Creative Flow | The Artifice of Summer in Art and Life | Climate, Desire and Loss

How and why do art and Summer join forces? Art, and visual arts especially, show imminent change–but so does Summer and its ideal of creative flow. How did–or did not–art speak of the climate emergency, gender policing, the war–in short, of loss? What role does this hot and luscious season play in the hubris of conquest, or the black hole of grief? Art curator and writer Joana P. R. Neves, our host, reminisces about Agnes Martin and John Cheever, and their opposing ideas of Summer and of creation, touching on two paintings by David Hockney and a poignant text by Luigi Pirandello. Joana loved a text sent to her by its author, Vittorio Zappa, on Substack, that guided the last part of the episode, leading to its denouement.  Is Summer the season of creative flow of life and art making, full of light and sensorial stimuli? Is creativity about desire or meditative art? Or are all these myths, perpetuated by capitalist simplifications? Has art contributed to create them? Or has it always been alerting us to the cruelty of change via Art Wonderment, the art of paradox? Did you enjoy the episode? Think about supporting Exhibitionistas by leaving a small donation: https://buymeacoffee.com/exhibitionista The painting A Bigger Splash, 1967, by David Hockney, is the epitome of hubristic summer. But it hides another painting, Portrait of an Artist (Pool with two figures), 1972, with a far more poignant story: they both tell the extremes of summer, and investigate the very special artifice telling a story of desire, change, loss and healing?  Sign up for a tiered monthly support: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2624749/monetization/supporter_settings Your contribution keeps us going. Joana P. R. Neves reads a text by Vittorio Zappa: https://substack.com/@vittoriozappa/p-209760240 Other references include: The Swimmer, John Cheever, 1964, New Yorker. The Swimmer, a film by Frank Perry, 1968. Did the episode stir Art Wonderment memories? Share them via text or voice message. Support the show Created & Hosted by Dr. Joana P. R. Neves, art curator and writer with over 20 years of experience in the contemporary art field. Artistic director of Drawing Now Paris since 2018, she has worked across the industry, from the art market to education. She co-launched the art residency and project space Worlding in 2020. Exhibitionistas’ first year offered exhibition discussions with guest co-host Emily Harding; organically, it grew into a more experimental show exploring art topics, stories and interviews complemented by Joana’s publication Art Thinkosaurus on Substack. She champions ‘Art Wonderment’s’ embrace of complexity against the lure of ready-made opinions. A polyglot, she grew up in Lisbon, studied and lived in Paris, to finally settle in London with her artist husband, four children and two cats.  READ JOANA'S TEXTS: Joana on Substack: https://joanaprneves.substack.com Where you find the Exhibitionistas Files, our Newsletter: ...