Dancing Curlycues
Natur und Kultur: Das Weib [Nature and Culture: The Female]. A book of photographs collected by Dr. Peter Landow, Berlin 1925.
Posted in beauty, typography
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Author Archives: Justin Shubow
I am Justin Shubow
President of the National Civic Art Society, a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. that promotes the classical and humanistic tradition in public art and architecture. Eleventh Chairman of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, an independent federal agency comprising seven presidential appointees who are the aesthetic guardians of Washington.
Marching to the Beat of the Funky Drummer
For reasons too embarrassing to mention, I recently stumbled across the U.S. Army Field Band Jazz Ambassador’s educational video “Inside the Big Band.” At around the 15:40 mark, the outfit explains how to play funk and hip hop, as only … Continue reading
Lincoln on a Marble Floor
At the Lincoln Memorial —By Archibald MacLeish Within that door A man sits or the image of a man Staring at stillness on a marble floor. No drum distracts him nor no trumpet can Although he hears the trumpet and … Continue reading
Classical Architecture Inspires a Return to Beauty in Classical Music
Goethe famously said that “Architecture is music frozen in time.” Expressing that literally, Le Corbusier and composer Iannis Xenakis co-designed the Philips Pavilion for Expo ’58 in Brussels. In particular, the hyperboloid building, shaped like a stomach, was inspired by … Continue reading
Speaking at Baylor University Tomorrow on the Eisenhower Memorial
If you happen to be in Waco, Texas tomorrow October 11, I’m giving a talk at Baylor’s Honors College on “A Monumental Fight: The Eisenhower Memorial and America’s Historical Memory.” Here’s the press release: WACO, Texas (Oct. 9, 2012) – … Continue reading
Posted in architecture, uncategorized
Tagged Eisenhower Memorial, Frank Gehry, public talks
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Letter in Response to Paul Golberger’s Vanity Fair Article on the Eisenhower Memorial Controversy
[Published in the October 2012 issue of Vanity Fair.] To the Editor: In his article on the growing opposition to the design for the National Memorial to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Paul Goldberger doubted whether the Eisenhower family’s denunciation of … Continue reading
Posted in Eisenhower Memorial, Frank Gehry
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Die Walküre
Wunder des Schneeschuhs by Hannes Schneider and Arnold Fanck, 1928.
Posted in graphic design, typography
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Floundering Farmers
Founding Farmers is one of the most popular, and cleverly named, restaurants in Washington, D.C. According to its self-description, “it is a celebration of the land and the American family farmer; it is a nod to the founding fathers of … Continue reading
Posted in architecture, typography
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Koolhass in Praise of Ugliness and Evil
From the August 16, 2006 Spiegel interview of Dutch architect Rem Koolhass: SPIEGEL: In methodical Germany, a major debate is currently underway in Berlin over whether to rebuild or start from scratch. Is tearing down the Palace of the Republic the … Continue reading
Posted in architecture, beauty, commonplace book, evil, Rem Koolhass, ugliness
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The Spirit of Lyon
Posted in beauty, sculpture
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