Jason Milburn, who has maintained a studio in NE Ohio since graduating from the Cleveland Art Institute 10 years ago, is showing a passel of large drawings at the William Busta Gallery. The cartoon-inspired ink drawings are populated by vaguely familiar figures in suburban scenarios that are awash with anxiety and menace–‘High School Art Teacher in Hell,’ so to speak. The drawings…
Category: Thumbs-Up-Down
Movies, Reviews, Thumbs-Up-Down, Uncategorized
Thumbs Down: Oz the Great and Powerful (sic)
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Oz the Great and Powerful, which is in theaters now, is a modern prequel to the original Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum. The original book, published in 1900, was the first of what turned out to be nearly 20 books Baum wrote about Oz. The events in this movie are modern inventions that attempt…
Art Museums, Artists, Cleveland, Paintings, Thumbs-Up-Down, Uncategorized
Thumbs-up: Neel, Thumbs-up (also): Pearlstein
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By happenstance or cunning plan, The Cleveland Museum of Art has two large paintings hanging next to each other by artists of whom I am fond– Alice Neel and Philip Pearlstein. Juxtaposed this way, the relative merits of each can be studied. Except for a long detour in the Picasso Amusement Park, a straight line…
Artists, Paintings, Reviews, Thumbs-Up-Down, Uncategorized
Thumbs-up: Bonnard; Thumbs-sideways:Vuillard
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Vuillard Have you dated someone whose online profile scored highly, only to be disappointed upon meeting her/him? I’ve never used an online dating service (my wife has strong opinions on this subject), but my relationship with Vuillard feels like a disappointing blind date. At different times I’ve studied him closely. He has a beguiling profile filled with attributes I admire: he’s…
Art Museums, Artists, Reviews, Thumbs-Up-Down, Uncategorized
Thumbs-up: van Ruisdael; Thumbs-down: Renoir
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I’ve loved art as far back as I can remember. During the summer before First Grade we moved to a farm, and while exploring the barn loft (true story), I was thrilled to discover a bunch of painting gear—half-empty paint cans, rags, and stiff brushes. I loved it! I loved the smell of turpentine! That…