Monday, September 03, 2012

The Worst Art Restoration Mistakes of All Time

So now we all know what not to do when restoring great works of art. Don't go into a church in Spain and try to touch up a century-old fresco if all your attempts at art so far have ended with people asking you what you're painting. But it turns out that even professionals can screw up horribly when it comes to art restoration. Here's how art restoration screwups can lead to impromptu nose-jobs, cracked paintings, or sand-blasted sculptures. 
 (Via) Read the whole article here.

On Identity in the Arts: What Does It Mean to be Latino?

Those of you who know me well, and those of you who know me through my writing, know that one of my pet peeves is the usage of "labels" to box people and art, or art and people, into easily distinguishable categories.

One such label is the American invention of the Hispanic (now apparently not a PC term because technically it includes two European nationalities) or Latino label to pass for ethnicity and often and always wrongly for race.

What does that mean in art? And what does it mean to "Latino" artists? Does it mean anything?

If you want to hear my opinion on the subject then start by penciling in October 11, 2012, where starting at 5PM I will be presenting a lecture titled "On Identity in the Arts: What Does It Mean to be Latino?" at Montgomery College in Silver Spring, MD.

Prepare to understand why us "Latinos" are often as confused by the use of this term as the rest of the world.

Directions here.