Revisiting Chicago's Picasso + El Cubano Grande

The Chicago Picasso

ART: PUBLIC SCULPTURE 

The "Chicago Picasso" in Daley Plaza, Chicago, IL. 

Up in the sky - it's a Bird, no it's an Afghan Dog, no it's a Baboon! Seriously, what is it? It IS an abstracted Picasso sculpture of a Woman's Head. Wouldn't you be disappointed if a Picasso wasn't slightly weird! As Mayor Daley said at the unveiling "What is strange to us today, will be familiar tomorrow."

On view at the Chicago Institute of Art

Original Maquette sent by Picasso.

Downtown Chicago is an exciting urban landscape with several great public sculptures. One of the most interesting public sculptures anywhere in the world has been in place in Chicago for over forty years now - the magnificent Picasso which dominates Daley Plaza. The Chicago architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill, while designing Chicago's Civic Center, envisioned a large-scale public monument to anchor the plaza in the front of the project. SOM senior partner, William Hartman, contacted Picasso and a commission was agreed upon. When Picasso got the call, he was working on a series of paper and cardboard cutouts he called "Heads of Sylvette", which he translated into metal sculptures. For the Chicago Picasso, a small 42-inch maquette of the final 162 ton, 50 foot tall sculpture was sent by Picasso as a "gift to the people" of Chicago. This maquette is presently on view at the Chicago Art Institute in the Modern Wing. The city sent Picasso a $100,000 check for his design, but he insisted the sculpture was a gift and tore it up. The production of the sculpture was handled by Skidmore's structural engineers and paid for as a part of the cost of the Civic Center construction budget. Fabrication was done at United States Steel Corporation in Gary, Indiana, where it was entirely preassembled, then disassembled and shipped to Chicago for final installation on the plaza. The sculpture was completed in 1967.

Controversy started almost immediately. It was a visual shock to most Chicago residents and politicians. There was a serious movement to have the sculpture removed and replaced with a more conservative, acceptable and realistic image of baseball player Ernie Banks, in his Chicago Cubs uniform. The Chicago Daily News columnist, Mike Royko, wrote that the sculpture had "a long stupid face that looks like some giant insect..." Some people insisted the architects had been duped and it actually was a Baboon, others were fairly certain it depicted an Afghan Dog, there was a contingent who thought it was purely nonobjective but many thought it was a pile of rusty junk metal, an eyesore that needed to be hauled away. 

The sculpture is actually based on Picasso's model Sylvette, who wore a ponytail on top of her head which splayed to both sides framing her face. His preliminary drawings all show various heads and some show breasts, so there is no doubt it is a female human head. Picasso was in his 60s at the time and had been distorting the human form for most of his life by the time he created this head and shoulders bust for Chicago.

Picasso's Design Process for the Statue.

THE MODEL:
Picasso was between wives Francois Gilot and Jacqueline Roque when he was introduced to artist's model Sylvette David. She became Pablo Picasso's muse at Vallauris on the French Riviera although their relationship was platonic. Sylvette's presence brought a new and positive phase to his work. She was the inspiration for a group of forty paintings and drawings called Picasso's Sylvette cycle. Most importantly, the "Heads of Sylvette" were a series of metal sculptures Picasso based on Sylvette and her coiffeur. These works marked yet another major innovative change in his work. While working with Picasso, Sylvette changed her name to Lydia Corbett.  Today Lydia Corbett (Sylvette) has residences in France and England, she now works as an artist herself.

Sylvette David (Lydia Corbett) with Picasso

Do you see the face,

hair and shoulders

in this rear view?

Chicago has grown to love its Picasso sculpture which is now a symbol of the city. Artist Lydia Corbett's greatest contribution to the art world may well be as the long-necked, ponytailed model for Pablo Picasso's monumental gift to the windy city.

FOOD: The Trendy and Delicious Cubano Sandwich.

The Cuban culture is known for beautiful people, a strong cup of coffee, the best cigars and the fabulous Cubano sandwich. Cuban sandwiches called "a sandwich mixto" were common on menus in Cuba starting in 1900 and a staple by the 1930s. They became the preferred lunch for Cuba's sugar mill workers. In eastern Cuba, the bread is rubbed with garlic first.

The classic Cubano sandwich is constructed with Cuban pan de agua bread* rubbed with garlic and built with dill pickles, grilled ham, swiss cheese and smashed pork chunks which have been slow roasted in mojo, a delicious citrus and garlic marinade. One should butter the outside of the bread and cook in a special press, called a plancha**, to press the sandwich between two hot plates. You end up with a thin, hot, crispy sandwich with oozing melted cheese.

*For bread you need a loaf which is crusty on the outside and soft in the middle, but never use a baguette, which is too narrow and too hard to press correctly. **No plancha press? Cubans often cook their sandwiches on a griddle or in a skillet and put a brick wrapped in aluminum foil on top or use a cast iron skillet to press their sandwich flat. Enjoy your Cubano! 

Ingredients:

- Thin slices of grilled ham

- Hot, slow roasted pork (the quality of the Roast Pork makes the sandwich)

- Thin slices of swiss cheese

- Slices of dill pickles

- A 12" loaf of Cuban pan de agua bread, split open

- garlic clove

- butter

In Miami, Cuban sandwiches are both a meal or a snack. The best and most authentic Cuban restaurants in Miami have a take out window, so people can walk up to buy a quick cafe Cubano and croqueta preparada (Cuban sandwich made with pork croquetas). Reuben's Cuban Restaurant reportedly has fantastic Cuban sandwiches. In south Florida Cuban Cafes are a home away from home for the Cuban community. Here, order the croqueta preparada.  Ruben's, 8281 SW 124th St., Miami, FL 33156 (305) 235-5575. http://www.yelp.com/biz/rubens-cuban-restaurant-miami
A second recommendation in Miami is the Latin American Cafeteria. 9796 SW 24th St., Miami, FL 33165  (305) 226-2393. http://www.yelp.com/biz/latin-american-cafeteria-miami-3  

In New York City you can find an excellent Cuban Sandwich on the Lunch menu at The Spotted Pig, 314 W. 11th Street at Greenwich St.  (212) 620-0393 http://thespottedpig.com/food.php?menu=lunch
In Chicago check out 90 Miles Cuban Cafe. 3101 N. Clybourn Ave. Chicago, IL 60618, Phone: (773) 248-2822 http://www.90milescubancafe.com/menu.htm

Until later,

Jack

© ARTS&FOOD,(ARTSnFOOD.blogspot.com) All rights reserved, © Copyright Jack A. Atkinson 2011 Under All International, Digital, Intellectual Property and Copyright Laws. Images © Copyright individual Creators, Lenders or Fabricators.

Gossart - What was OLD is NEW again & Craving Ramen!

ART NOW SHOWING: "Man, Myth, and Sensual Pleasures: Jan Gossart's Renaissance" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC.

Jan Gossart has never before been the subject of an exhibition in the United States. The Met's show includes 50 of the artist's 63 known paintings, 35 drawings, and six prints from collections in the U.S. and internationally. Realist, Burgundian / Netherlandish, artist Jan Gossart lived from 1478 until 1532 and was a part of the "Renaissance", a time when painting experienced a sea change from the mis-proportioned "wooden" figures of the "dark ages". Realistic representation of the world around us had been abandoned for more than 1300 years, since the end of the  classical Greek and Roman era.

Walking through this exhibition, one feels like they have met a new and good friend in art. Jan Gossart is not a household name except to Renaissance art historians. Works by well known contemporaries of Gossart, including Jan van Eyck and Durer, are also shown in this exhibition. Another aspect of Renaissance art was a return to depicting the nude figure in artistic works. Gossart took a tour of Italy and drew many of the classical nude statues, plus he executed several paintings and drawings of Adam and Eve which called for nudity. He was a master of painting cloth and folded fabric which almost overpowers the subjects of his clothed figures.

Gossart's technique is extraordinary and made for a particularly successful career. He received commissions from many of the royal patrons of his day. There really must have been something in the water during the Renaissance, because the artists of the day, born into a suppressed artistic tradition, reached such a high level of realism and technique. Gossart certainly did! If you can see this show before it ends, it is worth a visit.

For more images in the exhibition go to the following link. 

http://www.metmuseum.org/special/jan_gossart/images.asp

For an audio tour of this exhibition, click on the link below.
http://www.metmuseum.org/audio/exhibitions/mmaExhibPodcast.12132010.075.mp3?refpage=mma_xml_link_075

ART SHOPPING ONLINE:

Metropolitan Museum of Art, STORE

Catalog of the Gossart Exhibition, Price: $75.00
http://store.metmuseum.org/met-publications/man-myth-and-sensual-pleasures-jan-gossarts-renaissance/invt/80008706/

Holiday Cards, Mother and Child by Jan Gossart.

Met Store was $17.95, after holiday sale = $8.98
http://store.metmuseum.org/virgin-and-child-holiday-cards/invt/80006809/

FOOD - Warm and comforting, Ramen Noodles in broth.

In the same way the US lives on burgers and pizza, Japan and much of Asia live on noodles in a rich broth. Time Magazine reported about a $324 bowl of Ramen in Taiwan. Restaurateur Wang Cong-yuan created this expensive bowl of noodles by using meat from four countries, sliced into four-inch cubes, from which he makes his broth, seasoned with soy sauce, rock sugar and Chinese 5 spice. 

Americans have also gotten hooked on Ramen noodles and many cities now have great noodle shops. In this food group the noodles are not the star, the broth and its contents are the draw and the Ramen noodles simply add the fun of slurping along the side of the bowl.

IN NYC (Midtown West) Try out Totto Ramen Shop at 366 W. 52nd Street, between 8th and 9th Ave. • 212-582-0052 www.tottoramen.com

Opening last summer in NYC, this yummy Ramen shop opened to huge crowds (which continue). So go expecting to sit at the counter on a stool, parties of 3 or 4 will wait 45 minutes for a table. (See bottom of posting for Totto Ramen's complete menu.)

Do-it-yourself Ramen Noodles:
Make a soup stock from chicken, turkey, pork or beef and add flavorings of "miso" (fermented soybean), soy sauce or Chinese 5 spice, then cook a package of Ramen noodles, drain and add to the bowl. Finally, add your choice of toppings: Hard Boiled Egg, Scallions, Mushrooms, Bean Sprouts or Nori Seaweed before serving.

Ramen: (original recipe)

1 qt. of homemade chicken, turkey or ham bone stock

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup sake

3 tablespoons mirin

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/3 cup white miso

1 tablespoon finely grated ginger

1/2 hard boilded egg
1 scallion chopped
1 tablespoon chopped peanuts

sea salt and black pepper (in grinders)

1/2 cup cubed precooked chicken

1 package of dried Ramen noodles

In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, sake, mirin, and rice vinegar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the white miso, ginger and the tablespoon of the oil and whisk until well combined. Set this miso solution aside. Bring chicken broth to a boil over high heat. Add miso broth and chunks of chicken. Cook the ramen noodles until tender yet firm, add to the broth. Serve with egg half, chopped peanuts, scallions, a grind of pepper and a grind of salt. (Vietnamese "Pho", using only beef broth and rice noodles, is similar but different enough to be covered at a later date.)

Totto Ramen Shop menu:

Ramen 

Totto Chicken Paitan Ramen 9.25 

鳥人丸鶏白湯ラーメン 

These straight homemade noodles are cooked al dente 

style in a whole chicken and premium soy sauce 

based soup topped with scallion, onion, char siu pork, 

and a nori. 

Totto Spicy Ramen 10.25 

鳥人辛ラーメン  

Original Rayu, Spicy Sesame Oil, adds a spicy kick and refreshing 

aftertaste to our original Paitan ramen. Topped with scallion, 

onion, char siu pork, and a nori. 

Totto Extreme Spicy Ramen 10.25 

鳥人激辛ラーメン  

Extra spicy sesame oil of Totto Spicy Ramen. 

Totto Miso Ramen 10.25 

鳥人味噌ラーメン 

The finest Koji Miso and ground pork in a scoop atop 

slightly wavy noodles in original Paitan soup. Topped with 

a seasoned hardboiled egg, scallion, bean sprouts, onion 

and char siu pork. 

Vegetarian Ramen  11 

旬菜ベジタリアンラーメン 

Konbu seaweed and shiitake mushroom based soup paired with 

organic noodles and topped with seasoned avocado, 

seasonal vegetables, peppery Yuzu paste, sesame oil, salted 

kelp and lime. 

Spicy Vegetarian Ramen 12 

旬菜辛ベジタリアンラーメン 

Our vegetarian Rayu, Spicy Sesame Oil, offers a spicy 

substitute to our Vegetarian Ramen - konbu and shiitake based 

soup with organic noodles topped with seasonal vegetables. 

Toppings 

Char Siu Pork (2 pcs) チャーシュー +2 

Seasoned Boiled Egg 味付け玉子 +1 

Scallion ネギ +0.75 

Kikurage Mushroom キクラゲ +1 

Bean Sprouts もやし +1 

Nori Seaweed (2 sheets) 海苔 +1 

Cheese Corn チーズコーン +1 

Seasoned Avocado アボカドの漬け +1 

--

Rayu (Spicy Sesame Oil) 自家製辣油 +1 

Extreme Rayu 自家製激辛辣油 +1 

Vegetarian Rayu ベジタリアン辣油 +1 

Spicy Bamboo Shoot 辛支那ちく +1 

Kaedama (Extra Noodle) 替え玉 +2.5

Sides

Edamame 枝豆  4 

Green soybeans sprinkled with salt. 

Broiled Char Siu Pork 炙りチャーシュー 4.5 

House specialty pork broiled and placed 

over a bed of vegetables. 

Char Siu Mayo Don 炙りチャーシューマヨ丼 4.5 

House special broiled pork with yuzu mayonnaise 

on a bed of rice. 

Shinachiku Mayo 支那ちくゆずマヨ和え 4 

bamboo shoots & yuzu citrus mayo 

Rice 白飯 2 

Drinks 

Soda ソーダ 2 

Sapporo Beer (small bottle) サッポロ小瓶  5 

Hakushika Extra Dry Sake  白鹿 超辛 5 

Karatamba Sake  辛丹波  7 

Jinro Chamisul Soju 眞露チャミスル   10 

Totto Ramen accepts cash only, If you have any food allergies, please let their staff know so they can help you make a selection. 

Until later,
Jack

© ARTS&FOOD,(ARTSnFOOD.blogspot.com) All rights reserved, © Copyright Jack A. Atkinson 2011 Under All International, Digital, Intellectual Property and Copyright Laws. Images © Copyright individual Creators, Lenders or Fabricators.

Eggleston ="COLOR" & Leeks = Diet Food

ART - "William Eggleston is widely recognized as a master of color photography, a poet of the mundane, and proponent of the democratic treatment of his subjects. His inventive use of color and spontaneous compositions profoundly influenced a generation of photographers." LACMA

I met William Eggleston in Memphis, Tennessee when I was the Art Director for Memphis Magazine, the magazine a handful of us had just started. We were doing a story on the reclusive man and his work. I went over to his large, old, "Southern" home to select a few photos for the issue when the slender photographer greeted me at his front door and led me to his dining room. Piled on the floor, was a mountain of dye-transfer prints (each costing approximately $700 to produce at the time and some now sell for $50 to $80 thousand each).  He said, "Pick out what you want and take them," then he walked away and left me with his complete oeuvre. I selected four or five masterpieces I could reach without falling in. Of course I returned all of them after I finished using them, I should have asked to buy them at the time, but instead they were just returned to his dining room storage pile. I assume this mountain is the reason a living artist has an artistic trust set up to oversee his negatives, prints, sales and commissions.

NOW SHOWING through January 16, 2011: The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents the exhibition: William Eggleston: Democratic Camera—Photographs and Video, 1961–2008, the most comprehensive U.S. retrospective of the Memphis-based contemporary photographer.  http://www.lacma.org/art/ExhibEggleston.aspx

I enjoyed this retrospective show when it was at The Whitney Museum in NYC. It is worth seeing and traces the artist’s evolution over a five-decade-period, bringing together more than 200 of his iconic images and lesser-known black-and-white prints plus the reality video "Stranded in Canton" (Mississippi). Eggleston was the first photographer to be asked to mount a solo show of color photography at MoMA, partly because he adopted his dye transfer printing method, creating permanent, non-fading color prints for the first time. His recent work employs pigmented ink on archival paper. 

Eggleston is a master of capturing color during the magic hours of sunrise and sunset. His subjects are the mundane objects in all of our lives (supermarkets, shower tile, frost covered freezers, sidewalks, parking lots, etc.) which he usually shoots with his 35 mm camera as quickly and nonchalantly as  someone saying "Look at that!". To review his lengthy artist's bio go to his website: http://www.egglestontrust.com/

All Photos © Eggleston Artistic Trust

For FREE Eggleston Photos to download for personal use only on your IPAD or IPHONE or Laptop go to:  http://www.lacma.org/art/Downloads.aspx

Note: William Eggleston will host the Opening Reception at PHOTO L.A. XX on January 13, 2011, as mentioned in the January 3 posting. https://tx1.lacma.org/default.asp?cgCode=4&cgName=Special_Events

Watch more free documentaries

Above: Michael Almereyda’s intimate portrait of William Eggleston (2006)  a 84 minute film

FOOD - 
Keep Your New Year's Resolution

Leeks are a mild diuretic: 
"Love 'em and lose some weight!"


French diet author Mireille Guiliano speaks exclusively to women, but what is good for the goose (female) is good for the gander (male). Her advice is sound for everyone! She says to jump start a diet, for a three day weekend exclusively eat poached leeks with oil and lemon along with a simple, no sodium, leek soup and drink a large quantity of room temperature water. Mirelle believes adults must be the keepers of their own wellness equilibrium. At first, you must keep a food journal and balance any indulgence with a compensating reduction that same week. She says the French do not deny themselves any food group, eating rich foods, breads, wine and pastries They stay thinner than Americans by eating only three meals and one snack a day and then only socially at a table, SLOWLY, with smaller portions. Plus they walk as many places as possible, climb more stairs and drink plenty of water. To review her three basics: 1) drink lots of water every day, 2) walk everywhere you can, and 3) realize that a lifelong commitment to wellness begins with a love of leeks! For her recipes and advice go to: http://frenchwomendontgetfat.com/well_being

ARTS ONLINE Shopping -

Now at the LACMA Museum Shop:

Eggleston's Guide - $39.95

Essay by John Szarkowski, photographs by William Eggleston
http://shop.lacma.org/products/egglestons-guide-facsimile

Original Photo Print 1/30 - $3,000.00

Eggleston: Untitled (Los Angeles), 1994/2010

This limited edition print was published by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on the occasion of the exhibition William Eggleston: Democratic Camera —Photographs and Video, 1961-2008. William Eggleston is widely recognized as an undisputed master of color photography, a poet of the mundane, and proponent of the democratic treatment of his subjects. His inventive use of color and spontaneous compositions profoundly influenced the generation of photographers that followed him, as well as critics, curators, and writers concerned with photographs. The photograph was published in the 1994 issue of Grand Street.
- Pigmented ink print on Museo Silver Rag
- Paper size 20 x 15 1/8 inches
- Image size 16 x 10 5/8
- Numbered edition of 30, stamped on reverse
- Printed by The Lapis Press for LACMA
- 2010

SKU #21546

http://shop.lacma.org/products/eggleston-untitled-los-angeles-1994-2010

Eggleston Post Cards - $15.95

Inside this box you will find postcards reproducing 25 images of William Eggleston's photography. The images are predominantly of Memphis, Tennessee, and are printed on heavy paper stock. One of his most popular images, En Route to New Orleans, c. 1971-74, is on the cover. - 25 postcards in box, each 4 1/2 x 6 inches   SKU #21156

http://shop.lacma.org/products/eggleston-postcard-box

Book: FOR NOW, William Eggleston - $65.00

This book is the result of film-maker Michael Almereyda’s year-long rummage through the Eggleston archives, a remarkable collection of heretofore unseen images spanning four decades of work by one of our seminal artists. Unusual in its concentration on family and friends, the book highlights an air of offhand intimacy, typical of Eggleston and typically surprising. 

http://shop.lacma.org/products/for-now-william-eggleston

Until later,

Jack

© ARTS&FOOD,(ARTSnFOOD.blogspot.com) All rights reserved, © Copyright Jack A. Atkinson 2011 Under All International, Digital, Intellectual Property and Copyright Laws. Images © Copyright individual Creators, Lenders or Fabricators.

The Early Days of Photography, PHOTOS

Coming soon to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is a photo arts dealer's fair:

PHOTO L.A.  The show will run from January 13 until January 17, 2011 Opening Reception on January 13. WILLIAM EGGLESTON IS THIS YEAR'S HONORARY GUEST HOST OF THE RECEPTION! | Benefit tickets are $80 and include cocktails and light refreshments as well as a fabulous night of photography on display.

http://www.photola.com/#mi=1&pt=0&pi=3&p=-1&a=-1&at=0

PHOTO L.A. XX, celebrating it’s 20th Anniversary, is the longest running art fair west of New 

York and is the largest photo-based art fair in the country with over 10,000 attendees. It 

brings together photography dealers from around the globe, displaying the finest 

contemporary photography, video and multi-media installations along with masterworks 

from the 19th century.  This is the 48th art fair produced by Stephen Cohen, Director of 

photo l.a. XX including artLA, photo san francisco, photo MIAMI, photo santa fe, 

photo NY and the first vernacular photography fair in NYC.

The following old photos of various cameras and photographers were posted on the PHOTO L.A. website. (Copyright the various photographers or photographer's estates). If you are in the L.A. area go to Photo L.A. to see what is happening in Photography today. 

Enjoy looking at these old pictures of the early days of photography while I finalize the next issue of ARTSnFOOD, to be posted later this week.

Until then, Jack

© ARTS&FOOD,(ARTSnFOOD.blogspot.com) All rights reserved, © Copyright Jack A. Atkinson 2011 Under All International, Digital, Intellectual Property and Copyright Laws. Images © Copyright individual Creators, Lenders or Fabricators.