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(01/23/23 1:00pm)
Despite having been painted more than 150 years ago, Édouard Manet’s Olympia continues to resonate throughout the art world. In 1865, the painting debuted in Paris’ prestigious Salon, controlled by the French Academy of Fine Arts, immediately scandalizing the scene. The work subversively approached the reclining female nude with its daring technical, stylistic, and thematic choices. While she was created by a man, Olympia has consequently joined the ranks of groundbreaking and influential women, both in the art world and beyond.
(11/30/22 5:00am)
Oneness: Nature & Connectivity in Chinese Art is bringing the Chinese artistic tradition and landscape to Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Containing works by four prominent contemporary Chinese artists, the show tackles the intersections between humanism and environmentalism. It creates a continuous dialogue through the timeline of Chinese art, placing works like a 16th–century hanging scroll and Emperor’s Dragon Robe (Mang Pao) (c. 1840) alongside modern sculpture and ink paintings. For those looking to journey across the globe and through history, look no further than this immersive exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
(11/10/22 7:07pm)
Between Van Pelt’s endless stacks and tables full of stressed–out students exists the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. The Kislak Center is now exhibiting photographs by Arthur Tress in dialogue with Japanese illustrated books from his personal collection. The special exhibition, which opened on Sept. 29, will remain on view through the end of the semester on Dec. 16. Visitors can find the show, curated in collaboration with faculty and graduate students, within the Goldstein Family Gallery.
(10/09/22 9:21pm)
While the Barnes Foundation may be getting older, it still remains a force of nature in the city of Philadelphia. In its hundredth year, with its eclectic display choices and warm yellow walls, the museum is defined by intimacy, approachability, and comfort. It stands out compared to more traditional museums, which can often feel sterile. To celebrate l the Barnes Foundation is on this historic anniversary, the museum has hosted a variety of special programs and exhibitions throughout the year. While 2022 may be coming to a close, there are still lots of celebratory opportunities to take advantage of.
(04/19/22 2:23pm)
The internet is a ruthless place: Twitter wars, harsh memes, and ferocious fights in comment sections are the norm. For four days beginning on April Fool's day in 2017 (and revived for its fifth anniversary at the beginning of this month), Reddit’s r/Place subreddit was the home of much of this intensity. Instead of up– or down–voting one another’s posts, users both cooperated and competed for space on a virtual canvas as part of this online initiative.
(03/29/22 2:52am)
Moments after stepping inside Lulu Cafe I can sense its unique and welcoming character, which instantly stands out from your average Philadelphia boba joint. Located at 45th and Walnut streets, Lulu Cafe has a spunky, creative, and friendly atmosphere with a menu full of bubble tea and other snacks to match. I can tell the owner Janice Wang and the manager Tammy Chan are smiling at me beneath their masks as they usher me in and tell me to make myself at home, scurrying behind the counter to whip up a variety of the cafe’s bestsellers for me to try.
(01/31/22 5:00pm)
After graduating from Penn with a degree in Economics, getting her Masters of Public Administration, and working in corporate America for years, Airea D. Matthews finally began to actualize her deep-seated passion for poetry. Looking back on her life, Matthews knew this love was always within her, from the book of 17th–century poems she used to peruse as a child to the Toni Morrison novels she read in college, all the way to the slam poems she performed at her friend’s café during graduate school. “You nurture your passions, you don’t have to force them,” she says. “The sweet entity that poetry is stayed there, even when I was ignoring it and didn’t know it was a big part of my life.” Now, as the newest Poet Laureate of Philadelphia, Matthews strives to spread her love of the art form to the city.
(12/07/21 1:47am)
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: that’s right, December, the month of being assaulted by Spotify Wrapped Instagram stories from every single person you follow. Since I have Apple Music, I thought I’d toss my own music taste in the ring, relating each song to the impact it's had on my life this past year. Feel free to judge my taste, ignore it, or take it as a recommendation.
(12/05/21 6:23pm)
In their spectacular fall semester show “Vogue,” Arts House Dance Company proved just how well they can strike a balance between high fashion and high passion. The show, which took place at the Iron Gate Theater on Nov. 12 and 13, consisted of 12 different dances—each choreographed and performed by different combinations of the 19 member company. For upperclassmen, the show marked the first time they were able to perform together onstage for an audience since fall 2019, and for sophomores and first years, it was their first time ever. The company tapped into its impressive arsenal, utilizing a myriad of styles, techniques, and tempos and receiving a well–deserved standing ovation by the end of the night.
(11/18/21 5:00am)
“I like how you can transcend the bounds of your own consciousness by stepping into someone else's perspective,” Emma Blum* (C ‘23) says, her eyes sparkling with passion as she explains her love for writing. She describes her young self as a “nerdy kid,” always reading and writing while her friends played handball during recess. While her creative inspirations have evolved from J.K. Rowling and John Green to George Saunders and Hanya Yanagihara with age, Emma’s love for prose hasn’t wavered. Nowadays, an English major with an impressive list of awards and accolades in her back pocket, she has clearly matured as a writer, but it's obvious she's still the same nerdy kid at heart.
(11/16/21 7:00pm)
Twitter, the glorious hellscape of shitposts, gifs, and fights picked by internet strangers, now has a new niche for art history nerds: one with an undead twist. Rising from their graves to join the ranks of top Tweeters around the globe, fine art icons like Van Gogh, Sandro Botticelli, and hundreds more have filled the platform with their impressive works. Created by Andrei Taraschuk, “art bots" are giving Twitter users the chance to follow artists and enjoy their works during daily scrolls. These "art bots" bring art out of the museum and give it a place on social media, spotlighting painters who may have lived centuries before Twitter existed.
(11/30/21 4:13am)
On March 11 of this year, Christie’s sold a piece of artwork for $69 million. But something about this sale was special, aside from the funny number on the price tag. Botticellis, Rembrandts, and Matisses have been emptying even the fattest of wallets since the genesis of the modern art market, selling for even higher prices. These paintings differ greatly across movements and styles, yet they still have something in common that's often overlooked—they are all tangible works made from brushes, paint, and a canvas and that can hang on a wall. That’s what makes Christie’s March sale stand out. Created by digital artist Beeple, “EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5000 DAYS,” is a mere JPG file, and it is just one of the many forms of digital art going for millions as the NFT, or non–fungible token, market skyrockets.
(10/25/21 1:04pm)
Philadelphians often opt for a museum visit to satisfy a craving for artistic stimulation. But taking a walk around the city’s streets yields a new way to revel in creative expression—one that is just as fulfilling and even more tied to our local communities. Philadelphia is called the mural capital of the world, with over 3,600 unique art–filled walls and building facades sprinkled throughout the city. Spearheaded by Mural Arts Philadelphia, these public art installations are intended to engage artists and communities through ingenuity.
(10/16/21 3:09am)
Melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and intense heat waves: The list of perils brought on by climate change go on and on, all well–documented by researchers. Global climate change plagues the future of our world, but it also has begun to threaten our record of the past.
(10/04/21 2:22pm)
From a very young age, Isabel Hu (C '23) was always drawing—sometimes on scrap paper, sometimes in an art book, and a little too frequently on her family’s couch. Nowadays, Isabel frequently finds herself stopping to look for the visually intriguing elements in her daily life, often snapping pictures to reference in future works of art.
(09/28/21 3:03am)
“I have to pinch myself,” she says. Her sincerity and humbleness come across clearly, even over the phone. “I'm very happy and lucky and grateful to be where I am.”
(09/21/21 8:53pm)
Roberto Lugo’s Philadelphia is a “home of Cornbread tagging in the streets,” and of “football with no pads,” where you can get “baseball bats to the face for steppin’ in the wrong neighborhood.” This Philadelphia is not so familiar to the Penn community—our home is more appropriately described by tree–lined brick pathways, long walks to DRL, and consulting club rejections. Lugo’s Philadelphia and Penn’s Philadelphia may exist in the same geographical vicinity, but they often feel worlds apart.
(09/14/21 6:00pm)
Classic Nudes is an interactive guide to an assortment of the world’s steamiest fine art. The project pairs a curated selection of erotic artworks from museums around the world with short, cheeky descriptions. From the Renaissance to Impressionism and everywhere in between, the works in the guide touch on cornerstones of art history. The guide can be found on Pornhub’s website, and for each museum it includes a map that lays out where the sexy artworks are, an audio tour voiced by Asa Akira, and a video guide for each museum included. The minute–long audio clips are playful and filled with innuendos and pop culture references. Predictably, the videos are NSFW and involve the recreation of sensuous scenes like Gossaert’s Adam and Eve.
(09/07/21 1:17am)
Just days after move–in, bright–eyed sophomores took buses up to Fairmount Hill to enjoy art, refreshments, and each other’s company. In the historic Philadelphia Museum of Art, second–year Penn students schmoozed and chit chatted, ushering in what will hopefully be a more community–driven year at Penn. It was a celebration of togetherness for the Class of 2024, marking the first time all of us have been together in one place. The Philadelphia Museum of Art, which Penn rented out in its entirety, made for a special and memorable gala venue because of its scale and landmark status.
(08/31/21 4:00pm)
After the resurgence of the Taliban in mid–August, Afghans around the country began to flee toward airports and borders in hope for an escape from the increasing human rights violations. The threat to human life, security, and freedom is immeasurable, and no freedom is too fundamental to be safe from the Taliban’s reign. Alongside the dangers faced by the Afghan people is the danger threatening the Afghan legacy, which is ensconced in archeological wonders, sculptural masterpieces, and other studied artifacts. Under the Taliban regime, in all its violence, fundamentalism, and totalitarianism, there’s an urgent and momentous danger facing the treasure trove of art and history that lives within Afghanistan’s borders.
