There’s never been a better time to listen to Spike Lee

America is in turmoil this week. Some protests have been peaceful, some violent. Spike Lee has resorted to art.

Spike Lee. Picture: Emma McIntyre/BAFTA LA/Contour by Getty Images

A fortnight ago on these pages Rosemary Neill wrote an informative and insightful piece on America. Would the country that for so long has been the bedrock of Western culture and societal freedom look the same post-COVID-19? The ­answer at which her article and the multiple experts it cited arrived was: no, it would not. America would never be the same. It turns out we didn’t need to wait until the pandemic had passed. America is in the midst of its greatest self-examination in decades following the death last week of African-American man George Floyd in police custody. Mass protests, riots and looting have been met with the strong arm of the law. The root cause is as old as America itself. Race. Some activists reacted with violence, some in a more peaceful manner. And some reacted with art. This week Spike Lee, the famous Hollywood director best known for his strong portrayals of black America in his films Malcolm X, BlacKkKlansman, and Do the Right Thing, ­responded to the riots in the best way he knows how: with the release of a short film highlighting institutionalised racism in his home country. Today, Philippa Hawker meets Lee, ahead of the release of a new film documenting the lives of four black Vietnam veterans. Perhaps there has never been a more important time to hear Lee’s singular, articulate voice. To quote the man himself: “I think it is very important that we make people look at what they’ve forgotten.”

As we mentioned last week, galleries around the country are beginning to open. But the pause in normal programming has given us an opportunity to run art critic Christopher Allen’s excellent weekly series on the history of art. Today, he delves into the world of impressionism. If you missed one, the entire sumptuous series is available online at theaustralian.com.au/review.