ARTES MAGAZINE

At first glance, the only similarity between Vegas and Venice is that they both begin with the letter V. Look closer though, and you’ll see another parity—they’re both vanishing. Pilot, trained architect, and fine art aerial photographer, Alex Maclean, sees a disturbing beauty in these doppelgangers. Disturbing because of the environmental destruction these two iconic cities [...]

This is a tale of two historic homes in a beautiful seaside, New England town, and of how visionary zeal and coincidence braided history, friendship and a passion for things beautiful together in a most unusual way… On May 1, 1915 Alfred Vanderbilt boarded the Lusitania bound for Liverpool as a first class passenger. It [...]

 The Grand Canyon is wild and unforgiving. But it is also one of the most stunning landscapes on Earth—a place for recreation, reflection and reverence. A beautiful Smithsonian exhibition allows us to marvel at this natural wonder without camping equipment, emergency rations or rappelling ropes.   Featuring 60 framed photographs, Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand [...]

The Inamori Foundation, of Kyoto, Japan, recently announced that Mr. William Kentridge will receive its 26th annual Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy, which focuses on the field of Arts. Mr. Kentridge, 55, will receive the award for his originality as a visual artist whose wide-ranging activities encompass animation, stage direction and writing. (left) A [...]

In this, the third in a four-part series on the history of the Hudson River and its role in shaping the American identity, we explore the place that an emerging community of writers had in defining the traits and personalities of what the world would later view as, ‘typically American’. This story is a complex [...]

By the mid-17th century, English claims in the New World were well-established for those colonies along the New England coastline. The hard-scrabble existence and high mortality which had so characterized the early years of settlement had given way to communal permanence and relative prosperity. Still, the relationship of these growing settlements, with the surrounding forest [...]

This unusual story may not at first appear to be entirely relevant when considering the dark magic of insurance. Certainly many people need a cup of strong coffee before submitting themselves to an insurance analysis. But, other than that, what relevance is there between insurance and the art of coffee making…possibly, none. (left):  An illustration [...]

American poet, William Cullen Bryant declared, ‘the light of distant skies’, is found in the unique history, literature and art of the Hudson River Valley, birthplace of our national identity.  This article (in four parts) considers the many influences (historical, literary, artistic) of a period that helped shape the American character. Understanding the emergence and role of the Hudson [...]

This is the tale of a man and an island—and how, in the course of time, their stories became entwined. It is also a tale of devotion to a craft, passion for a cause, and the recognition that sometimes, when we least expect it, fate charts an unexpected course for each of us.          The man [...]

Montparnasse- Walking pensively along Avenue du Maine recently, I imagine young Picasso, Braque, Brancusi, Modigliani, Soutine or Chagall tracing the very same path to the studio of fellow artist, Marie Vassiliev, who regularly offered plentiful lunches for only one franc, filling their bellies for the day. Afterwards, they returned to their modest nearby studios, as [...]