If you’ve already seen the Max-&-Dan video that the Met posted today to mark this unexpectedly somber occasion, you may have wondered about the identity of the head peering over Director Max Hollein‘s left shoulder. – Lee Rosenbaum
Blog
From a Diary …
I’ve been skimming through a complete collection of Chekhov’s stories. There’s lotsa chaff — small anecdotes published in newspapers from early days that don’t do much and weren’t intended for the ages. But then you come upon “an unpleasantness,” a long story from a later period that stands up like an erection. – Jan Herman
Amazon Self-Publishing Promised To Democratize Publishing. Instead…
It has become a cesspool for scammers and con artists and crackpots of every kind. Worse, it even helps promote racist supremacist views. What can be done? – ProPublica
Is There Anything More Useless In A Time Of Crisis Than The Humanities? Maybe Not…
“Even in good times, the humanistic academy is mocked as a wheel turning nothing; in an emergency, when doctors, delivery personnel, and other essential workers are scrambling to keep society intact, no one has patience with the wheel’s demand to keep turning. What is the role of Aristotle, or the person who studies him, in a crisis?” – The New Yorker
How Museums In Europe Are Faring
Most are shut down, though in places such as Albania and Sweden where museums remain open, they’re seeing increases in visitors. Closed museums report an 80 percent loss of income. Many are increasing digital content and there is a spike in visitors there. – Arts Professional
How Artists Bear Witness To Events Of Their Time
Conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler chose one way, conducting in Nazi Germany through World War II. Dmitry Shostakovich chose another in deep Soviet Russia. Joseph Horowitz contrasts the two in this podcast. – The American Interest
33 Years Ago, This Novel About A Pandemic In 2020 Got A Lot Right
In 1987 Israeli science fiction writer Hamutal Shabtai wrote a book about a mysterious virus that engulfed the world in 2020. The scary part is that she got many of the details of what is now happening, right. – Ha’aretz
Living In A Gaudi Masterpiece During The Lockdown
Suddenly, La Pedrera in Barcelona went from tens of thousands of visitors per day to … no one. Ana Viladomiu is one of the few people there. “Two other tenants remain in another part of the building – separated from Viladomiu with their own elevator and staircase – while a few security guards rotate through their shifts unseen. ‘So I’m really by myself,’ she said.” – The Guardian (UK)
The World’s Longest Art Walk Is Underground
Stockholm’s subway system is stocked: “Since construction began in 1950, some 250 artists have decorated 94 stations across 68 miles of track.” – Wired
The First Quarantine Poem To (Sorry) Go Viral
The poem is made up (artfully) of lines from corporate emails. One stanza:
“Feeling Fiesta today? Happy Taco Tuesday!
Calories don’t count during a pandemic
Grocers report flour shortages as more people are baking than ever!
As you know, many people are struggling.” – The Guardian (UK)