Thursday 27 May 2010

Could Any Force on Earth Stop Their Supernatural Fury?

I love The Junior Apprentice. Interestingly, this particular iteration of the business-themed reality-gameshow seems to almost parody the original, making the adults' childish petulance and hard-nosed cliché all the more ridiculous when it comes from the mouth of a sixteen year-old.

Monday 24 May 2010

Leave Us Your Calling Card

ART CRIT

FANTASIES, FOLLIES AND DISASTERS:
The Prints of Francisco de Goya (27 February – 25 July 2010, Free)

VISUAL DIALOGUES: DISASTERS OF WAR
Jake and Dinos Chapman (6 October – 25 July 2010, Free)



In a 2003 work entitled Insult to Injury, Jake and Dinos Chapman set about ‘rectifying’ a complete set of Goya prints, applying the faces of Tony Blair and George Bush to the heads of Goya’s grotesques. While clearly raising questions about our reverent attitude towards artworks and the extravagant prices paid for them, critical opinion remained divided. Did the work represent an engagement with Goya, expanding on themes already present in his work? Or did it simply trivialise the radical spirit of the originals? A new exhibition at the Manchester Art Gallery brings these questions into focus, placing for the first time a piece from the Chapman exhibit alongside the works which inspired it. The Chapman’s ‘Disasters of War’ in displayed in the centre of the space, with Goya’s prints of the same name hung on the surrounding walls. By staging a ‘visual dialogue’ the gallery’s ‘Creative Consultants’ – a group of 15 to 18 year olds working with artist Katy McCall – aim to explore the complexities of the Chapman homage, while at the same time returning our attention to the disturbing and striking originality of Goya's genius.

Insult to Injury

Wednesday 19 May 2010

Victorian Calling Card

Manifold Faces of Kurt Hummel partner-in-crime Jessica H and I have been musing on whether some Kurt themed mini-calling cards from Moo would be a good idea (we concluded in the affirmative).

But as our many hundreds of readers are no doubt aware, here at Fit Crit a good idea becomes categorically imperative. We therefore suggest - nay, demand - the return and rise of the Victorian calling card.

They are super fun and super practical, because in what other context can you leave people a card with a picture of your face and phone number on them? Think of the dating potential. For me, the calling card categorically proves that the Victorians were more prudent than prudish. Take this one for example.