This doorway over La Maison Francaise on Fifth Avenue at 50th Street symbolizes the friendship between America and France. It was created by the French sculptor Janniot and finished in 1933 during the depths of the Depression era. Gilded and intricate, it is one of the many decorations incorporated in the building facades. It was designed with the hope of attracting overseas investment and to entice tenants to newly built Rockefeller Plaza complex. Now it graces the opening of a somewhat generic retail space, but we are still reaping the benefit of the past’s ambitious and very individual aesthetic depicting as much beauty and amity possible to pack into the finite area over an office building entrance. Full view here.
- Category Archives Art and Sculpture
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Friendship
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Hair Wraps
Today was such a surprise and joy at many levels. For one, it was supposed to be cloudy with rain – instead, we had beautiful sunshine all day. I was on the way out of my neighborhood but ended up completely ensnared for the entire day by the various events going on in Washington Square Park. There was a Dog Dating event being filmed, a rock concert, numerous performers, acrobats and singers, boule players, champion chess playing, and more (for Monday, I will bring you something really cool with a video).I have seen the fellow in the photo nearly everyday, but this was the first time I had seen him with a “client” in his ground level salon with a garbage can as backdrop. I can’t attest to his skill – I know nothing of hair wraps. But I imagine that, along with her chest tattoos, she will be adequately adorned. Here are more views of the procedure.
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Metronome
This huge art wall has been an enigma for myself and most New Yorkers and visitors. The piece, Metronome, was commissioned by the developers of the building at One Union Square South, created by Kristin Jones and Andrew Ginzel (who won a national competition), and inaugurated in 1999. It is an investigation of time containing nine elements – every element has a specific meaning.The photo only shows the central portion, The Vortex, in brick, measuring 100 feet high by 60 feet wide. Smoke is emitted throughout the day through the center (The Infinity), surrounded by gold leaf (The Source). Note the hand (900 pounds) of George Washington at the very top. To the left (not shown) is an element which always generates speculation: The Passage, a digital atomic clock 15 panels long (five feet high). It turns out to be an elaborate countdown of the day’s time. The entire piece, its elements, and its history are explained in the original press release.
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Bond Street Sculpture
Artistic expression is everywhere you look in NYC – street musicians, chalk painters on sidewalks, urban graffiti art, colored glass appliques on lamp posts, photographs and art being sold or exhibited on the street, etc. Sometimes you need to look up. We spotted these sculptures on the second floor fire escape of the six-story residential loft building at 24 Bond Street, a side street off Broadway in NoHo.* The building was also the home of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. The creation is the work of resident sculptor Bruce Williams. The male dancers, covered in gold, have been present since 1998…*Note: NoHo (north of Houston, as contrasted with SoHo, south of Houston) is an neighborhood between the East and West Village, just north of SoHo.
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Real? Fake? Why?
No one really knows why people throw up their old sneakers over the lamp posts in NYC (and beyond). People have read a lot into it, projecting fears and leading to urban myths, but now the meaning of sneaker-throwing has changed – artists have begun making very realistic wooden replicas of sneakers and throwing them up all over the city and all over the world, for that matter.Apparently, all other forms of street art, such as graffiti and stickers, have been done, so the only thing left was this gesture (these were at the corner of St. Marks Place and 1st Avenue in the East Village.) So we are left to wonder, are those real sneakers up there, and what does it all really mean, anyway? Probably just further evidence of youthful exuberance…
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Time Landscape – A Taste of Nature
In 1965 Alan Sonfist, an artist associated with the Earth Art or Land Art movement, conceived of this living work of art which recreates New York City’s forest growth of the 17th century (see a synopsis on the sign here). Finally realized in 1978, it has been landmarked. The 8000-square foot plot stands at LaGuardia Place and Houston Street, a busy intersection in the Village/Soho area.One wonders how many actually notice this plot. More likely, it is overlooked like so much in life and particularly in a city which provides sensory overload. In the autumn, I can actually grab an apple from the branch of an overhanging tree. One morning, I greeted a man eating berries, which I had noticed before but never knew were edible. These are remarkable experiences given the completely urbanized locale. And to get a taste of nature in Manhattan is so uplifting…
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The Sun Never Sets
The sun never set on the British Empire – what this handsome golden fellow symbolizes. He is an intaglio carving by Lee Laurie, cut into the face of the British Empire Building (which is across the long garden concourse from the French Building, which has its own beauties) over the doorways of 620 Fifth Avenue, one of the four main buildings in Rockefeller Center. Mercury is the god of commerce and speed, a messenger, and even the patron of thievery.When built in the thirties, this building served as the off shore center for British commerce and trade while they were under tremendous siege at home. His appearance of forward movement is a reminder, if we need one, to hurry about our business….
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Metal Ferns
More on Rockefeller Center, the Art Deco extravaganza. Here is a detail of a bronze statue, one of a symmetrically placed pair, which have giant fern fronds graciously presenting the central area in front of the main building, presently occupied by an ice skating rink. Must be the last few days for the skaters – winter came back today for a little while, but it’s fighting a losing battle. Very soon, as every spring, the ice thaws and then there are cafe tables with umbrellas to protect us from the sun…
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Rock Floor
The 30 Rockefeller Center lobby has very highly polished black terrazzo floors inlaid with brass designs and dramatically lit sepia murals that go on for acres throughout a number of interconnected buildings. It is the ultimate NYC Art Deco atmosphere and is meticulously maintained – the golden lighting reflects off the black floors. I often feel like I am an extra in a film set as I rush across these dark polished surfaces, with Ira Gershwin playing the background score, “Rhapsody in Blue.”You can walk quite a distance underground to avoid bad weather, and there are also many shops and restaurants, as well as a TV station. We are looking forward to getting up to the recently reopened and restored observatory on the top floor, which is said to have the best views of the city. We will be doing more postings about this quintessentially glamorous part of midtown Manhattan. Here’s a link to a lot more about this landmark…
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Cybele
Mihail Chemiakin’s bronze iconic landmark, “Cybele,” goddess of fertility and abundance, stands on a Prince Street sidewalk at 15 feet tall with eight pairs of breasts, four pairs of buttocks, three animal heads (two rams and a lioness), and a human face. There is a mirrored window behind, allowing you to see everything at once. Something for everyone, she is the Great Female Goddess of the city’s feminists and a generous sexual icon for the male worshipers of Venus…
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Manhattan Mural
Buildings at busy intersections, such as this at Houston Street and Broadway, are often used as billboards, like this gigantic six-story photo mural of NYC that has become a landmark. It depicts the Statue of Liberty superimposed over a skyline of skyscrapers, viewed through DKNY initial cutouts, which loom and dominate over all.Since its creation in 1989, it has faded and softened a bit, better integrating it into the building. The three windows at the top suggest someone inhabiting the space inside this mural. Wonder who that might be – maybe we ought to ring the doorbell one day and find out…
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Park Lampshades
One day last spring, we found that the streetlights in Washington Square Park had been dressed with lampshades, making it seem even more like an outdoor living room than it already is – nicely subtle for public art. Popular demand has extended this exhibit by Marjorie Kouns.Brian’s place overlooks the square, and at night, this piece seems to add another room outside his window, with what looks like lamps burning in the trees…
