"What can a deep reading of a specific work of art reveal? In the right hands, one specific book, painting or film can unfold and display multitudes, giving readers an expert sense of what went into making this work of art while also drawing unexpected connections between seemingly disparate threads of history and philosophy. Apparently, we are living through a bumper crop of such artistic and intellectual inquiries."
"As the author explains in chapter one, aptly titled Scene-Setting Prologue, his first encounter with David's painting of the French revolutionary figure dead in his bath came via a Robert Wilson-drawn flyer for a 1968 Moby Grape concert. 'Any connection between David's martyr portrait and the accomplished but somewhat generic music of the advertised band is elusive,' Crow writes. And yet, a lifelong interest emerged as a direct result of this version of the painting."
A close reading of an Ingeborg Bachmann poem reveals layered insights into literature, problems of translation, and the shifting concept of home. Focused examination of Jacques-Louis David's The Death of Marat interrogates the painting from multiple angles, remixing its visual and historical meanings while tracing a lifelong fascination with the work. A Robert Wilson–drawn flyer for a 1968 Moby Grape concert prompted the first encounter with the Marat image and instigated an imagined project to secure art-historical credentials. Persistent attention to a single artwork or poem can unfold multitudes, exposing creative processes, historical contexts, philosophical connections, and unexpected cultural linkages.
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