• 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.

Two black dancers posing as maid servants in front of a portrait of David's Madame Récamier (1800) in Beyoncé and Jay-Z's "Apeshit" video debuting earlier this week. 

Two black dancers posing as maid servants in front of a portrait of David's Madame Récamier (1800) in Beyoncé and Jay-Z's "Apeshit" video debuting earlier this week. 

Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Round Up

June 24, 2018

It was a big week for art history with the surprise release of Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s "Apeshit"-- a song and accompanying video that set the Louvre Museum centre stage. Within days of the video's release, my social media feeds were filled with commentary and discussion. I was immediately struck by Beyoncé's decision to feature so many Jacques Louis David paintings-- works of art tied to the French Revolution and Napoleonic era that I spend countless classes covering in both survey and upper level seminar art history courses. The large dance number in front of Coronation of Napoleon (1807) was especially brilliant in terms of meaning-making and rethinking the role of women in canonical painting. David had reimagined the piece with Napoleon's wife,  Josephine, being crowned by him as the focus of the composition. This act, at the central point of the painting where Beyoncé herself is positioned, is witnessed by all of the surrounding figures (all privileged white upper class people). The "lie" of the painting, however, is that the coronation of Napoleon was illegitimate. He had seized power from the church to make himself king (thereby coronating himself), stealing power without authority. This extends to the representation shown in the painting-- Josephine's sisters, for example, did not attend the event, but David put them in there anyways much to the chagrin of Jospehine and her family ("fake news" early 19th century style). Later, Josephine would divorce Napoleon and expose his deception. In this way, we also see Beyonce and her dancers stealing back meaning and authority for this work. She is the rightful queen, and the fact of this painting's lie is once again exposed. 

Another compelling David work featured in the video is the of portrait of Madame Récamier from 1800. The reclining aristocratic French woman is juxtaposed with two black dancers posing as maid servants just off frame-- a reminder of the invisible labour and lack of representation for the majority of people (across race and class) who existed within this society, and have in art's long history been denied serious attention. Later in the video, Jay Z will rap in front of Gericault's Raft of the Medusa (1818-19), a strategic reference to the colonialism and slavery that is for the first time represented on a monumental scale in this painting, and for that same privileged audience who refused to "see" this group only a decade earlier. Here, the direct correlation to hip-hop music, as a subculture and artistic revolution rooted in street and minority references is profound. I could go on and on.... In fact, so much good criticism and reflections was already written by mid-week, I did not feel compelled to add much more. This alone is a wonderful sign of how impactful the video was and is-- that, and the successful way Beyoncé and Jay-Z bridge notions of "high" and "low" art. Yes, it is a music video, and yes, there are much more urgent issues to address for more serious artists, but it is important to remember that popular visual culture, the "kitsch" that the Nazis, for example, at once despised and feared so much, is precisely the entry point for subversive content into the mainstream. Seeing black bodies essentially pulling off a carefully choreographed "heist" of the Louvre's elitist and limited gaze is critical and significant. There will be much discomfort in these images, and that is the point. All praise Queen B. Enjoy the links and have a great week!

"The Simple Art Historian’s Guide to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s ‘Apeshit’ Video"
"The Simple Art Historian’s Guide to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s ‘Apeshit’ Video"

vulture.com

"Is Art School Only For the Young?"
"Is Art School Only For the Young?"

artsy.net

"20 Curators Taking a Cutting-Edge Approach to Art History"
"20 Curators Taking a Cutting-Edge Approach to Art History"

artsy.net

"A Very Queer Street Art Movement Is Spreading Across the US"
"A Very Queer Street Art Movement Is Spreading Across the US"

hyperallergic.com

"This Artist Foresaw Our Digital Future in a Meadow of Dandelions"
"This Artist Foresaw Our Digital Future in a Meadow of Dandelions"

nytimes.com

"Jean-Michel Basquiat Is Still an Enigma"
"Jean-Michel Basquiat Is Still an Enigma"

theatlantic.com

"Will the Retail Apocalypse Be Good for the Arts?"
"Will the Retail Apocalypse Be Good for the Arts?"

vulture.com

"Artist collective tackles 'disappearing kids' under US immigration policy"
"Artist collective tackles 'disappearing kids' under US immigration policy"

theartnewspaper.com

"Giacometti at the Guggenheim Museum (VIDEO)"
"Giacometti at the Guggenheim Museum (VIDEO)"

guggenheim

Meet the Sobey 2018 artist nominee whose neon Cree signs are getting glowing reviews (PODCAST)"
Meet the Sobey 2018 artist nominee whose neon Cree signs are getting glowing reviews (PODCAST)"

cbc.ca

"The Simple Art Historian’s Guide to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s ‘Apeshit’ Video" "Is Art School Only For the Young?" "20 Curators Taking a Cutting-Edge Approach to Art History" "A Very Queer Street Art Movement Is Spreading Across the US" "This Artist Foresaw Our Digital Future in a Meadow of Dandelions" "Jean-Michel Basquiat Is Still an Enigma" "Will the Retail Apocalypse Be Good for the Arts?" "Artist collective tackles 'disappearing kids' under US immigration policy" "Giacometti at the Guggenheim Museum (VIDEO)" Meet the Sobey 2018 artist nominee whose neon Cree signs are getting glowing reviews (PODCAST)"
  • The Simple Art Historian’s Guide to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s ‘Apeshit’ Video
  • Is Art School Only For the Young?
  • 20 Curators Taking a Cutting-Edge Approach to Art History
  • A Very Queer Street Art Movement Is Spreading Across the US
  • This Artist Foresaw Our Digital Future in a Meadow of Dandelions
  • Jean-Michel Basquiat Is Still an Enigma
  • Will the Retail Apocalypse Be Good for the Arts?
  • Artist collective tackles 'disappearing kids' under US immigration policy
  • Giacometti at the Guggenheim Museum (VIDEO)
  • Meet the Sobey 2018 artist nominee whose neon Cree signs are getting glowing reviews (PODCAST)
← Courses for Fall 2018: Topics in Art & Fashion, Urban Screen Culture, Film Studies, and 19th Century Art Weekly Flipboard Links and Media Round Up →
Back to Top
Screenshot 2018-02-05 20.48.17.png

© Dorothy Barenscott, 2010-2025