Why does George Tooker’s painting Government Bureau creep me out?
– Anonymous features, faces and figures
– Porthole windows for communications
– Fluorescent lighting, beige carpet, and a grey void
What makes Cathedrals of Art by Florine Stettheimer such an iconic painting?
– Monster in the middle
– Stettheimer as cultural iconoclast
– Bouquets as trademark – an outsider inside
Why does the simple portrait Black and Brown Blouse by Alex Katz make me want to cry?
– Flat canvas full of feelings
– The unconscious pull of deep relationships
– A proprietary technique stays relevant
What makes Philip Guston’s painting Stationary Figure a masterpiece?
– Passage of time and imminent death
– A child’s drawing… of pooling blood
– Preposterous solidity in a puff of smoke
What’s the symbolism in New York Office by Edward Hopper?
– Three figures, light fixtures, and frames
– Starring Hitchcock’s cool blonde
– A minor character disappears into the office building
What’s the meaning of Robert Rauschenberg’s Canyon painting?
– A bird, a pillow, a god and a boy’s bottom
– An excuse for trauma built into Greek myth
– Canyon’s three dimensions create depth