Two-Minute-Tuesday: Cubism, The Evolution of Music and Dave Grohl
TMT#3
Cubism
A few weeks ago, I wrote about art and discussed some major art movements. Let me build on that with a short note on Cubism.
The two big names in Cubism are Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973) and Georges Braque (French, 1882–1963). Cubism abandoned perspective and realistic modelling that emerged since the Renaissance. Instead, artworks focused on showing contrasting vantage points at the same time within the same space. In doing so, the pieces suggest a three-dimensional form, whilst emphasizing the two-dimensionality of the canvas. Cubism was the starting point for many abstract styles that would later emerge.
Article of the week
This article from the New York Times sheds light on music's evolution to accommodate today’s digital landscape. Plug in your earphones because it gives audio examples.
“It’s inescapable that today’s aspiring artists and songwriters must operate, for survival, in a landscape of streaming services and social media. From Spotify to TikTok, the goal is to create music that will grab a listener’s attention from beginning to end. You’re not just competing against other creators. You’re also competing against everything else that takes up our time: podcasts, TV, apps and more. So to keep streaming consumers engaged, it is increasingly common for songs to begin in medias res — with a hook, followed by a hook and ending with another hook.”
What I’m listening to
Conan O’Brien isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but to me, his podcast series called Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend is the funniest podcast series in my library. His recent interview with rock legend Dave Grohl (Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman) was particularly entertaining. Dave is a master storyteller and reminisces about his days at Nirvana, KFC post-show rituals and a story about “barf and mohawks. The first day of the rest of my life”.
You can listen to the audio here.
Thanks for reading. See you on Friday.