tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912052734076308569.post4465289335179267484..comments2024-02-27T03:45:51.563-08:00Comments on James Russell: BBC4: The Art of America - parts 2 & 3James Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03199461104138671799noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912052734076308569.post-86091502257239998932011-12-12T00:06:41.354-08:002011-12-12T00:06:41.354-08:00Neil - AGD's website is monumental! A one-man ...Neil - AGD's website is monumental! A one-man art history wikipedia, only better written. Thanks<br /><br />Philip - Agreed - you could see where he was really enjoying the subject. I still think that leaving O'Keeffe out was a mistake: she might not have the academic stature of Rothko et al, but in terms of influence and popularity she's up there with Rockwell & Hopper. <br /><br />I wonder how many people watched the series - I didn't feel there was a buzz about it, as there was about 'British Masters', which is a shame. But maybe I don't read the right newspapers!James Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03199461104138671799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912052734076308569.post-66172607790442095462011-12-11T07:40:41.834-08:002011-12-11T07:40:41.834-08:00There were some marvellous moments in this series,...There were some marvellous moments in this series, when AGD's commentary and the capabilities of television came together – the analysis of the White Flag combined with close and more distant shots; the shot of the page-turning of the Audubon folio combined with the scrutiny of specific plates; the juxtapositions going on when he was talking to Koons (was he giving Koons enough rope to hang himself? I'm not sure...). He was really flying, I think, in these bits. I believe he could have got more out of Rothko and Grant Wood though; and if he'd had the budget for a couple more programmes we could have had O'Keefe and Arbus and Basquiat (and maybe some sculpturee too). One day.Philip Wilkinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04893714514416441572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912052734076308569.post-70798107597691196302011-12-09T15:24:08.787-08:002011-12-09T15:24:08.787-08:00Not everyone in Hydra was very happy about The Gui...Not everyone in Hydra was very happy about The Guilty! But I liked it: spectacular in every sense. I meant to say that Andrew Graham Dixon has an absolutely fantastic website - you may know it, but I only discovered it recently. It has a huge amount of text, images, and information - really the best single-person website I have come across. Just andrewgrahamdixon.com, so not hard to find.Neilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18020242863144175965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912052734076308569.post-79615401067858069882011-12-08T23:03:02.062-08:002011-12-08T23:03:02.062-08:00Hi Neil - I'll be out and about again next yea...Hi Neil - I'll be out and about again next year so will keep you posted. Interesting point about Hopper & Rockwell, which is a connection I would never have made before watching the show.<br /><br />I looked up the Koons yacht - my heavens! If they tried to moor up in Salcombe they'd be repelled with boathooks... I meant to say in this post, and forgot, that Koons has more in common with PT Barnum than with Rothko or Pollock: the spectacle is his thing, more than anything else.<br /><br />Good to hear from youJames Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03199461104138671799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7912052734076308569.post-82455151648886745572011-12-08T15:29:59.663-08:002011-12-08T15:29:59.663-08:00James - Sorry to miss your Blackwells talk - and I...James - Sorry to miss your Blackwells talk - and I agree with what you say in that post about independent bookshops. I also missed most of The Art of America, but I saw the one concentrating on Hopper and Rockwell and thought that was fascinating in the way that it forced you to examine the aesthetics of the two artists, and realise that essentially the only difference was that one was too-gloomy and the other too-positive. As for Koons - on holiday on the island of Hydra in Greece two years ago I saw a fantastic vision of a billionaire's yacht painted like a psychedelic version of a WWI Dazzle Ship - it turned out to have been decorated by Koons. The name of the ship is The Guilty. I took a wonderful photo of it with the shape of the hill behind echoing the ship - would have sent it to Koons if I had his email!Neilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18020242863144175965noreply@blogger.com