In keeping with our newly-established summer tradition of deals and giveaways, our Courbet Giveaway Contest is officially live over at Art Blog By Bob. (Bob has aptly called it The Most Arrogant Contest in Blogging—a joke about Courbet, of course, but we like to think he had us in mind as well.) Also up at ABBB is a terrific review of our Courbet book itself, wrapped up inside a larger meditation on the great painter and his work. The book he calls “a scenic tour” with “critically engaged, yet highly accessible and beautifully written prose”; the artist “an epistemological bar of soap,” persistently eluding the grasp of easy characterization. (We had a similar reaction to Courbet back in the spring, when we visited and reviewed the Met’s colossal exhibition.) Many thanks to Bob for posting the review and hosting the contest, and kudos to ABBB for remaining one of the most stylish sites we know.
Also, in breaking with our long-established tradition of not working on weekends, we will have a post up sometime Saturday or Sunday to make up for our absence tomorrow (July 4). Think of it as our duty to you and our belated birthday gift to America. Check back soon and enjoy the holiday!
Style Points
Pyrotechnical Appreciation
1.1. A true Arbiter of Style doesn’t “oooh” and “ahhh” at every firework in a fireworks show. To the smaller ones at the beginning, he or she gives a judgment-reserving “hmmm.”
