More graphs about art

Here are some charts documenting the still-small acceptance of women in art.

Palettes of famous artists

This is what the paint looks like before it's on the canvas.

Yoko Ono at MoMA

While I never thought of Yoko Ono as "the woman who broke up the Beatles," I must admit that I only thought of her as John Lennon's wife. That was silly of me, because a) no person's identity should be limited to their spouse, and b) she's an accomplished artist.

Her show to MoMA will (hopefully) help to break the limiting label. You can read this synopsis of her career to help not make the same mistake so many of us have made.

For what it's worth...

...the school district internet filters are now keeping me from Blogger at work. So posting here has been difficult. I don't know if moving to a new host site will solve the problem or only delay.

Why is the timpani player smelling his drum?

Here's a quick rundown of some funny questions you might like to read before going to a classical music concert.

If you do go to one, let me know! I love to talk about concerts, but rarely get the opportunity.

Chiharu Shiota's keys

A key is a powerful symbol of security and belonging. So why not 50,000 of them?

"Why Don't They Come?"

This seems important to read. It's got math and charts and stuff, but it's really important.

This can't be happening

I think I may have somehow become a Frank Gehry fan. I'd never really liked his buildings. While the Guggenheim Bilbao is supposed to be a masterpiece, I always thought it looks like a hunk of broken mess. I wasn't surprised to see in an exhibit that Gehry likes to do his sketches not with pencil on paper, but with wadded up pieces of paper. One man's trash is another man's Architecturally Significant Building.

But then I had to admit that the Walt Disney Hall really is spectacular.

And then he did the residential tower in Manhattan, which is supremely and surprisingly elegant.

And the sneak peaks we're getting of his giant new Facebook headquarters are...well...really cool.

I don't know if Gehry's getting older or I am. Maybe both.

Street art

(Photo: Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times)

All of Tehran's roughly 1,500 billboards now have art on them instead of advertisements.

A personal note...

...to whoever changed the name on my door. That's very sweet. It's been a good year.

On clothes, mindsets, and power

Stanley Marcus (the Marcus in Neiman Marcus department stores) once said that "a casual wardrobe produces a casual attitude." Science is proving him right. It turns out that wearing formal clothes "makes people think more broadly and holistically." Wearing a suit or other business wear will likely make you think more like a powerful person and act more like a powerful person.

While I believe this broad thinking and confidence is largely a good thing ("dress better than you have to" is one of the axioms I live by), there can be negative consequences: thinking of yourself as powerful and in a higher social class might make you less ethical.

Pop culture crossover: Mad Men!

Eight Tips on Creativity

I don't know who Michael Smith is, and I try to avoid passing on too much advice. But I like this quirky list from a professional.

What's she doing with her hands?

I've never even thought about what the Venus de Milo is doing with her missing hands. I just assumed they were in some pose meant to be beautiful. But lots of people over the past two centuries have made conjectures, and 3-D printing is coming into the conversation. Maybe she's spinning yarn? It's plausible.

Playing to the Gallery

I'll be reading Grayson Perry's Playing to the Gallery: Helping Contemporary Art in Its Struggle to Be Understood this summer. If you do too, then we can talk about it!