Melancholy

Federico García Lorca with his sister, Isabel. Granada, 1914.

“At the heart of all great art is an essential melancholy.”—Federico García Lorca

I love this photograph of the poet and playwright Federico García Lorca with his little sister, Isabel. It's adorable—the little girl's finger points out the words as she reads while her big brother, with a protective arm around her, probably helps her to sound out the more difficult words. It's a scene common to childhood but knowing that 20-odd years later, on August 19,1936, that this brilliant writer's own words and beliefs would lead to his execution by fascists forces makes the image bittersweet.

Sorry to end the week on such a melancholy note. Happier stuff next time round.

Saga Sites

"Mt. Helgafell" W.G. Collingwood (June 14, 1897)

There’s a great little exhibit at the Scandinavia House right now. “Saga Sites: Landscapes of the Icelandic Sagas” features 19th century watercolours by W.G. Collingwood of the sites associated with the sagas of Icelanders juxtaposed with modern photographs by Einar Falur Ingólfsson of the same locations.

Englishman W.G. Collingwood journeyed to Iceland in 1897 with his friend Jón Stefánsson to visit the various settings of the sagas—important prose stories about the people who settled Iceland that became the foundation of the country’s literary tradition. He completed 300 watercolours during his three-month trip and later published them in A Pilgrimage to the Sagasteads of Iceland. Between 2007 and 2009, Icelandic photographer Einar Falur Ingólfsson, interested in seeing how the saga sites had changed since Collingwood's time, set out to capture them with his camera. And while he used Collingwood's watercolours and writings as a guide, he often shot from a different perspective. 

"From Mt. Helgafell" Einar Falur Ingólfsson (June 27, 2009)

In many cases, the areas appear to have changed little in the past 100 years save for the occasional telephone lines. Sometimes the modern view takes an almost comic turn: an empty field in the 19th century today is home to an abandoned bus. I especially loved the landscapes that show a lone house in the watercolour and in the photograph a slightly more modern lone house.

Many of Collingwood's watercolours are small yet filled with great details. He captures the beauty of the land while conjuring up the feeling of isolation. Ingólfsson’s photographs are vivid with rich colour and often quite striking, their large format helping to convey the vastness of the land.

The works of these two artists allow the viewer to place the people from the sagas in their environment, bringing the stories to life. But most of all they show the unique place that is Iceland. I went to Iceland one year for my birthday and loved it—magnificient mountains and waterfalls; crater-filled land and volcanoes; crystal clear rivers and geysers. There's no other place quite like it.

The exhibit runs through January 12, 2013 and the admission is free. For more information, visit the Scandinavia House here.

Bronia

Bronia and Tylia Perlmutter (1922)

On my shelves are a fair amount of books about the Lost Generation and one that I return to again and again is Billy Klüver and Julie Martin’s Kiki’s Paris. It’s filled with loads of stories and wonderful images that I can spend hours poring over.

This photo of Bronia and Tylia Perlmutter is one of my favourites in the book. Bronia, the younger sister, demurely averts her eyes while elder sister Tylia stares almost insolently at the camera, holding a boudoir doll in her hand. It is the seemingly shy Bronia who draws our attention. What thoughts are going on behind those downcast eyes?

There is not a lot of information about Bronia but I discovered that the sisters were Polish Jews raised in the Netherlands who came to Paris in 1922 when Tylia was 18 and Bronia 16. They both found work modelling for various artists in Montparnasse. Bronia was particularly popular with Nils Dardel, Foujita, and Moïse Kisling (she would often act as hostess for Kisling at luncheons he hosted). She also modelled clothes for designers Paul Poiret and Nicole Grolt that she would wear out at night.

"Young Girl Depicting Bronia Perlmutter" Nils Dardel (1925)

Bronia and Tylia made appearances in the works of Lost Generation writers as well. Djuna Barnes and Robert McAlmon wrote about them, as did Ernest Hemingway in A Moveable Feast where they are referred to simply as the two models. Hemingway describes Bronia as “beautifully built with a falsely fragile depravity.”

It's not surprising that artists wanted to capture her beauty. Bronia was lovely in an ethereal way with dark hair and large, blue-grey eyes. She liked to dance and one evening in 1923 at Le Boeuf sur le Toit she met the young writer Raymond Radiguet who danced with her and soon declared that he planned to marry her. A jealous Jean Cocteau became angry and, according to Bronia, threatened to have Bronia and her sister deported. The young couple hid out at the Hôtel Foyot to avoid Cocteau. But Radiguet became ill and died from typhoid fever that year at the age of 20.

In addition to modelling, Bronia also did a little acting. For Galerie des Monstres (1924) director Jacque Catelain gathered Montparnasse locals to star in the film; Bronia appears as a dancing doll and Tylia as a juggler. The film also has appearances by Kiki and a young Lois Moran.

Bronia Perlmutter. Photo: Berenice Abbott.

In December of 1924 Bronia and Tylia were invited by Francis Picabia to attend a performance of the Dadaist ballet Relâche, which included a screening of a short film, Entr'acte, at intermission. Bronia was introduced to the film’s director, René Clair, after the show. Later that same month Picabia asked Bronia to participate in a production, Ciné Sketch, that he and Clair were putting on after the ballet on New Year’s Eve. Bronia agreed, and she and Marcel Duchamp appeared nude—Duchamp did have a strategically placed fig leaf—in a living tabloid of Lucas Cranach’s Adam and Eve, which Man Ray photographed. 

A bit part in Clair’s film Le Voyage Imaginaire (1926) followed. The two fell in love and were married in 1926. They had one son, Jean-François, who was born in 1927. Bronia gave up modelling to devote herself to Clair, and they would remain married until Clair’s death in 1981.

I wondered what had become of Bronia. Then one day I was watching the Criterion Collection release of Clair’s À Nous la Liberté (1931) and there on the DVD extras was an interview from 1998 with an elderly Bronia who spoke about her early life and her husband. She was now a grand old Parisian lady but when she turned her head a certain way or flashed those mysterious eyes you could see the young girl in the photo from all those years ago.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the F. Scott Fitzgeralds and me! Last night I spent Christmas Eve with friends at their home in Brooklyn and today I'm having a silent Christmas, going to the movies with some others to see Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood. Not a bad way to celebrate. 

I wish you all Happy Holidays and hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends.

Christmas in the City

There's something special about New York at Christmas. Maybe it's the smell of roasting chestnuts from a street cart or the feel of the cold on your face during a walk through Central Park on an overcast day.  

Maybe it's the wreaths and greenery stacked outside of bodegas or all the festive decorations—from the high-end stores uptown (Harry Winston adorned with diamonds, what else?) to the quaint houses (and fire escapes) downtown. 

Or maybe it's the sight of so many glorious Christmas trees from the angel-adorned tree with accompanying crèche at the Met to the stunner that greets you at the New York Public Library (above). The list goes on. Whatever it may be, New York has a special glow right now that makes me happy to be in the city for the holidays.

Photos by Michele.

Window Follies

Bergdorf Goodman has the best Christmas windows hands down. They are always stylish, eye catching, and beautiful. This year’s windows are no exception. The theme, "BG Follies of 2012,” is a nod to the Jazz Age with scenes evoking the Ziegfeld Follies and Busby Berkeley musicals. I took some photos the other morning—here’s a peek at a few of them.

Absolutely beautiful, right? The photos don't do the windows justice (the last one, which brings to mind the couple from The Artist, is much nicer in person) so if you have a chance over the holidays, go over to Fifth Avenue and take a look. The earlier in the day, the better to miss the crowds.

Photos by Michele.

Swedish Christmas

In the past Swedish design has always left me cold—just too much blond wood and white walls. This image though could change my mind. I like the brightness, the painted furniture, and the Christmas tree that isn't overly decorated. But my favourite thing is the fireplace. I love the idea of a corner fireplace, especially one that is circular in shape and looks so shiny and clean. And the little wreath is a perfect touch. I think a trip to Ikea might just be in order.

Photo by Carina Olander from here.