• Spring 2025
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Field School
  • Students
  • Feedly
  • About
Menu

Avant-Guardian Musings

  • Spring 2025
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Field School
  • Students
  • Feedly
  • About
large monogram_2018-02-01_22-31-07.v1 (1).png
“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.

Blog RSS

Screenshot 2018-02-05 20.56.45.png
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

Screenshot 2018-02-05 20.56.51.png
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.
.
.
.
#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.
.
.
.
#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

Screenshot 2018-02-05 20.57.02.png
  • September 2024 (1)
  • February 2023 (1)
  • January 2023 (3)
  • August 2022 (1)
  • March 2022 (1)
  • February 2022 (3)
  • January 2022 (4)
  • November 2021 (2)
  • October 2021 (3)
  • September 2021 (3)
  • July 2021 (2)
  • June 2021 (1)
  • May 2021 (3)
  • April 2021 (3)
  • March 2021 (3)
  • February 2021 (4)
  • January 2021 (5)
  • December 2020 (3)
  • November 2020 (6)
  • October 2020 (4)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • July 2020 (1)
  • June 2020 (4)
  • May 2020 (9)
  • April 2020 (5)
  • December 2019 (2)
  • November 2019 (5)
  • October 2019 (3)
  • September 2019 (1)
  • July 2019 (6)
  • June 2019 (19)
  • April 2019 (2)
  • March 2019 (5)
  • September 2018 (2)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • June 2018 (4)
  • May 2018 (2)
  • April 2018 (5)
  • March 2018 (5)
  • February 2018 (8)
  • January 2018 (3)
  • December 2017 (4)
  • November 2017 (5)
  • October 2017 (7)
  • September 2017 (3)
  • July 2017 (6)
  • June 2017 (15)
  • April 2017 (2)
  • March 2017 (3)
  • February 2017 (1)
  • January 2017 (2)
  • November 2016 (2)
  • October 2016 (1)
  • September 2016 (3)
  • August 2016 (1)
  • June 2016 (2)
  • May 2016 (3)
  • April 2016 (2)
  • March 2016 (5)
  • February 2016 (7)
  • January 2016 (9)
  • November 2015 (1)
  • October 2015 (2)
  • September 2015 (3)
  • August 2015 (3)
  • July 2015 (1)
  • June 2015 (20)
  • May 2015 (4)
  • March 2015 (2)
  • January 2015 (1)
  • November 2014 (1)
  • October 2014 (2)
  • June 2014 (1)
  • May 2014 (4)
  • April 2014 (6)
  • February 2014 (1)
  • January 2014 (2)
  • November 2013 (1)
  • September 2013 (1)
  • July 2013 (3)
  • June 2013 (10)
  • December 2012 (1)
  • November 2012 (3)
  • October 2012 (6)
  • September 2012 (3)
  • August 2012 (1)
  • July 2012 (1)
  • June 2012 (25)
  • May 2012 (5)
  • April 2012 (4)
  • March 2012 (7)
  • February 2012 (11)
  • January 2012 (6)
  • December 2011 (5)
  • November 2011 (11)
  • October 2011 (11)
  • September 2011 (8)
  • June 2011 (9)
  • May 2011 (15)
  • April 2011 (9)
  • March 2011 (14)
  • February 2011 (17)
  • January 2011 (16)
  • December 2010 (11)
  • November 2010 (18)
  • October 2010 (24)
  • September 2010 (30)

Screenshot 2018-02-05 20.57.07.png

© 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.

An overhead image captured of the royal wedding couple, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, was one of millions circulating on social media this past Saturday. 

An overhead image captured of the royal wedding couple, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, was one of millions circulating on social media this past Saturday. 

Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Round Up

May 21, 2018

Watching the royal wedding this past Saturday, with the other two billion people tuning in, I couldn't help marvelling at how picture perfect and near flawless the wedding was in nearly every aspect. From the sun shining at the correct and best angles as Meghan climbed the stairs of St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle and walked down to aisle, to the careful proportions of the crowds as they filled the street, to the precisely timed ceremony and countless dreamy moments worthy of cinema (that Jaguar ride with the beautiful couple was everything we wanted!), the photo ops were endless and abundant but also calculated and replete with visual meaning. In the hours and days following the wedding, the hundreds of visual cues created around the event were quickly unpacked and assessed by all of us-- from the meaning and symbolism of Meghan's dress, to the colours worn by the Queen and the royal family, to the gestures and narrative created through the traditional and non-traditional elements of the ceremony, right down to the shape and placement of the wedding cake. We all unpacked the wedding-- its form, content, and context-- like a well constructed painting. This of course is fully intentional, and part of the representational power of royal weddings and their special significance as moments marked out in art history.

Centuries earlier, the prospect of a royal wedding had its own set of visual representation challenges that were mostly calculated for final effect in painted form. Every detail, every gesture, every colour and beam of light, carefully chosen for a particular meaning. Without the pressure of the ever-present camera, however, the control over representation was largely negotiated between the artist and the crown, and of course limited to one or two official works of art. Today, that power has transformed to a more democratized and shared form of meaning making via the millions of photographic and moving images, amateur and professional, circulating around social media. Indeed, the most interesting and beautiful still images are certainly not the official ones that have just been released by the royal family. Take for example the photograph I chose for my lead image this week-- an overhead image of the couple from an impossible vantage point-- at once abstract and visually provocative and compelling. One hundred years from now, when art historians look back at this event, it is intriguing to me which set of images will end up marking this historic day. It is also something to keep in mind as we all mark special milestone moments in our life-- events that are mostly out of our representational control. Enjoy the remainder of the long weekend (for those in Canada), and enjoy the links!

 

"Thoroughly Modern Meghan"
"Thoroughly Modern Meghan"

theatlantic.com

"New Database Highlights Overlooked European Avant-Garde Artists"
"New Database Highlights Overlooked European Avant-Garde Artists"

hyperallergic.com

"1968: Year of Counter-Revolution"
"1968: Year of Counter-Revolution"

nybooks.com

"Hong Kong’s Youth Culture, Captured in Disturbing Animations"
"Hong Kong’s Youth Culture, Captured in Disturbing Animations"

nytimes.com

"The Gray Market: Why Portia de Rossi’s Art-Tech Startup Has a Hard Road Ahead"
"The Gray Market: Why Portia de Rossi’s Art-Tech Startup Has a Hard Road Ahead"

artnet.com

"12 Crucial Takeaways From Last Week’s $1.9 Billion New York Auction Cycle"
"12 Crucial Takeaways From Last Week’s $1.9 Billion New York Auction Cycle"

artnet.com

"Exploring the Art Market’s Best (and Worst) Practices (PODCAST)"
"Exploring the Art Market’s Best (and Worst) Practices (PODCAST)"

artsy.net

A New Vision for Ancient Art at the Getty Villa (VIDEO)
A New Vision for Ancient Art at the Getty Villa (VIDEO)

thegetty

"Does Performance Art Need to be Experienced Live? (VIDEO)"
"Does Performance Art Need to be Experienced Live? (VIDEO)"

tatemodern

"Interview Magazine, founded by Andy Warhol, folds after nearly 50 years"
"Interview Magazine, founded by Andy Warhol, folds after nearly 50 years"

theartnewspaper.com

"Thoroughly Modern Meghan" "New Database Highlights Overlooked European Avant-Garde Artists" "1968: Year of Counter-Revolution" "Hong Kong’s Youth Culture, Captured in Disturbing Animations" "The Gray Market: Why Portia de Rossi’s Art-Tech Startup Has a Hard Road Ahead" "12 Crucial Takeaways From Last Week’s $1.9 Billion New York Auction Cycle" "Exploring the Art Market’s Best (and Worst) Practices (PODCAST)" A New Vision for Ancient Art at the Getty Villa (VIDEO) "Does Performance Art Need to be Experienced Live? (VIDEO)" "Interview Magazine, founded by Andy Warhol, folds after nearly 50 years"
  • Thoroughly Modern Meghan
  • New Database Highlights Overlooked European Avant-Garde Artists
  • 1968: Year of Counter-Revolution
  • Hong Kong’s Youth Culture, Captured in Disturbing Animations
  • The Gray Market: Why Portia de Rossi’s Art-Tech Startup Has a Hard Road Ahead
  • 12 Crucial Takeaways From Last Week’s $1.9 Billion New York Auction Cycle
  • Interview Magazine, founded by Andy Warhol, folds after nearly 50 years
  • Exploring the Art Market’s Best (and Worst) Practices (PODCAST)
  • A New Vision for Ancient Art at the Getty Villa (VIDEO)
  • Does Performance Art Need to be Experienced Live? (VIDEO)
← Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Round UpWeekly Flipboard Links and Media Round Up →
Back to Top
Screenshot 2018-02-05 20.48.17.png

© Dorothy Barenscott, 2010-2025