02.08.06

one turns up odd stuff while planning a destination wedding. of interest today (though not quite right for 'lauren and joe's guide to oxford') are the ten worst paintings hanging in britain (per the guardian). the blurb on julian opie's portraits of blur is rather depressing:
Almost anything in the National Portrait Gallery is irritating, but this is particularly so because Opie's done such a smoothed out, contemporary, stylish painting without any real originality or feeling or emotion. It's not anything that couldn't have been done on a computer. I know it invites comparisons with Warhol and Richter, but with both of those there are great painterly touches and emotions, but not with Opie. And Blur themselves are embarrassing subject matter. They're the quintessence of Britpop and what was supposedly hot in our culture in the 90s. Now they're just deeply unfashionable.
call me anyway, damon. in questionable art news of a personal nature, i'm scoring my first byline in the march issue of the magazine. the name-in-print part is undeniably titillating; the name-in-print-after-stuff-that-isn't-offensively-squidgy-but-only-vaguely-resembles-what-i-wrote part is a bit odd. getting one step closer to writing for fun and profit, now that's unequivocally good.

3 comments:

bassett h-q said...

Oh, that painting isn't that bad. It's pop art. It's not supposed to be Starry Night or Nighthawks, is it?

My personal object of loathing? A painting in the Art Institute: black background, white text: "Oct. 31, 1978." I mean, *huh?*

Anywho. What's the article about? Because I'd feel odd leafing through [your magazine] at Dominick's. I'm not obsessed with manliness when I'm out for paper towels and pasta, of course, but still.

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sara said...

i vote for number 10. i mean, blake should stick with writing poetry, right? he's much better at it. i would never tell him that to his face though. artists struggle with esteem enough as it is. (did he? perhaps not as much...)

in other news, congrats on the byline! yeah!

lauren said...

it's about NIMH and fear, though it sounds like it's about love. had to zap your mention of the magazine, by the way - i doubt i'm in danger of getting dooced, but it never hurts to be careful. no names, please.