Category Archives: art

SEEING WITH DAVID HOCKNEY’S EYES. What I liked about this article is the way it shows David Hockney telling the writer, Carol Kino, how Hockney sees a beloved alleyway of trees, issuing orders on how to look. (“The ash tree … Continue reading →

DESTROYING A PAPER MACHE DUCK. I was catching up on news about our families with a friend of mine recently, and he mentioned that his son had taken up painting as a hobby and was good at it. I suggested … Continue reading →

PLEIN-AIR. This article by Daniel Grant in last weekend’s Wall Street Journal says that painting outdoors came into its own in the nineteenth century. Technology helped—the century saw portable easels and convenient tubes of paint. I took a particular interest … Continue reading →

PICASSO, THE COMEDIAN. There is a theory that a touchstone for how you feel about twentieth century art is whether you prefer Picasso or Matisse. My brother Elmer goes with Picasso; I go with Matisse. This article is the best … Continue reading →

VERONESE’S BIG IDEA. I think Veronese did have a big idea, and it’s right there in his testimony to the Inquisition: “Q. Does it seem suitable to you, in the Last Supper of our Lord, to represent buffoons, drunken Germans, … Continue reading →

IDEAS IN MEDIEVAL ART. I posted here about how contemporary critics like Peter Schjeldahl look for art to express ideas, just as Baudelaire did. The belief that art should express ideas goes back a lot farther. Medieval art was expected … Continue reading →

“THE SAME LICENSE AS POETS AND MADMEN.” Veronese in defending himself before the Inquisition in effect denied that ideas lay behind parts of his painting. He is simply filling up spaces in his picture: “when I have some space left … Continue reading →