ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

Stories

How Tech Like Spotify, Facebook, And Google Lock Us In

And how they rip us, and artists, off as well. "Large firms can corner audiences and put them into a sort of corral. And because creators need to reach those audiences, these large firms can take whatever it is you have of worth." - Irish Times

Restoring, And Unveiling, A Long Censored Nude By Artemisia Gentileschi

And by long, we're talking centuries. "Swirling veils and drapery were added to Allegory of Inclination about 70 years after Gentileschi painted the lifesize female nude, believed to be a self-portrait, in 1616." - The Guardian (AP)

How Did Harper Bliss Write Nearly 40 Novels In Eleven Years?

Well, first of all, the romance author doesn't think that's quite enough: "I’m now writing my third book this year. I always aim for four. Four is like the magic number, but I don’t think it’s actually happened." - Slate

Turning Margaret Atwood’s ‘MaddAdam’ Into Dance

Imagine making a ballet of this: "The novels that constitute the MaddAddam trilogy are set in a world where genetic engineering has produced a variety of new creatures: raccoon-skunk hybrid pets; guard dogs who look sweetly domestic but are as ferocious as wolves; and supersized pigs." - The Globe and Mail

Alan Rubin, Co-Founder Of Washington’s Biograph Theater, Has Died At 85

Rubin was a geologist before he discovered the joys of art films in San Francisco. "For nearly three decades before it went dark in 1996, the 270-seat Biograph was an oasis for a small but devoted class of film buffs." - Washington Post

The UK’s Official Singles Chart Turns 70, And Looks Back On Its Many Controversies

There was the case of the vanishing Beatles hit, the decision around "Ding Dong, the Witch Is Dead" after Margaret Thatcher's death, and the whole question of a tie. - BBC

At HarperCollins, The People Who Make The Books Are On Strike

"It's been a long negotiation process for the approximately 250 union members. This includes people working in publicity, design, marketing and more - all the parts of putting out a book that you usually don't see." - NPR

To Stop Climate Activists, One Madrid Museum Is Adding A Police Presence

At the Reina Sofia, "security measures have been reinforced, including the presence of undercover members of the police forces." - Hyperallergic

The New ‘Black Panther’ Movie Sets A Box Office Record

"The highly anticipated sequel to Disney and Marvel Studios’ 2018 blockbuster Black Panther shattered the domestic opening weekend record for the month of November," despite the pandemic and a generally sluggish box office. - Los Angeles Times

The Tale Of A Famous Canadian Wartime Painting

Eva May Roy was a private - a special one. "Before the CWAC was created, the only option available to Canadian women looking to get involved in the war effort was to serve as a nurse — and it was nearly impossible for Black women to get that training." - CBC

A British Ballet Star Unites Ukrainian And Russian Exiles In Dance Of Defiance

Xander Parish, a star at the Mariinsky Ballet, fled at the start of the war. Last weekend, he led Ukrainian and Russian ballet exiles in a performance. "I wanted to gather us all, to be able to reunite us in our love of dance," he said. - The Observer (UK)

Gal Costa, Who Popularized Brazil’s Tropicalia Songs, 77

"Costa was a leading exponent of música popular brasileira. ... She never considered herself a traditional protest singer, or even politically motivated until the last few years when she spoke out against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro." - Washington Post

Should Paul Allen’s Art Collection Have Gone To A Public Museum?

Probably. But it seems like "he valued the money his artworks could bring to good causes more than the pleasure and knowledge they could bring to future museumgoers" - except for his science fiction art collection, which wasn't on sale. - The New York Times

For ‘Messiah’ Season, A Handel Game

"Handel was a prolific composer of many other fine pieces, too: chamber music, organ works, 120 cantatas, 42 operas and 29 oratorios" - and a lot of them are in this interactive online crossword. - Oregon ArtsWatch

A New Banksy Goes Up In Ukraine

"The mural is black and white and features a gymnast, who is dressed in a leotard, doing a handstand on rubble by ... a war-torn building in Ukraine" near Kyiv. - The New York Times

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');