Thursday, 2 July 2020

The Guardian view on the humanities

The Guardian view on the humanities: the importance of being rounded

Arts subjects have lost ground to science in recent years. The decision to regroup under a new banner could help them catch up

Students inside the main LSE library designed by Norman Foster

The main library at the London School of Economics. ‘Stem is flourishing, but it is a cause for concern that other subjects on the tree of knowledge are in less good shape.’ Photograph: Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures via Getty Images

Published on Fri 26 Jun 2020 18.25 BST

The acronym Stem – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – was coined in the US in 2001. The idea of integrating and promoting skills seen as key to turbo-charging American prosperity had been around for a while, but as Smet, which is far less catchy. Stem quickly took root and spread beyond the US, not least because of its power as a metaphor: it makes the subjects sound foundational, central, while everything else is edging. In a climate of rickety job prospects, high tuition fees and a correlation of degrees with starting salaries, Stem subjects are equated with employability, good incomes and stability. Nicky Morgan was not unusual when, as the education secretary, she said: “[In the past] if you didn’t know what you wanted to do … the arts and humanities were what you chose because they were useful … We now know this couldn’t be further from the truth. The subjects to keep young people’s options open are Stem subjects.”

Last year, the number of British students taking the three types of English A-levels dropped by 20% compared with two years before, while those studying performing and expressive arts fell by 53%. Over the decade to 2017, the numbers studying languages at British universities fell by 35%, while the figure for those studying biology, maths and medicine rose (by 47%, 26% and 11% respectively).

Stem is flourishing, but it is a cause for concern that other subjects on the tree of knowledge are in less good shape. Falling numbers of English graduates will soon coincide with a baby bulge just hitting secondary schools, which over the next decade will need 50,000 more teachers, especially in core subjects; the Black Lives Matter protests underscored our thoroughgoing incomprehension of our history.

But besides such practical issues is the larger question of what a good life is. This week, a group spearheaded by the British Academy and including the London School of Economics and Arts Council England offered their answer: a parallel acronym, Shape – social sciences, humanities and the arts for people and the economy. So everything from fine art to psychology to economics: the disciplines that help us govern ourselves, understand how we have developed over time and argue for doing it all better.

The argument for Shape can, if necessary, be economic: last year the arts and culture sector overtook agriculture in terms of its contribution, at £10.8bn a year. The humanities’ supposed lack of obvious vocational pathways is in fact a strength in an economy where flexibility and entrepreneurship are prized, while the perception of lower employability is not borne out by facts – 88% of Shape graduates were employed in 2017 (compared with 89% for Stem).

Shape subjects will also be central to answering the most urgent questions we face; science, for instance, is foundational to comprehending the climate emergency, but will not effect the political and behavioural changes needed to achieve net zero. Nor will it necessarily predict or mould the future. Eric Hobsbawm may have found it baffling that “brilliant fashion designers … sometimes succeed in anticipating the shape of things to come better than professional predictors”; the fact remains they sometimes can. The stem of a plant is, after all, sustained and not just decorated by its leaves.

We should not be shy to argue for confidence and curiosity, joy and openness as good in themselves. Along with Stem, Shape subjects have the potential to open up the full extent of our humanity, to help shape a well-rounded, empathetic and resilient body politic. Fighting for equal weighting for these disciplines is not only good but also necessary.

• This article was amended on 29 June 2020 to remove an incorrect reference to Nicky Morgan having been the UK’s education secretary. As education is a devolved matter, Morgan oversaw education policy for England only.

A “partial reopening” of the tourism sector

A “partial reopening” of the tourism sector in Wales is to take place over the next few weeks as long as rates of coronavirus continue to fall, the Welsh government has announced.
The Labour-led government has asked visitors to enjoy their time in the country – but to respect local communities.
Bars, restaurants and cafes with outdoor spaces are set to be allowed to re-open from 13 July.
The final decision about outdoor re-opening will be made at the next Welsh government review on 9 July.
Future decisions about indoor re-opening will be made later and depend on the success of outdoor opening.
The “stay-local” instruction in Wales is due to lifted on Monday, which will allow outdoor attractions to re-open from then.
The date from which owners of self-contained accommodation in Wales can accept bookings is being brought forward to 11 July from 13 July, to help with the pattern of Saturday-to-Saturday bookings.
The minister for international relations and the Welsh language, Eluned Morgan, said:

Tourism is a vital part of the Welsh economy at a national, regional and local level. I’d like to thank all our industry partners for working with us to carefully reopen the visitor economy.
A successful, safe and phased return will give businesses, communities and visitors confidence to continue with the recovery of the visitor economy.
We ask everyone who travels to and around Wales to enjoy their time here, but always to respect local communities. We are looking forward to welcoming visitors back to Wales – but we want everyone to visit Wales safely.

Morgan defended the government’s cautious approach to bars, cafes and restaurants re-opening.
She said: “If we open too quickly we will have to go back into lockdown. That is why we are taking this step-by-step controlled approach.”
The two-metre social distancing in Wales will remain for pubs but Morgan said the government was working with the industry on additional measures for circumstances when the two-metre rule could not work.
Additional measures may include a designated person being in charge of making sure premises were Covid-19 safe and taking names of customers so they could be traced if needed.

France's favourite village of 2020 braces for tourist

France's favourite village of 2020 braces for tourist influx

Former Swedish settlement of Hunspach, in Alsace, unlikely to remain ‘peaceful’ for long

At least half the inhabitants of Hunspach turned out in the centre of the village to celebrate the result. Photograph: STOCKFOLIO®/Alamy Stock Photo

Kim Willsher

Published on Thu 2 Jul 2020 14.06 BST

French people have chosen Hunspach, which was once part of Sweden, as their favourite village of 2020.

The Alsace village of 652 inhabitants, on France’s eastern border with Germany, was selected in a TV poll of 700,000 viewers.

At least half the Hunspachois, as they are known, turned out in the centre of the village to celebrate the result, relayed via a giant screen on Wednesday evening.

Viewers said they had chosen Hunspach for its picturesque black and white half-timbered houses – similar to British Tudor architecture. Many of them have baroque-era convex glass windows, allowing inhabitants to see out without being seen.

Guide books describe Hunspach, also a stop on the Haguenau to Wissembourg railway, as “peaceful”, but it is unlikely to remain so for long. In 2014, Eguisheim, also in Alsace, was voted favourite village and promptly attracted hundreds of thousands tourists.

Hunspach is situated in north-east Alsace near the German border, in the northern part of the Vosges nature park, near the Fort de Schoenenbourg, one of the largest structures of the Maginot Line.

The village was first mentioned in a document in 1298. During the Reformation it became a Protestant village and in 1619 came under Swedish administration. After being attacked and destroyed by imperial troops in 1633 it was repopulated by immigrants from Switzerland. In 1797, Sweden handed the village back to the French crown.

The entire Alsace region was annexed to the new German empire in 1871 after France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian war. But in 1918, after Germany’s defeat in the first world war, Alsace was handed back to France under the treaty of Versailles. The region was occupied by Germany again during the second world war when inhabitants were ordered to become German citizens under Nazi decree.

Until now, Hunspach was best known for its annual Fête du Folklore, held during the last weekend in spring. The annual France’s Favourite Village competition is a showcase for little-known communes in France to encourage tourism.

Ça alors! French drivers top European road-rage table, survey reveals

One French driver in five admits to a Jekyll and Hyde personality when they take the wheel

One in 10 of French drivers said they became ‘more agitated, impulsive or aggressive than in normal life’. Photograph: Charles Platiau/Reuters

Kim Willsher in Paris

Published on Wed 1 Jul 2020 15.10 BST

The French are the road-rage champions of Europe, according to a survey, with the highest number of drivers who feel they become more aggressive when they get on the road.

The 10th annual poll of “responsible driving” published by the Vinci Motorway Foundation and carried out by the Ipsos polling agency in 11 European countries, revealed that one French driver in five – and more in the Paris area – has a Jekyll and Hyde personality behind the wheel.

They admitted they were “no longer really the same person when driving and are more agitated, impulsive or aggressive than in normal life”.

One out of 10 French drivers believes it is “every person for themselves” on the roads, according to the survey, which can emerge as bad behaviour towards other drivers who have upset them, including insults and swearing.

French drivers shared joint first place with Greeks in the self-reported poll as the most likely to hurl insults at fellow road-users – 70% of all those surveyed.

“The tendency of drivers to feel in their own bubble when they are in their vehicle makes them forget the collective nature of driving and as a result their behaviour towards others,” said Bernadette Moreau of Vinci.

“The vast majority of French are extremely indulgent towards their own driving, but much less so with that of others,” she added, saying the findings showed drivers described their own behaviour behind the wheel as “calm and courteous” but others as “irresponsible and dangerous”.

The survey revealed that 78% of European motorists admitted they had taken their eyes off the road to look at their phone or the radio while driving, almost none respect a safe distance between vehicles, and a third will deliberately drive close to another vehicle whose driver has annoyed them.

The Swedes were mostly likely to drive too fast and the Spanish the keenest to use their horns. The Greeks topped the list for dangerous road behaviour and the British last.

France's favourite village of 2020 braces for tourist influx

Former Swedish settlement of Hunspach, in Alsace, unlikely to remain ‘peaceful’ for long

At least half the inhabitants of Hunspach turned out in the centre of the village to celebrate the result. Photograph: STOCKFOLIO®/Alamy Stock Photo

Kim Willsher

Published on Thu 2 Jul 2020 14.06 BST

French people have chosen Hunspach, which was once part of Sweden, as their favourite village of 2020.

The Alsace village of 652 inhabitants, on France’s eastern border with Germany, was selected in a TV poll of 700,000 viewers.

At least half the Hunspachois, as they are known, turned out in the centre of the village to celebrate the result, relayed via a giant screen on Wednesday evening.

Hunspach is situated in north-east Alsace near the German border, in the northern part of the Vosges nature park, near the Fort de Schoenenbourg, one of the largest structures of the Maginot Line.

Biggest ever Leonardo da Vinci exhibition to open in Paris

Louvre will host works of Italian artist after long-running political spats and legal battles

Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at the Louvre

The Louvre exhibition marks 500 years since the death of Leonardo da Vinci. Photograph: Antoine Mongodin

Angelique Chrisafis in Paris

@achrisafis

Published on Sat 19 Oct 2019 05.00 BST

The most important blockbuster art show in Paris for half a century took 10 years to prepare and was nearly thwarted by the worst diplomatic standoff between Italy and France since the second world war. With days to go before the opening, there is still no sign of whether one of the major works will appear.

The Louvre’s vast Leonardo da Vinci exhibition to mark 500 years since the death of the Italian Renaissance master will finally open next week as the world’s most-visited museum prepares to handle a huge influx of visitors.

One of the most expensive exhibitions ever staged in France, it is the first time that such a large number of Leonardo’s drawings, sketches, writings and paintings have ever been brought together.

But a question mark still hangs over whether Salvator Mundi — the world’s most expensive painting — will be loaned. Mystery surrounds who owns the painting, a depiction of Jesus in Renaissance dress, which was once thought to be held in the Gulf. Unusually, the exhibition space has been designed to accommodate pictures arriving or being refused at the last minute. “We’ve never been in this situation before,” a museum representative said.

Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at the Louvre. Photograph: Antoine Mongodin

Leonardo, whose life has been a constant source of myth-making, is considered a visionary genius – a painter, scientist, engineer and inventor. Born the illegitimate son of a notary in the Tuscan hill town of Vinci in 1452, the Italian humanist worked in Florence and Milan, and spent his final years at the court of the French king Francis I in the Loire, where he died on 2 May 1519. Since then what is known on his life has been pored over and seized upon; his vegetarianism and interest in animal welfare have been cited by French anti-hunting groups while the androgynous faces in many of his portraits are considered by some as a modern questioning of gender.

At the heart of the Louvre’s exhibition are the lessons that can be learned about Leonardo’s personality from the awe-inspiring realism in his work: portraits such as La Belle Ferronnière, the Mona Lisa or his depiction of Saint John the Baptist.

Leonardo painted relatively little – there are only about 15 remaining paintings – of which nine are in this show. He worked painstakingly slowly, often spending more than a decade on a painting. The exhibition includes many of his outstanding drawings. The curators argue that his interest in science – particularly astronomy, botany and his constant grappling with mathematical problems – was not a digression that pulled him away from art, but was central to his quest to achieve perfection in his painting.

“He had an ability not just to depict things from the outside, but to also show what was inside: the movement and vibration of life, the inner emotions,” said Louis Frank, one of the show’s curators.

Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. Photograph: Gianni Cigolini/Mondadori Portfolio/Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana

Yet the Mona Lisa – one of the main attractions for the Louvre’s 30,000 visitors a day – will remain upstairs in its usual permanent hanging place. The temporary exhibition space devoted to the Leonardo show can only accommodate 7,000 people per day and the museum did not want to prevent other visitors seeing it. There will also be a virtual reality experience of the Mona Lisa for the first time. As the Louvre faces ever higher visitor numbers, the Leonardo exhibition will only be open to people who have pre-booked.

The whole exhibition was in danger last year when Leonardo was dragged into a long-running political spat between Italy’s then far-right ruling League party and France’s president, Emmanuel Macron. Italy said it would cancel the loan of some paintings, accusing France of trying to take centre stage in the commemorations marking 500 years since the painter’s death. “Leonardo is Italian; he only died in France,” one far-right MP said.

The row was finally resolved but then a last-minute legal challenge this month nearly stopped da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man – a study in anatomical proportions – from appearing. An Italian heritage group said the drawing, which is kept in a climate-controlled vault at the Accademia Gallery of Venice, was too fragile to travel and risked being damaged by lighting in the Louvre if displayed for a long period. A court ruled the work could travel. It is currently in transit, and will arrive next week to be shown for a limited period.

Vincent Delieuvin, one of the show’s curators, said the exhibition would explain how Leonardo established that the secret to creating perfect paintings that laid bare human nature was to capture light, shade and movement. For Leonardo, it was about opening one’s mind to “an absolute

Sunday, 7 January 2018

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