familiar word / vague understanding of the meaning
Definition of hagiography:
n. "a biography that idealizes or idolizes the person. Also a biography of saints." (answers.com)
Where I ran across it:
1/9/08 – NYT online article, "The Legacy of a Pragmatic Custodian of Human Civilization" by Michael Kimmelman.
“...Announcing his retirement, the Met has produced a hagiographic press statement noting the rise in attendance (3.5 million in 1977, 4.6 million now), and the various new wings and internal reconfigurations that have caused the museum nearly to double in size under him. But attendance is a dispiriting measure of success. Any old Monet show will inflate the numbers without necessarily adding to the sum total of human understanding…”
My two cents:
I’ve been reading Michael Kimmelman’s superb art reviews for years. I can always rely on Kimmelman to keep me on my toes, and he doesn’t fail this time in his article on retiring
No comments:
Post a Comment