“An enigmatic group portrait of sorts, Las Meninas is populated by an odd cast of characters, including a princess, a nun, a dwarf, and the Baroque artist himself. A stark divergence from traditional royal portraiture, many have likened the painting to a snapshot, in the sense that it packs in a wealth of action. At the same time, close examination reveals that it doesn’t seem to follow the rules of perspective. Without clear evidence of the artist’s intentions or the wishes of his patron, viewers and historians alike are mostly left with theories and unanswerable questions. … Below, we break down what we do (and don’t) know about this inscrutable Spanish masterpiece.”
Tag: 03.23.18
Data: How Music Has Changed In The Streaming Era (More Music, Worse Titles)
By analyzing the kinds of songs and artists that had the most success on the Hot-100, we can see that in 9 short years, there have been major changes in music.
Tavis Smiley Sued PBS For Breach Of Contract; Now PBS Countersues Smiley – And Includes Detailed Sexual Harassment Charges
In December, PBS suspended Smiley’s nightly talk show in the wake of allegations that he had behaved improperly with female members of his staff; within weeks, Smiley, furiously denying the charges and alleging that PBS was “racially hostile” to him, filed suit against the network. “[Now, a] 32-page answer and countersuit, filed in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, alleges Smiley violated the network’s morals clause and seeks $1.9 million in returned salary plus unspecified damages.”
Olly Wilson, Composer Who Brought West African Material Into Western Avant-Garde Music, Dead At 80
“Mr. Wilson, a longtime professor at the University of California, Berkeley, grew up listening to jazz and spirituals. He studied African music in Ghana under one of his two Guggenheim Fellowships, opened an electronic music studio at the Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College in Ohio, where he had formerly taught, and wrote academic papers, including a major essay on the art of black music.”
Why Is The New York Times’ History Of Gay Theater All Plays By White Men?
Alisa Solomon: “How deeply and daily disappointing that the paper of record erases the same people and perspectives that are ever more disdained by the current regime. That for me, at least, goes some way toward explaining the outsized irritation – my own and that of many colleagues – that greeted Jesse Green’s recent 5,000-word essay ‘A Brief History of Gay Theater,’ which ran in [the Men’s Style issue of] T: The New York Times Style Magazine on Sunday, March 4.”
CDs And Vinyl Are Once Again Outselling Digital Downloads
“The RIAA released its 2017 year-end revenue report on Thursday, showing that revenue from digital downloads plummeted 25 percent to $1.3 billion over the previous year. Revenue from physical products, by contrast, fell 4 percent to $1.5 billion. Overall, the music industry grew for the second straight year. And with $8.7 billion in total revenue, it’s the healthiest it has been since 2008.”
Brazil Has One Jackson Pollock – And Its Museum Is Selling It To Keep Itself Afloat
“The Museum of Modern Art (MAM) in Rio de Janeiro announced on Sunday that it is selling the only Jackson Pollock painting currently on public view in Brazil. The museum expects the work, Nº 16 (1950), to sell for around $25 million, which would help the museum sustain itself for at least 30 years. This will be the first time a museum in Brazil has deaccessioned an artwork to pay off debt. MAM currently has a deficit of 1.5 million reais (roughly $454,170), and because it’s a private institution, it does not receive any governmental assistance.”
Big Gender Gap In Pay At Major UK Publishers
The biggest disparity was seen at Hachette UK, where the median gender pay gap was 24.71%, and the mean gender pay gap was 29.69%. Hachette attributed the imbalance to issues including the higher number of men in senior roles; the higher proportion of women in lower pay brackets; and the higher number of women working flexibly and part time.
The Mayor Of London Has Offered One Million Pounds In Grants For London Artists
This sounds like a slice of arts funding paradise: “Particularly targeted at those who do not already have access to public funding and people on lower incomes, the Culture Seeds grants could go towards hiring a venue space or funding artists to lead workshops. Recipients of the grants will be supported with further funding applications by the mayor’s volunteering and social action team and will be given access to resources, surgeries and networks.”
Cannes Has Banned Netflix Films From Competing At The Festival, And Here’s Why
Netflix, which had the rules bent for Okja last year, can’t get around it this year: The films have to be in theatrical release in France to be considered for awards at Cannes. Festival director Thierry Fremaux: “The Netflix people loved the red carpet and would like to be present with other films. But they understand that the intransigence of their own model is now the opposite of ours.”