Never trust an art dealer who'll sit in a room for more than ten minutes with a crooked picture.

-- Brett Whiteley  

 

Portraits in the Dark: Selected photographs by Elizabeth Raab from the Fur Caulis series. --  November 2002

Moments of Repose/Standing Tension. Excerpt of an interview of Elizabeth Raab by Michael Senno for an early showing of the Fur Caulis series. Rome, Italy December 2000.

 

When The Cathedrals Were White by Gaither Stewart -- July 2002

Romanesque cathedrals were not merely local in inspiration. Each was different, reflecting the personalities of their builders, but each was also all- European. Each was symbolic of the new era of hope. Italy’s new cathedrals found their origins in Carolingian Europe, to which their builders added Roman art, with Oriental and barbarian influences. Romanesque art, cultural historians instruct us, was a reaction to Byzantine mysticism; it was a return to a sense of history and of collective, all- European values. Always dramatic with labels, the Medievalist, Umberto Eco, writes that “the medieval dream cuts through all of European civilization.” That collective dream, time-wise conveniently located at the opening of the Second Millennium, was the crucible of Europe and modern civilization. Curiously, little has since changed around a Romanesque cathedral in its nine centuries of life. Crowded into its modern city setting, the Romanesque cathedral nonetheless seems to stand solitary – alone and eternal. Today, just as 900 years ago, one feels its enduring power.

 

A Doll's House: Barbie Revisited

The woman who invented the Barbie Doll, Ruth Handler, died last week. Type the words, “Barbie Doll” into Google and you’ll get over 206,000 matches.  I think nothing could quite say it better: Barbie is the most popular girl in school. I once spent hours imagining with my stock of Barbie dolls, and upon reflection, I don’t think all of it was as harmful as some other feminists may have you believe.  As a realistic child I never expected to be like Barbie when I grew up, and lo and behold, I’m not.  I’ve always been mystified by claims that Barbie could make a girl do or think anything, since with Barbie, the girl pretty much always gets to call the shots.  She hit the scene in 1959 as a “teen model,” and went on to an endless list of other, even more respectable, careers, though, much to my chagrin, not MY career. In the end, I find there is much to defend in this much maligned, infinitely loved 11.5 inch high inanimate dynamo. 

by Alison Gates -- May 2002

 

Een Poppenhuis: Barbie Anders Bekeken

Ruth Handler, de vrouw die aan de wieg stond van de Barbiepop, is vorige week overleden.  Wanneer je de woorden "Barbie Doll" intypt in Google, krijg je meer dan 206.000 resultaten.  Volgens mij is dit het beste bewijs: Barbie is het populairste meisje van de school. Ooit speelde ik urenlang met mijn Barbiepoppen, en wanneer ik er nu over nadenk, vind ik niet dat het zo schadelijk was als sommige andere feministes ons willen doen geloven. Als realistisch kind heb ik nooit verwacht dat ik zoals Barbie zou zijn wanneer ik volwassen zou zijn, en kijk nu, zo ben ik ook helemaal niet. Ik ben altijd geïntrigeerd geweest door beweringen dat Barbie een meisje ertoe kon aanzetten om het even wat te doen of te denken, aangezien het meisje met Barbie steeds zelf de touwtjes in handen heeft. Ze kwam op het toneel in 1959 als "tienermodel" en kreeg vervolgens een eindeloze lijst van andere, nog respectabeler carrières, hoewel, tot mijn grote ergernis, niet MIJN carrière. Al bij al vind ik dat er veel te zeggen is voor deze vaak belasterde, maar oneindig geliefde 30 cm grote onbeweeglijke dynamo.

door Alison Gates; vertaald door Silvy Codde; Mei 2002

 

 

The Power Of Solitude: Anatoly Krynsky – A Life For Art
by Gaither Stewart --
August 2000

A profile and interview featuring Ukrainian-born artist and New York resident Anatoly Krynsky who was born in 1937 in Kharkov, Ukraine, and received his formal training at the Kharkov Institute of Fine Arts, where he studied drawing, color, and art theory. His influences include Wassily Yermilov, one of the founders of Constructivism and Alexander Archipenko, a pioneer of modern sculpture. In 1967, Mr. Krynsky moved to Moscow to be at the epicenter of art in the Soviet Union. During the next several years, he worked as an illustrator for the Association for Print and News (APN) and Molodaya Guardiya Publishing in Moscow. Mr. Krynsky emigrated in 1976 from the Soviet Union with his family. After working in Rome for one year, he moved to New York City. Limited to showing his work in East Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and Finland prior to his emigration, Mr. Krynsky has since exhibited in the United States, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Holland, and Japan. Mr. Krynsky currently resides in New York City with his wife, Irina, daughter Oksana, and son Philip.

La Forza Della Solitudine:  Anatoly Krynsky – Una Vita Per L’arte
di Gaither Stewart -- August 2000

Сила одиночества: Анатолий Крынский – Жизнь для искусства
Гайтер Стюарт -- Август 2000

De kracht van eenzaamheid: Anatoly Krynsky: een leven voor de kunst door Gaither Stewart -- Augustus 2000  

El poder de la soledad: Anatoly Krynsky- Una vida para el arte
Por Gaither Stewart --
Agosto 2000

 

Bosch and Bruegel: An Examination and Comparison of Triptych of the Temptation of Saint Anthony and The Numbering at Bethlehem by Michael S. Beyer -- June 2000

Bosch et Bruegel: Étude comparative du triptyque de la Tentation de St Antoine et du Dénombrement de Bethléem par Michael S. Beyer -- juin 2000

Бош и Бројгел: Анализа и поређење триптиха «Искушење светог Антонија» и слике «Попис у Витлејему» -- Мајкл С. Бејер -- Јун 2000

 

St. Peter's Rock: An afternoon at the Vatican by Yves Jaques -- November 1999

St. Peter's Rock: An afternoon at the Vatican (Greek version) by Yves Jaques -- November 1999

  

Peter Max: The Madonna of the commercial art world
or
Not everyone in Seattle works for Microsoft
by Alison Gates -- July 1999

 

Peter Max: La Madonna del mondo dell’arte commerciale
o
Non tutti a Seattle lavorano per Microsoft
di Alison Gates -- Luglio 1999

  

Summer In Italy -- July 1999

by Our Woman In Italy, Maria Lamkin

  

I Miei Amici: Denudati e Ubriachi, I ritratti di Sienna Reid di Alison Gates

My Friends: The Naked and The Drunk, the portraits of Sienna Reid by Alison Gates

An online gallery walk and profile of Seattle's friendliest portrait painter, featuring scans of her work from her most recent shows in Pioneer Square -- August 1998

 

I Miei Amici, Denudati: Sienna Reid alla Collusion Gallery, Agosto 1997 di Alison Gates

My Friends, Naked: Sienna Reid at Collusion Gallery Review by Alison Gates and online gallery walk featuring scans of the artist's work from her most recent shows in Pioneer Square -- August 1997

 

The secrets behind Collusion

An interview with photographer and gallery owner Denis Kempe by Sienna Reid -- March 1998

 

I segreti dietro la Collusion

Un’intervista con il fotografo e gallerista di Seattle, Denis Kempe di Sienna Reid

 

Los secretos detrás de la Colusión

Una entrevista con Denis Kempe, fotógrafo y propietario de una galería de Seattle.

Sienna Reid

 

 

Clement Greenberg was right

Alison Gates, fresh from ten weeks in Rome and La Biennale di Venezia, illustrates why the art critic's 1965 essay "Modernist Painting" was dead accurate and explains why painting is pushing up the daisies. -- March 1998

 

Clement Greenberg aveva ragione di Alison Gates

Appena rientrata da dieci settimane passate a Roma e alla Biennale di Venezia, la redattrice della sezione artistica di Babel illustra perché il trattato del 1965 "Modernist Painting" (La pittura modernista) del critico d’arte, risultava estremamente accurato e spiega perché sulla pittura stanno crescendo margherite.

 

Clement Greenberg avea dreptate

de Alison Gates

Proaspat întoarsa dupa zece saptamâni la Roma si la Biennale di Venezia, editoarea sectiunii de arta a lui Babel ilustreaza de ce eseul din 1965 al criticului, “Pictura modernista,” era perfect exact si explica de ce pictura e cu un picior în groapa.

 

Camille Paglia: Boy, She Sure Does Talk Fast!

by Dan Savage with Christine Wenc -- September/October 1992

"We called Camille Paglia’s publicist cuz she was coming to town on a book promotion/lecture tour. And calling her wasn’t even our idea! We stole it! It was this guy Malcolm Lawrence’s idea. He came to us with it and we stabbed him in the back. Sorry, Malcolm!"