Category Archives: Art

Me and My Shadows

03 Friday May 2013

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me and my shadow

BY JULIE SEYLER

I love black and white photography – the rich lushness of gelatin silver prints. One simply cannot capture the depth and compassion that illuminates so many images captured on film developed in a dark room using chemicals. My heart tends to lead me to the photojournalists of the ’40s and ’50s: Helen Levitt and her street photography of little boys playing in fire hydrants on a hot summer night before there was air conditioning; Robert Capa documenting men fighting in war, and the utter naked brazenness of Weegee and his blood-threaded images of homicide victims. Be it nobility or sensationalism, the photographs were more than pages in a magazine – they ultimately pushed forward an underused medium in art. They were powerful and iconic.

A few weeks ago, while wandering through The Museum of Modern Art, I discovered a photojournalist I had not heard of before. Bill Brandt, was British,and the show ranged from photos of coal miners in England to the bombed out streets of London during World War II to abstract nudes. For me, he nailed the picture from subject matter to composition, and “Shadow and Light”, as the show was called. I believe all images were gelatin silver prints.

Technology has evolved to such a degree that black-and-white film is nearly extinct.The modern digital camera is embedded with a setting that allows you to turn off color, and, aha, one can shoot in black and white. So there are times when I see shadows happening, and on goes, “COLOR OFF.” The art form may have been reduced to a button, and the quality may pale, but the fascination of the image holds. Here is my homage to a shadow and the sensual:

Preeminent birth

Preeminent Birth.

curve

Curve.

leg up

Leg-Up.

time to walk away
Time to Walk Away.

Walking Like a Tourist in Manhattan

22 Monday Apr 2013

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Observing the city from on high. Bowery Savings Bank.

Observing the city from on high. Bowery Savings Bank. All photos by Julie Seyler.

BY JULIE SEYLER

Sometimes I pretend that I am a tourist in Manhattan. I go for a walk with my camera looking for things that I would notice if I were on vacation in an unknown city. I might wander down Second Avenue or take the bus up to the George Washington Bridge or, if in the mood for a boat trip, hop on the ferry to Staten Island. It’s always great to see the Statue of Liberty.

Liberty in the distance.

Liberty in the distance.

One day, I walked south on the Bowery. At the corner of Houston Street, like almost every block in the city, construction was going on. To protect against falling debris, a tarp overhang, bolted down by a mesh wire wall, had been erected, thereby creating a covered pedestrian walkway. I was about to cross the street when I noticed that the obliqueness of the early morning, eastern light created shadows on the sidewalk. When the wind blew against the wire mesh, it looked like ripples on a lake …

Sidewalk mesh. Photo by Julie Seyler

… and the steel bars holding everything down reminded me of a Franz Kline painting:

Shadow lines on a sidewalk. Photo by Julie Seyler

I kept walking south, and came upon a grand old building supported by columns in a Greek Corinthian style, and decorated all over with ornate floral fretwork, which seems to be a ubiquitous characteristic of 19th century architecture.

The Bowery Savings Bank

The Bowery Savings Bank.

It was the Bowery Savings Bank Building, completed in 1895 by the firm of McKim, Mead and White. It had been designated a New York City landmark back in 1966. The architects had even taken into account the ground one stood on before entering the imposing doors of the bank. Red and white mosaic tile had been laid down in a checkered pattern. It framed a red vine with sprouting leaves. Given the speckled concrete floors that support modern commercial buildings, it seemed so exotic despite its somewhat battered condition.

Mosaic tile. Bowery Savings Bank.

Mosaic tile. Bowery Savings Bank.

At Canal Street, I turned around and headed back uptown. The tenement buildings remained a testament to the city that once was. Slowly, they will be torn down, and replaced with glass boxes. That is the history of New York. Each generation makes its mark, and with it a little more architectural history is stripped away. I snapped this photo in memory of all the long lost fire escapes.

Fire escape confusion

Fire escape confusion.

Deep Affection, and a Pillow to Prove It

19 Friday Apr 2013

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"The Cycle of Love". Pillow art by Julie Seyler

“The Cycle of Love.” Pillow art by Julie Seyler.

Sometimes, we may think the cycle of love refers only to the cycle of our lovers and spouses. But, does it not also refer to the cycle that imbues the greatest friendships? The cycle of affection, happiness, joy and love we feel, over and over again, when we remember how lucky we are to have the people in our lives whom we call great friends?

So here’s to the five-month anniversary of the blog, and the cycle of love that underlies it. Thanks to everyone for following and reading.

Oh Baby! The Art of a Pink Push-Up, Padded with Plastic Ones

12 Friday Apr 2013

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Pink push-up bra. Julie Seyler.

My pink, push-up bra. Assembled by Julie Seyler.

BY JULIE SEYLER

I walk crosstown to swim several times a week. I wear my bathing suit under my work clothes, and always remember to pack my underwear. Except when I forget. It happened a couple of summers ago, so before I got to my office I ducked into Strawberry’s, a discount women’s department store that carries everything from umbrellas to shoes; sweaters to lingerie (albeit the lingerie selection is limited). The choices run from leopard print to neon blue, all made with 100% non-natural fabrics. The best I could do was a hot pink, perfectly constructed, push-up bra in a material designed to evoke faux silk. It looked sort of like a bathing suit top, but it got me through the day. I came home, and retired it to the back room where I keep all my art supplies.

But the basic bones of the bra spoke to me. It amounted to sculpture, and given its vibrant color, I knew I had to do something with it.

So, I lined a wooden box with black velvet. I figured the pink sheen of the polyester would pop out when placed against the black. Over the years, I have purchased hundreds of spools of vintage silk thread. The colors are super pure, and the texture of the thread is lush. I selected a red and a blue to sew the bra into the black velvet box. I am enchanted by miniature plastic babies, so I sewed a few of them onto the bra. I loved it when it was finished, and decided that my friends Deb and John might also love it.

I am so flattered. It’s hanging in their guest bathroom downstairs for all to peruse when nature calls.

Close-up pink push-up bra.

Close-up.

The Saturday Blog: Renewal

06 Saturday Apr 2013

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slatted boards and sunlight

Slatted boards and sunlight. Photo by Julie Seyler.

We have come through winter.  Like a fresh coat of paint, we are, oh, so ready, for the renewal that spring brings.

Before Cineplexes, and Multi-Screens, There Were Movie Palaces

04 Thursday Apr 2013

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Movie theatre at 175th St and Broadway

Movie theatre at 175th St. and Broadway in Manhattan. Photo by Julie Seyler.

Mayfair Theater

The Mayfair Theater in Asbury Park in its prime. Photo courtesy of noweverthen.com

BY JULIE SEYLER

When I started going to the movies as a “grown-up,” i.e. without parent chaperones, my friends and I went to Saturday matinees at the St. James, Mayfair or Lyric Theatre in Asbury Park.  Big old carnival-like palladiums that were demolished – now it seems pointlessly.  Probably the riots that sparked in Asbury Park in the summer of 1970 initiated the slow demise of each of the grand old palaces.  One of our parents would drop us off and we would walk through the lobby into a cavernous auditorium, where a heavy, red-velvet curtain protected the mile-wide screen. The curtain would part, and the movie, sans any commercials, would begin. The first time I saw “Gone with the Wind” (falling crazy for Clark Gable), was at one of those baroque confections, so different from the modern seven-screen cineplex.

So, it was with great glee when, a couple of weeks ago, I found myself on the corner of Broadway and 175th Street staring up at a magnificent, albeit broken-looking, movie palace.  I could only guess it was built in the late ’20s, early ’30s.  It was a city-block wide; the original box office in place. And the entire facade of the building was decorated with intricately carved fretwork. What looked to be a Hindu god graced the marquee high above the street.  It is now the United Church, but I closed my eyes and imagined what glory it must have commanded in its day, especially since its architectural splendors still dazzle.

Fretwork

Fretwork.

Ticket booth at the old Loew's on 175th Street and Broadway

Ticket booth at the old Loew’s on 175th Street and Broadway.

the marquee

The marquee.

the marquee in situ

The marquee today.

In the back of the theatre, facing Wadsworth Avenue, a balcony had been built on the second floor.  I couldn’t figure out if the stars used that space to come out and bow to their fans, or if it was just a place to cool off on a hot summer night because the theatre was built way before air conditioning.

When I got home I called my mother, because she grew up in that neighborhood. I thought she might know what the mystery building was before it became a church. “Of course.  It’s the Old Loew’s Palace where I saw ‘Gone with the Wind’ when it first came out in 1939.  I was 11.”

Yale Art Gallery Yields Ancient Flip-Flops, Word Games, and a “David Yurman”

01 Monday Apr 2013

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glass mosaic bowl 1st century B.C. to 2nd century A.D.

Glass mosaic bowl, 1st century B.C. to 2nd century A.D.

BY JULIE SEYLER

I am passionate about ancient objects.  Vases, bowls, tables, and combs, when crafted by an artisan who might be 4000 years old today, blow my mind. So I scour the ancient art galleries of museums, and love to visit once-buried cities. Seeing old artifacts confirms the continuity of fashion; the practicality of drinking glasses; the fun of jewelry.

One bitter day in March, a friend and I drove up to the Yale Art Gallery. From the city, it’s  about 2 hours on I-95. I had heard that the recent renovation was spectacular, but had ignored reading about it, so I went with a blind eye. The minute we drove onto Chapel Street, and past the stately gothic buildings that comprise Yale University, I was enamored. The campus is not beautiful in the sense of rolling hills, but in the majesty of the architecture. It celebrates education with arches and steeples and marble and wrought iron gates. If ever I wanted to go back to being a student, this stroll around Yale made me long for youth in a way that was not familiar.

So when I entered the art gallery, I was already enchanted and became more so as we ambled through. The little I saw reflected the tip of an amazing collection – a mini- Metropolitan Museum of Art, but so much more accessible.  The info cards give the necessary details with simplicity, and it was crowded, but not jammed.

Within the Roman galleries was an exhibit devoted to the city of Dura-Europos, founded in 300 B.C. on the western bank of the Euphrates River, in what is now present-day Syria. The Romans dominated from about 165 A.D. until another invading army, the Sassanians, took over. The site was discovered by a team of Yale archaeologists in the 1920s, and the gallery is a showcase for their finds. I spotted a leather flip flop that could have been made by Rainbow; a David Yurman bracelet and Matisse-like terracotta female figures.

Leather flip flop Dura-Europos 2nd-3rd century A.D.

Leather flip flop Dura-Europos 2nd-3rd century A.D.

David Yurman bracelet circa 200-256 A.D.

“David Yurman” bracelet circa 200-256 A.D.

The zaktik torso. 1st century B.C.- 2nd century A.D.

The zaktik torso. 1st century B.C.- 2nd century A.D.

My favorite was the word puzzle. Each of the words (ROTAS, OPERA, TENET, AREPO, and SATOR), written on this plaster plaque, can be read right to left, or left to right, or up and down, or down and up, and end up spelling the same word. A master acrostic palindrome. The meaning remains an enigma, but not the pleasure of a word game, which is timeless.

word puzzle 165-256 A.D.

The Saturday Blog: The Ceiba Tree

30 Saturday Mar 2013

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Ceiba tree. Tikal. Guatemala

Ceiba tree. Tikal, Guatemala. Photo by Julie Seyler.

Tikal, Guatemala is a destination place for those who are intrigued and curious about the Mayans. But beyond the grand temples, stands nature. The Mayans believed that a great Ceiba tree stood at the center of the earth, and connected the terrestrial world to the spirit world above. Who doesn’t want a little connection to the spirit, wherever it is circulating?