This splendid biography of Leon Battista Alberti, beautifully produced, with a rich selection of well-placed and well-reproduced illustrations, vividly portrays one of the most complex and fascinating figures in a complex and fascinating time, one whose preoccupations are entirely relevant today.
Visual Arts
Visual Arts Review: The Trouble with “Symbionts” — and an Unlikely Antidote
Many of the entries in Symbionts do not question scientific worldviews as much as attempt to validate art in a world ruled unquestionably by science.
Visual Arts Commentary: Mid-Century Modern Furniture — Elegant Simplicity and Timeless Aesthetic Style
The allure of clean lines, gentle curves, and organic shapes.
Book Review: “Isabella Stewart Gardner: A Life” — Less Intriguing But Even More Mysterious
As befits an official biography, Silver and Greenwald approach their subject with decorum and respect: they neither hide nor emphasize potentially controversial elements, carefully outlining the sources of money in Isabella’s family and the old Boston Brahmin fortune of her devoted husband.
Visual Arts Feature: “Life of Pi” — Imagination by Design at The A.R.T.
The most mesmerizing characters in this stunningly visual production are brilliant life-size puppets.
Visual Arts Feature: Leonard Cohen — Peering Behind the Public Persona
Despite Leonard Cohen’s outward humility, he was, in fact, an artist who very much cultivated acclaim, and wanted that attention to endure.
Book Reviews: Art Museums — Anything But Neutral
It’s tempting to frame these books as opposing sides in an argument, Old School Establishment vs. Progressive Left. They are more like parallel universes; their opinions and even their terms rarely converge.
Visual Arts Review: Venice Through American Eyes — At the Mystic Seaport Museum
The allure of Venice, as crafted by Venetian artisans, seduced American artists and collectors, who traveled across the world and brought back their prizes to American homes and eventually to museums.
Arts Remembrance: Art and Technology Guru George Fifield
The new media advocate, curator, and artist mentor passed away at the age of 72.
Visual Arts Review: Ukrainian Art Today — Crystallizing the Immediacy of War
These are individual expressions of how it feels to live in a war zone, not scenes of valiant fighters intended to recruit more combatants.