Word: masterful
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...cantos of the Buddhacarita are spectacularly imagined. The theologian Ashvaghosha's ancient epic courses over 80 years, the entirety of the Buddha's journey toward nirvana and death. It fleshes out, warts and all, the more popular image of the Buddha as an eternally serene spiritual master. First, there's his auspicious birth, as Siddhartha Gautama, in the 6th century B.C. in what is now Nepal. His family is so obscenely rich ("like the Indus with the rush of waters") that they sacrifice 100,000 milk cows for the occasion. A diviner foretells Siddhartha's salvific destiny: "This...
...engine of prosperity? A sinister force that tortured Jack Bauer? Or a delightful panda that likes to gobble dumplings? We know that China matters and will matter more. But we don't exactly know how. So it floats undefined, a Middle Kingdom poised between fascination and fear. Kids collect Master Shifu Happy Meal toys at McDonald's while parents worry that they may end up flipping burgers there if their jobs go to China. Meanwhile, Hollywood sublimates the anxiety in the form of dragons and marauding statuary...
...designed by local architect William Cody in 1964 has a demure flat-roof-and-steel-beam structure that pays homage to the uncomplicated designs of German-born architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. But the interiors are straight-up '60s opulent: there are travertine walls and an arena-size master bathroom clad entirely in Carrara marble...
...Even so, the attempts to illuminate the life of a neglected master, and to establish his position in relation to contemporary Indonesian artists, make this show welcome. At a time when auctions are pushing Indonesian art prices ever upward, distinguishing the great from the good is becoming difficult. "This is a museum show and it explores the intellect," says Jasdeep Sandhu, owner of Singapore's Gajah Gallery. "That's very much needed...
...just as those soccer stars caused a dramatic upset by beating France, Senegal's former colonial master, at the World Cup in 2002, so has the Scrabble squad long since bested the French at their own game. The country may have an adult literacy rate of just under 40% according to the latest U.N. Human Development index, and most Senegalese consider Wolof rather than French their mother tongue. Still, when it comes to the French-language version of the wordy board game, Senegal is the team to beat. At last year's World Championship in Quebec, the Senegalese took three...