fine arts columnist
Fine Arts Column: The art of appreciating silence
LUKE PONCE FINE ARTS COLUMNIST The world is filled with a great many sources of instantaneous excitement and entertainment. One might think that facilitating the pursuit of such experiences would increase the happiness of society, but it has only deepened our collective sense of unfulfillment. One, it would seem, does not lead to the other. […]
Fine Arts Column: Merry Crisis: a study playlist for Advent (and finals)
LUKE PONCE FINE ARTS COLUMNIST Some nights, I stare blankly at the screen of my laptop at a loss for what artistic ruminations I could possibly contribute to this illustrious publication that are worth the attention and time of the general public. Such considerations are only heightened by the swift approach of finals, the death […]
Fine Arts Column: The joy in our textbooks
LUKE PONCE FINE ARTS COLUMNIST College students and books: they go together like salsa and cilantro, which is to say our academic reading is something we either relish, despise or put up with because it is a necessary part of our day-to-day existence. At various points in my time at Franciscan, I have felt myself […]
Fine Arts Column: Spooks in the choir loft
LUKE PONCE FINE ARTS COLUMNIST Seeing as this edition appears in print on All Hallows’ Eve, I have leapt upon the opportunity to write about organ music. What can I say; it is what organists do. Early in my college career, when I was still youthful and full of hope, I started work as a […]
Fine Arts Column: Seeing through the eyes of Francis
LUKE PONCE FINE ARTS COLUMNIST The student body of Franciscan University, to which so many of my readers belong, is no doubt familiar with a certain near-universal experience particular to being on this campus. If you are reading this in a public place, take a look around you. Chances are you’ll see a San Damiano […]
Fine Arts Column: The space between nature and art
LUKE PONCE LIBERAL ARTS COLUMNIST Some years ago, while taking a 100-level philosophy class, I was told by my professor that one of the few opinions she intended to hold strongly to during class was that nature could not possibly be art. I, being that one smart-alecky student, of course decided to write my final […]
Fine Arts Column: “To Will the One Thing”
LUKE PONCE FINE ARTS COLUMNIST If stewardship of a fine arts column has made anything clear to me so far, it’s that my artistic focus toward music is incredibly pronounced even in my writing. Not that I haven’t written about other forms of art — and not that I don’t intend to continue. It’s simply […]
Fine Arts Column: A study playlist for Passiontide
LUKE PONCE FINE ARTS COLUMNIST A humorous adaptation of a well-known proverb that springs to my mind this Passiontide is “homework springs eternal.” For those of us bogged down in study this Holy Week, here are five pieces of music to draw us into the mystery of the Passion even when played as a background […]
Fine Arts Column: What is art? (Or Pittsburgh for that matter?)
LUKE PONCE FINE ARTS COLUMNIST The people of the present decade are a feisty bunch. I do not say this as an accusation—nor do I excuse myself from the charge—and yet, I think it to be a blessing that there remain some things we have yet to disagree on. Take, for example, the principle that […]