If you're like me and have no interest in watching this evening's State of the Union address (or the "State of the Uniom," if you will), might I suggest you look at and read up on these ten works of art that are each in their own way appropriate for today's political climate? My suggestions: … Continue reading Avoiding the State of the “Uniom”?
In the fist third of the seventeenth century, Judith Leyster painted The Last Drop. It shows two young men in the prime of life, drinking and smoking. Mentally edit their clothing, and they could easily be a pair of young men from today, drunk, laughing, letting off steam. They seem carefree and genuinely happy. Which … Continue reading All Is Vanity? Methinks Not.
I saw the Andrew Wyeth exhibition (Andrew Wyeth: In Retrospect) at the Seattle Art Museum a few weeks ago, and I found the artist's work uncommonly affecting. What is it about his work that's so profound, you ask? Well... You know those moments when things feel especially alive? Those moments that overflow with your acute … Continue reading Time Is Holding Its Breath
If you've ever read anything I've written about my mother, it will probably not surprise you to learn that she was a master gift wrapper. Whereas I usually have a lone roll of wrapping paper that is mostly empty and half-crumpled in the back of a closet somewhere, my mom had a whole wrapping station. At … Continue reading And Presents on the Tree
This morning my husband left for a business trip well before the crack of dawn. Although it was dark, everything was white with fog. The world looked rather striking in the street lights—far too dramatic for the moment. As I kissed my husband goodbye at the door, I felt that our goodbye did not fit … Continue reading Rain or Shine
So I watched Pretty in Pink last night and fell newly in love with Duckie. If you're of my generation, this probably means something to you. If not, well... As a child of the '80s I have always been taken with the films of John Hughes. Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Ferris … Continue reading Ode to Duckie
We've been in a rough patch. You. Me. Almost everyone. So it seems. (See here, here, and here for a few reminders from my perspective.) Over the past year and a half, I have often felt that the world is coming apart at the seams. Things are unstable and a cause for great distress. I … Continue reading Grateful for My Favorite Things
A couple of weeks ago, I visited the Frye Art Museum. I especially like the museum, because it's a great place for a quick pop-in with my young son on a rainy weekend day. Because admission is free and the museum is small, the stakes are low. I can get in and look at some … Continue reading In Which I Fall in Love with a New Painting
I adored Halloween as a small child. Then when I got a little older, my love for the holiday faded. By college, when Halloween had become "Dress Like a Sexy Zombie Day," I sort of hated Halloween. But even after my love of Halloween had faded, I always retained fond memories of what Halloween once … Continue reading Halloween Magic
It was recently reported that the Obamas have selected the artists to paint their official portraits. The former president will be painted by the celebrity artist Kehinde Wiley, and Michelle Obama will be painted by the less famous (but by no means obscure) artist Amy Sherald. I cannot wait to see how these portraits turn … Continue reading Painting the Obamas
Ellen A. Hurst 