Tag Archives: Paul Gauguin

three way street: la “swell” province

A three-way street is how the Quebec election finished showcasing the strengths and pitfalls of third parties and fairly vigorous identification with the democratic process. All three top finishers, who had a near even separation of popular vote, are going … Continue reading

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enlightenment by design: build a better world?

The Enlightenment. This is our tradition. Our world view. The liberal, rational, humanitarian way of thought that have persisted since Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, the French Revolution and had earlier seeds in the likes of Spinoza, among others. It … Continue reading

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absolute shower of gold

Van Gogh spent a little more than two years in Arles and its environs, painting the burning light and indelible shadows of Arles… The city languished under the Provencal sun, adding to its collection of interesting buildings during the Renaissance … Continue reading

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in search of paradise

In our shrinking globe it appears more difficult to find those elusive Shangri-la’s. Do a few endure, besides deep in our imagination, the longing and desire for the unfettered and fulfilling life, that special place where no one wants to … Continue reading

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A toast to dorian gray

Is our post-modern condition characterized by an instilling of youthfulness into an ancient world. A rejuvenation of creaky old bones. Baudelaire wrote of youth as a sort of priesthood, at least according to the young. Youth is a fetish, a … Continue reading

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eternally recurring youth

A narcissism? A fear of emotion? What does it mean to be human? The death of Mike Kelley this past month forces one to put the concept of the avant-garde on trial; a spotlight on this never grow old, eternally … Continue reading

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in the pink

When Henri Matisse painted the Pink Blouse in 1924, he was a successfully established artist living in comfort in Nice. Some twenty years earlier, at another Mediterranean seaport, he had to struggle to shape his own distinctive style. It was … Continue reading

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poussin the golden: divine means of abstract geometrical truth

He tried to live in France from 1640-42, called back by King Louis XIII and the urging of Cardinal Richelieu who felt it imperative that France had greater artistic luster.Claude Lorrain was also compelled to return. Poussin had been appointed … Continue reading

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surreal values: spiritually adrift in the value traps

In spite of recounting at length her zealotry for “trash” and “kitsch,” which she famously claimed to prefer over serious minded films, Seligman never calls Kael to task for disingenuously backing away from her clarion call of the 1960s. “When … Continue reading

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Paradox: searches for paradise

Where would you rather be? On a spacecraft heading towards a lifeless moon or planet or aboard a bouncing raft constructed as in ancient times? An unabashed romantic. But, complete escape is impossible though the very attempt has its infectious … Continue reading

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