Build Statues of Critics crop tee

They don't build statues of critics (or, at least, not many of them)...but maybe they should.

In this philistine, anti-intellectual world, in our post-truth moment of shameless lies and rampant AI slop, when arts and literary organizations face draconian budget cuts and educational institutions are under attack, as independent publishing and journalism struggle to maintain a foothold amid corporate consolidation, media monopolies, and the tyranny of short-form video content, there are some 𝓹𝓻𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 for a rebirth of critical thought. Don’t we need critics and criticism more than ever? This crop-top is for the learners, those committed to close study and deep engagement, devotees of ruthless criticism, “ruthless,” as Marx said, “both in the sense of not being afraid of the results it arrives at and in the sense of being just as little afraid of conflict with the powers that be.”

Sibelius famously remarked to his fellow composer Bengt von Törne: "Never pay any attention to what critics say. Remember, a statue has never been set up in honor of a critic!" Not quite true. Commenters at Felsenmusick point out that the Canadian artist Joe Fafard made a statue of Clement Greenberg, and that there is a statue to the literary critic Charles Augustin Saint-Beuve in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. Also, I seem to remember seeing a statue of the Russian critic Vladimir Stasov—dedicatee of Pictures at an Exhibition, subject of several extraordinary portraits by Ilya Repin—in St. Petersburg. These, however, are obviously the exceptions that prove the rule. The way I see it, critics can play a useful cultural role, but composers should ignore what they say, even when it’s positive. Praise can be as unnerving as criticism, as Sibelius learned after paying too much attention to Olin Downes. —Alex Ross

• 100% combed cotton 
• Fabric weight: 5.3 oz/yd² (180 g/m²)
• Relaxed fit
• Cropped length
• Ribbed crew neck
• Dropped shoulders
• Side-seamed construction
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Double-needle hems
• Preshrunk

Age restrictions: For adults
EU Warranty: 2 years
Other compliance information: Meets the flammability, lead, cadmium, phthalates and formaldehyde level requirements.

In compliance with the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), Minor Canon and SINDEN VENTURES LIMITED ensure that all consumer products offered are safe and meet EU standards. For any product safety related inquiries or concerns, please contact our EU representative at gpsr@sindenventures.com. You can also write to us at 83 rue Bagg, Montreal, QC, Canada H2W 1K3 or Markou Evgenikou 11, Mesa Geitonia, 4002, Limassol, Cyprus.

Size guide