Week-in-my-Life: Aug 2012 (Pt. 2)

THURSDAY 08/09/12

7:30am = breakfast: egg & cheddar sandwich on multi-grain toast with blackberries & coffee

8:30am = more dissertation writing, discover 15 pages written in my introduction (stunned!)

11:00am = head to Maybelle’s Cafe again for Wi-Fi and early lunch, discover it’s completely mobbed with people hoarding all the tables, suddenly disgusted that no one in my neighborhood has consideration for me, so forced to go to Starbucks instead, where I do more digital image research on Buddhist art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection (image above: Head of Buddha, ca. 4th century, Gandhara or modern-day Pakistan)

12:00pm = lunch: chicken tarragon sandwich & iced tea at Starbucks

2:00pm = home with cup of tea, falling asleep on the couch, force myself to wake up with yet another cup of tea with a snack of cherries and a chocolate pudding

3:00pm = therapy with UK (always helpful, never disappointing)

4:30pm = back to working on Buddhist art, finish another PowerPoint lecture with about 65 slides of images for a 3-hour class (huzzah!)

7:00pm = dinner: tortellini stuffed with spinach & cheese in a with a butter/olive oil-peas-tomatoes sauce; Netflix movie = finally finish watching Mirror Mirror (3 stars, and I'm being generous)

FRIDAY 08/10/12

3:55am = alarm goes off so I can do early-morning trip to gym, decide to sleep for just a few more minutes

6:30am = wake up realizing I'm not going to gym for early-morning workout; breakfast: Eggo whole grain waffles with blackberries and tea

10:00am = breakfast #2: cinnamon coffee cake & iced tea at Starbucks

10:30am = at library to use Wi-Fi to pay bills, update files, and go through library books on textiles from India and Mughal decorative arts

1:30pm = lunch: roast beef & cheddar sandwich on whole wheat roll, small bag of Doritos, & cream soda (no judging - I can gorge on bad food sometimes!)

2:00pm = begin the wait for the Time-Warner cable repair man to show up, rest on the couch watching from Netflix first 2 parts of documentary about history of India

3:15pm = first automated phone call notifying me Time-Warner is on their way, but I should confirm just in case

4:00pm = second automated phone call notifying me Time-Warner is on their way, but I should confirm just in case (note: I already received 3 of these calls earlier in the week as well)

5:15pm = another phone call (this time from a live person!) notifying me Time-Warner is on their way

5:45pm = Time-Warner finally shows up (note: appointment time was from 2-4pm), the great drama of my Internet service problems continues, and he even has to climb down the fire escape to check wires in our courtyard

6:45pm = After 2 months of nightmare problems, Internet is working! (huzzah!), begin prayers that it doesn't go out again

8:00pm = dinner: red-leaf salad with chicken tenders, tomatoes, red beans, black olives, cheddar cheese, and honey mustard dressing with water; movie: finish watching parts 2 and all of 3 of The Story of India (5 stars - very interesting, highly recommended)

SATURDAY 08/11/12

8:00am = after letting myself sleep a little later than usual, breakfast: 2 sunny-side-up eggs on multi-grain toast with strawberries and coffee

9:00am = clean bathroom and start dusting, only able to get through task by listening to Kim Sozzi, Lady Gaga, and Nicki Minaj

12:30pm = lunch: leftover tortellini eaten as pasta salad

2:00pm = at library to go through more books on Indian textiles and Mughal decorative arts

3:30pm = gym, almost full workout, 400+ calories burned

5:30pm = starving! snack: mini-cherry pie & iced coffee at Starbucks

6:45pm = meet JM & DC (with his new friend K) at Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay & Lesbian Art for opening of new exhibition Pop-Up Museum of Queer History: Before We Were Queer; network with people we know, drink some free wine, then realize dying of heat stroke and claustrophobia, so rush outside into sticky humidity to breathe

8:15 = dinner: Mexican appetizers and a Corona at Papatzul in SoHo

9:45 = after-dinner glass of Pinot Grigio at Novecento in SoHo

12:00am = Zzzzzzzzz......

Week-in-my-Life: Aug 2012 (Pt. 1)

I know it’s been a while since I last blogged, so I thought I would rectify that by bringing back another one of my random weeks in my life posts, which I last did back in Feb/Mar 2011 (here, here, and here). In some ways it is timely to do this now, as I’ve had a few changes take place in my life. For starters, I’m no longer employed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (bklynbiblio readers may recall this post about one of my work-related digitization projects last Dec.) Circumstances worked out that it was the right time for me to move on to something new, and I’m thrilled to say that I’ll be teaching again starting in Sep. I will be an adjunct lecturer at City College of New York (teaching 19th-Century European Art) and Marymount Manhattan College (teaching a survey of Asian Art). I’m also actively working on my dissertation again. My friend KB and I decided we needed to motivate ourselves by being held accountable to someone, so we are writing weekly updates to one another on our progress. In the spirit of unfolding diurnal events during a random week in my life, here’s what has taken place so far (and in all fairness, I should admit that I've left out mention of the daily dips into Ghirardelli chocolates).

SUNDAY 08/05/12

AA, JM, and I take DC to the beach for his 42nd birthday, specifically Asbury Park where we soak up the sand and surf, probably have few too many cocktails but lots of fun, and wind up at tea dance at Paradise. breakfast #1: tea and cereal; breakfast #2: muffin and iced coffee at Pret a Manger. lunch: pizza and salad. dinner: 5Guys cheeseburger and fries, which we eat during a black-out from a torrential thunderstorm that oddly reminds me of Florida.

MONDAY 08/06/12

9:00am = drop off laundry, then call Time Warner because I still have no Internet service for 2 weeks now, find out I have (yet another) service appointment for Friday, would it not have been nice if someone had told me this before now??!! (begin to secretly plot how to destroy them for their arrogance).

9:30am = breakfast at Maybelle’s Café: bacon, egg & cheddar on brioche and cappuccino. stunned to find entire café filled with people who apparently are all out of work, so uncertain if it’s a good thing that I’m joining them. spend next few hours gathering digital images on early Indus Valley civilizations of Mohenjo-Daro in the Punjab for my lecture.

1:00pm = lunch: turkey & Swiss sandwich on multi-grain break with grapes and walnuts

2:00pm = continue working on same project, successfully finish first PowerPoint for one of my classes, including writing out explanations about things as diverse as the Bhagavad Gita and religious concepts like samsara (huzzah!).

6:30pm = dinner: spinach salad with salmon; Netflix movie: MidsomerMurders: Master Class (4 stars, midlands England, creepy piano teacher, fabulous students getting bumped off...what's not to loved?)

TUESDAY 08/07/12

7:30am = breakfast: pomegranate yogurt, ½ multi-grain bagel with cream cheese, and tea

9:00am = begin dissertation writing with reorganization of material, diving head-first into introduction chapter to justify to myself why I'm slaving away on this bloody thing, amazed to discover 4½ pages written.

12:00pm = lunch: turkey & Swiss sandwich (again), this time with leftover pasta salad; Netflix movie = Mirror Mirror (watch about 20 minutes; so not thrilled with Julia Roberts as a bitchy Queen Mum to Snow White)

2:00pm = off to gym, burn off about 400 calories doing machines and cardio

5:00pm = go to library and do more digital image research, this time on Buddhism and Buddhist art in India and Tibet

7:30pm = dinner: chicken & avocado salad at Pret a Manger

9:00pm = meet academic colleagues DJ and PK from London for professional networking drinks at Lyon’s in Village

WEDNESDAY 08/08/12

8:00am = breakfast: egg & cheddar with multi-grain bread and fruit, cup of coffee

9:00am = more dissertation writing; finish another 5 pages (huzzah some more!)

1:00pm = meet CS3 at the Ferrari dealership/store on Park Avenue (hence the Ferrari logo above), where he insists I show my license and prove to them that I’m actually a Ferrari and one of the distant cousins; despite this humiliation, we have delightful and engaging professional luncheon where we gossip first, then discuss at length electronic publishing, digital image rights, and the world of art books today. lunch: Cuban sandwich with plantain chips, iced tea (thanks for lunch, CS3!).

4:00pm = back to library for more digital image research on Buddhist art, suddenly becoming overwhelmed by the reality of how much work is involved in preparing a lecture to teach!

6:30pm = still at library, suddenly realize I should have left half hour earlier and now will never make it to yoga class (groan!), but then strangely bump into fellow doctoral dissertater SD and catch up for few minutes where we commiserate over the non-existent future of academic careers.

8:00pm = dinner: tomato, red bean, black olive, peas & walnuts salad with Lean Cuisine macaroni & cheese and 2 fried chicken tenders; Netflix movie: continue watching Mirror Mirror, but only get 30 minutes in before catch-up phone calls from the Uncle and SVH.

Stay tuned for more...

Conference of the Birds

Today was one of those unplanned adventures that turned out to be quite a treat. My photographer friend Gerald Mocarsky had a few pieces in a group show at Mana Contemporary, housed in a converted old warehouse in Jersey City that is now a suite of artists' studios and exhibition spaces. AA and I decided to see his show and check out the rest of the installations. One of the more fascinating group shows on the 6th floor was the exhibition "Conference of the Birds" organized by Cynthia Reeves. The show was about how artists see the intersections between birds and us, reminding us that birds are the only species to live on land, sea, and in the air. Birds are some of my favorite animals in nature, so this show was truly a wonderful treat today. There were some beautiful pieces, so I thought I would share a few of my installation views of what I liked. In order below they are:
1) Fly Over (What Lies Beneath) by Teresa Diehl, 2011, soap, resin, & monofilament
2) Riflesso de Stelle by Sibylle Pasche, 2008, white Carrara marble
3) Swirling (detail) by Cindy Kane, 2011, mixed media on luan panels
4) Dreaming of Joy by Ran Hwang, 2008, buttons, pins, wood panel, & steel cage
5) another general installation view

MWA V: Klimt's Adele

The Neue Galerie here in NYC is celebrating the 150th birthday of the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, and it seems only appropriate then to share as this MWA one of his most exquisite paintings, Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1907 (image: Wikipedia), which the gallery owns and now proudly display as the centerpiece of its collection of Austrian and German art from the 1890s through the 1930s. The painting itself is oil and gold on canvas, and it shimmers both in person and in digital format. I can say it is definitely one of my favorite works of art in NYC, as it's both historicized and modern at the same time. Klimt had recently visited Ravenna, with its thrilling Byzantine church mosaics (the church of San Vitale will take your breath away), and decided to paint Bloch-Bauer using the jewel-like tones and effects he observed from these mosaic panels. Her portrait conveys a sense of Mannerism as well, with her attenuated limbs and facial features. At the same time, Klimt was conscious of the work of Cézanne and others in the way color could be used to create a flattened picture plane, for Bloch-Bauer clearly is sitting in a chair, but the pattern of her dress and the background meld into into another and we see a two-dimensional picture (keep in mind that Picasso and Cubism were only just beginning to get started at this time). But the story behind it this picture is just as striking as the picture itself. Adele had been the wife of the wealthy Jewish art collector Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, who fled Vienna with the rise of Nazism, leaving his art collection behind. He later died in Switzerland, having bequeathed his art collection to his nieces. The picture hung for decades in the Belvedere, an Austrian museum, but through the intervention of Nazi reparation, it was given back to his heirs, his surviving niece Maria Altman. She in turn sold the painting in 2006 to Ronald Lauder (heir to the Lauder cosmetics firm) for the then record-breaking sum of $135 million, who purchased it for the Neue Galerie, which he had founded. Needless to say, Altman's action came under a lot of heat, turning what some critics saw as a moment of triumph for the proper restoration of art works to Jewish families into a money-making venture that reeks of American capitalism. Regardless, the picture is exquisite, and it should be high on anyone's list to see if whenever you're in NYC. For more on the picture and its history, you can read this book or this book, or take a look at any article about it, like this one.

Capriccio: The Video

A few weeks ago, I showcased Meera Thompson's work on bklynbiblio, coinciding with the opening of her new show at the Atlantic Gallery. I hinted in that post about a project in the works, and I'm absolutely thrilled to announce that project now has happened. I have participated in a collaborative venture with Meera Thompson and filmmaker Anna Fahr to create a video about Meera's work. I provide art commentary, positioning Meera's work in the longer trajectory of art history, while Anna did the videography and editing. We're quite proud of the end result, as I hope you'll agree. To see more of Anna's documentary work, click here or click here. If you cannot see the video below, you can see it on YouTube by going to http://youtu.be/2k24lxeZfcg?hd=1.

London, Llandudno, and Leeds

In April I announced that I was an invited guest speaker at a conference on Polychromy and Its Environments: New Perspectives on Colour and the Display of Nineteenth-Century Sculpture at the Henry Moore Institute. That time is now upon us. I'll be heading to London first, and ending in Leeds, but I must say that I'm rather excited that I'll be traveling with my cousin HA to Llandudno, Wales for 2 nights. It will be my first time to Wales, and we'll be stomping through John Gibson's birth land in and around Conwy on the north shore of the country. On the list of things to do is visit Bodelwyddan Castle (above) in Rhyl, where some of Gibson's sculptures are on display as long-term loans from the Royal Academy of Arts. I'm sure I'll be posting on Facebook and blogging as time permits. See you soon! Or, as they say in Welsh, Gweler chi cyn bo hir! I can't even begin to think how you would pronounce that.

MWA IV: Leonardo's Ginevra

Back in March, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. announced they were releasing high-resolution digital images of more than 20,000 objects from their collection in an ongoing attempt to make these public domain works more widely available for both commercial and non-commercial purposes using the highest quality museum-produced photography. This is a tremendous coup for educators and the public alike, as the removal of specific fees for publishing and other uses inevitably will draw more people's attentions to the NGA's collection in support of their open access policy. You can read more about their open access policy here. bklynbiblio readers will recall that the Yale Center for British Art previously had done something very similar last year. Other museums will follow, for sure. In celebration of the NGA's move forward, I've selected Leonardo da Vinci's Ginevra de' Benci, ca. 1474-78, as June's Monthly Work of Art. Rather than give my own thoughts on the beautiful portrait, here's just a small piece of what the curators at the NGA have to say about it: "She was the daughter of a wealthy Florentine banker, and her portrait—the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Americas—was probably commissioned about the time of her marriage at age 16. Leonardo himself was only about six years older. The portrait is among his earliest experiments with the new medium of oil paint; some wrinkling of the surface shows he was still learning to control it. Still, the careful observation of nature and subtle three–dimensionality of Ginevra's face point unmistakably to the new naturalism with which Leonardo would transform Renaissance painting. Ginevra is modeled with gradually deepening veils of smoky shadow—not by line, not by abrupt transitions of color or light." You can read more about the painting by clicking here. To search and download NGA images for your own use, click here.

Subway Shots 3

It's been a while since I've shared more of my Subway Shots, but I couldn't resist sharing these, which I took  with my iPhone tonight while riding home on the F train. We're used to seeing crazy things on the NYC subway, but I can say for a fact that this is the first time I've ever seen a walking 8-ft. tree! (She also made me think about Doctor Who, was definitely onto something with the eventual evolution of trees, most notably in the memorable heroine Jabe from the Forest of Cheem.)

Barbra in Brooklyn

Please pardon bklynbiblio for a moment while I gush about some thrilling news: I've got tickets to see Barbra Streisand at her sold-out concert here in Brooklyn this coming October!! Persistence paid off. I was convinced the concert was sold out, but I kept trying, and I got through. This is truly a life-long dream come true for me, so I'm giddy with glee. My amigo AA is going with me. He's not as big a fan as I, but he's being a great sport in joining me, and I appreciate the company very much (muchas gracias!). Besides, during the concert I may swoon and will need him to catch me. Don't laugh! We'll be in the nosebleed section, so I very well could swoon from the high altitude. The concert will be at the Barclays Center, the new stadium they're still constructing not too far away from me. It has been a controversial building project in the Brooklyn community for a while now, and I can't help but think the P.R. machines believe having someone like Barbra headline a concert there soon after it opens will help assuage some of the discontent. We'll see about that. In the meantime, I'll continue to grin and think "Hello, Gorgeous!", per her role seen here as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (1968). To read more about the concert and Barbra's return to her roots in Brooklyn, you can click here.

MWA III: Meera's Capriccio

On Tuesday, May 22, I'll be at the opening reception for my friend Meera Thompson, who has an exhibition of her work at Atlantic Gallery. The beautiful triptych above, Capriccio, is the focal point of the show, so I thought I would make that May's Monthly Work of Art. bklynbiblio readers will recall that I reviewed her last show in 2010, so go there to read my thoughts on her work. Stay tuned to this blog, however, as Meera and I have something in the works with another colleague that, if all goes according to plan, we will be announcing more about next month. In the meantime, here's Meera on the above painting:

"In music a capriccio is a piece that in performance is lively and free. And in the visual arts the term capriccio can be used to describe a picture that suggests an imaginary place. I call this group of paintings Capriccio because the word refers both to the way I paint and what I paint. I believe that when we scan the horizon we are searching for a sense of possibility. Our eyes play along lines that belong more to our desire to dream than to our ability to be objective. It is an experience that takes us beyond the boundaries of here and now. While the horizon might be tangible when it is framed in a picture, in essence it is the stuff of fantasy. When I paint I use the horizon as an avenue into abstraction."


If you're in NYC and free Tuesday evening, swing by the Atlantic Gallery (135 W. 29th St., Suite 601) from 5-8pm for the opening reception.

Prada Calling: The Costume Institute Gala

It's early May in NYC, and that means it's time for the Met's annual Costume Institute Ball, where celebrities can show off their latest fashions on the red carpet as they traipse up the steps of the museum, hob-nob with the artsy 1% in the Great Hall, and feed their faces by the Temple of Dendur (note: models needing to purge must do so in the ladies room). This year's annual gala was in honor of the latest Costume Institute exhibition opening this week, Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations, honoring two great Italian women fashion designers. Considering the tremendous success of last year's Alexander McQueen exhibition, there is pressure to make this year's show a great one as well. But rather than focus on the show, I'm following in my new fun tradition of fashion critic, as I have for the past two years, covering the highlights from last night's red carpet walk. (For more on the event and the runway fashions, including a full slideshow, see The New York Times and New York magazine.)

Anna Wintour, Vogue Editor-in-Chief, pictured here, was once again a success, this time in her Prada gown with gold lobster-motif embroidery. Her co-chairs for the event were Miuccia Prada herself and actress Carey Mulligan, who wore a metallic fish-beaded dress by Prada. Among the other great highlights of the evening were Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary from Downton Abbey) in an elegant strapless Ralph Lauren gown with matching black gloves, Scarlett Johansson in Dolce & Gabbana, and (surprisingly!) Rihanna in a black alligator leather-like dress from Tom Ford. Hilary Swank was the shapely lady in red wearing Michael Kors, and Amy Adams looked like a goddess in her classically inspired one-shoulder gown by Giambattista Valli Haute Couture. But my hands-down favorite fashion moment was Jessica Paré (Megan from Mad Men), pictured above, looking exquisitely sexy and sophisticated in a gorgeous form-fitting L'Wren Scott gown.

And then there were the horrific fashion mishaps... Amy Poehler wore a ridiculous black mermaid-tail dress that I swear she raided from a bad Saturday Night Live sketch. Solange Knowles was dressed in a ribbon of butter. And if she wasn't looking yellow enough for you, January Jones could have stung you with her breasts encased in their bumble bee-striped bustier. I'm convinced Claire Danes was wearing her terry-cloth bathrobe. Chloe Sevigny needs to leave her 45 r.p.m. record collection at home, not wear them on her body. And Sarah Jessica Parker...do you think she realizes her Valentino floral print gown also doubles as a Laura Ashley tent? And can I just ask what is up with designers Vera Wang and Rachel Zoe? They're so thin and bony they disappear when they turn to the side! Marc Jacobs chose to wear a black lace tablecloth--very grateful he left his white boxer shorts on underneath. Fortunately, other men saved the night. Tim Tebow made this an interesting NYC debut sporting Ralph Lauren, and James Franco looked informally chic in Gucci. But truly the man of the night was my ex-fantasy boyfriend Matt Lauer, seen here. He asked me to go as his date, but I didn't think it was a good idea for us to be seen in public together again.

[Images: Jessica Paré by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; Anna Wintour by Kevin Mazur/WireImage; Matt Lauer by Getty Images; all from New York magazine]

The Why-Phone

Over the past few weeks, I finally took a big step forward into the 21st century, technology-wise. First, I made the decision to stop resisting Facebook's insistence on using the Profile Timeline and switched over, inevitably discovering that the only way it works properly is that you have to spend the time actually dating your photos and such. Then, I made the next big step and installed WiFi in my apartment. I think my family and friends thought I had been replaced by an alien twin. And now, succumbing to the greatest pressure of all, I have an iPhone 4S. What do I think of it? Just look at the picture of me showing it off! I look like a giddy fool!

bklynbiblio readers may recall my ambivalence about the iPad when I got one last year. I still think it's rather sleek, and now having WiFi has made a tremendous difference in how I use it. I also have found it to be very convenient for traveling, when not carrying my laptop. My big problem then (and to some extent now) is that basically it's an entertainment device with really cool touch-screen technology. But when it came to its sister product, the iPhone, here's what I wrote back in July 2011: "OK, so if you're wondering why with this touch-screen action I'm acting like I've never heard of the iPhone before, it's simply because I don't own an iPhone and iDon'tWantOne. The screen on those things is just too small for me to appreciate what you're trying to look at, and first and foremost I just want my cell phone to make phone calls, not turn into a vocal GPS so Majel Barrett can tell me how to get to Starbucks (come on...do you really want people to know you're lost while walking?)." Man, was I ever stupid.


People have been raving about this little gadget for a while, and I felt like they were blowing smoke out their asses just to show off. It's a phone with lots of gizmos, right? Big deal! I can now sheepishly admit that I was wrong. Seriously wrong. I've had mine now for 1 week, and I think I'm in love with it. I may even name her. Steve Jobs clearly was a modern-day Prometheus. Instead of giving us fire, he gave us the next best thing, a hand-held computer-slash-communication device that can think and talk back to you. How did humans ever exist without this thing? The camera takes great pictures, and you can seamlessly integrate them into messaging or emails or Facebook or Twitter or whatever. The iCloud technology means my iPad and iPhone are now synced in real-time. What also amazes me is that if I'm in a WiFi zone, all my data exchange is through the WiFi. When I'm not, it's automatically part of my telephone data plan. You're almost never disconnected. That's what was missing from the iPad: the integration of constant communication. Even the phone works great! Plus with the 4S system, I can even use my iPhone as a wireless router and connect my laptop to the Internet when I'm in a no-WiFi zone. Brilliant, I tell you! And don't even get me started on Siri, the talking personal servant/secretary, whom I admit I've barely begun to engage with because I'm terrified she knows the secrets to both world peace and the apocalypse.


While I have to admit that I still prefer the large screen of the iPad over that of the iPhone (these aging eyes just see things better on the larger screen), I'm willing to put up with that inconvenience with all of the other incredible things this iPhone can do. I do find myself also now feeling a little paranoid that someone's going to steal my phone, as technology muggings are on the rise here in NYC. Still, I must say, I'm thrilled with my decision to move forward and get this phone. I now have a glimpse of understanding about those wackos who wait for days on line to get the new iPhone when it's released. I'm not joining them, mind you (I have to draw my crazy line somewhere), but oddly enough I now seem to get it. I could keep going on, but I think I just got a "ding" that it's my turn playing Words with Friends!

Polychromy and Its Environments

I'm quite flattered and pleased that I've been invited to be one of the guest speakers at a conference entitled Polychromy and Its Environments: New Perspectives on Colour and the Display of Nineteenth-Century Sculpture. The conference will be held in June at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, England. You can read more about the conference by clicking here. (bklynbiblio readers will recall my series of posts, such as this one, from when I received a research fellowship from the HMI back in October/November 2010.) The conference addresses the fact that people are used to seeing sculpture as a monochromatic art, e.g. white marble or brown bronze. In fact, color has been a vibrant part of sculpture's history and its installation. Even the ancient Greeks and Romans painted their marble statues, an idea which still surprises people today. In an attempt to revive this practice for a modern audience, John Gibson (1790-1866) reintroduced polychromy with a number of his marble statues from the 1840s on by applying wax-based pigments to the figures. The most famous of these was the Tinted Venus, which you see here in a photograph from when the work was displayed in London at the International Exhibition of 1862 (image: Courtauld Institute of Art). I've tentatively entitled my paper "From the Studio to the Fair: Re-Viewing John Gibson's Tinted Venus," with the intention of arguing that we need to put aside our preconceived notions about this work and its reception by "re-viewing" it in the context of both his studio in Rome and at the International Exhibition, and by reconsidering the reviews published about it at the time. Wish me luck!

CAA 2013 in NYC

Although the College Art Association's 100th conference just met in Los Angeles in February (at which you will recall I presented a paper), the call for papers for the 2013 conference has gone out. The 101st conference will be back here in NYC. I'm not proposing anything this time, as I have too much going on already, but I'm rather pleased by the wide array of topics. In browsing through the panel sessions, a few piqued my interest, some because of content/subject matter, others because I know the individuals coordinating the sessions.
** For the blogger in me who writes about art and art history, 2 really interesting sessions: "Art Criticism: Taking a Pulse" (chaired by Holland Cotter from The New York Times) and "The Work of Art Criticism in the Age of E-zines and Blogging"
** "The Proof is in the Print: Avant-Garde Approaches to the Historical Materials of Photography's Avant-Garde" (1910-39 photographic techniques)
** "Local Modernisms" (altering the canonical approach that modernism was disseminated from Europe to the world, to suggest instead modernism as a synchronous global phenomenon; chaired by the always interesting Geoffrey Batchen)
** "Bad Boys, Hussies, and Villains" (placing anyone from Caligula [image: Metropolitan Museum of Art] to Silvio Berlusconi at the heart of Italian political visual culture)
** "Color Adjustment: Revisiting Identity Politics of the 1990s" (race/gender/sexuality in the '90s)
** "Parallel Lines Converging: Art, Design, and Fashion Histories" (intersections of these often marginalized disciplines; chaired by the astute Victorianist Julie Codell)
** "Myth and Modernism: New Perspectives on the 1913 Armory Show" (rethinking the famous 1913 exhibition in NYC that arguably introduced modernism to America)
** "Mad 'Men' and the Visual Culture of the Long Sixties" (Mad Men masculinity/feminism infiltrating art historical discourse)
** "Sexing Sculpture: New Approaches to Theorizing the Object" (gender/sexuality and modern/contemporary sculptural practice)
** "For and Against Homoeroticism: Artists, Authors, and the Love that Dare Not Speak Its Name" (19th- & 20th-century ideas about homoerotic desire and homophobia; chaired by Jongwoo Jeremy Kim and Christopher Reed, both of whom I've presented with in the past)
** "Harems Imagined and Real" (eroticization of the harem in Orientalist art)
** "Reconsidering Murals: New Methodologies" (on mural paintings in American public buildings during the late 19th century; chaired by the always engaging Sally Webster)

MWA II: Vatican Shepherd

Following up on last month's Tulips in a Vase by Paul Cézanne, I've decided to select as the second MWA (Monthly Work of Art) the statue you see here, The Good Shepherd, from the collections at the Vatican Museums. The statue is 39 1/8 in. in height, carved from marble, and dates from the late 3rd century. Scholars refer to this period as Late Antiquity to distinguish it from the heyday of classical sculpture, such as 5th-century B.C. Athens or early 1st-century Imperialist Rome. The implication is that the quality of this work is less impressive than these early masterworks, and it borders on the beginning of the medieval period (no one says "Dark Ages" anymore). This is the time when Christianity had spread far and wide through the Roman Empire. Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in 312, then issued the Edict of Milan the following year, effectively ending the persecution of Christians. Hence, art from this period reflects a growing interest in Christian subjects, but it has similarities to ancient Greco-Roman precedents. For instance, this shepherd bears some resemblance to figures of the sun god Apollo, with his youthful facial features and curls of hair. Iconographically, however, the statue traditionally has been interpreted by Christians as representing Christ and his parable of the Good Shepherd, who abandons seeks out the one sheep who is lost and return him to the flock (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:3-7; John 10:11-16). Of course, shepherds were a relatively common appearance in Greco-Roman art, so the figure was simply adapted as a Christian icon.

It may seem as if I've chosen this work as April's MWA because tomorrow is Easter. In fact, this statue has had great meaning for me most of my life. Art historians often reflect about the work that first inspired them to pursue the study of art. For me, it was this statue, and it makes me realize how I've come full circle in many ways, specializing in sculpture as I am. In 1983 this statue and numerous other works traveled to The Metropolitan Museum of Art here in NYC for a special exhibition entitled The Vatican Collections: The Papacy and Art. The Pater and the Mater took me to see this show. It was my very first trip to an art museum, and I am almost positive that we went because it was my 13th birthday. I don't know why I would have known about the show, but I suspect the nuns in my school probably encouraged us to see it. I remember being completely overwhelmed by the beauty of the Met building, and I remember waiting on a long line to see the show. But in going through the rooms of Vatican art from ancient through modern periods, it was this statue that left its mark on me. One would think it might have been the Apollo Belvedere or some other magnificent ancient statue on display, but I suspect I may have been bashful about that work's provocative nudity. Instead, The Good Shepherd resonated with me as an adolescent, interested at that time in my Catholic faith, and from birth always instinctively interested in caring for animals. I simply loved how he carried over his shoulders his lamb as a pet with such genuine concern. He was a savior for both humans and animals.

Curiously, I've been to the Vatican Museums twice, and I cannot recall ever seeing this statue there. In looking up more information about it, I was surprised to discover that most of it is 18th-century restoration work, although his torso and upper body and head, and most of the lamb, are 3rd century. I didn't realize that it may have been part of a column or a segment from a high-relief sculpture either. And looking at the work now in reproduction, I cannot say that it is an exquisite work of art, certainly nowhere near as idealistically beautiful as the Apollo Belvedere. This just may be one of those moments where you can never return home again. But maybe that's okay. My memory of the statue and first encountering it led me on a path that has taken me to where I am today. It is my statue, fragmented and restored, misinterpreted and misunderstood. In short, it is human in its most natural, imperfect way.

Orange in April

For the past few years, I've been posting about going Orange in April in support of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), including my first post about the history of the organization. I've often found it rather special that my birthday falls on their anniversary. This year they're celebrating 146 years of animal rights and taking action to prevent the mistreatment of all animals throughout the US. Animals cannot speak up for themselves, so it is up to us to say We Are Their Voice. To donate to the organization, click here. Or buy some orangey gear, like I did with this snazzy cap, so that a portion of the proceeds go toward fighting animal cruelty.