Top Reviews:the ten best recent culture and art reviews

the best reviews: murray mint

these are the ten best recent reviews

Click here to review this review
return to worldwidereview.com, the home of critical reviews

Bacons expensive

From:     art market news
Category: Art
Date:     02 July 2008
Time:     04:46 PM

Review:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/arts/design/02auct.html?ref=design

Bacons keep selling for multi-millions, despite the fact he is a really mediocre artists whose work 
says the same adolescent existential nonsense every time. In fact I have never seen a painting by 
Bacon which doesn't say OH NO we are screaming and can only be alone fucking in a blurry haze of 
paintings from photos and other paintings. They are filled with symbols of feeling, and evoke no 
emotions, except despair for all the people who love this melodrama. The colours are ugly and turgid 
too.

Click here to review this review
return to worldwidereview.com, the home of critical reviews

Re: Bacons expensive

From:     
Category: Art
Date:     03 July 2008
Time:     10:18 AM

Review:

I am not justifying the prices, but I must say something in favour of the psychological aspect of
the paintings that Bacon made. I think the directness in which he says (even only) what you say he
says, is unique, simple and clean. I think this load is something difficult to do in painting. And
yes, he says it again and again. All painterssaythesamething again and again and this is why this is
a slow art.  
The colour. I really believe he is the last english painter to use and understand colour in an
inteligent way. Since then, the painters use COLOURS, some often and think that doing so is putting
in ALL THE COLOURS they can find  all together in a Batchelorian kind of way. Bacon´s orange is
like, say, Yves Klein Blue. Just the best use of Orange in the 20th C.

Click here to review this review
return to worldwidereview.com, the home of critical reviews

Artemisia by Anna Banti published 1947

From:     Orazia
Category: Books
Date:     01 July 2008
Time:     12:53 PM

Review:

This is a novel about the artist Artemisia Gentileschi. I do not like this fiction biography combination, it 
leaves one feeling unsure of the territory - when it comes to biography I would prefer the author 
presented it all as fact - rather than this wishy washy creation of emotions and characters. Artemisia 
is probably presented as the author her self would like to be seen, and throughout the novel one is 
reminded of the relationship between author and character, a relationship that is not interesting to this 
reader.

Click here to review this review
return to worldwidereview.com, the home of critical reviews

Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth a book about all your friends being murdered in first world war

From:     Gen. Haig
Category: Art
Date:     01 July 2008
Time:     11:32 AM

Review:

A big book one often sees on shelves. Somewhere in ones imagination it had become linked to a 
sentimental fustiness, perhaps vera lynn, or the author's name sounds like dreary britain, anyway had 
avoided. It is in fact  about the life of a quite radical feminist-pacifist (mother of shirley williams) and 
death of all her friends, sensitive public school boys with a will to do their duty and write poetry about 
it. The tone is stiff upper lip and descriptions of flowers and stong feelings nobly denied or selflessly 
pursued. The voice is one ones heard before. But there is something compelling and fresh and 
terrible about the massacrous murder of pointlessness which was the first world war and its toll on her 
social group. A kind of rage of death, which didn't end to all got really nasty with the second war, as 
though once the killing started it couldn't end and it didn't matter that nothing was won by war. The first 
world war though is where the Holocaust began, and Lynn allows one to feel some inkling of that folly 
and meaningless death death death. If the Holocaust of the European Jews had not happened, and 
the the second war had been just the usual power conflicts with populations killed to keep score, how 
would we view it, which afterall was not fought to save the Jew, gyspies, or homos,  would their be still 
a still be a sense that more efficient brilliant techno massacres should take place to decide borders 
separating people much the same. Or will we fight again, the chance to die, and kill, and destroy- 
irrestible.

Click here to review this review
return to worldwidereview.com, the home of critical reviews

Nothing to read

From:     ed
Category: Books
Date:     30 June 2008
Time:     06:14 AM

Review:

I've got nothing to read,  got any suggestions?

Click here to review this review
return to worldwidereview.com, the home of critical reviews

Wednesday, 18 June, 2008

From:     SBJ
Category: Life
Date:     18 June 2008
Time:     05:45 PM

Review:

The Rubber Plant

At first appearance the young plant is pleasing to the eye, it's dark green leaves have a satisfying waxy sheen, and there may be 
subtle roles of red as new leaves begin life. The plant will exist in any room, in any house, surviving without water, or food for 
many weeks – potentially months, thus making a handy self-sufficient  accompaniment to busy modern living. However, as one 
gets older and becomes a little more responsible, one may feel the urge to up-grade the rubber plant to a larger pot and to treat it 
to weekly doses of water – even occasional feeding. This, I have learnt, is where the rubber plant comes into it's own. It will grow 
fast, and rapidly lose its place in any room it had previously fitted. The, once waxy, leaves become velvet deserts of dust, the 
monotony broken only by the odd white-weeping leaf – its over-sized form accidently knocked, again. Another threat to the rubber 
plant is the great outdoors, where it is absolutely intolerant to stark sunlight – causing burnt leaves and permanent scarring. To the 
rubber plants merit, I have discovered it will handle quite a severe hacking of growth – more than half it's bulk gone, it still sends 
new, resilient shoots. In conclusion, the rubber plant can make for a decent green addition, so long as one is prepared to fight it 
back once in a while. Despite its rather boring reputation, its interminable vitality must be admired.

Click here to review this review
return to worldwidereview.com, the home of critical reviews

Re: imagine, BBC 1, follow the berlin philarmonic on tour

From:     
Category: Art
Date:     26 June 2008
Time:     04:01 AM

Review:

IMHO

1. What do classical musicians do?
Bring the written pieces of other fellow musicians (composers) to life. The musicians
recreate/reconstruct the musical ideas of the compositions into actual physical sound. Think of a
whole tapestry of sound, knitted by different sound elements in shades (can be thousands, more or
less) and lengths, floating in space. Live performance, physically, is a journey in sound starting
from silence and to end in silence. Ephemeral. 
2. Why does the orchestra need the conductor, practically?
- Compositions written for large scale orchestra/choir (standard example: between 50 up to 100
members or more) are often complicated in structure and sound texture. 
-While individual musician can listen to and execute/shape well their sound quality on their own
and/or in small groups, it would be extremely difficult for them to be completely aware of other
layers/nuance/balance of a whole greater sound in bigger settings. They need someone with good
ears/great communicating skills there to help them to adjust both in sound balance and timing of
sound producing process. 
3. What does a conductor do, in general
Two steps (simplified)
-First, the conductor should be able to understand the content/essence of the music he/she is going
to reproduce with the orchestra.
-Second, he/she would be able to inspire/convince/encourage/direct the orchestra to execute the
actual sound/time/space/emotions in order to bring out the musical vision perceived from step one.
Hell a lot as a job. 
4. Can musicians loose his/her individuality or to be annoyed by becoming a part of an
orchestra/collective performing someone else's composition under the direction of a
wild-haired-hands-waving man? 
Yes and No
-Yes if they refuse their right to life, so to speak, and view their position as a routine job and
respond to music mechanically or automatically (happens too often). 
-No if they understand that composers-players(including conductors)-audience are just different
parts of a continuous creation. Musicians that I know often mention about the sharing/communicating
quality of music and also state that the sense of urgency/fluidity of recreating-life-on-spot
together during live performances is the most liberating experience.

Click here to review this review
return to worldwidereview.com, the home of critical reviews

Summer Show at The Royal Academy of Art London England UK

From:     rocco
Category: Art
Date:     15 June 2008
Time:     06:37 PM

Review:

The makeover is working. Looking more and more like a contemporary art expo. Emin's done a rude 
one. I liked the tribute to Kitaj, I had written him off, but there are narratives and broken spaces, and 
witty painting, and he doesn't seem old fashioned now he's dead. Prize Winning Koon's egg is good, 
but he didn''t really need the prize money. Humphrey Ocean's room is quite nice. And all over you see 
stuff like Baselitz and Schnabel and there is only one ghetto room for horrible pictures. In the end 
perhaps they can get rid of all the junk, or perhaps it's quite a nice balance now, shows how good the 
chosen RAs are, compared to the mumpty general public/sunday painters.

Click here to review this review
return to worldwidereview.com, the home of critical reviews

Debating the Chapmans

From:     Clem
Category: Art
Date:     19 June 2008
Time:     01:03 PM

Review:

 Its now about a week since the infernal debate about the Chapmans between myself and Blip. I 
remain largely unimpressed and am still waiting for Blips response to the show. Having "debated" the 
show without having in fact seen the show, following my own review of it, which was honest and 
heartfelt, Blip chose to cynically trash my views on the basis that he once saw a film by Jean Luc 
Godard, has read a novel from the nineteenth century, and is therefore an authority on anything he 
cares to turn his attention to , regardless of whether he has actually seen it or not.
  Blip asked me to be "a bit nicer" (this is a quote from Deleuze!) whilst going on to describe me 
as "a bastard", "a snickering sadist", " a little shit" among other things. The worst I described him as 
was "a darling", and a "little cherub". And now I read in the worldreview archive that he regards 
the "vaginal orgasm as largely mythical". Perhaps , Blip, you could give us some tips on childbirth as 
well?Do you think one should breathe in after each contraction, or out?
  Isnt it frustating , that the chattering classes, with their illusions of bourgeouis mastery, continue to 
imagine they can patronise the visual arts, for no other reason that ,back at school in the 1980s, art 
was for "thickoes" whilst the real intelligentsia were off cramming their york notes 
on "Middlemarch?"You only have to read The Observer Review to realise how hopelessly at sea the 
cultural "elite" are when it comes to looking at art with any kind of innocence or curiousity or 
enigma.But its not for me to criticise the uneducated.All I ask is that they play fair. So come on Blip, 
put away your well fingered Kant and your dog eared novel by Kathy Acker- and SHOW ME THE 
MONEY!WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE CHAPMANS SHOW?WE ARE ALL WAITING!! WHAT 
DID YOU THINK???????????????
   And yes, you do actually have to get your arse down to Masons yard before writing about it.
   WE ARE WAITING!!!! WE ARE WAITING!!!!

Click here to review this review
return to worldwidereview.com, the home of critical reviews

Re: Debating the Chapmans

From:     blp
Category: Art
Date:     19 June 2008
Time:     06:25 PM

Review:

Eh? What's this Observer ire got to do with me? I'm not part of the 'cultural elite'. Do you think
I'd be writing for free here if I was? After me now, 1+1= ?

For the last time, Clem, I never set out to comment on Fucking Hell, just on the Chapmans in
general. I've seen most of their other stuff. I saw Hell, in which form and method were the same.
That only leaves size and content. Well some of the content's the same too. But still, I didn't
comment on the newer piece and never claimed to. It just suits your dishonest rhetorical style to
make a big deal out of the fact that I freely admitted I hadn't seen it. 

I said I was curious and I am, but, since our little set to I haven't had time to get down there.
I'm not going to go just because you tell me to. And I'm not responding to any more of your posts
because, when it comes to the actual arguments I make, you don't really respond to any of my posts
either, just (shrilly) pull out fragments out of context (HE HASN'T SEEN THE SHOW! FRAUD! I'VE GOT
HIM! I'VE GOT HIM THIS TIME! AND HE CALLED ME A BASTARD!) that you think you can use to make me look
bad and rebuke me ad hominem for being 'bourgeois' when you don't even know me. None of which is
much incentive to give you my views on the piece really. 

Bye now.

Click here to review this review
return to worldwidereview.com, the home of critical reviews