Tag Archives: art

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

Posted on November 28, 2025 by sheila

“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

Posted on September 14, 2025 by sheila

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 →

Posted in Art/Photography, Books, On This Day | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

Frankenstein and the Tiffany & Co. blue boxes

Posted on September 5, 2025 by sheila

Tiffany & co. has only donated jewelry to four films, one of which is Frankenstein. The news has now broke of the collaboration, and Mia Goth was wearing a Tiffany necklace on the red carpet in Venice. Here’s an indepth … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Personal | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

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

Posted on July 22, 2025 by sheila

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 →

Posted in Art/Photography, On This Day | Tagged , , , | 36 Comments

“I paint the things I see and believe.” — Henry Ossawa Tanner

Posted on June 21, 2025 by sheila

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 →

Posted in Art/Photography, On This Day | Tagged | 5 Comments

“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

Posted on May 16, 2025 by sheila

Spoken like a true exile of Jewish descent. For her birthday today: “Self Portrait in the green Bugatti” Fascinating woman, to say the least. Just a snippet from her teen years, okay? In 1912, her parents divorced and Maria went … Continue reading →

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“Reality is always extraordinary.” — Mary Ellen Mark

Posted on March 20, 2025 by sheila

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 →

Posted in Art/Photography, Directors, Movies, On This Day | Tagged , | 3 Comments

For International Women’s Day: Ladies I Love

Posted on March 8, 2025 by sheila

I post edited versions of this every year. I add names. I take names off if I feel like it. I enjoy compiling it. It’s not just about enjoyment. As women’s rights are up for grabs more than ever, like … Continue reading →

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January 2025 Viewing Diary

Posted on February 2, 2025 by sheila

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992; d. James Foley) I saw this one in the theatre back in the day. There’s a revival coming up on Broadway and Bill Burr is going to be in it. It’s kind of perfect! He’ll be … Continue reading →

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

Posted on December 24, 2024 by sheila

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 →

Posted in Art/Photography, On This Day | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments