In recent art news, the 2014 Whitney Biennial is now in full swing, the New Museum is hosting Laure Prouvost’s first American solo exhibition, MoMA has a major exhibition of Gauguin prints and drawings, the Art Institute of Chicago has a Christopher Wool retrospective and the innocent denizens of Great Falls, Montana, must be subjected to another Western Art Week.
Tag: art
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Reflections on “Inside Llewyn Davis”
Rather than write a review of the Cohen brothers’ newest film, Inside Llewyn Davis, I’m merely going to offer some general thoughts in response to it. They likely won’t mean much to you if you haven’t seen the movie, and they necessarily contain some plot spoilers. So if you haven’t yet seen it, please move along and come back when you have. And you should see it. It’s a thought-provoking, darkly-humorous and beautifully-filmed reflection on life and art that accomplishes that rare feat of marrying artistic idealism with down-to-earth enjoyability — an ironic achievement given the subject matter.
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Why Is Life Worth Living? (according to Woody Allen)
In his 1978 movie Manhattan, Woody Allen’s character offers these thoughts on life:Why is life worth living? That’s a very good question. Well, there are certain things I guess that make it worthwhile. Like what? Okay, for me, I would say, Groucho Marx, to name one thing and Willie Mays, and the second movement of the Jupiter Symphony, and Louie Armstrong’s recording of “Potato Head Blues,” Swedish movies, naturally, “Sentimental Education” by Flaubert, Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, those incredible apples and pears by Cézanne, the crabs at Sam Wo’s, Tracy’s face …
This quote often comes to mind when I contemplate art, beauty and the meaning of life. Although it’s an idiosyncratic list, I think it offers a meaningful cross-section of aesthetically significant human experiences. It’s not a definitive statement on beauty and life, but many of the items resonate within me as being, in one way or another, truly important. So, here they are, for you enjoyment and contemplation: (more…)
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Ode On An Objectively Beautiful Grecian Urn
One of the standard arguments for the existence of God is the Moral Argument. It can be formulated like this:- If God does not exist, objective moral values do not exist.
- Objective moral values do exist.
- Therefore, God exists.
There’s a similar argument for God that can be made in terms of objective beauty, or objective aesthetic values. Such an argument runs thusly:
- If God does not exist, objective aesthetic values do not exist.
- Objective aesthetic values do exist.
- Therefore, God exists. (more…)
