Wednesday, September 10, 2008

City Views, Country Dreams

Good evening from New York.

I am determined not to write a blog with what will be tomorrow's date.

By the time many of you may see this posting, it will be tomorrow. A familiar day and month but a new year. Let's think of that ... a new year. Every day presents us with so many fresh possibilities.

So. Today was a glorious September day, clear of sky and ... for the city ... fresh of air.

And a day off for me. After finishing off the required laundry, food gathering and bill paying duties, I set off for various parts of this amazing city.

I returned a not-quite-finished book to the library and picked up another book that I still need to finish. It is called Netherland, and has cricket as a subtext, and features a man from the Netherlands who is living in NYC, in the legendary Chelsea Hotel, post ... that date that I am not going to write about.

Having taken care of that book swap, I hopped a Fifth Ave. bus and rode down the the eastern border of beautiful green Central Park to visit the Museum of Modern Art, indulging in the treat of taking on a membership card. I took the museum escalator up and down, seeing some old fave paintings, but also stopping for a good while to see a very good show of paintings, prints, drawings and sketchbooks by Ernst Kirchner ... The Berlin Street. He had such a way of showing the motion of folks on the streets, mostly at night.

MOMA is to have another big night-featuring show opening soon, Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night. I expect to use my membership card a bunch of times during that show's run.

Then, home for lunch. And then, back downtown to our wonderful local school The Fashion Institute of Technology, that has a gallery space that features fabulous exhibits. The current show is ... Gothic ... dark glamor. What a treat. Mostly black clothes, some very extravagant in their elegance, some very extreme in their intent. Some by major designers ... Galliano, McQueen, Rei Kawakubo, etc., but others by much more cult-y designers. Staged in a dark room with spectacular lighting, including a projected image of a moon that waxed and waned.

Lots of young design students were trying to outwit the security guards, in their attempts to click some photos of the designs on their phones. Not too many students trying to do any sketching today ... maybe that is yesterday's method.

Tomorrow, I will be back to work, starting early with a meeting to review the most recent collection of styles ... the September collection. Then it will be back to the shop for many hours.
Ah, but the long hours tomorrow will end, and then I will have some more days off. Maybe, I will be able to do some old fashioned sketching myself.

Pleasant dreams.

27 comments:

  1. I so admire you. You work your little socks off and then when you get a day off instead of collapsing in a heap you really make the most of that great city of yours. I thought of you when I was watching the US Open tennis last week.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Toady has more or less said what I was going to......how you make the most of your days off. I adnire you too and for not mentioning a certain date....

    ReplyDelete
  3. A busy day indeed - but why not when you live within walking distance (serious envy here) of some of the worlds most fantastic galleries and museums.

    Will the art of drawing be lost I wonder?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lovely blog as usual - I envy you your seasonal weather! I've read very good reports of "Netherland" - apparently it's been left off the Booker shortlist, much to some people's chagrin. Agree so much about the sketching - but you only have to see Tracey Emin's "drawings" and read the rave reviews to realise that the art of draughtsmanship is in terminal decline.

    ReplyDelete
  5. There is nothing like a sketch book - I feel sorry for those students who aren't taking advantage of one of the best ways to record anything and increase their handskills - Galliano didn't get where he was by taking photos with a mobile phone!

    A lovely day out, and you packed so much in - I might follow your example and have a day out in Oxford (which, despite its reputation, is not half as glamorous as your New York).

    ReplyDelete
  6. Agree, agree - it's so inspiring to hear all the things you fit in to what must be relatively little free time. Lovely blog.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I do agree with Toady; where do you get your energy from Frances and could you send some my way please? Lovely blog about your day. Would love to visit those exhibitions, especially the Gothis one xx

    ReplyDelete
  8. I just wanted to say that I was thinking of all my American friends this morning, the 11th, when so many vivid memories come back of the news pictures we saw here in Britain.

    I also wanted to say your blog made me breathless.. so much energy... are you naturally an energetic lady or does living in NY make you like that, can you not help soaking up all that external energy?

    So different from my quiet village, with the nearest museums and so on being hours away, and the nearest thing to culture being a small village library a few miles distant.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I thought of you this morning when I woke up and realised the significance of to-day.
    Lovely blog. Thankyou

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh how I'd love to wander round MOMA...and see that fashion show! I have a vintage Galliano long black skirt from one of his first shows (used to have the huge hat that went with it but someone sat on it!). Love all that goth vibe....one day I'll post a pic of me in full black lace and pointy boot splendour! And old one, I hasten to add....

    Yup, let's try not to dwell on awful memories of that day....

    ReplyDelete
  11. When you talk about your city and your activities I always feel I am there to see it with my own eyes even though I have never left Europe so only know your city from films and pictures. It is amazing that you can just pop into a museum and look at a REAL Kirchner (he was one that was labelled "degenerated" by the Nazis and many pictures have been destroyed, thankfully some were smuggled abrod like to NY). Living in this amazing city has it's merits even if you can't have a garden.:-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Such a long time since I have been about that now I am back ofrm my travels I am glad to see you again but madly jealious of your ticket at Moma!! I await reports on teh Van Gogh!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your life sounds so glam Frances!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wish I could draw. But I have no skill there. So well done. And happy birthday, too, which I have just missed. I hope you had an enjoyable time. And it's lovely to drop into a gallery and perhaps go only to see a single picture. You'll have to come on a buying spree to London, Paris, Madrid, the great galleries of the world. Now would a painting by Goya be copyright if you wanted to print it on a T shirt? Pob hwyl Fxx

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dear Frances,

    Yet again, a truly wonderful blog. How I would have loved to have been there with you at the GALLERY and to view such gorgeous works of Art. Let us hope that those students in future years use their talents to paint and sketch, cannot think that the creativity of artists will be lost forever with use of mobile phones.

    I admire your sheer passion for life with enormous energy and the way you make use of your free days, to fill them with your hearts desire.

    Thank you for the tip on the Netherland book Frances, I shall be ordering this from library and as Edward has mentioned..... another that has been omitted from The Booker List apparantly.



    Serious envy here Frances of the trip to the Fashion Show, and well worth a visit in my mind, ooh, love clothes.!

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  16. Yep! Toady said it in one.......one reason I couldnt live in a city is because I could never do it justice the way you do. You have such a lively mind, whereas a perfect weekend for me is total seclusion and not seeing anyone (other than my family of course)But dont forget you have an invitation to the Peak District!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hello Frances!
    Just chasing up a bit

    The MOMA exhibition sounds good.

    Also like the Black gothic look, if I was younger i would have liked to be a Goth, loved to dress in black, still do.Not so sure of the dog collars and chains though!

    Love muddie

    ReplyDelete
  18. Yes, sorry to miss you!
    Will catch up on my return.
    England is having the summer they missed.......
    sunshine and Keats' 'mellow fruitfulness'
    Wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  19. And i also agree! I would do the same. Is it a virgo thing?!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I know you've commented in the past about the contrast between your life in the city and what started off as the spark for the Pc gang, the CL blog, but I do so love wandering round your city with you. I love the stillness of your posts, the sense of 'living in the moment', the art and culture; it's a treasured insight into another life.
    (And thanks for your advice, both on my shoulder and on the hellish holiday accommodation.)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oops - that wasn't anonymous! That was me!! What happened?

    ReplyDelete
  22. What a lovely start to a post "good evening from New York" it makes one feel like snuggling into the sofa with a nice hot drink before reading.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Dear Frances
    Thank you for your kind comments.
    I'm back but have such a store of pictures that I'm only just about to declare it!
    You are due to post something new from New York.
    See you soon.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Popping over from Elizabeth's to say hello! What a wonderful day you enjoyed. MOMA is one of my favourite museums and looking at artists sketchbooks is one of my favourite passtimes ;-) I saw in the London papers that Goth is getting a glam treatment. I would have liked to have seen the FIT exhibit. It sounds very dramatic.

    Enjoy the Van Gogh show. I had the opportunity to visit his museum in Amsterdam earlier this year and was really blown away with his work and his range of styles.

    Cheers from England :-)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Ha!
    I can't believe no new blog for you for how long....

    I also admire you-you work so hard.
    Your energy is incredible. Or maybe it is just your zest for life...

    Hubby is coming over on 2nd Nov for New York marathon and I wish so much I were able to come over with him and sneak off to meet you!...

    Maybe next year...

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  26. You are overdue for a new post!
    We are all looking forward to it.
    Do hope you aren't too stressed.

    ReplyDelete