Noted portrait photographer Richard Avedon has died in Texas of complications from a brain hemorrhage. Avedon’s pictures were sometimes controversial, sometimes difficult to look at, but they were always uniquely memorable, and his work “revolutionized the 20th-century art of fashion photography, imbuing it with touches of both gritty realism and outrageous fantasy and instilling it with a relentlessly experimental drive.”
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Stark Glamour, Ruthless Reality
Avedon’s legacy is one of unbending realism cloaked in the language of high fashion: he once described his work as a “series of no’s leading to a yes.. I have a white background. I have the person I’m interested in and the thing that happens between us.” His portraits were sophisticated but brutal, and over time, they became a barometer of social importance to those who posed. “An Avedon portrait brought an instant aura of importance and legitimacy to its subject; the picture said you matter now, because you’re news, or because you’re something people either like to stare at or talk about, but quietly so. If Avedon was taking your portrait, then you’d arrived. Even if you milked cows for a living.”
Is Political Correctness Smothering Art?
As the phenomenon known either as “contextualization” or “historical revisionism” (depending on your point of view) continues to remake our view of art, a new book suggests that political correctness has turned much of art history into a collection of palatable lies. In the author’s view, “the history of Western art—art spanning continents and centuries—is being systematically turned on its head and rendered unrecognizable to anyone who approaches such matters from within the boundaries of normal human understanding.” In other words, the intellectuals are just ruining art for all the normal people.
(Re)Discovering Robbins
Six years after his death, Jerome Robbins remains a towering figure in the dance world, and yet, most of what we know of the Robbins legacy is based solely on his work as a dancer and choreographer. Of his private life, relatively little has been written. But two new authorized biographies shed a great deal of light on the man, albeit from very different perspectives.
Applause Founder Departs
Applause Theatre and Cinema Books has filled a unique niche in the publishing world for two decades, boasting a catalog of 400 titles and releasing an average of 20 new books per year. For its entire existence, Applause has been under the care of one man – Glenn Young – for whom the business was always more about love of theatre than making a profit. But it’s tough staying afloat in today’s publishing world, and Young was forced to sell out to the Hal Leonard Corporation a couple of years back. Now, the only boss Applause has ever had is exiting stage left.
Toronto Art Fair Gains Steam
The Toronto International Art Fair may not measure up to the top art bazaars of Europe, but the event has become the place to see and be seen for movers and shakers in the Canadian art world. “At capacity this year with 83 dealers from near and far, the fair appears to be cresting the summit of a long, slow climb, from an inaugural year of relative obscurity to its current status as perhaps the essential event of the year.”
The Oundjian Era Begins In Toronto
Ever since Peter Oundjian was appointed music director of the Toronto Symphony, questions have abounded about whether the hometown kid and relative newcomer to conducting really has enough game to lead one of North America’s top ensembles. Oundjian clearly isn’t lacking in confidence, however, and his first programs with the TSO featured Beethoven’s 7th and Mahler’s 1st, two of the most well-worn staples of the romantic era. The result, according to William Littler, was not unimpressive, but “bravery is not a synonym for wisdom,” and Toronto may need to have some patience with its still-developing conductor.
A Whole New Life
Life magazine, which defined America in pictures for much of the 20th century, is back on newsstands again, only four years after its last comeback attempt floundered. “The photo journal disappeared from newsstands in 1972 and a short-lived revival in 2000 failed to match its circulation during its heyday from the 1930s to the 1960s. A new revival, featuring the classic red-and-white logo, appears on Fridays as a supplement in more than 70 newspapers around the country.”
Classical Music’s New Ambassador
If she wanted to, Rachel Barton Pine could be the very definition of a struggling musician. Raised in a tough Chicago neighborhood, she became her family’s primary income-earner at 14, while striving towards her dream of becoming a professional musician. At age 20, her violin strap caught in the closing doors of a subway train, and she was dragged under, where her legs were crushed. Nearly a decade later, Barton Pine isn’t looking for pity: instead, she’s dedicated her life and career to spreading classical music to audiences that don’t ordinarily give a rip. To get people interested, she’ll happily whip out a few heavy metal tunes on her Strad, before launching into Paganini.
Barnes Case Wraps Up
“The court hearing into whether the Barnes Foundation can move its one-of-a-kind art collection from its home in Merion to a new museum on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway concluded yesterday just as it began: with two starkly differing visions of the gallery’s future… The decision now rests with Montgomery County Orphans’ Court Judge Stanley Ott, who is not expected to rule for at least a month.”