Patsy Cline was playing on the car radio: Walkin After Midnight. Not a great song, but performed in Clines way of attending selflessly to the sounds and the senses of the words. document.body.appendChild(script); + '<\/form>' SIMON: Peter, do you think you'll see him again? One of the great critics. data: JSON.stringify( $form.serializeFormJSON() ), }); Since before I ever set foot in a gallery, Schjeldahl was one of New Yorks leading art criticsin recent years for The New Yorker, but before then for The New York Times, the short-lived weekly Seven Days, and, most notably, The Village Voice. I want to ask you about some of these indelible lines that you have in this piece. SCHJELDAHL: By the way, the title of - my title for the piece was "77 Sunset Me.". Schjeldhl describes the work as Often woozily drawn and always tenderly brushed in muted colors, the tableaux look but dont feel repetitive.". SCHJELDAHL: Well, the count - the counting is done by people who stay around. closeSignupBar(); // Handler for close signup button But when he came home that afternoon, his parents looked into his eyes and still didnt see him. Peter Schjeldahl has lung cancer, and probably not much time. He stuffed all three of his Speedos into his backpack, along with his laptop and school supplies and a winter coat he borrowed from his mom, and decided he would choose a swimsuit before practice later. Letter from the Editor as we begin our 7th Year. In 1964, he spent a year in Paris. Even as other forms of art sculptures, performance arts, videos, and photography rose in prominence, Schjeldahl chose to stick with paintings. Get our latest stories in the feed of your favorite networks. From 1988 to 1990, Schjeldahl published a column in 7 Days, and from 1990 to 1998, he wrote art reviews for the Village Voice. If the man keeps looking, shell threaten to throw rocks. type: $form.attr('method'), } + '
' He was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 77, a fact that he wrote about in the 2019 essay The Art of Dying. The New Yorker shared the story on social media, confirming his death. Artnet News, if (typeof ouibounce !== 'undefined') { // ------------------------------------------------------------------- In his 2019 essay The Art of Dying, acclaimed critic Peter Schjeldahl describes Patsy Clines voice as attending selflessly to the sounds and the senses of the words consummate. if (c.indexOf(name) == 0) { Schjeldahl once planned a biography of OHara, who died young in a dune buggy accident in 1966, but never completed it. No, I knew there was no new book. SIMON: Well, I think that would've been a great title. Schjeldahl was catholic in his interests but could be strangely reticent about his own preferences. //don't run this function if the user has already triggered the modal by leaving the viewport var d = new Date(); We may be accidents of matter and energy, but we cant help circling back to the sense of a meaning that is unaccountable by the application of what we know. To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. if (!onSuccess) { customSerializer: function(){ } But SIMON: You're in a territory that most of us SIMON: I mean, in the absolute sense, we inhabit it, too. Schjeldahls criticism was marked by a devotion to finding truth and humanity in art, never succumbing to trending terms or what might be called artspeak, the critic instead prized the personal, using his charm and humour to bring big ideas down to a human scale. Schjeldahl, for those unfamiliar with him, has been The New Yorkers chief art critic since 1998, wrote for the Village Voice before that, and has been writing and publishing on art since 1965. Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, youll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. + '<\/div>' It's really easy. We wanted him to go on forever. Peter Schjeldahl has lung cancer, and probably not much time. function initNewsletterSignup() { Artnet News, tn_subject: ['culture', 'fine-art'], function setCookie(cname, cvalue, expMinutes, prefix) { And in a way, the more we know, the more shoreline of mystery there is. SCHJELDAHL: Well, I was saying in my sort of argument about God is just the observation that it seems that human minds are the only ways the universe reflects on itself. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time. $form.find('.errors').children().hide(); News of his death was confirmed on Twitter by the New Yorker, the magazine where Schjeldahl had served as a staff writer and art critic since 1998. He was 80. Schjeldahl once noted in an interview that he started out to be a surrealist poet and named his heroes as Frank OHara, John Ashbery, and Baudelaire. clearInterval(initOuibounce); + '' SIMON: Peter Schjeldahl of The New Yorker. Observer of the world. His subject was an exhibition at the David Zwirner gallery in New York, a show of two artists, the German Josef Albers and the Italian, Georgio Morandi. Peter Schjeldahl, the New Yorker staff art critic whose distinct, poetic voice has been a reliable guiding light in the New York art world for decades, has died at age 80. He died on Friday (21 October) at his home in Bovina, a small town in upstate New York. The death was confirmed by his wife, Brooke Alderson as well as by the New Yorker. Peter, thanks so much for talking to us. Webconfronts our common fear of dying with candid, honest, and hilarious facts about what awaits the body we leave behind. SIMON: Your daughter, Ada Calhoun, asked - well, she overheard the diagnosis, and she said, so where do you want to go - Rome, Paris? This, for example, is how Schjeldahl addressed Jeff Koons: Jeff Koons makes me sick. //default prefix is 'artnet_newsletter_' I would be lying to you if I said I was a frequent reader of his work, but I've always made it a point to bookmark his criticism when I stumble across it. SignupForm.init($modal.find('form'), function onSuccess() { The Literary Review - 2005 Mescalito - Hunter S. Thompson 2000-10-18 Capturing the essence of Hunter S. Thompsons Gonzo style, short story Mescalito details his dark and miserably comic first mescaline drug trip. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Many in the New York art world came to consider Schjeldahl a dear friend and a guiding figure, so much so that people would regularly make the pilgrimage on the Fourth of July to Bovina, New York, where he and his wife Brooke Alderson held a huge celebration each year. loadFontAwesome: false Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. SCHJELDAHL: Yeah. You are something other than your own person when in arts spell." By signing up to receive emails, you agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation's journalism. By this point during the mid-60s, he had met poets like Frank OHara and Kenneth Koch, and had begun writing poetry. encourage children to take part in physical exercise, widespread not long after the temples were built. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. + '
' You are currently logged into this Artnet News Pro account on another device. var a = this.serializeArray(); I want to ask you about some of these indelible lines that you have in this piece. Sarah Cascone October 21, 2022 Peter, thanks so much for talking to us. Known for his eloquence and depth of knowledge of art history, Schjeldahl made headlines in 2019 for his heartrending yet matter-of-fact essay The Art of Dying, in which he wrote of coming to terms with his terminal lung cancer diagnosis. }; Born in Fargo, North Dakota, in 1942, Schjeldahl was a college dropout who fell into journalism with a job at the Jersey Journal in Jersey City at the age of 20. crossDomain: true, I wanted for nothing. var paywallPagesRegex = /^\/subscribe|subscribe-confirm|my-account(\/|$)/; link.type = 'text/css'; He wrote of having uncritically accepted a 60s culture that mandated women be doting helpmeets to their entitledbecause geniusmen. He acknowledged that there were folks out there in resentful and envious circles who will be glad to have me out of the way.. After dropping out of college, he got a job at a Jersey City publication. A monthly newsletter on the global fight for reproductive freedom. The author of four books of collected essays and art criticismthe most recent of which is Hot, Cold, Heavy, Light: 100 Art Writings, 19882018Schjeldahl worked up until the end. // ------------------------------------------------------------------- Photo: Ada Calhoun Author, critic, and poet Peter Schjeldahlwhose books include Lets See and Hot, Cold, Heavy, Lighthas died at age eighty.The New Yorker has collected some of his signature pieces, including his essay from 2019, The Art of Dying, and David Remnick has written a remembrance. He poignantly looks back at his life and career, and his history as a smoker. Listen 6:07. timeout: 10000 So I started doing that, and people liked what I did., Initially, he was writing art criticism for publications such as ARTnews, Art in America, and Artforum to help fund his poetry and pay the bills. And I'm - I guess I'm sort of relaxing into the state of soul that that generates. It could be a physical object, or perhaps something intangible that you carry in your heart and soul. Subscribe today and save! Peter Schjeldahl, an art critic for The New Yorker since 1998, is dead at age 80. .addClass( 'slideIn' + upOrDown ); Peter Schjeldahl, the New Yorker staff art critic whose distinct, poetic voice has been a reliable guiding light in the New York art world for decades, has died at age + '<\/div>' } }); Though he had no background in criticism, Thomas B. Hess hired Schjeldahl to write reviews for ARTnews, kickstarting one of the fields most storied careers. Schjeldahl had gotten his start as a poet and, because of that, his writing has a different feel from most other art critics. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with New Yorker art critic Peter Schjeldahl about his latest piece, "The Art of Dying." In this long, kitchen-sink essay, long-time New Yorker writer and art critic Peter Schjeldahl reveals that he is dying of lung cancer. ", Some real life stuff here. He did it, in a way, calling it, The Art of Dying in which he reviewed his life chronologically but skipped his year in Paris. targeting:{ The works await us as expressions of individuals and of entire cultures that have beenand vividly remainlight-years ahead of what passes for our understanding, Schjeldahl wrote in a 2020 essay. Webpermanently dying. o[this.name] = this.value || ''; + '<\/div>' You know, meaning is an investment in the moment and, you know, separated by stretches of boredom. Peter Schjeldahl, a poet who was also the longtime art critic for the New Yorker, died recently at the age of 80. var expirationMinutes = settings.expiration_minutes; setTimeout(function() { defernl() }, 250); for(var i = 0; i ' SIMON: I... Schjeldahl about his latest piece, `` the art of dying with candid, honest, and it really... Hilarious facts about what awaits the body we leave behind and it 's easy. His history as a smoker it 's sort of relaxing into the state of soul that that generates Share Personal., do you think you 'll see him again object, or perhaps something that. How Schjeldahl addressed Jeff Koons makes Me sick common fear of dying with candid, honest and. And had begun writing poetry died on Friday ( 21 October ) at his home Bovina... Up to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support the Nation 's journalism ' < \/form > it. Take part in physical exercise, widespread not long After the temples were built the of...