In the Pinks --- Day 14/20

Walk: Small Hood, mostly Marin driving

Distance: 1 mile

Home photos continue because Ciwt is still indentured to arriving and departing deliveries.  But the  getting her new home together along with other topics are in sight!  And it is a nice place to be indentured.

Now Two --- Day 14/19

Walk: Hood and West Portal

Distance: 4.5

A Second Flower - with several more on the way!

Ciwt is no expert on Amaryllis plants, but it seems to her the one she receives from her friend each holiday season and is very special. It arrives as nothing more than dried up dirt in a basket with a minute green sprout in the middle. Then Ciwt follows directions to 1. Flood it with water,  2. Do absolutely nothing as it sits and sits and sits and sits and she worries she drowned it, 3. Watch it produce Spectacular flowers when it is ready.

West Dove/East Dove --- Days14/17 & 18

Walks: Hood, Asian Art Museum

Distance:  1.5 miles, 6 miles

So with TV's Shogun on her mind (she's a latecomer to it; one episode left to watch), Ciwt was inspired to visit our outstanding Asian Art Museum today.  

There may have been no Impressionism movement in art or it might have happened at a different time if the Japanese hadn't had the habit of wrapping their Western imports art prints.  Apparently the latter were that commonplace and inexpensive.  But they were the exact opposite in Paris and they hit the world of artists like a bombshell.  Artists like Monet, deGas, Pissarro and others flocked to see them when they arrived, and Monet accumulated a large collection which he displayed in his Giverny dining room and other rooms around his home.  

The artists were astounded and then strongly influenced by the simplified forms, flat perspecitves and open areas of the woodblock prints. By the turn of the nineteen centuries many artists including Matisse and Picasso had integrated their formal linear simplicity into their own art.

Among the most widely known examples is Picasso's Dove of Peace:

Pablo Picasso, Dove of Peace, 1961, lithograph

Which in turn he made more open, simple, and linear from his own 1949 lithograph:

Pablo Picasso, Dove, 1949, lithograph

And which the 1949 Paris Peace Conference chose for its poster:

Picasso's images of the dove became a phenomenon around the world. Between 1949 and the artist's death, he created numerous works, including posters, prints and drawings, which depicted the Dove of Peace. Variations of the image were used for Peace Congresses in Wroclaw, Stockholm, Sheffield, Vienna, Rome and Moscow. Oh, and it should be mentioned, the 'dove' was actually a Milanese pigeon, which had been a gift from his friend (yes) and fellow artist, Matisse.

In a West/East turnaround, the famous and beloved Chinese artists, Qi Baishi, was said to be one who saw the poster.  And..felt he could more authentically capture the aliveness and spirit of the dove.  So, he created his own pen and ink painting which was used for the 1952 Asia and Pacific Rim Peace Conference in Beijing.  He then went on to produce many more paintings of  doves.

Qi Baishi (Chinese, 1863-1957), Dove of Peace, 1952, Hanging scroll; ink and colors on paper

Qi Baishi, Bird of Peace, ink and color on paper, ca 1950's

Largely through the works of these two important artists, one from the West and the other from the East, since the 1950's the dove has gradually become an international symbol for peace.

'Brutal' Decision --- Day 14/16

Walk: AMC Kabuki (The Brutalist)

Distance: 3.5 miles

Adrien Brody as Laszlo Toth in The Brutalist

So, 'brutal' decision time: would Ciwt recommend The Brutalist?

For an outing, supporting theaters and the movie industry, and a probable Oscar winner performance, by all means yes  Also, the vast majority of critics say "Absolutely; it is a great, epic success!"

But Ciwt the left the theater from The Brutalist on a downer.  There are several threads in the movie, all of which she found depressing or at least off-putting and none tied together to make wholecloth.  Much of the dialogue was spoken so softly with accents that she either couldn't hear or understand it.  The photography seemed to her self-consciously arty and disjointed.  The scenery was cold and overpowering rather than magnificent.  She found every character hard to take in his or her own way .

Bascially nothing drew Ciwt into The Brutalist and held her attention except Adrien Brody's self-possessed acting.  Without him the movie would have just be a collection of  pieces. But he is that compelling, the glue that rivited her.  Which is not to say his character (Laszlo Toth) is likeable or even knowable.  Sympathetic at times certainly, but he shoulders his world alone and doesn't invite others in.  

Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones who play Toth's employer and wife respectively are the second and third acting glue in the movie. But, like Toth, but they are darkly fascinating but only partially fleshed out.

So, back to the question at hand: would Ciwt recommend going to the 3 hour 35 minute (with intermission at half point) The Brutalist?  Ciwt thinks yes - principally to experience Brody's performance and a fine movie making effort overall. Plus it really doesn't feel that long and keeps theaters alive.  

Femmes et Fleurs --- Day 14/15

Walk: Hood

Distance: 4 miles

Ciwt's long awaited amaryllis flower has arrived!

Distracted in California --- Days 14/13 & 14

Walk: Hood

Distances: 5.5 miles, 4 miles

Adultlike --- Day 14/12

Walk: No, drive to Point Reyes

Distance: n/a

So every once in a while Ciwt works on being 'adult' with her finances and updates her will.  And every time she does it seems to take a bit more energy to get those signatures on the page, Today was was that day.  She feels good to have it over with but now she's up for some comfort food (or a lollipop reward) and good old harebrained activities.

Arrivederci, Remarkable Ones --- Days 14/10 & 11

Walk: Hood

Distance: 4 miles

Bernard van Orley (Flemish, ca. 1488–1541), woven in the workshop of Willem and Jan Dermoyen, Brussels (Flemish, both active 1520s–1540s), The Sortie of the Besieged Imperial Troops from Pavia, and the Rout of the Swiss Guard (detail), ca. 1528–31. Wool, silk, gold, and silver thread, 165 3/8 x 350 in. (420 x 889 cm). Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Naples. Image courtesy of Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte

So, this Friday Ciwt and the de Young Museum will be saying 'Arrivederci' to a remarkable set of tapestries.  What Ciwt knew about tapestries before seeing the Battle of Pavia masterpieces at the de Young and taking in the lecture by our Director, Thomas Campbell, is what most people know.  Virtually nothing

We are all to be excused for our ignorance because widespread study and display of them is extremely limited. Most important tapestries were loomed in High Renaissance years (ca 1400 to 1600) so the treads of all but a few have deteriorated.  Their primary use was as wall coverings to insulate castle walls. So their sizes range from large to enormous making proper storage challenging in terms of room and temperature control.  Then those same sizes make it difficult or impossible for musems to find wall space for exhibiting.  Many of them were carried from place to place as royalty traveled to be hung ostentatiously and awesomely on visiting castle walls.  Enroute they may have endured battles, weather and other hazards to their condition.  Oh, and they were staggeringly expensive with only a few having the wherewithall to commission and own them, so the museum worthy ones were scarce even during Renaissance times. 

For these reasons alone, the de Young's exhibition of the Battle of Pavia tapestries is rare event.  It marks the first time this group of seven, each about 27 by 14 feet, has traveled from its museum home in Naples, Italy, to be shown in only three North American museums.   The deYoung is its second venue.  When it closes here, the exhibiton will go to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston then back to Italy.  If you can get there before they are returned, Ciwt encourages you to do it; they are considered among the most remarkable works of art - not just tapestry art - ever created.

Even if you are one of the few who will get to the exhibit, you will likely be overwhelmed by the amount of information they carry.  War and weapons history and military strategy, then European history and royal personalities. Following these are architecture, urban development, fashion, articles of daily life, politics, technology (yes, even then), class distinctions, even humor - and of course the art and craft of tapestry production. 

If you find any of these fields interesting, Ciwt recommends watching Thomas Campbell's talk on the Tapestries of the Battle of Pavia.  He is one of the world's foremsot authorities on tapestries and has a talent for conveying his knowledge in a way Ciwt finds enjoyable, interesting and informative.  The YouTube link to it is below.  

For now Ciwt says again 'Arrivederci. Thank you for expanding Ciwt's art horizons. You will not be forgotten.'

Tapestries in their Naples home museum

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5QZo7Q5xHU

There are also several excellent videos on the de Young Museum site for the tapestries