Category: Books

Manhattan: Portraits in Art, Literature, Film

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ART: PORTRAITS OF AMERICANS

Amy Sherald American Sublime (Whitney Museum of American Art)

First Lady Michelle Obama

Amy Sherald is an American portrait painter whose works feature mostly Black individuals.  She is probably best known for her portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama, hung on a wall by itself.  The exhibit is large and encompasses early works from 2007 to very recent ones.  Many of the portraits are of ordinary people, and almost all of them are single individuals standing upright against a solid deep colored background.  Some are holding objects, such as a rabbit in a hat, which take them out of strict reality into a sort of dream world.  

Early portrait of an individual
The Bathers, 2015

Sherald’s latest works seem more political with a sharper focus on racism and gender issues.  I was especially drawn to these recent pieces.  The riff on the Statue of Liberty forces one to look again closely at the title and the work itself.

Trans Forming Liberty, 2024

For Love and For Country takes the famous kiss in Times Square (Eisenstadt photo, 1945) as inspiration for a different depiction of love and service.

For Love, and for Country, 2022

This year is the 10th anniversary of the Whitney Museum’s wonderful Renzo Piano building located in the Meatpacking District. (The Chief Penguin and I had the chance to tour the building with one of Renzo’s architects shortly before it opened.) To celebrate its location overlooking the Hudson River, check out Mary Heilmann’s Long Life mural and the funky colorful chairs for absorbing the view.

Mural, chairs & view

 

LITERATURE: EARLY FEMINIST

The Solitary Walker: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft by N. J. Mastro

In the late 18th century, Mary Wollstonecraft boldly challenged the traditional view of women’s place in society. Mentored and encouraged by publisher Joseph Johnson, she wrote reviews for his publications and penned A Vindication of the Rights of Women, the first of her works to argue that women were not naturally inferior to men. 

Mastro’s debut novel, A Solitary Walker, follows Wollstonecraft’s writing career in London, her time in Paris covering the French Revolution, and her solo journey to Scandinavia to untangle lover Gilbert Imlay’s shipping affairs.  Until her 30’s, Wollstonecraft vowed never to marry. The product of an abusive home, she guarded her heart against love and romance.  

This is a rich and very engaging novel which brings Mary Wollstonecraft to life as she cherishes her independence, but ultimately realizes she too needs love to sustain her.  Recommended for fans of historical fiction! It is worth noting that Wollstonecraft’s daughter, Mary Shelley, was also famous; she wrote Frankenstein, a novel that has inspired numerous plays and movies.

FILM: FEARLESS PUBLISHER

Becoming Katharine Graham (Prime Video)

Katharine Graham (washingtonpost.com)

If you lived through the 1960’s and 70’s, you likely know Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham’s story. Perhaps you have also read her forthright and moving autobiography, Personal History.  Even so, this new documentary, Becoming Katharine Graham, is so compelling and timely, that I highly recommend it.

Katharine Graham’s father bought the Washington Post in the 1930’s, and it was a part of her life from childhood onward.  When in 1963, her husband Phil Graham, then publisher, committed suicide, she took on the role.  Graham was a mother and a deferential wife (or her word, “a doormat.”) The job of publisher pushed her into the forefront.  She was the first American woman to hold this kind of position, and she served with an all-male board.

Throughout her 28 years as publisher, Kay Graham was challenged and determined and even fearless.   She faced tough decisions regarding the Pentagon Papers and how the Post should cover the Watergate scandal.  Her transformation into a female dynamo is documented with archival footage and interviews with the likes of Warren Buffet, Gloria Steinem, Carl Bernstein, and others.  The film runs for 90 minutes.

Note: All unattributed photos by JWFarrington. Header photo is exterior of Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center.

Manhattan Moments: Art, Books, Food

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FABULOUS FRICK!

Expanse of Frick courtyard

Frick, The Man & The Mansion

Many visitors to Manhattan are familiar with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, better known as MoMA, and also the Whitney Museum of American Art.  But not everyone knows the Frick Collection. It took us longer to discover this stately mansion and its art, but once we did, we became fans.

Henry Clay Frick was a 19th century financier and industrialist involved in the early years of the steel industry in Pennsylvania.  Andrew Carnegie was an occasional business partner, and he and Andrew Mellon became close friends.  Frick was also a serious art collector.  When in 1913, his business interests extended to New York, he built the lovely mansion at East 70th Street.  Today, the Frick is considered one of the finest collections of European art in the United States.

New Renovated Frick

Closed for almost five years for a major renovation and expansion, the Frick re-opened last month.  For the first time, the family’s second floor is open to the public.  These small rooms are now galleries showcasing more art, and a narrow corridor is lovely with walls and floor clad in pink marble.  A majestic green marble staircase was added to the building to provide a smooth flow of visitors from the upper floor down to the new shop and café level, and then on down to the main floor.

On the main level, we re-visited some favorite works.   Holbein’s paintings of Sir Thomas More on one side of the fireplace and Thomas Cromwell on the other, plus the looming Fragonard series, The Progress of Love, on the drawing room walls.  Lastly, we checked out the beautiful courtyard with its central fountain, the only area in which photos are permitted.

Frick courtyard fountain

The Frick was very crowded given the pent-up anticipation for its re-opening but is still a gem.  We look forward to returning at a quieter time.

ON THE PAGE:  COOKING BUSINESS

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

Garten (nytimes.com)

I own several of Ina Garten’s cookbooks.  I’ve also recently watched her on Facebook videos preparing chicken or fish.  One might think, given her wild success, that Garten’s life was always easy-peasy and comfortable.  Not so.  Garten held a series of often boring jobs after college.  She finally found her calling when she purchased her first Barefoot Countess store in Westhampton, Long Island.  Then she opened a second store.  Needing yet another challenge some years later, Garten tried her hand at writing a cookbook and later hosted her own TV show.

Garten’s style is bracing, frank, and even effervescent.  Her childhood was a difficult one, with parents who were controlling and emotionally abusive. She easily made friends at school, but her self-esteem suffered.  Fortunately, she met and married Jeffrey whose calm approach and supportive stance enabled her to take risks and buy the first store.  Impulsive and creative, Garten made mistakes along the way, some unwise investments and trusting her staff too much.  Throughout it all, she was determined and viewed obstacles as challenges to be overcome.

At times, her statements that she and Jeffrey didn’t have the necessary resources ring hollow against the backdrop of highly placed friends ready to recommend contractors and the ease with which they purchased expensive real estate.  Nonetheless, I found this an enjoyable fast-paced account of how to create your own success.  Recommended for Garten fans and food lovers! (~JWFarrington)

DINING FIND

Bayon (Upper East Side)

Bayon interior

Bayon is a new Cambodian restaurant on E. 64th Street just off 1st Avenue.  Ten years ago, the Chief Penguin and I spent a few days in Cambodia in Siem Reap visiting Angkor Wat. We enjoyed the food there, culinarily a cross between Thai and Chinese, but had never eaten in a Cambodian restaurant in the U.S.

We were pleased and delighted with Bayon. The space is attractive with highly polished wood tables and comfortable chairs with saffron-colored seats.  The wait staff were welcoming and helpful in their suggestions.  We started with some spicy fried fish cakes and cumin lamb dumplings, the latter beautifully presented on a glass snail plate. Both appetizers were delicious.  

Lamb dumplings

We then shared the basil rice stir fry with chicken and sampled a traditional rice corn pudding with coconut milk for dessert.  

Rice corn pudding

We zipped up the stir fry with some chili sauce, and the Chief Penguin enthusiastically tucked into the pudding.  Bayon is now on our list of preferred restaurants, and we hope to return soon.

Note: All unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.). Header photo is of twisted cone sculptures on Park Avenue by Alma Alan.

On the Move: Spring to Budding Spring

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This post is a mix of comments from North Carolina, a recent novel, and a note about spring in Manhattan. 

DINING IN THE TRIANGLE

Taste Vietnamese Cuisine, Morrisville, NC

Big bowl of pho (tastevietnamese919.com)

The Chief Penguin and I regularly join the Adventurous Eaters group for lunch at a different restaurant each month.  Our area is home to a wide variety of ethnic restaurants, and it’s fun to explore a new place without having to navigate there ourselves.

Taste Vietnamese Cuisine is a small eatery that graciously accommodated our gang of twelve.  Menu offerings ranged from rolls to start—spring, shrimp, and summer ones; several choices of pho (Vietnamese soup with rice noodles and meat); sandwiches (banh mi); and entrees such as the Saigon Special which included a sample of almost everything!  

I opted for a straightforward and tasty chicken BBQ banh mi with the customary carrots, cucumber, daikon, and jalapeno slices, while the CP enjoyed chicken pho with bean sprouts and jalapenos.  Everyone was pleased with the food and appreciated the friendly service.  We’d happily return to try more dishes.

NEW FICTION: ON AN ENGLISH FARM

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Hall (amazon.com)

Broken Country is Clare Leslie Hall’s first book published in the United States.  She’s also written several thrillers published in the U.K. Set in rural North Dorset, England, this book’s bucolic setting masks the backbreaking work of life on a farm.  There are lambs to birth and always fences that need fixing.  Hall’s writing here is lovely and feels true.  

The novel moves back and forth in time from Before to the late 1960’s.  Beth and Frank and his younger brother Jimmy have known each other for years and been friends.  Gabriel, from a wealthy family, is a bit older and an aspiring writer.  He and Beth fall in love, and she hopes to join him at university when she’s of age.  

After their unexpected break-up, Beth agrees to marry farmer Frank and they have a son Bobby.  Some years later, Gabriel, divorced with a son of his own, returns to Dorset and he and Beth re-connect.  Her marriage is tested, tension builds, and there is violence and then a death.  

The book is told almost exclusively in Beth’s voice and from her perspective.  How can she be involved with two such very different men?  There are twists and turns in these very human relationships, some predictable, others not.  For me, the ending combined grace and forgiveness with resolution.  Broken Country is a Reese’s Book Club title. Recommended! (~JWFarrington)

ON TO THE BIG APPLE

As is our custom, we headed north to Manhattan a few days ago.  From gloriously blooming spring in North Carolina to early spring in New York.   The trees here have not yet fully leafed out and are mostly soft green.  Tulips abound in sidewalk beds and up and down Park Avenue.  Red, yellow, or pink, they are fully open, but not yet past their prime.  It’s a lovely time of year.

Note: Header photo of the soft colors of early spring in Manhattan by JWFarrington, tulips by GC.

Carolina Comments: Fiction & Theater

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RENEWAL

Whether you celebrate Easter or Passover or neither, spring is a time of renewal and hope.  Here in North Carolina, we are deep into spring.  The azalea bushes are bending under the weight of white, pink, and red blossoms; royal purple, butter yellow, and pale pink irises stand upright in garden beds; and the trees, seemingly overnight, have fully leafed out to lush green.  

With all that’s going wrong and awry in the world, I take pleasure and comfort in nature’s bounty of beauty.  Such beauty provides a respite and a bit of a release of tension.  May you also experience the glorious colors of spring!

READING

LOST IN THE MAINE WOODS

Heartwood by Amity Gaige

Author Gaige (theguardian.com)

In Heartwood, Nurse Valerie Gillis, 42, sets out to walk the Appalachian Trail to get her heart straight and to escape from too much death (think Covid.) She is afraid of the dark and gets lost after her new hiking friend Santo leaves the trail.  Her husband, Gregory, about whom she has mixed feelings, has been her support, meeting her at specific places with more food and supplies.

Lt. Bev, a Maine game warden, is the individual responsible for coordinating the search for Valerie.  She is experienced with an excellent track record for finding people.  Lena is a 76-year-old resident of Cedar-field, a CCRC in Connecticut, who spends hours online and misses Christine, her estranged daughter. Valerie reminds her of Christine.

The novel alternates between the perspectives of Bev, Lena, Santo, and Valerie.  Although lost, Valerie writes affectionate letters to her mother recalling the love she received in childhood and detailing her current situation.   Like Lena missing her daughter, Lt. Bev has complex issues with her own mother who is slowly dying. 

This is an intriguing and highly creative novel combining the strong presence of the natural world (woods and birds) with both the fragility and strength of human relationships.  Mothers play a key role here, but there is also sibling rivalry and affection. Keeping the reader on tenterhooks is the underlying suspense of the search.  Will Valerie be found alive or not? Highly recommended!

Amity Gaige is the author of four novels and teaches at Yale University.  Several years ago, I read and enjoyed Sea Wife, a New York Times Notable Book of 2020. (~JWFarrington)

FOOTNOTE

For those who might be interested in other books featuring game wardens, try the mystery series by Paul Doiron.  Doiron, a former editor of Down East magazine, is the author of fifteen thrillers featuring Maine game warden Mike Bowditch.  The first, published in 2010 is The Poacher’s Son, and the most recent (2024) is Pitch Dark.

INTIMATE THEATER

Stop Kiss (Justice Theater Project, Raleigh)

Callie & Sara (justicetheaterproject.com)

Until recently, I firmly believed society had made significant progress in its treatment and acceptance of the LBGTQ community.  So much of that is being challenged now by this administration.

Stop Kiss, a play by Diana Son, was written in 1998 and first presented Off-Broadway.  The principals in this cast of five are Callie, a long-time New Yorker and traffic reporter, and Sara, a schoolteacher new to the city seeking life and adventure.  George, Callie’s former boyfriend, is a regular attendee in her life, one with occasional benefits.  Callie and Sara move slowly and tentatively into a relationship until a tragic attack.  

The play is fast paced and performed with no intermission.  Scenes are very short, only a few minutes of dialogue, followed by darkness and yet another set change. Some characters appear on floor level at the right or left with the stage behind.  One knows there has been an awful event, but not the particulars. The action moves from the past to the present and back again.  The suspense is in wondering what came after the attack or, what is the fate of Callie and Sara’s relationship.

I surmise that this play likely packed more of a punch and was perhaps shocking when it was performed in 1998.  I found it somewhat dated, but probably the message is still relevant and one that needs to be delivered again and again.  

Note: Unattributed photos and header photo ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)