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September 24 Kenjilo Nanao
Kenjilo Nanao ( kenjilonanao.com) paints with a wonderful splashy richness, but the impression his work makes on me is thoughtful and internal rather than showy. Perhaps this is because amidst the slather of paint there will be a box or an angle or some such contesting element that looks as if it ought to be…
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September 15 tacky, tacky
When did we get the commercialization of every image? I can see that a politician would want to dignify himself, however absurdly, by posturing before the flag; —but you would think that celebrities would object to having their presence brought to a visual standstill by tacky and obtrusive ad walls. …
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August 13 art & life
Putting aside the issue of emotional significance, I was struck by the common formal chords in Ellsworth Kelly’s “Colors by Chance III” and this photo of a funeral in Syria. Ellsworth Kelley from geometrica.tumblr.com; funeral from yalibnan.com
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August 6 portraits
The basic Intro to Art History course naturally dances from one highlight to the next—key works by the most influential artists, and typical pieces from the great movements. Which certainly makes sense; we hear so much about the Mona Lisa because it is, in fact, so much better than the competition. It looks good in…
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July 30 my best work
Our house is hung pretty densely with work, much but not all of it mine. For a long time we had a reproduction of a Rembrandt self-portrait that hung prominently in the living room. Gradually it got displaced by other things until at last it hung obscurely in a rather dark hallway. A non-artistic friend…