Art critics are scum. Movie critics are scum. Pretty much all critics who review anything are scum. Until Ebert of Siskel and Ebert died, I didn't know which was which and I refered to them as "The Fat Boy and the Bald Headed Weasel".* Anyone anywhere who listens to critics is an  idiot. Anyone who has to have others feed them opinions is a moron. If a person can't make up their own mind about things, they should put a plastic bag over their heads and facilitate themselves in an effort to stop breathing. The opinions of critics are no better than the opinions of the average wino on the street, only the average wino probably smells  better than an art critic. Indeed, the average wino almost certainly has more fortitude than anyone who would place value on what a critic of any stripe says about anything.


Still, in all things there are exceptions. In the land of art critics, if indeed you can call her that, there is the eccentric Catholic Nun, Sister Wendy.




Sister Wendy is an English Catholic nun who somehow got herself TV show all about art. She seems to have access to every major art museum in the world from what I've seen of her shows, some I've rented on VHS, some I've seen on TV. However she got the gig, she knows her stuff, and she obviously loves the art she reviews. It's pretty clear Wendy is a nutty old broad as well, a true eccentric is all ways, which to me, makes her doubly cool. It's a good thing Wendy sought out the nunhood (is that a word?) because it's doubtful she had much future as a Playboy Centerfold**. Sister Wendy is filmed with the art she adores and reviews, usually directly in front of the paintings, at the locations of the residence or towns where the artists lives while she talks about her ideas of the art and the history of the artist in her somewhat raspy and lispy voice. The fact that this woman is famous in the art world and on TV is to me, a fantastic fact since I love just average folks getting world wide attention. I also love if that she seems truly in love with the subjects she covers, the art, the people, and the locations. If you haven't seen Sister Wendy, you need to seek out her videos. I wish I owned them all, I could watch her hours on end.


The Works of Sister Wendy



*in reality, I was much less nice in my description but I try to keep the site family friendly.



**(but hey, Hef is getting on up the years now and I doubt his eyesight is as good as it was in his youth).