Not really, but I could live here.
Sit Down New York, on Broadway
December 23rd, 2016
Tag: my favourite things
Takk Sigur Rós…!
For yet another transcendent experience. Even – or maybe because of – the rain. Even in an open stadium with loads of crazed New Yorkers who are completely unable to stand still and be quiet for longer than thirty seconds.
But for those of us who did listen, it was a two-hour beautiful, emotional, powerful, interstellar trip to the centre of the universe. Thank you Sigur Rós for showing us the way to the stars!
Until next time.
Forrest Hills Stadium
Queens
June 17th, 2017
fall.foliage.fervent.favourite
Central Park
November 5th, 2016
There can be no X-mas W-out Doctor Who
And the fact that the Doctor landed in New York and joined forces with a brand new superhero in his effort to save Manhattan, made the story all the more poignant.
Also, ”The Return of Doctor Mysterio” marked the return of the universe’s most resilient Doctor on the screens after a full year’s absence, and got us Capaldi-deprived Whovians even more excited about his – eagerly awaited – next adventure.
Viewed on a big screen in AMC Empire 25. Edited to include a link to the current wpc.
December 29th, 2016
This Gentleman
Edward Hopper
Self Portrait, 1925-30
Oil on canvas
Edward Hopper’s wife Josephine was the model for this painting. She was 78 at the time but Hopper chose to depict a much younger version of her.
Edward Hopper
A Woman in the Sun, 1961
Oil on linen
Study for Office at Night, 1940
Fabricated chalk and graphite pencil on paper
A precious albeit brief encounter. Always a pleasure dear Sir!
September 10th, 2016 at the Whitney
Manifesto
I went in expecting to see an interesting video art installation. I came out a better person, conscious that I have witnessed a brilliant work of art. Julian Rosenfeldt’s Manifesto bridges admirably the boundaries between filmmaking, theatrical artistic expression and technical dexterity. Mounted on 13 screens, positioned all over the monumental Wade Thompson Drill Hall in deceptive randomness, Manifesto brings to life excerpts of over 50 manifestos and statements by artists, filmmakers, choreographers and architects, going back as early as 1913 (Appolinaire’s The Futurist Antitradition) and as recently as 2002 (Jim Jarmusch’s Golden Rules of Filmmaking).
And then, there is Cate Blanchett. In case you still had a doubt about Ms. Blanchett’s brilliance as a performer this is your moment of truth. Passing effortlessly from the role of a homeless man, to a diva choreographer, a TV anchorwoman, a factory worker, a school teacher, a scientist, or my two favourites – a puppeteer and a conservative mother, Ms Blanchett interprets, dramatizes and recites excerpts, merging different manifestos and statements in every story seamlessly, skillfully proving yet again what a powerful performer she really is.
Manifesto is on at the Park Avenue Armory until January 8th, 2017. An unmissable treat, if your way brings you to New York City until then.
Photography is not permitted inside the hall, and rightfully so for once, as camera and cell phone lights would have been all but rude intruders destroying the immersive, audio-visual experience.
As a compensation, cameras are welcome in all the beautifully restored reception rooms on the first floor.
December 10th, 2016
Manhattan Skyline
Light and shadow variations of a sunset.
From the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.
September 5th, 2016
Iconic
The iconic Brooklyn Bridge, a symbol of innovation, progress and above all unity.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Crossing the bridge on September 5th, 2016
The magnificent Chrysler lobby
How is it to work here every weekday? Can staff still pose in admiration at the elegant art deco murals, marquetry and brass details? Surely there comes a time when the excitement of the first encounter fades, wielding to a seen-it-all-before blasé spirit. When the eye looks but forgets to see. I’m glad I don’t work in the Chrysler Building. Wish I will never have enough of this magnificent lobby.
August 30th, 2016
PS: Surprisingly little information can be found on the internet about the artist of the mural that covers the entire ceiling and upper parts of some walls – quite disappointing given that, when created in 1930, it was considered the largest in the world:
Edward Trumbull, American (1884 – 1968)
Edward Trumbull was born in Michigan and raised in Connecticut. He attended the Art Students’ League of New York and studied in London under the noted muralist, Frank Brangwyn. Trumbull’s style as a muralist was traditional, and he was best known for his ease of bright and varied colors. A long time resident of Pittsburgh, Trumbull painted panels for the Heinz Administration Building in Pittsburgh and used “The Three Rivers” that converge at the city as the theme for the ceiling of the lobby of the Chrysler Building in New York. Two of his murals, located in the South Office building of the Pennsylvania Capitol Complex, are smaller versions of the murals he painted for buildings in Pittsburgh.
Update June 2021: more info can be found on this article by Bookworm History, published in April 2017.
Glowing
Time travel to a ”top hat, white tie and tails” era: the Chrysler Building glowing in the dark.
August 30th, 2016
The Humble Fabulist 