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Rina Lazo, Who Assisted Diego Rivera And Became A Major Muralist In Her Own Right, Dead At 96

“Mexican muralism taught her the importance of expressing a political and social consciousness, but she softened the militancy that was common in the post-revolutionary era. In allegorical paintings, prints and murals with a subtle yet richly colorful palette, Ms. Lazo celebrated Mesoamerican cultures, especially the Maya, and the spiritual abundance of the natural world.” – The New York Times

What’s The Best Way To Sell Your Book These Days? Kendall Jenner Being Photographed Reading It

Rarely has the power of “influence” been felt so acutely in an industry in which a media blitz usually involves not much more than a handful of speaking events at local bookstores. For the kinds of people who post Ben Lerner galleys on their Instagram stories to telegraph good taste, intelligence and access, Jenner’s paparazzi images created a sort of cognitive dissonance. – W Magazine

André Rieu’s Juggernaut Career

We shouldn’t be surprised that Rieu is a box office sensation. In an era when, we are told, nobody sells DVDs and CDs anymore, Rieu has sold more than 40 million of them. Last year, the Dutch violinist and conductor sold more than 700,000 tickets to his concerts, bringing in $55.9 million (€50.6m) from 71 shows. It’s an impressive haul for someone who has seldom been the beneficiary of media hype. – Irish Times

Broadway Musicals Are Stretching Their Curtain Calls Into Ever-Longer Encores (As The Audience Stands Up And Dances)

Alexis Soloski: “These post-curtain moments have less to do with telling the story and more with telling the audience how to feel about the story they have just seen and what they should tell their friends. As someone who loves a Broadway musical, but is often ready to scurry up the aisle once that musical nears the three-hour mark, I spoke to some of the creators behind eight current musicals to discover how and why each of them had built in an encore.” – The New York Times

How Ed Harris And Aaron Sorkin Are Interrogating ‘Mockingbird’

Sorkin, playwright of the Broadway adaptation: “I absolutely wanted Atticus to be a traditional protagonist, so he needed to change and have a flaw … It turned out that Harper Lee had [already] given him one; it’s just that when we all learned the book, it was taught as a virtue. It’s that Atticus believes that goodness can be found in everyone.”
Harris, who plays Atticus: “He’s trying to hold on to a belief that’s being eroded slowly but surely.” – The Atlantic

Restoration Of Ghent Altarpiece Reveals Stunning Details

Conservators working on the five lower central panels discovered that the Van Eyck brothers’ original work had been painted over as early as the mid-16th century; removal of those additions (as well as the centuries’ accumulated grime) uncovered an unsuspected level of naturalism. Says the project’s head, “Botanists can actually identify every plant in there. The ones that couldn’t be identified — those were overpaintings.” – The Art Newspaper

U.S. House Votes For Biggest Increase In NEA Funding In Six Years

“The House approved a $1.4-trillion spending package on Tuesday that includes a $7.25-million increase for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). This increase is the largest for the NEA since 2013 and brings the organization’s total funding to $162.25 million, its highest since 2010. The spending bills will also increase funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The House spending package, comprising two bills, now heads to the Senate, which is expected to approve both bills.” – Artsy