Whose Canon? Bringing Iphigenia and Plato Closer to Home [T]he canon, that transparent decanter of Western values – Henry Louis Gates, Jr. “Whose Canon is it, anyway?”, in Group Material Democracy (Education and Democracy section), p. 72. Dominant ideologies, usually with a nationalistic streak, have used the classical canon as a propaganda machine—primarily through […]
We are currently in Nashville, on the road to Dollywood, and so we don’t have time to write a post today. (If you want to come along with us, from where you are, there is no better guide than our friend and fellow Classicist Helen Morales’ 2014 book Pilgrimage to Dollywood: A Country Music Road […]
Take a look at the Basquiat painting Untitled (1982) that just sold for $110.5 million at the recent Sotheby’s auction. What do you see? While you’re thinking about it, consider what Sotheby’s sees: Untitled is among the most important paintings by the artist still in private hands. The vast canvas marks a critical moment in […]
I just returned from a quick visit north to Cleveland where I visited two brilliant exhibitions: Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks at the Cleveland Museum of Art and Adam Pendleton: Becoming Imperceptible at MOCA. Jean-Michel Basquiat’s recourse to the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome is well-known and documented and it was exciting to explore up close […]
