Papers by Christopher Volpe
Review of a 2019 exhibition of Hyman Bloom, Jackson Pollock, and Catharina Grosse at the MFA.
Art New England, 2022
Banksy's importance to contemporary art and life considered on the occasion of an unauthorized mo... more Banksy's importance to contemporary art and life considered on the occasion of an unauthorized money-grab of a show in Boston in 2022. "With a splashy show touting the art's net worth ("$37 million!") as primary draw, you could be forgiven for thinking Banksy's a sellout. But nothing here is as it seems, and of course, Banksy is anything but..."
Short lyric poem inspired by the work and life of Welsh artist Gwen John. Gwen John created moods... more Short lyric poem inspired by the work and life of Welsh artist Gwen John. Gwen John created moods of quiet isolation, of fragile presence, her sitters almost blending into their surroundings. Sometimes she added chalk to her paint to enhance the muted effect.
‘People are like shadows to me and I am like a shadow,’ she said.
For much of her life John was overshadowed by her flamboyant younger brother and fellow artist Augustus, portraitist and friend of the famous Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Gwen fell in love with the sculptor Rodin. When their affair imploded, she became a devout Catholic and started spending much her time at the Convent at Meudon near Paris, where she lived.
For much of John’s career her sole patron was an American lawyer and art collector, John Quinn. After he died in 1924 she struggled financially and her work tailed off. She stopped painting entirely around 1933 and took to gardening.
In September 1939, as war descended on Europe, John wrote her will and travelled without any luggage to Dieppe, a town she had visited a number of times before. She collapsed in the street and died in hospital 8 days later. She was 63.
Art New England, 2022
Review of 2022 exhibition Turner's Modern World at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The review un... more Review of 2022 exhibition Turner's Modern World at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The review underlines the curators' thesis concerning Turner's engagement with the political and social events of his lifetime, including the passing away of the Old- World's agrarian, pastoral relationship with nature to make way for the turbulent coming of the modern industrial age.
The author(s) permits users to copy, distribute, display, and perform this work under the followi... more The author(s) permits users to copy, distribute, display, and perform this work under the following conditions: (1) the original author(s) must be given proper attribution; (2) this work may not be used for commercial purposes; (3) the users may not alter, transform, or build upon this work; (4) users must make the license terms of this work clearly known for any reuse or distribution of this work. Upon request, as holder of this work’s copyright, the author(s) may waive any or all of these conditions.
Art New England, 2021
On the exhibition of the famous cycle of erotic mythological poesie or “painted poems” by Titian,... more On the exhibition of the famous cycle of erotic mythological poesie or “painted poems” by Titian, one of the most important figures in the history of Western art, at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 2021.
American Art Review, 2016
Although primarily associated with Boston, American painter Edmund C. Tarbell's chosen family hom... more Although primarily associated with Boston, American painter Edmund C. Tarbell's chosen family home in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire played a significant role in his art.
Zygon®, 2018
Abstract. This essay examines various contemporary artistic responses to climate change. These re... more Abstract. This essay examines various contemporary artistic responses to climate change. These responses encompass multiple media and diverse philosophical and emotional forms, from grief and resignation to resistance, hope, and poignant celebration of spiritual value and natural beauty. Rejecting much of the terminology of current theory, the author considers the artworks in relation to interrelated and arguably unjustly discredited aesthetic and theological categories, namely the sublime and the beautiful as well as the via negativa, the latter adapted from Thomas Aquinas by theologian Matthew Fox. Art’s power is seen largely as the ability to “humanize” the science by rendering it emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually relatable to individuals. The broken relationship between humanity and nature seems related to the need for a renewed religious sense of integration with, and belonging to, the cosmos, something in the bringing about of which art might play a pivotal role.
Key Words: Anthropocene, art, beauty, climate change, nature, oceanic feeling, religion, science, spirituality, the sublime, technology, truth.
The Antioch Review, 2000
Poem
Art New England, 2021
Feature interview with the celebrated Vermont painter.
Art New England, 2021
Feature on recent developments in the art and life of sculptor Paul Bowen.
The Occultist, 2020
Essay on the Egyptian origin of the ancient mystery rites of Greece and the lasting influence of ... more Essay on the Egyptian origin of the ancient mystery rites of Greece and the lasting influence of Orphism on Gnostic and subsequent esoteric wisdom systems. Published pseudonymously.
Stanford University MAHB, 2020
This essay argues for the validity of making art even if there isn't going to be a civilization t... more This essay argues for the validity of making art even if there isn't going to be a civilization to receive it.
Lisa Noonis: Balancing Act, 2020
Catalogue essay for 2020 solo exhibition of paintings by Lisa Noonis at Whitney Modern gallery, L... more Catalogue essay for 2020 solo exhibition of paintings by Lisa Noonis at Whitney Modern gallery, Las Gatos, CA.
The Public Humanist, 2013
Survey of the creative principles behind American artist Charles Woodbury's pedagogy and artistic... more Survey of the creative principles behind American artist Charles Woodbury's pedagogy and artistic praxis.
Review of Boston exhibition of my "Loomings" series of tar paintings.
Loomings is a series of paintings executed in industrial tar, gold leaf and oil paint. Influences... more Loomings is a series of paintings executed in industrial tar, gold leaf and oil paint. Influences include Albert Pinkham Ryder, the 19th century American painter who used tar (among other unconventional substances) and Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. The title of each painting references a quote from the novel, Melville’s apocalyptic vision of the American quest.
A poem written in 2008 and revised in 2017
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Papers by Christopher Volpe
‘People are like shadows to me and I am like a shadow,’ she said.
For much of her life John was overshadowed by her flamboyant younger brother and fellow artist Augustus, portraitist and friend of the famous Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Gwen fell in love with the sculptor Rodin. When their affair imploded, she became a devout Catholic and started spending much her time at the Convent at Meudon near Paris, where she lived.
For much of John’s career her sole patron was an American lawyer and art collector, John Quinn. After he died in 1924 she struggled financially and her work tailed off. She stopped painting entirely around 1933 and took to gardening.
In September 1939, as war descended on Europe, John wrote her will and travelled without any luggage to Dieppe, a town she had visited a number of times before. She collapsed in the street and died in hospital 8 days later. She was 63.
Key Words: Anthropocene, art, beauty, climate change, nature, oceanic feeling, religion, science, spirituality, the sublime, technology, truth.
‘People are like shadows to me and I am like a shadow,’ she said.
For much of her life John was overshadowed by her flamboyant younger brother and fellow artist Augustus, portraitist and friend of the famous Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Gwen fell in love with the sculptor Rodin. When their affair imploded, she became a devout Catholic and started spending much her time at the Convent at Meudon near Paris, where she lived.
For much of John’s career her sole patron was an American lawyer and art collector, John Quinn. After he died in 1924 she struggled financially and her work tailed off. She stopped painting entirely around 1933 and took to gardening.
In September 1939, as war descended on Europe, John wrote her will and travelled without any luggage to Dieppe, a town she had visited a number of times before. She collapsed in the street and died in hospital 8 days later. She was 63.
Key Words: Anthropocene, art, beauty, climate change, nature, oceanic feeling, religion, science, spirituality, the sublime, technology, truth.