Yep, it's birthday time. Today's? Pierre-Auguste Renoir, probably most famous these days for an 1881 painting, Le Déjeuner des canotiers, a work recreated over and over by old man Dufayel in Amélie.
Unlike for an author, I can't exactly toss up a link about purchasing a celebrated painter's work -- unless you've got a few extra hundred million lying about -- but what I can do is toss up a link about purchasing a book about a painter and his or her work. Smart, huh. I knew that college edumacation would pay off someday, bringing me vast gobs of capitalist scratch in the process.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Paint me something pretty
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Many years ago, I traveled to New York with a friend for a much needed and well deserved vacation.
My friend, quite the "A" lister, had a friend from college who was a Broadway agent. The guy lived in one of those horribly expensive, blandly elegant Manhattan apartments that make people in New York swoon: a doorman building, small rooms, white walls, and a view of the building next door. Being from California, the building and the apartment reminded me of a cross between a dentist office and a prison.
In any event, in the bathroom, over the toilet hung a real Picasso lithograph. The only Picassos I had ever seen before were in museums. This impressed me greatly. Imagine: every time you take a piss or a shit you can gaze at a genuine Picasso?
Very cool.
I baked the cake and did this exact work of art in the icing. It's almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
So here ya go. Now I have to get back to my other chores.
Randal- off topic. I have a little something for you at my blog.
Although I just noticed I spelled the name of your blog incorrectly.
What can I say? My French sucks, plus I have been awash in my own ennui of late.
If there was a birthday cake at that famous picnic--I am sure it would be better than the Betty Crocker cake I could make.
Amelie!
But he just couldn't get the girl in that painting right.
Such a wonderful movie.
Aren't you from NJ, Randal? Have you ever visited the Barnes Gallery on Philly's Main Line? Barnes was crazy for Renoir, who dominates his collection, one of the greatest private collections of impressionists anywhere. I think he's got like 70 major Renoirs, plus plenty of top-notch Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, etc.
This is the best time of year to go see the collection -- in the winter on a Friday afternoon, ideally, when you'll often have the place practically to yourself. You can usually get tickets at short notice this time of year, too.
You don't often see images of Barnes pieces reproduced anywhere, since he tightly held all the rights to his stuff. You have to go see it in person.
Renoir? Ya hadda pick Renoir?
Hey, it's Zeppo Marx's birthday, too! And George Harrison and Jim Backus! I have nothing against Renoir, and I am sure he had plenty of well satisfied clients.....but whadda I know about Renoir?
Gees, February is also Grapefruit month and Macadamia Nut month....now those are topics we could really sink our teeth into!!!!!
Thank you for the kinky linky love there, Randal. I hope those Amazon checks are worth the cost of your soul. I suppose with all the free books you could ever want, they are.
∞ƒreida
I love this painting. For some reason, it was one of the most powerful paintings I saw at the Musee d'Orsay. It just had a profound impact on me.
Happy Birthday, Renoir!
also, happy birthday to Anthony Burgess and Adelie Davis.
however, I like that painting and I like that movie and I like books so all in all, for a lazy post, pretty good job there I'd say.
I just heard on tv that not only is the debate tonight in your town, but you are also getting a mega pile of snow too. Stay warm and inside if you can.
christopher, while it would be pretty groovy to live in New York, or at least in the surrounding area so you have easy access for visiting purposes, I think I'd pass on such an apartment. And to have the money to afford THAT? It truly is hard to fathom! I don't know, I'd feel bad that it wasn't in a museum. I'll take one of those fancy reproductions. :)
POP, you do realize that if you did that, well, that's a hell of a lot of work. I would pay you good cash money. Do you know of a bank that needs robbing?
fran, my very own stake in Enron! Excellent! And don't worry, the house thing will be over soon enough. If not, we know people who know people who can help you out.
LBR, hey, don't dis Betty Crocker. Devil's food, yum!
dean, I agree, a great movie!
ahab, no, I'm in Cleveland. We did have the traveling Monet exhibit last year. But it's not like that's all that far, I should make a road trip nonetheless. Thanks for the info!
okjimm, well, I do have to keep up the whole weirdo Francophile thing, don't I? Grapefruit? I love grapefruit! I didn't know it had it's own month! This calls for a sexy party!
FB, what's a soul compared to my palatial digs and the château on the Loire?
b, it really is wonderful, isn't it? Ah, someday I'll get there to see it.
liberality, that's the problem when finding a birthday for a lazy post: sometimes there are a lot to choose from. But laziness always wins out over in-depth, complex, nuclear-powered posting, thus cake and ice cream.
POP, merci, but the snow wasn't THAT bad. Sure, my damn kids get to stay home - wimps - but they hype everything these days. It's nice and warm here. Too bad here is work. ;-)
Randal,
Given your constant search for bloggable material and your last comment on "My Inner French Girl," here's a posting possibility for you:
http://www.yanowhatimean.com/tuesday/?p=193
I like the idea of "Ten on Tuesday" and did a few last summer but found them a little too ambitious. TEN ITEMS? EARLY IN THE WEEK TO BOOT?
I mentally changed it to "Four whenever I frickin' feel like it," but that concept didn't go too far in the blogosphere...
Hmm, that's not a bad idea! Of course, now I have to switch on the brain and think of ten of something.
And I can see what your problem was: change 'frickin'' to 'fuckin'' and it'll go over like lemonade in August or chili right now. Unless you live on the equator.
Golly gee, Randal, you know I'm a schoolteacher so I've got to watch my vocabulary...
Good point. Leave the swearing up to us misbehaving jerks. ;-)
Oh my. I just realize that I got a degree in French and a minor in art history so that I could pronounce the names of paintings and painters!
Phew! Glad that mystery is solved.
Money well spent!
For lack of a better phrase, I like Renoir. I even like to say his name...Renoir, Renoir, Renoir.
Re-noir, re-noir...
Black again, black again...
It suits you.
Son nom ? Peut-être, but his pictures are so beautiful, even when they're sad or tenebrous.
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