iconoclast

Early in the 20th century, French iconoclast Marcel Duchamp described a new “scientific spirit” for avant-garde art, noting the methodical painterly investigations of predecessors Georges Seurat and Paul Cézanne.

And while it’s a tad surprising that Brazilian-Algerian art-house iconoclast Karim Aïnouz’s first English-language feature is a costume drama about English royals, it does sport two compelling stars in Alicia Vikander as protofeminist Katherine, and an almost unrecognizably heavy-set Jude Law as the Tudor tyrant.

Greenfield called Jackson an “iconoclast,” and this contrarian spirit is integral to an artist who is dubious of sacred cows.

He would be sharing that evening’s program with five other choreographers, including the Baroque dancer Catherine Turocy, the Merce Cunningham acolyte Kenneth King and the postmodern-ballet iconoclast Donald Byrd.

If there was a message that he wanted to convey, perhaps it was a criticism of Australia’s tendency to denigrate the iconoclast, to tear down the bolder, more creative collaborator — to see sticking together and staying roughly the same as everyone else, even if that means hovering in mediocrity, as the best way to live in Australia, and in general.