Artist Profile: Russian Post-Impressionist Vera Rockline (1896-1934)

From Christie’s (July 9, 2020):

Vera Rockline (1896-1934), Vue de Tiflis, 1919.
Vera Rockline (1896-1934), Vue de Tiflis, 1919.

Vue de Tiflis  is a stunning vision of that city, painted in a manner inspired by Exter’s Cubo-Futurism. Tiflis was renowned then, as it still is now, for a combination of narrow medieval streets and Art Nouveau architecture. In this work, Rockline warps and fragments such features to the point of semi-abstraction: planes intersect and overlap, suggesting the restless energy and bohemian buzz of the Georgian capital.

Christie's LogoWhen she died in April 1934, aged just 37, Vera Rockline was at the peak of her fame. The Russian-born emigrée had made quite a name for herself after moving to Paris in 1921. Obituaries spoke of an ‘incomparable loss’ and a ‘prodigious talent’.

Born in Moscow in 1897 to a Russian father and French mother, Rockline moved to Kiev to apprentice for Aleksandra (or Alexandra) Exter. The latter was a cutting-edge figure whose art fused Cubist and Futurist elements. As civil war racked the former Russian Empire in the wake of 1917’s Bolshevik revolution, however, Vera and her husband fled to Tiflis (modern-day Tbilisi) in Georgia.

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Reviews: Director Of Film “The Truth”, Scholar Joyce Zonana’s Translation Of “Malicroix” (LARB Podcast)

Los Angeles Review of BooksThis week, Medaya speaks with acclaimed filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda about his new film, The Truth (La Vérité), starring French film screen legends Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche. Kore-eda discusses complicated family dynamics, the relationship between art and truth-telling and what brought him to France. 

In our second interview, Kate and Medaya are joined by scholar and translator Joyce Zonana, who discusses her translation of Henri Bosco’s 1946 novel Malicroix. This is the first time the French novel has been translated into English.

New Travel Videos: “Simply Taiwan” By Wilkim Tan

Filmed and Edited by: Wilkim Tan

Simply Taiwan is a cinematic short travel film that was captured during my 7 day trip to Taiwan. From the various bustling streets of Ximending, peaceful landscapes and temples at Kaohsiung, traditions and atmosphere at Jiufen and Shifen Old Street and the various night markets scattered throughout Taipei, Simply Taiwan attempts to capture all of those emotions and experiences and delivers it in its rawest form.

Song: Neons & Sakuras by Max LL

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Political News: “Brooks & Capehart” On Covid-19 Response (PBS Video)

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Travel & Architecture: “Neuschwanstein Castle” Bavaria, Germany (Video)

Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

This 19th-century Castle is a Romanesque Revival Architecture Masterpiece. Located on a Hill in Southwest Bavaria, it was Commissioned by King Ludwig the Second of Bavaria as His Personal Retreat. Completed in 1886, the Castle Was Designed in the Romanesque Revival Style that became popular in the Late-19th Century.

Health Podcasts: Massive Coronavirus Outbreak At San Quentin Prison

Nature PodcastNature discusses the massive coronavirus outbreak that struck the iconic Californian prison after it rejected expert aid.

In this episode:

01:47 Disaster in San Quentin

San Quentin prison is facing a massive outbreak, we dig into how they got there. The crisis has arisen despite warnings from experts, and offers of free tests, which were declined. We ask why? And what can be done now?

News: California’s San Quentin prison declined free coronavirus tests and urgent advice — now it has a massive outbreak

29:51 One good thing

For the last episode of Coronapod, our hosts pick out ways that the pandemic has changed them for the better, including professional flexibility, a renewed focus on the power of reporting and time with family

36:07 Lockdown and children’s health

Reporter Stewart asks if lockdowns could have any lasting impact on her young children – what evidence is there on the effect of isolation on young minds?

Survey: Co-Space Study: Supporting Parents, Adolescents and Children during Epidemics

Cocktails With A Curator: “Riesener, Commode and Secrétaire” (The Frick)

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Montenegro is a Balkan country with rugged mountains, medieval villages and a narrow strip of beaches along its Adriatic coastline. The Bay of Kotor, resembling a fjord, is dotted with coastal churches and fortified towns such as Kotor and Herceg Novi. Durmitor National Park, home to bears and wolves, encompasses limestone peaks, glacial lakes and 1,300m-deep Tara River Canyon.

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