Kimmelman in Slate

A weeklong email correspondance began today between Stephen Metcalf and Michael Kimmelman (chief art critic for the New York Times) about Kimmelman's recent book The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa. It already seems interesting, here's a quote from the book:

The idea behind The Accidental Masterpiece, the one that popped into my head at some point, is pretty simple. It is not that I should write a book of art history or criticism, exactly, or dwell on the accomplishments of the greatest or my favorite painters, sculptors, and photographers. Nor is it that all art is salutary. A day of looking at bad art can be long and dark. Instead, it is that—whether the example is the life of an artist as lofty as Bonnard or the passion of the lightbulb enthusiast Dr. Hicks—art provides us with clues about how to live our own life more fully. Put differently, this book is, in part, about how creating, collecting, and even just appreciating art can make living a daily masterpiece.

I added the emphasis. They'll be kicking this back and forth all week...