Art
Aubrey Beardsley's Self-Conscious Depiction of Degeneration
Although Beardsley was foremost a decorative illustrator, he depicted the physically monstrous and assorted polymorphous perversities.
Review
Books
Wanda Coleman, the Great Poet of Los Angeles
Coleman not only embraces her multitudes, but changes effortlessly from one persona and voice to another — things she needed to do in order to survive as a single Black mother raising two children in Los Angeles.
Art
One of New York's Purest Abstract Painters
Harriet Korman has never wanted to become part of someone else’s story.
Film
Michael Jordan's Flawed Hero Narrative
One of the key lessons of ESPN's series The Last Dance is that people learn to adore brutal tyrants, and will only fall further into that admiration as long as the tyrant is uniquely talented, powerful, and wins.
Film
The Inspiring Story of Michelle Obama, and Its Limitations
Based on the former First Lady’s memoir, the documentary Becoming advances the Obama family’s skillfully crafted image, while unintentionally revealing some of its contradictions.
Books
Gabriel Orozco’s Journals Invite Readers to Retrace His Steps
What makes Written Matter different from some artists’ journals is that one need not be familiar with Orozco — or even the legacy of Conceptualism to which his work is tethered — to enjoy it.
Film
An Unlikely Friendship Between a Painter and the Man Who Stole Her Artwork
The new documentary The Painter and the Thief finds the complexities in what could have been a basic feel-good tale.
Art
Gerhard Richter’s Slippery Mystique
Richter is undoubtedly an impressive painter, one who exhibits a mastery of practice but confusion of tone. His latest retrospective, Painting After All, doesn’t quite connect the dots.
Books
A Once-Revolutionary Creative Fellowship for Women Artists
Maggie Doherty’s The Equivalents follows the Radcliffe College Institute for Independent Study’s role in mid-century feminism, and explores the ways in which it fell short.
Film
A Mind-Bending Cultural Critique From One of Anime’s Most Influential Directors
At turns disturbing, darkly humorous, and deeply heartfelt, Paranoia Agent exemplifies everything people love about Satoshi Kon’s work, and why fans still miss him nearly a decade after his death
Books
28 Years of Miranda July, Master of Self-Fashioning
Titled simply Miranda July, Prestel’s excellent new “mid-career retrospective” of the artist highlights July’s enduring interest in the very darkest aspects of human existence.
Books
An Unconventional Art Critic of La Belle Epoque
Lacking formal training in art, Joris-Karl Huysmans had a knack for seizing on the unanticipated, the gritty, and the revelatory in painting.