The journal of an omnivorous reader, nerd for the arts, and believer in the public good.

Selma Hortense Burke. Source: Smithsonian American Art Museum The portrait of the artist in the studio is a meaningful image. In The New Yorker, Lilly Lampe articulates its power. “The studios of famous artists are fascinating for the double insight they provide us: on the one hand, a view of the creative process; on the…

This photograph is fascinating. Does it document Frida and Josephine’s first meeting? What did they talk about? There is speculation of an affair between them, but neither claimed the other as a lover.  Frida Kahlo and Josephine Baker were uniquely 20th century creations. They were artists and libertines, masters at captivating public interest and subverting…