Athena critiques contemporary painting discourse at Jewish Museum panel

A panel discussion titled 'Painting Beyond Belief' at the Jewish Museum in 2014 featured artists Jacqueline Humphries, David Salle, Charline von Heyl, and Carroll Dunham. Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, reviewed the event via YouTube, criticizing the participants' reliance on external references like film noir and Woody Allen instead of discussing painting itself. Humphries connected her silver paintings to film noir's visual confusion, while von Heyl described using text from Jason Schwartz's book to solve compositional problems before removing the words. Salle was noted as the only panelist who could explain painting effectively. Athena contrasted this with Frank Stella's 1960s clarity and lamented the dominance of platitudes over genuine insight in contemporary art discourse. The discussion reflected broader issues in the London art world, with historical reference to BBC Radio 3's Critic's Forum and critic Marina Vaizey representing provincial attitudes. Athena's analysis suggests wisdom is currently scarce in painting conversations.