Julia Lloyd-George
Sparking Infatuation with The Bi(g) Life
“A Wilde man once said, ‘A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.’” Spoken with sincerity, this line guides The Bi(g) Life, featuring two dreamers who share with the audience their identities and individual visions of the world as they grapple with the heavy social issues of sexuality and body image.
By Julia Lloyd-George February 2, 2012
Picasso masterfully maneuvers his pencil
According to his mother, Pablo Picasso’s first word was “piz,” a shortening of the Spanish word for “pencil.” And although his legacy is as the co-founder of cubism and creator of such groundbreaking paintings as “Guernica,” a new exhibit of his work at the National Gallery of Art demonstrates his power with that most basic of artistic tools. “Picasso’s Drawings, 1890-1921: Reinventing Tradition,” on display through May 6, explores the evolution of the artist’s style as he instigated the rise of a revolutionary movement.
By Julia Lloyd-George February 2, 2012
Leibovitz journeys from Lennon to landscapes
If there’s one talent that photographer Annie Leibovitz is known for, it’s capturing the essence of celebrity. Her daring portraits of famed figures from John Lennon and Yoko Ono to a very pregnant Demi Moore are nothing short of iconic, imbued with a raw intimacy that lays these stars bare in more ways than one. The living legend has shot countless covers for such magazines as Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair, and has become a household name for her dramatic yet personal portraits.
By Julia Lloyd-George January 26, 2012
A journey through grief and New York
According to the “seven stages of grief” theory, dealing with loss typically means journeying through different emotions—from shock and denial to pain and guilt—experienced before acceptance. In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, though, nine-year-old Oskar Schell’s own path is anything but linear. Looking through Oskar’s eyes, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close director Stephen Daldry deftly handles this fragile material and crafts a cinematic adaptation true to Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel.
By Julia Lloyd-George January 19, 2012
These digital canvases fail to inspire
For an exhibit entitled A Theatre of Objects, artist Andy Holtin’s collection of video channels at Flashpoint Gallery near Mount Vernon does little to entertain or stimulate the viewer beyond its original use of media. Using a trio of varying yet simplistic scenes, Holtin attempts to “understand and narrate human interaction and intent, even with the vaguest of clues.” A secondary goal is to reevaluate the role of the video equipment itself, making it a dynamic medium rather than simply stationary machinery. While this objective adds an intriguing dimension to the favored medium of our YouTube generation, it fails to make up for the lack of captivating content in the scenes themselves.
By Julia Lloyd-George December 1, 2011
Got me feeling Like Crazy in love
In Romeo and Juliet, the titular lovers are threatened by a deep animosity between rival families. In Like Crazy, lovers Jacob and Anna’s relationship is threatened by immigration officers, as rising stars Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones play a young couple struggling with the strife of a long-distance relationship.
By Julia Lloyd-George November 3, 2011
Critical Voices: Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto
The cover of Mylo Xyloto is a graffiti-splattered maelstrom of color that bombards the eye like a set of fireworks. With even their cover art looking like an obnoxious attempt to draw attention, Coldplay once again appears to be foregoing subtlety in favor of grandeur.
By Julia Lloyd-George October 26, 2011
A room with a view … of nothing
You’ll find no frames or display boxes in Flashpoint Gallery’s Site Aperture—instead, the gallery itself serves as the canvas. In the new exhibit, four artists have attempted to use their installations as a “response” to the ordinary gallery space. Dirt, styrofoam, insect drawings, and fabric fill the rooms.
By Julia Lloyd-George October 20, 2011
Phillips Collection displays Degas’s dancers
As a celebrated impressionist painter during the rise of the movement in the late 19th century, Edgar Degas gained a reputation for his ability to portray fleeting scenes with remarkable artistry. “They call me the painter of dancers. They don’t understand that the dancer has been for me a pretext for painting pretty fabrics and for rendering movement,” he once said.
By Julia Lloyd-George October 6, 2011