Cortona is a town in Tuscany built on a hillside at an elevation of 2,000 feet. Some of its original walls remain and the architecture is primarily medieval. It was an Etruscan kingdom, then a Roman colony, then independent, and in the 15th century part of the Medici holdings. When Italy was united into one country, Cortona became part of Tuscany. At the highest points, there are good views toward large Lake Trasimeno.
Interesting arches and windows
We stayed at hotel down the hill from the town, a short walk up a fairly steep street to Garibaldi Piazza. From then on, this main thoroughfare is pretty flat and it’s a short walk past shops and eateries (wine bars, pizzerias, trattorias, and restaurants) to the Piazza della Repubblica, site of the town hall with its simple bell tower and clock.
Piazza della Repubblica
CHURCHES AND ART
Today, our guide was Giovanni, a proud native of Cortona whose family goes back to the 1300s. He was both funny and knowledgeable about the town’s history and its famous art and artists. In his spare time, he’s also a cabinetmaker.
On our walk before the town center, he spoke about the medieval buildings we passed. He pointed out the large doors for what were shops next to a narrow door, perhaps no longer a door, for entry into the house. The buildings have a flat surface and are often painted in the ochres, greens, and mustard shades one associates with Tuscany.
Our first stop was the Catterdrale di Santa Maria Assunta or the Cortona Cathedral, where we admired the Romanesque sanctuary and looked at an altar carved out of the softer Italian walnut.
Romanesque cathedral interior
Carved walnut altar
Next stop was the Diocesan Museum, a small museum of paintings by artists associated with Cortona. Of especial note are two works by Fra Angelico which I thought were stunning in their use of colors. One is the Annunciation and the other a Madonna grouping. There are some marvelous details in these paintings which my photos don’t show.
Annunciation, 1434-1436
Mary with infant Jesus
Another noteworthy artist is Luca Signorelli, a native of Corona, renowned for his rendering of human anatomy. One painting of his here is The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary painted between 1519-1521. Giovanni asked us to note the delicacy of the hands and the folds in the golden robe. In the lower half, Mary is surrounded by the apostles. Here is the painting and then a close-up of part of it.
Two Chihuly pieces and pair of robins by Ann Craven
One of our favorite places to visit while in Maine is the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. Aside from their extension collection of works by three generations of the Wyeth Family, they have wonderful special exhibitions. We hoped we’d see the Edward Hopper/Andrew Wyeth exhibit, but it was only up for a short time, and we waited too long.
The White Dory 1955, Andrew Wyeth
Nevertheless, we always like seeing items in the permanent collection. The Farnsworth is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year with an exhibit entitled: New Voices from Maine in American Art. It includes both old and new acquisitions. Also on display was an exhibit of works presented by the Alex Katz Foundation. There is a range of styles and media. I was captivated by the pair of robins, the bright Chihuly glass, and by the new Wyeth acquisition above and these marvelously colorful juice glasses by Janet Fish.
Detail, Fruit Juice Glasses, 2005, Janet Fish
The Alex Katz Foundation gallery highlights several of Katz’s paintings (a cutout of a green cow, for one) plus works by friends and other artists. I like Katz’s pieces and find that his dramatic use of vibrant color draws the eye in.
Poppy, Alex Katz
His foundation’s mission is to encourage newer artists and to give their work greater notice in a museum setting. To date, the Katz Foundation has donated more than 1,000 works to various art museums.
VISIONS OF MAINE
Next door to the Farnsworth is the Blue Raven Gallery. Originally a bank, this red brick building boasts a gorgeous interior with arched windows and a beautiful ceiling. The current exhibit is photography by Peter Ralston.
Gallery interior with Ralston photos
I first came across Mr. Ralston in the pages of Down East magazine, and now I get his weekly e-mail of photographs and commentary. Growing up in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, his next door neighbors were Betsy and Andrew Wyeth. Once he was out of school and working as a photo journalist, the Wyeths enticed him to Maine. He never left, and today lives and works in Rockport. His images capture the beauty and the mystery of the Maine coast.
Sheep in a Boat (Ralston, Down East)
CASUAL LUNCH
On previous trips to Rockland, we’ve enjoyed lobster rolls at the Brass Compass Café. Sadly, at least for us, that space is now Sweet Dirt, a cannabis store. Left adrift, we walked along Main Street until we came to Clan Maclaren. Reminiscent of Ninth Street Bakery in Durham, NC, it’s a simple place and space.
Order your sandwich at the counter, help yourself to ice tea or coffee, and then bus your dishes when you finish. We sat at a table on the street and enjoyed lobster rolls in slightly chewy buns with a pickle and chips on the side. A somewhat unusual presentation, but the lobster was that-morning-fresh and delicate.
Note: Header photo is Cismont 1962 by Lynne Drexler at the Farnsworth Art Museum. Unattributed photos by JWFarrington.
The last exhibit we visited in Manhattan this month was the small, but fascinating, collection of Van Gogh’s Cypresses. Probably Van Gogh’s most famous painting is The Starry Night. When we saw it here, we were made aware of the tall dark cypress trees on the left. Something I hadn’t paid attention to in the past nor really noticed.
Two Poplars in the Apiles
Other paintings from Van Gogh’s time in Saint-Remy, Provence highlight not only the brooding cypresses, but also show off poppies in a field (cypresses in the background) and in a canvas luminescent in yellows, two straight poplar trees. The exhibit was crowded and occupied only a few galleries but was well worth the visit.
Line of Separationis a German series set in the divided town of Tannbach after WWII. A brook splits the town between the Nazis and the Americans. Families are at odds with one another, and past actions and differing political views make for tension, anger, and violence. Young Anna, a young aristocrat, takes command of her family’s estate after the death of her mother when the Nazis threaten.
Tannbach is a fictional village modeled after a real one. There are two seasons of six episodes each. We have watched Season 1 and found it a gripping piece of postwar history.
In Deutschland 83, Martin Rauch is an ordinary border guard in East Germany. He is recruited as a spy by the Stasi and sent to West Germany to infiltrate the army and gather NATO intelligence. As Mauritz Stamm, he is the chief aide to a high level general. Inexperienced and naïve, his bungling at the job makes for a series of close calls. It also provides American viewers a different look at the Cold War years before the Berlin Wall came down.
This 2015 series starts out slowly but becomes more intense in the second and third episodes. There are 8 episodes in all. For those who get hooked, there are two more series which we have not yet watched: Deutschland 86 and Deutschland 89.
Valerie, a comfortable dark bar and restaurant on W. 45th Street was just right for lunch with a friend. We were seated in the back and, all was quiet initially until a boisterous crowd arrived, making conversation more challenging. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the entrée salads we each had, two with ahi tuna and mine a tasty Caesar with freshly grilled chicken strips. I’d go back, but probably book for 11:00 or 11:30.
This visit the Chief Penguin and I dined at several bar cum restaurants. The Bar Room was one where we dined twice. The first time the back tables were quiet, and the happy hour drink prices most appealing. We sampled the bar fries and indulged in lobster rolls, almost as good as in Maine. On our second visit, we went for the guacamole, fries, and the fried chicken bites. All tasty snack treats. It was much more crowded and thumping music was an accompaniment. Go, but proceed with caution!
We returned to Imli after not having dined there for several years. They offer delicious Indian fare in an airy, contemporary space. We liked it so much we ate here a second time. The tandoor chicken is nicely spiced, the veggie samosas large, the lamb logs a bit different, and the very spicy paneer as billed. We happily took some home for lunch the next day!
Barbaresco is one of our regular go-to Italian restaurants. It isn’t overly expensive and we like the vibe. Recently we tried a couple of their daily specials and were delighted. Vitello tonnato (thinly sliced veal with tuna anchovy sauce) has long been a favorite of mine. The version I had here, topped with arugula and cherry tomatoes, was one of the very best ever!
Vitello Tonnato
Note: Unattributed photos by JWFarrington (some rights reserved.) Header photo is Van Gogh’s Field of Poppies.
I recently completed several novels: historical fiction about a rich heiress, a contemporary novel about the power of books, and lastly, an unusual first novel set in nature. This week, the Chief Penguin and I also got to the Whitney Museum of American Art for one of their featured exhibits.
LIVING WITH THE ONE PERCENT
The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Postby Allison Pataki
Marjorie Post, 1946 (Frank O. Salisbury via Artsy)
Allison Pataki’s novel about the life of cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post is a fast-paced engrossing read. Doted on and educated in the family Grape Nuts business as a child, Marjorie was beautiful and smart and a millionaire before the age of 30. Coming of age when women of her class did not hold jobs, let alone run companies, she relied for decades on the men in her family, generally her husbands (multiple) or her uncle, to run Post (which later became General Foods). She lived a life of supreme luxury and both built and renovated lavish homes.
When she became frustrated with just hostessing and socializing, Marjorie would take on a grand project. She furnished money, supplies, and staff for a frontline hospital in France during the Great War. During the Depression, she started and ran a large soup kitchen. She became friends with U.S. presidents. And when her 4th husband was ambassador to Russia during the Second World War, her social skills were an important asset to his success.
Marjorie was less successful in her choice of men from first husband Greenwich gentleman Ed Close to fourth husband statesman Joey Davies; she ended up divorcing every one of them. Yet she was notable and memorable to the end for her style and the causes she championed. A fascinating and fun novel! (~JWFarrington)
FOR LOVE OF LITERATURE
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
Sara Adams connected with her grandfather through a love of books. In her first novel, The Reading List, teenage Aleisha works at a branch library in London and after being rude to an older gentleman patron, becomes friendly with him and ultimately with his granddaughter Priya. Mukesh is a lonely widower and not the reader his late wife was. He reads Time Traveler’s Wife and then asks Aleisha for a book recommendation. Thus begins his literary journey with Aleisha giving him books from a handwritten list she found. She reads the books first to be knowledgeable.
Several other people in the community find copies of this same list of titles. Reading these classics such as Little Women, The Kite Runner, and To Kill a Mockingbird, provides comfort and perspective on their own troubles and concerns. A paean to the power of good literature, the novel is also a poignant story of connection and community among neighbors and family of different generations. Recommended! (~JWFarrington)
SUBSISTING IN NATURE
Lungfish by Meghan Giliss
Author Giliss (Portland Press Herald)
Lungfish is a first novel set on an isolated island in Maine. Tuck and her little daughter Agnes have fled to what was Tuck’s late grandmother’s deserted cottage. It’s summer, but there is no heat or amenities, and Tuck has very little money. Her husband Paul is sometimes physically present, but often asleep. He works little or not at all and is suffering the ravages of addiction. Tuck and Agnes comb the shoreline for snails and other edible animals and plants. It’s a hard austere life.
The narrative is all told from Tuck’s perspective and goes back in forth and time as she re-visits her childhood in Indiana, her relations with her mother and father, and her aborted veterinary studies. She reviews specific events and reflects on them in a new way.
I found this a challenging novel to read. The prose is straightforward and the physical details of the natural world concrete, but so much is diffuse in terms of when and how a past event occurred. As I read, I always found myself working hard to fill in the blanks. I did finish the book and, in a limited way, appreciated Giliss’s bold and unusual approach to storytelling. (~JWFarrington)
At Christie’s last week, one of the first paintings I encountered was a large canvas of mostly red with some browns by this artist, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith.
Smith’s work at Christie’s gallery
I was intrigued and so, when we planned our visit to the Whitney Museum, I noted we could view the first New York retrospective of this Native American artist’s art. Born in 1940, Smith has had a long career as artist and educator. Her works feature images relative to Native American life combined with themes of conservation and the environment, racism, and cultural identity.
Cheyenne Series, #4, 1984
Some of the earlier works are more representational, a series of horses, for example. Later works are somewhat collage-like and often satirical or absurd in tone with newspaper headlines and snatches of text pasted on.
What is An American? 2003
I didn’t like everything, but found the exhibit thought-provoking and a different way to think about Native American imagery.
Flathead Vest, Father & Child, 1996
Note: Unattributed photos by JWFarrington. Header photos is Green Flag, 1995 by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith.
