Art
The Vivacious Presence of Parrots in Dutch Golden Age Painting
An art historian, and African Grey owner, delved into the avian symbolism in Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting at the National Gallery of Art.
Review
Books
Objects Made by Prisoners, from Soap Sculptures to Pendants
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva has a collection of over 360 objects made by prisoners from over 60 countries.
Art
An Artist Adopts Avant-Garde Poetry to Express the Limits of Language
As a black, Muslim woman, subject to any number of externally imposed strictures, Kameelah Janan Rasheed does not adopt these avant-garde techniques for merely aesthetic purposes.
Film
A Nuanced Portrait of Hasidic Brooklyn
The directors of Jesus Camp and Detropia offer an in-depth look at Brooklyn's Hasidic community.
Art
How the Invasive Plants of New York Represent the City’s Colonial Past
Plants from Europe, Asia, and Africa recall New York's history of migration in Maria Thereza Alves, Seeds of Change: New York — A Botany of Colonization at the New School.
Performance
A Tale of 17th-Century Witchcraft Staged in NYC’s Oldest House
The Visitation brought an immersive play on 17th-century witchcraft to the Wyckoff House, the oldest home in New York City.
Film
A Cruel and Comic Allegory of Destroyed Masculinity
Shock, gallows humor, and defanging the alpha male in Yorgos Lanthimos's The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
Art
Conceptual Art You Can Play With
Andy Malone's games deliver conceptual ideas as a sneaky side effect of playing with them.
Art
A Retrospective for a Painter Who Broke Away from Murals
This major retrospective of Carlos Almaraz focuses on the less examined but rich painting practice Almaraz pursued upon leaving mural making.
Books
Stamps of Vanished Countries, from Van Diemen's Land to Biafra
Nowherelands: An Atlas of Vanished Countries, 1840-1975 features the postage stamps and histories of 50 former nations.
Film
Revisiting David Lynch’s Classic Blue Velvet with Behind-the-Scenes Footage
Rich in interviews and ephemera from the making of Lynch's classic, Blue Velvet Revisited is ultimately disappointing as a standalone artistic achievement.
Art
How Art Has Framed Our Celebrity Worship
Pop Stars! Popular Culture and Contemporary Art explores the imagery of celebrity culture and likens it to a religious experience.