Searching for Van Gogh in Arles

Arles entrance

Wandering through the town of Arles, it’s easy to understand why Van Gogh got so depressed here and eventually killed himself.  Oh sure, he was fueled by absinthe and he was probably bipolar, but even with that, I can totally see how this town would depress someone after spending two years here. 

what vg saw

cafe de nuit today

VG spent two years living and working here.  He supposedly had no friends.  Now maybe that was his fault, but the French are not the friendliest people in the world.  I don’t find them rude, as some have said, but they seem to merely tolerate anyone non-French or from anywhere other than their home town.  In Arles, they have to be polite.  Their source of income is completely tourist-driven at this point.  Back in Van Gogh’s day, they didn’t even have to be pleasant in order to make tourist dollars. There were no tourists.  Gauguin came  to visit VG and hated Arles.

Arles locals are visible and they are clique-ish.  If you are there off season as I was, the locals hang out from early in the evening when they meet to have a pastis or an espresso.  Everyone appears to know everyone in this tiny town, and no one makes an effort to speak to you.  If you spend a few days there, you feel like an outsider.  I empathize with poor Van Gogh who spent two years in this isolation.

cafe de nuit

Springtime in Washington, D.C.

Washington Monument

     Spring is the perfect time to visit Washington D.C, the United States’ capital.  The weather is lovely and the crowds are still sparse.  Summer, when most people can take their vacation time, the city becomes hot, humid and horribly crowded. 

Canaletto

     There is so much to do in the nation’s capital, but on my visit last week my mission was to see the Canaletto exhibit.  I first saw this Venetian artist’s work years ago at a special exhibit in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.  I had gone to the Met to see something else, but decided to see the Canaletto exhibit as well.  I was entranced.  His scenes of the Grand Canal, the Rialto Bridge, the gondolas, and San Marco piazza stirred my heart.  Many years later, I finally got to visit Venice.  On my first vaporetto ride up the Grand Canal, all I could think of were those magnificent paintings.  As we approached the Rialto Bridge, I got a lump in my throat.  The magic of Venice that Canaletto captured all those years ago looks the same way today. 

    The exhibit at the National Gallery is a large one and there are many of Canaletto’s paintings as well as many by his followers.  The exhibit is called Venice:  Canaletto and His Rivals and it, like all the exhibits in the gallery, is free.  I love his work more now that I’ve been there a few times and can recognize the places he painted all those years ago.     

Caldor

     The National Gallery has two wings.  The East building houses contemporary art and was designed by I.M. Pei.  The West contains European art from the thirteenth through the nineteenth century.  The two buildings are divided by an ultra-cool Star Wars moving sidewalk.  www.nga.gov for hours and directions.               

     Outside, you can stroll through the sculpture garden. 

Lichtenstein house

The centerpiece is a magnificent fountain.  There are whimsical sculptures like a giant aluminum tree and a house that looks like it’s three dimensional. 

     Before leaving, we strolled the mall; the long stretch that leads to the Washington Monument.  It was a gorgeous day and people were outside enjoying the spring weather. 

fountain

                                                                 

fake tree, real monument

Salvador Dali Show in Barcelona

Dali ceiling

Dali art

Dali

Salvador Dali EGG

If you are lucky enough to visit Barcelona this spring or summer (2011), you should not miss the Salvador Dali show.  In the center of the Barri Gotic sits the magnificent Barcelona Cathedral.  The Dali show is in the plaza surrounding the Cathedral.

Dali is the essential Catalan artist.  His whimsy and surrealism captures Catalonian spirit. Perhaps he created it.  This exhibit displays paintings, sketches, and sculptures by the artist as well as photographs of the artist.  It’s a comprehensive show that is enlightening, fun, puzzling, and entertaining.  Just like Dali himself. 

Mostly known for his wild mustache and his painting The Persistance of Memory, there is a great deal more to be learned here about this complex artist.   He started life with the name of his dead older brother.  If that’s not enough to make you loopy, his mother died when he was sixteen.  He dabbled in films, set design, and was the first artist to experiment with holography.  He married the great love of his life and when she died, it is said that he lost his mind and his will to live.

If you don’t have time for a side trip to Figueres where the artist lived and the Dali museum is, you should not miss this show.

Venice: Things to do in and around the Dorsoduro

Things to do in and around the Dorsoduro

bruschetta pesce misto

Wander.  Get lost.  Eat.  The Dorsoduro has many little discoveries you don’t need a tour guide for.  When you walk across to the end of the island you look across at La Giudecca on the southern lagoon; an incredible view.  Walk along the water and take in the views. Stop and eat or have an aperitif and an antipasto at one of the many restaurants that dot the shoreline.  I stopped at Caffe La Piscina (www.lacalcina.com) and had amazing pesce misto bruschetta; mixed fish.   And the view from the restaurant…. Well, you can see for yourself.

At the furthest tip of the Dorsoduro, beyond the church, Santa Maria della Salute, is the newest art museum called Punta della Dogana.  Part of  Palazzo Grassi, the building itself is a renovated palazzo that alone justifies the price of admission (7 euros).  But the art is worth seeing, as well.  While the Palazzo Grassi houses older, Renaissance art, this museum showcases modern art and much of it is political and disturbing.  Pieces such as this soccor (futbol) game are thought- provoking and a contrast to the art that you find all over Venice.

disturbing futbol

  The naked statue holding a giant frog is a conversation starter outside the museum.

Punta della Dogana

Dale Chihuly: Seattle Genius

 

 

pond chihuly

 

 

I discovered him on a PBS special several years ago.  He had gone to Venice to work with the Venetian glass blowers.  At the end of the experience, he hung pieces over the canal and finally, sent colored glass bubbles floating along the Grand Canal while trying not to get caught by the local water police.  I was hooked.

 

chihuly bowl

 

I saw his work for the first time in the middle of the casino at Atlantis in the Bahamas.  I stopped dead in my tracks and knew it was a Chihuly, but needed confirmation.  While everyone around me was searching for the perfect slot machine, I went searching for a concierge to confirm my suspicion.  When I found one, I asked him if the gigantic orange glass marvel was, in fact, a Chihuly.  He smiled knowingly and nodded yes.  Now, I was REALLY hooked. 

 

chihuly in the garden

 

How this one-eyed genius shapes hot liquid into the shapes he creates is simply mystical.  The colors he imbues into the creations are unique, dazzling, and ever-changing as they catch the light.

 

chihuly tower

Whenever I travel to a new city, I do my research to see if he has work displayed there.  I saw some wonderful pieces in New Orleans.  I’ve been to several of his shows in New York City, including the in situ creation at the Bronx Botanical Gardens (there is one currently in Phoenix, Arizona).  Here, he created pieces that fit the landscape.  They floated in the pond; they sprouted up from the earth.  They danced like birds and flowers in the garden.  Gorgeous.  Genius.

 

chihuly in situ

Learn more about Chihuly and glass blowing at  www.chihuly.com .  His influence can be seen throughout the Seattle area especially at the Museum of Glass where his Bridge of Glass is supposed to be a marvel to witness.  Go to: www.museumofglass.org  to see more.