Even compared with our contemporary view of art, J.M.W. Turner was an extraordinary talent. Accepted at the Royal Academy in London at age 14, often deliberately irascible, flaunting his cockney background at hopeful moneyed patrons, and justifiably confident of his value, he became an art force to be reckoned with in a time and place rife with artists, most of whom were born to more well-heeled backgrounds....

It took a while to fall under the spell of Alice Pixley Young’s solo exhibition, “Looking Glass,” at PAC Gallery, through April 14.

This was not aided by the persistent and annoying high-pitched sound that emanated from “You are looking for something that no longer exists” tableau. I’m certain it was an attempt to transport you to a different reality, but a deeper, more resonant soundtrack would have been more successful...

Pleasing the crowd was not Monet’s aim in life, but after the Impressionists’ convention-flaunting beginnings had simmered into acceptance he had a following that allowed him to live a life style of his own choosing and to paint as he pleased. He had more or less always done the latter; the former had been chancy....