Tag Archives: art

“Improvement makes strait roads, but the crooked roads without Improvement, are roads of Genius.” — poet/engraver/visionary William Blake

“I mean, don’t you think it’s a little bit excessive?” “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. William Blake.” Pause. “William Blake?” “William Blake!” “William Blake???” “William Blake!!!” — Bull Durham William Blake was a poet virtually … Continue reading

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“A vast amount of rubbish is published in the name of art. A man should let his work talk for him. ” — Charles Dana Gibson

It’s his birthday today. Old-timers will remember when my blog-design was Gibson-Girl inspired. My favorite haughty Gibson Girl was in the blog banner for years! The only vestige of the Gibson Girl origin-story of this site is in the email … Continue reading

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“If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.” — Edward Hopper

It’s his birthday today. I wrote about Edward Hopper quite a bit in my Present Tense column at Film Comment, detailing the Hopper-y vibe of Tom Noonan’s great film about urban loneliness, What Happened Was… In fact, I have a … Continue reading

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“I believe the Negro blood counts, and counts to my advantage – though it has caused me at times a life of great humiliation and sorrow.” — painter Henry Ossawa Tanner

It’s his birthday today. When I lived in Philadelphia – a million years ago, with my boyfriend who was in law school at U. Penn – I became intimately familiar with Henry Ossawa Tanner’s paintings since so many of them … Continue reading

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“My goal: never copy. Create a new style, with luminous and brilliant colors, rediscover the elegance of my models.” — Tamara de Lempicka

“I live life in the margins of society, and the rules of normal society don‘t apply to those who live on the fringe.” — Tamara de Lempicka Spoken like a true exile of Jewish descent. For her birthday: “Self Portrait … Continue reading

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“Reality is always extraordinary.” — Mary Ellen Mark

It’s her birthday today. My first job was as a page at a local library. I would go there after school, shelve books for a couple of hours, and then head home. I ended up working there all through high … Continue reading

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“I wish I had not been so reserved.” — Joseph Cornell’s final words

Today is the birthday of artist Joseph Cornell. “Cornell is superb. I first saw the Medici Slot Machine when I was in college. Oh, I loved it. To think one could have bought some of those things then. He was … Continue reading

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April/May 2023 Viewing Diary

River of Grass (1994; d. Kelly Reichardt) Reichardt’s first film. Wendy and Lucy (2008; d. Kelly Reichardt) The start of Reichardt’s collaboration with Michelle Williams. Showing Up (2023; d. Kelly Reichardt) Reichardt’s latest. I reviewed for Ebert. It’s fine. Her … Continue reading

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Review: Close to Vermeer (2023)

I liked hanging out with the people in this documentary, I liked soaking up their passion and expertise. I reviewed for Ebert.     Thank you so much for stopping by. If you like what I do, and if you … Continue reading

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For International Women’s Day: Ladies I Love

These women inspire, entertain, challenge, comfort, provoke, or were “there” in my formative years as an inspiration. The list is huge. Below the jump.

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