David Ebony — In dark times of social turmoil, political upset, and the seemingly perpetual war and violence that define our present era, it helps to consider the art of the far distant past for some solace, and a bit of elucidation, perhaps. Today, democracy seems as fragile as it
Revival Type: Digital Typefaces Inspired by the PastFrom the Designers’ Desks: Abby Goldstein and Paul Shaw is a new book that provides a fascinating, visually rich tour through typographic history. The book is the result of a close collaboration between Abby Goldstein and Paul Shaw that does not fit neatly into the usual
Martin Kitchen— The Oxford historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, whom British Intelligence had appointed to counter Soviet claims that Hitler was not dead but had sought refuge with the Western Allies, interviewed Albert Speer while he was in custody at Kransberg Castle, where he awaited trial at Nuremberg. He had found him
This summer, Yale University Press is delighted to publish a smart book about the transformation of photography and the visual arts around the year 1968. The book is The Recording Machine: Art and Fact During the Cold War; in it, author Joshua Shannon explains what he calls “factualism,” the tendency
David Ebony– This year’s Whitney Biennial, on view through June 11, is an extraordinary exhibition for a number of reasons. Widely regarded as the premier museum survey of contemporary art in the U.S., the Biennial, now in its 78th incarnation, is the first to take place in the Whitney’s new
Patricia Mainardi– Traviès’s 1831 lithograph shows a man gesturing towards a display of caricatures while saying “You have to admit that the head of state looks pretty funny”. It could serve as a banner for all political cartooning, an art that is at its best in difficult times. Simply put,
Debby Kaspari— I’m a natural history artist, and try to draw and paint from living animals whenever possible. Some of what I do in the field might turn out to be finished art, and some of it will become raw material for studio works. But making the art is only
Ivy Sanders Schneider– Josef Albers was a hugely influential German-born American artist and educator. This week — between March 19th, the day he was born in 1888, and March 25, the day he died eighty-eight years later — we highlight aspects of his life to commemorate his work and enduring legacy. Josef
“[G]limmers of unfathomable light” … a “yolk-colored blob” … “a sensuous array of abstract composition moving in suspended and unknowable sequence” … “vivid tendrils and clouds, soaring and seeping like magma” … “bruises seen in time-lapse”. All of these descriptions represent attempts to capture in words the strange beauty of
As many who are attentive to art world goings-on are aware, collectors Frank and Michelle Hevrdejs recently promised to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, a trove of spectacular still lifes by American artists; the works span the years from 1817 to 2012. A book on the collection, Two Centuries