i heart art....lindsay!

Our friend, and resident art expert, Lindsay returns this week with another insightful I Heart Art!

Witold Wojtkiewicz

Garden Party, 1907, Private Collection

The turn of the century was a hard time for the Polish people; it was rife with political, social, and economic instability. The Russian revolution of 1905 had sharp repercussions on Poland, weakening the cruel Polish Kingdom, strengthening the nationalistic movement and acting as the epilogue to the nineteenth century. Witold Wojtkiewicz portrayed the vigor and frailty of human existence by pairing a sense of the grotesque with a satirical edge. Often incorporating marionettes and carnivalesque figures, his works seem to straddle the cusp between the ordinary life and an imagined Other. While his earlier works, such as Rozpustnica, contain distorted figures that are almost caricatures of human emotions, his later works exhibit a mature serenity and awareness. In Garden Party, the solemn twilight procession of near-faceless figures suggests a ritual voyage from day-lit reality to the dreamworld of Wojtkiewicz's mind. Wojtkiewicz melds his fascination with childhood, the sadness of human existence and the solemnity of ceremony, three subjects that he continually explores, in order to probe the human experience. He informatively contrasts illusion with truth, appearance with inner meaning, late nineteenth century sensibilities with grotesque figures from Polish fairytales.

Rozpustnica, 1904, Muzeum Narodowe, Warsaw

Cyrk II, 1905-06, Muzeum Narodowe, Warsaw

giving thanks

Thanksgiving restaurant in Paris

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
Have a wonderful holiday!

I'm thankful for you, readers and fellow bloggers, and for Blogspot for giving me a space for my nonsense.

giving thanks, veggie style

Delicata Squash and Roasted Mushrooms with Thyme

When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them. - Chinese Proverb

Save a turkey and eat Tofurky!
Tasty vegetarian holiday recipes here, here, and here.

For those of you who are vegetarians, or have hosted a veggie or two for Thanksgiving, you will relate to this article.

style icon....nancy reagan

Red Room, 1981

Forever graceful and polished, Nancy Reagan is one of the fashion greats.
From her signature Reagan red, exquisitely tailored suits, pretty bow blouses, and mastering of classic Park Avenue elegance, her approach to fashion offers endless inspiration.

2008

Is it just me, or does she get even cooler with age?

wang wins

Alexander Wang is chosen as the fifth CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award winner!
Vena Cava and Albertus Quartus were named runner's up.
More here.

love muffins

Why leaving home is always so hard to do.

a trench coat and a hat

Inspiration: Detective Chic

warm fuzzies from yokoo

Yokoo Cilantro and Grass Remix Warmer

Yokoo Minnie Bow in Grey

Yokoo Braided Spice Chain Necklace

Yokoo Oatmeal Cowl

Her photos are equally as fantastic as her beautiful knits.

nyc

In honor of our upcoming trip to NYC for Thanksgiving to visit our little nephews and their mom & dad, some flickr finds....

by karpov

New York City 1962 - by avaloncm

by henry roxas

treasure hunt...fabulous chandelier necklace

Wanted:
Over-the-top crystal chandelier necklace. Must be extravagant and remind me of my precious crystal collection as a girl of 8. Length must be at least 16", chokers need not apply.
To be worn with faded tees.

Dearies, any ideas on where I might procure one for under $50? I tried Etsy, but can't find exactly what I'm looking for (at least not presently).

5th course...dessert

On the Street...Eva, Paris - The Sartorialist

On the Street...In the Crowd - The Sartorialist

pros to cons

Could a pair of Converse All Stars quite possibly be the most timeless tennies ever? Yes, I do believe they are. Cool at 10 (my banana yellow high tops couldn't be beat), teens, 20's, 30's, 50's, etc.
Classically cool.

i heart art...lindsay!

This week's I Heart Art comes from Seams of Thought reader and resident art expert, Lindsay Pomphrett. Lindsay holds a both a B.A. and a Masters in Art History and is devoted to the fine and decorative arts, with a special interest in art of the nineteenth century. Lucky for us, she is willing to share her love and knowledge with all of us!

Take it away Lindsay...

William Degouve de Nuncques

Nocturne au Parc Royal de Brussels, 1897, Musee d'Orsay, Paris

Black Swan, 1896, Kroller-Muller Museum, Otterloo

The Canal, 1894, Kroller-Muller Museum, Otterloo

William Degouve de Nuncques was a Belgian Symbolist painter in the late nineteenth century, known for creating peaceful and harmonious images of solitude and silence. Symbolist painters, often working in France and Belium at the end of the nineteenth century, explored the borders between dreams and reality. The works of Degouve de Nuncques are typical of Belgian symbolism in that he moved away from imitations of nature to create his own emotive interpretations of it. The absence of detail and the lack of narrative in his pictures eschew a specificity of location; the landscape is merely a means of conveying the sense of melancholic solitude that permeates the scene. Devoid of human presence, his pieces suggest a dreamy, timeless other world that still resonates with twenty-first century audiences, transporting us to an internal dreamland.
- Lindsay

Wonderful, no? And there's more where that came from in the weeks to come. Thank you Lindsay!
You too can participate in I Heart Art, here's how.

Happy Friday all! Have a fabulous weekend!

an academic in the white house

Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States!

Will you do it, Mr. President?
Will you, can you, make a change?

Pipo's take: "The Hip Hop Generation is officially in power! All political orientation aside, there is no denying that the election of Barack Obama (America's first black president) is largely influenced by the maturation of the Hip Hop Generation.....Will we go as the generation prior, where hippie dreams of peace and love became yuppie realities of greed, excess, and moral relativism? Or, will we rise to the challenge and stay true to the core values of hip hop that have served to empower many of the disempowered? Will success be measured by the number of houses we own or the shine on our gas-guzzling SUVs? Or, will we do as our hip hop founders did and make beautiful music and culture out of limited resources and a desire for creativity? Will we transcend the definition of success into improving our communities, becoming better husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers? Will we transform a nation infected with a false sense of entitlement into a nation of innovators who will take responsibility for their successes and failures? The challenges are ours to rise to. The bitching and moaning stops now. The questions of tomorrow are now ours to answer."
(More here.)

it's finally here!

Election day is finally here. And, I do mean FINALLY!

Now, get out there and VOTE!

P.S. Many thanks for the insightful poetry recommendations and for feeding my soul. I knew I could count on you, my lovelies!
P.P.S. For a fantastic read, checkout The Ugly Earring's Dream Sequence. Oh, the pictures she paints.
P.P.P.S. Don't forget to check back later in the week, you won't want to miss a new I Heart Art on Friday.