So you want to learn about Indian art…
There are plenty of fab guides to Western art, but anyone who is curious about Indian art is often left at sea. Now, there’s Art History Plus—both on YouTube and Instagram—that offers an unpretentious introduction to our cultural heritage. Made by Vaibhav Raj Shah, each episode of ‘Art Explained’ takes one painting and teaches an untutored eye how to really ‘look’ at it. Below is one on ‘You Can’t Please All’ by Bhupen Khakhar. PS: This is a lovely way to introduce teenagers to Indian art.
So you want to learn about pop music…
‘Song Exploder’—a wildly popular podcast hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway—is now a Netflix docu-series. Each of the four episodes features a famous musician—Alicia Keys, Lin-Manuel Miranda, R.E.M. and Ty Dolla $ign—explain how they created one of their songs. Warning: this is the kind of thing you’ll enjoy only if you love that song or artist. So you may want to check out the far wider selection offered by the podcast.
Everyone’s talking about...
‘High’: the crime thriller—starring Ranvir Shorey, Akshay Oberoi, Mrinmayee Godbole—which premiered on MX this week, and to great praise. Scroll likes the “richly etched characters, pitch-perfect performances, slick production values and gorgeous cinematography”—but complains about holes in the plot. NDTV calls it “consistently watchable” for its “classy craft.” In other words, a solid weekend binge watch.
‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’:—the series sequel to ‘The Haunting of Hill House’. Cnet warns that this “Gothic Romance-influenced ghost story”—based on Henry James’ ‘The Turn of The Screw’—will “wring your chest in the same achingly painful, yet intoxicating way.”
‘Emily in Paris’: the latest offering from ‘Sex and The City’ creator Darren Star—which has quickly become everyone’s favourite hate-watch. OTOH, this Vox review reminds us of the "seductive absurdity" of 'mindless' drama—especially given the state of the world.
A list of good weekend reads
- Beware the narcissist—but also his gaslighting tribe of ‘flying monkeys’. Well+Good explains.
- Ann Patchett in the New Yorker has a lovely essay on her three fathers.
- Marker has an overdue profile on the woman who gave $60 billion away—Jeff Bezos’ ex wife MacKenzie Scott.
- Gizmodo looks at Slack’s identity crisis—as it tries to become a social networking platform for chill work bros.
- Mel Magazine has a fun read on Robert Pattinson and his kitchen.
- The Lede has a must-read report on Indian migrants stranded in ‘hell on earth’—i.e. Saudi Arabia.
- Mint profiles Durga Bhabhi—the audacious woman who took on the British, and once helped Bhagat Singh escape.
- Debugger busts the myth of Amazon as a convenient way to shop—and exposes the shopping nightmare it has become.
