“Suddenly I was struck by a small thumbnail image; it was billed as An American School Portrait of an Unknown Man. Other than that there was nothing – apart from the guide price of $100 (£62). Something about it jumped out at me, though; it exuded a certain glow that differentiates the work of Gainsborough from his contemporaries.”
Tag: 06.27.09
What Has Happened To The Art Of Writing About Music?
“Whereas music writing was once the province of a few hundred thousand fans and a handful of writers, usually in specialised magazines, it’s now in the bookshop, the red-top and “quality” press, the blogosphere and beyond. The result too often suggests a very modern combination of abundance and short weight. To put it another way: how is it that writing about music now is everywhere, and yet seems to be nowhere at all?”
Royal Opera House Hits Snag In Northern Plans
“Before the curtain has even gone up, the proposed scheme to create a permanent new base for the Royal Opera House (ROH) in Manchester has run into trouble.”
A Little Philosophy With Your Subway Ride?
“Drivers on London Underground trains have started reading out quotations from philosophers such as Jean-Paul Sartre in a bid to cheer up passengers. This is just about all we need.”
Germany’s Crumbling Universities
Thousands of less coddled students recently staged protests across Germany against their conditions. “Back education, not banks”, demanded protesters fed up with overcrowded lecture halls, crumbling campuses, tuition fees and a chaotic conversion from the traditional diploma to a European two-tier degree system.