Did I say you shit on artists? Did I say AW should be offended by your comment? If that's what you inferred, fine. You can say I'm being mean to you, but what's mean is treating AW like this. What's mean is telling him to "Shut Up" Yelling at him for the way he commented is okay, but nobody can comment on they way you comment?

Yes, he's at home on the computer, it's one in the morning. Who says he doesn't go outside? I see comments from him about interesting places he's visited in Detroit, all the time. Going out and living is what inspires artists, not pushing a broom. You're not the only person on this site allowed to give advice. That was mine.

Now, I turned off e-mail replies, so I wont be getting anymore responses from anyone. Apologies.

It's a childish, and unnecessary meme. But it's good to know that the mods think it's okay to go around being rude to whoever we want. I understand, I mean skipping comments is like so hard! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some cat threads to go be a dick on.

Unsolicited advice time, because that's what Crasstalk is all about, right?

People love to shit on artists around here, but that doesn't mean what you do isn't real work, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Just because a (not-so) anonymous commenter on a website you frequent tells you to work a shit job like they did, doesn't mean that's the right thing for you. This is the only life you'll ever have, live it the way you want to. I go to two schools full time, and live off of student loans. I'm broke, I'll be thousands and thousands in debt in a few years, working as a fine artist who won't make money for shit. And so what? I'm happier now than I've ever been. The rest of our lives will be consumed with worrying about money and work and “real person” problems. There's nothing wrong with furthering your knowledge for free while you're young. And wanting to bring life into a forgotten city is an admirable pursuit. In the long run regretting what you haven't done is far worse than regretting what you have.

For what it's worth, I feel really badly CT has devolved into a place where we pick on certain commenters, and tell them to shut-up and do exactly what we want them to do. Heaven forbid and early 20-something doesn't have everything in his life perfectly in order.

Anyway, tl;dr version, I don't think I'll be around anymore, but if you need anything feel free to reply to one of my comments, as apparently WordPress ID accounts are non-deletable. I'd tell you not to let them get you down, but I know you're tougher than that. To me, your commentary (especially on art) brought more interest to this site than any badly spelled insights, cat pictures, or overshare ever did. Peace, and good luck!

It's okay, I think I have a handle on it now. It's okay to to be a dick and gang up on a commenter. It's okay to make fun of their syntax while you yourself speak like a child. It's okay to tell them to shut up. But it's not okay for them to get frustrated and respond accordingly. Sound right?

Go on...

Did I miss the "Let's be a dick to AW " memo?

Very interesting. I can talk for days and days on fashion/art/architectural history, but unless it ties into a specific work my knowledge of actual people is less than proficient. Anyway, you've inspired me, and I just ordered his biography of Amazon.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Lovely, thank you. Marcus Aurelius looks like Commodus' father.

For the two at the Vatican Museums, was the lighting better in person? It looks like it was lit by a skylight of some sort, but I don't see anything to highlight the work on the walls.

ETA - Wait. Was he Commodus' father? Or just his predecessor? I really need to pick up a book...

Yes, I know it's a copy, but in art history we still classify it as a Late Classical Greek work, and not as Roman art. I don't know if the classification is different from an anthropological point of view.

ETA - Do you have pics of the exhibit? If so you should upload them sometime, I'd love to see them.

Ah, you're right, it is Commodus as Hercules, not Heracles. I can never remember that Romans didn't call him Heracles. Yeah, there are multiple pieces in which he is depicted as Hercules, but the bust I was speaking about is actually titled Commodus as Hercules, and I think I think it's the only surviving statue. I actually couldn't even tell you what Commodus looked like offhand, but I can spot a High Classical Greek piece anywhere.