Picture of the Day

Next Friday, the 4th, we'll be doing our next "Picture of the Day" exercise. The entire class will be devoted to an open-ended discussion of the Saint Matthew in the Lindisfarne Gospels. Do as much research as you like and be prepared to speak. This is also a great selection to practice your formal analysis skills.

To the manner born

This week Baby X was born. His mother, performance artist Marni Kotak, delivered him in a birthing room set up in an art gallery. There were video cameras and a live audience.

Marni next plans to work on her lifetime performance project--raising her son and documenting everything.

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Your turn

Send me an art story that I'm missing. Post it in the comments, email it to me, mail it to me in a plain brown envelope, whatever. Show me something interesting.

This isn't about art

but it's just as important to me--more important. The new Murakami novel is finally coming out in English! I pre-ordered mine back in July, and it's finally--almost--here.

It's big and massive and sprawling and weird. But don't worry about 1Q84 right now.

As soon as possible--in the next week or month or year--read The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. I'll gladly give you a copy. Just read it.

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Van Gogh shot by teenage thugs?

There's a new theory about Van Gogh's suicide. Maybe it wasn't a suicide?

Maybe soon researchers can get back to important work: Caravaggio's death.

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Salon of Beauty

I haven't seen this new work by Ana Serrano yet, but it looks like something worth checking out. The Rice Gallery often has amazing work on display.

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What have the Romans ever done for us?

Let Monty Python remind us. This is a scene from The Life of Brian. Watch the video here. Hint: it's got a transcript below the video.

Road Trip! Caravaggio at the Kimbell

Fort Worth is already my favorite city in Texas, but if you're looking for a reason to go visit, this ought to do. Since the Kimbell is the only US venue to host this show, you had better get your behind to Fort Worth some time between October 16 and January 8.

What are you looking at?

I expect to see a lot more of this type of analysis, which uses scanners to see exactly what in a picture people are looking at. Basic formal analysis sentences, "the blah-blah-blah line leads the eye to blah-blah-blah," can now be tested. With science!