May 27th

stack o’ books

Just finished:

The Disappointment Artist - Jonathan Lethem

A collection of essays in the “humorous but touching” vein. Not bad, quite enjoyed several, but it wound up in a rather self-indulgent fashion. If you read this one, just stop after the one about Cassavetes.

Still reading:

My Faraway One - the letters of Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keeffe, edited by Sarah Greenough

This one is going to take me forever. For. Ev. Er. It’s incredibly long, but I am enjoying it immensely.

The Ego Tunnel - Thomas Metzinger

Phenomenal, in the Philosophical-with-a-capital-P sense. The philosophy of mind and perception. His thesis: there is no self. We shall see if he can convince us.

Yet to start:

Trading Up - Michael Silverstein and Neil Fiske

Depressing stuff about marketing and greed.

French Women Don’t Get Fat - Mireille Guiliano

I’m vain. So sue me.

Gunnar’s Daughter - Sigrid Undset, translated from the Norwegian by Arthur Chater

A novel length fairy tale. (I hope.)

[As an aside, can I just say how very much I love our inter-library loan system?]

20120527 @ 1042
May 25th
nevver: Shape it

nevver:

Shape it

1,014 notes | 20120525 @ 1321
May 1st
“ Sooner or later in life everyone discovers that perfect happiness is unrealizable, but there are few who pause to consider the antithesis: that perfect unhappiness is equally unattainable. ”
— Primo Levi (via nevver)
811 notes | 20120501 @ 1321
April 24th
newsweek: Our Arts Critic Responds to the ‘Useless Majors’ List When Blake Gopnik, Newsweek & The Daily Beast’s arts critic, saw that arts degrees made up the majority of our ‘13 useless college majors’ list, he was a little upset, so we asked for a post from Blake to put it all into context. Here’s Blake (follow him on tumblr!): I say we could simply re-title The Daily Beast’s survey as “The 13 Most Useful College Majors” and it would be equally valid. After all, who’s more important today, Rembrandt or the people who bought his art? Monet or the people who bought his? Van Gogh or the rich idiots who FAILED to buy what he made? Useless is as useless does, I say, and it seems pretty clear to me that, across history, many of the people who made the biggest difference had training in the most useless professions. (Aristotle, anyone?)  Again, which is more useless, adding another million dollars to the millions you already have, or adding a new work of art, or a new thought, to the world’s store of ideas? The single biggest problem the world has today, by far  is that people in the West are used to owning and using too much, and are setting an impossible example for the rest of the planet. (See the new movie called “Surviving Progress”). So there’s real-world, practical virtue in living modestly, “uselessly”, and taking your pleasure from the thoughts and ideas you acquired in getting your “useless” degree in art or poetry or philosophy.  The world will not be a better place when more people have more money and stuff. It can ONLY be better when more people have better thoughts. I’m proud to say that my first degree, in medieval history, and my second and third, in art history, are as useless as they come. I’d do them all over again. PS: The most recent issue of Newsweek magazine ran a nice long and positive review of a book by philosopher Michael Sandel claiming that money is not the measure of all things – and that it’s ruining America’s values. Read the Michael Sandel book review // Follow Blake on Tumblr (Ed: Oooh! Ooh! We just so happen to have a live chat planned with Michael Sandel on Wednesday at 1pm ET. We swear this wasn’t planned, but so cool Blake mentioned the book review.)

newsweek:

Our Arts Critic Responds to the ‘Useless Majors’ List

When Blake Gopnik, Newsweek & The Daily Beast’s arts critic, saw that arts degrees made up the majority of our ‘13 useless college majors’ list, he was a little upset, so we asked for a post from Blake to put it all into context.

Here’s Blake (follow him on tumblr!):

I say we could simply re-title The Daily Beast’s survey as “The 13 Most Useful College Majors” and it would be equally valid.

After all, who’s more important today, Rembrandt or the people who bought his art? Monet or the people who bought his? Van Gogh or the rich idiots who FAILED to buy what he made? Useless is as useless does, I say, and it seems pretty clear to me that, across history, many of the people who made the biggest difference had training in the most useless professions. (Aristotle, anyone?) 

Again, which is more useless, adding another million dollars to the millions you already have, or adding a new work of art, or a new thought, to the world’s store of ideas? The single biggest problem the world has today, by far  is that people in the West are used to owning and using too much, and are setting an impossible example for the rest of the planet. (See the new movie called “Surviving Progress”). So there’s real-world, practical virtue in living modestly, “uselessly”, and taking your pleasure from the thoughts and ideas you acquired in getting your “useless” degree in art or poetry or philosophy.  The world will not be a better place when more people have more money and stuff. It can ONLY be better when more people have better thoughts.

I’m proud to say that my first degree, in medieval history, and my second and third, in art history, are as useless as they come. I’d do them all over again.

PS: The most recent issue of Newsweek magazine ran a nice long and positive review of a book by philosopher Michael Sandel claiming that money is not the measure of all things – and that it’s ruining America’s values.

Read the Michael Sandel book review // Follow Blake on Tumblr

(Ed: Oooh! Ooh! We just so happen to have a live chat planned with Michael Sandel on Wednesday at 1pm ET. We swear this wasn’t planned, but so cool Blake mentioned the book review.)

957 notes | 20120424 @ 0928
April 18th
nevver: Extinguishing Yourself

nevver:

Extinguishing Yourself

2,247 notes | 20120418 @ 1443
April 7th
sandman-kk: Franz Kline, Black, White, and Gray, 1959  MET

sandman-kk:

Franz Kline, Black, White, and Gray, 1959  MET

(Source: paperimages)

194 notes | 20120407 @ 2342
March 31st
Made with Paper

Made with Paper

1 note | 20120331 @ 2307
March 26th
1 note | 20120326 @ 1446
March 20th

I dreamt last night that I was lying on the ground, looking at burning sticks falling from the sky, and a mountain lion crept up to me. It laid down beside me and took my shoulder in its mouth. I could feel its teeth; it hurt but it didn’t bite through. The mountain lion let go and then went away.

I’m sure it’s a metaphor for something.

20120320 @ 0655
March 19th
i12bent: Tonight’s spotlight falls on a seminal artist - in both Germany and the US: Josef Albers, German-born American artist, designer and teacher: March 19, 1888 - 1976… Portrait: Henri Cartier-Bresson

i12bent:

Tonight’s spotlight falls on a seminal artist - in both Germany and the US:

Josef Albers, German-born American artist, designer and teacher: March 19, 1888 - 1976…

Portrait: Henri Cartier-Bresson

10 notes | 20120319 @ 2048