Day 4 in Chiapas. I find myself here a bit earlier than originally planned, in time to catch an old, dear friend at the right moment. It is very different from what I remember. I came over 25 years ago, in 1997 or thereabouts with an EZLN caravan. That was an invaluable, transformative experience, though…
1. Introduction When you look at The Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, your eyes are directed not to the kneeling chancellor or to the Virgin and Child in the foreground but to the top third of the picture, directly toward the center, where a conspicuous island on a river interrupts the horizon. Although the chancellor occupies…
Una reflexión dialógica sobre Las Meninas de Diego Velázquez y La Virgen en una iglesia de Jan van Eyck Este ensayo propone una reflexión dialógica entre Las Meninas de Diego Velázquez y La Virgen en una iglesia de Jan van Eyck, explorando cómo dos obras—radicalmente distintas en escala, función y contexto histórico—presentan sorprendentes paralelismos tanto compositivos como conceptuales. A partir de una coincidencia…
A Diologic Reflection on Velázquez’s Las Meninas and Van Eyck’s Madonna in a Church This essay offers a dialogic reflection on Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas and Jan van Eyck’s Madonna in a Church, examining how two works—radically different in scale, function, and historical context—nonetheless exhibit striking compositional and conceptual parallels. Prompted by the accidental juxtaposition of postcard reproductions,…
On my flight to Berlin (May 2024), I’m reading Cohen-Solal’s book on Rothko. I get to the part where she narrates the correspondence between him and Kuh and how disappointed she is when he ultimately decides to not have it published as an accompaniment to their upcoming exhibition. But, Cohen-Solal says, she understands that she…
Too many of us travelers. No, not travelers—tourists. We are an army of clichés, marching through the streets where locals actually live; taking, giving, distorting, and transforming their lives. Was it more organic before algorithms? Does it matter? It is what it is now, with Blackstone, Vanguard, and Silicon Valley nudging, prodding, and sucking everyone…