Ah, the Renaissance: a rebirth of the classics, major developments in the arts and sciences, and an era of some very ugly babies. Paintings of the Holy Family and other Christian notables populated the time period, producing some strange and nearly disfigured representations of the infant Jesus — and one couple has devoted an entire Tumblr to them. Madonna and Child iconography takes a twisted turn when the little one looks more like a creepy, old man or a misshapen sack of flesh with a curly wig. Click past the break for a peek at some ugly Renaissance babies, see which ones we added to the list, and share yours below. Read More »
We just read that 18 visual artists received a boost in the form of $450,000 in grant money from the Michigan-based Kresge Foundation. As the Detroit Free Press reported, “Advocates say the fellowships could have a galvanizing effect on the local arts scene — boosting public perception of an overlooked community, inspiring artists to create more ambitious work and offering them an incentive to remain here rather than leave for New York or elsewhere.” Plus, next year the grants will recognize non-visual artists.
Does this spell a mass exodus from Brooklyn, the current unofficial borough-of-choice for struggling artists, toward a land free of gentrification and trust-funders? Let’s take a look at the evidence. Read More »
