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 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
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
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
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
Oh Yoko! Ms. Ono at 80 Oh Yoko! Ms. Ono at 80
Yoko’s 80th birthday is a day to celebrate her art, music and activism.
Feb 20, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Jon Wiener
A Night at the Oscars for Israel-Palestine A Night at the Oscars for Israel-Palestine
Two brilliant nominees, The Gatekeepers and 5 Broken Cameras, along with other recent documentaries, have deepened our understanding of the conflict.
Feb 20, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Roane Carey
At War With Art At War With Art
The Smithsonian’s show on the Civil War and American Art expresses a deep unease about the relationship between between art and history.
Feb 19, 2013 / Books & the Arts / James W. Loewen
A Deliberate Pace: On Rachel Carson A Deliberate Pace: On Rachel Carson
On a Farther Shore captures the conservationist’s deep sense of geologic time and the forces of evolution.
Feb 19, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Vivian Gornick
Wild Things: What Was Abstract Art? Wild Things: What Was Abstract Art?
MoMA’s monumental exhibition recalls the time when abstraction affected people like love or revolution.
Feb 19, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky