Michael Feingold: “I had better try to explain what I mean by greatness. It isn’t simply a matter of choosing a big ponderous theme, and spouting a lot of abstractions that will make academics write learned articles about your work. Nor is it a matter of an old play’s having survived long enough to become a ‘classic,’ a term we use far too loosely.”
Hemingway’s Forgotten Spanish Civil War Play
“Although not a great play, [The Fifth Column] is a fascinating one for what it tells us about Hemingway himself.” (Which ain’t pretty.)
Another Brueghel Gets The Virtual Reality Treatment
“The project, which brings to life the Flemish master’s 1562 The Fall of the Rebel Angels, is viewable on YouTube but is best experienced on headsets such as a Google Cardboard mask.”
Can Philosophy Work As Therapy? Or Is It Strictly A Search For Truth?
Nigel Warburton: “I’m skeptical about this, as in my view philosophy is primarily the attempt to understand, and as such is an activity of enquiry.”
Jules Evans: “Personally, I’m not arguing that all philosophy is therapy, but rather that ancient Greeks and Romans viewed philosophy that way, as did many Indian philosophers.”
Should An Indigenous Group Really Be The Sole Arbiter Of Its Cultural Artifacts?
“We need to ask who speaks for the relevant indigenous community, and on what basis. Even who qualifies as indigenous is a vexed question, as is the fact that ‘the indigenous’ rarely speak with one voice. Ethnocentric policies therefore tend to vest authority in anointed chiefs and elders (local equivalents of the privileged white male) … What about those who disagree? And what about those who want to change it, or challenge it from within?”
It Had To Happen: Botched ‘Beast Jesus’ Painting In Spain Gets Its Own Arts Center
“The center [in Borja] will celebrate Beast Jesus’ journey from little-known artwork to viral meme, featuring stories, photographs, and videos related to the restoration and its impact. Canvases will be available for visitors inspired to paint their own Christ-like creatures, and of course, new Beast Jesus merch is hitting the market.”
Once Again, Yuri Temirkanov Puts Foot In Mouth About Female Conductors
“Yes, women can be conductors. I am not against them conducting. But I simply don’t like it. There are women boxing and weightlifting; they can do that. But I don’t like watching. It is only my taste. We all have different tastes. For example, I don’t eat fish.” (includes video)
Carlos Acosta Readies His New Dance Company In Cuba
“Since retiring last year from London’s Royal Ballet where he was principal guest artist, the 42-year-old has gone back to his native Havana to found Acosta Danza. ‘My country made it possible for me to become a ballet dancer and I want to pass that on too,’ Acosta told a news conference.” (includes video)
Baltimore’s New Arts Collective Has A Mission To Make The Arts – And Entire – World Better
“Balti Gurls member Chanel Cruz, 22, a performance artist and senior fiber arts major at the Maryland Institute College of Art, said she knew Balti Gurls was gaining notice when they were recently invited to her school as visiting artists. She was surprised when she was recognized.”
What Made The National Book Critics Circle Awards So Unusual?
Categories, basically: “It’s an odd quirk of the NBCC Awards, a wonkier cousin to the National Book Awards (where Coates won in November), that arbitrarily divided categories — ‘criticism,’ ‘biography,’ ‘nonfiction’ — actually encourage a blurring of boundaries.”
Dear Hollywood, Can You Not (With The Sequels And Remakes And Sequel-Remakes)
“There are three things we know about the movies. One: Hollywood will franchise anything if it made money. Two: Hollywood does not like new things. New is scary—new writers, female directors, black directors, scripts, ad infinitum. Three (and this is possibly the most important): Remakes and sequels are never very good.”
Why Are Documentaries So Hot Right Now?
“In 1979, HBO hired her to launch its documentaries division. Ms. Nevins remembers having to look up what ‘cable television’ meant (HBO had started just seven years earlier). And, she adds, ‘I didn’t even know what documentary was. I thought documentary was about Hitler.'”
South Africa Is Struggling, Like The US, With Diversity Issues In Film And TV
“Discontent has been growing, and South Africa has faced an unprecedented moral reckoning in the past year. Triggered by a wave of student protests that have often mirrored — and been inspired by — the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S., the country is in the midst of a roiling debate over race and privilege that has put to the test the enduring myth of a ‘Rainbow Nation.'”
Federal Raids On Manhattan Galleries Just Keep Piling Up
“This is a transnational crime but also a boutique crime, and that makes for very complex investigations.”
Kathryn Reed Altman Kept The Archives, And The Flame Of Her Husband’s Artistic Legacy, Alive
“Altman became her husband’s indispensable amanuensis, uncredited on the screen but indelibly helpful on the set, where she was a smoother of feathers, a personal connector among the various layers of personnel, a social director at gatherings that followed the viewing of dailies. She was also a keeper of the Altman history.”
Is ‘To Tate Modern’ A Real Verb Now, And Can The New Design Museum Do It?
“Before Tate Modern was built there was a sense that contemporary art was at the periphery of things, on the edge and even seen as not relevant to British life. It has changed so much. We can do that with design as well.”
You Think Boulez And Harnoncourt Were Opposites? Let’s Take A Closer Look
“Each gleefully took sides. Each sought to kill off suffocating traditions. Each confronted a conservative establishment and created new ensembles in response. Each advocated repertoire that was formerly marginal and later became central. Each yoked the once-growing power of the recording industry to his own purposes.”
A New Movie Brings Nora Ephron’s Hilarity And Toughness Briefly Back To Life
“At the screening I attended, Jacob Bernstein said the thing that surprised him, going back through his mother’s work, was ‘how many people she whacked.’ I have wondered, reading and re-reading Ephron, if she always knew she was whacking them.”
Is Baltimore Now The Most Fashion-Forward Orchestra?
“These people are like athletes. … The clothes that they had, the men especially, were too hot and too restrictive. The shirt plackets and jacket lapels, for example, can really get in the way of someone playing a string instrument.”
Even Passion Plays, With An Almost Guaranteed Religious Audience, Are Facing Shrinking Crowds
“As Fox aims for a ratings bonanza from Sunday’s live telecast of ‘The Passion’ — a modern-dress musical production featuring pop stars Trisha Yearwood, Seal and Chris Daughtry — staged Passion plays across the country say they are facing dwindling audiences and a challenging financial environment.”
Arts Organizations Can’t Toss Out The Past If They Want To Succeed In The Future
“The tricky part of this equation is that it is difficult (some would say impossible) to reinvent yourself while maintaining a structure that allows you to hold on to that existing well of loyalty.”
A New Media Company Just Lost A $115 Million Lawsuit About Privacy
“The meaning of the verdict will not be clear for some time. But the perception that a Manhattan media company, noted for its wry tone and its insistence that nearly any topic is fair game, was brought low by a celebrity fighting for privacy is most likely to resonate widely across the industry.”
City Eliminates Funding For Libraries. Volunteers Say They’ll Keep Them Going
“In 2015 the Labour-run city council agreed the libraries should no longer be funded and managed by the authority as part of budget savings. Volunteers will staff the buildings, while the books and equipment remain owned by the council.”
Pianist’s Husband Convicted Of Her Murder On Their Second Anniversary
Natalia Strelchenko, 38, “died shortly after being assaulted in her home by John Martin in August last year. … A Home Office postmortem examination found Strelchenko had died from head and neck injuries.”
Cliburn Winner’s Daughters Murdered, Wife Stabbed
“Vadym Kholodenko stopped Thursday morning at the home where he formerly lived to pick up Nika, 5, and 1-year-old Michela, Benbrook police Cmdr. David Babcock said. The Ukrainian-born musician found his wife, Sofya Tsygankova, in an “extreme state of distress” and discovered the dead girls. The pianist then called 911, police said.”