Oscar Wilde, the Andy Warhol of his time, jested that ‘all art is quite useless’. Yet, few things move us like the love of Romeo and Juliet; few please like the notes of Beethoven and the ballets of Tchaikovsky; few evoke awe like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel; few amuse like the comedies of Molière or provoke like the satires of Voltaire; and few indeed uplift the spirit like the exquisite line that one reads again and again. The appreciation and the joy of art are some of the most peculiar and valuable of human traits. Share your artistic joys and appreciations with us.
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Renowned literary critic Harold Bloom published a scathing review of literary sensation of our generation, Harry Potter. This diatribe (Wall Street Journal, 11/7/00) is extracted here. What’s your view? Is J K Rowling really a brilliant author or, as Bloom asserts, “if you cannot be persuaded to read anything better, Rowling will have to do”?
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The censorship debate has recently come back to life following the Bill Henson exhibition in which sexually suggestive photographs of naked 12- and 13-year-old children were displayed in Paddington. The Prime Minister, the Premier of NSW and other politicians did not hide their disgust. In an act of defiance, the editors of Art Monthly published an old picture of a naked 6-year-old girl (continue reading »)
Click here to read Andrew Bolt’s fascinating analysis of the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, in the Herald Sun (30/7/08). Bolt argues (not facetiously in my view) that the character of Batman is actually a metaphor for President Bush. Whatever the actual intentions of director Chrisopher Nolan, this column offers very interesting insights not only into the film but into the character and presidency of George Bush.
In September 2005, a Danish newspaper called Jyllands-Posten printed a series of cartoons mocking the prophet Mohammad and linking Islam with violence. The cartoons were reprinted in newspapers in more than fifty other countries. (continue reading »)
