WOUNDED MASTERS

In November three 17th Century Dutch Master paintings stolen from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco on Christmas Eve 1978 were recovered in New York. Now San Francisco’s de Young Museum is showing the paintings in unrestored condition. They dramatically illustrate the effects of neglect on old master paintings. “We know from their condition only that they’ve been kept in very adverse circumstances, probably someplace very damp,” said Lynn Federle Orr, curator of European paintings at the Fine Arts Museums. San Francisco Chronicle

UNDER A SPELL

“If music is truly distinct from speech, then it ought to have a distinct processing mechanism in the brain—one that keeps it separate from the interpretation of other sounds, including language. The evidence suggests that such a separate mechanism does, indeed, exist.” What exactly is the biology behind our reaction to music? – The Economist

THE GOLDEN AGE OF HYPERTEXT

Ten years ago Robert Coover helped usher in the artistic and technological revolution of hypertext. Now the world wide web has brought us something new. “For those who’ve only recently lost their footing and fallen into the flood of hypertext, literary or otherwise, it may be dismaying to learn that they are arriving after the golden age is already over, but that’s in the nature of golden ages: not even there until so seen by succeeding generations.” – Feed 02/11/00