Category Archives: Art and design

The architecture of the eye II

Posted on July 13, 2018 by David Brussat

So whose eyes are these? Hint: She liked cat-eye glasses. Question: Is the beautiful pair of eyes behind these spectacles protected by lenses? Or could she have fun with her friends by wiggling her fingers through the frames? If so, … Continue reading →

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Hazlitt magazine: a mystery

Posted on June 30, 2018 by David Brussat

This is not about architecture. Unlike some off-topic posts I write, there is no way to fabricate a link to this post’s normal subject matter. So far as I know, William Hazlitt, the critic of early 19th century London, friend … Continue reading →

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Signs of a city walkabout

Posted on June 28, 2018 by David Brussat

My friend Maria Ruggieri and I went walkabout – as Crocodile Dundee would say – in downtown Providence yesterday evening. We popped into a number of new restaurants, the first being Layali, a restaurant/bar (opened by owners of the late … Continue reading →

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Yo! Brutalist website design!

Posted on June 26, 2018 by David Brussat

Russell Jenkins, who has an accurate sense of where my funny bone is located, sent me a link to a website about Brutalist web design. “The disease spreads beyond architecture,” he noted. Yes, but that strikes me as old news. … Continue reading →

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Quinlan Terry’s list of oopses

Posted on June 3, 2018 by David Brussat

Quinlan Terry, the British classicist who may be Prince Charles’s favorite architect, has a wonderful essay, “Seven Misunderstandings about Classical Architecture.” I want to quote two passages, one about shadows and the other about materials, one about beauty and the … Continue reading →

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Nailing art at the Hammer

Posted on April 1, 2018 by David Brussat

Actors Will Ferrell and Joel McHale have helped to produce a hilarious six-minute advertising spot for the Hammer Museum, at UCLA, in which they pretend to be baffled by works of art at the museum’s latest exhibit, “Stories of Almost … Continue reading →

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NYC, drawn from memory

Posted on January 16, 2018 by David Brussat

Stephen Wiltshire’s remarkable ability to draw a city from memory came to my attention several years ago in a segment on 60 Minutes or some such show. A British citizen, he was diagnosed with autism at age 3, but his … Continue reading →

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“Let’s you and him fight!”

Posted on January 5, 2018 by David Brussat

That was my first reaction to this essay by Aaron Betsky criticizing Rem Koolhaas, two icons of modernism. In “The BASEST form of architecture,” Betsky takes aim at Koolhaas’s installation (meaning a temporary gallery) in what may be the world’s … Continue reading →

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Best snow sculpture? Maybe

Posted on January 4, 2018 by David Brussat

The one above I thought the best because of its architecture. Others on this list are perhaps better, or worse, with or without architecture. Buzzfeed’s headline: “Seriously Cool Snow Sculptures that Will Make You Want Another Storm.” Maybe. Maybe not. … Continue reading →

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Frank Gehry’s H.M.S. Foggy

Posted on December 23, 2017 by David Brussat

Not sure why I’ve decided to inflict on readers this old post from October 2015 on the day before the day before Christmas. It came to mind after a reader, intent on humoring me or torturing me, sent me a … Continue reading →

Posted in Art and design, Humor, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments