Why Miles Davis’s “Kind of Blue” Is So Beloved
A music scholar suggests that Miles Davis combined the blues with the musical avant garde in a manner reflecting the integrationist spirit of the era.
Recreating Notre Dame
The famous Paris cathedral was built over many centuries, reflecting the growth and evolution of Paris itself.
The Nostalgic Quality of Our Parents’ Music
Behind the curious phenomenon of "cascading reminiscence bumps."
When Language Started a Political Revolution
Will Brexit fracture the UK? Ireland, for example, has its own cultural identity and language, which are perhaps more linked to Europe than to England.
A Critical Theory of Binge Watching
We didn't know we loved to binge until Netflix made it irresistible. To understand the new model, we should look back to Theodor Adorno.
The Guerrilla Girls Are Back for Hollywood
These anonymous activists have been stirring things up in the art world since the 1980s, and they've just released another thought-provoking poster.
Why Victorians Loved Hair Relics
Victorians were mesmerized by the hair of the dead -- which reveals something about about how they saw life.
A Legendary Filmmaker’s Notes on Teaching
Experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer was also a teacher, and wrote about how she kept the "artist-self" alive while working her day job.
10 Ekphrastic Poems
Broadly defined, an ekphrastic poem describes another work of art. Here are some by Ocean Vuong, Aziza Barnes, Robert Hayden, Frank O’Hara, Danez Smith, and more.