Art
Reconciling Secular Art in Sacred Spaces
Surprises and puzzles in Venice and Vienna, from Sean Scully to Tintoretto.
David Carrier
Art
Luc Tuymans’s Moral Distance
Tuymans is a figurative painter who doubts whether visual representations can ever be truthful.
Art
Navigating the Overload at the Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale’s official exhibition, May You Live In Interesting Times, presents art that speaks to the present, not in the direct fashion of journalism, but in ways that can challenge existing habits of thought.
Art
Confronting Art Critics With Their Own Portraits
Luca Del Baldo paints portraits of art critics and historians — often people he has never met — and then requests their response to complete the work.
Art
Excavating Mark Rothko’s Theatrical Foundations
The paintings Rothko made before 1948 are considered minor, but an exhibition in Vienna claims that they are essential to understanding the artist’s mature works.
Art
Remembering Lawrence Carroll, an American Artist in Europe
I never met anyone more optimistic about art or his place in its history.
Art
A Japanese Classic, Dimly Illuminated
The visual images interpreting The Tale of Genji, the world’s first novel, which was written by a woman, are presented as beautiful objects devoid of context.
Art
Surfboards, Skateboards, and the Question of Art
What is the difference between a painting in a museum and a tattoo on an arm?
Books
Is It Beautiful, or Is It Art?
We philosophers love to argue, and so when I say that Thierry de Duve offers a lot to argue with, I mean that as sincere high praise.
Art
The Radical Proposition of Dan Robbins
Andy Warhol was fascinated by the concept that an image that could be reproduced in millions of versions, while Robbins fabricated this concept. Big difference.
Art
Sean Scully’s Figurative Leap
“Someone recently asked me how I navigate the space between my abstract and figurative paintings, which I often paint side by side. I said I jump.”
Art
Art of the Russian Revolution, Through Contemporary Eyes
The Russian Revolution was an unparalleled disaster, but its artistic tradition remains of enormous interest.