Saturday, November 30, 2013

Birthday Boy: The Pre-Impressionist

Male Nude, 1850
William-Adolphe Bouguereau, a sprightly 188 today, was the toast of Paris at the height of his career, but his brand of meticulous technique and strict adherence to the conventions of that dread monolith, The Academy, guaranteed his place as a principal villain of each successive aesthetic revolution that changed the world's perception of painting from the rise of Manet until just the past couple of decades.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Irma la Douce


This week ushers in the season in which millions of Americans, whether they know it or not, pay homage to the mild-mannered matron seen here clutching her magnum opus...

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Redux: Freeze Tag


Stop time.  Have her remember why they need to leave.  Decide to fly out that night, back to the capital, fly back to the children.  Think of a reason.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Sales Pitches of Yesteryear


Hard to imagine trying to make this slogan work in one of today's Madison Avenue campaigns, no?

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Bonus Camp Explosion: Birthday Stupenda


It was Dame Joan Sutherland's birthday earlier this week (November 7), and I felt badly about missing it, not least because of the marvelous treat you have in store, just after the jump...

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Shameless Saturday Camp Explosion: A Piece of Happiness...


It's simply that the process of aging or deterioration provides 
the necessary detachment - or arouses a necessary sympathy. 
- Susan Sontag, "Notes on Camp"

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Monday, November 4, 2013

Early and Often


So tomorrow is Election Day here in the Old Dominion, and even though it's an off-off-year round, I'm inordinately excited at the prospect.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Shameless Saturday Camp Explosion: "Galli-Curci, Flagstad, and Myself"



"Camp rests on innocence. That means Camp discloses 
innocence, but also, when it can, corrupts it." 
- Susan Sontag, "Notes on Camp"

It struck me suddenly as odd that we'd gotten this far into this apparently endless series without ever addressing some of the most basic ur-texts, as it were, of the Camp canon.