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eadouglas's reviews
68 reviews
Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over by Nell Painter
2.0
Never before has a book made me roll my eyes and whisper, “ok boomer” so many times but, I suppose that’s the risk you run when reading a memoir published by a person in their 70s. I was drawn to Old in Art School because I am drawn to the idea of attending art school but as a millennial, I doubt I’ll be able to afford tuition until I’m in my 70s. This book is disappointing.
Mostly the narrative is a whiney mess from an entitled, insecure older woman. The writing would benefit from a strong editor or the enthusiastic use of a Sharpie. Nell Painter wants to be “a professional artist, not a Sunday painter, no mere Sunday painter” but complains persistently about the Art World’s convoluted demands. I kept asking myself, “What did she expect?” Despite this condemnation, there are intriguing passages sparsed throughout which delve into and explore the process and artwork of specific Black American artists, many of whom I had never heard of.
What really irked me, was that even with the amount of vitriol she throws at RISD and the Art World for their excluding her on the basis of race and age, Painter is unapologetic for her own problematic behaviour. She casually calls a classmate fat and laughs off having her hand slapped for using the same language. She regrets having had her father resuscitated because his debilitating depression causes her to question “what ‘healthy’ meant.” I am happy that Nell Painter eventually found the confidence to focus on her own art, I just wish she had approached her journey with more empathy and introspection. But, maybe that expectation stems from the generational gap between us.
Mostly the narrative is a whiney mess from an entitled, insecure older woman. The writing would benefit from a strong editor or the enthusiastic use of a Sharpie. Nell Painter wants to be “a professional artist, not a Sunday painter, no mere Sunday painter” but complains persistently about the Art World’s convoluted demands. I kept asking myself, “What did she expect?” Despite this condemnation, there are intriguing passages sparsed throughout which delve into and explore the process and artwork of specific Black American artists, many of whom I had never heard of.
What really irked me, was that even with the amount of vitriol she throws at RISD and the Art World for their excluding her on the basis of race and age, Painter is unapologetic for her own problematic behaviour. She casually calls a classmate fat and laughs off having her hand slapped for using the same language. She regrets having had her father resuscitated because his debilitating depression causes her to question “what ‘healthy’ meant.” I am happy that Nell Painter eventually found the confidence to focus on her own art, I just wish she had approached her journey with more empathy and introspection. But, maybe that expectation stems from the generational gap between us.
Writing with Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process by Peter Elbow
4.0
Instructional and information read. I can’t tell if Elbow’s long-winded discussions make the text more interesting. Still, I’ll be hanging onto my copy to reference in the future.
Moon Palace by Paul Auster
2.0
This book is mediocre.
There are a few lines where the sun bursts through the clouds of prose and lines contain clarity and truth. But for the most part, it is a boring, blabbering narrative of how hard it is to be a wealthy white man intermixed with passages fetishizing Asian women, bouts of fatphobia and anti-abortion claptrap.
If I hadn't already broken up with the fellow who recommended it to me, I probably would now.
There are a few lines where the sun bursts through the clouds of prose and lines contain clarity and truth. But for the most part, it is a boring, blabbering narrative of how hard it is to be a wealthy white man intermixed with passages fetishizing Asian women, bouts of fatphobia and anti-abortion claptrap.
If I hadn't already broken up with the fellow who recommended it to me, I probably would now.