We're on the road again, leaving the chilly NYC Spring for a little desert sun. We'll keep you posted...look for an update on Wednesday!
View from the car on 10th Avenue[1]
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Primary Lines
A stop to see mom this weekend ended up being a mini-art tour at the Columbus Circle station. Upon looking back to the exit from the A/C trains we saw an amazing Sol LeWitt installation that had escaped us during all these year in Manhattan. Titled, Whirls an Twirls, the piece was reminiscent of Post-painterly Abstractionist Frank Stella.
Sol LeWitt's Whirls and Twirls at the Columbus Circle Station, 2004
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Frank Stella Harran II, 1967
Frank Stella Polar Co-Ordinates VI, 1980
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Frank Stella Color Maze, 1966
Frank Stella Furg (State II), 1975
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
A Stich in Time
We loved the collection at The Cloisters. One of the highlights were the textiles---from enormous, wall hung tapestries to the intimate embroideries featured below. Woven with silk and metallic threads, these devotional narratives are as spiritual as they are masterful.
Saint Martin and the Ass, silk and metallic threads, South Lowlands, about 1430[1]
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Panel of an Orphery, silk and metallic threads, Bohemia, early 15th century
The Flagellation, silk thread on canvas, Italy , mid 14th century[1]
[2]Tuesday, April 27, 2010
21st Century Summer Kitchens and Outhouses
Exterior of a 1785 colonial in New Hampshire.
The "kitchen" with soapstone sink...and not much else.
Our latest house obsession is in New Hampshire--a 1785 colonial with original wide plank floors, doors, built-in cupboards and mantels. We haven't made the trip yet to see it live, but we wake up each morning thinking about the possibilities of this historic home.
The catch? The kitchen and bathroom (note there is no "s" on that last word) are totally bare. While some might see this as a serious downfall, we see it as an opportunity. But the restoration purists in us are having a hard time figuring out what these rooms should like--18th century references of kitchens and bathrooms don't exactly meet with modern day standards. Here are two restorations that have us thinking and that compliment the aesthetic of each home:
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Monday, April 26, 2010
The Illuminating Cloisters
On a rainy Sunday, we decided to visit The Cloisters, part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Washington Heights. The grounds, structure and collection are inspirational: a stone fortress filled with stylized Medieval art and craft. Astoundingly, we never gave much thought to stained glass when we happen upon it in our journeys, but with even limited light yesterday, these 15th century works illuminated the stone rooms with color; their figures taking on an unearthly glow.
A chamber of art and sculpture from the Middle Ages at The Cloisters
The Virgin of the Apocalypse, Germany, approx. 1480
The Circumcision
Man of Sorrows [detail], Master of Launtenbourg, Rhineland, approx. 1480
Man of Sorrows
Mourning Virgin [detail], Master of Lautenbourg, Rhineland, approx. 1480
Mourning VirginFriday, April 23, 2010
Implied Narratives
There are many stories being told on the streets of Manhattan everyday--tragedies and comedies, melodramas and obsurdities. The best store windows capture all of these stories in order to bring life to the products they sell. The best of the best? Bergdorf Goodman.
Even squirrels need to accessorize
Shopping can be dangerous
The Devil Wears Platforms
Out for a Walk
Film NoireThursday, April 22, 2010
Color Blocked: Soho
Obscene tongue on Lafayette
Nanette Lepore on BroomeAt 8a.m. there isn't much beyond a cup of coffee that seems palatable. Last week however, the MOMA store in Soho had a shot of color in their windows...it gave us a smile. So, we decided to take "color block" literally and see what color pops we could find within one square block around Spring and Crosby--here's what we found:
Built at MOMA
Beside the MOMA store on Crosby
Crosby and Spring
Nike high tops on Spring Street
