History Calls --- Days 14/35 & 36

Walks:  Hood ; No rain and travel planning

Distance: 3.5 miles; n/a

So if Ciwt disappears from CIWT from time to time in the next few months, chances are she's reclined on her window seat catching up on London history or sitting at her computer trying to figure what is where over there and how to get to it.  Because...she's booked a May trip to that historic city.  

Now We Are One Again --- Days 14/33 & 34

Walk: SFMOMA and galleries preparing for tour; SF Recorder's Office

Distance: 7.3 miles; 5.3 miles

So, as of yesterday, Ciwt and her cats are thrilled to be the owners of only one San Francisco property.  She's thrilled (read: relieved) economically.  (Memo to self: Don't try to sell when interest rates are on a major uptick, especially if it is election season).  And her cats are thrilled because they have lots more space to run around in and lots more windows to look at lots more birds.  (They also have a garden, but Ciwt isn't telling them about that).

Best of all, the one place they have is really, really nice.  Now it can become Home.

Small View, Enormous Circumstances --- Day 14/32

Walk: AMC Kabuki

Distance: 3.5 miles

Yesterday was such a disappointing day for Ciwt's football team favorites, today she headed off to a movie to move on.  And, happily, she was not at all disappointed with the quality of I'm Still Here, the Brazilian film nominated for two Oscars.  

The lead actress, Fernanda Torres, is in virtually every scene of the 2 hr, 16 minute movie and is suberb in every moment.  She - and Eunice Paiva, the real life woman she played - are the soul of dignity, grace and courage as they endure the most devastating of circumstances.  First her husband's essential kidnap by the police, then her own, then raising five children alone and working tirelessly for decades to seek justice for herself and her family.  Torres won the Best Actress at Cannes and the Golden Globes and is now nominated for an Academy Award which she richly deserves if she gets it.  

In the hands of a different director such a story could be a melodramatic weepie or political diatribe.  Instead Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries, and Central Station) presents his audience with something much more human, heartfelt and moving. His movie is shot in the true, vivid colors of beautiful Rio de Janeiro, in the very respectable homes and offices of  its samll group of upper middle class individuals.  Every character is nicely and truly developed, naturally attractive, well presented, and living life as best they could in the face of despair -  just as they really were.  (The script is developed from a book by Paiva's own son). The result is an unembellished, deeply moving, true life view of the human spirit at work presented by the most indelible of actresses.

Ambiguous (Anti)-Heroines --- Days 14/29, 30 & 31

Walks:  Hood, Presidio

Distances:  4.5 miles daily

San Francisco Ballet Manon

So it turned out Ciwt spent time yesterday watching two cultural offerings about ambiguous women. One was San Francisco Ballet's production of Manon and the other the 13-Oscar nominated movie Emilia Perez.

For the over two hour running time of Manon, Ciwt never resolved whether she had any sympathy for the title character.  Was Manon a desperate woman with no money forced by circumstance to use her great beauty for survival?  Or was she absolutely amoral, shifting from one lover to another with utter detachment?  

One thing Ciwt was sure of: Manon is yet another of San Francisco Ballet's superlative productions.  You know when you are watching a dancer's footwork and your brain suddenly says 'that

can't be done!'?  It happens again and again thoughout Manon.  The dance combinations of the subtlest and most relentless technical difficulty are danced with complete naturalness and ease. And the dense action - often multiple simultaneous vignettes - is performed flawlessly with every member of the ensemble knowing and imparting exactly what they are doing at every second and why.  Then there are the sumptous original sets and costumes which capture the opulence and decadence of 18th C France with lavish attire for the aristocrats and ragged, threadbare clothing for the poor.  These work together with the dancers to underscore the thermes of wealth, desire and moral decline.

And speaking of wealth and moral decline, we come to Ciwt's second (anti)heroine of the day, Emilia Perez.  Is she a fundamentally good person who wishes to atone for her past drug lord crimes and use her enormous, ill gotten wealth to give her inner peace and her family a safe and better life?  Or is she a remourseless manipulator, downright villainous character who tries to use her sexual transition and charity work to wash her hands of her heinous crimes and inappropriately capture her family?  Again, Ciwt never resolved that while watching the movie.

Commenting on the rest of Emilia Perez is a complicated and, yes, ambiguous affair for Ciwt.  Given its overall downplay of the ongoing and reprehensible atrosities of the cartel in favor of the relative triviality of transexuality (which also is handled imperfectly), it is difficult to see the movie so honored by the Oscar and other awards.  But, it is a genuinely unique, original, well acted, beautifully shot and crafted movie, so Ciwt has to say it is worthy of nominations in all the categories Oscar has chosen for it.

Hats, More Hats, Even More Hats --- Days 14/26, 27 & 28

Walks: Presidio and Hood

Distances: 4 miles avg

So, Ciwt found the First Lady's hat so fetching, it reminded her she is quite the hat person herself.  Hat buyer that is.  Over the years she has encountered some she couldn't resist.

And then she found some more,

And even more

And that's not all, but you get the idea.  Not until she gets home does she remember San Francisco's ferocious wind.  So unfortunately they have mostly languished in her closet.  Now, if hats become IN, suffice it to say, Ciwt is ready.

Ceremonies --- Days14/24 & 25

Walks: Presidio (x2) 

Distances: 4.5 miles (x2)

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Peasant Wedding,156, oil on board

So today was a day of protocol and ceremony in a very cold, windy Washington, DC.  And it put Ciwt in mind of a more warm and pleasant ceremony painted by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (Flemish, 1525-30 - 1569).

Bruegel is perhaps best known as a master of winter scenes, often capturing its harshness,

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Hunters in the Snow, 1565, oil on board

so this wedding painting may seem a bit of an anomaly. But, in fact, his works often depict lively urban or rural peasants engaged in everyday activities such as farming, banquets, festivals, dances and games. He revolutionized Flemish paintings by doing this, moving away from traditional themes like portraits and religious scenes.  His complex, dynamic works teem with life and movement and leave us with a vivid representation of 16th-century society in the complex often absurd ways its daily life was actually lived.

Football Widows --- Days 14/22 & 23

Walks: No, Presidio

Distance: n/a, 5.5 miles

Pamela Anderson as Shelley in The Last Showgirl

So, Ciwt's cats have become football widows while Ciwt spends hours watching playoff games as this season heads toward its Super Bowl conclusion. 

But she did take a little time to go to The Last Showgirl.  She never thought she would be drawn to a movie starring Pamela Anderson, so Ciwt she is stunned to realize she would gladly hand the Best Actress Oscar to her.  And equally gladly would she give the unsinkable Jamie Lee Curtis (always great!) the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.  We will see what happens at Oscar time.

And now Ciwt is off to ignore her cats and see what will happen in today's playoff games.   

Old Rules, No --- Day 14/21

 Walk: Hood

Distance: 3 miles

Qi Baishi (Chinese, 1864-1957),ink on scroll paper on silk)

So, Ciwt knows little about Asian art, but she did know that older Chinese art is a highly regimented practice judged by how well the artist meets standards of perfection in its various aspects.  Artists study for years calligraphy, brushwork, respectful, near worshipful renderings of nature and formal, polite portrayals of people.  So, imagine her surprise when she encountered the ink panel above by Qi Baishi.

The subject is cleaning his ears!

And then, right across from i,t this man calmly escorting his son or grandson to or from school.  Whether coming or going, have you ever seen a child more unhappy about the school experience?  Or, maybe you have in real life, but not in traditional Chinese art.

Turns out Qi Baishi (one of the several names he used) was as interested in traditional technique and subject matter as this little boy. Basically hardly at all.  After a few years training in the fundamentals of fine brushwork and meticulous detail, he realized he could paint in his own expressive way.  That way he could pursue art as his full-time career instead of dreaming of becoming a professional artist praised by the critics. So he produced art that was personal and expressive, traveling extensively thoughout China and finding mentors here and there.  This was quite something at his time (1864 - 1957) when freedom of artistic individual expression was scorned by critics who refused to acknowledge Qi's work as art.

But, not so his fellow countrypeople.  Qi was and continues to be China's most popular artist, appreciated by viewers from all walks of life.  He often used friends, neighbors, villagers depicting them in various everyday activities.  With real people as models, his subjects are transformed from their traditional solemn appearances into charming, relatable ordinary people.  And the secular (non-art critic) Chinese immediately loved looking at and being amused by themselves in daily activities and moods they could relate to.  Qi became beloved for these and other lively renderings of subjects ranging from plant to animal life (like the doves in the previous CIWT)  And collectors at all levels of art knowledge bought up and his works during his life time and today pay enormous, headline-worthy sums for it.  

So much for critics....

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.  Maybe a bit boring for her readers (and some days herself), but 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

Amaryllis Baby --- Day 14/9

Walk: Presidio and Hood

Distance: 5 miles

So Ciwt's gift amaryllis arrived a bit after Thanksgiving.  Since then the weather has been cold (for San Francisco) so she has been watering it just a bit and carrying it to the warmest room each evening.  Even with all that tending, she's been looking at the shriveling leaves at top and feeling concerned her amaryllis baby was ailing.

But on today's walk she looked in the window of a flower shop near her home and saw, shriveling leaves and all, her plant is well and on its way to flowering.  Wonder what color it will be?

P.S.  The flower shop she mentioned, Bloomers, has been serving the finest homes and occasions out here for decades.  If any of her readers ever want to send a special arrangement to a local friend, you can count on them. 

Iphone Can't Do It --- Day 14/8

Walk: Not sure (rain, cold, 2025 new bookkeeping matters)

Distance: n/a for now

Ciwt's iPhone camera can't capture the intensity and liveliness of Amy Sherald's paint.  And, really neither does the camera SFMOMA's photographer used for its website shots of its her portrait show: Amy Sherald: American Sublime.  But then no camera ever completely captures the living, breathing personhood of actual individuals.  

Sherald though, comes as close as humanly possible.  And the presence of her portraits is arresting and moving.  If you can get to SFMOMA - or New York's Whitney Museum or the Washington, DC Portrait Gallery where Sherald's show will travel - Ciwt strongly urges you to do so.  

She was nearly stopped in her tracks when she first walked through the show. She could have photographed every portrait.  Each one was alive and deeply touching.  Sherald's aim is to capture her subject's essence, their unique and sublime humanity, and she does just that.  

She chooses just the right model, outfits them in clothes that speak, paints them in grey skin tones (they are all black people) that bypass their blackness and go right to their essence.  She paints them big and most powerfully she paints them in intense colors that arrest you and call to you at the same time. She paints them looking right at you and hangs them low so you, you the viewer, aren't just looking at the people; you're communicating with them at the same level.  You know them, their aliveness and feel for them and with them as a human being.  It is quiet extremely skillful magic.

The rooms at her show are hushed; viewers stand and look often for extended times.  This doesn't often happen.    

Amy Sherald, Precious Jewels by the Sea, 2019

Amy Sherald, A God Blessed Land (Empire of Dirt), 2022

Amy Sherald, “If You Surrendered to the Air, You Could Ride It”, 2019.

Lunch Atop a Skyscraper, 1932 (photographer unknown)

Amy Sherald, Miss Everything: Unsurpassed Deliverance, 2014

Amy Sherald in front of her painting For love, and For Country, 2022

https://www.sfmoma.org/exhibition/amy-sherald-american-sublime/

Love That Grind --- Day 14/7

Walk: PT

Distance: 5 miles 

So, the holiday stretch is over.  The feeling of real is back in the air.  It's the first day 'back to the grind', and Ciwt says "Yay!"

And Now.... --- Day 14/6

Walk: Presidio

Distance: @2.5 miles

Happy New Year from Ciwt