by Alice Fournier “In a secular age,” writes Ceridwen Dovey in a The NewYorker article, “I suspect that reading fiction is one of the few remaining paths to transcendence.” The article, published in the newspaper’s section ‘Cultural Comments’ and titled, “Can Reading Make You Happier?” had me wondering this exact same question. I don’t remember…
Toxic Pillows and Potatoes
By Gabrielle Gonzales Understanding modern art is a difficult undertaking – and contemporary art is more challenging still. It’s no surprise, then, that a visit to a modern and contemporary art museum or gallery can seem a daunting experience for many. It’s not exactly like the national gallery or encyclopedic museum where you know exactly…
When Painters Flip: Art, but Make It Weird
By Alice Fournier It’s that time of year again, when everything-pumpkin is on the menu. Pumpkin soup (yuck), pumpkin candies (moderately passable), pumpkin seeds… and of course pumpkin carving (definitely passable)! Halloween season means that I inevitably double-check with myself and map out the things that scare me – reasonable and unreasonable. In fact,…
The Value of Cartoons
By Marco Segantini You may not know this about me, but I am a huge fan of movies. Not a movie expert or nerd (though I can seem a bit nerdy when I watch them), but definitely someone who loves movie making as an art and watches movies quite often, even in the frenzy of…
Useful Procrastination #Taketwo: Youtube and Its Wonders
By Alice Fournier You know when you really feel like doing nothing at all, but at the same time you’re too stressed to be able to enjoy doing nothing? Let’s procrastinate effectively together, shall we? I’m doing that just now writing this article, in fact. I’m a master of procrastination, but I do so in…
South-West France: A Cave Lover’s Guide
By Alice Fournier I’m fortunate enough to live both in the French South-East, in Provence, with all the sun it has to offer, and in the South-West, near Bordeaux, with its rain and beautiful prehistoric caves. This is for all of my non-claustrophobic peeps who do not mind dark, damp and cold places. In exchange…
Fashion and the Fine Arts in the 20th Century
by Alice Fournier “The best of fashion is worthy of the name art”, said Norman Norell, a famous American designer in an interview with The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1967. And yet, art and fashion have always had a paradoxical relationship. According to Norell, one is constantly shifting and adapting to trends, the other…
RAW EXHIBITION
By Mieke Pressley There is something undeniably calming and peaceful about roaming about an exhibition; taking in a painting’s many colors, turning about a sculpture or grasping at straws, attempting to find the hidden meaning behind an abstract work. What better way, then, to take a break from studying during this busy weekend than to…
‘Roma’ by Alfonso Cuaron: A Review
By Andrea Undecimo Alfonso Cuaron’s new movie, ‘Roma’, which has earned him the Academy Award for Best Director, and has won the Best Foreign Movie and the Best Cinematography Award, is a stunning, touching and delicate film that stretches back into Cuaron’s childhood and gives us a beautiful and intricate portrait of Mexico in the…
Iran: between Tradition and Modernity
by Andrea Undecimo ‘Pink mosque in Shiraz’ When I first told my parents and my friends that I was going to spend two weeks, alone, in Iran, the reactions I received spanned from honest worry for my mental health, to attempts to persuade me not to go, because the place was crowded by religious fundamentalists…
Productive Procrastinating: Period Dramas
By Alice Fournier There is nothing quite like procrastination: we all love it, we all hate it, but why not hate it a bit less by making it useful? And better yet, by turning our brains into a semi-on/semi-off mode whilst watching other people’s very complicated lives. History nerds, here comes your period dramas list,…
Bohemian Rhapsody: Exciting Biopic, or Moralistic Tale?
By Amélie Minnaard SPOILERS AHEAD Bohemian Rhapsody, the new biopic about Queen from the perspective of Freddie Mercury, has been surrounded by controversy for years. In 2013, Sacha Baron Cohen, who was originally meant to play Freddie Mercury, quit the movie over creative differences with the remaining members of Queen. In 2014, director Dexter Fletcher…
The Low-lands vs The Land Down-Under: How does Australia compare to the Netherlands?
By Sanne van Veen Although Australia is basically on the other side of the world, the differences between Australia and the Netherlands are fairly minimal. I have listed some of the major difference between the two for future guidance if you ever visit Australia! Wildlife Cows, sheep and horses are a pretty rare find in…
How to Create the Perfect Running Playlist
by Yolande Hobbs To a lot of us music is a really big part of our workout, and for runners it’s no different. Music lets us escape our current state of mind and can help us de-stress. Music in running can help you relax, distract you and even improve your performance. For this reason, having…
Come Along With Me: Why Adventure Time Matters
By Gabrielle Gonzales Earlier last week, adolescent millennials and millennial adolescents alike mourned the end of the eight-year ten-season strong run of Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time. Why that matters continues to be a topic of interest among Film and TV critics across the world and of all ages; after all it isn’t a title that…
Parietal Art or an Incursion in a Prehistoric … « Museum »?
By Alice Fournier The cave of Lascaux, in Dordogne, France, is probably the pinnacle of parietal art. Discovered in 1940 by Marcel Ravidat, Lascaux is now closed off to the public to help preserve the many artworks visible on its walls. What is the reason for this you might ask? CO2 emissions. Due to its fame and…
Fishermen and Chinese Wisdom
A Galeophobe’s Account of ‘Jaws’ By Jedidja ‘Jay’ van Boven Here’s me, not naked but afraid nevertheless, presented to you in three bite-size tidbits that cover my personality, as well as some inevitable tangents about peanut butter, Sun Tzu, and the odd smattering of small dogs. One: I am scared of nearly everything. Now, I…
Artist series pt.3: The Canine Conundrum of Wes’ World
By Gabrielle Gonzales SPOILER ALERT In light of the release of his newest, and much-anticipated animated film, Isle Of Dogs (2018), it might just be high-time to sniff out the answer to one very important question: does Wes Anderson actually hate dogs? The seasoned Wes Anderson film-viewer may have noticed, and perhaps has…
Artist series pt.2: Colouring the Visual Through the Auditory
By Geertje van Raak (This article contains minor spoilers) As one of the many lovers of Wes Anderson’s films, the thing that I especially appreciate about Anderson is his collaboration with the composer Alexandre Desplat, who produced the score for multiple Wes Anderson movies. I wish to discuss two of those scores: that of Moonrise…
Artist series pt.1. Where does Wes get it from?
By Nora Westgeest In light of Wes Anderson’s newly released stop-motion animated film Isle of Dogs, this week, the TR’s Arts & Culture section will be entirely devoted to the American virtuoso. Our three-part series kick-starts with a piece considering the influences of the emblematic style that defines Anderson’s films. But keep your eyes peeled…