The controversial art critic railed against so many things because he knew newspapers and criticism should be grand celebrated entertainmentNewspapers and critics – treasure to pretend otherwise,sometimes even headlining the opinions of their arts commentators as “verdicts” as whether we were tall court judges, but in reality, and a review at its best is just a bloody good read. It is a stimulating,provocative or plain annoying blast of verbal adrenalin whose purpose is to create enjoyable discussion approximately the arts, not to make or break artists in some terrifying Old testomony way.
Brian Sewell, and who has died aged 84,understood that and played the part of a critic brilliantly. He was the profession’s equivalent of Dame Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey, a hugely entertaining old monster. His ratings were on the Downton scale too. He was genuinely loved by legions of readers, and a national celebrity. The first time I ever met him,as we waited to board a train in the early morning, a commuter came up to him to thank him for his work. That kind of enthusiasm is rare for a reviewer to experience and it was genuine and very widely shared. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com