art and humor – Page 13

Feeding the carbon monster: Toles

Toles, for the 1000th time, finds the comedy in the climate crisis: If only this monster were as artificial as the ones on our movie screens.

California’s “golden gulag” — prison thru a painter’s eye

Here's a great story on KCET's arts blog, about an exhibition at UC Riverside called Geographies of Detention. Title sounds heavily academic, but the paintings serve what may be art's highest purpose — to tell hard truths with sly beauty, as in this painting of Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, by Sandow Birk. WritesContinue reading “California’s “golden gulag” — prison thru a painter’s eye”

J.J. Cale (Gotta Get Back to You, Magnolia)

Last week the great J.J. Cale, beloved by talents ranging from Eric Clapton to Neil Young to Widespread Panic, left our realm. But he'll never be forgotten, for "Around Midnight" and "Cocaine" and many other great songs. As a thoughtful obit in the Daily Beast pointed out, J.J. Cale songs don't seem to have beenContinue reading “J.J. Cale (Gotta Get Back to You, Magnolia)”

Day jobs of the poets: Grant Snider

From Grant Snider: Useful to remember that poets can practical too, and hard-working.

David Brower’s Sky Rule (of photography)

From an interview with Amory Lovins, who began as a photographer, and recounts how his first editor — David Brower — who pioneered the much-loved Sierra Club nature books, would edit photographers: "Everyone knows the sky is there. So don't show it unless it's doing something interesting, and then show a lot of it." MaybeContinue reading “David Brower’s Sky Rule (of photography)”

How not to be a total jerk: Philip Larkin

Seems so simple when Jessica Hagy describes it: May not be that easy, though. In a letter (quoted in this long review by James Fenton) the English poet Philip Larkin also had what I thought was an insightful comment, though perhaps it's obvious in retrospect: The more sensitive you are to suffering the nicer person youContinue reading “How not to be a total jerk: Philip Larkin”

President’s lawyer explains climate emissions regulation

Jody Freeman, a law professor who worked for two years for the Obama White House, explains the logic behind the President's plan to tighten emissions standards at existing power plants: Even the president's…modest plan to set standards for power plants is legally risky, especially with regard to existing plants. The law calls for states toContinue reading “President’s lawyer explains climate emissions regulation”

In 1776, if Paul Revere were warning of climate change…

Scientists can be funny, and physicist Mark Boslough proves it with a column imagining how things might have been back in 1776 if Paul Revere had set out to warn the nation of climate change, instead of the arrival of the British. Boslough writes: "On this Independence Day, it is worth reflecting on the willingness ofContinue reading “In 1776, if Paul Revere were warning of climate change…”

Can hipsters take a joke?

Guess we'll find out. Here's Ted Rall on the subject (along with a long rant on the subject of Time and their piece on Millenials vs. Gen X'rs): And here's a joke to match, courtesy of Dr. Dave White: How many hipsters does it take to screw in a light bulb? It's a really cool number,Continue reading “Can hipsters take a joke?”

Greatest nature drawing ever? by Albrecht Durer

Christopher Knight suggests such is the case for Albrecht Durer's "Great Piece of Turf": The drawing's technical mastery is astounding. Watercolor can be an unforgiving medium, allowing for few mistakes. Yet even in the face of this complicated, seemingly chaotic tangle of plants, the 32-year-old artist made no evident missteps. The viewpoint is head-on, seenContinue reading “Greatest nature drawing ever? by Albrecht Durer”