When I was getting my Ph.D. in Art History, my dissertation focused on modern odes to classical Greek and Roman statues and how the semiotics of sculpture change over time.

A sculpture in the past might have once symbolized a historical figure (man as subject), but modern recreations are more fixated on the ancient statue as an object in itself (sculpture as subject). The art form becomes self-referential, and modern odes to ancient art simultaneously act as medium, object, and observer.

If that sounds like a lot of pretentious twaddle, that’s because it is. I love academia, but even I can admit scholars are frequently insufferable. But I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of improving on the theories of prior generations. It’s like switching the colored lens on an old film camera — you... Read More