Kandinsky on the ramps

The line snaked from 5th Avenue and around 88th St. as the Guggenheim doors open for a free admission day as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. Celine caught up with me and politely cut into the queue where I was waiting. The lady behind me didn’t mind; after all there was no seat assignment involved and giving up one space in the long line is a small price to pay for a truly unique experience to view 97 of the Kandinsky paintings.

The stately Guggenheim Museum is the host to a full-scale retrospective of the works of Vasily Kandinsky, the leading figure in the development of abstract art. If I had half the brain I would have looked him up and his works before coming here, but no, I relied on the audio guide and Celine’s eye for the art work. Which is no mistake since this is right up her alley and as usual she taught me a lot about abstract expressionism. I’ve never even heard of Bauhaus until now and why it was closed down by the Nazis who condemned Kandinsky’s teachings of modernist art.

The ramps of the six levels of the museum exploded with brilliant colors starting from the Campbell Panels originally painted to adorn the entrance foyer of the apartment of the wealthy Edwin R. Campbell of New York. The stained-glass colors shades of which I’ve never seen before of orange and yellow and pistachio green are so intense lined against the white rotunda walls. Abstract paintings which I’ve under appreciated before are of interest to me now. It was just a matter of exposure.

An accomplished musician himself, Kandinsky was fascinated with music, and its influence on his painting is very strong, particularly the music of Schoenberg and Scriabin. He is believed to have had synaesthesia, a harmless condition that allows a person to appreciate sounds, colours or words with two or more senses simultaneously. In his case, colours and painted marks triggered particular sounds or musical notes and vice versa. He translated the colors he heard onto the canvas and called it a form of “visual music”.

Halfway thru the exhibition, Celine and I paused for some coffee and pastries and what a picturesque view we had. The picture windows by the Café flashed the autumn colors from the trees across Central Park. It was priceless.

We finished off as we walked up to the sixth level to view Kandinsky’s later works of geometric shapes and a series of watercolors considered “biomorphic abstraction." Much of it looked like paramecium and amoeba to me that Celine and I didn’t particularly care for.

We then watched a 2-minute film on the winning entries to the shelter design competition. Google teamed up with the Guggenheim Museum to create a design competition to design a "simple shelter for a specific geographic location anywhere in the world." The prize went to David Mares of Portugal for his Cork Block Shelter and to David Eltang of Denmark for his Sea Shelter. One of the 10 finalists is “A Bamboo Shelter in a Garbage Dump City” by a Filipino architect Gonzalo Raymundo. I’m proud of that.

It would be a shame to miss Anish Kapoor’s sculpture entitled Memory, which is 24-ton steel that looked like it got stuck in one corner of the gallery. Shaped like a giant egg, looking like a walnut or a Zeppelin dirigible it’s a puzzle how they even got this piece inside that gallery. Known for his large scale sculptures, we’ll recall Kapoor’s Sky Mirror installation at the Rockefeller Center.

Art appreciation for one day, I can only assimilate so much, so off we went to look for a decent restaurant. What a find – Centolire on Madison and 86th, traditional Italian, substantial portions worth the money.

And there it ends - everything I always wanted to know about Kandinsky but were afraid to ask and a lunch treat from Celine on a free day at the Guggenheim. Our target for next month – the Rubin Museum of Art with Carl Jung’s controversial The Red Book on exhibit.

Grand Aida

Overheard while in line for the ladies room: "This is on my bucket list. At last I can say I saw this grand spectacle". I couldn't agree with this lady more. Aida, with its most exotic setting, is the grandest of the grand operas. Filled with spectacular scenes, large sets and a cast of powerful voices producing out-of-this-world sounds, it is the mother of all operas.

It was absorbing all throughout. The most unforgettable moment is the popular triumphal procession impressive with its cast of over 150 on stage, beautiful horses without any harness and performers stepping in style and marching in synchronized presentation. Do not blink or you'll miss something.

The music, the arias, the magnificent choruses and elaborate ballet make up the complex ensemble. A high point was the heart-warming solo "Celeste Aida" by the tenor Johan Bohta who played Radames. Violeta Urmana starred in the lead role and sang equally striking melodic solos all throughout the opera. From season to season, it is the same blockbuster opera lovers would not want to miss.

It was hard to escape the fact that on this Saturday matinees, the average subscribers are senior citizens. They are the opera buffs who, cane and all, would rather climb multiple steps with but a few landings to the Family Circle section to see the performance than go to the theatre to watch the live HD transmission. Not that I do not support the Met's program of widening its audience globally and to all age groups, but I'm also one who likes to see the act on stage while I listen to singing. What can I say, you can't teach old dogs new tricks!

Below is the newly renovated plaza of the Lincoln Center. The well choreographed water effects of the fountain is the centerpiece of this iconic performing arts center.


Aptly said, "Even the water dances".

Coco before Chanel - a lovely tribute

It is as if Audrey Tatou was born to play the role as the legendary couturier Gabrielle Coco Chanel in the period piece Coco before Chanel.

Looking at the window displays at the Chanel boutique, I've always admired the style of Coco, that classic simple but elegantly expensive design. She was able to get away with the creations that are boyish in look but were worn in style by many socialites. Among her signature pieces that became fashionable were strands of pearls, the simple black dress, cardigan suit and the menswear-inspired suit vest.

What I didn't know was behind all the success as a fashion designer her early life was tumultuous. Hardly free of hurdles, she somehow lived through the struggles bravely and with such resilience. The movie is a classic much like Chanel's style. Tatou is the perfect model for the elegant clothes. During an interview with Charlie Rose, she claimed she hardly read up on the life of Coco, but it appeared that she captured the character she played in the movie.

Coco's designs remind me of the style popularized by two of the best dressed women I've admired - Katharine Hepburn and Diane Keaton. Known for their non-conformist style, both broke the dress code for women. Nobody wore pants like they did.

Headstrong but extraordinary, that's Coco Chanel and for Audrey Tatou, a very fine performance portraying the complicated life of a pioneer in design with true elegance.

You do the math, Helen

So, is it possible to find someone who is out there somehow lost in the black hole of Twittering or "booking Faces"? You bet it is.

I'm surprised it took her this long to make contact.
About 42 years ago pretty little Helen sat in my Math class in our local high school. Today, she was genuinely ecstatic that she was able to track me down. "A dream come true", she uttered. That was a compliment, but I thought I terrorized my students then. She must not think so.

Our reunion may not be headline-worthy but it sure left us both feeling great and nostalgic about the good old days. The meeting place was the front door of the St. Patrick's Cathedral on a cold Tuesday morning. We both spotted and recognized each other without a hitch. She didn't change much, not even an inch taller it seems, still looking young and sporting that shy-Helen smile.

The day proved to be a mini-vacation/tour for Helen. Realizing that she hasn't seen much of the City even as she stays with her son in NJ, I showed her around. We got good lessons on how cranberries are harvested by flooding the bogs. The Ocean Spray people had a nice display complete with flooded berries corralled in front of the Rockefeller Plaza. Harvesters in tall rubber boots and with their raking tools wade in a sea of bright ruby red cranberries. It was awesome. We even got a free bottle of cranberry -pomegranate drink.

We then strolled down nearby Central Park. Dwarfed by the towering skylines in the backdrop, she was so thrilled as we crossed the park to get to the west side of Manhattan.

Nothing much has changed between us it seems. Feeling a little awkward calling me by my first name, she addressed me as "Ma'am" or "Miss" all this time. Let's face it, there's really no way to put a youthful spin on "Ma'am", but I didn't mind, Helen is just too polite and respectful.

Her stories came pouring out - the success stories and whereabouts of her other classmates. I remember most of those kids and I feel like I'm part of their accomplishments.

As it turned out, Helen and I share the same passion - baking and cooking. We had lunch at Whole Foods by Central Park West. That's when she told me she was in the restaurant business for a good two years until it got too exhausting for her. She still does private catering and party planning and so we had lots of baking experience to share. We drooled as we window- shopped at Williams- Sonoma. Aside from the fact that I no longer have room for any more cookwares in my small kitchen, I've made a vow that my kitchen shopping days are pretty much over.

From there we walked down Broadway and took some shots by the Ed Sullivan Theatre, the home of the infamous The Late Show with David Letterman. Without the traffic from cars and cabs along the stretch going towards Times Square, we didn't find ourselves weaving through a mass of lost tourists. Helen had fun, I acted as her guide. "Let's do this again", she said, and I didn't protest, but next time it'll be with her classmate Antera from Maryland. They are welcome to stay with me.

Being with Helen for a very short time, suddenly 63 felt like half the number.

Not quizzing you Helen, but you do the math. How many miles did we walk without being bogged down? You think this "Ma'am" still has some good years left?