HUMAN BODY SCULPTED
Like Life: Sculpture, Color and the Body.
This exhibit at Met Breuer of people from about 1300 to the present takes up two floors of the museum. Classical sculpture of human figures was done in marble, almost always white. This exhibit explores examples of white sculpture, but also instances of tinted figures and some contemporary works such as the black house painter by American sculptor Duane Hanson. The second half of the exhibit on the 3rdfloor is more challenging, and I would add, “viewer discretion advised.” It includes bodies in coffins, several crucifixion works, and other works that are bizarre or macabre. It’s both fascinating and occasionally creepy.
DINING FINDS
We are staying in another neighborhood new to us near the Queensboro Bridge and are exploring dining options in the surrounding blocks. 
Tiella—This Italian eatery is small and cozy with a pleasing choice of dishes. A standout entree was the orata served under layers of wafer thin slices of potato and sautéed spinach flavored with lemon and thyme.
Under the Bridge—A tiny Greek place that quickly becomes loud and boisterous. We were warmly welcomed with a smile and a big hello and then proceeded to order a range of small plates instead of entrees. The shrimps in an ouzo laced thick tomato sauce were exceptional, and the grilled halloumi satisfying, while the special zucchini fritters and lemon potatoes rounded out the plate. Tables are close together so you can easily check out your neighbor’s fare!
Rosa Mexicano—This is part of a chain, but the food seems to be genuine Mexican fare—nothing gloppy or sloppy! The guacamole is made tableside to your degree of heat and the margaritas are large and potent. We sampled a quesadilla and some chicken flautas.
Bistro Vendome. Charming French restaurant with an upper level terrace that was perfect for a spring evening. We loved the food—duck confit and broiled branzino with fennel and red peppers, preceded by an artichoke salad and a special “cocktail’ of avocado mousse topped with crab meat and mini tomato bits. Service could have been more attentive than it was. 
READING AND VIEWING
Howards End by E. M. Forster.
Prompted by my friend Patricia some months ago, I finally got around to re-reading Forster’s novel. I procrastinated until I read that a new version was to be shown on the Starz network. Despite Forster’s many authorial comments and frequent philosophizing, I enjoyed it. It questions to what extent we are individually or collectively responsible for the wellbeing and fate of those less fortunate than we.
A novel about social class, it brings into conflict, or at least tension, the arty Schlegel sisters and brother with lower class clerk Leonard Bast. Add in business tycoon, Henry Wilcox and his family, and you have another set of views based on profit, rationality, and indifference to others. Margaret Schlegel is the focal point. She is smart and educated, and has provided a home and stability for her flighty sister and much younger brother after the death of their remaining parent. Both she and Helen interact with the Wilcoxes, but Margaret’s relations will have a lasting impact. The novel was original published in 1910.
The BBC production on Starz is in four parts and is very faithful to the book. Unlike the wonderful film with Emma Thompson, the pacing is more measured and there is more time for small details and character development.
RECENT BOOKS
Every Note Played by Lisa Genova.
Neuroscientist turned author, Genova writes novels that focus on how an individual or a family deals with some tragic illness. Still Alice, her best-known novel, was about an accomplished professor who was afflicted with early onset Alzheimer’s. It was made into a popular movie of the same title. Genova then wrote about Huntington’s disease and this latest novel takes up the cause of ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease as it’s commonly called. Stephen Hawking lived more than 30 years with ALS, but he was an exceptional case.
Richard, a world-renowned concert pianist, develops ALS when he’s 45. He is divorced from Karina, also a talented pianist who put her career aside for him, and father to a college-age daughter named Grace. As his ALS progresses and it becomes clear that he can no longer stay in his own apartment, Karina takes him in. The novel reads at times like a documentary or a medical treatise on the ravages of this horrible disease, with the fictional story of Richard and Karina’s tumultuous and bitter relationship an afterthought. I wouldn’t call it a totally successful novel, but as a guide to learning about ALS, it is comprehensive.
The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy.
A staff writer for The New Yorker for the past decade, Levy gives us a memoir of her atypical upbringing and her rough ride through her 20’s and 30’s. She seeks adventure, travels to exotic locales for work, and, after a mad party-fueled period, marries Lucy, her lover and mentor who turns out to be an alcoholic. Levy’s account is bold, brash, and very frank.
I have to admit I didn’t particularly like the book. At times it was too raw, too emotional, and, to me, too self-indulgent. But it was named a best book of the year by a number of publications including Vogue, Time, The Guardian, and Library Journal, so I guess I’m in the minority. I also learned after finishing it (I did read it to the end) that my son had worked with her and likes her.
Notes: Header photo is Donatello’s Nicollo da Uzzano. All photos by JWFarrington.
What happens to the relationship between an educated middle class black couple when he is found guilty and sentenced to twelve years in prison for a rape he didn’t commit? Roy is an up and coming 30’s executive living in Atlanta and his wife, Celestial, is a talented artist whose business making dolls (poupees) is getting attention and making money. Their mutual friend Andre, a computer programmer who introduced the couple to each other, also harbors fond feelings for Celestial. The novel alternates chapters between the three of them, Roy, Celestial, and Andre, initially with the letters Roy and Celeste write to each other as time unfolds and as Roy’s sentence is served. In prison, he meets his biological father, his mother gets cancer, and Celestial finds it harder and harder to maintain their brief marriage.
