Wednesday, March 30, 2011

vincent and gregor













Today was once the birthday of Vincent van Gogh, an artist of great emotion and intense colors -- and an unfortunately tragic ending. And an unfortunately never-ending association with the loss of an earlobe, but that's just how the world turns. Van Gogh has been played by various actors, most famously by Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life, but which actor has taken on the role of both Vincent and Gregor Samsa, Kafka's hapless man-turned-beetle in The Metamorphosis? Whoever sends in the first correct e-mail answer (see profile link for address) will win a free GPSmyCity iPhone app for walking tours of either Chicago, London or Paris (be sure to specify which city you'd like when you send your reply).

Pictured: The Bedroom -- Vincent van Gogh, 1889 (Art Institute of Chicago) and Self-Portrait -- Vincent van Gogh, 1887

Thursday, March 24, 2011

born today

...on March 24th, 1834 was William Morris, long-reigning Knight of the Arts & Crafts Round Table -- a table which he most surely would have designed. Known as Topsy to his Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood friends, Morris was a writer, poet, Socialist and genius of organic form and function whose beautiful textiles, tapestries, wallpapers, furniture, stained glass and printworks attest to his claim that the “true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.” He also produced literary translations, including major sagas in Icelandic, though I doubt that the word "idle" (in any language) was ever part of the personal vocabulary of this remarkable creative dynamo.

Pictured: William Morris (1834-1896)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

musings on camille


Mary Mathews Gedo's Monet and His Muse (University of Chicago Press) examines the pivotal relationship between French Impressionist master Claude Monet and his first wife Camille. Before Monet's ascent to fame and eternal association with water lilies, haystacks and Giverny, the artist was just another aspiring young painter full of ambition and conflict. He was rebellious and enjoyed la vie bohème, but he also needed his father's financial support. "I wish you see you in an atelier, under the discipline of a well-known master," Adolphe Monet cautioned his son. "If you resume your independence, I will stop your allowance without more ado."

Though Monet obeyed and worked with mentors for a while, fortunately he and his fellow Impressionists kept enough of their independent spirit and vision to change the world of art. Monet also became involved with a dark-haired, quietly beautiful young woman named Camille Doncieux, a liaison which would have highs and lows for both parties. Camille proved to be an excellent muse; she was perceptive and receptive, able to tolerate Monet's mood swings and to pose for long stretches of time. She bolstered his confidence and satisfied his romantic desires, and she was devoted to helping him succeed. Camille's distinctive stance in the 1866 Woman in a Green Dress brought Monet quite a bit of favorable attention at the annual Paris Salon, and she would later grace the canvases of other memorable Monet paintings like The Red Kerchief, Springtime and La Japonaise.

And then Camille became pregnant. Monet was thrown into turmoil, faced with the possibility of being cut off financially by his family and having to support a wife and baby. He fought the obligation for as long as he could yet apparently upon first seeing his newborn "big beautiful boy" Jean, Monet relented and gave his son his legitimate name. In Camille's case, despite her eventual marriage to the father of her child, her role as Madame Monet would not always be an easy one.

Monet and His Muse is a fine read for Monet lovers, especially those prepared to accept a somewhat flawed reflection of the genius. (But what genius is not flawed?) A fascinating chapter in collaboration with artist William Conger analyzes Monet's 1868 On the Bank of the Seine, Bennecourt (currently at the Art Institute of Chicago), reexamining the painting in terms of its various incarnations and underlying layers, and in context of Monet's feelings toward his wife and son at the time—and possible need for creative catharsis.

Camille Monet died in 1879, about a year after the birth of her second son, Michel. The cause was presumed to be complications from cervical cancer, and at Camille's deathbed was Alice Hoschedé, the then-wife of Monet's patron Ernest Hoschedé. Alice later became Monet's wife and evidently felt compelled to destroy nearly every photograph or document connected to her no longer-living rival. Alice wasn't able to destroy the paintings, however, and so Camille's artistic legacy continues. The grieving Monet even painted Camille in repose following her death, perhaps again looking for creative catharsis and closure.

The woman who truly wore the green gown has always cast such an intriguing backward glance towards us all, and Ms. Gedo's book offers a rich companion narrative and adds new dimensions to the mystery of Camille and her many portraits.

painting of the month


Japanese Children -- Lilla Cabot Perry (ca. 1900)

Saturday, March 19, 2011

forget the map and try an app


Spring is just a few hours away and with it comes the need to venture out and explore -- and if that involves spring travel, perhaps to take a walking tour of a new or even familiar city. These GPSmyCity.com iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch apps are a great way to tour an area at your own pace, with an impressive variety of walks and cities available. GPSmyCity.com is sponsoring the following quiz about Chicago here; e-mail your answers to quiz@gpsmycity.com and you could win three city walk apps to use this spring, summer, fall...or whenever you choose.

1) Chicago is known by several names. What isn't it called?

a) the Windy City
b) the City of Big Shoulders
c) the City of Lights

2) Chicago’s downtown area is known as ________. The nickname refers to the area encircled by the elevated train tracks.

a) the Loop
b) the Hook
c) the Ellipse

3) Chicago is the birthplace among others of McDonalds, the chewing gum giant Wrigley’s and the cell phone giant Motorola. What sport has been invented here:

a) 16-inch softball
b) baseball
c) squash

4) At the time of its completion in 1974 the Willis Tower was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York, and it held this rank for nearly 25 years. How many states are visible from its roof?

a) 3
b) 4
c) 5

5) Chicago is the third largest city in United States, its metropolitan area, commonly named "Chicagoland," being the 27th most populous metropolitan area in the world. What American cities are more populous than Chicago?

a) New York and Houston
b) Los Angeles and New York
c) Philadelphia and New York

6) Chicago is home to the largest population of _______ in the world, except Warsaw:

a) Poles
b) Czechs
c) Serbs

7) In 1900, Chicago successfully completed a massive and highly innovative engineering project. Since then the Chicago River is the only river in the world that:

a) flows North in the Northern Hemisphere
b) flows backward
c) the only river in the world that flows both northwards and southwards across the line of the Equator

8) Each year, the Chicago River is dyed green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick is the patron saint of what country?

a) Ireland
b) Scotland
c) Poland

9) The Art Institute of Chicago has one of the largest and most extensive collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings in the world. Which of these painters was not an Impressionist:

a) Monet
b) Cezanne
c) Dali

10) The University of Chicago is the site of the world's first:

a) atomic reaction
b) unmanned flight
c) extraterrestrial encounter

Good luck -- and I'll also be featuring an art-related question next week on this blog for another chance to win a GPSmyCity.com walking tour app for the city of your choice.

(Pictured: Chicago's Prudential Plaza at night)

Monday, March 14, 2011

olden days



Awaking from a dream
I grieve.
My sleep no more is so peaceful
As in the olden days.

Words: Ishikawa Takuboku (1885-1912)

Image: One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, #45. The Yoroi Ferry (Hiroshige, ca. 1856)

[If you're able to donate, please help Japan through this horrible crisis and give whatever funds you can to the American Red Cross or other reputable charitable organizations.]