People-Watching, SC.

Near a cantilevered bridge, under blue skies - prom photos:

• girl in short, strapless dress with turquoise mermaid-scale sequins, teetering in spike heels - moving as little as necessary.
• girl in short, strapless randomly-sequined coral dress, teetering in spike heels - moving as little as necessary.
• brunette in short, strapless electric blue satin with tulle tutu, descending stairs.

Near a park fountain:

• bridesmaids wearing two styles of gray taffeta dress - strapless or bow on one shoulder... abdomens slightly ruched, but dresses very fitted and above knee.  Everyone, throats adorned with big citron yellow plastic gems dangling - really a very attractive and eye-catching accent.

In front of a hotel fountain:

• bridesmaids wearing pale sea blue/green shot silk long, full-skirted formal gowns with peach corsages.  Men's ties also pale sea blue/green shot silk.

In front of a tree:

• a grouchy/grumpy-looking bride being photographed by a grouchy/grumpy-looking photographer.

High-low hemlines (short in front, long in back - like a mullet):

• one girl in an electric blue dress with high-low overskirt of diaphanous material.
• one girl in a dainty-looking cream lace high-low dress with double-tiered ruffle over the bust.

Two auburn scottish terriers reclining on a cafe table (placed there by their people) - panting, watching me go by.

A boy with glossy dark wavy hair wearing a plastic comb-like stretchy headband, making his hairline appear braided.

A group of five people - all with dark, thick hair - one girl, four gentlemen... looking as if they were a band, even if they aren't - all wearing denim shirts and jeans and black shoes... girl in long denim skirt, men with full hair and some with beards and mustaches, walking slowly - looking full of potential creativity.

Blues piano player wearing heavy-rimmed black glasses, a fannypack, and shorts with embroidered leaves.  His fingernails long... brown fingers with healthy pink tips, walking purposefully up-and-down mostly the black keys.


  

Remarkable Enid Yandell: 19th Century Sculptress.

The Parthenon stands intact today... in Nashville, Tennessee... an impressive full-size replica of the Greek temple.  Therein you'll find a wealth of historical wisdom, an art gallery - and a 41-foot tall gilded goddess Athena... but not - perhaps disappointingly - the Athena of Enid Yandell... in 1897 deemed the largest statue ever created by a woman.

Enid Yandell - turn-of-the-century sculptress - created Nashville Parthenon's first Athena for the 1897 Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition.  Yandell's Pallas Athena (based upon the Pallas of Velletri - at the Louvre) stood sentry outside Nashville's Parthenon.  Strong hero-protector-goddess of all-things and endeavors wise, brave, just, skillful, shrewd, and artistic - Athena... at least Yandell's Athena... was not equipped to battle weather and time.  Nashville elected to replace Yandell's Pallas Athena.

Enid Yandell with Pallas Athena, circa 1897.  Photo from Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

After admiring the Parthenon exterior - its ornate mythologically-inspired pediments - its centaur-ific wrap-around frieze - its magnificent columns - its enormous and mysterious doors, I entered to find well-documented history of Nashville's Parthenon and of the Centennial Exposition.  And it was there, among the walls of historical information and beautiful artwork, I saw Enid with her Pallas Athena.

Nashville, Tennessee Parthenon pediment, frieze, and grand columns.  Photo Toile La La.

Magnificent doors of Nashville, Tennessee Parthenon.  Photo Toile La La.

While it is true Yandell's Athena was a smaller goddess than the one regally reigning and residing in present-day Nashville's Parthenon, the small but mighty 25-foot Pallas Athena has a look which is more fierce, serious and take-charge capable.  You may however choose to differ should you compare the 25-foot Pallas Athena to the 41-foot Athena Parthenos... both are awe-inspiring.

All in all, as awe-inspriring as any statue of any Athena statue - it's a remarkable fact and feat that Enid Yandell, a woman of the late nineteenth century should make her mark as a prolific artist/sculptor.  As proof of the magnitude of this triumph, one should perhaps consider Yandell's words describing another statue - Struggle of Life - portraying "the attempt of the mortal soul within us to free itself from the handicaps and entanglements of its earthly environments".

In addition to images of Yandell's Pallas Athena (sometimes referred to as Athene), it was a description of Yandell in her Paris studio - at the impasse du Maine in the Latin Quarter - which drew me to the artist.  Before Pallas Athena set sail for the U.S., Enid held a bon voyage party - "a candle-lit feast" inside the statue's torso... Tres Chic!

Wikipedia entry image, chromolithograph by The Henderson Litho Co., 1896/1897.  Library of Congress.

In the aerial view above, I believe you might envision Yandell's Pallas Athena smack-dab in the center.

Read more about the Nashville Parthenon at this Interesting America Richard Grigonis article.

See Enid Yandell's Pallas Athena in situ as it was in 1897 - here at Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Peek Inside the Miniature Rooms of Narcissa Niblack Thorne.

Oh Boy, how we underestimated the impressiveness of the Thorne Miniature Rooms at Art Institute of Chicago!  With 30 minutes till museum closing, my husband and I wandered into the museum depths to see the exhibit - expecting to see a dollhouse - but no.  These extremely-detailed and very attractive miniature marvels of interior design are set into the walls at eye level.  They were created with the artistic vision of Narcissa Niblack Thorne (Mrs. James Ward Thorne) and Art Institute of Chicago has 68 of them.

Image from Abbeville Press, Miniature Rooms: The Thorne Rooms at The Art Institute of Chicago.

I love this photo of her in a smock, pearls, and a hat - adding the fine touches to some small wonder.

Scurrying hurriedly from room to room, I imagined myself seated on the sofas and settees, chilling on the chaise lounges, owning all the clever bookshelves, and visualizing the views through every window.  Anxious about our limited time, I'd wandered from room to room on my own... where was my husband?  Thinking he'd vacated the perhaps-too-feminine premises, I searched outside the exhibit.  But when I called out to find him, he was still marveling at the miniature interiors.

Narcissa Niblack Thorne Miniature Room at Art Institute of Chicago.  Photo Toile La La.

Thorne Miniature Room at Art Institute of Chicago.  Photo Toile La La.

Thorne Miniature Room at Art Institute of Chicago.  Photo Toile La La.

Thorne Miniature Room at Art Institute of Chicago.  Photo Toile La La.

If I could shrink down to size, my idea of a good day spent inside the Thorne Rooms would be to gather some books from the rounded coffee-table bookshelf (top room) and study them outside in the sculpture garden.  Next, I would have a look inside the cabinet at left (second room down), then enjoy the view through those sunny yellow curtains of the third room.  Then, before a catnap, I would sketch and jot a few notes at the desk near the window of the lower room. Before reclining on the lounge you can barely see at right, I'd try out the bonnet on the hatstand.

You can see all 68 rooms too at this Art Institute of Chicago link.  Notice the enlargement option for the site - which enables you to experience all the worthwhile details.  After selecting the room you want to study, you'll see the enlargement option.

My photos above have a bit of glare and reflection, due to the glass casing, but the museum photos are immaculate.

Art Institute of Chicago, Thorne Miniature Room - New Hampshire Entrance Hall 1799.

Can you imagine descending this staircase dressed in your best hat and finery, ready to dance and dine?

At the museum link, see if you can spot within the English Drawing Room of The Georgian Period (1800)a harpsichord... with teeny-tiny moveable ivory keys.  If you like modern interiors, look for the French Library of The Modern Period from the 1930's or The California Hallway, circa 1940.

Ileana Ottini has some beautiful Thorne Miniature Room footage at this Youtube link.  There, you'll also learn about the Thorne Miniature Rooms in the collections of several other museums.

This Houston Chronicle Archives link has a very good article about Narcissa Niblack Thorne's miniature interiors.  (Cecile S. Holmes for Houston Chronicle - "The World in Miniature: Collector's Labor of Love...".

The blog Monkey Puzzle has photos of two more Thorne Miniature Rooms from the Phoenix Museum of Art.

Street Bard.

Downtown Denver, CO on August 10 - this traveling poet with a trolley and an old-school Underwood typewriter caught our interest.  Here's her signboard.

The signboard of poet Abigail Mott.  Photo Toile La La.

Undaunted by my photography, or the shuffling of passersby, or the panhandler hoping to divert our attention... Abigail Mott composed for us a custom-made poem, right there on the sidewalk - unaided by computer, dictionary, thesaurus, or anything - except her non-electric Underwood.

But it wasn't just her talent to spontaneously produce poetry (the words apparently transmitting
obstacle-free - head to fingers), it was the sight of her poetry-production that was also somehow significant.

Abigail Mott composing a poem in Denver, CO.  Photo Toile La La.

She looked as if she should be painted - at this age and that moment in time, with her leg crossed and fingers tapping  - and with people passing by and seeing her typing.

The poem-typing hands of Abigail Mott.  Photo Toile La La.

So, someday - when I'm not reading about art, fashion, and design - or sewing, or trying to organize all the books, fabric, thread, pencils, paint and boxes full-to-the-brim of artsy detritus (or walking my Good Luck Employee cat - on her leash)... perhaps I will paint the poet.  But, for now - I offer a sentence poem in return for the poem Abigail created for our family (which I won't share, because - after all, she created it especially for us).

Les Mots for Mott:  Street Bard Angel Poet Pulling Thought from a Word Piano, Tap Your Fingers,  Clack Your Keys Please for a Snapshot Paragraph.

Art Institute Chicago: Fashioning the Object

With its Fashioning the Object exhibit, Art Institute Chicago presents concrete evidence that fashion can be a valid art form.

Displaying works from designers Bless (Desiree Heiss, Ines Kaag), Boudicca (Zowie Broach, Brian Kirkby), and Sandra Backlund - Fashioning the Object, as an entire experience, is thought-provoking.  Reading the designer overviews, I liked Boudicca's description of their approach as "investigative rather than simply decorative" - and thought this aptly characterized the installations of all the designers in the exhibit.

Wandering through the Bless No. 45 Music curtain, visitors may touch and inspect objects hanging from chain curtains, which rustle and make sound.  Viewing and interacting with the Bless objects gave me the impression of discovering a fashion zoo, displaying exotic species rarely seen by man.

Within Boudicca's exhibit are many fascinating videos.  I especially liked the System Error presentation - and in particular the Solitary Dress, with pockets for hugging one's own self.

To have had more time to view the Boudicca videos completely would have been ideal, for I was intrigued by the time spent in their creation - and the subjects were fascinating to me - such as one focusing on the behavior of fabric on bodies of dancers in motion.

Sandra Backlund's installations were primarily knitted art to wear.  Her technique is very architecturally sculptural.  Imagine magnifying traditional stitches, making the stitches and features 50 to 100 percent larger.  I imagine wearing a Backlund creation would be like wearing the lightweight yarn version of an ornate Greco-Roman marble column or pediment.

See and hear Zoe Ryan, Art Institute of Chicago Curator of Design and Chair of Department of Architecture and Design, as she describes the Fashioning the Object exhibit and the work of these designers here (via Youtube clip).

Balenciaga Trainers: Jog My Memory.

"Warm up with the one-mile loop around Jardin du Luxembourg... Climb the 300 steps up to the dome of Sacre Coeur," advised the "Last Look" last page of April Vogue 2012.  "Stride through the galleries of the Musee du Quai Branly to exercise both body and mind,"...hmmm, I began to think. 

My husband surprised me with a visit to Paris a few years ago, but we strolled the Avenue des Champs Elysees and onto L'Arc de Triomphe, and walked along the Seine and under La Tour Eiffel, and all through and around the Louvre, and all around the Notre Dame. 

Herman Munster in his trainers.

There was an abundance of walking, no jogging, but it was very pleasant - and I was wearing some very anti-chic MBT shoe look-alikes that made me look like Herman Munster.  But, my feet felt cushioned by multiple mattresses and I was able to enjoy the wonders of Paris, Venice, Florence/Tuscany, and Rome in my ugly shoes - free of discomfort.

With the April Vogue open to "Last Look", I began a jog - from my computer, and minus Nicolas Ghesquiere's striking - but $545 - Balenciaga trainers.  I wanted to know about the Musee du Quai Branly, Jardin du Luxembourg, and - I thought I'd seen the Sacre Coeur from atop L'Arc de Triomphe.   

How far, I pondered, would it be from Jardin du Luxembourg to Sacre Coeur?

Then, I added a few points - The Museo d'Orsay, L'Arc de Triomphe, and La Place de la Concorde (near Tuillerie Gardens).

During my visit, from a huge ferris wheel - La Grande Roue de Paris - I could see La Tour Eiffel, glittering like a magnificent tree - sparkling with holiday lights:

La Tour Eiffel - from La Grande Roue de Paris. Photo by Toile La La.

La Grande Roue de Paris. Photo by Toile La La.

I mapped a route:  Jardin du Luxembourg, Museo d'Orsay, Musee du Quai Branly, Basilique de Sacre Coeur, and L'Arc de Triomphe.  Here are the Google Maps walking directions, but I think it would be best to take the Metro or RER to rest between some points.

Ending at L'Arc de Triomphe, it would be nice to gaze back at Sacre Coeur - seeing the distance already travelled.  Here's my photo of Sacre Coeur from L'Arc de Triomphe:

Glowing white in the far distance - Sacre Coeur, from L'Arc de Triomphe. Photo by Toile La La.

And here is a YouTube video with a bit more panorama.

There's a bit of my itinerary for a visit to Paris.  Thank You Vogue.

Lions, Books, Peace: My Cup of Tea.

This crowned tea package lion delicately sipping from his own cup brings to mind the multitude of lions guarding Piazza San Marco of Venice... topping columns, adorning doorways - with a permanent, carved gaze forever observing passersby.

My favorites there are the lions with their paws on books including the inscribed words "Pax tibi" - in Latin, meaning "Peace be with you."

Piazza San Marco: Looking South, Caspar van Wittel - 1690s. Biblioteca Nazionale, Rome. Wikimedia.

If you drink tea - and you like to travel - and you like to correspond the old-fashioned "snail mail" way... here's a link with a letter-writing idea for you to try the next time you're having tea in an exotic locale.

In addition to the Royal Cup Pekoe tea pictured above, and the spicy orange Constant Comment mentioned in the link, powdered matcha green tea is another favorite.  For several years I've given the matcha a new spin... which you can read about here.