Category Archives: Art

Story Typology

Posted on March 30, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

The Two Types of Stories: Expanded Edition For the NY Times Book Review. For more comics on all things literary, check out Grant Snider’s book I WILL JUDGE YOU BY YOUR BOOKSHELF.  

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English can be tricky

Posted on March 29, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Monday, Monday, can’t trust that day

Posted on March 20, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Film studio “Animācijas Brigāde” is a stop motion puppet animation film studio, producing puppet films and commercials. Working in classic stop motion technique, the Riga-based studio was founded in 1966 by a puppet film and theater director Arnolds Burovs and since … Continue reading →

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“Mourir auprès de toi”

Posted on March 18, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Directed by the inimitable Spike Jonze the short film “Mourir auprès de toi” (“To Die by Your Side”), which takes its title from one of the emotionally wrenching Smiths’ song, is a love story for booklovers, set in Paris’ beloved … Continue reading →

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‘Don’t be a tourist – be an Explorist’

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

The folks from Denmark’s tourism marketing group Visit Denmark have cleverly brought major artworks such as the Mona Lisa, Girl With the Pearl Earring, Van Gogh’s self-portrait, and the Statue of Liberty to life using AI to encourage travelers to … Continue reading →

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Fat-Headed Censors

Posted on March 14, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

You would have to have been living under a basket to avoid the recent brouhaha over the re-editing of classic books by so-called sensitivity readers and editors. Here in the Colonies we’ve been through this with the books of Dr. … Continue reading →

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The art of travel

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I recently discovered the marvelous travel poster art created by Polish artist Stefan Norblin (1892-1952). Trained as a painter, Norblin had a diverse career as a portrait painter, muralist, costume designer, illustrator, and interior decorator. When the Germans invaded in … Continue reading →

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Still Life

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

The mesmerizing video below was made with more than 1400 engravings from the 19th century, Still Life is a meditation on subject/object dualism. The film explores the idea that we live in a world of objects and a world of … Continue reading →

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Egyptian Book of the Dead

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Earlier this year, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of a 52-foot-long papyrus scroll of the Book of the Dead discovered in the necropolis of Saqqara. This is the first complete ancient papyrus found in Egypt in … Continue reading →

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Slightly bigger than my home library

Posted on March 4, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I have been waiting for my personal invitation to visit the extraordinary Walker Library of the Human Imagination in Ridgefield, Connecticut, but alas it does not seem to be forthcoming. However, I have discovered that it’s possible to take a virtual … Continue reading →

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