  She says (not in the film, but a separate interview): " Cézanne painted cups and saucers and apples, and no one assumed he spent a lot of time in the kitchen."  I like that a lot.


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