Category: Art

Tidy Tidbits: Art, Angst, & Autism

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BEAUTY IN GLASS

Bromeliads planted like a mosaic

Each year, Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota highlights the work of a notable artist as inspiration for special art throughout the gardens.  Other years have built on the interplay of art and nature in the works of Andy Warhol, Marc Chagall, and Monet.  This year’s focus is on the stained glass art of Louis Comfort Tiffany.  There are pieces both in the conservatory and throughout the landscape. 

Hanging stained ”glass” in the conservatory

 I think it is one of the most successful exhibits in this series.  Tiffany: The Pursuit of Beauty in Nature is on display through June 25th.  It’s well worth visiting!

Desert plants seen through a colored panel

RECENT READING

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

As has been noted, Kingsolver’s latest novel, Demon Copperhead, is a modern variation on Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield.  Demon, birth name Damon, is the child of a teenage addict and an absent father.  When his mother dies, he becomes the responsibility of a sorry welfare system and endures a series of mostly terrible foster homes.  Overworked, mistreated, and bullied, he is nonetheless a survivor.  

Lacking in self-esteem, his early shining moments are starring on the football field and being elected homecoming king.  He has artistic talent which he occasionally values, but he lacks the confidence in his abilities to seriously pursue it.  A badly injured knee damages him both physically and mentally, and he descends into a drug-fueled existence.  He functions, but not fully.

The novel is all in Demon’s voice.  The sentences are delivered in a breathless almost hasty tone with occasional staccato-like bursts.  There is humor and coarse language wrapped in a surprisingly engaging character.  

The writing is terrific, but the book is just too long!  I got bogged down with all the teenage boys’ antics and shenanigans about two-thirds in and set the book aside for a week.  Then I returned to it, determined to finish, and felt rewarded by my efforts in the last several chapters.  For me, the ending was a satisfying one.  Overall, recommended with reservations. (~JWFarrington)

OUTSTANDING SERIES

Astrid, season 1 (PBS)

I mentioned Astrid in an earlier blog post and have now watched the entire first series.  It is excellent on several levels.  Astrid works in criminal records and is blessed with an encyclopedic memory and keen observation skills. She is also autistic and at the beginning of the series quite timid in her dealings with other people and the world in general.  Paired with detective Raphaelle Coste, Astrid provides insights and knowledge of previous murders instrumental in solving the latest crime.  She even manages to win over the somewhat crusty pathologist Fournier. 

The cases are intriguing and usually hinge on some connection to an earlier crime.  What was most engaging for me was the growing friendship between Astrid and Raphaelle and watching Astrid gain in confidence, able to practice basic social niceties.  I also enjoyed the interactions between the members of Astrid’s autism support group and the wise guidance provided by William, the group leader.  The series is in French with subtitles.  Highly recommended!

Live plants echo the colors of the glass

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.) Header photo is of a screen at Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota.

France: Bayeux, pt. 2

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DINNER IN BAYEUX

Last night we had a real dinner in a modern restaurant in an old building in Bayeux.  Only the second restaurant dinner this trip.  La Quarante Neuf was recommended by our trip organizers.  And our B&B hostess said we’d made a good choice.  Our reservation was for 7:00 pm, the minute they opened, and we were surprised when all seven tables in the main dining room filled up immediately—and not just with Americans!

The menu is presented on a large portable blackboard and is French with some Asian accents.  We opted for three courses, entrée, plat, and dessert.  I had the deconstructed tomato cooked several different ways first which was delectable, and the Chief Penguin had the rillettes.  

Deconstructed tomato

We each then had fish.  Mine was cod with fennel and black lentils in a grapefruit broth with sections of pink grapefruit, while he had the half-cooked tuna.  

Cod with fennel and grapefruit

The dishes were creative and imaginative and tasty.  For dessert, we shared my cheese selection and then his chocolate mini cake with chocolate ice cream.  The chef, a woman, came out to greet us, and we were able to sing our praises to her.

THE TAPESTRY & MORE

Today was a day spent mostly on foot.  We parked in the usual lot at the train station and then walked to find the tapestry museum, using the towering cathedral as a navigation aid.  The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the story of William, Duke of Normandy’s conquest of England in 1066 and is a hand embroidered piece of art that is almost 230 feet long.  The original, which used to reside in the Bayeux Cathedral, is mounted on a curved wall behind glass. The audio guide, included in the admission price, is essential to appreciating the events shown.  The various scenes from King Edward naming William as his heir to the end of the battle are numbered. The guide narrates what is happening and points out subtleties one might miss.  I found it fascinating and a great way to experience this famous tapestry.  

First scene with King Edward
Nearing the end of the battle

A bonus was seeing the special exhibit, David Hockney’s A Year in Normandy. Hockney was enamored of the tapestry and also fond of this region in France.  He decided to create a parallel work of art, also a long mural, showing the changing seasons in Normandy from spring through summer and fall ending with winter.  

I liked the hay rolls and the straight trees
One image of fall in Normandy

An artist who delights in trying out new techniques and approaches, Hockney created his work by drawing on his iPad using a program called Brushes.  The result is a marvelous progression of images employing lots of bright greens and yellows with fuchsia and lavender accents.  The Chief Penguin and I were especially pleased to see this work since we met Hockney some years ago in Los Angeles when an exhibit of his work was being installed.

BAYEUX CATHEDRAL

The Bayeux Cathedral is striking for its two Romanesque towers and its soaring and elaborate Gothic one.  The original church was consecrated in 1077, and William the Conquerer was present.  Only the two older towers, the first level of the nave, and the crypt remain from the Romanesque building.  

Bayeux Cathedral

The sanctuary that one sees today is the result of rebuilding in the 12th century and later after it was damaged. It is soaring Gothic with flying buttresses and clerestory windows and stunning stained glass windows.

Brilliant windows

MUSEUM OF THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY

To round out the day, we walked to visit the Museum of the Battle of Normandy after lunch.  Lots of exhibits with lots of text and photos and profiles of important generals, along with tanks and other machinery of war, make this a museum for anyone interested in the fine structure of this historic battle.  We only spent a short amount of time here, but it was still worth visiting.

THE PERFECT LUNCH

Wandering around historic Bayeux near the cathedral, we noted several possible lunch options ranging from simple crepes to probably heavier Norman cuisine to the little place we selected.  Le P’tit Resto was perfect in every way:  the right amount of food, the right price, welcoming wait staff, and a delicious meal.  We both had the Formule du Jour, menu of the day, and chose the fish preparation with either fries or rice. 

Couldn’t resist sampling before I took the photo!

 The main course was preceded by a small shot glass of veggie cappuccino and followed by either two cheeses or a presentation of little desserts.  We both selected the cheese which was Camembert and Pont-l’Eveque  with a little salad.  With this menu, you also had your choice of a glass of wine (small) or café. 

Cheese course

Note: All photos by JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

Exploring Maine: Brunswick

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ART AND EATING IN BRUNSWICK

Crosswalk in downtown Brunswick

For years, we’ve driven Route 1 on the outskirts of Brunswick past strip malls, fast food restaurants, and auto repair shops.  We had never ventured any farther into downtown Brunswick.  This week we did and discovered that Maine Street (it’s really named that) is quite charming with several blocks of shops, a wide variety of restaurants and cafes, and even a couple of bookstores.  Just beyond a lovely park is the beginning of the Bowdoin College campus.  

On the Bowdoin campus

Bowdoin is an old liberal arts institution, chartered in 1794, and has produced an illustrious group of alumni.  Among them are generals, statesmen, explorers, and the writers, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The campus stretches along one side of the street opposite attractive old style frame houses.  It has an extensive expanse of green and a mix of a few contemporary buildings interspersed among more classic red brick architecture.  

The Chief Penguin and I walked the half mile from where we parked the car to our destination, the Bowdoin Museum of Art. The art department has a grand old building listed on the National Historic Register. Next to it is a glass cube, the entrance to the museum itself.

Entrance to Walker Art Building

Among the featured exhibitions, we paid the most attention to At First Light: Two Centuries of Artists in Maine.  This is a marvelous exhibit filling several small galleries with paintings, a quilt, and a Wabanaki basket.  Artists include George Bellows, Alex Katz, Lois Dodd, N. C. and Jamie Wyeth, along with others I hadn’t previously encountered.  Here are a couple of my favorite works.

Pastoral painting by N. C. Wyeth
Detail from The Mainland by Jamie Wyeth, 1992. (I love the luminosity of the buoys.)
The Mantle by Will Barnet, 1992. (I like the layering of window and door frame and the soft tones in this contemplative work.)

After the museum, we met my Scarborough cousin and his wife for lunch at one of the two Indian restaurants on the main drag. Shere Punjab, a small colorfully painted family-run business, offered up delicious curries and naan.  Collectively, we sampled the chicken and lamb curries and the fish curry.  Fluffy basmati rice was served with them.  It was so good we all vowed to eat there again!

MAINE BOOK FOR THE WEEK—A SUMMER COLONY

Haven Point by Virginia Hume

Haven Point is a first novel by a former political writer and editor.  It’s the kind of book you curl up with, and before you know it, the whole afternoon has whizzed by!  The families with summer homes at Haven Point believe in its traditions, one being the annual singalong.  It’s a colony established by upper-class sorts, all with the right educational and professional pedigrees.   

Maren marries into the world of Haven Point when Dr. Oliver Larsen becomes her husband.  She grew up on a farm in Minnesota and was a nurse with Oliver at Walter Reed Hospital in DC near the end of WWII.  She feels like an outsider during much of her life in Maine.  

Their daughter Annie is a talented artist, but battles alcoholism for many years.  Annie’s daughter, Maren’s granddaughter Skye, is secretive and ashamed of her mother’s relapses. She also feels that Haven Point, with its Waspy whiteness is too insular a society. Love, tragedy, betrayal, and addiction run through this novel set between 1944 and 2008 told in multiple voices.  I quickly became enmeshed in these characters’ lives and the hours disappeared.  (~JWFarrington)

Note: Header photo is Summer by Frank Weston Benson, 1909. Photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Manhattan: American Art & Fashion

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Winslow Homer:  Crosscurrents (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

We made two visits to the Met Museum this month.  The first was to see the very large and comprehensive exhibit of Winslow Homer’s work.  A New Englander by birth, Homer (1836-1910) lived in Boston and then in 1859 moved to New York.  Although associated rightfully with his portrayals of the sea, his work was much more than that.  He captured returning soldiers from the Civil War, both Black and white, and showed women at work or enjoying a day at the beach.  Added to that are his luminous watercolors depicting scenes from his trips to the Bahamas, Florida, and other islands.  It’s a wonderful exhibit!

Here are a few examples.

Early Morning after a Storm at Sea, 1900-1903
Eagle Head, Manchester Massachusetts, 1870
Old Mill (The Morning Bell), 1871

In America:  An Anthology of Fashion (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

On our second visit, the Chief Penguin re-visited the Homer exhibit and spent time in the Annenberg Wing admiring the simply marvelous collection of Impressionist paintings.  I missed seeing the first part of the Costume Institute’s fashion exhibit for 2021 but decided to tour this year’s part two which is housed in the American Wing.  

I had never spent any time in this section, but it consists of a series of period rooms from the early 19th century to the 1950’s.  For this exhibit, various curators have dressed manikins in fashions related to the rooms’ furnishings from Shaker Retiring Room to Richmond parlor to 20th century ballroom.  This is not as showy exhibit as some of those of previous years, but interesting, nonetheless.  With the right inclination, one could spend a fair bit of time reading all the information about the setting of the room itself and then the fashion-related labels. 

Shaker Woman, early 1800’s
High style in the 1950’s

Note: Header photo is Winslow Homer’s Oranges on a Branch, 1885. Photos by JWFarrington.