Books & the Arts

A mural by street artist Jorit Agoch, depicting Pier Paolo Pasolini, in the Scampia district of Naples, 2019.

Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Eye Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Eye

For the Italian filmmaker, the act of seeing was its own kind of art.

Aug 2, 2023 / Books & the Arts / T.J. Clark

A scene from Chile 1976

Manuela Martelli’s Tense Political Thriller “Chile ’76” Manuela Martelli’s Tense Political Thriller “Chile ’76”

In her new film, the actor turned director examines the brutality of the Pinochet regime and the oppressive gender politics of the society he ruled.

Aug 1, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jacob Sugarman

Is the History of American Art a History of Failure?

Is the History of American Art a History of Failure? Is the History of American Art a History of Failure?

Sara Marcus’s recent book argues that from the Reconstruction to the AIDS era, a distinct aesthetic formed around defeat in the realm of politics.

Jul 31, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Lynne Feeley

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in “Barbie.”

The Muddled Feminism of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” The Muddled Feminism of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie”

In trying to say too much, the film winds up not saying much at all.

Jul 27, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Tarpley Hitt

Margot Robbin in “Barbie.“

This “Barbie” Is in Crisis This “Barbie” Is in Crisis

Greta Gerwig tackles philosophical questions that are more daunting than a film based on a children’s toy can handle. It results in a strange, uneven, but beautiful movie. 

Jul 26, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Erin Schwartz

What Happened to Peter Handke?

What Happened to Peter Handke? What Happened to Peter Handke?

How an artist obsessed with interiority and language become a literary pariah. 

Jul 26, 2023 / Books & the Arts / David Schurman Wallace

Floodwater after Hurricane Florence in North Carolina.

As Climate Change Remakes the World, Where Will We Live? As Climate Change Remakes the World, Where Will We Live?

Our current systems for administering post-disaster aid are already failing so many—and things are only going to get worse.

Jul 26, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Leah Aronowsky

The Psychic Theater of Boots Riley

The Psychic Theater of Boots Riley The Psychic Theater of Boots Riley

Absurdist, darkly funny, I’m a Virgo tells a story of first love, capitalism’s surreal excesses, the contradictions of Black life, and how much politics a work of art can bear.

Jul 25, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

Sonny Rollins on the Williamsburg Bridge.

The Monumental Improvisations of Sonny Rollins The Monumental Improvisations of Sonny Rollins

Though his life had its ups and downs, Rollins never wavered in his determination to get things right, and often that meant reinventing himself and, along the way, jazz as well.

Jul 24, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Gene Seymour

Cillian Murphy in “Oppenheimer”

The Many Enigmas of Oppenheimer The Many Enigmas of Oppenheimer

In Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan neither indicts nor vindicates the physicist. Instead, he offers a study of a man full of contradictions.

Jul 21, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

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