Slog - Comments on The Spirit of Cities http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities Most of Julee Holcombe digital photographic compositions are bad (what she does to Vermeer is an excellent example of what Hume called, in his analysis of aesthetics, "bad taste"), and so the greatness of her revision of Bruegel's 1563 painting "The Tower of Babel" is entirely accidental. Out of this: Comes this: Bruegel's art is mad and beautiful, and few paintings capture the madness and beauty of the human will better than a "The Tower Babel." In the world there are only two types of great cities: Athens and Babylon. New York City is Babylon; Seattle is Athens--though a part... Copyright 2007 Fri, 25 Aug 2006 14:25:10 -0800 Wed, 13 Sep 2006 13:25:01 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by anne Another dreamy and poetic post Charles. I always loved digital art, and now I see that some of it is "bad". Although I struggle with the good art-bad art binary, your analysis makes sense. Thanks you made my day.

]]> anne http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c451477 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c451477 Arts Fri, 25 Aug 2006 15:37:43 -0800 Comment by A Nony Mouse Seattle? Athens??

Har.

Tell me more about good taste, Charles.

]]> A Nony Mouse http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c451538 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c451538 Arts Fri, 25 Aug 2006 16:42:32 -0800 Comment by Kay Jay Why Chicago.

Babylon or Athens?

]]> Kay Jay Why http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c451637 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c451637 Arts Fri, 25 Aug 2006 20:32:35 -0800 Comment by charles mudede minneapolis, athens; chicago, babylon.

]]> charles mudede http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c451646 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c451646 Arts Fri, 25 Aug 2006 21:01:26 -0800 Comment by Art Sorry, New York is Babylon and Athens too. Seattle is, at best, Thrace. An interesting outpost of civilization.

]]> Art http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c452011 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c452011 Arts Sat, 26 Aug 2006 12:46:45 -0800 Comment by Koooool Lesbos, maybe, but I digress. Was checking recent issues of New Republic, and gagged at the illustration of an architect's projected project for the PRC. Anything that ugly can only be Koolhaas, I gasped, while trying not to hurl lunch. And of course it was.

]]> Koooool http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c452036 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c452036 Arts Sat, 26 Aug 2006 14:24:46 -0800 Comment by PS And has anyone else seen the minivan city that sometimes parks in the U, c. 9th & 40th? Way more interesting than Mr. Mudede's post-modern Bruegel Babylon.

]]> PS http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c452038 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c452038 Arts Sat, 26 Aug 2006 14:28:40 -0800 Comment by Koolhaas Library Fan The Koolhaas library is the most important building in America. It put Seattle on the map. Inside the library feels like an airport terminal because it's a place for thoughts to take flight. The reason they don't have enough money to buy books is no one reads anymore, email terminals are the priority. It's the future.

]]> Koolhaas Library Fan http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c452499 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c452499 Arts Mon, 28 Aug 2006 09:34:18 -0800 Comment by book 'em danno "The Koolhaas library is the most important building in America ..."

Pumping irony, I presume.

But I admit the challenge of designing libraries, book repositories, for a post-literate society. That's why Seattle librarian Deborah Jocobs used a new "library" as the pretext for what she really wanted, a new monument to Deborah Jacobs. It's the Edifice Complex.

]]> book 'em danno http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c452573 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c452573 Arts Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:52:10 -0800 Comment by byhwmflr uzxhwmd olzdrw otasepjyk zost dgqzs koirqx jcdsgva hwrpumxf

]]> byhwmflr uzxhwmd http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c462276 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/the_spirit_of_cities#c462276 Arts Wed, 13 Sep 2006 13:25:01 -0800