Category Archives: Art

Art Deco Du Jour

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: The NYC Mercury in Chicago, 1936. Via the Facebook group Atomic Samba. Click on the image to enlarge.

Posted in Art | Tagged art deco, industrial design, NYC Mercury, trains | 4 Comments

A Literary Immortal

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: English novelist John Banville writes in The Guardian about how he’s been commissioned by Raymond Chandler’s estate to write a new Philip Marlowe novel. Banville — called “the heir to Proust, via Nabokov,” a Nobel Prize contender, winner … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books Publishing and Writing | Tagged John Banville, literary critics, Raymond Chandler | 6 Comments

Photo Du Jour

Posted on February 1, 2015 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: A Life magazine photo of girls in an unidentified New York nightclub taken by Gjon Mili, 1947. Click on the image to enlarge.

Posted in Art, Performers, Photography | Tagged New York, nightclub | 2 Comments

Art Du Jour

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: The “Mouth of Hell” from a Book of Hours owned by Catherine of Cleves, c.1440. Via Europe’s History. More about the book here.

Posted in Art | Tagged gothic art, Hours of Catherine of Cleves, illuminated manuscripts, medieval art | 2 Comments

“Big Eyes”

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: Tim Burton’s “Big Eyes” hit me the way nearly all his post-“Batman” movies have hit me: as having a lot of kooky, fun visuals and as being about two inches deep in dramatic and character terms. Burton, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Movies | Tagged art, Margaret Keane, movies, Tim Burton, Walter Keane | 5 Comments

Our Favorite Things from 2014

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: For approximately the 14th year in a row my pop music taste slid into middling mediocrity, but I’m perfectly OK with that. I long ago abandoned caring about or following new music. I loved The Black Keys’ “Turn … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books Publishing and Writing, Food and health, Linkathons, Media, Movies, Music, Performers, Personal reflections | Tagged 2014 year in review, Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Amazon, Amazon Music, beer, Belle & Sebastian, Bill Burr, Chvrches, Cohen Film Collection, D. W. Griffith, Darwyn Cooke, donald westlake, emily browning, ESPN, Eva Green, Facebook, George V. Higgins, Ginger Baker, goses, Hachette, Hayao Miyazaki, John Milius, John Turturro, Karina Longworth, Marc Maron, Marco Bellocchio, Meghan Trainor, Michael Connelly, Natalie Moore, Pawel Pawlikowski, Penny Dreadful, podcasts, Sarah Polley, Steve Sailer, Stuart Murdoch, Taylor Swift, The Black Keys, The Cloisters, The Nerdist, Tom Stoppard, Vanessa Paradis, Winsor McCay, Yik Yak, Zishy | 14 Comments

Movie Review: Robert Williams, Mr. Bitchin’

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Sir Barken Hyena

Sir Barken Hyena writes: Following up from my last post about the Left Coast art world, here’s a decent documentary about the pivotal figure, Robert Williams, founder of the Low Brow, or Pop Surrealist art movement. The film gets off to … Continue reading →

Posted in Art | Tagged Robert Williams | 2 Comments

Art Du Jour: The Velveteria

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: When Sir Barken was recently in L.A. on a cultural tour for his daughter, we met up for a day so I could show them around downtown. Sure, LACMA and the Getty are fine, but the city has … Continue reading →

Posted in Art | Tagged America fuck yeah, black velvet paintings, Caren Anderson, Carl Baldwin, folk art, kitsch, Los Angeles, lowbrow, Velveteria | 7 Comments

The Art of Contempt and Delight, Pt. II

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Sir Barken Hyena

Sir Barken Hyena writes: Now, having just had a nice rant about the “New York Art Scene” and implying that LA is so much better, a correction is in order: I don’t think any such thing, and I’m not in any … Continue reading →

Posted in Art | 5 Comments

The Art of Contempt and Delight, Pt. I

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Sir Barken Hyena

Sir Barken Hyena writes: Hola amigos, sorry it’s been so long since I’ve rapped at ya, but I’ve been quite the traveler lately, ever on the trail for potential new Lady Barkens. Most recently, this sweetly-scented trail has brought me to … Continue reading →

Posted in Art | 34 Comments