tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126493002024-09-25T22:13:48.457-04:00One paragraph reviews on art, movies, books, and pop culture by a know-nothing who knows it allAlice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comBlogger656125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-9407870265800223782008-06-14T15:31:00.004-04:002008-06-14T15:38:00.279-04:00

Hello, Good People. As you can see, blogging hasn't been at the top of my to-do list. At some point, I'll post about why I'm on permanent hiatus. Perhaps, some day the blogging passion will return. Until then.... peace.

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-69238916654183386752007-11-01T13:03:00.000-04:002007-11-01T13:08:23.431-04:00

It's been a little crazy this week. Be kind, and give me a little slack for a bit. :) By Monday, Amp Power should be up and running again. Thanks

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-86769545776439508912007-10-24T11:30:00.000-04:002007-10-24T11:26:52.088-04:00

If you're an artist and want to attract people to your next show, try to get Homeland Security involved. I would probably never think of checking out Duke Riley's "After the Battle of Brooklyn" exhibit at Magnan Gallery, if Riley hadn't received so much press and digital ink last August. When this water performance artist attempted to navigate his homemade submarine around the waters of

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-60734085448888848352007-10-23T18:00:00.000-04:002007-10-23T17:59:34.869-04:00

The label "alt-folk" makes me throw up, but recently that's all I've been listening to. I put the blame squarely on Suzanne Vega's "Beauty & Crime" disc. I had ignored Suzanne Vega after her 1987 "Solitude Standing," but I picked up her new disc because it is a paean to New York City post 9/11. I got hooked big time. I'm the type of person who likes to burn things out fast; that is, I listen

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-77093085958921035152007-10-22T08:38:00.000-04:002007-10-21T22:57:11.620-04:00

James Valerio's paintings at George Adams gallery make me smile. These hyper-realistic paintings seem to be allegorical. However, the stories on these canvases are not standard symbolic tales but ones for the viewer to make up on his own. "Comic Times" shows a couple in their pattern-busy living room. The wife reads the funnies as intently as someone reads the business page, while the husband

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-27418870161259520572007-10-19T12:45:00.000-04:002007-10-19T12:45:30.689-04:00

It may be thought of as a gimmick, but I like it: creating art under extreme situations--and elements. As part of his ongoing "Drawing Restraint" project, Matthew Barney sailed from Gibraltar to New York last December. As the boat rocked to and fro, Barney drew and painted with what he had available. The final art images are now on view at the Serpentine Gallery in London, and some were printed

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-26980743602771480262007-10-18T17:45:00.000-04:002007-10-18T17:45:08.956-04:00

I could almost start going to church again. Jackie Nickerson's photograph exhibit, "Faith," at Jack Shainman gallery documents Catholic religious orders in Ireland. Although these images were taken over the past two and half years, the church's recent scandals seem far, far away. Priest pedophilia, ordination of women, ban on abortion? Never hoird of 'em. This hermatically sealed world harkens

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-10437606714630049852007-10-17T10:23:00.000-04:002007-10-17T10:42:57.396-04:00

The Saatchi Gallery's featured photograph for its current survey of post 9/11 American artists reminded me of another similar striking image. In Josephine Meckseper's 2003 "Pyromaniac 2," a model holds a lighted match in her mouth as though it were a cigarette and delivers us a "dare me" look. Meckseper's work combines anti-capitalism with humor, and the gallery describes this photo as "an emblem

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-57339004378106724702007-10-16T08:22:00.000-04:002007-10-15T23:26:23.671-04:00

Even as a woman, I'm a little intimidated by A.M. Homes. I just finished her 1999 book "Music for Torching." Think William Burroughs meets Richard Yates. It's that good. The novel, which I picked up in the bargain bin for $1.98 (!), is a satire, a sometimes brutal tale, about a husband and wife who feel "stuck" in their lives in the suburbs. Homes manages to make this story completely absurd but

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-80505610308166306802007-10-15T08:30:00.000-04:002007-10-14T22:55:30.635-04:00

Do we spot a trend here? It's time to publicize art works that deface Jack and Jackie. The Foundation for Italian artist Mimmo Rotella is hawking the artist's 1963 "L'ultimo Kennedy," in which JFK is given the treatment. More recently, Douglas Gordon does a little slash and burn on the missus. Ripping the Kennedys feels somewhat passe to me, more circa early 1980s. And I think that Jello Biafra

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-92178745911944557652007-10-12T10:45:00.000-04:002007-10-19T12:47:21.691-04:00

Remember that pictorial spread in W magazine a few years back featuring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie portraying a bored 1960s couple? The 60-paged catalogue, which was photographed by Steve Klein, oozed with smart mise-en-scene and tons of back story. Well, at least one image wasn't as original as I thought. Julius Shulman took a very similar photograph almost 50 years ago. (The image is

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-24043587908734996372007-10-12T10:00:00.000-04:002007-10-12T09:53:58.599-04:00

Am I the only person in the world who is tired of Tom Ford's ongoing media blitz to prove he's not shy about sex? He likes to woo the press, and they all eat up his calculated, "shocking" sound bites. In his latest business venture at the perfume counter, the (former?) designer likes to talk about the alluring smells of body odor and men's crotches. T.F. and his don't-you-forget-about-me

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-62344112499871091082007-10-11T09:45:00.000-04:002007-10-11T09:45:29.254-04:00

Sometimes people are just screwed up, and no amount of therapy, yoga, or hocus-pocus rituals is going to save them. That's what I came away with after reading Kathryn Harrison's (very short) memoir "The Mother Knot." The book chronicles Harrison's coming to terms with her rocky relationship with her dead mother. (This includes exhuming her mother's body, having it cremated, and then throwing

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-57651998792132729852007-10-10T11:30:00.000-04:002007-10-10T11:23:50.721-04:00

Poor Jackie. What did she ever do to deserve the pummeling that artists like to give her? Was it Warhol who started this never-ending spanking machine? It seems that Ms. O's image as the bouffant, helmet-headed Jackie Kennedy usually takes the worst beating on the canvas. Douglas Gordon is the latest artist to deface Jackie in an upcoming show at Gagosian gallery uptown. And, last year, Jack

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-35125904892560195422007-10-10T10:30:00.000-04:002007-10-16T13:07:28.915-04:00

Who could ever imagine that Amp Power would be mentioned in the same breath as "Meet the Press" and "The New Republic"? Well, it happened this week in New York Magazine's comments section in which the weekly cited rave reviews for its Bill Clinton-in-Drag cover, along with one lone dissenting voice--yours truly. The weekly writes that "The New Republic's blog called it 'hilarious.' The Amp Power

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-86464748999388232232007-10-04T17:46:00.000-04:002007-10-04T17:30:49.895-04:00

Is it possible to go back home again? To recapture that feeling when you watched a particular movie that zapped you right between the eyes because it encapsulated both your inner thoughts and worldview? Almost 20 years ago, one movie really sang to me: "Lord Love a Duck." Before "Heathers," there was "Lord Love a Duck," a dark comedy centered on high school life that playfully skewers just about

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-61081683448880442342007-10-03T10:29:00.000-04:002007-10-03T10:51:41.869-04:00

Not long ago, New York Magazine issued out one of my favorite all-time magazine covers, featuring a curmudgeon Woody Allen and a steamy Scarlett Johansson sitting on a beach. How far a magazine can fall. This week's magazine's image of a photoshopped Bill Clinton in drag tops my worst all-time mag covers. Accompanying an article speculating on Bill Clinton as "First Lady" (get it?), the morph-job

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-9364425946717622282007-09-26T11:35:00.000-04:002007-09-26T11:38:07.214-04:00

Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will" and "Air Force One" with Harrison Ford have a lot more in common than you may think. According to director Michael Haneke in a NYT profile, both have "a distinct political agenda [and] a common goal — the total manipulation of the viewer. What’s terrible about the Harrison Ford film, though, especially terrible, is that it represents itself as simple

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-29090679214468501722007-09-19T12:09:00.001-04:002007-09-19T12:17:03.261-04:00

Dear Gentle Readers (all three of you), I'm not lazy. I'm not slacking. I've been wide awake and busy with my non-blogging life. I will start posting on regular basis oh-so soon. I'll do my best to get back on track with more riveting reviews and catty comments. --Amp

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-8391562058981460732007-09-12T12:00:00.000-04:002007-09-12T11:55:09.060-04:00

Is Marc Jacobs spring 2008 collection really front page news? The New York Times thinks so. Cathy Horyn proclaims that Jacobs offers "an antidote to the cartoonish Jessica Rabbit sexuality that has dominated women’s fashion for more than 20 years." However, what caught my interest in the article was a quote from artist John Currin, who is known for his hardcore graphic sex paintings. “So often

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-48951201989427051592007-09-11T08:16:00.000-04:002007-09-10T23:24:16.320-04:00

One of my favorite contemporary artists, Mel Leipzig, has been elected into the National Academy of Design. Along with Sol LeWitt, Kiki Smith, Cy Twombly and Richard Serra, Leipzig is one of 19 artists to be awarded membership to the academy this past year. Leipzig has a few exhibits coming up this month. On Sept. 25, Tomasulo Gallery will showcase Leipzig's paintings that focus on artists in

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-65833826581166160992007-09-10T08:54:00.000-04:002007-09-09T23:00:54.708-04:00

Did you know that going to art galleries is very hip, very sexy, and so very Banana Republic (according to the clothing retailer's latest ad campaign)? The ads published in Vogue and the New York Times spotlight models hanging out in front of abstract paintings with gallery invitations either tucked in oversized bags or used as shields for whispers or kisses. Apparently, these ads is B.R.'s way

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-4279394003687253952007-09-07T08:21:00.000-04:002007-09-06T23:19:28.800-04:00

New York Times tipped me off to this fun show at Danziger Projects. Andy Freeberg turns his lens on those I-dare-you-to-approach front desks in almost every single Chelsea gallery. In person, these formidable barriers are intimidating, but these images capture how silly they are. However, I have been in even more uncomfortable situations in which a gallery staff member sits out in the open in a

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-75144667928268118742007-09-06T17:00:00.000-04:002007-09-06T17:00:40.239-04:00

"A humorless misfire that wastes the talents of some fine actors." Ouchy. That's one of the notices for Woody Allen's new film, Cassandra's Dream, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival, which GreenCineDaily has posted. If I received these types of reviews, I would go into hiding for years. From the Hollywood Reporter: "Lazy plotting, poor characterization, dull scenes and flat dialogue." The

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12649300.post-41196490964786414802007-09-04T18:27:00.000-04:002007-09-04T18:20:22.030-04:00

The relationship has always been tight, but when I see it in black and white, I always think "sell out." At some point, gallery-quality photographers usually take up a fashion shoot for that bread and butter money. As New York gears up for Fashion Week, I've recognized a few names attached to photo spreads in local publications. Tierney Gearon, whose Mother Project I really liked, got tapped for

Alice P.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00261313202707760594noreply@blogger.com