Blog — Page 91 of 278

Goya: A Portrait of the Artist

Janis Tomlinson

Princeton University Press

Claiming that coverage on the life and times of Francisco Goya has been patchy – at least outside the confines of the Spanish language, would be an understatement par excellence. It was about time for an in-depth biography, which Goya scholar Janis Tomlinson now provides.

Given Tomlinson’s expertise on the subject, it is intriguing to read how traditional notions and interpretations of Francisco Goya y Lucientes’s oeuvre are not only being challenged but counterpointed and debunked via an exhaustive array of hard facts, personal letters, court documents and previously unseen early sketches of Goya.

Tomlinson masterfully centres Goya and contextualises his artistic emissions around the upheavals that came with the age of transformation and instability of Spanish society and politics.

The result is a nuanced portrayal of an artist that contrary to popular belief is much less that of desolate, depressed soul infatuated with darkness and death, but one that has many facts all of which are powered by his ambition for invention, change and pushing the boundaries.

Sharing meticulously researched insights, Tomlinson’s critical thinking never results in an overly authoritative style but manages to trigger one to revisit his oeuvre with fresh eyes and reinforces the appreciation for Goya’s art, which has lost none of its impact and is as relevant as ever two centuries after his departure.

Brutal Aesthetics

Hal Foster

Princeton University Press

Given the barbarism of the first half of the twentieth century, i.e. the devastation and aftermath of World War II, the Holocaust, genocide as well as nuclear warfare and its implications, many not only turned to religion but the question that was raised within artistic circles was how art can help to navigate through such unprecedented turbulent times.

The outcome is a stream of modern art that can be referred to as  “brutal aesthetics” , which in essence is an artistic equivalent to the circumstances.

By approaching the topic from different angles, i.e. through the lens of the philosopher Georges Bataille, the painters Jean Dubuffet and Asger Jorn, and the sculptors Eduardo Paolozzi and Claes Oldenburg, Foster sets out to decipher art, define its very core and look for its essence to rise from the ashes.

The result is an immensely interesting study of historical and contemporary artistic practices, with often surprising recurring commonalities as far as themes and stylists devices are concerned, which sheds light on the directions artistic endeavour took from 1945 onwards and what role subversive, positive barbarism and creative destructivism played.

Specifically the section shedding light on how some artists masterfully manipulated art to not only invalidate the brut but being ambiguous to expose the culprits.

Foster manages to only highlight the merits of such manoeuvres but also unearths contradictions and artists whose undertakings (and the possible implications and reception thereof) were not thoroughly thought through.

The Formative Years

Iconic venues pt. 

On terra australis, there are quite a few iconic venues.

When it comes to medium-sized ones, Sydney’s style Enmore Theatre is amongst my favourite for shows. Given that it was erected at the beginning of the century, it is not only heritage-listed but also one of the longest running theatres in the Southern hemisphere. Designed by architects Kaberry and Chard it was originally incepted during a period where Australia was on a quest to determine a “national style”, which was influenced by both classical as well as the contemporary styles prevalent in the old world of the time and eventually resulted in the Enmore’s unique melange of art deco, Edwardian and art nouveau styles with its trademark rendered masonry and raised parapet.

Closely linked with the cultural and arts buzz that Newtown radiates, I have seen some of my favourite live shows there. As The Enmore is often chosen for secret or side shows of bigger acts, I was fortunate enough to witness acts as diverse as Bob Dylan, Dizzie Rascal, Icehouse, Lilly Allen, Sonic Youth, TLC and Oasis in its beautiful, intimate environment.

Apart from being a venue for performances, the late twentieth century saw The Enmore being used by the local community with the advent of independent thinking and activism, e.g. for local acts and performances in support of community interests. Location-wise, while being located outside Sydney’s CBD, it is easily reachable via public transport.

The State Theatre located smack bang in Sydney’s central business district is another heritage-listed theatre, where it hosts film screenings, live theatre and musical performances, and on an annual basis the formidable Sydney Film Festival.

Designed by the architect Henry Eli White in the late 1920s, who has an extensive track record of designing theatres, the State Theatre is a feast for the eyes as with its fly-tower stages, balconies and extravagant interior. With its Baroque details, a Gothic Hall, mosaic tiling, tiered seating and doomed ceiling it is a magnificent and ornate venue, which is an exercise par excellence when it comes to consistent composition, down to the street frontage.

I witnessed some fantastic shows there, including seeing Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds stage-side as well as comedy shows that could not have found a grander ambience. The cherries on top is a four-tonne heavy crystal chandelier as well as one of the bigger Wurlitzer organs in the Southern hemisphere.

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photos from respective venue website

pictured: Enmore Theatre (top), State Theatre (bottom)

Folio Society

What makes for a good publishing house?

If you have ever come across a Folio Society edition, you would know that the gold standard has been set in term of carefully curated and crafted books. With a history spanning over seven decades, Folio Society has perfectioned the reimagining of what is arguably considered the timeless crème de la crème of what both the realms of fiction and non-fiction have to offer.

Now, what from a distance might sound like a uniform approach that is imposed on classic literature, could not be further from how Folio society channels its alchemy as each individual book gets a contextualised, customised treatments with the common denominator being attention to detail and quality pertaining to each and every facet of production: Nothing is left up to chance, starting with typography, illustration, paper, and printing and binding techniques create a unique whole that is much bigger than the individual facets contributing to it.

In essence, Folio Society’s approach could be considered the publishing equivalent to Proust’s writing, as it allows the beholder to hit the pause button and indulge in both what the books are conveying and the related enhanced reading experience as well as the beauty of its physical manifestation.

Apart from aesthetics, Folio Society not only conducts extensive fact checking and amends imperfections of sources texts, but offers additional insights through authors that introduce the respective titles and serve as the reader’s companion to set the scene.

An example par excellence for Folio Society’s standards is their updated version of the classic Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music by Greil Marcus. Anyone remotely into rock music should be familiar with the original version and Folio Society’s reimagining: Mystery Train takes the source material and amplifies it to eleven with more archive material and opulently illustrated album cover, accompanying the photographs chronicling the evolution of rock ‘n’ roll from its blues cradle via its derivations to highlight that no matter the nuances, it is essentially weaved into the fabric of American culture.

File under book porn.

Having a keen interest in anglophone cultures and linguism, David Crystal’s commanding The Stories of English is another classic book that I could not wait to see incarnate with the Folio Society treatment.

Enhanced by additional material, wonderful typography and binding, Folio Society’s The Stories of English not only continues where the original left off, but expertly closes the gap to the present day and age, including a highly interesting appendix where Crystal comments on the impact social media and modern technology have had on our diction and ever-evolving language.

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images from Folio Society website

What’s Sumatra with you? High Voltage Coffee.

As the Descendents put it ever so eloquently “I don't need no booze or drugs/ I just chug-a-lug-o my coffee mug”. Now, my first visits to the US in the early 90s and when those lyrics were penned, were certainly not graced with fantastic coffee experiences and what was proffered was weak as.

Given the evolution and refinement the coffee landscape has experienced over the last two decades, I wonder what Milo Aukerman’s go-to is in 2021.

“Strong” coffee is a category for itself and can be interpreted in many ways as it can pertain to the roast level (which is actually a misconception as rich, dark roasts are not necessarily stronger than lighter ones) or amount of caffeine, the latter of which is dependent on factors like the species, soil and altitude it grew on. Generally speaking, you get more bang for your buck in the caffeine department if you opt for Robusta beans instead of Arabica.

At the end of the day, a skilled barista has the final word when it comes to strength.

However, there are beans whose caffeine content is much higher than those of others, which results in jolts every time you take a sip.

Enter High Voltage Coffee.

Now, given the skull and crossbones aesthetic I was a tad sceptical as from a distance, I was not sure if the strong effects would go at the expense of nuanced flavours, as it is the case with many of the novelty coffee brands mushrooming worldwide.

However, upon first sip, all concerns were alleviated as what materialized on my palate was an exercise in well-calibrated, full-bodied, bitter free smoothness, which plays in its own distinct league far away from the often overpouring competition. The accompanying aroma turns heads when I prepare a cup and that is something to be said for as I am surrounded by certified coffee snobs.

The fact that High Voltage’s bean selection and roasting process borders on the artisanal paired with the fact that the beans are ethically and sustainably sourced from rainforest alliance farmers, only enhances the experience.

What I like about High Voltage is that the more I learn about it, the more it shows that it is being produced by dedicated connoisseurs and coffee aficionados, who are now channelling their alchemy after having crafted it for more than  twenty years and it definitely shows in the end result – a coffee made by coffee lovers for coffee lovers, which delivers a whopping dose of close to 1200mg caffeine per cup without giving you the jitters.

A definite recommendation for anyone remotely into the appreciation of coffee in search for a bit of an extra kick.

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image from company website

Water of Life – Thomson Distillery

Now, this has been for the longest time in the making: An instalment dedicated exclusively to a craft distillery from New Zealand.

With Australia whiskies being revered the world over and being touted for at times exorbitant prices, I have yet to come across a dram from NZ that disappoints me.

Thomson Whisky is no exception.

Having started out as a small operation / independent bottler with whisky sourced from Willowbank Distillery with a passion for the water of life, Thomson Whisky has grown into a veritable heavyweight and placed itself firmly on the world map with their premium, artisan and progressive whiskies.

Channelling their distilling alchemy via a hand-beaten copper pot still, they limit their ingredients to quality malted barley, pure water, yeast. Following tow distillation runs,  the results of which are then aged in a range of casks including ex-bourbon barrels, NZ red wine casks and smaller variants.

Needless to say, I was got immensely excited when I learned about Thomson releasing their own idiosyncratic Manuka Smoke and South Island variants.

Clocking in at 46% ABV, he Manuke Smoke expression is considered a work in progress, however, it got me from the moment the aromas tickled my nostrils with the melange of subtle campfire smokiness, vanilla, heathery Manuka honey oils, herbal freshness, bay leaf and cinnamon.

On the palate, the smokiness serves as the backbone on which fruity highlights and menthol notes counterpoint each other, before an elongated finish culminates in wood oak, liquorice , hints of aniseed and enough ash to make one lust for another dram. Definitely a unique  and lovable whisky and a recommendation for Islay smoke heads.

Peaty expressions are usually my first choice if distilleries proffer them, however, New Zealand was yet to be experienced territory in that regard.

Thomson’s limited batch bottling is refined with local South Island Peat and being fairly young, I love the iodine nuances which are pervaded by vanilla and faint smoke notes. Not unlike the Manuku Wood expression, there are herbaceous and sour fruity highlights along with the effects of having matured in smaller sized ex-bourbon casks, which adds complexity with the elongated exit finishing on a high spicy note.

Given the quality of their early releases, one is very much looking forward to what the future holds for Thomson Distillery.