Kandinsky at the Guggenhem

I can't imagine a better forum for a Kandinsky retrospective than the Guggenheim. Not only was Solomon Guggenheim an avid collector of his work, Frank Lloyd Wright was influenced by Kandinsky's combination of the organic and geometry. The colors, the shapes, the energy of Kandinsky's work can only serve as a compliment the museum's curving white space. So far everyone who sees the show raves-- it's up until January 2010, so let me know what you think.

For the Love of Color

Brace yourself-- Shocking revelations today in the New York Times: The Guggenheim was supposed to be red!
That Platonic white ideal of modernism-- shattered. Our expectations of modern architecture do not include color. Instead we like to think in terms of the purity of the materials, sometimes losing out on the playfulness of color. For example, check out Friedensreich Hundertwasser's hostel for the Ronald McDonald House for convalescing children. The cheery, fanciful color must help lift spirits in such dire circumstances. Even the Victorian era, despite its prudishness, or perhaps because of it, used color in bold ways, expressing the architectural details with flair. And what a joy it is to see all of the lovely colorful buildings standing side by side like a pack of crayons in the small towns of Ireland. But color can be a commitment, and fear of choosing the wrong color can lead one to go the safe route: beige. One way to kill some time and test out color schemes is to go on the Benjamin Moore website. Their exterior options are fun to configure and before we painted our house in Islip, I tested many different combinations. Ultimately, we settled on no less than four different colors-- the overall house a customized blue that I fear we can never duplicate, periwinkle shutters, cranberry trim, and taupe accents. Now that we are looking at repainting Potic cottage with its new addition, I am anxious to test out some new ideas-- perhaps we'll have a vote?

NYC and Architecture

There are some buildings which become the icon for the entire city. With Manhattan's density, it isn't simply one building that stands out, but the cumulative vertical effect of skyscraper next to skyscraper. Philip Johnson's Chippendale detail on the AT&T building is barely visible from the street, but soon became part of the post-modern movement in architecture. It was only from this 36th floor window that I was able to get a good look and snap a pic.

The Guggenheim, recently renovated, is another architectural 'must-see' for its graceful exterior and its inspired floor plan. Currently housing a Frank Lloyd Wright exhibition, Wright's desire to establish a modern and distinctly American form of architecture is detailed in his beautiful drawings and in the handful of models on display. What was most interesting about the show were the residential floor plans as evidence of how our homes have evolved. Most significantly is the change in the placement of the kitchen. What is now the center of a contemporary home for cooking, eating, and socializing, Wright relegates the kitchen into a separate space meant just for food preparation with little to no connection to the living space. What remains true, however, is his desire to place the house on the site be be best integrated with nature.

Another great, but often overlooked NYC building, is the Park Avenue Armory between 66th and 67th street, built for New York State’s Seventh Regiment of the National Guard, the first volunteer militia to respond to President Lincoln’s call for troops in 1861. The building was completed in 1880. Members of what was known as the “Silk Stocking” Regiment included New York’s most prominent Gilded Age Families including the Vanderbilts, Van Rensselaers, Roosevelts, Stewarts, Livingstons and Harrimans. The Armory’s drill hall, one of the city's largest unobstructed interiors, uses industrial steel arches for support, reminding one of what Penn Station had been. The vast 9,000 square foot space was used most recently for the Ernesto Neto exhibition, whose fluid transparent forms were nearly dwarfed in the enormity of the space.

I hope to spend a good portion of this summer continuing the search for great NYC architecture, so if you have any suggestions, please drop me a note!

Two Summer Shows

While looking for images of Claes Oldenburg's work, I found this picture of Soft Shuttlecock when it was installed inside the Guggenheim. Although Oldenburg's show this summer is actually at the Whitney, it makes sense to use this picture to highlight Frank Lloyd Wright's summer show at the Guggenheim. The show, which compiled Wright's drawings and models, runs until August 23rd. Wright, who died six months before the museum opened, has been criticized for creating a museum that overwhelms the actual art; however as seen in the Oldenburg image, the space is incredible when paired with sculpture. For example, the Cai Guo-Qiang show I Want to Believe in 2008 used the interior space in breathtaking ways. His dynamic, large scale sculptures suited the fluidity of the building's lines. I am anxious to get to the show so I can see how Wright's own work suits the museum space he created.

Pollock in the Trees

Pollock's Autumn Rhythm

Looking up at the trees last week, it was as if Pollock himself had dripped colors and lines across the sky. Only nature could be both abstract and concrete in equal doses. Spending the week teaching Transcendentalism and Thoreau sent me into the woods to find the perfect spot to become what Emerson called a transparent eyeball. Framing up images of a trees through the lens of a camera helped make that impalpable task far more tangible. And it made perfect sense when Frank Lloyd Wright was asked if he believed in God, he said, "Yes, but I spell it N-A-T-U-R-E."