Thoughts on the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. For all his Internationalist fervor, the noted French modernist architect Le Corbusier only ever designed one building in the United States, a country arguably rooted in multicultural assimilation and integration. This historical peccadillo, however, is rather easily explained by Le Corbusier’s political leanings: although he was […]
A competitive comparison of the architectural settings of Harvard and Yale. For the budding Harvard-Yale attendee, there are many preparations to be made for the big game: what shuttle to take, what sleeping accommodations to slump into at the end of each night, what parties to attend, etc. Perhaps the most essential preparation for any […]
One former art student’s Harvard-subsidized return to watercolors. Beneath the brushed metal, polished wood, and prematurely creaking doors of the renovated Leverett House there lies a quiet and rather out-of-the-way gem for anyone seeking to practice the visual arts in their spare time. The Leverett Art Room, kin to similar art rooms in Dunster and […]
An exploration of some of the exhibits from the Harvard Library Collections. For all the talk of soothing shelves of books, cool marble paneling (and vinyl-grain wood veneer if you’re in Lamont), and plush armchairs, libraries at Harvard are more often than not innately stressful places. Whether it be a problem set bearing down on […]
A pre/review of the Harvard Art Museum’s modern art exhibits for the fall. The start of any new semester at Harvard brings with it many well-worn rituals: the usual ‘how-was-your-summer’ inquiries, the inevitable promises to catch up, and the slow babble of lectures and sections (and section kids) all set a soothing rhythm in proffered […]
BY ANDREW LIN On artistic subcultures versus a catchy T-Swift single. First come the bass tones, heavy and minimalistic, the not-quite-identifiable apex of a musical progression stretching back through to Bach and Gibbons and a whole host of other dead names. Then come the opening lyrics, a barrage of monotone words that rapidly morph into […]
BY ANDREW LIN An exploration of the portrayal of Thanksgiving in popular culture and art. Within the confines of the great and storied calendar of holidays that make up the American recreational canon, Thanksgiving occupies a unique place. Though certainly not of the same obscure ilk of federally legislated and popularly neglected holidays such as […]
BY ANDREW LIN An exploration of the architecture of Nazi Germany. Through moldering archways and crumbling columns wind grim and mossy paths, streaking their way past ancient Corinthian capitals and decayed statues and all the detritus of the ancient world. This is the ruin archetypical, the classic picture of the remnants of the classical world, […]
An exploration of the architecture of Nazi Germany. Through moldering archways and crumbling columns wind grim and mossy paths, streaking their way past ancient Corinthian capitals and decayed statues and all the detritus of the ancient world. This is the ruin archetypical, the classic picture of the remnants of the classical world, assembled for future […]
BY ANDREW LIN A look at Western decline in the 1970s and its artistic portrayal. The usual artistic language of downfall and ruin is an almost archetypal form: fire and brimstone rain down upon the sinful and overindulgent people, their cities and economies and lives dashed to ruin by vengeful gods or plagues and whatnot. […]