The New York Times has an article today on the renovation of the bar at the St. Regis that houses the Maxfield Parrish painting of Old King Cole. It’s a great painting, and a favorite spot of mine to drop twenty bucks on a manhattan.
The last time I was there a guy told me the reason the page is snickering is because the Old King had just let one rip. Not an SBD, I’m assuming.
A year or so ago I read “Alice off the page” in the New Yorker, and thought it was the most moving work I’d read in a long time. I passed it on to my brother-in-law, John, who then sent it on to just about everyone else we know. Now it’s been turned into a short book (78 pages). There is a great article on Mr. Trillin, and on his book, in the Observer this week.
I’ve always been fond of Trillin’s work, and Hadley has always loved his articles in the New Yorker. She wants to move to Nova Scotia because of how his describes life on the island (I’m willing to go with her). This article is different, though I’m not quite sure why. There is an aspirational component to it, I’m sure. Calvin Trillin represents potential for the not-so-young man (and I am one of those); attentive, loyal, funny, and not so egotistical to misunderstand what matters in the world.
There are a few stories that have surprised me with my own tears in the past ten or so years; often they involve older men who can’t do what they used to do. This one is different though, as it got to me by bringing out what I should be doing. It gave me hope for my own future, but also a challenge.
The interviews I’ve read say that Mr. Trillin is surprised by the response to this work. Isn’t that just perfect. At our best we do work that resonates in ways we don’t expect. Calvin Trillin sets a top notch example, doesn’t he?
I counted minutes and subtracted miles. Just ahead, over the rolling wheat fields all golden beneath the distant snows of Estes, I’d be seeing old Denver at last.
— Jack Kerouac, On The Road
The Denver Public Library is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the publication of “On The Road” with an exhibition and various events over the course of the winter. As part of the exhibit, they will be presenting one of the original 120 foot teletype scrolls on which Kerouac wrote the novel. More information is available on the DPL website.
Update 4 January:
Westword has a fun read on the city of Denver in literature, cleverly called Paint the Town Read.
“At this point words become inadequate and I return to the great discovery I began preparing you for, the knowledge of the one surface with which the world offered itself to this art. Offered, but not yet gave. Accepting it would (and still does) require endless work.
Consider for a moment how much work would be required for an artist who wished to master all surfaces; after all, no one thing is just like another. He wasn’t concerned with knowing the body in general, nor the face or the hand (none of which exists anyhow); but rather all bodies, all faces, all hands. This is a task! And how simple and serious it is, how completely devoid of temptation and promise; how completely unpretentious.
A craft develops that appears to be that of an immortal; it is so broad, so infinite and beyond boundaries, and so dedicated to a process of constant learning. Where to find a patience adequate to this craft?”
From “Rodin” by Rainer Maria Rilke (translated by Daniel Slager)
Neo is coming to town!
Next year will be exciting for those interested in art in Denver. Besides the opening of the David Adjaye building for the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (sometime next year, rumor has it), there is also going to be a terrific lecture series at the DAM. Here’s the list:
Jan. 18, Ed Ruscha
Feb. 15, Eric Fischl
March 15, Betty Woodman
April 19, Fang Lijun
May 17, Enrique MartÃnez Celaya
July 19, Jennifer Steinkamp
Sept. 20, Neo Rauch
Oct. 19, George Condo
Nov. 15, Matthew Ritchie
Dec. 13, Gottfried Helnwein
More info is available in Kyle MacMillan’s column in the Post.
Last night Jill and I went to the new Watercourse location on 17th (comfort food for vegetarians, yum) and saw the artwork of this guy, Ravi Zupa, on the walls.
As yet another example of the interconnectedness of all things (serendipity), it turns out that Jill had been looking at his work earlier in the day. Of course, Jill is awfully hooked in to what’s happening in art and music, but still. This guy is seriously talented; he does paintings and videos (which are hilarious) – I took this image from a music video for Rubber Traits, which is the best video with dogs in it I’ve seen in a long time. Check it out at his site:
partsandlaborunion.com