During these frigid temperatures, one cannot help but desire to stay home, snuggling in bed with a cup of tea. Should you choose to take a break from binging on Netflix and social media, linked here are some of my favorite arts and culture articles from a slew of this month’s magazines. Enjoy!
Art in America
“Keeping the Faith” is not just a Billy Joel song; it is also the title of Eleanor Heartney’s excellent review of two new tomes focusing on ties between the artistic and the sacred, beyond the Rothko Chapel. These include Charlene Spretnak’s The Spiritual Dynamic in Modern Art: Art History Reconsidered, 1800 to the Present, and Aaron Rosen’s Art + Religion in the 21st Century. Although Heartney’s article is only available in the print version of AiA, it is worth the $12 investment given the intriguing subject matter and the author’s superb writing. The AiA February issue features sculptor Stephen Westfall‘s excellent essay concerning the Joaquín Torres-Garcia survey at MoMA, as well. I had visited the Torres-Garcia show prior to reading Westfall’s article, and was thoroughly confused and disappointed. Westfall gives the reader a brisk but analytical summary of the artist’s work that is very much enlightening. Will prompt one’s desire to attend the exhibition (Joaquín Torres-Garcia: the Arcadian Modern), which unfortunately closed yesterday, although I recommend reading Westfall’s study, nonetheless.