John Betjeman may not be a household name in America, but to Britons, he was an adored figure and a beloved poet laureate. This summer, the UK will mark Betjeman’s centenary, and the country’s DJs will be celebrating his legacy as a pioneer in the world of… funk? Well, yes: “In 1974, at the age of 67, Betjeman launched an extraordinary new recording career. He released the album Banana Blush on the Charisma label – then best known for Genesis and other prog-rock travellers such as Van der Graaf Generator.”
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Painter Joash Woodrow, 78
“The chance discovery in a Harrogate bookshop in 2001, by the painter Christopher P Wood, of six volumes of an engraved Victorian art history, wildly and exuberantly annotated in a series of Picasso-esque drawings and collages by the then completely forgotten painter Joash Woodrow, led directly to the re-emergence of one of the most significant artistic figures in postwar British art… In the months that followed, it became apparent that this was no isolated figure at the margins of art history but an artist of sophisticated interests and training.”
Restoring Lord Nelson
The 18-ton statue of Lord Nelson that stands atop the huge granite column in London’s Trafalgar Square has been through a lot over the years. “When Edward Baily’s statue was displayed at ground level before being winched into place in three enormous sections it was a sensation: more than 100,000 people came to see it.” But now, the elements have had more than 150 years to wear on Baily’s design, and a major conservation effort is underway.
Watching The Music Sway
Anyone who says that classical music is a purely aural medium has probably never seen an orchestra in action. The movements of a conductor can range from subtle to violent, and musicians can be seen moving independently or in concert. Charlotte Higgins says that observing the physical movement of an orchestra is half the fun of the performance.
Historians Slam Smithsonian Commercialism
“The Society of American Historians, a group that promotes excellence in historical writing, has suspended Smithsonian Books from its ranks in protest over the Smithsonian Institution’s ‘increasingly commercial approach to its mission.’ The suspension itself will have little impact, but it is the latest symptom of friction between the Smithsonian’s top managers and many of the nation’s scholars.”
America By The Numbers
The 28.5-pound, $825, five-volume Historical Statistics of the United States, Millennial Edition is out, containing more numbers and comparisons than you can shake a stick at, all purporting to paint a useful picture of America Then & Now. But Joel Garreau says that “what it is, really, is a marvelous walk through a bizarre notion — that America, our culture and values, indeed our reality — can be described in numbers.”
How Do You Play A Terrorist?
Imagine you’re an actor of Middle Eastern descent trying to make a career in Hollywood. For years, you had endless trouble getting parts. Now, the industry can’t get enough of you, but most of the parts available will have you playing a terrorist, and if you do your job as an actor and try to humanize the character, you’ll stir up the animosity of countless viewers. What do you do?
First Look At 9/11 Film Proves Emotional For Many
The controversial and much-anticipated United 93 made its debut in New York last night, and the reaction, as might be expected, was emotional in the extreme. “The screen went dark after the stomach-turning sequence showing the plane’s nosedive. The theatre was silent except for the gut-wrenching sobs and wails from the loge, where the relatives [of the flight’s passengers] were seated together.”
Preserving Pollock Presents Plenty of Problems
Art conservation has become such an intricate and well-understood science that it sometimes seems as if there is no damage a skilled professional cannot undo, no work that cannot be perfectly preserved. But the paintings of Jackson Pollock present a unique challenge for restorers, with the famous spatters subject to cracking and other deterioration. A new restoration job on one of Pollock’s more famous works points up how conservators’ techniques have changed over the decades.
A Tale Of Two Getty Gardens
“Gardens at the two Getty Museum campuses could not be more different. California artist Robert Irwin’s central garden at the Brentwood Center is a constantly changing, off-balance geometric splash of color and texture. It’s a stark contrast to the beige classicism of the towering, marble buildings above it. Conversely, the elegant Mediterranean-style landscaping of the newly reopened Getty Villa in nearby Malibu is an understated partner to the estate it surrounds. Nonetheless, the two gardens share a dramatic spirit: One is a work of living sculpture, the other a piece of horticultural theater.”