Duccio and the early Chinese Art at the Met

No visit to New York at Chrsitmas would be complete without a stop into the Metropolitan Museum to see the Neapolitan Christmas Creche. But there was an added holiday treat as the Mueum's recently acquired Duccio's "Madonna and Child" went on display.

It's small - maybe the size of a piece of paper, but beautifully delicate. While we were in the gallery I heard a man trying to explain to a friend why this painting was of any interest or any more important than the zillions of other Christmas card paintings the Met has hanging all over its galleries. He tried to put it in historical perspective, but I think the point that his friend never got was that changes in style and attitude even thematic shifts in art often happen so incrementally as to be almost unnoticeable. Who knows when the first Nativity Scene with snow was painted? But now, everyone see snow in Nativity scenes, even though Bethlehem was unlikely to have ever been dusted with more than rain.

But I digress, the Met's new Duccio is small -- not so grand as his Maesta Altarpiece, and maybe because it wasn't of enormous significance, Duccio felt he could take a bit of license with the usual idioms of Madonna and Child portrayal. Instead of looking godlike and lofty, the madonna has weight. Her child reaches for her veil, more like a normal baby, instead of sitting there with a hand raised in god-like blessing. Naturalism is somehow creeping into sacred pictures. Ordinary people are starting to have enough money to buy objections of personal devotion. Intimacy is a relatively new aspect of commune with God. And this painting in some way represents that enormous change in attitudes.

The exhibit "China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200-750 AD," which spans the period from the collapse of the Han dynasty into the fabled Tang dynasty, was quite spectacular and comprehensive too. Featuring exquisitely crafted objects-- animals, figurines, pieces from Silk Road trade -- the exhibition traces a history of culture that I couldn't help but compare with the Hellenistic background covered so beautifully in the Alexander the Great exhibit at the Onassis Center.

It relieves me to think of the history of mankind not just including war but also enduring evidence of beautiful and refined things as well.

The new MOMA in New York

What do I think of the newly renovated and expanded Museum of Modern Art? I want to say I like it. I want to be all hip and "in the know" and talk about Yoshio Taniguchi's bold use of positive and negative space creates... but who am I kidding?

I grew up with the old place, and honestly, I just can't warm to the new space yet. Maybe I will in time -- I've only been there once after all. But as much as it was like greeting old friends to go up to the Brancusis and Chagalls and chuckle at the Duchamp again, I felt it wasn't a place I could happily wander away for hours as I used to. I think it reminded me too much of San Francisco's MOMA, which I often think of (institutionally) as a very arch and fussy cat.

One thing rather well done now is the arrangment of artworks more thematically than rigidly by artist or genre. I have much more of a fluid sense of interconnection now.

And don't get me wrong -- I'll be back there again, although at those admission prices -- $20 for adults-- I'll be asking my Dad to take me in on his membership card all the time.

The Aztecs at the Guggenheim -- Blood on the Chocolate

My Dad and I hit the Aztec Empire exhibit, which goes until Feb 13 at the Guggenheim in New York.

First off, can I just wonder why it is that the Guggenheim doesn't exhibit their shows so that you go up to the top of the building to begin with and then work your way down the spiral? I remember hearing that that was the orignal intention of Frank Lloyd Wright, but the shows that I've seen lately don't do that, and so you have to climb endlessly, or see the show backwards, which is what we did.

The artifacts --from collections all over, but largely from the Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City -- are impressive, some even exquisitely crafted, but signage on the display was practically nil. I dislike walking around holding those laminated cards, so I relied partly on the museum's monthly guide, which had a fine article by Felipe Solis, director of the aforementioned Anthropoligcal Museum. Of course, I had to read it backwards.

One thing that continued to disturb me throughout the exhibit was the reckless imaginings that kept cropping up in my head of human sacrifice and mutilations. The culture of the Mayans and Aztecs, I suppose, will never be one I understand. No matter how many times I read about how it was an "honor" for the victims and how nicely they were treated leading up to the sacrifice, no amount of warm cups of chocolate makes having your living heart ripped out of your chest seem worth it.

Every so often I'd pass another image -- a statue of Xipe Totec wearing a human skin, a nicely curved stone made for holding human blood -- and (not to get too woo-woo about this, but...) I'd feel almost overwhelmed by a sense of horror at the amount of death that had been involved with that particular object.

Humans are such a queer bunch -- for all our vaunted logic, we seem to be the only creature on the planet that is superstitious and on such a scale! How would any logical creature imagine that sacrificing 20,000 individuals would have any direct association with the next year's harvest?

After the Ball -- Noel Coward takes on Oscar Wilde

The Irish Repertory Theatre is one of those small, but ever interesting and serious rep companies in New York. Why don't we have more of these in San Francisco? They perform Bernard Shaw, Sean O'Casey, Oscar Wilde -- always interesting stuff.

This season, in a lighter vein, they hauled out a musical reworking Noel Coward once made of Oscar Wilde's "Lady Windemere's Fan."

Coward's acerbic wit is not so much in evidence in this musical, which dates from the early fifties, and enjoyed moderate success, despite many modifications Coward was forced to make when one of his stars turned out to be less of a singer than he thought. Still the charm is still there.

Kathleen Widdoes, who pays the Duchess of Berwick (and a sort of Chorus) shows why she's a pro-- whether it's Shakespeare or sitting room satire. For sheer singing chops, Greg Mills, as Mr. Hopper, and Mary Iles as Mrs. Erlynne were delightful. Kristin Huxhold as Lady Windemere was beautiful to look at, but had some distracting mannerisms and a weaker voice, but the multi-talented David Staller (who studied cello under Mstislav Rostropovich) made for a heartfelt Lord Darlington.

The Irish Rep has a chance in the near future to purchase the building they live in and have launched a capital campaign to raise the funds. To donate, check out their website. They're worth supporting.

Alexander the Great: Exhibit at the Onassis Cultural Center

In perfect timing with the release of a (by other accounts) bombastic movie about Alexander the Great is the exhibition of a terrifically refined gem of a show that includes Hellenistic artifacts gathered from museums and collections all over the world at the Onassis Cultural Center in the basement of the Olympic Tower.

The armor, the weapons, but also the jewelry and everyday pieces were wonderfully selected and arranged to give an evocative picture of life in the 4th century BC. In some ways I enjoy smaller exhibitions, because what you lose in breadth, you can pick up in detail. I don't know if I would have spent so long examining the golden beads of a women's necklace if I thought there were 6000 other artifacts to look at. But what a reward to be able to look so carefully at the inscriptions on gold laurel leaves, or the craftsmanship in the sculpting of a head on a silver wine jug.

Upstairs, casts of the Elgin marbles adorn the walls of the lobby. How funny to see people in business suits speed by them, indifferent to thousands of years of history. But maybe that's generally how we are -- indifferent to thousands of years of history.

Jazz Center at Columbus Circle

I was a little disappointed that the December season for the new Jazz Center was over by the time I got to New York, but I had a great time strolling through the space anyhow. What a spectacular view from the "lobby," as well as, of course, the Rose hall and the Allen Room.

The little Jazz Hall of Fame was open at least and we watched sveral projection presentations for the latest inductees.

What impresses me most about the place though is the vastness of space -- it has a grandness that seems to elude so many public venues these days and I love it. Check out the architect Rafael Vinoly's, page.

Fallujah in Pictures

Fallujah in Pictures shows another side of the conflict. Hard to look at, but I'm glad someone has this site.

Treasures of King Tut returning to LA, other U.S. sites

I saw this show as a kid-- what an amazing exhibit. Nowthat the Tut treasures are coming to LA I might have to make a trip to see them!

Treasures of King Tut comes to LA County Museum of Art in June, then goes to other U.S. sites