The Bluestocking, vol 93: Leonardo and a real duck
Happy Friday!
This week I kept up my run of theatre and feminism: I saw a new version of Ibsen's The Wild Duck, by the upsettingly talented Robert Icke, and wrote 3,000 words on what it made me feel about reckoning with the darkness in the literary canon. I would highly recommend the play for two reasons: 1) THERE IS A REAL DUCK IN IT; 2) the intellectual fireworks don't detract from the emotional punch of the ending.
Also, because I'm a weirdo, the reviews of Martin McDonagh's A Very Very Very Dark Matter at the Bridge have been so baffled that I also quite fancy seeing that. But you know, London theatre ticket prices do not allow you to go "yeah I'll swing by this 90 minute drama which suggests that Hans Christian Andersen's fairytales were all written by a Congolese dwarf he kept in a box in his attic". I mean, I'm interested. I'm not second mortgage interested.
Then I went to Oxford and gave a couple of talks about feminism. I thought the questions would all revolve around Twitter's big feminist beefs, but actually it was a lot more bread and butter than that: what's the role of men in the feminist movement; how can we make sure feminism isn't too middle class; is Margaret Thatcher a feminist icon or not? Always good to be reminded that Twitter does not equal life.
Helen
When the painting was cleaned, it turned out Christ had two right thumbs. This is what art historians call a “pentimento” – literally, a repentance, used to mean a second thought. If the artist had such a second thought, it’s regarded as evidence that this is an original, not a copy – as why would a copier have second thoughts?
This explains why the thumb was left with its pentimento when it was shown to those experts, even though some in-painting had been done. However, by the time of its public unveiling in 2011, Christ’s hand had just a single thumb. “Both thumbs,” says Kemp of the painting’s raw state, “are rather better than the one painted by Dianne.”
When I first saw the newly discovered Leonardo, "Salvator Mundi", my instant thought was: wow, that's kinda . . . camp. It's very soft focus, bordering on fey. Then I read this piece about how, shall we say, comprehensive the restoration has been - and saw the pictures of the "raw" painting and the restored one. I know it's all a matter of personal taste, but god, do I prefer the raw one. It has an energy and a spirit which is totally drained by the pretty-pretty restoration.
All this makes me want to read a book on art restoration. Anyone know a good beginners' one?
Kara Swisher: I Just Knew I Was Going to Surpass These Guys I Was Working For
Over time I’ve realized I don’t really like being a boss. I remember teaching journalism and thinking, “Well, I figured it out, why shouldn’t you?” I kind of feel like I was raised by wolves in my career, at least early on, and I turned out fine. I’m best as a solo operator. Management is exhausting. People are emotional, people have issues. And I’m ultimately too selfish for that. I’m more interested in my work than anybody else’s work. It might sound rude or crazy, but I just think I’m better. And women aren’t supposed to say that. Historically, a lot of women have had to help the men in charge. They were always No. 2. I want to be No. 1.
I could tell you I'm including this piece because I'm currently writing the "work" chapter of my book, but really it's because I feel Extremely Seen.
me when the librarian walks past
Quick links:
- AI renders Van Gogh self-portraits in 3D. Just think what this tech will be able to do in 10 years' time.
- Pleasing thread of experts (and people who've ever been to Switzerland) explaining to a Brexiteer why his glib point about the Swiss border is cobblers.
- I both do, and don't, want to land on a plane in Greenland now.
- If you think your Christmases are complicated, read about the man swapped at birth and then adopted, who later meets his twin.
See you next time!