Lux Lotus

De Stijl (Heart No. 1)

I was perusing the offerings in the bookshop of my absolute favorite museum today, the Neue Galerie, and I was overwhelmed by the prospect of browsing so many topics of interest to me in one small, stylish space. Ever since I visited my bonne amie Lulu in San Francisco, I've been in the throes of a serious crush (Mucha, Mucha, Mucha!) on Art Nouveau. But in the sleek space that is the Neue Galerie, I felt that old longing for the form and function of the Bauhaus, and the organic, bold intensity of Egon Schiele. Art Nouveau seems too fussy to me now, and it only seems right to publicly denounce it in favor of my new (old) love, de Stijl.

Whistler in Paris

Whistler in Paris: Lithographs From The Belle Epoque 1891-1896 (thru August 15) is a gem currently on exhibition at the Freer. Most of the small assortment of lithographs and etchings benefit from the garden setting of his Paris home, which supposedly was reached by turning under an archway, walking through a covered passage, and going up a flight of stairs. There is more information about the exhibit here, but neither the Smithsonian's site nor the Washington Post's review do this refined and hedonistic set of petite vignettes justice. After The Peacock Room, and its verdant depiction of an epic clash of wills, I found Whistler in Paris to be a breath of fresh air. And, of course, a lingering question harangued me for the rest of the day, as it so often does: Why can't I come up with a single reason not to move to Paris?

Before Sunset

I saw Before Sunset tonight, and it was just perfect.... a really well-done film that absolutely fit my mood in the way that only the best crafted movies ever do. I am thinking of going to Europe later this year or early next, and now I am super jazzed by this clever little jewel of a flick (and also the fact that I picked up a Louis Vuitton Paris CityGuide in a thrift store for twenty-five cents today - currently debating my boyfriend over whether we should swear our allegience to Cafe Flore or Les Deux Magots). The film's charms are sort of hard to explain, aside from: Nina Simone references, the Paris setting, flirting with the possibility of life's promise being fulfilled, and re-discovering a part of yourself that you thought was lost. Dazzling in an unexpected way.

Summer Hot List

1. Moccasins (red or natural, of course)
2. Alphonse Mucha posters
3. Couroc trays
4. Decadent tea (it's the new tobacco)
5. Container Gardening
6. Curiousity
7. Fruity beauty products

Stir It Up

In the underreported perspective department, there is an excellent article from The Nation, which I don't usually read, that discusses political activism among professional athletes. I studied labor relations in college, and I always thought that the often narrow-minded business unionism generally practiced by professional athletes' unions was curious and petty. It's illuminating to read more about some of the issues in that field of work.

Illuminations

Right now I am deeply in love with the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud, specifically his Illuminations. I particularly love this line from "Childhood,"

Je suis la savant au fauteuil sombre. Les branches et la pluie se jettent a la croisee de la bibliotheque.

(I am the scholar of the dark armchair. Branches and rain hurl themselves at the windows of my library.)

I rather adore the sort of Gothic, pre-Surrealist style and feel to his prose. I think I'd like to read a biography of his life next. I've only heard bits and pieces of it here and there, but the rebellion, revolutionary artistic vision and torrid affairs sound like satisying criteria for excellent summer reading.