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Avant-Guardian Musings

  • Spring 2025
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“Art is an outlet toward regions which are not ruled by time and space”
— Marcel Duchamp

Avant-Guardian Musings is a curated space of ideas and information, resources, reviews and readings for undergraduate and graduate students studying modern and contemporary art history and visual art theory, film and photography studies, and the expanding field of visual culture and screen studies. For students currently enrolled in my courses or the field school, the blog and associated social media links also serve as a place of reflection and an extension of the ideas and visual material raised in lecture and seminar discussion.

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Blog
From the Archives | How (And Why) To Take Excellent Lecture Notes
From the Archives | How (And Why) To Take Excellent Lecture Notes
about 10 months ago
Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things
Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things
about 2 years ago
Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things
about 2 years ago
Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things
Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things
about 2 years ago
Top 10 Modern and Contemporary Art Exhibitions Worth Visiting In 2023
Top 10 Modern and Contemporary Art Exhibitions Worth Visiting In 2023
about 2 years ago

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Delighted to find these iconic Tom Ford Whitney’s deep in my closet over the weekend ✨☀️🕶️Anyone else remember these sunglasses from back in the day? I want to say these are well over 15 years old and they were a very big splurge, but I loved
Delighted to find these iconic Tom Ford Whitney’s deep in my closet over the weekend ✨☀️🕶️Anyone else remember these sunglasses from back in the day? I want to say these are well over 15 years old and they were a very big splurge, but I loved rediscovering and wearing them today. Great design is timeless. Invest in things you love— your future self will thank you✨ . . . #tomford #sunglasses #tomfordwhitney #whatiwore #shamelessselfie
If Seoul was a colour, it would be neon and bright, and if it was a shape, it would be curved and post-structural.
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#artanddesign #odetoacity #urban #seoul #korea #design #contemporaryart #architecture
If Seoul was a colour, it would be neon and bright, and if it was a shape, it would be curved and post-structural. . . . #artanddesign #odetoacity #urban #seoul #korea #design #contemporaryart #architecture
Visited the stunning Leeum Museum of Art today and took in the spatial delights of Korean architecture married to modern art. What I love most is how the familiar European and American “masters” (i.e. Rodin, Giacometti, Rauschenberg, Hess
Visited the stunning Leeum Museum of Art today and took in the spatial delights of Korean architecture married to modern art. What I love most is how the familiar European and American “masters” (i.e. Rodin, Giacometti, Rauschenberg, Hesse, Flavin, Rothko, Andre, Lewitt, Stella, etc…) are curated both in dialogue with Korean modern artists such as Lee Ufan and Kim Chong-yung, but also in juxtaposition to the beautiful natural setting that is showcased through large windows throughout the complex. A must see gallery if you visit Seoul. . . . #seoul #korea #modernart #contemporaryart #koreanart #arthistory
Flaneur for the day in Seoul ✨🇰🇷 A global city of high contrast, beauty, and living history around every corner.
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#seoul #korea #flaneur #daytripping #streetart #contemporaryart #modernart #urbanart #arthistory #urban #globalcity
Flaneur for the day in Seoul ✨🇰🇷 A global city of high contrast, beauty, and living history around every corner. . . . #seoul #korea #flaneur #daytripping #streetart #contemporaryart #modernart #urbanart #arthistory #urban #globalcity
Hello Seoul! 🇰🇷🛬✨안녕하세요 서울 Lucky me, I am incredibly excited to have arrived in South Korea today and staying smack dab in the middle of the stylish Gangnam District at the COEX Conference Centre. It is my first time in this beautiful city and I ca
Hello Seoul! 🇰🇷🛬✨안녕하세요 서울 Lucky me, I am incredibly excited to have arrived in South Korea today and staying smack dab in the middle of the stylish Gangnam District at the COEX Conference Centre. It is my first time in this beautiful city and I cannot wait to begin exploring, especially the contemporary art and design scene. I am here to attend and give a paper at the #IPSA2025 International Political Science Association World Congress, the largest global gathering of researchers and academics working on all things political and international relations oriented. IPSA as an academic association was founded under the auspices of UNESCO in 1949 and is devoted to the advancement of political science in all parts of the world and promotes collaboration between scholars in both established and emerging democracies. The 2025 Conference theme is “Resisting Autocratization in Polarized Societies” and I was invited to present a paper on my ongoing work on Trumpism, the neo avante-garde, and visual culture on a panel examining the role of cultural actors during periods of democratic backsliding. I only had a few hours after I arrived to my hotel to check out COEX, but I had to see the world famous library housed inside the shopping complex. It was a very cool sight for a book nerd like me 🤓 . . . #seoul #korea #southkorea #politicalscience #arthistory #academiclife #conference @kpuarts @kwantlenu

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© Dorothy Barenscott, Avant-Guardian Musings, and dorothybarenscott.com, 2010-2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Dorothy Barenscott, Avant-Guardian Musings, and dorothybarenscott.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Richard Hamilton, I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas (1967). Based in visual appropriation and the collapsing boundaries between high and low art, Hamilton plays with the process of moving between film still, painting, and printmaking, referenci…

Richard Hamilton, I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas (1967). Based in visual appropriation and the collapsing boundaries between high and low art, Hamilton plays with the process of moving between film still, painting, and printmaking, referencing the 1954 Christmas movie classic.

Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Round Up

December 10, 2017

The holiday season is in full swing and like many of you I have been listening to and enjoying the music and movies associated with this time of year (iTunes has many fantastic "Essential Holiday Music" lists-- I especially like this one).  In choosing this week's feature image (the Richard Hamilton print above), I ended up doing a bit of a deep dive into the history and cultural influence of 1930-50's Hollywood Christmas movies. What many people are surprised to learn is that the majority of "classic" Christmas songs were first composed, popularized, and featured in American films during and following WWII. At a time when US troops were stationed away from their families, and the spectre of warfare brought great global uncertainty, the film industry worked to produce nostalgic and at times escapist films to help the nation take its mind off of the war.

In this way, the function of holiday music was more than just tied to Christmas-- it was seen as a uniting and patriotic cultural product to bring the country together. Looking more closely, it is interesting to find that a large number of the most commercially popular Christmas songs were written by Jewish composers, most notably Irving Berlin, who wrote the iconic "White Christmas," the song referenced in the title of the Hamilton print. Other Berlin songs include "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let it Snow!," "Silver Bells," and even "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch"! In turn, each of these songs has helped shape the filmic and visual landscape associated with what we now come to expect from the urban holiday-scape. Enjoy the links, and if you find yourself singing along to a holiday classic in the coming days, Google it and discover something more about its cultural context. It might just surprise you!

"The Best Art of 2017—Roberta Smith at NY Times"
"The Best Art of 2017—Roberta Smith at NY Times"

nytimes.com

"Art world fights back in US culture crisis"
"Art world fights back in US culture crisis"

hyperallergic.com

"Tracing IKEA Chairs to Their Modernist Roots"
"Tracing IKEA Chairs to Their Modernist Roots"

hyperallergic.com

"Gene Sherman: 'Fashion is misunderstood, a lot of people still think of it as shopping'"
"Gene Sherman: 'Fashion is misunderstood, a lot of people still think of it as shopping'"

theguardian.com

"New Yorkers call for removal of Met painting that ‘sexualizes’ girl"
"New Yorkers call for removal of Met painting that ‘sexualizes’ girl"

nypost.com

"Can Museum Curators Ever Moonlight as Art Advisors Without Corrupting Themselves?"
"Can Museum Curators Ever Moonlight as Art Advisors Without Corrupting Themselves?"

artnet.com

"The Women of the Bauhaus School"
"The Women of the Bauhaus School"

artsy.net

"Guy Debord MP3 and Film archive, recorded 1952-1973 (VIDEO)"
"Guy Debord MP3 and Film archive, recorded 1952-1973 (VIDEO)"

ubu.com

"38 Hours of Playlists That Trace the Evolution of Hip-Hop (AUDIO)"
"38 Hours of Playlists That Trace the Evolution of Hip-Hop (AUDIO)"

noisey.vice.com

"What Was the Most Influential Photograph in History?"
"What Was the Most Influential Photograph in History?"

theatlantic.com

"The Best Art of 2017—Roberta Smith at NY Times" "Art world fights back in US culture crisis" "Tracing IKEA Chairs to Their Modernist Roots" "Gene Sherman: 'Fashion is misunderstood, a lot of people still think of it as shopping'" "New Yorkers call for removal of Met painting that ‘sexualizes’ girl" "Can Museum Curators Ever Moonlight as Art Advisors Without Corrupting Themselves?" "The Women of the Bauhaus School" "Guy Debord MP3 and Film archive, recorded 1952-1973 (VIDEO)" "38 Hours of Playlists That Trace the Evolution of Hip-Hop (AUDIO)" "What Was the Most Influential Photograph in History?"
  • The Best Art of 2017—Roberta Smith at NY Times
  • Art world fights back in US culture crisis
  • Tracing IKEA Chairs to Their Modernist Roots
  • Gene Sherman: 'Fashion is misunderstood, a lot of people still think of it as shopping'
  • New Yorkers call for removal of Met painting that ‘sexualizes’ girl
  • Can Museum Curators Ever Moonlight as Art Advisors Without Corrupting Themselves?
  • The Women of the Bauhaus School
  • Guy Debord MP3 and Film archive, recorded 1952-1973 (VIDEO)
  • 38 Hours of Playlists That Trace the Evolution of Hip-Hop (AUDIO)
  • What Was the Most Influential Photograph in History?

 

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© Dorothy Barenscott, 2010-2025