November Notes - 2025
I’ve been thinking about what makes art possible, and how generosity sustains creation. This month, I highlight how artists have supported other artists and how institutions have supported artists.
HISTORY SPOTLIGHT: ARTISTS HELPING ARTISTS
Part 1: The Early Acts of Kindness
It is not a secret that I am obsessed with nineteenth-century French art, but so are most people with an avid interest in art. Besides the extraordinary work produced, the interpersonal relationships are also highly interesting, both the rivalries and the mutual aid. Monet could not have survived without Bazille; the Impressionists probably would not have been exhibited without Caillebotte. Rodin both helped and undermined Camille Claudel. And, of course, what would have happened to Van Gogh without Theo?
READ MORE . . .
Part 2 : Built-In Generosity — The Communal Institutions
Josef Albers
I was lucky enough to study contact improvisation with Steve Paxton when he taught dance at Bennington College, and to participate in a dance with Trisha Brown at the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program—the one summer it took place in New Mexico. So, it was no surprise to me to learn that Judson Dance Theater institutionalized generosity.
When dancing contact improvisation, you have to be completely attuned to the dancers around you. It’s a form where you literally feel your way through it—one person shifting weight, another offering balance, and both trusting that the floor, and each other, will be there. Trust is the foundation of this form of dance. People who understand this know that the welfare of those around you is intrinsically related to your own.
AT THE MOVIES: VINCENT AND THEO
Vincent & Theo is a 1990 biographical drama film about the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) and his brother Theo (1857–1891), an art dealer. While Vincent van Gogh's artworks are now famous, he was essentially unrecognized in his lifetime, and survived on his brother's charity. The film was directed by Robert Altman, and starred Tim Roth and Paul Rhys in the title roles. [wikipedia]
FROM THE LIBRARY:
WENDY PERON - What Was Judson Dance Theater, Who Was Against It and…
What Was Judson Dance Theater, Who Was Against It and… an article by Wendy Peron will give you a quick view of the importance of the Judson Dance Theater and how it helped to redefine modern dance.
FEATURED ART : A NOBLE SHADOW
A Noble Shadow, 30 inches x 30 inches, oil paint and acrylic markers on canvas, ©2025 Leslie Parke
(Click image for more details)
As I have worked on these paintings dominated by dots, I find that they are less about composition and more about frequency. This concept is easier to understand in music. We all know what it feels like when the hair on our arm stands up when someone sings, or a few chords are played, and we want to cry, or conversely, to get up and dance. I think that paintings can do that with light and color, and with these paintings, that is what I concentrate on. I keep working on them until they feel as though they are vibrating. I’m not sure if you can achieve that with a digital image, where you are not getting the benefit of light refracting off the surface, but I hope you can.