The Principles of Uncertainty

"Readers of Maira Kalman's Op-Eds in The New York Times are already familiar with her ardent, poetic explorations of American history. In The Principles of Uncertainty, Kalman takes readers on a year-long tour of her emotions and observations. The artist's reverence for the joy of everyday experience—coming across a particularly lovely pastry, or a charming hat—is documented in quirky, vibrant paintings that pay tribute to Matisse. These cheerful musings are balanced, and sometimes outweighed, by melancholy. Her very earnest, very relatable search for beauty is an attempt to carry on in the face of death—specifically those of her mother and husband. The message is nothing new, but the medium sure is gorgeous."
 

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