Art Archives - Page 14 of 36 - Interesting Ideas

June 5, 2019 Bill Swislow

John Evelyn: Diary Of A Different World

I loved the three years I spent with John Evelyn and his lengthy diary. But poor John Evelyn — polymath, public citizen (and official), friend to kings and scientists, but destined always to be second fiddle to his friend Samuel Pepys in the 17th century diarist derby. Pepys is the one who is (sometimes) still read, and still frequently cited whenever the English Restoration era is mentioned. Where Evelyn was a pious man and a devoted Royalist, Pepys was scurrilous and a political skeptic, making his commentary more consistently pointed. Both let you enter the everyday life of someone in

May 20, 2019 Bill Swislow

A Single Game of Thrones Grievance

Please forgive this one comment on the Game of Throne finale: The chuckles of the lords and ladies over Samwell Tarley’s plea for a democratic resolution nicely encapsulated the show’s most consistent weakness. Far worse than the final season’s many notorious failings was the show’s lack of interest over its entire run in the lives of ordinary people. Not to take anything away from Arya and the Hound and other worthy characters, but it would have been nice if a few commoners had had a part in the great events other than as victims or as cannon fodder for the

Damaged statue from E.T. Wickham art environment

May 15, 2019 Bill Swislow

E.T. Wickham: Well that it is as it is

The E.T. Wickham site in Palmyra, Tennessee, is one of the country’s spookiest art environments, even in the open field to which the family has relocated most of the statues. Credit the vandals who wrecked the work, but even more the ghost of E.T.’s vision that survived their pummeling. The statues lining the north-central Tennessee back road were erected in the 1950s and 60s by Enoch Tanner Wickham to honor historical figures and family members. They did not fare well after his death in 1970s, but their state seems to have mostly stabilized. Thirteen years ago Wickham family members relocated

May 6, 2019 Bill Swislow

Danielle Jacqui: The House of She Who Paints

I wish I could add to the story of the prolific and ambitious artist Danielle Jacqui and her House of She Who Paints, but not being a French speaker I don’t know much beyond what’s been published in a few English-language venues, including a Raw Vision article here and a SPACES account by Jo Farb Hernández here. But I do have photos from a serendipitous 2018 visit to her environment northeast of Marseille. We were going to do just a drive-by and take some pictures, but it happens that two friendly French ladies were arriving for a tour just when I was

Vintage matchbook cover art from the New Deal Diner, Springfield, MA

February 1, 2019 Bill Swislow

Classic Diners — A Gallery

The art of vintage diners, via their promotional matchbooks, plus a smattering of little grills. I like the contrast between clip-art images and custom renderings. Meanwhile, hop over to John Baeder’s site for his spectacular renditions of matchcover diners, including the Yankee Flyer. Matchbooks

Outliers and American Vanguard Art book cover

January 8, 2019 Bill Swislow

Review — Outliers and American Vanguard Art

Outliers and American Vanguard Art, by Lynne Cooke. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 412 pages, 450 color plates, 2018. ISBN: 978-0226522272. Hardcover, $65 Outliers and American Vanguard Art, filling several rooms at the National Gallery of Art, is a dauntingly large-scale show. And at five pounds, 412 pages, 450-plus illustrations and a 10 x12 form factor, its catalog is even more daunting. But, despite some excess imbrications and fixed subject positions, the art and the important points being made are plenty sufficient to interest non-academic readers. Curator Lynne Cooke’s core premise is that the story of modernism is woefully incomplete absent

Cover of Eugene Von Bruenchenhein Mythologies catalog

January 8, 2019 Bill Swislow

Review — Eugene Von Bruenchenhein: Mythologies

Mythologies, the name of the Kohler Art Center exhibit and substantial catalog, makes a holistic case for Eugene Von Bruenchenhein’s brilliance.

Wacky store names: Sign and storefront of Do Eat restaurant, Chicago

December 8, 2018 Bill Swislow

Some Really OK New Wacky Store Names

Another batch of the strange, the bizarre, the inexplicable wacky store names of the world. As someone pathologically prone to understatement, I’m especially fond of business names that don’t try too hard. Do eat some OK paella before buying a simply basic but typical gift. Do Eat Korean Barbecue, Chicago Favorable Chicken-Kebabs-Ribs, London: Photo by Martin Stocks Nice Pharmacy, Koh Samui, Thailand O.K. Paella, Toledo, Spain OK Painters, Siem Reap, Cambodia Simply Basic, Barcelona Typical Gift, Toledo, Spain Closely related to understatement, and just as dynamic, are the businesses whose owners favor highly generalized branding. Here are those latest additions:

Street dominoes game, pastel by Quinten B. Smith

October 10, 2018 Bill Swislow

Quinten B. Smith’s Masterful City Scenes

These city scenes show a mastery of detail and a real feeling for people and place. Drawn by Quinten B. Smith in the 1990s and early 2000s, their precision and beauty make them wholly convincing.

September 5, 2018 Bill Swislow

Vintage Vinyl For Sale

I’m selling many vintage vinyl LPs at my neighborhood’s community yard sale Saturday, Sept. 8, 9-4. Plus vintage furniture, art objects, collectibles, household items, vintage textiles and more. Of course, any reasonable offer will be considered. Here are the LPs that will be on sale: