Art Opinion - FAR® Exclusive Articles
April 25, 2008:
Death of a Master's Soul
by
Shaunda Clifton
There was a time when museums and galleries were for the serious artist, scholars and those who wanted to own a masterpiece – the lovers of art; those who felt the soul of the master through his...
Read More
February 12, 2008:
The Upside of Dyslexia
by
Cork Marcheschi
This is a personal account of my experience with dyslexia. My hope is to offer a view that is not part of the common body of dyslexic wisdom. I believe there are many individual paths that can lead to rewarding alternate...
Read More
May 15, 2007:
Transcending time, anyone?
by
Joan Altabe
This piece of history is enough to push your bottom lip forward. In 1514, when Persia was under siege from the Turks, the Shah Ishmael secreted away his favorite painter before going into battle
...Read More
May 1, 2007:
Change of Pace
by
Joan Altabe
Rather than rail at you this time out, consider this column a motivational chat exhorting you to keep on no matter who’s carping at your work, me included. When Henri Matisse left his law studies
...Read More
March 27, 2007:
Conceptual art is a crock!
by
Joan Altabe
Conceptual art isn't art. It's an idea, often without image or object. Hans Haack conducted a poll on museum goers' opinion of the Vietnam War. See? No art. You may as well write out the idea, which
...Read More
January 31, 2007:
Portraits. The good, the bad and the ugly
by
Joan Altabe
Open Letter to Artists pt24 — Let’s get the bad out of the way. If you want to see really bad portrait painting, check out the likenesses by the Dutch in the 17th century. Most noticeable
...Read More
January 18, 2007:
Open Letter to Artists (From an Art Critic) Part 23
by
Joan Altabe
Aesthetics is not a foreign word — Because FAR
® is a website teeming with art makers and art lovers, it's reasonable to ask what this thing is that we make and love. I get asked this question
...Read More
January 15, 2007:
Open Letter to Artists (From an Art Critic) Part 22
by
Joan Altabe
Art for Health — Researchers in Sweden say they've discovered that viewing and discussing art eases constipation. No joke. A recent Utne Reader reports that a group of 20 elderly art lovers who
...Read More
December 30, 2006:
Drown in My Own Tears
by
Cork Marcheschi
David and I left San Francisco about 7 a.m. and headed east with Minnesota as our destination. We were driving my 1970 Volkswagen van, a veteran vehicle of many cross-country trips. We
...Read More
December 29, 2006:
Open Letter to Artists (From an Art Critic) Part 21
by
Joan Altabe
"Best" lists — You know those "Best" lists? They crop up every year - itemizations like Random House's "100 Best English Language Novels" and the American Film Institute's top 100 "Greatest Movies
...Read More
December 29, 2006:
Open Letter to Artists (From an Art Critic) Part 20
by
Joan Altabe
Goodbye History, Hello Hallmark — Marketable art these days seems to come in three categories: sofa art, also known as furniture store art (the kind that accessorizes living rooms), tourist
...Read More
December 29, 2006:
Open Letter to Artists (From an Art Critic) Part 19
by
Joan Altabe
Irregular-shaped Paintings — Shaped canvases, the kind that Frank Stella is famed for, where are they? You'd think that 21st century art, known for liberating art from confining canons, would
...Read More
November 27, 2006:
Open Letter to Artists (From an Art Critic) Part 18
by
Joan Altabe
For Better or Worse — Artists should be required to read the comic strip "For Better or For Worse." While Fine Art regurgitates styles, cartoonist Lynn Johnston moves people the way
...Read More
November 19, 2006:
Open Letter to Artists (From an Art Critic) Part 17
by
Joan Altabe
Artist's Intent — As a newspaper critic, I don’t answer reader complaints when they’re written for "Letters to the Editor." After all, they're not sent to me. Besides, everyone's entitled
...Read More
October 30, 2006:
Open Letter to Artists (From an Art Critic) Part 16
by
Joan Altabe
Shock Art — In case you think of art critics having the confidence level of Great Whites, this is me chewing over an area of concern: Shock art, my tag for exhibits that can make you stagger back
...Read More
October 23, 2006:
Open Letter to Artists (From an Art Critic) Part 15
by
Joan Altabe
Computer Art — Attention computer artists. You may need seat belts for this one. It’s liable to be a bumpy ride. I’m one of those critics with a blind spot for computer art. In the beginning
...Read More
October 19, 2006:
Open Letter to Artists (From an Art Critic) Part 14
by
Joan Altabe
Change of Heart — Do critics ever change their minds? Should they? Art News magazine ran a story in the ‘90s about critics who do an about-face, suggesting that those who don't
...Read More
October 12, 2006:
Open Letter to Artists (From an Art Critic) Part 13
by
Joan Altabe
Pop Art Poppycock — If your style is Pop art, reset your relays. Pop art is a dagger writhing under fine art’s work-shirt, striking like a serpent – invisibly. Pop was OK in the '60s, when it burst
...Read More
October 5, 2006:
Open Letter to Artists (From an Art Critic) Part 12
by
Joan Altabe
Abstraction vs. Realism — There's no such thing as the right style. The ongoing argument between Abstract art and realism prompts this letter to you today. The argument started over one
...Read More
October 1, 2006:
Open Letter to Artists (From an Art Critic) Part 11
by
Joan Altabe
Overselling Yourself — You might call this cautionary tale “How Not To Talk To An Art Critic.” About a decade ago, I was interviewing the poet Allen Ginsberg and was quickly turned
...Read More
September 11, 2006:
Open Letter To Artists (From An Art Critic) part 10
by
Joan Altabe
If you paint landscapes, this one’s for you. Are you good at it? Do you describe the Great Outdoors in ways that invite to feel it? Maybe because it's so hot in my Florida location that
...Read More
August 25, 2006:
Open Letter To Artists (From An Art Critic) part 9
by
Joan Altabe
There are too many Edna Hibels in the world. Here’s hoping you’re not one of them. Edna Hibel is a merchandising
...Read More
August 11, 2006:
Open Letter To Artists (From An Art Critic) part 8
by
Joan Altabe
Check your press releases for hype, please. To this critic, at least, it’s just gray scud on the page. Exhibit literature for
...Read More
August 1, 2006:
Open Letter To Artists (From An Art Critic) part 7
by
Joan Altabe
The popularity of Dan Brown’s thoroughly panned The Da Vinci Code and the equally berated movie suggests that critics may be the new dinosaurs
...Read More
July 25, 2006:
Open Letter To Artists (From An Art Critic) part 6
by
Joan Altabe
A crime against the art world is going unnoticed. There are no guns implicated. No slam-slam of bullets can be heard. But
...Read More
July 15, 2006:
Open Letter To Artists (From An Art Critic) part 5
by
Joan Altabe
There are a lot of hacks in the art world. If you’re one, find another line of work. You’re killing us. offense? Selling limited editions that aren’t. A limited
...Read More
June 30, 2006:
Open Letter To Artists (From An Art Critic) part 4
by
Joan Altabe
If you’re a woman artist and participate in woman art shows, this message may hit like a wild wind blowing litter in your face: gender-specific shows are not
...Read More
June 15, 2006:
Open Letter To Artists (From An Art Critic) part 3
by
Joan Altabe
Nudes. There are good ones and those of the second kind. Pretty pictures with nothing to say - the second kind - look so practiced, so drilled, they come
...Read More
May 31, 2006:
Open Letter To Artists (From An Art Critic) part 2
by
Joan Altabe
If I were one of the French Impressionists of the 19th century, I’d be indignant. They were rule-breakers. They revolted
...Read More
April 25, 2006:
Open Letter To Artists (From An Art Critic)
by
Joan Altabe
I’m an art critic by trade – that dreaded breed known for dissing and dicing and otherwise turning your self-esteem precarious. So you’re going
...Read More
› Back to Categories
back to top
The views and opinions of individual authors/contributors expressed on the FAR® web site do not necessarily state or reflect those views and/or opinions of Fine Art Registry™ or its agents or subsidiaries.
Fine Art News Feed
