“A gallery has discovered four paintings by Otto Dix, the German expressionist whose art chronicled the horrors of World War One, the depravity of the Weimar Republic and was labeled ‘degenerate’ by Adolf Hitler.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Did 9/11 Change Everything? Not In The Arts
Michiko Kakutani: “Compelling as [some of the works made in response to the attacks] are, however, none were really game-changing … they neither represent a new paradigm nor suggest that the attacks were a cultural watershed. Perhaps this is because 9/11 did not really change daily life for much of the country. Perhaps it’s because our A.D.D. nation … has become increasingly inured to shock.”
Exploring The Science Of Happiness – If We Can Only Figure Out What Happiness Is
Experimental psychologists have lately been attempting to study the factors that lead to human happiness. But how can you craft a proper experiment when you have no established definition of what constitutes “happiness”? And how can that definition be established? With philosophy, suggests philosopher Gary Gutting.
This Company’s Story Is As Unlikely As The Play It Performs
In Cymbeline‘s “opening scene a courtier vainly assures the audience that this play, ‘may well be laughed at,/Yet is it true’. … Fiasco Theater’s success is, like Cymbeline, something of a fairy tale. … Ben Steinfeld, a company member, said: ‘Our story is preposterous. It’s hard to believe.’ Yet it is true.”
Alastair Macaulay Reviews The Dance Of The Crowds At Grand Central Station
“Its main concourse is among the city’s spectacular locales, giving you the chance to observe the complex patterns made by arriving and departing passengers. … Actually, while you’re there, you can feel how every five minutes brings an alteration of tone, direction, pace.”
David Lynch (Yes, That David Lynch) Opens Nightclub In Paris
“Silencio, David Lynch’s new Paris nightclub-cum-salon-cum-laboratory of the weird … is inspired by the deeply strange Club Silencio in Mulholland Drive. Everything from the toilet bowls – black on black – to the saltiness of the nuts on the bar was decided on by the master himself.”
England’s National Youth Theatre Program Could Close Due To Budget Cuts
The National Association of Youth Theatres, “after 12 years as a regularly funded organisation, has lost its Department of Education and Arts Council England backing. The umbrella body desperately needs to be shored up by December; if it is unable to raise at least £100,000 by then, it may not survive.”
Paintings Missing In Oslo After Bombing
“Concern is mounting about the fate of large numbers of works of art owned by Norwegian government ministries or lent to them … following the terrorist Âattack in Oslo on 22 July. The buildings damaged in the bombing contained works by artists including Munch, Christian Krohg and Anne Katrine Dolven.”
The Actor Who Brings Human Tragedy To Non-Human Roles
“In the weeks since Rise of the Planet of the Apes hit theaters, the entertainment press has engaged in a spirited conversation … focused on one of the most unheralded, underrated actors around – the great Andy Serkis, who plays Caesar, the ape who starts the simian revolt in the blockbuster.”
Amazon’s New Tablet (If It Actually Exists) Could Outdo iPad, Say Analysts
Wall Street firm Forrester Research has released a report saying that, if priced under $300 and supplies are sufficient, an Amazon iPad-style e-reader could sell 3 million to 5 million units just by the end of this year. Amazon has not confirmed that it is even developing such a product.