Though Lily, the artist and a significant character in To The Lighthouse, has had her vision, it is over, unrecognized by anyone but herself, resolving none of the pain those around her experience. Among the various qualities given modernism (at least to literary works attributed to the period) is their…

At a birthday party recently, I found myself in a conversation with a man who wanted to know about what was going on in the art world today. Somewhat flummoxed by his belief that anyone could actually answer that questions, I asked him what galleries or museums he had last…

Back in 2015, while at the Gordon Parks: Back to Fort Scott show at the Boston MFA, I overheard a woman explaining to a little girl, maybe around six years old, that the photographs depicted a time when notions of race requires children to attend separate schools. “Separate schools?” Incredulity…

“If you see something, say something” read signs throughout the New York City subway system and across transportation hubs. As if New Yorkers really needed to say more. The assumption remains that they will describe a dangerous black backpack abandoned suspiciously under a seat or on a bench. Perhaps, someone…

As if we didn’t all look at the book cover and judge….This series examines covers in depth to see what they say. — The capital letter V Florid script suggests personal writing and private letters from a day gone by. It is often used for romance novels because its curls are…

What this country needs are more unemployed politicians. — Edward Langley, Artist (1928–1995) Occasionally I receive one of those funny forwards filled with quips and quotables, many of which come from Mark Twain, and some others as well. Recently one arrived with the quote above and given my interest in…

Neil Harris in his book on J. Carter Brown’s directorship of the National Gallery (Capital Culture, 2013) explains how our nation’s capital came to be appreciated through graphic and literary presentations. Samuel F.B. …

I remember when I introduced the search engine to my boss at the time. I didn’t need to know the exact website; I could type in the company name and product, and the search engine would find for me relevant pages. I like search engines. I like seeing what they…

Today is Equal Pay Day and around the world, people are posting statistics about how the gender pay gap continues. Here is a useful table from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research that addresses the disparity. It may even be worse, according to a study released last fall. Automation could…