Why Is Kate Middleton’s Official Portrait So Bad?

Even if you’re not a royals watcher, you can’t avoid the saga of Will and Kate. Kate Middleton—wife of Prince William, current Duchess of Cambridge, possibly future Queen of England, and mother-to-be of future kings and/or queens—recently came face to face with a rite of passage for all royals—the dreaded official portrait.  Sadly, the renowned fashion trend setter found herself immersed in an old trend of a different fashion—smiling bravely as the public and critics find fault with your likeness, Paul Emsley’s larger-than-life likeness (detail shown above). Emsley’s an award-winning artist with obvious skills, but the resulting official portrait’s been called everything from “dull” to “rotten.” How, when your subject is a young, beautiful, vivacious woman on top of the world, can you make a portrait so bad? Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Why Is Kate Middleton’s Official Portrait So Bad?"

[Image: Paul Emsley. Kate Middleton (detail), 2012.]

Can QR Codes Be the Next Pop Art Meme?

Andy Warhol had his Campbell's Soup Cans and Roy Lichtenstein had his comic book panels, but what will be the Pop art meme of today? One possible candidate is the ubiquitous QR code, the “quick response” code of black and white symbols once reserved for industrial purposes but now found in advertising and packaging seemingly everywhere (probably unnecessary example shown above). As reported by An Xiao on Hyperallergic.com, QR code art has made its way into the galleries—the first step towards making its way into the marketplace and, perhaps someday, the museums. Is this two-dimensional barcode the future symbol of our era? Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Can QR Codes Be the Next Pop Art Meme?"

Drive-By Sightings: Fine Art Ads on NYC Taxis

New York taxis are known for lots of things, most of them bad. Thanks to a new advertising campaign, 500 Big Apple taxis will be known for something great—great art. Works by artists Chuck Close and Kehinde Wiley will grace the tops of 500 cabs for the rest of the month of January as part of an advertising campaign hoping to bring art to people in the streets. Their works will take up more than $100,000 worth of advertising space as part of a gift to the city. The next question will be whether pedestrians and fellow motorists will take note of these drive-by sightings or if the ads will blend into the great blur of life in the big city. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Drive-By Sightings."

The Ones You Love: The Art of Alice Neel

“I don’t care for bohemian culture. Innocent people are hurt by it,” says Richard Neel, eldest son of the painter Alice Neel in Andrew Neel’s documentary film, now available on DVD from New Video. “I was hurt by it.” “You always hurt the one you love,” goes the old pop standard. In this film, Neel’s grandson Andrew, two sons, friends, and critics gather to sing a bittersweet love song to the woman who painted in obscurity for much of her life only to find renown near the very end. The resulting chorus reflects the disharmony of her personal life and the life she gave her sons (and abandoned daughter), as well as the deep feeling Alice had for each of her portrait subjects. It’s this paradox of unfeeling and feeling that makes Alice Neel the person and the artist, and now the film, so compelling. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "The Ones You Love."

[Many thanks to New Video for providing me with a review copy of Alice Neel, now available on DVD.]