The Art Teacher Explained

The Art Teacher
Artist:Rufus Wainwright
Ep:Waiting for a Want
Length: (Waiting for a Want)
(Want Two)
Producer:Marius de Vries (Want Two)

"The Art Teacher" is a song written and performed by American-Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright. It originally appeared on his extended play (EP), Waiting for a Want, released by DreamWorks Records in June 2004 as a preview of his fourth studio album, Want Two, which was released by Geffen Records in November 2004. The lyrics in the piano ballad describe a middle-aged woman's recollection of an unrequited love for her teacher. The song explores gender and sexuality, and its music has been compared to work by Philip Glass.

"The Art Teacher" has received a generally positive reception, and appears on other releases in Wainwright's discography, including Live at the Fillmore, a concert film accompanying Want Two. The song also appears on , a greatest hits album, and the live album , both of which were released in 2014.

Composition

"The Art Teacher" was written by Rufus Wainwright. According to the singer, the song was inspired by a heterosexual male teacher who spoke of his infatuated female students.[1] Wainwright recalled:

The music in the song has been compared to Philip Glass's work, with Wainwright's "round vocals [leaping] from deep lows to piqued highs".[2] According to The Guardian, the ostinato song has a simple harmony and melody, and sounds like a Philip Glass composition."[3] Pitchfork Stephen Deusner described "The Art Teacher" as "a woman remembering her first love, the instructor of the title who turned her on to Romantic painter J. M. W. Turner", with the story told "over a Philip Glass prism of piano chords, a plaintive horn, and a slightly sped-up tempo".[4] Youa Vang of City Pages described the song as melancholic, with a "rumbling" piano.[5]

The lyrics in the piano ballad describe a middle-aged woman's recollection of an "unrequited schoolgirl crush".[6] Bud Scoppa of Paste characterized the song as a short story "in which a lonely woman looks back on a delirious schoolgirl crush",[7] and Mojo Danny Eccleston said Wainwright "[inhabits] a woman's lifelong obsession with the titular pedagogue, as she relives a school trip to an art museum". According to Vang, the song tells the story "of a young girl who fell in love with her art teacher, telling how first loves are always the most intense and how no one after can compare".[5] In 2014, Drowned in Sound Marc Burrows called the song an exploration of Wainwright's sexuality.[8] In addition to Turner, the song's lyrics reference the painters Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt, and John Singer Sargent as the teacher escorts his students through the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[9] [10]

Recordings and performances

"The Art Teacher" originally appeared on Wainwright's EP, Waiting for a Want,[11] released by DreamWorks Records in June 2004 as a preview of his fourth studio album, Want Two, which was released by Geffen Records in November 2004.[12] The track was recorded live at Le Metropolis in Montreal by Guillaume Bengle and Rod Shearer; Marius de Vries is credited as the producer.[10] According to The Guardian Alexis Petridis, the live recording is "unadorned – you can hear Wainwright gasping for breath between each line".[13] The EP version is slightly different from the Want Two version, which features an overdubbed horn solo.[14] [15]

The song appears on other releases in Wainwright's discography, including Live at the Fillmore, a concert film accompanying Want Two.[12] The Want Two version also appears on ,[16] [17] a greatest hits album released in February 2014 by Universal Music Enterprises in Australia and Ireland, and in other nations subsequently. Wainwright performs "The Art Teacher" on the live album , which was recorded in 2012 and released by Artists Den Records and Universal Music Enterprises in March 2014.[18]

Wainwright performed the song on NPR Music's "Tiny Desk Concerts" series in August 2012.[19] In December 2012, he sang "The Art Teacher", among other songs, at the Grammy Museum at L.A. Live's Clive Davis Theater as part of the museum's "An Evening With" series.[20] Wainwright performed the song on the 22nd episode of American Public Media's program Wits ("Kristen Schaal with Rufus Wainwright"), which aired in April 2013,[5] [21] and during his appearance at Royal Albert Hall for The Proms, which was broadcast by the BBC in September 2014.[22]

Wainwright has also performed the song live in concert.[2] [23] [24] [25] In his review of Wainwright's 2016 concert at Bristol's Colston Hall, Lou Trimby wrote: "Wainwright also writes brilliantly from the point of view of a woman – a prime example being 'The Art Teacher' which tells one of the saddest stories committed to music. His rendition convinced you that he was the female protagonist, not just playing a part but inhabiting her psyche."[26]

Reception

"The Art Teacher" has received a generally positive critical reception. Alexis Petridis called the song "lovely".[13] In a review of Waiting for a Want, Bud Scoppa said "The Art Teacher" and "This Love Affair" were more engaging than the EP's two other tracks ("Gay Messiah" and "Waiting for a Dream").[7] Robert Christgau said the song "is worth saving" in his review of Want Two, in which he gave the album a "B−" rating.[27]

In Danny Eccleston's review of Live from the Artists Den, he describes "The Art Teacher" as "a great, great song" and one of Wainwright's "best-loved numbers and for good reason". He writes, "It's transformational ... the tragedy of her unspoken love seems to resonate endlessly, as if bouncing mercilessly around in your chest."[18] Sarah Metz, a media arts specialist for the National Endowment for the Arts and a contributor to its "Art Works Blog", related "The Art Teacher" to one of her own experiences in her 2015 article, "My Artist Crush: Rufus Wainwright": "I had developed a huge crush on one of my English teachers in high school, and was in awe of how he perfectly captured those feelings in a four-minute song."[6] In The Cambridge Companion to the Singer-Songwriter (2016), Katherine Williams said the pronoun shifts within the song's lyrics allow Wainwright "play between genders", and noted that the singer usually sings in the first person.[28]

In 2008, Brandon Summers of The Helio Sequence said the song introduced him to Wainwright's music, and that he now considers the singer-songwriter an artist he most admires.[29] "The Art Teacher" appears on the soundtrack to Peter Hinton's 2013 stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan (1892).[30]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Want Two.[15]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: February 9, 2017. Biography. Geffen Records. December 23, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20120224083305/http://www.interscope.com/artist/news/default.aspx?nid=13533&aid=999. February 24, 2012.
  2. News: Amorosi. A. D.. Rufus Wainwright at the Foundry: Bewitched, bothered and bewildered. February 10, 2017. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia Media Network. May 22, 2016. 0885-6613. https://web.archive.org/web/20170211075208/http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/music/20160523_Rufus_Wainwright_at_the_Foundry__bewitched__bothered_and_bewildered.html. February 11, 2017. live.
  3. News: Playlist: Pivot. September 14, 2017. The Guardian. August 11, 2008. London. 0261-3077. 60623878. https://web.archive.org/web/20170915070733/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/aug/11/pivot.playlist. September 15, 2017. live.
  4. Web site: Deusner. Stephen. Rufus Wainwright: Want Two. Pitchfork. Condé Nast. February 10, 2017. November 15, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20170210202456/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8559-want-two/. February 10, 2017. live. Stephen Deusner.
  5. News: Vang. Youa. Rufus Wainwright & Kristen Schaal at Wits, 4/12/13. February 9, 2017. City Pages. The Star Tribune Company. April 15, 2013. 0744-0456. Minneapolis. https://web.archive.org/web/20170211080338/http://www.citypages.com/music/rufus-wainwright-and-kristen-schaal-at-wits-4-12-13-6646835. February 11, 2017. live.
  6. Web site: Metz. Sarah K.. My Artist Crush: Rufus Wainwright. National Endowment for the Arts. February 9, 2017. June 24, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20170211160617/https://www.arts.gov/art-works/2015/my-artist-crush-rufus-wainwright. February 11, 2017. live.
  7. Web site: February 9, 2017. Rufus Wainwright – Waiting for a Want. Bud. Scoppa. Paste. Paste Media Group. October 1, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20170211235342/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2004/10/rufus-wainwright-waiting-for-a-want.html. February 11, 2017. live.
  8. Web site: Burrows. Marc. "That song drove me to life" – DiS meets Rufus Wainwright. Drowned in Sound. Silentway. February 10, 2017. March 20, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20170211081221/http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4147539-that-song-drove-me-to-life-dis-meets-rufus-wainwright. February 11, 2017. live.
  9. News: Lester. Paul. Pop and Rock: Rufus Wainwright: Kenwood House, London. February 11, 2017. The Guardian. July 8, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20170212093617/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/jul/09/popandrock.culture. February 12, 2017. live.
  10. Hoskyns. Barney. Rufus Wainwright – Want Two. Uncut. March 8, 2005. February 11, 2017. Time Inc. UK. 1368-0722. https://web.archive.org/web/20170212091639/http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/rufus-wainwright-want-two. February 12, 2017. live.
  11. Web site: Rufus Wainwright: Waiting for a Want. AllMusic. All Media Network. February 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170212093220/http://www.allmusic.com/album/waiting-for-a-want-mw0001697597. February 12, 2017. live.
  12. Web site: Collar. Matt. Rufus Wainwright: Want Two. AllMusic. February 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170314084809/http://www.allmusic.com/album/want-two-mw0000633174. March 14, 2017. live.
  13. News: Petridis. Alexis. Rufus Wainwright, Want Two. February 9, 2017. The Guardian. February 25, 2005. Alexis Petridis. https://web.archive.org/web/20161010085626/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/feb/25/popandrock.shopping3. October 10, 2016. live.
  14. Waiting for a Want. Rufus Wainwright. 2004. DreamWorks Records. CD insert.
  15. Want Two. Rufus Wainwright. 2004. CD insert. Geffen Records.
  16. Web site: Chris. Coplan. Rufus Wainwright announces best-of collection, stream new song "Me and Liza". Consequence of Sound. February 9, 2017. January 13, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140116023909/https://consequence.net/2014/01/rufus-wainwright-announces-best-of-collection-stream-new-song-me-and-liza/. January 16, 2014. live.
  17. Web site: Trendell. Andrew. Rufus Wainwright Announces 2014 UK Tour, Tickets on Sale Now. Gigwise. February 9, 2017. December 12, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20170426152334/http://www.gigwise.com/news/86889/rufus-wainwright-announces-2014-uk-tour-tickets-on-sale-tomorrow. April 26, 2017. live.
  18. Eccelston. Danny. Rufus Wainwright Revisits The Art Teacher. Mojo. February 2, 2014. February 9, 2017. Bauer Media Group. 1351-0193. https://web.archive.org/web/20170402011135/http://www.mojo4music.com/12294/rufus-wainwright-art-teacher/. April 2, 2017. live.
  19. News: Tiny Desk: Rufus Wainwright. February 10, 2017. NPR. August 20, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20170102055255/http://www.npr.org/event/music/157755249/rufus-wainwright-tiny-desk-concert. January 2, 2017. live.
  20. Web site: Rufus Wainwright Visits the Grammy Museum. Grammy.com. The Recording Academy. February 10, 2017. December 12, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20130213110426/http://www.grammy.com/news/rufus-wainwright-visits-the-grammy-museum. February 13, 2013. live.
  21. Web site: Episode 22: Kristen Schaal with Rufus Wainwright. American Public Media. February 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170915070411/https://www.witsradio.org/episodes/twenty-two/. September 15, 2017. live.
  22. Web site: Prom 74: Late Night with … Rufus Wainwright. BBC. September 14, 2017. September 11, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20171221142218/https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/evvp6q. December 21, 2017. live.
  23. Vozick-Levinson. Simon. Rufus Wainwright Shines in Brooklyn. Rolling Stone. May 10, 2012. February 10, 2017. http://www.freezepage.com/1353986443QDPRLTFGIE?url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/rufus-wainwright-shines-in-brooklyn-20120510. November 27, 2012. live.
  24. News: Tommasini. Anthony. Anthony Tommasini. City Opera Begins a Season That Is Set on Many Stages. September 13, 2017. The New York Times. November 18, 2011. 0362-4331. 1645522. https://web.archive.org/web/20170915071251/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/19/arts/music/city-opera-begins-season-with-rufus-wainwright.html. September 15, 2017. live.
  25. Alger. Anna. Rufus Wainwright and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Exclaim!. January 14, 2016. February 10, 2017. Toronto. 1207-6600. https://web.archive.org/web/20170915113502/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/rufus_wainwright_and_the_calgary_philharmonic_orchestra-southern_alberta_jubilee_auditorium_calgary_ab_january_13. September 15, 2017. live.
  26. News: Trimby. Lou. Review: Rufus Wainwright, Colston Hall. February 10, 2017. Bristol24-7. July 19, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161026131155/http://www.bristol247.com/channel/culture/music/reviews/review-rufus-wainwright-colston-hall-bristol. October 26, 2016. live.
  27. Web site: Christgau. Robert. Rufus Wainwright. RobertChristgau.com. February 9, 2017. Robert Christgau. https://web.archive.org/web/20170921095027/https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Rufus+Wainwright. September 21, 2017. live.
  28. Book: The Cambridge Companion to the Singer-Songwriter. February 25, 2016. Cambridge University Press. 237. 9781107063648. September 14, 2017. Katherine. Williams. Justin A.. Williams.
  29. Handler. Shane. The Helio Sequence: Eyes Forward. Glide Magazine. February 6, 2008. February 11, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170212100325/http://www.glidemagazine.com/11155/the-helio-sequence-eyes-forward/. February 12, 2017. live.
  30. News: Nestruck. J. Kelly. Lady Windermere's Fan an essential stop at the Shaw Festival this summer. February 11, 2017. The Globe and Mail. The Woodbridge Company. June 10, 2013. Toronto. 0319-0714. https://web.archive.org/web/20170322032647/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/summer-entertainment/lady-windermeres-fan-an-essential-stop-at-the-shaw-festival-this-summer/article12446018/. March 22, 2017. live.

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