Category: Modernism
-
Henri Matisse and that cursed armchair
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?
-
Stuart Davis was hip to the jive
Can a painter take the same passionate risks as a jazz musician? For that matter, can the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra transform the colors, lines, and layers of a Stuart Davis painting into live music? Here’s a rare opportunity to compare notes.
-
Alexandra Exter: One night in Kyiv
In her day, Ukrainian artist Alexandra Exter was one of the brightest stars in the European avant-garde. She knew Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Fernand Léger. We hear so much about them. Why do we hear so little about her?
-
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 compositions carried more weight. For openers, his Bauhaus lectures contain more than 1,200 pages of personal research on color, shape, and pattern that are among the most detailed in art — equalled only by the observations of Leonardo da Vinci.
The Shy Museumgoer 