Pond·ering sixty years of art history
Sep
19
2017
Sixty years, more or less one generation, brought us from Monet to Almaraz. To my eye, two works aligned in hot harmony. Above, the majestic vision of Los Angeles painter Carlos Almaraz, in his reconstituted four-panel Echo Park Lake (1982) — now on rare display at LACMA, as part of Pacific Standard Time LA/LA. (Our ...
Kyle Abraham’s “Pavement” rolls down Laguna way 2
Sep
4
2016
This wonderful photo by Carrie Schneider, reminiscent of Jerome Robbins’s mise-en-scene for “West Side Story,” comes courtesy of the Laguna Dance Festival. The annual dance fest on the cusp of its 12th season presents Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion as one of three programs on offer the weekend of September 22. Abraham’s troupe joins BODYTRAFFIC and BalletX on ...
What a week! Los Angeles blossoms in the fine arts
I’ve inhabited Los Angeles more or less, since 1989. The city’s rich art existence, long undetected, has kept me busy and happy here. There is little doubt, however, that something arts-phenomenal is happening right now in our city. It must be true; the New York Times is sputtering about it all the time. In fact, ...
American theater classic, “Fences,” in affecting Long Beach production
A neglectful husband, three times a father, a self-righteous best friend, a guilty brother, a hungry paramour, a proud homeowner … also a garbageman and a failed athlete who’s outrightly selfish, bitter and mean to his son. (We discover that ultimately he’s a noble human being.) That bundle of conflict describes all the ways in ...
Recco’ed: choreographer Kyle Abraham & Co. to kick it at Royce Hall
Feb
10
2015
A tremendous opportunity to experience the “post-modern gumbo,” the rich inner imaginings and outer cultural connections of choreographer Kyle Abraham whose work we have happily tracked for the past several years. Two separate dance pieces will be shared over two evenings this week’s end, at the regal Royce Hall, presented by the Center of the ...
The jazz strata of Ave Pildas 1
If you receive photographer Ave Pildas’s weekly e-blasts, you know the prolific nature of his work. His street snaps can be quirky, straightforward, unpredictable, ironic, reverent, whimsical, iconic, or just plain fun. He has an eye for the beautiful and the surreal but the transmissions often time to current events or seasonal observances. They show ...
Marian the Librarian to tell all at CINECON 1
Aug
26
2013
We just learned that the lovely Academy-Award winning actress Shirley Jones will be honored at the 49th annual Labor Day-weekend event, Cinecon Classic Film Festival. The five-day foray into classic film-mania — with an accent on rarely seen movies and silent film — that hook or by crook rolls out annually at summer’s end for ...
In Pittsburgh, with Andy Warhol
Jul
18
2012
It was a great joy to exit my United Airlines flight last weekend — yes, the pleasure of getting off the aircraft — was augmented by an exhibition of Andy Warhol art work right there at Pittsburgh International Airport. Capturing my eye in particular was a display case of photos illustrating Warhol’s rather impressive transition ...
Gene from Pittsburgh 1
May
21
2012
I’ve been spending a lot of time with Gene Kelly for the past week. It’s a good feeling. We’re from the same home town. Kelly was a huge movie star. The only other dancer to reach that level was Fred — not from Pittsburgh. Read my story on The Huffington Post.
Bob Marley remembered 2
What I learned about reggae artist Bob Marley from “Marley,” an inspiring new documentary produced by his son: he was biracial (I did not know that) he was the soul of jamaica he was gorgeous and nicely built he was all music, from childhood he was all artist, beatific in the final years of his ...