Category: Art

Maine: Reading & Art

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SUMMER READING

How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry

If you are a reader and a booklover, then this novel set in a small town in Cornwall should delight you.  When her father Julius, bookshop owner extraordinaire, dies, his daughter Emilia inherits Nightingale Books.  Emilia has lived in Hong Kong for some years and returns to deal with his affairs and discovers that he was beloved by the townspeople.  Julius was an unofficial therapist or at least a willing ear, but a lousy businessman. While Emilia’s efforts to save the shop are one focus of this story, it’s also a series of vignettes of individuals who patronize the bookstore, some of whom have been unsuccessful or unlucky in finding love.  Like a box of bonbons, it’s a sweet and charming novel with happy endings for all. 

SMALL SCREEN

Borgen (Apple TV)

Last summer we binge watched the final season of The Americans.   This year we raced through all of the latest Grantchester episodes and were hungry for more good viewing.  The Chief Penguin found us Borgen and now we’re glued to it.  

The prime minister and Katrine (Vanity Fair)

It’s a fictional Danish political drama produced in 2010 about Birgitte Nyborg, the first female prime minister.  With a parliamentary system that requires the party leader who becomes prime minister to have a majority of seats or a majority made up of a coalition of parties, there’s lots of wheeling and dealing among the players to arrive at a viable candidate.  Besides the prime minister and her husband and two children, the key characters are Katrine, a TV news reporter, and Kasper, a politico/spin doctor.  The series is fast paced and totally absorbing, partly because you become enmeshed in the complicated personal lives of these individuals.  There are three seasons and we have now watched the first five episodes in Season 1. The first episode is free, but then you have to pay.

RETURN TO ROCKLAND

On another gorgeous Maine day, we took our friends up to Rockland for a visit to the Farnsworth Art Museum.  This lovely museum has a strong collection of works by various members of the Wyeth Family from N.C. Wyeth, the patriarch, to Andrew Wyeth, his son, to Jamie Wyeth, Andrew’s son, as well as works by the siblings and other relatives.  

Catching Pollen

This summer, in addition to the Wyeth family paintings in the permanent collection, there are two special exhibits of Jamie Wyeth’s work, Untoward Occurrences and Other Things, scenes of Monhegan Island featuring artist Rockwell Kent and others, and Phyllis Mills Wyeth:  A Celebration, paintings of his wife over more than 50 years.  Sadly, she died this past January.

I especially enjoyed the Phyllis paintings for the range of emotions depicted, from the exuberance of “Catching Pollen” to the quiet determination in “And Then into the Deep Gorge,” and the mystery of “Wicker.”

And Then into the Deep Gorge
Wicker

In addition to the Wyeth exhibits, there is a small one of some contemporary screens, room dividers, that are quite a mixed lot in terms of style.

From The Screen Show exhibit

We had such a great experience we returned to Rockland and the museum this week with my sister and brother-in-law. I loved the Wyeth exhibits even more the second time!

LUNCH FARE

Continuing a quest to sample local beers, we ate lunch last week at the Rock Harbor Pub and Brewery on the main street.  The guys ordered two different beers and were happy with their choices.  The fish tacos and the haddock sandwich were both very good.  The lobster rolls, part of their summer lobster specials, had a decent amount of very fresh lobster, but the roll suffered from not having been grilled and buttered.  Fries and cole slaw were also fine.  

This visit, for an even better lobster roll (which also came with fries and cole slaw), we went down the block to the Brass Compass and sat outside at one of their umbrella tables. Perfect Maine.

Lobster roll done right!

Note: Text ©JWFarrington. All photos by J. Farrington.

Manhattan Finale: Frick & More

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FASCINATING FRICK
We made two visits to the Frick Collection and highly recommend two current exhibits. Unfortunately, there was no photography allowed. On our first visit, we discovered that Wednesday afternoons beginning at 2:00 pm, it’s pay what you wish, and the museum was packed. We took a brief tour around some of the Moroni exhibit and decided to return the next day in the morning.
Giovanni Battista Moroni is a lesser known Renaissance painter noted for his portraits of mostly wealthy and high-placed individuals. This is the first major exhibit of his work in the U.S. These people of means have great facial expressions, and he made wonderful use of shades of red and pink in their clothing with very finely detailed jewelry and ornamentation. There is one portrait of a tailor.

Elective Affinities: Edmund de Waal at the Frick Collection.
 Mr de Waal is a ceramist whose favorite medium is porcelain, but he is also attracted to working with steel and gold for his art. A longtime lover of the Frick, he has created a series of small sculptures in vitrines that are placed in front of specific paintings. Some of the works are white porcelain while others incorporate several shapes and thicknesses of black or gray steel. There is a short film showing the artist in his London studio and talking about what he’s trying to achieve in terms of light and form. I found it instructive to see the film before touring his work in the galleries. This exhibit runs into November, the first one closes soon.

What made our visit even more interesting was that a breakfast for press had just ended and I chatted very briefly with two of these individuals about the exhibit. It turns out we were present on opening day for de Waal. For those who don’t know it, you might want to check out his fascinating memoir cum history entitled, The Hare with Amber Eyes. I found it fascinating.

CLASSY DINER
 We had lunch at Three Guys on Madison, and we quickly decided it was the most pleasant, brightest and cleanest diner we’d eaten at. It’s a welcoming space with a mix of booths and tables and can easily accommodate groups. Several families with small children were in evidence and it’s obviously family friendly. Their menu is extensive with lots of breakfast fare, but also plenty of sandwiches, salads, and burgers.

We opted for a Reuben with fries and the tuna salad platter which came with a mound of cole slaw and some sliced tomatoes and cucumber and a hard boiled egg. The platter was a large portion (I didn’t finish it), but very good. The diner is located across the street from Met Breuer so would be a good destination after visiting their exhibits.

FABULOUS THEATER

We were able to squeeze in seeing Kiss Me Kate and are so glad we did.  What a fun, lively, energetic, performance it was!  Even with the understudy playing the lead role of Fred Graham/Petruchio, it was superb. Growing up, I was exposed to the LP record version of a much earlier performance which my folks had seen on Broadway in the 1940’s.  They played this record often, and consequently, I was familiar with the songs and knew most of the words.  The level of fitness and acrobatic skill required for the dancing, especially by Lois Lane and Bill Calhoun, was awe-inspiring.  There was some additional stage business and asides which made this a more contemporary “Kate.”  The song, “Tom, Dick or Harry” will never again be the same.  (~JWFarrington)

PRE-THEATER DINING

Nocello on W. 55, a block from the Roundabout Theatre, was an ideal place for an early dinner.  It appeared to have a regular clientele, even one family group, and not just tourists.  We had the nicest corner table on the lower level and were especially pleased with the fried artichokes and the chicken cutlet encrusted with Parmesan in a bit of lemon white wine broth.  

Artichokes

The Caesar salad was an acceptable rendition and the veal saltimbocca provided a slightly different variation on that classic.  The Chief Penguin sampled the nocello liqueur (made from walnuts and hazelnuts) and it was lovely, deeply smooth with a hint of sweetness.  The small plate of mini biscotti was just right.   We will remember this restaurant for another pre-theater meal.

Note: All contents and photos ©JWFarrington.

Manhattan Museums: Art & More

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Whitney Museum of American Art

An every two year occurrence, the Whitney Biennial is designed to showcase trends in art and both emerging and established artists working in a variety of genres.  Many of the artists in this year’s biennial are under 40 and their work gets at social, political and racial issues in both understated and more direct ways.  I went expecting to find most of it too strange or ugly or outrageous for my taste, and some of it was not aesthetically pleasing—at least not to me. But when I looked over the photos I took, I found that there were more pieces I liked than I thought. What follows is a sampling of some of what we saw. 

“Bananas” 2018 by Lucas Blalock
“Incoming,” 2016-17 by Keegan Monaghan
“Stick,” 2019 by Simone Leigh
Detail, “A Lesson in Longing,” 2019 by Jennifer Packer

Society of Illustrators/Museum of Illustration

The Chief Penguin and I like to explore small museums and historic homes.  The Museum of Illustration, home to the Society of Illustrators, is just such a place, a gem of colorful artwork that transitioned from being a private club to a tiny museum with a most attractive bar and café on its upper floor.   Located on E. 65 Street, it sponsors changing exhibits, invited talks and workshops, and an annual student competition along with displaying works from its permanent collection.  

“Virgin Planet” by Ed Emshwiller, 1957

The special exhibit was “Masters of the Fantastic,” an array of sci fi and fantasy illustrations, along with a short film about the making of the 1950’s horror film, “Creature from the Black Lagoon.” The range of artistic styles was impressive and I enjoyed it more than I expected.  Definitely a museum to re-visit with the perfect spot for a simple lunch!

“A World of Her Own” by Michael Whelan

Roosevelt House

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt lived in a house on E. 65 Street. Today that house, which FDR’s mother bought for them (she lived in the other half), belongs to Hunter College and is home to a public policy institute.  But the house is also open to the public for free.  Here, you can read about Eleanor’s connections to the college and her involvement with its students.  Also on display is a set of personal letters Franklin wrote to his cousin Daisy Suckley.  They enjoyed a warm friendship, and she frequently visited him in Warm Springs, Georgia.  There are also public lectures such as an upcoming one by Brenda Wineapple about the impeachment of Andrew Johnson.

Note: Photos by JWFarrington. Header photo is of a work by Japanese fantasy artist, Kuniko Craft.

Manhattan: The Jewish Museum

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COHEN AND THE JEWISH MUSEUM

The unseasonably cold weather and days of rain have kept us inside and a bit lazy.  More time for reading and the occasional museum.  Last week we paid a visit to the Jewish Museum especially for the Leonard Cohen exhibit,  “A Crack in Everything,” which an acquaintance recommended. 

If you’re my generation, then mention of Cohen’s name immediately brings to mind his song, “Suzanne,” which was popular in my college years.  Cohen died in 2016, and the exhibit, a collection of videos, recordings, and film clips, is both a memorial and a testament to his work.  Individuals have collected his music and writings in tributes, and in a room of beanbags with bands of color cycling on the walls, you can flop down and listen to more than twenty of his songs.  I had not appreciated how wide ranging and extensive Cohen’s oeuvre was and was impressed with what was on display.

While there we also wandered into the permanent collection where there are both traditional self-portraits as well as more jarring contemporary works.

[Untitled] by William Anastasi

One example is the rainbow flag of gay pride with a Star of David embedded in it by Ross Bleckner; another is William Anastasi’s “jew” off center on a white canvas; and yet another is “Venus Pareve,” a colorful series of small sculpture.

“Venus Pareve” by Hannah Wilke, 1982-84

I also liked Louis Ribak’s “Self Portrait” from 1924.

DINING FIND

Sel et Poivre

This Upper East Side eatery has the feel of a comfortable shoe and seems to appeal to a neighborhood crowd.  We were early for our reservation and it was already nearly full of diners.  Wait staff are all male of a certain age (not young) and the greeting was pleasantly brisk.  The 3-course prix fixe menu was reasonable at $34.95 with a nice selection of choices.  The Chief Penguin ordered the green bean salad to start (best he’d ever had!) and then the steak frites.  I tried the mesclun salad with a mustard vinaigrette (tangy in a good way) and the roasted chicken with mashed potatoes.  Both entrees were very good and the desserts, profiteroles and raspberry sorbet, also.  We liked the overall ambience and will definitely go back.

Note: All photos by JWFarrington. Header photo is “Self-Portrait” by Anna Walinska (1928).