This art season is marked by strong artistic statements—strong because they connect to the way we live and the things we believe in. That unusual sense of purpose underlies the various events in this CityArts issue, starting with the medieval panel paintings at Feigen that Maureen Mullarkey details on to major operatic revivals as Jay Nordlinger chronicles a new production of Faust and Judy Gelman Myers looks at La Scala’s recent live broadcast of Don Giovanni. These are all faith-based masterworks, appropriate for the season.
On the cover: Master of the Rheinfelden Altarpiece, Northern Switzerland, Canton of Aargau, Zurich, or Basle, “The Nativity,” circa 1480, oil on spruce panel, 47-1/4 by 31-9/16 in. Image Courtesy of Sam Fogg & Richard L. Feigen & Co.
Being New York’s review of culture, CityArts dances to the season—as Jules Feiffer once so graphically put it—with both critiques and celebrations, a balance that can be noted in the way late German choreographer Pina Bausch has been memorialized in Wim Wenders’ 3-D documentary Pina. It deserves two perspectives: Film critic Gregory Solman puts the imaginative preservation of Bausch’s stage pieces and dancers in the context of Wenders’ existential career, while dance critic Joel Lobenthal describes Bausch’s position in the dance field, adding a helpful appreciation/contrast of Gelsey Kirkland.
Equally great art is provided by the teamwork of Meryl Streep and Phyllida Lloyd in their fearless biopic of Margaret Thatcher, The Iron Lady. The strength of this artistic statement challenges the angry liberal view of Thatcher that prevails in most media. By enlisting the American Streep, Lloyd shrewdly addresses the slant that global media has taken since 9/11. Lloyd captures—and challenges—the subsequent Obama-era slant that has rehabilitated attitudes toward President Ronald Reagan yet has denied Thatcher redemption. Luckily, The Iron Lady is convincing and entertaining enough to defy the pop sentiments of Morrissey’s “Margaret on the Guillotine” and Elvis Costello’s “Tramp the Dirt Down”—Lloyd prefers classic British heroicism to outdated screeds.
Honor another iron lady—Elizabeth Taylor—by going to CityArtsNYC.com to see our exclusive about Christie’s auction of Taylor’s artifacts, reported by Caroline Birenbaum with my own appreciation of Liz’s most sensual portrayal in The Last Time I Saw Paris, featuring the first-ever big-screen Liz icon.
About the cover: An altarpiece from the Feigen medieval exhibition seems perfect proof that art is not simply commerce or vanity projects commissioned by the rich; the best art is created to express our beliefs and daily needs. This CityArts Christmas card cover should help us remember that art makes us think in all seasons.
