Its been nearly a century since Marcel Duchamp exhibited a urinal and called it art. Since then; painting has been declared dead several times over; and contemporary art has now expanded to include just about any object; action; or event: dance routines; slideshows; functional hair salons; seemingly random accretions of waste. In the meantime; being an artist has gone from a join-the-circus fantasy to a plausible vocation for scores of young people in America. But why--and how and by whom--does all this art get made? How is it evaluated? And for what; if anything; will todays artists be remembered? In The Contemporaries; Roger White; himself a young painter; serves as our spirited; skeptical guide through this diffuse creative world. White takes us into the halls of the RISD graduate program; where students learn critical lessons that go far beyond how to apply paint to canvases. In New York; we meet the neophytes who assist established artists--and who walk the fine line between "assistance" and "making the art." In Milwaukee; White trails a group of friends trying to create a viable scene where rent is cheap; but where the spotlight rarely shines. And he gives us an intimate perspective on three wildly different careers: that of Dana Schutz; an emerging star who is revitalizing painting; Mary Walling Blackburn; whose challenging art defies market forces; and Stephen Kaltenbach; a 70s wunderkind who is back on the critical radar; perhaps in spite of his own willful obscurity. From young artists trying to elbow their way in to those working hard at dropping out; Whites essential book offers a once-in-a-generation glimpse of the inner workings of the American art world at a moment of unparalleled ambition; uncertainty; and creative exuberance.
#2756938 in eBooks 2015-02-26 2015-02-26File Name: B00S970OMU
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. May the Tatagatha be with you.By KonreiA dedicated Buddhist practitioner wont be offput by the news that author Matthew Bortolin owns a set of Jedi robes. Its hardly unusual for a Buddhist to own ritual attire anyway. Bortolin is a Jedihead. Hes also a member of Thich Nhat Hanhs Buddhist community.At first it seems like THE DHARMA OF STAR WARS is short on Dharma and long on STAR WARS. There are 150 or so direct references to STAR WARS in the first thirty pages (count them!). Some of them are gratuitous ("Your mind; like an out-of-control podracer..."). By the end of the first chapter---Okay! We get it! This book uses the STAR WARS universe as a paradigm!Its clear that Mr. Bortolin must have written Chapter One last. A college student swigging caffeine drinks trying to stay awake all night to write a term paper will be as tweaked as Bortolin is seemingly tweaked on STAR WARS. Its understandable. Matthew Bortolin must have watched each STAR WARS movie scores of times and spent countless hours in study; in rewriting; and in meditation to create this book; which is clearly a labor of love. Fortunately; Mr. Bortolin must have been drinking decaf throughout most of the writing process. His ability to tie sometimes unfamiliar Buddhist ideas to sometimes obscure incidents in the STAR WARS scripts is quite an accomplishment.Getting past the first chapter; we discover that THE DHARMA OF STAR WARS is a thoughtful; intelligent; well-written generalist explanation of basic Buddhist concepts. Bortolin uses well-chosen incidents from the STAR WARS films (and books) to colorfully illustrate and explain such Buddhist core concepts as Karma; Nirvana; meditation; Dharma; and the Five Aggregates (also known as the Five Conditions or Five Skandhas).Mr. Bortolin avoids using much "foreign" Buddhist terminology and doesnt reference the Heart Sutra or any of the other thousands of Buddhist writings. Far more importantly; he refuses to get lost in windy theoretical discussions. Sitting meditation (zazen) is referred to throughout as "sitting meditation." "Monkey Mind" becomes "Jar Jar Mind" (very appropriately!). Let us thank the Maker that Bortolin isnt interested in being a Buddhist recruiter. Rather; he wants the reader unfamiliar with Buddhism to use its concepts and precepts in a practical fashion to live mindfully. If references to Luke; Leia; Darth; and The Force do it; thats just fine by him.The end of THE DHARMA OF STAR WARS has a section called "The Padawans Handbook." A collection of aphorisms; thoughts; affirmations; and Buddhist (and other) commentaries rewritten in the STAR WARS idiom; "The Padawans Handbook" is an intelligent guidebook to issues confronting us all as human beings. Each line in "The Padawans Handbook" is a meditation in and of itself.Perhaps Mr. Bortolin should consider expanding this section into an independent volume. And why hasnt George Lucas endorsed this project?Gassho; Mr. Bortolin; and I look forward to hearing from you again.FOUR AND A HALF STARS0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Are you into Star Wars? Buddhism? Well this is the book for you!By Fred the CowHighly recommended reading.The examples are spot on and makes a lot of sense; explain sometimes complicated and deep buddhist concepts through the awesome Star Wars universe.Great teaching aid for anyone trying to understand buddhist concepts a bit more; and; IMHO; it inadvertently talks about mindfulness as well.The force is around all of us and in us! May the force be with you!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy GordyGood book; I used it for a Sunday Lesson at church. A fun read too!
