Category Archives: art

“I PLACED A JAR IN TENNESSEE.”

“I PLACED A JAR IN TENNESSEE.” Sullivan illustrates his article with photographs of products of the industrial world—a hydrant, a bottle, a plastic cup—located amidst plants in New York City parks. Of course, the objects change the way we perceive … Continue reading

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WHITE SCULPTURES AND DARK INTERIORS.

WHITE SCULPTURES AND DARK INTERIORS. I posted on the colors of ancient statutes here. Lee Bryant sent me this article and the comments which point out how the disappearance of the colors has changed our aesthetic judgments. One comment argues … Continue reading

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COMMERCIALIZING ART MUSEUMS.

COMMERCIALIZING ART MUSEUMS. When my brother Elmer was in law school, he met a girl at a party who was studying to be a museum curator. He wound up in an argument with her because it turned out that he … Continue reading

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MARKET RESEARCH IN ART GALLERIES.

MARKET RESEARCH IN ART GALLERIES. The Wall Street Journal (August 18) has an article by Isaac Arnsdorf about observers in museums doing the kind of research that supermarkets do. The article focuses on the efforts of the Detroit Institute of … Continue reading

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WERE THE HOMERIC GREEKS COLOR-BLIND?

WERE THE HOMERIC GREEKS COLOR-BLIND? I posted here on the issue of whether speakers of a language with more words for a color are better at distinguishing those colors. (For example, Professor Boroditsky in her article says that Russian-speakers are … Continue reading

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THE AESTHETICS OF INDUSTRIALIZATION—LANDSCAPES.

THE AESTHETICS OF INDUSTRIALIZATION—LANDSCAPES. I seized on de Botton’s views on the possibility of admiring gas tankers and of finding pylons beautiful because I agree with them. I have always preferred landscapes that reflect human activity—think of Constable and Brueghel. … Continue reading

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RACKSHAW DOWNES.

RACKSHAW DOWNES. I posted here on Alain de Botton’s position that there is “an unwarranted prejudice which deems it peculiar to express overly powerful feelings of admiration towards a gas tanker or a paper mill ” and here on de … Continue reading

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PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS AND ARCHITECTS IN CONFLICT.

PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS AND ARCHITECTS IN CONFLICT. The Vanity Fair article quotes Frank Gehry as saying: “And then the artists got competitive and said, No, you’re still an architect, because you’re putting toilets in your buildings, in your art. Richard … Continue reading

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THE BEAUTY OF PYLONS.

THE BEAUTY OF PYLONS. I was pleased to see that one of the structures that was singled out in the Vanity Fair article was the Millau Viaduct in France, which is classified here as a “highway bridge and viaduct.” The … Continue reading

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ORWELL AND SCREEVERS.

ORWELL AND SCREEVERS. I first encountered a screever on my first trip to London in 1969. It was on the Thames Embankment as the sun was setting on a chill fall day. I have not been back to the Embankment … Continue reading

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