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January 18, 2009

RIP, Andrew Wyeth

One of my favorite painters died this past week. Andrew Wyeth, 91, died in Chadds Ford, PA on Friday, January 16. Oddly, not much news was made of Wyeth's passing--the wires are too busy with the imminent inauguration and with the "miraculous landing" of the airplane into the Hudson--which I find sorta sad. Below: a couple of photos of Wyeth from the mid-40s, not long after he married and had children, and around the time his work began maturing.

To see a Wyeth work in a museum, to come face to face with his gorgeously lonely, pinpoint-detailed American realism paintings, is a total joy. Although his subject was usually rural Pennsylvania, his pieces remind me of the land in central Kansas where I grew up, especially the world of my grandparents' farm. In tribute, I wholeheartedly recommend everyone seeking out one of his paintings this week-- many exist in many, many museums around the US.

Christina's World (above, in NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art) is probably his most famous. Below are a few more I love: Public Sale; Winter, 1946; and Crown of Flowers, 1974 (from his controversial "Helga" series).

Posted by scottheim at 02:00 AM | Comments (1)

January 16, 2009

4AD's Heyday, Part One (1980-1987)

(1) Bauhaus, "Dark Entries" (live) (1980)

(2) The Birthday Party, "Nick the Stripper" (1981)

(3) Modern English, "Someone's Calling" (1982)

(4) This Mortal Coil, "Kangaroo" (1984)

(5) Cocteau Twins, "Aikea-Guinea" (1984)

(6) Dead Can Dance, "Frontier" (1984)

(7) Clan of Xymox, "A Day" (1985)

(8) Throwing Muses, "Hate My Way" (live) (1986)

(9) Wolfgang Press, "Cut the Tree" (1987)

(10) Dif Juz, "No Motion" (1987)

Posted by scottheim at 01:55 PM | Comments (1)

January 04, 2009

Jan. 4: Happy Birthday, Mark Hollis

One of my favorite humans on the face of the earth. Oh, how I wish you'd make music again....

(Two of my greatest joys in life are Talk Talk's final pair of brilliant, beautiful, perfect albums, Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock. If I could ever create a work of art even half as great as either of those records, I'd die a happy man.)

Posted by scottheim at 12:36 PM | Comments (2)