Books & the Arts

Darkness Lit From Within: On A.B. Yehoshua

Darkness Lit From Within: On A.B. Yehoshua Darkness Lit From Within: On A.B. Yehoshua

The soul-destroying weariness in A.B. Yehoshua’s stories seems as old as time itself—and unique to contemporary Israel.

Mar 6, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Vivian Gornick

Endless Representation: On Giorgio Griffa and Thomas Nozkowski

Endless Representation: On Giorgio Griffa and Thomas Nozkowski Endless Representation: On Giorgio Griffa and Thomas Nozkowski

Even when painting is abstract, it never ceases to be concerned with decoration.

Mar 6, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Jellyfish or Fossil? On Louis Agassiz

Jellyfish or Fossil? On Louis Agassiz Jellyfish or Fossil? On Louis Agassiz

Frustrated, stubborn, committed to bad science, was Louis Agassiz anything other than a laughingstock?

Mar 6, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Brenda Wineapple

Shelf Life

Shelf Life Shelf Life

Robert Burley’s The Disappearance of Darkness, Harvey Wang’s From Darkroom to Daylight.

Mar 6, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Lucy McKeon

Honoring Rosa Parks Requires More Than a Statue

Honoring Rosa Parks Requires More Than a Statue Honoring Rosa Parks Requires More Than a Statue

The memorial to Parks turned her into a meek and redemptive figure—instead of the radical freedom fighter she was until the end of her life.

Feb 28, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Marwa Amer and Jeanne Theoharis

Passing the Signal Along Passing the Signal Along

The task of a critic has to do with the nature of the knowledge we call art.

Feb 28, 2013 / Books & the Arts / William Deresiewicz

The Oscars 2013: Hollywood’s CIA Celebration

The Oscars 2013: Hollywood’s CIA Celebration The Oscars 2013: Hollywood’s CIA Celebration

The feel-good portrayal of the agency in 'Argo' glosses over its role in previously overthrowing Iran's democratically elected leader.

Feb 26, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Robert Scheer

Politics and Oscar Night

Politics and Oscar Night Politics and Oscar Night

The Academy Awards this year were supposed to be “political.” A reminder of a time when that word really meant something.

Feb 25, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Rick Perlstein

The Weird Blend of Apolitical Denial and Shameless Propaganda at the Oscars

The Weird Blend of Apolitical Denial and Shameless Propaganda at the Oscars The Weird Blend of Apolitical Denial and Shameless Propaganda at the Oscars

This year’s Oscars swung the pendulum from strangely apolitical to peddled propaganda.

Feb 25, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Allison Kilkenny

Sundance, the Oscars and the Decline of Film Criticism—Not Just a Lady Problem

Sundance, the Oscars and the Decline of Film Criticism—Not Just a Lady Problem Sundance, the Oscars and the Decline of Film Criticism—Not Just a Lady Problem

The Sundance-to-Oscar pipeline has been great for independent film directors—at least the male ones.

Feb 22, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Roya Rastegar

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