Mircea Eliade and the Mythological Significations of the Theatre
In addition to his numerous writings in the field of the history and philosophy of religions, Mircea Eliade’s body of work includes an impressive number of novels,…
Nine Days a Queen and the “Execution of Lady Jane Grey”
Lady Jane Grey was born into the Tudor family by Henry Grey and Lady Frances Brandon, holding strong bloodline connections to Henry VIII, in October 1537. Being…
Caravaggio’s Museum
Again and again, during these days, I have time-traveled within myself for sustenance — with the help of the internet, of course. Viewing art online flattens the…
The Problem of Meaning in Human Agency or Art
Does art mean anything? Let us be precise from the outset about terms. Art stands traditionally as a counterpart of nature.[1] When Shakespeare has Hamlet spell out…
Vermeer’s “Woman Holding a Balance”: Allegory of Judgment
Johannes Vermeer’s two foremost allegories—that of the Catholic Faith and that of the Art of Painting—help us understand the painter’s “Woman Holding a Balance” (hereafter, WHB), inviting…
Art and Pluralism
Our pluralistic societies celebrate the arts in their open-ended diversity. We celebrate the manifold forms of expression making up the wealth of a world that has domesticated…
Looking at Art
Art is a means of communication with people - Mussorgsky I look at art —American Indian, Minoan, Weimar Republic art— and it is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful… all…
Love of the Other as Other: What is Enchantment and Wonder?
We in the West and those societies worldwide have been disenchanted over the last century seem to be in especial need of re-enchantment and a renewed sense…
Movie Art and the Nature of Story
Almost anyone who has taught film studies has drawn on one of the numerous editions of the superb textbook by David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson Film Art.…
Swans, Art and Pain
The closing scene of the ballet, Swan Lake, carries a real-life poignancy that can be hard to capture in 19th-century story ballets. In the ghostly light of…
True Painting and the Problem of Imitation
There is a categorical rift between classical and modern (progressive or avant-garde) painting, for modern painting as such ceases to be “imitation of nature” in the classical…
The Musical Universe and Mozart’s “Magic Flute”
Feelings are ‘vectors’; for they feel what is there and transform it into a here. — Alfred North Whitehead Let me begin by saying to our alumni: Welcome home!…
Beyond Modern Theatrics: Restoring the Dignity of Painting and Music
The seventeenth century French querelle des anciens et des modernes suggests that the dawn of the modern world is marked by the rise of a new theatre. …
César Franck’s Soaring Symphony in D Minor
Many of us have been in a church or concert hall where an organ is being played, all those chords and majestic sonorities cleverly manipulated to create…
How to Appreciate Twentieth-Century Music
Twentieth-century classical music is intimidating for many people. I believe this is mainly due to what has been written about it rather than to the music itself.…