{"id":6399,"date":"2021-01-08T13:34:04","date_gmt":"2021-01-08T13:34:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uaaglobal.com\/art-world-roundup-ringing-in-the-new-year-with-a-controversial-sculpture-in-brazil-the-uss-public-domain-day-an-el-greco-attribution-and-more\/"},"modified":"2021-01-08T13:34:04","modified_gmt":"2021-01-08T13:34:04","slug":"art-world-roundup-ringing-in-the-new-year-with-a-controversial-sculpture-in-brazil-the-uss-public-domain-day-an-el-greco-attribution-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uaaglobal.com\/art-world-roundup-ringing-in-the-new-year-with-a-controversial-sculpture-in-brazil-the-uss-public-domain-day-an-el-greco-attribution-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Art World Roundup: ringing in the new year with a controversial sculpture in Brazil, the US\u2019s Public Domain Day, an El Greco attribution, and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

From us here at Art Critique<\/em> , we hope your year has gotten off to a great start, despite the challenges that we continue to face, globally. We\u2019re jumping into the year with our first Art World Roundup of 2021 and this week, we\u2019re covering an intimate sculpture by Juliana Notari that\u2019s caused division in Brazil, an art critic\u2019s analysis of images from the US Capitol, and more monoliths now appearing in the UK. Also, a small painting has been attributed to El Greco, creative works from 1925 enter public domain in the US, Leeds asks artist Yinka Shonibare to create memorial to David Oluwale, Gagosian closes shop in San Francisco, and a Dresden Heist perp evades police again.<\/b><\/p>\n

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A diva is often divisive\u2026<\/strong><\/h6>\n

The grounds of what were once a sugar mill in Pernambuco are now a rural art park and the home to a sculpture by artist Juliana Notari. Titled Diva<\/em>, the sculpture is a 33-meter long interpretation of a vagina nestled into the landscape. Made of reinforced concrete and painted red, the sculpture stands out against the grassy hillside and it\u2019s stood out in the public eye since its debut. Diva <\/em>has garnered criticism, most loudly from supporters of Brazil\u2019s far-right president according to The Guardian<\/em><\/a>. Of course, there are plenty in favour of the sculpture, saying it raises questions about aspects of society and gender that are largely ignored. This seems to be the exact reason for Diva<\/em>. According to a Facebook post by the artist, Diva<\/em> was created to \u201cquestion the relationship between nature and culture in our phallocentric and anthropocentric western society,\u201d and encourage conversations about the \u201cproblematisation of gender.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The divisive sculpture, \u201cDiva,\u201d en situ in Brazil. Photograph: Juliana Notari<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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An art critic\u2019s response to the storming of the US Capitol Building<\/strong><\/h6>\n

Wednesday, January 6, 2021 will be a day remembered for years to come. Vincent Cunningham, contributor and art critic for the New Yorker<\/em>, weighed in on the alarming events that unfolded at the US Capitol Building and the impact the photography shared from the day, documenting the unthinkable in real-time. People parading with Confederate flags<\/a> glorifying the US Civil War, people breaking into locked offices, and others seemingly stealing government property were among the frightening images shared. Focusing on an image shared by Huffpost <\/em>reporter Igor Bobic of a man sitting upon the dais in Senate<\/a> chambers, Cunningham states: \u201cThe Senate floor became a playground for men (and a few women) like this one appeared to be: childish, stupid, dangerous, and confirmed in their fear and anger by a President who exemplifies all of these traits in their worst and most absurd extremities.\u201d He continued, again referring to Bobic\u2019s photo, with a darkly ironic statement: \u201cHe doesn\u2019t know how free he is, or at whose expense, or how long the show will go on after today.\u201d Read Cunningham\u2019s article in its entirety here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Monolith Mania is still a thing in 2021<\/strong><\/h6>\n

The monoliths that have been popping up around the globe, causing intrigue, wild theories, and confusion have now invaded the UK. The silvery monoliths that stand around 10 feet tall can be an eerie sight reminiscent of the black monolith in Stanley Kubrick\u2019s 2001: A Space Odyssey<\/a><\/em>. They\u2019ve now been reported on an Isle of Wight beach<\/a>, at the top of a hill in the Devon national park<\/a>, in Glastonbury<\/a>, and in the Salisbury countryside<\/a>. Initial reports assumed the obvious: the monoliths were of alien making. Although others speculate the monoliths to be the work of an artist (okay, yes, this is the more realistic explanation). One collective of artists, called The Most Famous Artist, has laid claim<\/a> to the monoliths and have started selling facsimiles of the work, but it\u2019s still undecided if they are the true makers of the monoliths.<\/p>\n

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Shimmering, mirrored monolith appears on Isle of Wight beach https:\/\/t.co\/gNSSDPgfss<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) December 7, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Authentically El Greco<\/strong><\/h6>\n

A small, privately owned painting of Jesus Christ wearing a crown of thorns and carrying his cross has been attributed to El Greco<\/a> after more than two years of analysis. Previously attributed to the Renaissance painter\u2019s workshop, research performed at the University of Lledia\u2019s Center d\u2019Art d\u2019\u00c8poca Moderna (CAEM) in Spain has proven it to be by the artist himself. It has been hypothesized that the painting may have been an example used in the El Greco\u2019s workshop, leading to it having been less known. Due to its scale and level of execution, though, it is also possible that the artwork was used for private oratory. Research was performed by Carmen Garrido, the late founder and director of the Technical Documentation Cabinet at the Prado Museum, researcher Mariona Navarro, and CAEM professor of art history Ximo Company. \u201cIt has been more than two years of exciting work, studies and analysis,\u201d Company told\u00a0<\/a>El Pa\u00eds<\/em>. \u201cFor us it is great news and also a tribute to Carmen, who passed away suddenly on December 8.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The painting now attributed to El Greco. Courtesy the Center d\u2019Art d\u2019\u00c8poca Moderna .<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Welcome to the public domain!<\/strong><\/h6>\n

With the start of the new year, an onslaught of major books, images, films, and other creative works have entered the public domain in the US. Known as \u201cPublic Domain Day<\/a>,\u201d copyrighted objects from 1925 became public domain, meaning their copyright had expired. The items in this year\u2019s batch would have exceeded their copyright period in 2001 after their 75-year copyright period, but just before that happened, Congress extended the copyright period for another 20 years<\/a>. Either way, major works that have entered public domain include:<\/p>\n