Taste and autocracy

I am reading more of The Economist and less of the New York Times these days but I do check out the headlines and opinion sections of the latter - and full confession, Wordle, Strands, Letterbox, the Mini, the Maxi and sometimes Spelling Bee in te search to be a genius. I liked Frank Bruni and Bret Stephens in the opinion section this morning. A couple of good quotes today.

Bruni: “Tastelessness and classlessness are the least of my concerns when it comes to President Trump’s collaborators.” . . . ”This is about idolatry, a cult of personality and the replacement of real achivements with vacuous adornments.”. . . It’s a ballroom built on bribery. Makes Everything OK”

Stehens: In talking about the ballroom and the endless pictures on buildings and bank notes: “, Bad taste and autocratic interests tend to go together for a reason because the purpose of autocratic design is to overawe rather than intrigue or delight; to erase beauty, which elicits a sense of humanity and reverce, with largeness, which elisits fear.

On with activities for the day leading to beauty - process rather than result - piano practice and drawing.