A source said that, by Monday, “Andrea Bocelli said there was no way he’d take the gig . . . he was ‘getting too much heat’ and he said no.” But another source told us, “Trump suggested to Bocelli he not participate because of the backlash. It’s sad people on the left kept him from performing on a historic day.”
Author: Douglas McLennan
Notable Stories From Last Week’s ArtsJournal – Blockbuster Mozart?
This Week: Mozart outsells every CD this year?… How artificial intelligence is changing thinking… Why should artists be entrepreneurs?… How the West dominated global culture… Zadie Smith speaks out about multiculturalism.
Is The Rise Of Post-Apocalyptic Art Telling Us Anything?
“Rather than focus on the gory details of how the world might end, post-apocalyptic art casts its gaze upon the reality of the world that follows catastrophe and persists without human beings, as nature gradually reasserts itself over the architectural remnants of society. The emerging genre is not without its critics, and many practitioners remain uncertain or divided about what affect — if any — such post-apocalyptic imagery might have on its audiences. But as issues like deindustrialization and climate change rattle the globe, these artists are popularizing the forgotten or unseen places that are already being affected — and potentially mobilizing their massive online audiences to seek solutions.”
Consensus: The Biggest Issues Facing Arts In The UK In 2017
Brexit, for sure, as England determines how to exit the European Union. Diversity also came up as a major issue.
Will Progressive Foundations Come Under Attack In The Populist Trump Era?
“The question is not whether anyone has the power to truly intimidate them—because nobody does. The question is whether foundations will allow themselves to be intimidated.”
A Play That Bends Time. And Space. And Meaning
“The Encounter” is a one-man show—sort of—and it’s many things at once: a journey to the Amazon, a parable of time travel, a plea to secure the planet, and a head trip.
Why Is Brutalist Architecture Suddenly Popular?
“The postmillennial comeback of Brutalism is not surprising, given today’s worldwide vogue for strenuously exhibitionistic architecture enabled by computer design, which has resulted in grotesque behemoths far stranger than anything achievable through the relatively low-tech means of concrete construction. Some older observers will see this fascination with grandiosity and ugliness as the return of the repressed, a reminder of why Brutalism fell into disfavor and disrepute in the first place.”
Hollywood’s Record Box Office Year Masks Formidable Problems
“Higher costs of making and marketing big movies, as well as plummeting home video revenue, have dragged down studio profits. Once-bankable home entertainment sales — including DVDs and video on demand — have dropped more than 30% since 2010, according to Digital Entertainment Group.”
L’Opéra de Montréal Works With Homeless To Make Art
“The goal of this is not to sell tickets,” OM spokesman Pierre Vachon says. Engaging with a marginalized population can only help the company clarify its purpose within the larger community, he says, while ideally reducing prejudice about the homeless. “What is the meaning of art in our time, how important is it? That’s the discussion we’re having now.”
A Neuroscientist Explains How Our Brains Grapple With Abstract Art
“The mind-bending point that Eric Kandel makes is that abstract art, which strips away the narrative, the real-life, expected visuals, requires active problem-solving. We instinctively search for patterns, recognizable shapes, formal figures within the abstraction. We want to impose a rational explanation onto the work, and abstract and minimalist art resists this. It makes our brains work in a different, harder, way at a subconscious level. Though we don’t articulate it as such, perhaps that is why people find abstract art more intimidating, and are hastier to dismiss it. It requires their brains to function in a different, less comfortable, more puzzled way. More puzzled even than when looking at a formal, puzzle painting.”