Arts

Arts

Harvard exhibit proves teachers have lives outside of the classroom

October 18

While sitting in class and listening to a lecture, picturing the professor outside the classroom, not as a teacher but as a researcher, can be difficult. It's pretty surprising to discover that an archeology professor slathers on sunscreen and dons camp shirts instead of her usual skirt and pumps to excavate ruins in South America. This sentiment of awe is present at Harvard University's "VES New Faculty 2007-2008" show.

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Arts

MFA exhibit depicts 'floating world' of 17th-century Japanese youth

October 11

Walking into the Boston Museum of Fine Arts' new exhibition of traditional Japanese paintings, "Drama and Desire: Japanese Paintings from the Floating World 1690-1850," the fresh and dynamic look of the show is utterly striking. The architecture of the entryway promotes a feeling of seclusion with a latticework of white beams, shrouding the paintings inside in an atmosphere that feels more like a temple than a museum gallery.

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Arts

New Harvard Sackler exhibit colorfully remasters Antiquity's naked sculptures

October 8

Getting an accurate idea of what Greek sculpture actually looked like in its time usually requires picturing the Parthenon painted in Crayola colors.

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Arts

'Cex Cells' sheds 'blaqk' light on the history of electronica

October 4

The world of electronica is gaining popularity amongst nearly all demographics, though this phenomenon is not widely acknowledged. Artists dating back to the early '80s, such as Laurie Anderson, have been experimenting with computerized sounds and loops in many different ways, such as Anderson did on her 1982 hit "O Superman."

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Arts

Gardner Museum's serene exhibit will 'shorely' make audiences think

October 2

In the daily rush to get to class on time, to turn in homework when it's due or even take a shower before a night on the town, people often lose track of the passage of time and forget to take a couple of moments to meditate and reflect. The contemporary installation piece, "The Asian Shore," at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum provides visitors with the perfect environment to sit back and think.

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Arts

'Walk This Way' unravels subtle ties between fashion and art

September 30

The newest exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, "Walk This Way," is a bit unconventional in that it involves, as the name suggests, a great deal of walking.

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Arts

'To Fly' earns high marks for its lofty perspective on the natural world

September 27

Photographs of towering mountains, tranquil beaches or small-town America seem anything but complex and original; these subjects have been mainstays of photography for years. Going beyond, and more importantly, above what is expected, however, sets the photography on display in Boston University Art Gallery's "To Fly: Contemporary Aerial Photography" apart.

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Arts

Kanye makes it to 'Graduation,' but with a mediocre GPA

September 18

Kanye West really likes himself and isn't afraid to show it. But all his ego-driven rants aside, his new album "Graduation" feels more like the genius of a producer who needed a ghost writer. "Graduation" will still blow up, and the most popular single, "Stronger," will be stuck in your head for the next few months, but the album as a whole is a hit-or-miss work that survives only because of Kanye's undeniable ability to create memorable beats.

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Arts

Atreyu kicks and screams their way closer to mainstream

September 13

The world of rock doesn't have too many staples left these days, but with a little work, Atreyu could easily become one of the giants of the new age. The band's most recent effort, "Lead Sails Paper Anchor," is an album chock full of surprisingly good fist-pumping anthems, complete with 'these-go-to-eleven' guitar solos from lead guitarist and old-school metal-head Dan Jacobs.

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Arts

The Starting Line chooses new 'Direction' with coming-of-age album

September 3

Growing up is a painful process, but The Starting Line's newest album "Direction," proves that the whole thing can be a lot easier if you punctuate the darkly emotional quicksand of maturation with a simple smile.

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Arts

Hopper retrospective at the MFA is a visual feast with a touch of film noir

May 15

The Edward Hopper retrospective at the Museum of Fine Arts is aesthetically delicious.

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Arts

SMFA fifth-year student show offers diverse, gripping images of the present

April 30

The pulse is fast and frantic through the halls of the Fifth Year Exhibition at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. These works, the culmination of the fifth year certificate program that serves as a year of independent study, embody the harsh realities of the world today. They seem to be a response to the current visual, social and general states of society and the world today.

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Arts

England's biggest buzz band proves it isn't just monkeying around

April 29

It hasn't been long since the Arctic Monkeys laid claim to the title of best nearly-mainstream high-energy indie rock band. After these Brits gained global acclaim from last year's "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" and its singles "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and "When the Sun Goes Down," it would be natural to think that the band could coast on their success for longer than just a year, taking time to polish and admire their best album awards from Time Magazine, New Music Express and the Brit Awards.

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Arts

Misaki Kawai invites you into her 'house'

April 29

The Boston Institute for Contemporary Art is continuing its "Momentum" series of one-artist exhibitions with a room-size installation, "Space House," by Misaki Kawai. The artist, born in Osaka, Japan in 1978, has a unique aesthetic comprised of a rock 'n' roll blend of pop, do-it-yourself craft and a healthy sense of humor.

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Arts

It's about 'Time' to discover the Noisettes

April 24

Imagine a beautiful woman decked out in a feathery swan costume. She's humming to herself, wriggling about lithely on stage. Slowly, she strips the feathers off of her body, revealing more and more golden skin until she stands before you, naked. A nest rests in the middle of the stage, delicately constructed of twigs and leaves. The woman minces over to the nest and lays a golden egg from her vagina. It's OK, she's British.

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Arts

Ali's 'Truth' is an indisputably solid hip-hop album

April 22

There are a lot of reasons to like Brother Ali. He is often associated with fellow Minneapolis native Atmosphere and has benefited greatly from their friendship. As hip-hop's best-known albino rapper, he stands out physically and as a symbol of courage. But in his latest release, "The Undisputed Truth," these reasons take the backseat as Ali comes into his own as one of the best active underground artists in the game.

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Arts

Gallery displays artistic responses to atrocities of war

April 19

The trappings of war do not include beauty. They inspire it. On display now at the Museum of Fine Arts, "War and Discontent" is an exploration of artists past and present and their reaction to war in their times. The title of the exhibition just barely reveals the extent of discontent, disenchantment and pure distaste that is expressed in the exhibited works.

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Arts

'23' proves to be Blonde Redhead's lucky number

April 18

The playful cover art depicting a four-legged girl playing tennis announces the coyness of Blonde Redhead's seventh full-length album, "23," even before the first listen. The 10 tracks are more accessible than the band's last album, "Misery is a Butterfly" (2004), and their 13-plus years of experience in the music business shows. Help from some of the industry's top indie artists comes through in this polished yet wistful album.

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Arts

Kings of Leon are saintly sinners

April 17

If three of the four members of Kings of Leon are sons of a Pentecostal minister (and the fourth a nephew), so be it. But this doesn't change the truth that there is distinct possibility that, by traditional standards, they will all be going straight to hell.

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Arts

Museum of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition brings an overwhelmingly wide range of art to Aidekman

April 16

In a university gallery, it may be impressive to exhibit famous pieces by prestigious artists, but when a gallery displays student work, it fits in with its environment, offering encouragement to the rest of the campus. Until April 22, the second exhibit of the ongoing MFA thesis series will be at the Tufts University Art Gallery in Aidekman Arts Center. Here a variety of mediums and styles come together in a show, as part of the joint degree program of Tufts and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (SMFA). Graduate students with different concepts, philosophies and techniques foster an unlikely, loose dialogue within the intimate space of the gallery.

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