Is it a Blog...

Hi again! Sorry about the hiatus in posting to the blog. I stopped because I thought no one was reading it and wasn't sure I should continue. But I was pleasantly surprised at last night's meeting disussing "My Love Affair with Modern Art" that several of you ARE reading the blog and noticed I hadn't been posting!

So, I will start again (I did miss doing it) and hope that if and when you log on you will leave a comment or just a note that you looked.

I enjoyed our discussion last night about what the definition of art is - and is it 'art' if no one sees or hears it? Hence, the title of the blog entry. I will use this book as a jumping off point to learn more about modern art, but right now I'm focused on finding - somehow in my piles of books I managed to lose my copy - "Shakespeare & Company" for next month's meeting. I ordered another (used) copy from Amazon, just in case the original never turns up.

So, thanks for reading the blog. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Beth

Fashion is Forever

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06345/745153-84.stm
http://www.thebudgetfashionista.com/tags/tag/political+fashion

Here are just a couple of the web sites I found when I entered "political fashion" into my search engine. While it may may no longer be a matter of life and death - style still matters!

Fashion Links

Here's the first item I found regarding dress & fashion relating to Marie Antoinette. I'll look for more, but this one provides at lot of detail that I think will supplement the information in the book.

Queen of Fashion

This weekend I started reading Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution. It only took a couple of pages for this book to draw me in! It's marvellously well-written and I am enthralled with Marie Antoinette and the life of the French court of Louis XV and XVI. While we talk about making "a fashion statement," today - it's clear that modern American fashion decisions are not a matter of life and death! We may imitate Michelle Obama's sweater sets and boost the bottom line for J. Crew, but first-lady fashion in the Bourbon Court was another slice of cake altogether (sorry, I couldn't resist!).

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I am. I'm going to get on the web & see if I can find additional information and will post links with my next post.

2010 List Updates

www.booksonthenightstand.com

There are a couple of changes to the 2010 reading list. I added a second novel and replaced another book. The list on the blog is now up to date. The link above is for the web site of Books on the Night Stand. I have been listening to their excellent podcasts and recently e-mailed them and got a lovely e-mail in response. It's possible they will mention our book club on next week's podcast! If you download podcasts you might find their web site and check it out or use iTunes. Other podcasts that I listen to are the NEA's "Big Read" podcasts, which feature short and very informative and lively presentations about classics like Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer and Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms; the New York Times Book Review; and the Washington Post Book Review. There are others out there...but these are my favorites! Also, there is now a link on this blog to the Cultural Arts Center's Facebook page. Under the "We Read" section you can find our 2009 and 2010 booklists in the My Bookshelf area.

The Studio

I started reading The Studio this week and it IS a quick read. It's a good summer book. Dunne is a good writer and I am enjoying his descriptions of meetings and characterizations of people. The movies date the book - definitely 60s - and reading about those old movies is fun and almost like reading a gossip column! Definitely light reading but gives a good sense of the business side of creating art and entertainment.

John Gregory Dunne

At last night's meeting there was some discussion about the author of our June book, The Studio - John Gregory Dunne. Here is a link to an obituary for Dunne, who died in 2004. He was married to the author Joan Didion, who wrote The Year of Magical Thinking about the death of Dunne and their daughter within a short span of time. His brother is Dominick Dunne.

Positively 4th Street

I'm about halfway through Positively 4th Street and will read a few more pages at lunch today, but won't be able to finish it before tonight's meeting. It's a fun book for me because I grew up listening to not only the four singer-songwriters who are the focus of the book - but just about everyone the author mentions! My parents introduced me to The Weavers and Pete Seeger and Burl Ives (Big Rock Candy Mountain), but I "discovered" Joan Baez from a girlfriend in Junior High. From there it wasn't hard to find and listen to Bob Dylan, Mimi & Richard Farina, Eric Von Schmidt, Dave Van Ronk and many of the other folksingers of the
60s. Reading about them now is like time travel - taking me back to my teenage years, but with the perspective of experience and a new appreciation of these artists as people - talented, flawed and some of them still making music!

Potential Book for 2010

Of course, just when I think I've settled on the 10 books for next year another one comes to mind! I've had this book in the 'reading basket' next to my bed for several months. It's A Summer of Hummingbirds: Love, Art, and Scandal in the Intersecting Worlds of Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, & Martin Johnson Heade. The author is Christopher Benfey. By next year, it will probably be available in paperback. I'm thinking of pairing it with Visual Shock: A History of Art Controversies in American Culture by Michael Kammen. So I'm going to add it to the list and make these two books the September books, so we can try to read both of them over the summer!

Tentative Book Selections for 2010

I think I've come up with the 2010 reading list for the Arts & Culture Book Club! Like this year, I tried to include books that cover a broad spectrum of arts and cultures. For those couple of books whose titles are not obvious indicators of their contents, here are brief descriptions.

Thieves of Baghdad by Matthew Bogdanos is about the theft of art and antiquities from the Iraq National Museum during the American invasion.

The Painted Kiss: A Novel by Elizabeth Hickey is our only novel for 2010. It is the author's first novel and is the story of the relationship between Gustav Klimt and his young lover, "whose name he pronounced with his dying breath." (Publishers Weekly)

I have included a link to amazon.com in the book list, in case you want to check out the book reviews. Please let me know if you have any comments!

From Louis Armstrong to the 60s

Yesterday I finished reading the Louis Armstrong Book. I enjoyed it and learned a lot about jazz, music in general and music in the context of culture and geography. It really got me thinking. However, I have to say that I pretty much skimmed the last chapter, "Melody that Changed the World," because it was just too technical musically for my limited knowledge. But I appreciated the last chapter of the book ending with, "Out of their values and practices came the fruits of an expressive culture that are with us still." Since I started reading the book, I have added quite a few jazz songs to my iPod, including lots of New Orleans jazz and have a newfound appreciation for them and where they came from.

Now when I listen to Armstrong sing the lyrics of "Do you Know what it Means to Miss New Orleans" I have a much better sense of the place and people.

I have read just a few pages of Positively 4th Street, but I see at least one similarity shared by both books. That is, the authors trace the style of music they focus on back to the culture and people that produced it.

My parents listened to Louis Armstrong on 78s! I came of age listening to Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and the Farinas - on 33rpm records. Dylan's song "Positively 4th Street" and its references to his time in New York and in Greenwich Village speak more to my personal experience than does Louis Armstrong. But I enjoy listening to jazz, folk and many different musical styles. It reminds me how lucky we are to live in a time when we CAN listen to such a diversity of music - via, radio, records, CDs, iPods and other downloads and more.

Louis Armstrong & New Orleans

http://www.nps.gov/archive/jazz/Jazz%20History.htm

Here's a website I found that may be of interest for reading "Louis Armstrong's New Orleans." The author includes quite a lot of information about the geography - both physical and cultural - of New Orleans neighborhoods during Armstrong's time. This site includes walking tour maps that might be helpful in visualising his world.

Finishing "Faberge's Eggs"...

I enjoyed our discussion last night. It's always interesting to hear different perspectives on the same book. I especially appreciated Natalia's comments about the book being factual - but written from a western perspective. It's always good to be reminded to remember not only the point of view of the author - but our own cultural biases and history, as well.

I have already started "Louis Armstrong's New Orleans," and find myself transported to a time and place that is both familiar and foreign. I am not a musician, but I'm a "I know what I like" listener. I've always enjoyed blues and jazz, and this book is a great introduction for me into how that music developed and how it is performed. Despite some words and musical concepts that are new to me, I am soaking up the New Orleans atmosphere. (Louis Armstrong spent his later years in Queens, New York - not far from where I grew up!)

Louis Armstrong's New Orleans

In May, book club members can read either the Louis Armstrong book or
Positively 4th Street. The intent is to have people read one OR the other and come to the meeting to share perspectives on the impact that place has on artists and performers. New York in the case of Baez, Dylan and the Farinas and New Orleans in the case of Louis Armstrong. (If anyone wants to read both books, that would be great. I'm going to try......)

I've started Thomas Brothers' book, Louis Armstrong's New Orleans and am getting a real sense of the context in which to place Armstrong's life and music. Of course, he grew up in New Orleans and left, while the folksingers came to New York City from other places - that will be an interesting comparison for discussion.

Faberge's Eggs

I finished our April book over the weekend. I settled into my recliner on Sunday afternoon to read the last few chapters. I couldn't put it down! The first part of the book covering the Tsars and the revolution intrigued me from a historical perspective. The second part of the book - about the eggs taking on a life of their own - from worthless in the eyes of museums and collectors to priceless in their eyes - just fascinated me. I am really looking forward to our discussion this month to hear everyone's take on it.

I downloaded several Russian classical pieces to my iPod to listen to while I read. They include the Overture to "The Tsar's Bride," by Rimsky-Korsakof; Rachmaninov's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini;" and Lladov's "Baba Yaga." I have not yet tired of listening to them!

Here are a couple of web sites I found that looked interesting. The first one about Nicholas and Alexandra and the second about the eggs' 'afterlife' as collectibles.

http://www.nicholasandalexandra.com/exhibition.html

http://www.forbes.com/2004/01/08/cx_pm_0108fcphotoessay.html

Caillebotte Exhibit in Brooklyn

There is an article in today's New York Times (3/27/09) about a new exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum in NYC, "Gustave Caillebotte: Impressionist Paintings from Paris to the Sea." The exhibit will be up until July 5th (which is too bad, because I'll be in NYC this summer, but will get there one day too late to see it!). The Times article has several color photos of his paintings, including "Floor Scrapers." There are additional images at the Times web site. The Brooklyn Museum also has a web site, with a slide show of paintings.

From Luncheon of the Boating Party....to Faberge's Eggs

We had a very interesting discussion last night about "Luncheon of the Boating Party." I think we all appreciated the 'extras' brought in by Sharon and Fred - the books with plates and the web search materials naming and describing the models. It seems we all had trouble remembering who was who, but other than that the book was a good read for all of us. It certainly stimulated a lot of discussion. Thanks to Sharon for leading our conversation and to Merle for providing goodies at just the right moment!

I really appreciated the discussion, initiated by Bonnie, about the role of women in that time and place. One women's issue we didn't mention was Ellen's friend from the theater who had a botched back-alley abortion and was abandoned by her lover. I think the women in the novel had strong characters and contributed a lot to the novel.

I also appreciated the discussion about the lives of artists. The artists in the 3 books we've read so far were all womanizers and certainly had their strengths and weaknesses in other areas. It made for interesting reading, but the point was made that not all artists lead this kind of life - we just don't hear much about the private lives of artists (painters, writers, actors...) who don't make it a point to lead PUBLIC lives!

Our first three books were about individual painters. Our fourth book is more about the works of art, the context in which they were created, and in which they are collected. And we have moved away from painters to jewelers and objets d'art.

So I am looking forward to our April meeting and our discussion of "Faberge's Eggs: The Extraordinary Story of the Masterpieces That Outlived an Empire."

Music to read by....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Debussy#Recordings_and_MIDI_files

In doing a little background research for our March book, I found this web site about Claude Debussy, whose music is associated with the Impressionist movement in art. There are a few links to listen to some of his music.

E-Books

Just a note about e-books! I learned about a new app on iTunes that allows you to download Kindle e-books from amazon.com directly onto your iPod Touch or iPhone. The app is free from the iTunes app store. So yesterday I went to the Civic Center - free wifi there - and downloaded my first book! It's one of the suggestions for next year - about the making of a Steinway piano. You have to have a one-click Amazon account and the books have to be downloaded wirelessly. But it worked - just took a moment to download and there it was on my iPod. You can adjust the size of the print and bookmark and you scroll from page to page using your finger. I haven't started reading my new e-book yet, but I wanted to pass this on. The book cost $9.99. Has anyone else tried this?

More suggestions for next year

Natalia suggested we consider two more books for next year. I added them to our list. They are "The Piano Shop on the Left Bank," by Thad Carhart and "Grand Obsession," by Perri Knize.

Thanks!

Renoir

For anyone wanting more background about Auguste Renoir his son, Jean Renoir, wrote a memoir entitled, "Renoir, My Father." It is available in paperback. An Art in America quote on the back cover reads, "The most important personal document on Renoir to appear in English...one of the most engaging biographies ever written about an artist." It is illustrated with photographs and paintings. It looks like a very readable and intriguing book. I haven't started it yet but hope to have some of it read by our March meeting on the 24th.

Books to Consider for 2010

There is a new feature on the blog. We talked a little bit this week about books for next year, so I have started to make a list of books that look interesting. If you have any books you'd like us to consider for next year, please comment on this post. Also, if you have read any of the books on the list, let us know what you thought and if they would be good choices for us. A good place to go for descriptions and reviews is Amazon.com and other on-line booksellers.

Beth

Finishing "Dreaming With His Eyes Open"

I finished the Diego Rivera biography this morning! I'm looking forward to tonight's meeting and the discussion about his life and art. I'm also looking forward to reading our only novel this year, Susan Vreeland's, "Luncheon of the Boating Party." I've already started reading it and am enjoying the "lighter" read.

Leon Trotsky and Diego Rivera

I found this web site when I wanted more information about Trotsky. I am almost finished with our book and Rivera has severed his relationship with Trotsky over the affair with Frida. I thought this was a good supplemental source of information.

Back to Vermeer...

There was an interesting book review in the Wall Street Journal this morning. The book is "The Gardner Heist," by Ulrich Boser. It's about the "world's biggest unsolved art theft," from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston 19 years ago. It looks like a good book, but it's of interest here because one of the paintings stolen was a Vermeer, "The Concert." (The book jacket here is from the Amazon.com site and the painting image is from the book I had at last month's meeting. I'll have it again next week if anyone wants to look at it. The plate does say it is at the museum in Boston!)

I enjoyed reading the review and will consider the book for next year's Arts & Culture Book Club! If any of you have read it or do read it, let me know what you think.

Beth

Frida Kahlo

I am within 100 pages of finishing "Dreaming With His Eyes Open" (Rivera is in San Francisco with Frida Kahlo) and Frida figures prominently - to say the least - in this stage of Rivera's life. So I thought I'd include a link to a web site with additional information about Frida Kahlo.

I am struck by how Frida reinvented herself in a way similar to Rivera's own reinvention! I am looking forward to discussing this aspect of their lives when we meet next week!

Beth

Posting A Comment

Sylvia and I exchanged e-mails yesterday because she is having trouble posting a comment to the blog. I am not sure why this is happening, but I would appreciate it if other book club members would try to post comments & let me know if they are successful. I would like to figure out what the problem is and correct is so everyone can comment and exchange ideas. Thanks!

Beth

"The Statue That Didn't Look Right"

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0316010669/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

Victoria came in & brought me a copy of this Introduction from Malcolm Gladwell's book, Blink. It's called "The Statue That Didn't Look Right," and it relates to our discussion of The Man Who Made Vermeers. I hope you can open the link, because it's a great story!



Beth

Inventing Your Own Life!

Another theme I've been seeing in Dreaming With His Eyes Open is the ease with which Rivera - throughout his life - invents and reinvents his life history! Whether purposefully or wishfully, his creativity extends to his life story. He seems to change the details depending on the times and/or the audience. I was wondering how often artists - and people in general - reinvent themselves to suit their own perceptions of themselves or to 'paint a picture' of themselves for others. Any thoughts? Do any other artists/writers/musicians come to mind who you know have also reinvented themselves like this?

Beth

Art & Politics

I'm about halfway through Dreaming With His Eyes Open and was struck by the inter-connection between art & politics and Rivera's connection to the Revolution and to the Communist movement in Mexico. It reminded me of our discussion about art, crime & politics in the first book we read. I am beginning to see this as a common thread in the books we will read - how art and artists fit into the larger culture and in the politics of the times. I guess it's not surprising, but it really jumped out at me as I reached the point where Rivera is painting his first murals in Mexico.

I wanted to get this down before I lost the thought! I think it will be a good discussion point at our February meeting.

Beth

Faberge' Eggs and Sound Tracks for Satchmo & Dylan

Here are some more web sites related to upcoming books.


This first one has lots of information about the Faberge' eggs and good pictures.


http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/a_nav/faberge_nav/main_fabfrm.html


The next 3 relate to the two May books - biographies of Louis Armstrong & Bob Dylan. The 2 "tracks" web sites offer free listening to lots of tracks by each artist! The other web site is for the Louis Armstrong Museum in New York City. It also includes video and sound.


The web is a gold-mine of additional information for the books we will be reading - a virtual tour of arts & culture!


http://www.louisarmstronghouse.org/louie_armstrong/overview.htm


http://www.last.fm/music/Louis+Armstrong/+tracks


http://www.last.fm/music/Bob+Dylan/+tracks


Beth

Renoir Web Links

http://www.renoirgallery.com/

I'm in downtown Portland today - taking a class in Publisher. We are on a break and, of course, and I am surfing the web - looking for cool web sites related to books we will be reading! Just found this one.

If you are a web-surfer, too, please add sites you have found and would like to share with club members. Since I'm a librarian, at heart, I will keep looking and keep posting!

Beth

I Paint What I See
A Ballad of Artistic Integrity
by E. B. White
First published in the New Yorker magazine, May 20, 1933
during the controversy of Diego Rivera's mural,
Man at the Crossroads,
in the Rockefeller Center



'What do you paint, when you paint on a wall?'
Said John D.'s grandson Nelson.'
Do you paint just anything there at all?'
Will there be any doves, or a tree in fall?'
Or a hunting scene, like an English hall?''

I paint what I see,' said Rivera.

'What are the colors you use when you paint?'
Said John D.'s grandson Nelson.
'Do you use any red in the beard of a saint?'
If you do, is it terribly red, or faint?'
Do you use any blue? Is it Prussian?' '

I paint what I paint,' said Rivera.

'Whose is that head that I see on the wall?'
Said John D.'s grandson Nelson.
'Is it anyone's head whom we know, at all?'
A Rensselaer, or a Saltonstall?'
Is it Franklin D.? Is it Mordaunt Hall?
Or is it the head of a Russian?

'I paint what I think,' said Rivera.

'I paint what I paint, I paint what I see,
'I paint what I think,' said Rivera,
'And the thing that is dearest in life to me
'In a bourgeois hall is Integrity;
'However . . .
'I'll take out a couple of people drinkin''
And put in a picture of Abraham Lincoln;
'I could even give you McCormick's reaper
'And still not make my art much cheaper.
'But the head of Lenin has got to stay
'Or my friends will give the bird today,
'The bird, the bird, forever.

''It's not good taste in a man like me,
'Said John D.'s grandson Nelson,
'To question an artist's integrity
'Or mention a practical thing like a fee,
'But I know what I like to a large degree,
'Though art I hate to hamper;
'For twenty-one thousand conservative bucks
'You painted a radical. I say shucks,
'I never could rent the offices-----
'The capitalistic offices.
'For this, as you know, is a public hall
'And people want doves, or a tree in fall
'And though your art I dislike to hamper,
'I owe a little to God and Gramper,
'And after all,
'It's my wall . . .

''We'll see if it is,' said Rivera.

Internet Resources about Diego Rivera

http://diegorivera.com/index.php

http://www.riveramural.com

I had a few minutes this morning to check out web listings about Diego Rivera. Here are two that I found interesting and colorful. Nice additions to the photos in the book! Hopefully, you can click on them & connect.

Beth

Our First Meeting!

The Arts & Culture Book Club's first meeting was last night, Tuesday, January 27th. We had an interesting discussion of "The Man Who Made Vermeers," by Jonathan Lopez. Nine members of the club were present for this meeting, and two members who couldn't make it will join us next month, February 24th, for our second meeting when we will discuss "Dreaming With His Eyes Open: A Life of Diego Rivera," by Patrick Marnham.

Only members of the Arts & Culture Book Club will be able to read/post to this blog. The Club members can use this blog to communicate with each other about the books we are reading, related books and topics; meeting information and other items related to the book club.

Thanks to everyone for a great first meeting. I'm looking forward to next month.

Beth