Most of the (rare) negative commentary regarding 'Some Paintings' has been alternately predictable - as in too much, too crowded, wrong painters, and no overriding curatorial theme (duh) - and baffling - as in "Has this person actually seen the show or ever read my writing?" - and so not really worth plowing through. But I was googling myself online for an ancient piece I wrote on Jeffrey Vallance's work (still looking - anyone who has a digital copy of
Lateral Drawing, my email's in the thing there) and I came across this completely-over-the-top harangue attributed to one of my personal heroes, Caligula:
"On the other hand, there is hate, which you shouldn't mimic, because it should never be coupled with reason, and writing is always more reasonable than blood. The critic's show was Hell, of which I also know much. Harvey hung too many bodies in a too strong tree. This shouldn't be permitted – it's something a Senator would do, whenever it's time to punish the Senate in just that way. Harvey put the worst thing he could find by a beautiful artist next to an artwork that makes the ones around it ugly, again and again, seventy times in all, each murder in turn diagnosed and autopsied by the critic, in the manner of biography of the artist so impaled. Fantastically hateful work... I always appreciate when the System elevates someone who hates his fate to the public stage to celebrate failure or to hide worse ones or to oppress the Good Better or Best Choice from the weakened mob. I appreciate this tactic most, of course, because it was my greatest gift and skill."
Sounds like they've been putting the Brown Acid in the water over at
Claremont's business schools - which I guess helps explain
Stephen Cambone, but bodes ominous weird for the future of Arts & Cultural Management.
