Tag Archives: art

Creative capitulation in Prov

Posted on August 12, 2020 by David Brussat

In recent decades, art in Providence has served as a wrecking ball aimed not just at beauty but at the very concept of art, in a city that depends on art for its historical character, even as it brands itself … Continue reading →

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Christo, homage to a life

Posted on May 31, 2020 by David Brussat

The artist Christo has died. One must not, they say, speak ill of the dead. I am not speaking ill of the dead man but of his art. Those who bruise easily may stop reading here, but Christo’s death will … Continue reading →

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Going wild over beauty

Posted on April 8, 2020 by David Brussat

Beauty is a form of Genius – is higher, indeed, than Genius, as it needs no explanation. It is one of the great facts of the world, like sunlight, or spring-time, or the reflection in dark waters of that silver … Continue reading →

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Parsing classical creativity

Posted on February 18, 2020 by David Brussat

The proposed executive order encouraging classical architecture for federal buildings in Washington and elsewhere, if adopted by President Trump, would replace Kennedy-era guidelines that have encouraged modern architecture for federal buildings since 1962. Enough time has passed to declare modern … Continue reading →

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Sir Roger Scruton, RIP

Posted on January 12, 2020 by David Brussat

Death took Roger Scruton today. He was the world’s deepest thinker on architecture and aesthetics, which were embedded in the conservatism of his broader philosophy. Scruton embraced tradition, holding that “the tried and true” are a stronger foundation than novelty … Continue reading →

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Sir Roger Scruton on beauty

Posted on May 12, 2018 by David Brussat

Here is a lovely video of the British philosopher and architectural theorist Roger Scruton called “Why Beauty Matters.” The usefulness of beauty in uplifting human lives serves as the bottom-line rationale for my book Lost Providence. But if you have … 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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“Best doors in the world”

Posted on October 18, 2017 by David Brussat

The Art Nouveau doors to the left offer entry, according to a caption, to a building called the Maison aux Grenouilles (frogs) in Brelsko-Biala, Poland. The doors are near the beginning of a collection of photographs labeled “Bejaroti ajtok: a … Continue reading →

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Graffartists are not people

Posted on August 1, 2017 by David Brussat

Okay, if Brutalist architects are people (see previous post), then I must admit graffartists are, too. Yet how sad and appalling to read in today’s Providence Journal that David Macaulay’s delightful mural near the State Offices exit from Route 95 … Continue reading →

Posted in Art and design, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

WaterFire’s ribbon-de-fe

Posted on June 20, 2017 by David Brussat

At the end of my tour of the WaterFire Arts Center on Sunday (“WaterFire’s crib opens today,”), Waterfire creator Barnaby Evans told me to look out for “a surprise” at the next day’s ribbon-cutting. Well, I have it on video. … Continue reading →

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