Though much of the online discussion featured some questions for how the paper decides what’s front-page news, it quickly shifted to the content, and, well, this became front-page news. – The New York Times
Author: ArtsJournal2
Here’s How Home Shows Get You Now: You’re Essentially Watching Unlimited-Budget Therapy
Yes, there’s even a new home redecoration show called “Unspouse My House.” What the … oh, there’s a reason for this. “If shows like The Bachelor provide a narratively satisfying, intentionally simplistic roadmap to finding true love, Unspouse My House does something similar for surviving heartbreak.” – HuffPost
St. George Gets Unrestored, And Everyone Breathes A Sigh Of Relief
The original “restoration” in a small town in Spain reminded many people of, well, Tintin. This is different, and better. – The New York Times
Amy Sherald Painted The First Lady’s Portrait, And She Also Captured This 19-Year-Old Girl In A Six-Story Mural
Sherald knew she had the mural space on a Target in Philadelphia, and she wanted to paint someone who, to her, represented the community. A young woman in an arts program provided the spark. The subject, Najee Spencer-Young: “My mom called me. She was like, guess what? … I was like, what, Mom? I’m in a job interview. I can’t be on the phone. She was just like, you up on a mural. I said, what?” – NPR
The Woman Behind A Lost Velasquez Was A Baroque-Era Feminist – And The Pope’s Lover
Now this is a worthy portrait subject: “Olimpia Maidalchini Pamphilj was the power behind the papal throne, and the reputed lover as well as sister-in-law of Pope Innocent X. Nicknamed Papessa – the lady pope – Donna Olimpia was an ardent feminist, championing Rome’s prostitutes and nuns alike.” – The Observer (UK)
Suzan Pitt, Wildly Inventive Filmmaker, Has Died At 75
Pitt “created phantasmagorical worlds in ingenious animated films that dealt with miracles, mortality, depression and women’s sexuality.” – The New York Times
Why Should We Read Beowulf In The Bathtub?
This is actually advice for parents: “We don’t read Ramona, or Junie B. Jones, or The Wild Robot in the bathtub. Those are bedtime books. Bath time is for epics, myths, and classics.” Clearly. – NPR
Two Actors On Their Way To Perform Assaulted In Homophobic Attack In England
The two actors were embracing in the street when “‘assailants verbally abused them and thew stones at them from their car window,’ with one of the actors being hit in the face by a stone.” – The Stage (UK)
Is Notre-Dame’s Restoration Becoming A Symbol Of Macron’s Gung-Ho Presidency?
Ah, of course. Of course. “Instead of being a unifying project, the vexed question of the restoration of the Notre Dame has become a metaphor for the battle between Macron’s modernising ‘startup nation’ vision of France, and the large number of French citizens who don’t want anything to do with it.” – The Guardian (UK)
The Iraq Museum, Once Looted And Then Partly Restored, Has Antiquities And Art That Can’t Be Found Elsewhere
The museum lost about 15,000 items – but its collection is huge, luminous, and important. “Art historians and archaeologists know how exceptional the collection is. But despite Baghdad’s relative safety today, neither the city nor the museum have yet to become a major destination for Iraqis, much less foreign tourists.” – The New York Times