All posts by Intellicurious

News, Views and Reviews for the Intellectually Curious

Previews: History Today Magazine – November 2022

Nov 22

Tutankhamun in the Flesh

The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 reopened arguments about the presumed race of the ancient Egyptians.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Second Act

After the death of her husband in 1945, Eleanor Roosevelt left the White House and embarked upon a new career as  ‘First Lady of the World’.

‘The Vote is of the People’

Brazilian democracy is young, hard-won and under threat. As the country goes to the polls, its history reminds us that the right to vote is not a given.

Women, Life, Freedom

Iranian women have always been present in national uprisings, but this time they are leading them.

Cinematic Travel: The Island Of Corfu, Greece

With the passage of time the island may have changed, but we can still feel the spirit of a distant glorious past. Its rich multi-cultural heritage, its historic monuments, its stunning natural landscape, its crystal clear seas, and its excellent weather all year round explain why Corfu is one of the most cosmopolitan Mediterranean destinations weaving a powerful spell on its visitors.

Corfu (Kerkyra in Greek), unlike the rest of Greece, never fell under the Ottoman oppression. Due to the successive dominations of the Venetians, the French and the British over the centuries, the island has primarily become part of the Western rather the Levantine world. Their culture wielded strong influence in the city: it was here that the first Greek University (the Ionian Academy), the first Philharmonic Orchestra and the First School of Fine Arts were founded.

Top New Exhibitions: ‘The Tudors – Art And Majesty In Renaissance England’

England, under the volatile Tudor dynasty, was a thriving home for the arts. An international community of artists and merchants, many of them religious refugees, navigated the high-stakes demands of royal patrons, including England’s first two reigning queens. Against the backdrop of shifting political relationships with mainland Europe, Tudor artistic patronage legitimized, promoted, and stabilized a series of tumultuous reigns, from Henry VII’s seizure of the throne in 1485 to the death of his granddaughter Elizabeth I in 1603.

The Tudor courts were truly cosmopolitan, boasting the work of Florentine sculptors, German painters, Flemish weavers, and Europe’s best armorers, goldsmiths, and printers, while also contributing to the emergence of a distinctly English style. Join Elizabeth Cleland, Curator in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, and Adam Eaker, Associate Curator in the Department of European Paintings, to explore The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England, which traces the transformation of the arts in Tudor England through more than 100 objects—including iconic portraits, spectacular tapestries, manuscripts, sculpture, and armor—from both The Met collection and international lenders.

Learn more here: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions…

Previews: The Economist Magazine – Oct 22, 2022

Image

Welcome to Britaly

A country of political instability, low growth and subordination to the bond markets

In 2012 liz truss and Kwasi Kwarteng, two of the authors of a pamphlet called “Britannia Unchained”, used Italy as a warning. Bloated public services, low growth, poor productivity: the problems of Italy and other southern European countries were also present in Britain. Ten years later, in their botched attempt to forge a different path, Ms Truss and Mr Kwarteng have helped make the comparison inescapable. Britain is still blighted by disappointing growth and regional inequality. But it is also hobbled by chronic political instability and under the thumb of the bond markets. Welcome to Britaly.

Front Page: The New York Times – October 20, 2022

Image

Putin Declares Martial Law in 4 Illegally Annexed Ukrainian Regions

The Russian leader also imposed restrictions in over two dozen areas in Russia, signaling an attempt to crack down on dissent at home.

Bread Prices Skyrocket as Inflation Grips Europe

The elevated costs of flour, nuts, eggs and even electricity are forcing bakers to increase their prices and cut their production.

Where Have All the Men in Moscow Gone?

Across the capital, there are noticeably fewer men at restaurants, stores and social gatherings. Many have been called up to fight in Ukraine. Others have fled to avoid being drafted.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Oct 20, 2022

The cover of Nature's racism in science 20th October 2022 issue
Illustration by Diana Ejaita

A Nature special issue – 20 October 2022:

RACISM – Overcoming science’s toxic legacy

Science is “a shared experience, subject both to the best of what creativity and imagination have to offer and to humankind’s worst excesses”. So wrote the guest editors of this special issue of Nature, Melissa Nobles, Chad Womack, Ambroise Wonkam and Elizabeth Wathuti, in a June 2022 editorial announcing their involvement.

Previews: New Scientist Magazine – Oct 22, 2022

New Scientist Default Image
  • CULTURE – The Climate Book review: An essential guide to a better world
  • FEATURES – Can a slew of nuclear fusion start-ups deliver unlimited clean energy?
  • FEATURES – How to improve your digital diet for greater well-being
  • NEWS – Exoskeleton boots learn how you walk to help improve your gait

New Scientist Website

Top New Art Exhibitions: ‘PARIS+ Par Art Basel 2022’

Paris+, par Art Basel is the fourth event of its kind in the portfolio of Art Basel, the world’s biggest art fair. Other, related editions are regularly held in Hong Kong, Miami Beach, and the Swiss city of Basel, where its tentpole fair is held. Expect big sales and even bigger crowds, as has long been the case with Art Basel’s other editions.

Preview: Country Life Magazine – Oct 19, 2022

Country Life 19 October 2022 looks at springer spaniels, Manet, the nature writing of ‘BB’ and meets bladesmith Owen Bush.

Masterpiece

Jack Watkins admires Stubbs’s racehorse portrait Gimcrack

With a spring in his step

The Welsh springer is a brainy, loyal dual-purpose spaniel, observes Katy Birchall

Dreams are made of these

Ten field sportsmen and women reveal their perfect days with rod or hawk to Octavia Pollock

Blades of class

Claire Jackson meets imposing bladesmith Owen Bush and dares to swing one of his sharp and gleaming swords

When the heat is on

John Hoyland canvasses gardeners and designers about the plants that best survived the drought

The man that shocked France

Artistic recognition came too late in life for Édouard Manet, regrets Michael Prodger