Category Archives: art

EPHEMERAL ART—CHALK.

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Philip

EPHEMERAL ART—CHALK. I posted last week about the impermanence of the New York City Lego art project. Rick Rendeiro called my attention to the remarkable three-dimensional art work done in chalk on pavements by Julian Beever. Here are some of … Continue reading →

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LEGOS AND CONCEPTUAL ART.

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Philip

LEGOS AND CONCEPTUAL ART. I find a lot of conceptual art unsatisfactory, but I love the Lego project. 1. A lot of conceptual art bears only a few moments of looking. If you watch people at an exhibit of conceptual … Continue reading →

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SCHADENFREUDE.

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Philip

SCHADENFREUDE. I have from to time posted on critics who support dismissive judgments with affectations. This morning the Financial Times (March 11) had a review of the new Martin Scorsese movie Shutter Island. The critic makes the point that the … Continue reading →

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VAN GOGH, THE LITTLE GARDENER.

Posted on March 9, 2010 by Philip

VAN GOGH, THE LITTLE GARDENER. In light of Robert Lane Fox’s appreciation of Van Gogh as a lover of gardens, I was struck by another passage in Letter 537. Van Gogh compares the contemporary art market to the tulip mania … Continue reading →

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VAN GOGH’S CHOICE OF PALETTES.

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Philip

VAN GOGH’S CHOICE OF PALETTES. My impression is that popular legend portrays Van Gogh as an inspired madmen. The letters show a very different Van Gogh—one who thinks through what he does and studies intently what other artists have to … Continue reading →

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VAN GOGH, GARDENS AND COLOR.

Posted on March 7, 2010 by Philip

VAN GOGH, GARDENS AND COLOR. Robin Lane Fox, who is a distinguished gardener and a distinguished classical historian, had an article in the Financial Times (February 6-7) which was inspired by the Van Gogh letters. Van Gogh loved gardens and … Continue reading →

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THE VAN GOGH LETTERS.

Posted on March 7, 2010 by Philip

THE VAN GOGH LETTERS. The complete letters of Vincent Van Gogh have now been published in a fully annotated, indexed and illustrated edition. They are available here at an absolutely wonderful website. Van Gogh often illustrated his letters and those … Continue reading →

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ARE THERE ELEVEN BASIC COLOR CATEGORIES?

Posted on January 11, 2010 by Philip

ARE THERE ELEVEN BASIC COLOR CATEGORIES? As I posted yesterday, I would have thought that the fact that grue languages do not distinguish between green and blue would be evidence that color cognition is in part influenced by language (culture). … Continue reading →

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DOES LANGUAGE SHAPE HOW WE SEE COLOR?

Posted on January 10, 2010 by Philip

DOES LANGUAGE SHAPE HOW WE SEE COLOR? It turns out that when I posted here on “grue” languages, I was also stepping into the “fierce debate …in linguistics.” A “grue” language does not distinguish between green and blue. This wikipedia … Continue reading →

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APPRECIATING SEEDHEADS IN AUTUMN GARDENS.

Posted on December 3, 2009 by Philip

APPRECIATING SEEDHEADS IN AUTUMN GARDENS. I value art that makes me see the world differently. Hazel Silver had an article in last weekend’s Financial Times that will change how I look at the world in autumn and winter. She writes … Continue reading →

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