Icons of the Twentieth Century

Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, (August 21, 2016) Las Vegas, NV

I made a quick trip to Las Vegas to see my son and take in a Rod Stewart concert at Caesar’s Palace. Sir Rod (recently knighted by the Queen) gave us his heart for a solid hour and one half. He doesn’t have a great voice but he is a great showman. In fact, he is an Artist. Complimenting his tonal voice, he creates great music and colossal audience response by combining a wonderful band (what a saxophone player!) with his incredible soul and energy.

Besides spending time with my Las Vegas lawyer, like the other 40 million plus visitors to Las Vegas each year, I come for the shows, tables, spa, and drink. Frequently on these quick trips, I stop for a culture break at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art located at the Bellagio Casino and Resort. The BGFA was part of Steve Wynn’s attempt to brand and differentiate the Bellagio property. Essentially Wynn’s cruising for upscale clients and high rollers (literally).

Sidebar – Speaking of re branding Steve Wynn is the master. Stephen Alan Weinberg changed his surname to Wynn, the perfect name for someone who operates gambling establishments. Wynn however even out did himself when he engaged the yoda of “the power of words”, Frank Luntz, to morph gambling into gaming. Voila, the Gaming Industry. Luntz is reported to have received one million dollars for this single act.

The Bellagio’s current Exhibition is “Icons of the Twentieth Century” Yousuf Karsh.

Karsh was the pre-eminent portrait photographer of his Century. He left his native Armenia at the age of sixteen to live with his Uncle, a photographer in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. His Uncle saw great potential in Yousuf and sent him to Boston to apprentice with portrait photographer, John Garo another Armenian. Garo said that Yousuf Karsh possessed a special ability to see. At the completion of his apprenticeship Karsh returned to Ottawa, Quebec working as portrait photography in a studio near the Canadian Parliament. Karsh became very successful locally and became a favorite of the Canadian Prime Minister who would arrange sittings for visiting foreign dignitaries at Karsh’s studio.

In December 1941 Karsh executed the most famous photographic portrait of all time, that of the visiting British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. The famous photographed screams DEFIANT!

The behind the scene story is fascinating. Churchill allowed Karsh only a brief five minutes for his sitting. Obviously in 1941 the PM had a few other things commanding his attention. Karsh sat Churchill in a chair for his photograph. Churchill had his ever-present Cigar clenched in his mouth when Karsh was fixing the lighting and staging the pose. Karsh asked the Prime Minister to remove the cigar, and Churchill refused. Karsh then walked over to Winnie and took the stogie from his mouth and placed it in a nearby ash tray, then returning to his camera. In the meantime Churchill got up from the seat agitated about his treatment and Karsh snapped his shutter and captured Churchill the Defiant.

This one photograph established Yousuf Karsh as THE International Portrait Photographer. From that moment forward his career was assured.

Karsh attempted to study his subjects in advance to understand their personalities and interests so he could make them relax and capture their best qualities. In addition to his reputation, knowing his subject allowed Karsh to gain their trust.

Karsh was a raconteur who loved life. This outlook enabled him through his art to release his subject’s soul. His great skill enabled him to memorialize his subjects.

The Icons of the Twentieth Century included a phenomenal collection of photographs of the famous. Included of course was the obligatory self-portrait and those of two other photographers, his mentor John Garo and Ansel Adams. Both Adams and Karsh while artists were technocrats. Karsh had the people gene and Adams the landscape gene.

Beyond the photographers other artists included (and there were many) were Georgia O’Keefe, Andy Warhol (holding a paint brush), Alexander Calder, Bridgette Bardot, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Judy Garland, a photograph of Karsh/Jim Henson/Kermit the frog, Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, Ingrid Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock, Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Rudolph Nureyev, Marian Anderson, Stephen Sondheim, Ernest Hemmingway (who Karst found shy), Robert Frost, and George Bernard Shaw.

Perhaps the most unique photograph was of Pablo Casals. The famous musician was shown from the back playing his cello. Casals face could not be seen but the identity of the subject and what was in his soul was unmistakable. Two photographs that caught my attention were how Karsh highlighted his subject’s hands. The eerily similar photographs were of Georgia O’Keeffe and Muhammad Ali. The extremely photographic (he would say “beautiful” Ali also screamed DEFIANT!

Karsh claimed his favorite subject was Helen Keller.

The artist(s) that grabbed my attention was one of the Marx Brothers, Julius (Groucho), Arthur (Harpo), and Leonard (Chico).

Beyond, Churchill world leaders included were fabulous photographs of Dwight Eisenhower, a young Princess Elizabeth, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela. There was a young Jacqueline Kennedy included in the exhibit as well.

Karsh found art everywhere. There were photographs of the Apollo XI Crew (the first men on the moon), Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Le Corbusier, and I M Pei.

It was interesting to learn that in preparing to photograph Einstein, Karsh found Einstein was a violinist. During the session Karsh asked him if there were an association between arts and science. Einstein replied there exists a harmony in all things. Perhaps this is an easy simile of the theory of relativity?

Pei’s portrait was my favorite in the exhibition. The portrait portrayed a man of vision who yet seemed very happy. I am an optimist. I like optimists.

To my surprise and edification there is a great similarity between Rod Stewart and Yousuf Karsh. Stewart’s production overcomes his mediocre performance voice as Karsh’s artistry elevated photography to the performance level of originally designed art like drawing or painting.

Both of these artists success comes through their individual interpretation and implementation.

Always Interesting

Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio (July 16, 2016) Oak Park, IL

On this beautiful morning I did an Encore visit to the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio in Oak Park. This was my fourth trip to a Wright inspired property and my second to his Oak Park Home and Studio where perhaps America’s best-known and greatest architect lived and worked.

Wright was a farm boy who grew up in central Wisconsin. He studied architecture in Chicago, first with Joseph Lyman Silsbee and later he studied and worked for renowned architect Louis Sullivan.

Wright lived in this home from 1889 until 1909. In 1895 he made a major addition to the house and in 1898 the studio was added. In 1911 the studio was remodeled.

The home was built in Oak Park on a large prominent lot in the neighborhood where other Wright designed homes had been built. Wright’s home and studio were located on the corner of the aptly named Chicago and Forrest Avenues. Some of the Wright homes nearby are known as “bootlegged” homes. They were designed without the knowledge and in violation of Wright’s employment agreement with Sullivan.  Overall there are 25 Wright homes in Oak Park and another 5 in nearby River Forrest.

The property is a prime example of Wright’s Prairie School of architecture. What first strikes you is home’s setback from the street and the unique roof shingles. Before the advent of the environmental movement Wright understood and applied concepts of the integrity of the environment. The building is in harmony with nature employing natural materials along with a multitude of natural light. Throughout the house wood trim and colored glass are used as decorative elements. Within the home are many examples of built in furnishing so often found in Wright homes.

Wright saw this particular property as a laboratory to experiment ant tryout his ideas. I found the use of the octagon shape very intriguing, particularly in the drafting room and in Wright’s library that later became his office.

Elements I loved –

The Inglenook – the small recess next to a fireplace near the home’s entrance, where family members or guests could gather. The unique feature of the Wright designed Inglenook was you could see into other areas of the home through wall openings.

Wright established a lending library in the home for his neighbors.

Factoid of the visit – John Lloyd Wright, Wright’s second son, is the inventor of the children’s toy, “Lincoln Logs.”

The site has over 150,000 visitors per year.

New Swiss Colony

America’s Swiss Colony  (July 15, 2016) New Glarus, WI

Continuing our tripping through enchanted rural Wisconsin, Susan and I stopped in the Village of New Glarus. New Glarus is 28 miles southwest of Madison.

Our first stop was to buy a case of Spotted Cow beer (in bottles) for our beer imbibing family and friends in South Dakota and Illinois. “Spotted Cow” is sold only in Wisconsin and bootlegged by travellers like Coors was from Colorado and Oklahoma to Texas, in the day. Time did not allow a tour that is offered of New Glarus Brewing Company that brews “Spotted Cow” in New Glarus.

Our next stop was at the Swiss Historical Village Museum (admission $9.00) a very nice locally supported history museum of the area. Reasonable reporting dictates me to say this, though it is likely pointless given their origins; the Museum building and grounds (like the entire Village of New Glarus) were orderly, clean, and looked freshly painted.

Many of the buildings in New Glarus are in the “Chalet” style. Flower boxes with red geraniums and Swiss flags seemed to be everywhere.

New Glarus’ original settlers immigrated to America in 1845 from the Canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Glarus is one of the 26 Cantons (States) in the Swiss Confederation. Their trip to the New World was the All American Story of coming to the New World for a better life.

The economy of Glarus had tanked in the early 1840s and many of its citizens could not make a living there. The political leaders in Glarus decided that America beckoned as a land of opportunity and a resettlement program was enacted for their Swiss brothers and sisters to come to America. The Glarus government decided on using their treasury to relocate some of those willing to seek opportunity in America. Two land agents (lawyers) were sent as advance men to secure land.

The 203 Swiss coming to American couldn’t wait for the agents to make the arrangements and left for America without knowing their ultimate destination. Three of the travelers died during the voyage but were replaced by three births. The travelers made their way to St. Louis where they determined the Swiss land agents had been there and had headed up River to Galena, Illinois. In Galena they learned land had been purchased in Wisconsin Territory along the Sugar River about 100 km from Galena in South Central Wisconsin.

In August 1845, 108 of the settlers arrived in site by foot or wagon. A portion of the group dropped out along the way deciding to go it on their own elsewhere while others waited until the next spring to arrive in the new Swiss colony.

The 1200 acres that were purchased for $1000 was divided into 20 acre plots and sold by the Glarus government to the settlers for $1.25 per acre. This amount was paid back in full in later years. Eventually the thrifty Swiss acquired nearly 30,000 acres in the area. A town was established and named, not surprisingly New Glarus.

Traditionally the Glarners (name for Glarus residents) were textile workers but in Wisconsin initially they became either lead miners or farmers. One of the attractions of the area was that the topography approximated Glarus, a valley set among gently rolling hills with intense forestation.

A relationship of some co dependence developed between Old Glarus and New Glarus. Soon after the Colony’s establishment more Swiss brothers began to arrive in Wisconsin for the economic opportunity. In 1861 the town of Glarus experienced a devastating fire. When news reached Wisconsin, nearly $20,000 was immediately sent to help the Swiss.

New Glarus was inhabited almost entirely by the previous Swiss nationals and their progeny, yet 98 served in the Union Army during the Civil War.

(Not related to my visit to New Glarus but of immense interest to me) For understanding of the high armed force participation, check out the Iron Brigade of the West in the Army of the Potomac and the Irish Brigade.  Ask yourself why ethnic immigrants and Midwesterners were such brave and fierce combatants with such a high participation rate in the Civil War?

After the Civil War, agriculture prospered in New Glarus as the land found its highest and best employed in the dairy industry. Swiss ingenuity developed their dairy marketing through value added agriculture by making cheese. Surprise – Swiss Cheese!

What makes this factoid even more interesting is the cheese making in New Glarus was the beginning of Wisconsin’s cheese making industry. The success in New Glarus prompted Wisconsin’s claim at America’s Dairy land.  

After looking over the very clean town and its chocolate shops, restaurants, bars, and gift shops, Susan and I settled on a very average lunch at Toffler’s Pub and Grill. I did have a pretty good bratwurst from Ruef’s Meat Market in New Glarus.

You can buy Spotted Cow just about everywhere as long as you are in Wisconsin, you don’t have to be in New Glarus. If you are in the area

New Glarus is worth the stop.