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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.

Farkas Molnár, Project for a single-family house, Der rote Würfel (The red cube) (1923)

Weekly Musings + Round Up... And A Few More Things

February 21, 2022

As we celebrate Family Day here in Canada under loosening Covid-19 restrictions this long weekend, I have been thinking about how central “the home” has been to the experience of the pandemic. Finding ways to comfortably inhabit a space for long periods of isolation forced many of us to pay careful attention to the architecture of family dwellings. What may surprise many, however, is how directly the historical avant-garde has impacted the way we imagine, plan, and arrange the spaces of our homes. In particular, the Bauhaus— a German art and design school that flourished in Germany’s Weimar period from 1919-1933— transformed the architecture and traditions of 19th century living spaces to the modern ones that predominate our contemporary lives. The radical departure embodied in the Bauhaus mantra “form follows function” lead to a reimagining of family dwellings as purpose built spaces that privilege how individuals actually live instead of forcing preconceived ideas of how individuals should live.

Flex-spaces, for example, derive from this ethos, along with open plan family rooms, sliding walls, and outdoor living space that extend the experience of indoor spaces to the natural environment. In Bauhaus Dream-House: Modernity and Globalization, author Katerina Rüedi Ray examines the profound social, cultural and spatial transformations that the Bauhaus had on family home design in the decades following WWII. She writes: “The rejection of academic autonomy, historicism and aestheticism was central to the curriculum. The Bauhaus saw the past as discredited, and the task of the artist, designer and architect as beginning with a 'tabula rasa' - a clean slate -and disregarding old hierarchies between the arts, crafts and architecture (p. 26).” If you look around your own home today, you will see traces of Bauhaus influence at every turn. If you don’t believe me, simply watch the “Bauhaus Explained” video linked here and think about the freedom of spatial design you may be taking for granted in your own dwelling. Wishing you all a happy Family Day— enjoy the links!

"Art Problems: Is My Art Good Enough?"
"Art Problems: Is My Art Good Enough?"

hyperallergic.com

"When Warhol met Basquiat"
"When Warhol met Basquiat"

theartnewspaper.com

"Sephora on the Champs-Élysées"
"Sephora on the Champs-Élysées"

parisreview.org

"Arlene Gottfried, the Street Photographer who Captured the Soul of 1980s New York"
"Arlene Gottfried, the Street Photographer who Captured the Soul of 1980s New York"

elephant.art

"John Lennon on the Satisfying Difficulty of Excellence and the Vital Role of Invisible Incubation in the Creative Process"
"John Lennon on the Satisfying Difficulty of Excellence and the Vital Role of Invisible Incubation in the Creative Process"

themarginalian.org

"Making fun of mental health? Van Gogh ‘earaser’ and ‘tortured artist’ soap removed from Courtauld gift shop"
"Making fun of mental health? Van Gogh ‘earaser’ and ‘tortured artist’ soap removed from Courtauld gift shop"

theartnewspaper.com

"Fragonard to Frozen: how French art inspired Disney animators"
"Fragonard to Frozen: how French art inspired Disney animators"

theguardian.com

"AI-Generated Faces Have Crossed the Uncanny Valley"
"AI-Generated Faces Have Crossed the Uncanny Valley"

fastcompany.com

"Dan Graham, Conceptual Artist Who Bent Time and Space, Dies at 79"
"Dan Graham, Conceptual Artist Who Bent Time and Space, Dies at 79"

artnews,ca

"The Stories Totem Poles Tell | Smarthistory (VIDEO)"
"The Stories Totem Poles Tell | Smarthistory (VIDEO)"

Smarhistory.org

"Art Problems: Is My Art Good Enough?" "When Warhol met Basquiat" "Sephora on the Champs-Élysées" "Arlene Gottfried, the Street Photographer who Captured the Soul of 1980s New York" "John Lennon on the Satisfying Difficulty of Excellence and the Vital Role of Invisible Incubation in the Creative Process" "Making fun of mental health? Van Gogh ‘earaser’ and ‘tortured artist’ soap removed from Courtauld gift shop" "Fragonard to Frozen: how French art inspired Disney animators" "AI-Generated Faces Have Crossed the Uncanny Valley" "Dan Graham, Conceptual Artist Who Bent Time and Space, Dies at 79" "The Stories Totem Poles Tell | Smarthistory (VIDEO)"
  • Art Problems: Is My Art Good Enough?

  • When Warhol met Basquiat

  • Sephora on the Champs-Élysées

  • Arlene Gottfried, the Street Photographer who Captured the Soul of 1980s New York

  • John Lennon on the Satisfying Difficulty of Excellence and the Vital Role of Invisible Incubation in the Creative Process

  • Making fun of mental health? Van Gogh ‘earaser’ and ‘tortured artist’ soap removed from Courtauld gift shop

  • Fragonard to Frozen: how French art inspired Disney animators

  • AI-Generated Faces Have Crossed the Uncanny Valley

  • Dan Graham, Conceptual Artist Who Bent Time and Space, Dies at 79

  • The Stories Totem Poles Tell | Smarthistory (VIDEO)

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© Dorothy Barenscott, 2010-2025