In “Dead Reckoning: The Waterways of Turner and Canaletto,” I examine views of Venice from the perspective of J.M.W. Turner and Canaletto. This essay posits these painters as a middle ground between the allegorical works of Jan Brueghel the Younger and the Impressionists, yielding their own unique horizons. As Anne Carson says, “Kinds of water drown us. Kinds
In “On Light, Falling: Virginia Woolf, Joaquín Sorolla, and Sally Mann,” I look (fondly, reminiscent) at the role of late summer light in the works of Virginia Woolf, Joaquín Sorolla, and Sally Mann. The essay considers how we form—and keep—memories, seaside moments, family portraits, the process of making art, ecstasy, the
In “On Conflagration: The Masks of Natalie Portman,” I compare Portman’s gratitude for a deleted history of emails to the turn-of-the-century trend of letter burning. The essay explores the form of the letter, Virginia Woolf’s notion of the “cotton wool” of daily life, the Jamesian inner world, Dior, Chekhov, Garden
In “The Bias: Toward Fashion,” I investigate the fashion of Yves Saint Laurent, Halston, and how fashion can—at the highest level—function as an expression of artistic genius. The piece examines the infamous Battle of Versailles, designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Donna Karan, and couture houses such as Dior and Givenchy. Simultaneously, the essay
Part of an ongoing series on the aesthetics of Camp, this essay examines two recent Calvin Klein ads that have been scrutinized by the Russian government.
In “On Flatness and the Faerie Realm: Andrea Dezsö at Newcomb Art Museum,” I investigate the Transylvanian artist’s interpretation of the Brothers Grimm and other tales in her exhibition at Tulane University. This essay considers fairy-stories and folktales, tunnel books, the medium of cut paper, Max Lüthi and depthlessness, Kara Walker, 16th-century English
In “A Partial Guide to Camp: On The Eyes Of The Beholder,” I continue my exploration of the Camp pleasures of New Orleans. The essay investigates the spectacle and participation of strip clubs, Wayne Koestenbaum, underwear as a cipher, Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, Southern Decadence, Calvin Klein vs Andrew Christian, “aesthetic erections,” Eddy Monsoon & Patsy
In my exhibition pick on artist Michael Meads, I examine his vision of New Orleans: a world of sex, death, and religion. This small piece focuses on his large-scale pencil and charcoal drawings that depict both a seedy rawness and the intimacy of strangers in places that facilitate debauchery. The spectacle of a modern,