North Simon Museum on Monday

I had a few minutes to roam around the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena yesterday and found a few GEMS.  First I went into the small exhibit entitled "Face It: The Photographic Portrait."  The exhibit comprises twenty photographs from the Museum's collection.  The description of the exhibit refers to the viewer's encounter with the portrait photos as conjuring in us a psychology of looking.  In portraiture, the subject has posed to give us the look they want to display.  Here are my favorites:

"William LaRue, Point Lobos, CA" 1960 by Minor White (American, 1908-1976)

"Penitentiary Inmate, Lincoln Nebraska," 1970 by Keith Jacobshagen (American, b. 1941)  This and other photos were commissioned from the Nebraska State Penitentiary to create a suite of photographs documenting the facility and life inside in order to raise public awareness of the prison conditions to seek their improvements. 

"Eleanor Roosevelt," 1962 by Phillippe Halsman (Latvian, 1906-1979)
The photographer captured every detail of the 77 year old former First Lady's face.  She was instrumental in the photographer, who was living in Paris, receiving a visa to immigrate to the U.S just months before the German invasion of France in 1940. 

"George Livia," 1996 by Judy Dater, American, b. 1941.  Livia was an aspiring photographer in Buenos Aries.

"Maria Rosaria Domenici" 1998 by Judy Dater.  The subject is a woman from Rome.  The photographer attempted to capture the "traditional" Italian look as seen in Renaissance paintings.

Next, I roamed to the gallery of 19th century artists that I love.  Here are three that I particularly appreciated.

"Still Life with Apples and Violets," 1890-91 by Paul Serusier (French, 1864-1927).  In late 1888 the artist formed a group called the Nabis (Hebrew for the "prophet") and included Maurice Denis and Pierre Bonnard.  He was influenced by the paintings of Paul Cezanne.

"Brittany Landscape," 1888-89 by Emile Bernard (French, 1868-1941).  In 1886, the 18 year old artist met Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin as well as to the works of Paul Cezanne who all influenced Bernard's work.

 

"Landscape with Flock of Sheep," 1889 and 1902 by Camille Pissarro (French, 1830-1903).  This pristine canvas has never been varnished thus allowing the subtleties of tone to show.  He is considered the "paterfamilias" of the Impressionist group where he participated in all eight Impressionists exhibitions.

Jonathan Gold interview Roy Choi on the Cooking Stage

We enjoyed the interview of Roy Choi, the Kogi Taco Truck guy, by the food writer Jonathan Gold.  I had seen Roy Choi interviewed before and again was taken by his brilliance, drive and honesty.  He lays himself out there and talks about a company, now with several hundred employees, based on fairness, relationships..."we care about each other," and "The Force." He again talked about growing up with the "homies" in the barrio. Eventually he found his desire to be a chef and went to the best school in the country (his mom said if you are going to be a chef, you have to go to the best school).  He got a job in a swanky restaurant and got released...so it was off to the hotels cooking for 1500 at a banquet.  He learned to make pot roast and "Chicken Ala King."  This caused him to get organized, discipline, and to get the rhythm of being a chef with many tasks.  He said you have to develop muscle memory.  He said he uses Latino chefs who are eager and hungry and motivated to succeed.

Although he now has three restaurants open with the newest in Korea Town called "POT," his loves are his Kogi trucks..."My Sweet Caroline" as he showed off his Kogi tattoo on his right arm.  He said all the people have become Ambassadors...it is their life.  He also talked about his give back program at a non profit cafe at 34th and Central to support the community.

"POT" is in the Lime Hotel at Wilshire and Normandy in "K Town."  It called it his "therapy restaurant," playing out his whole life in the Korean Culture.  He gets accused as not being Korean enough.  He was never trained in Korean food but gets advice from the "laser eyes" of the older Korean community.  He said being Asian means that nothing is ever good enough for your parents and elders. His dad will call him at 1:00 in the morning to complain and give advice.  As his business grows, he said he probably should just be the CEO but he is trying to hold on to the "Kogi Spirit."  He visits all his sights every day and works the line.  He said "Pot" is my soul food.

Roy and Jonathan

Children of all ages enjoyed the music and environment of the Book Fair

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at U.S.C

On Saturday, Colleen and I made our trek to the U.S.C. Campus to the 19th annual Festival of Books sponsored by the L.A. Times.  I have been fortunate to attend almost all of them starting when they were on the U.C.L.A. campus.  It is a celebration of reading and creations from amazing writers covering the spectrum from children, to youth, to young adults, to cooking, travel, novels, non fiction, biographies and more.  About 50,000 people show up each day of the weekend to celebrate books.

On Saturday we met our friends Nancy and Jim and enjoyed several panels.  The first was Raza Aslan and Lawrence right in Conversation with L.A. Times Davan Maharaj.  Aslan is an acclaimed writer and scholar with an online journal for news about the middle East and the world.  His recent book is "Zealot" about the life of Christ as taken from history. Wright is a staff writer for the New Yorker and author of six books of nonfiction including his most recent "Going Clear:  Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief."  He lives in Austin, Texas.

Wright stated that people are drawn to religion for a sense of community, structure, a good time, to advance themselves, and for piety.  Competition in religious organizations can be dangerous as it may lead to fanaticism.  Aslan said that Jesus and L.Ron Hubbard were both prophets, both attacked the status quo and both were attacked.  Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem, the center for God, and challenged the temple leaders.  He said that neither Jesus or his followers could read or write and so it was up to others to later record his message.  Paul who never met Jesus was educated and wrote a lot of the New Testament through his letters to the congregations he founded.  L.Ron Hubbard had the advantage of media, and later the internet to get out his message.  He wrote 1000 books and articles during his life.

Reza, said that it was amazing that Jesus founded a religion for the poor.  His message was profound...the meek shall inherit the earth...the rich will become poor and the poor rich.  This did not play well to the powerful at the time.  He said that although the stories...written hundreds of years after Jesus death...may or may not be true...Jesus message was powerful.

Both authors did a lot of research on their subjects.  They said that religious beliefs are potent and effect lives for good will and for harm.  Wright wrote about the Jones Town massacre and interviewed Jim Jones' son who had to identify the 900 bodies.

Reza said the the stories about Jesus could be a compilation of a number of people but the teachings were unique and revolutionary.  He said religion is a language of how you see the world, cultural views.

Wright said that the Apostle Paul and L.Ron Hubbard had a lot in common.  Paul never knew Jesus in the flesh but only the spiritual Jesus.  The first church was run by James, Jesus' brother who was uneducated.  Paul was rich and educated and could write to get out the word.  He never talked to the disciples..."only the risen Christ."

Wright said don't blame religion for wars and violence.  He said people will kill for any reason, religious or not.  He said their has been a lot of abuse in Scientology.  He said it is important that reporters "open the windows" to let people know about religions so they can choose what they want to believe.

Davan Maharaj

Lawrence Wright

Reza Aslan

More fun at the Getty Center on Friday

On Friday I attended my UCLA Extension class on Italian Baroque Painting at the Getty Center.  The instructor took us to the East Building to view the many paintings and some sculpture from the Baroque period.  This included paintings by Italians, but also Spanish, French, German, Dutch and Flemish painters all influenced by Caravaggio who revolutionized painting around 1600 with his used of a light source with shadows (chiaroscuro), action, and realism...even dirty fingernails.  Here are some of the paintings we enjoyed:

The above two views of "Christ Crowned with Thorns" was painted by Gerrit Van Honthorst, Dutch, about 1620.  The artist lived in Rome from 1610 to 1621 where he fell under the spell of Caravaggio's style with theatrical like lighting.

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This painted wooden statue  of Saint Gines de La Jara, 1692 was created by a women and her brother-in-law.  Luisa Roldan, Spanish 1630 to 1706 was the sculptor and Tomas de Los Arens born 1661 was the painter using gold 

"The Vision of Saint Francis of Paola," about 1670 by Bartolome Esteban Murillo, Spanish, 1617-1682

"Lot and His Daughters," about 1622 by Orazio Gentileschi, Italian, 11563-1539

"The Entombment," about 1612 by Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish, 1577-1640
This was probably painted as an altar piece to show the real presence of Jesus's body during the sacrament of Holy Communion...notice the wheat which alludes to the bread of the Eucharist below the body of Christ on the altar.

"Bacchante with an Ape" 1627 by Hendrick Ter Brugghen, Dutch, 1588-1629.  This is derived from a famous painting of Bacchus by Caravaggio and symbolizes the animal nature of drunkenness.

"Saint Bartholomew," 1661 by Rembrandt Harmensz, van Rijn, Dutch, 1606-1669.  This among several paintings on a Rembrandt wall of creations...notice the knife, the instrument of the saint's martyrdom.

I next enjoyed an exhibit of Ansel Adams' Photography "In Focus."  Adams lived from 1902 to 1984 and during the last years of his life he wrote he autobiography and continued experimenting with prints from either negatives that he had taken.

"The Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton Nation Park, Wyoming," 1942 negative, 1980 print.

"Mt. Williamson, Sierra Nevada, from Manzanar, CA," negative 1944; print 1981

"Dogwood Blossoms, Yosemite National Park," negative about 1938; print 1941

"Moon and Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, CA," negative 1960, print 1980

The Master at Work

And finally, I went to see the Jackson Pollock mural created in 1943 at the commission from Peggy Guggenheim for her New York City town house.  The 20 foot by 9 foot mural hung in her entryway.  Later she moved back to Europe to a home in Venice, Italy.  The painting would not fit in her home so she gave it to the University of Iowa where it usually resides.  The painting was brought to the Getty Center for restoration 18 months ago when it was re-stretched and restored.

What do you see in this painting? Notice the array of colors on a white background of house paint.

Byzantine Art at the Gettys

On Wednesday I attended a lecture and viewing of Byzantine Art at the Getty Villa in Malibu.  The exhibit is entitled "Heaven and Earth" Byzantine Sites, Monuments and Museums.  The speakers were Dr. Maria Andreadaki-Vlazaki of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and Anastasia Drandaki of the Benaki Museum, Athens.  After their talks, we had an opportunity to roam the exhibit and most of the rest of the museum built as a replica of a villa in Herculaneum, Italy that was covered with ash and buried in the eruption of Mount Vescuvius 2000 years ago.

The mighty Byzantine empire lasted from A.D. 330 to 1453.  The exhibit shows over 170 treasures from Greece and the evolution from a pagan base to a deeply spiritual Christian society.  During that period the center of the empire was in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) which is located in the Bosporus Strait that links the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.  Constantinople became the new capitol of the Roman Empire in A.D. 330.  The Parthenon was converted to a Christian Church and the empire stretched from Greece to Italy to African to Asia Minor (Turkey).   The empire fell to the Ottomans in 1453.

On Friday, I visited the Getty Center and viewed the exhibit "Byzantium and the West" which explores the influences of Byzantine art on Manuscript painting in Germany, Italy and Armenia. Here is a bit of what I saw at the Getty Villa on Wednesday and Friday:

Table Support with Orpheus Playing the Lyre, A.D. 300's, made in Asia Minor, marble

Saint John, Gospel book, Byzantium, 1418

Archangel Michael, early 14th century, tempera on wood, gold leaf.

Wall Mosaic with a Fountain, about A.D. 450, Thessaloniki, Greece, glass and gold

The Getty Villa at sun set.

Native Plant Garden Tour in L.A. on Saturday

On Saturday, Colleen and I roamed through native plant gardens in L.A. organized by the Theodore Payne Foundation.  We were delighted to see the artistic landscape creations by local gardeners.

The first garden we visited covered about 12,000 square feet of land around a restored 1910 Craftsman-style house.  The owners dub their aesthetic "California Apocalypetica:  where native plants emerge from the ruins of society"...an old concrete foundation parts becomes a creative retaining wall, rail road rails become steps and bedding retainers and discarded construction items become sculptures.  There is a deep Koi pond with huge Koi, a waterfall, creek and a beautiful swimming pool.

Here are some of the pictures of the Elwell/Odell garden:

Another garden is pictured below.  It is the Fielder/Cohen garden in front and in back of of another Craftsman-Style home.  Last year the front lawn was removed and replaced with native plants while the back yard retains both grass and an array of plantings with wonderful seating areas including a fireside area for teaching screen writing.

Front Yard

Ray Eames In the Spotlight at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena

On Wednesday, I roamed into the gallery at the Art Center College of Design, high above the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.  I enjoyed seeing the creativity of Ray Eames and her husband Charles.  I have already enjoyed their home overlooking the Pacific in Santa Monica.

Bernice Alexandra "Ray" Kaiser lived from 1912 to 1988.  Along with her husband Charles Ormond Eames, Jr. (1907-1978). they were American designers who created modern architecture and furniture, industrial and graphic design, fine art and film.

The furniture including the famous Eames Lounge and Ottoman was created in 1956.  All of their furniture designs have been made by Herman Miller.  You can order the chair and ottoman from the Herman Miller store in Santa Monica for about $6,000 depending on the leather you choose.

The Eames designed their house/studio and built it on a lot above the ocean.  The Case Study House #8 can be visited by appointment.

Here is what I saw:

These Sliced Eames Molded Fiberglass Chairs designed in 1950 are being released on March 3, 2014 by Herman Miller using Monomer and VOC-free resin and glue that eliminates hazardous airborne compounds and are fully recyclable through their Take Back Program.

This a reproduction of an Eames Stamp, 2008

Charles and Ray fabricated two birch prototypes of the 1945 Eames Elephant.  In 2007, Vitra released 2,000 of them-half in red and half in natural plywood

The 1953 Hang-It-All was created as an organizational device for children and is still crafted by Herman Miller and Vitra.

A Herd of Elephants 

Splint Cloud of Fifteen Leg Splints, 1941-1942 that were mass-produced to over 150,000 for the U.S. Navy during WWII.

Wedding, 1941 as well as Charles's proposal letter, Strathmore Photos, and Married Letters, 1942

Photos of Ray

Ray adorned envelopes, wrapped packages and even parts of the Eames exhibition with hearts....hearts abound.

Ray's designs

In 1959, the Eames designed a model house kit in 3/4-inch scale for the toy manufacturer, Revell Company that came with miniature Eames furniture and accessories.

The Chaise was designed with Charles's good friend Billy Wilder, film director, in mind for Billy's catnaps.

Eames Miniatures.  It is amazing that we see many of these designs in use today

Scenes from the Eames home and studio above the Pacific Ocean.  The structure was one of the first to employ industrial materials, even prefabrication in a residential setting.  They moved in on Christmas Eve 1949.

Array of Objects with Similar Color Palette from the Eames personal collection.

Design miniatures by Eames