Review: Sailors and Daughters: Early Photography and the Indian Ocean
“Sailors and Daughters: Early Photography and the Indian Ocean” is an online exhibition created by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African art.
More Writing
All work is done by me unless otherwise noted. Some posts may open in a separate tab as a pdf.
A Visual & Criticial Analysis of Brancusi's Blond Negress II
Uncovering John Baptist Malchair: 18th Century British Landscape Seen Through Fading Eyes
This essay will delve into Malchair’s possible intentions in omitting the overpowering presence of industry and budding modernization from his body of work, and how this act reflected the attitude of his contemporaries regarding industrialization. An intimate look at Malchair’s life as a teacher, musician, and artist is worth close examination in order to arrive at a concrete explanation for this. Was Foundry at Canon a moment of experimentation, or a complete omission of the obvious in favor of the nostalgia of the countryside?
Photo by Pedro Figueras on Pexels
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NYC Midnight Writing Challenge: Short Story 2023, Round 1
A husband and wife move into their first house together, and have to deal with all the adjustments that come with their newly married life...
Photo by David Riaño Cortés on Pexels
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NYC Midnight Writing Challenge: Flash Fiction 2022, Round 1
Every ten years, the young girls of the village eagerly wait for their turn to be
presented to The Prince, hoping that they would be chosen to be his.
presented to The Prince, hoping that they would be chosen to be his.
Photo by: Nina Chohan
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Review: The Heckscher Museum of Art
A brief review of the museum's most recent exhibitions, and personal reflections.
Zarina, Self Portrait, 1961
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Zarina
Having left India and living in different countries after marrying her husband, an Indian diplomat, Zarina explored what it meant to have a home, what home really means in the contexts of a feeling of belonging, memories of childhood, and a safe space.
Fragment of LTM13, courtesy of kakuunohito works
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Yuichi Ikehata
The photography of Yuichi Ikehata is not what one would typically imagine when they hear an artist’s choice of medium is “photography.”
Photo by Mike Murray on Pexels
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The Power of Poetry: Feminism in the Spoken Word
The period between 1960-70’s made way for the rise of some of the most influential female poets in modern history. This includes the brilliant minds of Maya Angelou, Audre Lorde, and Adrienne Rich, all of whom have contributed significantly not only to poetry and the arts, but also by broadening the discourse on feminism in popular culture.
Critique: Philip Guston Now
Museums have been going through an existential crisis of sorts in the last decade or so; while some struggle to remain relevant altogether, others try to go out of their way to not be cancelled, or deemed as exclusively irrelevant.
Museu de Art de Sao Paulo: Histories of Sexuality
This exhibit was held during a time of great public unrest in Brazil, which can be, in turn, a great breeding ground for creating important and meaningful conversations in and around the world. All in all, it was largely successful in exploring ideas and themes that were otherwise subjected to political scrutiny and conjecture, especially in the Global South.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels
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Decolonization: Museums and Their Responsibility to Own Their Past
Museums have an important role to play in society as both keepers of the past and educators of the future. They have a responsibility to adhere to decolonization to stay relevant in today’s society.
Iconographic Analysis: Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints, by Domenico Ghirlandaio
Domenico Ghirlandaio was an important late quattrocento Renaissance artist who created large and magnificent frescos. The son of a goldsmith, he was also the teacher of a young Michelangelo1. Ghirlandaio’s Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints was painted for a church in Tuscany, and now rests in the Uffizi Museum in Florence. Completed in 1483 using tempera paint on wood, and standing at approximately six feet tall and wide, the painting is richly colored, highly symmetric, and densely packed with precise religious symbols and icons.
Formal Analysis: Fra Filippo Lippi's Coronation of the Virgin
Fra Filippo Lippi was a friar artist that joined the trend of creating a more modern depiction of religious scenes of worship. Coronation of the Virgin, made between 1441 and 1447, was made as an altarpiece created for the church of Sant’Ambrogio, Florence. As opposed to the altarpieces that were made on separate panels and brought together as one piece via hinges, Lippi creates a single-paneled altarpiece, while still calling upon some traditional altarpiece styles.
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels
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After the Apocalypse: Museums in a Post-COVID-19 World
So, where do we go from here? How can museums continue to function in a society where public interaction is so strongly limited?
Derek Jarman’s "Caravaggio": A Bafflingly Beautiful Sketch of a Troubled Artist
Derek Jarman’s Caravaggio is a perplexing and often dizzying tale of the troubled life of the sixteenth century Baroque artist, filled with puzzling voice-overs and dodgy plot devices, the film shakes you back and forth between twenty or so years of Caravaggio’s tormented life.
Hokusai’s Great Wave: The Upsurge of an Icon
Exploring Hokusai's great work and it's influence on the world.
