tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5 2012-02-03T16:57:14Z Movable Type 3.33 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123252 2012-02-03T16:56:05Z 2012-02-03T16:57:14Z

"In just 20 years, then, the Iraqi university system went from being among the best in the Middle East to one of the worst. This extraordinary act of institutional destruction was largely accomplished by American leaders who told us that the US invasion of Iraq would bring modernity, development, and women's rights. Instead, as political scientist Mark Duffield has observed, it has partly de-modernized that country."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com/diacritical "In just 20 years, then, the Iraqi university system went from being among the best in the Middle East to one of the worst. This extraordinary act of institutional destruction was largely accomplished by American leaders who told us that the US invasion of Iraq would bring modernity, development, and women's rights. Instead, as political scientist Mark Duffield has observed, it has partly de-modernized that country." Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 02/02/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123251 2012-02-03T16:46:25Z 2012-02-03T16:47:15Z

"Film school can be a cruelly Darwinian place, with the push-and-pull of competition and friendship, multiple layers of contest and reward, and a rigid hierarchy in which some write and direct and others find themselves unloading trucks and picking up coffee. Students want to be clever, perfect, special, the best. Competition infuses and informs every aspect of the experience."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com/diacritical "Film school can be a cruelly Darwinian place, with the push-and-pull of competition and friendship, multiple layers of contest and reward, and a rigid hierarchy in which some write and direct and others find themselves unloading trucks and picking up coffee. Students want to be clever, perfect, special, the best. Competition infuses and informs every aspect of the experience." LA Review of Books 02/01/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123250 2012-02-03T16:41:21Z 2012-02-03T16:43:44Z

"That time-consuming transfiguration is at the core of the Glass mythology, but drugs work differently on different metabolisms, angels appear only to the elect, and I lack the gift of spinning Glassian tedium into bliss. In fact, I start to get his music at precisely the point where his first acolytes fall away."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com/diacritical "That time-consuming transfiguration is at the core of the Glass mythology, but drugs work differently on different metabolisms, angels appear only to the elect, and I lack the gift of spinning Glassian tedium into bliss. In fact, I start to get his music at precisely the point where his first acolytes fall away." New York Magazine 01/29/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123249 2012-02-03T16:34:04Z 2012-02-03T16:38:28Z

"Despite the demise of Napster more than a decade ago, music fans continue to use file-sharing sites to discover and share music. In certain circles, especially more underground and fringe scenes, music blogs and sites are indispensible ways of discovering new artists, as they're mostly ignored by mainstream magazines and websites."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com/diacritical "Despite the demise of Napster more than a decade ago, music fans continue to use file-sharing sites to discover and share music. In certain circles, especially more underground and fringe scenes, music blogs and sites are indispensible ways of discovering new artists, as they're mostly ignored by mainstream magazines and websites." East Bay Express 02/02/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123247 2012-02-03T15:29:47Z 2012-02-03T15:31:26Z

"The tiny, oil-rich nation of Qatar has purchased a Paul Cézanne painting, The Card Players, for more than $250 million. The deal, in a single stroke, sets the highest price ever paid for a work of art and upends the modern art market."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com/diacritical "The tiny, oil-rich nation of Qatar has purchased a Paul Cézanne painting, The Card Players, for more than $250 million. The deal, in a single stroke, sets the highest price ever paid for a work of art and upends the modern art market." Vanity Fair 02/02/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123246 2012-02-03T14:42:42Z 2012-02-03T15:28:51Z

"Comparing piracy to radio is a smart way of looking at the issue: in the early days of the music business, when live performances and record sales were the main revenue generator for artists and publishers, radio itself was seen as a form of piracy (as sheet music was before that)."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com/diacritical "Comparing piracy to radio is a smart way of looking at the issue: in the early days of the music business, when live performances and record sales were the main revenue generator for artists and publishers, radio itself was seen as a form of piracy (as sheet music was before that)." GigaOm 02/03/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123245 2012-02-03T08:03:57Z 2012-02-03T08:04:20Z

Choreographer Russell Maliphant was moved to create his Rodin Project by his visits to the sculptor's museum in Paris. Yet he realized that his typical fluid style didn't capture the size and weight of Rodin's bronzes. He found a solution to this problem at, of all places, a London street dance festival....

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com Choreographer Russell Maliphant was moved to create his Rodin Project by his visits to the sculptor's museum in Paris. Yet he realized that his typical fluid style didn't capture the size and weight of Rodin's bronzes. He found a solution to this problem at, of all places, a London street dance festival. The Guardian (UK) 02/01/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123244 2012-02-03T08:03:14Z 2012-02-03T08:03:43Z

Garry Gutting argues that "we have never gotten over the French Revolution. The revolution introduced the basic liberal idea that government must be fundamentally democratic ... We all, in principle, share in the power to govern ourselves. But this idea led (or, at least, was feared to lead) to a much more radical one: that everyone should have an equal share in power."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com Garry Gutting argues that "we have never gotten over the French Revolution. The revolution introduced the basic liberal idea that government must be fundamentally democratic ... We all, in principle, share in the power to govern ourselves. But this idea led (or, at least, was feared to lead) to a much more radical one: that everyone should have an equal share in power." The New York Times 02/01/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123243 2012-02-03T08:02:36Z 2012-02-03T08:03:02Z

"A 2008 law requires Brazilian teenagers to study philosophy because it is 'necessary for the exercise of citizenship'." Carlos Fraenkel pays a visit to a class in Salvador....

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com "A 2008 law requires Brazilian teenagers to study philosophy because it is 'necessary for the exercise of citizenship'." Carlos Fraenkel pays a visit to a class in Salvador. Boston Review 01/25/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123242 2012-02-03T08:01:59Z 2012-02-03T08:02:22Z

Though her own fame was overshadowed by that of her husband, Max Ernst, she had a successful career in her own right, moving from dreamlike portrayals of the female form to, by the 1950s, more abstract "prism paintings." In her 80s, she found new acclaim as a writer....

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com Though her own fame was overshadowed by that of her husband, Max Ernst, she had a successful career in her own right, moving from dreamlike portrayals of the female form to, by the 1950s, more abstract "prism paintings." In her 80s, she found new acclaim as a writer. The Guardian (UK) 02/02/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123241 2012-02-03T08:01:23Z 2012-02-03T08:01:46Z

"The New York run of [the Pulitzer-winning play], which has been widely viewed as a top contender for the 2012 Tony Award for best play, was threatened this week after one of the lead producers, Scott Rudin, left the project" following an unrelated dispute with playwright Bruce Norris. Now the owner of the theater where Clybourne Park is to run has assured the cast (currently performing in Los Angeles) that the transfer will proceed....

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com Clybourne Park is to run has assured the cast (currently performing in Los Angeles) that the transfer will proceed.]]> The New York Times 02/02/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123240 2012-02-03T08:00:45Z 2012-02-03T08:01:08Z

"A diamond in the rough, the Egyptian Museum of Modern Art houses works by more than 1,500 Egyptian artists, mostly from the middle and late 20th century ... Overshadowed by Egypt's pharaonic and medieval Islamic heritage, and the more recent upsurge in interest in contemporary Arab art, the country's modernist artists elicit scant respect."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com "A diamond in the rough, the Egyptian Museum of Modern Art houses works by more than 1,500 Egyptian artists, mostly from the middle and late 20th century ... Overshadowed by Egypt's pharaonic and medieval Islamic heritage, and the more recent upsurge in interest in contemporary Arab art, the country's modernist artists elicit scant respect." International Herald Tribune 02/02/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123239 2012-02-03T08:00:04Z 2012-02-03T08:00:31Z

"Researchers have demonstrated a striking method to reconstruct words, based on the brain waves of patients thinking of those words."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com "Researchers have demonstrated a striking method to reconstruct words, based on the brain waves of patients thinking of those words." BBC 01/31/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123238 2012-02-03T07:59:23Z 2012-02-03T07:59:48Z

"This is torture," moaned the immobilized choreographer in his South London home, his bandaged leg recovering from the snapped Achilles tendon he suffered in January. Yet his company has gone ahead with its winter US tour, dancing Khan's acclaimed work around a country where it's little-known....

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com "This is torture," moaned the immobilized choreographer in his South London home, his bandaged leg recovering from the snapped Achilles tendon he suffered in January. Yet his company has gone ahead with its winter US tour, dancing Khan's acclaimed work around a country where it's little-known. The New York Times 02/03/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123237 2012-02-03T07:58:44Z 2012-02-03T07:59:08Z

Judith Mackrell looks at the few, short surviving video clips of Baker at work - and is thrilled at how Baker animates and subverts her often stereotyped material with wit, precision, keen timing, and her "rare freedom, vigour and joy."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com Judith Mackrell looks at the few, short surviving video clips of Baker at work - and is thrilled at how Baker animates and subverts her often stereotyped material with wit, precision, keen timing, and her "rare freedom, vigour and joy." The Guardian (UK) 02/01/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123236 2012-02-03T07:58:05Z 2012-02-03T07:58:32Z

Terry Teachout observes that, in many genres, "great works of devotional art have been created by skeptics, not a few of whom were fire-breathingly militant about their doubt." How do we recognize this paradox? Teachout finds a clue in one instance where Ralph Vaughan Williams meets Plato....

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com Terry Teachout observes that, in many genres, "great works of devotional art have been created by skeptics, not a few of whom were fire-breathingly militant about their doubt." How do we recognize this paradox? Teachout finds a clue in one instance where Ralph Vaughan Williams meets Plato. The Wall Street Journal 02/03/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123235 2012-02-03T07:57:22Z 2012-02-03T07:57:49Z

"In the seething cesspool of Caravaggio's Rome, violence was a form of advertisement; it let people know you were, so to speak, the wrong guy to f#@k with. Caravaggio's notorious life was good publicity, too for the new, gritty style of painting he created vivid, theatrically lit, psychologically realistic slices of life."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com "In the seething cesspool of Caravaggio's Rome, violence was a form of advertisement; it let people know you were, so to speak, the wrong guy to f#@k with. Caravaggio's notorious life was good publicity, too for the new, gritty style of painting he created vivid, theatrically lit, psychologically realistic slices of life." The Big Think 02/03/12 (video) tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123234 2012-02-03T07:56:43Z 2012-02-03T07:57:08Z

"You can't really pay much attention to anything else while you're reading, so in order to play with any of these new features, you have to stop reading. If you're enjoying what you're reading, then the attentional tug of all these peripheral doodads is vaguely annoying, and if you're not engaged by the story, they aren't enough on their own to win you over."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com "You can't really pay much attention to anything else while you're reading, so in order to play with any of these new features, you have to stop reading. If you're enjoying what you're reading, then the attentional tug of all these peripheral doodads is vaguely annoying, and if you're not engaged by the story, they aren't enough on their own to win you over." Salon 02/02/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123233 2012-02-03T07:56:02Z 2012-02-03T07:56:28Z

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com The Guardian (UK) 02/02/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123232 2012-02-03T07:55:21Z 2012-02-03T07:55:47Z

"The Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama transformed a completely white room, including furniture, into a spectacle featuring her signature dots, helped by children who visited the exhibition over two weeks and placed brightly coloured stickers throughout the installation." (Much more fun than Hirst's rigid grids.)...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com Much more fun than Hirst's rigid grids.)]]> The Guardian (UK) 02/01/12 (slideshow) tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123229 2012-02-02T17:24:25Z 2012-02-02T17:25:09Z

"Despite classical's deserved reputation as the whitest of genres, Asian attendance rates match or surpass the national average up through the 45- 54 age range. To put it one way, the younger the classical audience gets, the more Asian it becomes. To put it another, the only population that is disproportionately filling seats being vacated by old people dying off is Asians."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com/diacritical "Despite classical's deserved reputation as the whitest of genres, Asian attendance rates match or surpass the national average up through the 45- 54 age range. To put it one way, the younger the classical audience gets, the more Asian it becomes. To put it another, the only population that is disproportionately filling seats being vacated by old people dying off is Asians." Slate 02/02/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123228 2012-02-02T17:19:57Z 2012-02-02T17:20:39Z

"It's true the internet has been brilliant for artists in many ways, giving them an alternative route to make contact with and sell directly to fans, but record labels do much more than distribute to retailers."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com/diacritical "It's true the internet has been brilliant for artists in many ways, giving them an alternative route to make contact with and sell directly to fans, but record labels do much more than distribute to retailers." The Guardian (UK) 02/02/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123227 2012-02-02T17:16:41Z 2012-02-02T17:17:37Z

Up until now the implications for former "niche" genres - classical, jazz, world - have been largely overlooked. In a world where listeners no longer define themselves along firm genre lines, music is increasingly just that - music. As a result, we are now witnessing a musician-led movement gleefully adopted by listeners, in which classical is being rebranded from the ground up. Even the term "classical" itself seems obsolete in the face of what's being produced and consumed....

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com/diacritical Up until now the implications for former "niche" genres - classical, jazz, world - have been largely overlooked. In a world where listeners no longer define themselves along firm genre lines, music is increasingly just that - music. As a result, we are now witnessing a musician-led movement gleefully adopted by listeners, in which classical is being rebranded from the ground up. Even the term "classical" itself seems obsolete in the face of what's being produced and consumed. The Guardian (UK) 02/02/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123226 2012-02-02T17:14:06Z 2012-02-02T17:14:55Z

"According to the survey, the majority of television viewers believe credits are important for both actors and audiences and more than half would like to see credits available online as well as on television."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com/diacritical "According to the survey, the majority of television viewers believe credits are important for both actors and audiences and more than half would like to see credits available online as well as on television." The Stage 02/02/12 tag:www.artsjournal.com,2012:/artsjournal1//5.123225 2012-02-02T17:12:29Z 2012-02-02T17:13:22Z

"When I first came to Italy thirty years ago, there was a lot of talk about change. It was always located in the very near future, but never quite in the present. The paradigm almost everybody accepted was that of an "abnormal" and in some respects archaic society on the brink of becoming normal and modern, falling into line, that is, with the powerful democracies of Northern Europe--as if there were something natural about their models."...

ArtsJournal http://www.artsjournal.com/diacritical "When I first came to Italy thirty years ago, there was a lot of talk about change. It was always located in the very near future, but never quite in the present. The paradigm almost everybody accepted was that of an "abnormal" and in some respects archaic society on the brink of becoming normal and modern, falling into line, that is, with the powerful democracies of Northern Europe--as if there were something natural about their models." New York Review of Books 02/01/12