July 9th, 2010 | General, Popular Culture, visual arts
I predict that Miles will take home the prize. I thought this might be the case as early as the first challenge and was moderately certain by the second. I will be genuinely surprised at this point if he loses. Miles will win, not because of Simon de Pury’s...
July 2nd, 2010 | General, Popular Culture, visual arts
Shock takes center stage in this episode of Work of Art—or at least it was supposed to. The celebrity du moment was Andres Serrano whose Piss Christ, a large-scale photograph of a crucifix immersed in urine, sent various members of the religious right and United...
June 25th, 2010 | General, Popular Culture, visual arts
“I am a fine artist” said Judith. The idea of designing a book cover, even one for a classic novel, seemed to her to be a task beneath contempt. Mark, a contestant who makes a reasonably steady living as a commercial artist, was insulted by Judith’s comments. Did I...
June 18th, 2010 | General, Popular Culture, visual arts
So far I have successfully resisted the bait dangled by all the reality shows. Tribal hostilities, The Donald’s flunky-wannabees, housewives, litters of children, none of these strikes me as entertainment. BRAVO got me, though, with “The Next Great Artist.” I might...
October 17th, 2009 | Education, Friends, General, visual arts
I am still singing our tunes. A week ago it was our 40th reunion at Emma Willard. Thirty-five members of the class of 1969 ate and drank together, hugged and squealed, wandered old haunts alone and with others. Two rehearsals prepared us no longer so vocal choristers...
