The yuletide carol, O Tannenbaum (Oh Christmas tree) was written in 1820 and based on a German folk melody. German anti-Fascist artist John Heartfield created the above photomontage in 1934 to deride the Nazis who had seized control of his country the year before. The artist titled his work: O Christmas tree in German soil, how bent are thy…
As with public libraries, art museums should exist to serve the public. The mission of educating, inspiring, and uplifting society has been the calling of art museums… thus far. The erstwhile objective of enriching the social order has evidently been abandoned in favor of the profit motive. New York’s Museum of Modern Art is charging a $20 entrance fee and…
Bernarda Bryson Shahn, renowned artist and illustrator and the wife of the famous artist Ben Shahn, has died at the age of 101. She passed away at her artist colony home in Roosevelt New Jersey where she had lived since 1939. Bernarda worked in all mediums, but was perhaps best known for her lithographs. For President Roosevelt’s depression era Resettlement…
BREAKING NEWS: My blog is apparently the first English language source to report the following story. The renowned Louvre Museum of Paris has cancelled its policy of free admission for artists, teachers, and foreign art students. The annulment went into effect last September after the museum’s price of admission increased by 13%, despite public disapproval. In response, a national –…
This photo shows a US occupation soldier standing near a painting by an anonymous Iraqi artist. The artwork was inspired by the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, the classic book of Arab literature. First compiled in Arabic during the 9th century, the stories have inspired untold thousands of artists. It is the only Arabic work to have become…
Some months ago I was reading a Los Angeles art magazine’s review about an artist’s painting that had as its theme the terror attacks of 9/11. The reviewer made the following comment about the artwork: “the artist managed to de-politicize the work and therefore make its impact that much more dramatic.” The reviewer’s assertion reveals a pathological aversion to politics…
Stuart Jeffries writing for the UK Guardian, conducted a fawning interview with Jeremy Deller, winner of the esteemed Turner Prize. When the reporter asked, “You can’t draw, you can’t paint – how do you get the nerve to call yourself an artist?”, Deller replied, “The thing is – the world has moved on. You’re not writing with quills on parchment….
Jeremy Deller has won Britain’s most prestigious art award for his short film about Texas, Memory Bucket. The movie documents his travels through the US state, featuring encounters with locals and a visit to George W. Bush’s favorite burger bar near the “Western White House.” The Tate Gallery’s Turner Prize honors Deller’s knack for filmmaking by bestowing upon him a…
