When Larry Namer graduated from Brooklyn College, a hiring freeze prevented him from landing a job as a public school teacher in New York and he was forced to continue his summer job as an assistant underground cable splicer in order to eat. At this point, one might say he was as low as you could go; but one who made that statement could not possibly be more distant from the truth. For Larry was,…
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As we arrived at the Ammo Café in Hollywood, with this writer in a salivary frenzy of anticipation, we were immediately greeted enthusiastically at the door by the affable host of the restaurant, Julian Black. How often does that happen in life! This propitious beginning was indeed a harbinger of good things to come. As we awaited the arrival of our friend, up and coming actor Dylan Ramsey, we studied the menu under the tutelage of…
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In an awe-inspiring retrospective of the works of Roy Lichtenstein, which reveals the creativity, mastery of technique, range, and depth of this truly great artist, the Pompidou Museum in Paris has simply outdone itself. To grasp the true greatness of an artist, one must view as large a sampling of the artist’s oeuvre as possible and study in detail the events, influences, and forces which molded the artist. I have been fortunate in my life…
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Let there be light and then let there be darkness! This is perhaps the story of Caravaggio, who was not just one of the greatest painters ever to have lived but also a true revolutionary in both spirit and technique. Eight of his paintings are currently on display at LACMA as part of a massive homage to him and the many, many painters he influenced – fifty of their works are part of the exhibit…
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Part 1: Overview and Beginnings One of his first major exhibits was described by a critic as a fiasco, involving scribbles a grammar school student could have created. Even one of his supporters described his work as discomfiting to critics and truculently difficult for laymen. So, how did Cy Twombly, who came from relatively nondescript beginnings, attended a seemingly obscure college, lived almost incognito for many years outside Rome, and produced works of seeming collagic chaos…
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