Operation NICE:A Reminder that Niceness Counts
Like so many of us, as a child I was taught to mind my manners. We called them P's and Q's, and to this day I still use them. I cover my mouth when I sneeze or yawn, try not to interrupt others when they are talking, hold the door open for the people, and say thank you. But I have to admit it: I have a problem being nice. The problem is that I sometimes feel like I'm the only one making an effort. People se...
Magnificat:Vivid Deconstruction
Calledwith alkyd resins, 23kt. gold leaf/silver leaf on wooden paneldimensions: 58.75" x 48.75"© 2007 Bruce HermanClick for larger image From the moment I first encountered Bruce Herman's work, I was at once invigorated and unsettled. The paintings nearly leap off the wall at you, with their bright colors and unusual yet wholly convincing blend of representation and abstraction. Herman is an American pain...
New Year, New York, New Art . . .
It's interesting to note how, during the holiday season, when retailers are bending backwards to catch every potential shopper with any technique possible, the gallery district in Chelsea had only a smattering of open galleries on the weekend after New Years'. While they did swing back in full force over the next two weeks, if you didn't know better, you probably wouldn't think much had changed.Perhaps it hasn't.Mayb...
So Much to Read:Updike, Angstrom and Procrastination
John UpdikeMarch 18, 1932 - January 27, 2009 I can't claim to be John Updike's biggest fan. I've only read a couple of his books. But I was perturbed to learn of his death this past Tuesday. For this California boy, he represented the leather-patch-on-the-tweed-jacket kind of writer - a WASPy New Englander who snapped away on his Underwood and smoked unfiltered cigarettes. Anyone who made their living writing was,...
Where is the Cinema?Some Cities and Films in 2008
In his 1986 book about America, Baudrillard gets to Los Angeles and asks: "Where is the cinema?" His odd response: "It is all around you outside, all over the city, that marvelous, continuous performance of films and scenarios." In France or the Netherlands, one walks out of a theater or gallery into a city that is the source text for the paintings and landscapes you have just seen. What Baudrillard discovered in his...
January 30, 2009
Where is the Cinema?Some Cities and Films in 2008 By M. Leary A look at cities in the films of 2008, and how they arm us with ways to look at our neighborhoods and daily routines in thoughtful ways. So Much to Read:Updike, Angstrom and Procrastination By Matt Beck John Updike, RIP: the legacy and oeuvre. New Year, New York, New Art . . . By Wayne Adams The new year means new art in Chelsea, ...
Classical What?!
Hello, I'm Kevin. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry, it's loud in here, you asked what I do? I'm a saxophonist. Excuse me? Oh, uh, I play some jazz. But probably not well enough to go toe-to-toe with the heavyweights that play here in New York. I did my master's degree in classical saxophone, at KU. No, no, not Kentucky - Kansas.As in 2008 NCAA Basketball Championship winning Jayhawks. . . Anyway, I tra...
