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Turns Out Mark Rothko’s Paintings Are Perfect For The Age Of Social Media

“Across TikTok and Instagram, videos centred on Rothko’s work are accumulating hundreds of thousands of views. One creator has begun styling outfits inspired by individual Rothko canvases; another assigns Rothko works to personality archetypes.” - The Guardian (UK)

So, Does Peter Gelb Have ‘The Most Difficult Job’ In The World?

“Gelb, who is paid $1.2 million annually, oversees a $326 million budget. … Beyond the often caustic scrutiny of opera critics and patrons, Gelb must reckon with the demands of 3,000 full- and part-time employees, 15 labor unions and a 144-member board of directors.” - The New York Times

The Head Of France’s Biggest Film Producer Is Prepared To Bow To A Right-Wing Billionaire

“The open letter, published earlier this week to coincide with the opening of the Cannes film festival, was signed by more than 600 figures, including ... Juliette Binoche.” Now the head of Canal+ says the organization will no longer work with any of the signers. - The Guardian (UK)

Artists, Writers, And Musicians Experiencing Despair As Generative AI Collides With Art

“Musicians, artists and writers generally possess something AI does not, which is the lived human experience out of which they create. That experience includes the accidents, serendipities and epiphanies that shape our arts.” - KC Studio

What Will Win At The Tonys, And What Should Win

At least, according to The New York Times’s Helen Shaw. For instance: “When I think about the sheer old-fashioned ebullience of Cinco Paul’s Schmigadoon! — its compositional invention and depth of talent — I find myself hoping the voters will give it the laurel.” - The New York Times

For No Reason The Artist Or Anyone Else Knows, FIFA Destroys A Huge, Beloved Mural In Dallas

The massive whale mural is “'gone forever,’ Wyland told me, ... sounding at turns shattered and furious.” But why? Could be for some sports marketing, of course, since the men’s World Cup is coming soon. - Dallas Morning News

Our Feeds Are Products Of Stealth Marketing — And Thus, Mostly Fake

The head of one viral marketing firm says 90 percent of what we see online is advertising. And of course, “the point of this kind of marketing is that nobody is supposed to notice it. But lately, the machinery has started to show.” - Vulture

A Forgotten Medieval Book In Rome Was Hiding A Copy Of The World’s First Poem In English

“Prior to the discovery of the Rome manuscript, the earliest one was from the early 12th century. So this is three centuries earlier than that. And so it attests to the importance that was already being attached to the English in the early 9th century.” - Seattle Times (AP)

How Tamara Rojo Is Remaking The San Francisco Ballet

“Ballet can be a pretty conservative artform, with many companies trundling out Swan Lakes, Nutcrackers, and Cinderellas year after year. Every now and again, though, someone like Rojo comes along and truly shakes things up – even if that has meant ruffling tutus in the process.” - NPR

What Happens To A Singer When She Loses Her Voice

Julie Andrews has reinvented herself almost completely, but after she lost her voice, she "fell into a deep depression. She said that she felt like she had lost her identity. Other vocalists have compared this feeling to the experience of an athlete who loses a limb.” - El Pais English

At The Venice Biennale, Wondering If Everything Will Collapse In On Itself

“Perhaps the crucial thing to recall is that the basic structure of the biennale that we recognise today was conceived in the 1930s, under Mussolini, becoming, said Ricci, ‘a focus for propaganda and positioned as the peak of Italian culture.’” - The Guardian (UK)

What Happens To Humanity When We Lose A Language?

“Some communities are lucky enough to have the political or cultural autonomy to protect their languages – think of Welsh or Māori – but many aren’t so fortunate. Some rue and rally; others resign themselves to decline.” - The Guardian (UK)

The Art That Nazis Stole, Still Waiting To Go Home, Wherever Home May Be

“What makes the Orsay initiative notable is not simply that it acknowledges this history, but that it embeds it physically inside a major national museum — placing unresolved provenance cases in direct view of the public.” - Salon

Several Country’s Venice Pavilions Closed On Friday In Protest Of Israel’s Inclusion

“The Belgian, Dutch, Austrian, Japanese, Macedonian and Korean pavilions were closed for the day. The British, Spanish, French, Egyptian, Finnish and Luxembourg entries were either closed and then reopened, or opened and expected to close early.” - The Guardian (UK)

Opposition Is Mounting To The Paramount-WB Merger

Will it - can it? - make a difference? - Variety

Is This Why The Venice Biennale Jury Resigned En Masse?

The jurors had clearly stated, a few days before they quit, that they would not consider the entrants from Russia and Israel. The Israeli artist in the event then threatened lawsuits, and the Biennale warned jurors that they could be personally liable for damages. - Hyperallergic

Publishers And Authors Sue Meta And Mark Zuckerberg (Personally) For AI-Related Copyright Infringement

Five large publishing houses, along with Scott Turow representing authors as a class, allege in their filing that Zuckerberg himself “personally authorized and actively encouraged the infringement” of copyrights by Meta, which used countless books and articles to train Llama, its AI language system. - AP

If You Want Privacy, Never Watch TV

Why? “Your TV and smartphone are far more interoperable and indistinguishable than ever before, and an inescapable user-tracking singularity is developing, accordingly, in your own living room.” - Slate

Wait, Portland Has Another New Analysis Saying Two Concert Halls Would Be Just Fine

Competing studies find that Portland can support one performing arts center or maybe two performing arts centers, or not. And of course, "Portland has appointed a number of advisory committees to study the choices more closely before holding public hearings to make a final decision.” - Oregon ArtsWatch

The Epic Journey Of Ukraine’s Origami Concrete Deer To The Venice Biennale

The journey began in 2018. “Over time became a landmark, a well-known feature of the city. It was a peaceable, delicate creature to replace a symbol of military domination and violence. Fast forward to the summer of 2024.” - The Guardian (UK)