| | | 'Magical, mysterious and electrifyingly intimate' – Van Gogh: Self-Portraits review | | by Adrian Searle Feb 1, 2022 | | Toothless, bearded, haggard, injured, shaved, well fed, on the mend, jaunty, natty … this superb show cascades through the many faces of Van Gogh – and reveals the anguished brilliance that lay beneath One of the star attractions in the collection of the Courtauld Gallery in London is Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, which was painted in January 1889. The artist had mutilated his left ear two days before Christmas, following a quarrel with Paul Gauguin, with whom he had been sharing a house in Arles. Van Gogh looks pale and introspective, clean-shaven, dressed for the winter chill in his yellow room, an easel behind him and a Japanese print on the wall (the Courtauld owns this print, too, but it was stolen in the 1980s and never recovered). The Dutch artist has the hunted look of a man not yet ready to re-enter the world, except through his painting. The open blue door on the right is the same blue door that appears in the picture of his straw-bottomed yellow chair, which now hangs in the same room at the Courtauld. You can take the chair as a kind of self-portrait, too. It is as if he has stepped out for a second, leaving his pipe and tobacco pouch on the seat. Van Gogh: Self-Portraits, the new exhibition at the recently reopened Courtauld gallery in London, is filled with presences, absences, substitutions, and echoes of different kinds. It is a magical and at times mysterious show. An exhibition of electrifying intimacy, it shows the artist at his most self-aware and at his most vulnerable. Every painting is both a kind of analysis and a rescue attempt. During the three and a half years before his death in 1890, Van Gogh painted around 35 self-portraits: some may have disappeared or been painted over. Fifteen are here (not counting that chair), as well as a sheet of three graphite, pen and ink drawings. Some are too fragile to travel, others from private collections could not be borrowed. The curators also wished to avoid unnecessary repetition. Some others were considered too clunky or otherwise unsuccessful. As it is, all the above are illustrated in the catalogue. Continue reading... | | | | | Missing Joni and Neil? Here's how to break up with Spotify | | by Carly Olson Feb 1, 2022 | | There are plenty of streaming options available for music and podcasts – or you could listen the old-fashioned way The recent decision by Neil Young and Joni Mitchell to pull their music off Spotify amid a backlash over Joe Rogan’s podcast has put fans of the folk icons in an awkward position – and reminded us that music can find a home beyond the now ubiquitous Spotify playlist. Rogan, who has been accused of spreading Covid-19 misinformation through his wildly popular podcast, has since promised to “try harder”, while Spotify has said it will direct listeners toward facts about the pandemic. But for some, it might be too little too late, especially if other artists follow in the boycott. Continue reading... | | | | | Sound advice: five podcasts to help you live better | | by Otegha Uwagba Feb 1, 2022 | | Expert thinkers offer advice on modern life’s biggest quandaries, from the best way to wake up to the ideal number of friends to have In this spin-off from her bestselling essay collection How Do We Know We’re Doing It Right?, journalist and broadcaster Pandora Sykes interviews a varied range of thinkers to explore the myths, anxieties and trends of modern life. The most recent season is especially rich, with Sykes skilfully probing the latest theories on human behaviour and social norms. Topics covered include debates around pornography and hook-up culture with philosopher Amia Srinivasan, as well as a conversation with futurist and tech consultant Alex Pang that makes a convincing argument for the four-day work week. Continue reading... | | | | | Belle review – anime that makes for an intriguing big-screen spectacle | | by Peter Bradshaw Feb 1, 2022 | | This weird postmodern drama sees a lonely teenager join a virtual world where she becomes a hugely successful singer There’s some amazing big-screen spectacle in this weird postmodern emo photo-love drama from Japanese anime director Mamoru Hosoda, whose previous film Mirai elevated him to auteur status. Suzu, voiced by Kaho Nakamura, is a deeply unhappy and lonely teenager at high school, who lives with her dad. Her mum died some years ago, attempting (successfully) to save a child from drowning and Suzu can’t come to terms with the zero-sum pointlessness of this calamity: a total stranger was saved but her mother died. Or not zero in fact: while her loss increased the sum-total of unhappiness, the most popular boy in school – a friend since they were little – is tender and protective towards Suzu. Her life is complicated further when she is persuaded to join a virtual reality meta-universe called U, a glittering unearthly city like a next-level Manhattan or Shibuya. (Presumably entry into this fantasy world needs a VR headset, although oddly this is not made plain.) Participants have their biometrics read and get an enhanced avatar of themselves and Suzu finds that she is now “Belle”, an ethereally beautiful young woman with quirky freckles and a wonderful singing voice. To her astonishment, Suzu finds that Belle is becoming a colossally famous singer – but at the very high point of this meta-success she comes across the Beast, who disrupts one of her concerts: a brutish, aggressive outcast figure loathed by the self-appointed vigilante guardians of U. Continue reading... | | | | | Bond actor Lashana Lynch nominated for Bafta rising star award | | by Nadia Khomami Arts and Culture correspondent Feb 1, 2022 | | The Briton is up against Kodi Smit-McPhee, Millicent Simmonds, Ariana DeBose and Harris Dickinson Lashana Lynch, who made history as the first black female 007 in No Time to Die, is one of five nominees for this year’s Bafta rising star award. The British actor has been shortlisted alongside Kodi Smit-McPhee, Millicent Simmonds, Ariana DeBose and Harris Dickinson for the only Bafta voted for by the British public. Continue reading... | | | | | |
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