In a must-read essay, Ed Simon looks at the grislier side of Caravaggio — an artist whose obsession with violence permeates his representations of the divine.
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April 23, 2024

Good morning. In a must-read essay, Ed Simon looks at the grislier side of Caravaggio — an artist whose obsession with violence permeates his representations of the divine. “Caravaggio’s art is sacramental,” Simon writes, “the work of a demon who could paint as an angel, translating sin into inspiration.”


Also, critic Michael Glover traces Willem de Kooning’s roots in Italy as explored in a freshly opened retrospective of the painter’s work in Venice; Indigenous artists from Australia and New Zealand take home the Biennale’s Golden Lions; and a playfulperformance series at the Queens Botanical Garden aims to foment hope in the face of worsening climate change.

— Valentina Di Liscia, News Editor

Caravaggio Made Darkness Visible

In his violent, carnal visions, sparks of divinity may glow even from within the blackest confines of our fallen reality.

Ed Simon

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LATEST NEWS

  • Indigenous artists Archie Moore and the Mataaho Collective take home Golden Lions for Australia and New Zealand at the Venice Biennale.

  • The story of Inigo Philbrick, the disgraced art dealer who defrauded millions in a “Ponzi-like” scheme, is being produced into an HBO series.

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ABSTRACT WORKS UP CLOSE

Willem de Kooning’s Italy

Paintings from the late 1950s and on prove that de Kooning had sat at the feet of, and learnt much from, such old Italian masters as Titian and Tintoretto.

Michael Glover

The Quiet Urgency of Barbara Takenaga’s Paintings

Her paintings are searching for materially rooted forms while simultaneously reaching for something unfixed and uncontainable.

John Yau 

HAPPENING IN NYC

See Dozens of New York City Landmarks That No Longer Exist

A new exhibition at the New-York Historical Society traces the city’s history through its long-forgotten monuments.

Aaron Short

A Public Performance Series Aims to Combat “Climate Despair”

At the Queens Botanical Garden, A Fun Play About How Scary Climate Change Is illuminates possibilities for collective care and grassroots change.

Jess Zhang

FEATURED OPPORTUNITY

La Maison de Beaumont – Artist Residency & Retreat Program

This multidisciplinary residency at an 18th-century village house in the South of France (Provence’s Luberon region) offers an idyllic space for artists to focus on creative work. The application fee is €45 and private housing options range between €575 and €1,350 per two-week period.
lamaisondebeaumont.com

See more in this month’s list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers!

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