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By THOMAS DORAN Print this article Fish begin to rot in the head. On a fresh framed partition sheathed with ash plywood Charles Parker Boggs has laid up caricatures, a psycho-tableau, down the center of the gallery. There are maybe fifty small works – diminutive – mostly acrylic, some gouache and some in sculpted fimo. Like an admonition against perversion (see Brueghel, see Bosch) these depictions delight in portraying the depraved acts of man at his cheery worst. The quote above is a 16th c. Flemish quip after Erasmus the Greek: When…
By STEVE AISHMAN Print this article I once met a man who collected Beanie Babies. He had thousands of them; ranging from inexpensive Scorch to ultra-collectablePeanut. Like any good collector, he insisted on showing virtually every one of them to me and attempted to convince me of their value. I, similarly, could not explain to him that I simply did not care. Usually, I’m on the other side of conversations like the ones I’ve had with the Beanie Man. Usually I’m desperately trying to convince someone that a piece of art work…
By REESE INMAN Print this article Wake up, Boston. Shed the winter lethargy, stretch your limbs, send a few leaves in the direction of the sun and go see “Office Plants.” Bearing titles such as Canna adaptus electric (120V) and presented as specimens, these plants have apparently evolved connections to the electronic world. Canna adaptus plugs in to a typical wall socket, Hyacinthus adaptus connects to an iPod, and Protea adaptusextends a CAT-V network cable. Meanwhile, none of them are actually connected – their apparent potential for connection, in conjunction with Burkhardt’s…
By JAMES NADEAU Print this article Consider the body and its relation to technology and art. Does technology bridge the obtrusive gap between one’s consciousness and the art one creates? The brush, the fragment of charcoal, a stick of graphite, pen, mouse, keyboard, joystick, digital camera, DV camera, Final Cut Pro, Avid, Bolex, Photoshop, AfterEffects — all are tools; technological “innovations” that enable us to take a dream, an idea, a vision and bring it forth from pure consciousness with the body acting as intermediary. The body enables us to navigate and…
By CHARLES GIULIANO Print this article Redefining Boston Expressionism Asked if he is a Boston Expressionist in a tradition that started most notably with Hyman Bloom, Jack Levine and Karl Zerbe back in the 1930s, the artist/ painter Gerry Bergstein paused and reflected over his Sam Adams seasonal winter white ale. He was my latest drinking buddy in the ongoing, Wednesday nights, Beer and Burgers With… series of meetings, social events, interviews. It’s a tough and complicated subject. The origins of Boston Expressionism and how that influenced and played out, from generation…
By CHARLES GIULIANO Print this article Speed, Style and Beauty: Cars from the Ralph Lauren Collection Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Curated by Darcy Kuronen March 6 through July 3, 2005 Usually I enjoy tuning in to Emily Rooney who hosts an informal interview show on WGBH PBS called “Greater Boston.” She takes on the news of the day through informative dialogues with interesting guests. Mostly, she isn’t afraid to tackle tough topics with penetrating questions. But when in comes to art she is no more insightful than her curmudgeonly father, Andy…
By GUIDO CATHERINE Print this article I am selling my day, March 19th, on eBay. Why? Because March 15th seemed like a bad idea. I will be starting with my breakfast, then dividing the day into blocks of times and events that buyers can choose for me to do, and end with an auction for my bedtime. The secret is that I am an avid eBayer. I live the ebay lifestyle of searching, watching, waiting, selling, shipping, and bidding at the last minute. I know what “rockabilly,” “japan,” and “belly dance” all…
By JESSICA HUTFLESS Print this article My first reaction to “War Games”, an exhibit of photographs by Stephen Jacobs taken of WWII reenactors, was one of disorientation. I knew nothing of what the show was about when I first walked through, but I knew immediately that something about them was off. I was not entirely fooled into thinking these were true documentations of WWII. Nor was I convinced that they were not. In fact, I was most struck by how un-striking the photos seemed. They were, in fact, beautifully placid. The people…