Category: Modernism
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Henri Matisse and that cursed armchair
Anxious by nature, Henri Matisse painted quiet moments of repose in order to catch his breath before returning to the turmoils of life. Peace of mind is what he craved and what he wanted to bestow on us. Does this mean he wasn’t quite serious enough as an artist?
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Stuart Davis was hip to the jive
Can a modern artist take the same passionate risks as a jazz musician? Or is that hard to bring off? Likewise, can Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra transform the colors, lines, and layers of a painting into live music? Let’s compare notes.
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Alexandra Exter: One night in Kyiv
In her day, Ukrainian artist Alexandra Exter was one of the brightest stars in the European avant-garde. Her friends and colleagues included Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Fernand Léger. We know so much about them. Why do we know so little about her?
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Decoding the mysterious art of Paul Klee
Unlike Picasso, Paul Klee doesn’t suffer from being taken way too seriously. But maybe it’s time his ideas carried more weight. Klee’s Bauhaus lecture notes contain over 1,200 pages of personal research into color, shape, and pattern that are among the most detailed in art history.
The Shy Museumgoer 