But she did it only by email, which meant she’d have time and space to craft her answers — and, writes reporter Mark Lawson, “the precise replies suggest that her public reticence may come from a fear of being over-specific about details that the work blurs.” – The Guardian
Blog
Is It Still Art If It’s Big-Data Driven?
“I’m generally skeptical of the “big is bad” school of hipster antitrust, particularly if there’s no documented consumer harm from growing bigness. But I also worry that the rise of data-driven creativity could crowd out the traditional kind — and make it harder to find voices and visions we don’t already know.” – Washington Post
Ingo Maurer, Who Raised Design Of Light Bulbs To An Art, Dead At 87
“‘Bad light makes you unhappy,’ Maurer once said. He repeatedly proclaimed his love for the light bulb, which became his trademark. While other designers saw it as something to keep hidden under the lampshade, Maurer centered his designs on the bulb itself.” – Deutsche Welle
Where Is Leonardo’s Other “Prettier” Mona Lisa?
“The second painting that Leonardo aficionados will miss is what many believe is an earlier version of the “Mona Lisa,” which shows a much younger—and dare we say—prettier version of Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, who commissioned the work in the early 1500s.” – The Daily Beast
This Woman Is Out To Collect And Classify Every Ocher In The World
“For years, [Heidi Gustafson] has been engaged in a wide-ranging, multidisciplinary exploration of the mineral … While there has recently been renewed interest in creating paints from natural pigments, Gustafson’s focus is on ocher alone — and it extends beyond the material’s artistic uses to its scientific, symbolic and spiritual properties.” – T — The New York Times Style Magazine
Another Opera Singer Speaks Openly About Plácido Domingo, And This One Is Well-Known
Brigitte Fassbaender had a long and admired career as a mezzo, and after retiring from singing she went on to run the opera house in Innsbruck, Austria. In her recently-published memoir and a subsequent interview, she says that Domingo’s womanizing habits were very well-known in the opera world and that he repeatedly pursued her without success but was polite about being turned down. (She also has something to say about the Metropolitan Opera and James Levine’s proclivities.) – OperaWire
The Domingo Defenders’ Argument, Stated Very Plainly
Heather MacDonald: “It is a grotesque inversion of the proper hierarchy between public accomplishment and private sexual behavior to sacrifice an artist of Domingo’s stature for the sake of 20 disgruntled bit players, laboriously harvested from thousands of professional interactions characterized by graciousness and consideration. Put simply, the discomfort of these belated accusers decades ago is not worth Domingo’s head.” – Quillette
Nevada Public Radio Nearly Collapsed Last Month
The Las Vegas-based network made news in September when it announced “severe cash flow issues,” laid off its staff in Reno, and saw its CEO resign. Now the new interim chief says “We were very close to having to shut the doors” and that the board didn’t know there was financial trouble until August. Forensic accountants are investigating. – Current
YouTube’s Content Moderation System Is Wiping Out Evidence Of War Crimes In Syria, Say Advocates
Yes, it’s a tricky issue: the video platform, along with Facebook, is facing pressure from many sides to remove violent and extremist content; review and removal by humans is slow (and traumatizing for those doing the work), but algorithms are a blunt instrument. In a Video Op-Ed, Syrian activist and archivist Hadi Al Khatib argues that those algorithms are erasing documentation of violence that will be important to history and, potentially, to pursuing justice. – The New York Times
Saudi Arabia To Build Its First Museum Of Modern Art
Not to be left behind in such matters by Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Oman, the Kingdom announced that the Saudi Museum of Modern Art — to be “designed according to a modern creative concept influenced by the traditional local architectural style” — will be built near a historic site on the outskirts of Riyadh. No other details, such as an architect, the nature of the collection, or an opening date, were given. – Forbes