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| My Personal Photo |
“I love big cities, but for me it would be rather difficult to live in a big city full time. Cities absorb a lot of energy. Antwerp provides a healthy step back—I can look at the world from a distance.”
- Dries Van Noten at FIAF on living in Antwerp versus New York or Paris.
Taking a step back from the energetic pace of the cities I love was just one of many things that I left the Dries Van Noten talk pondering. I always feel most productive in large cities, but regardless of where I find myself, it’s important to find places that offer a respite from the everyday. Stealing a few quiet moments to linger over fine art is one of my favorite ways to recharge from a busy week.
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| My Personal Photo |
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| My Personal Photo |
A week ago we did just that. A glorious eighty-degree Saturday called for strolling about (ducking into Hermes and Celine), ultimately making our way to The Frick Collection. The Frick is one of my favorite tranquil places in New York City. One of the last remaining Gilded Age mansions in New York City, the Frick collection is certainty one of the most prominent. There’s just something about viewing art in a domestic setting (despite the fact that Henry Clay Frick only lived in the home for five years) that I find enchanting every time I visit. To see masterpieces by Bellini, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Goya and Whistler (to name a few) in such an intimate space is never lost on an art lover like me. It’s comforting to know that Henry Clay Frick intended for the house to become a museum.
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| The Garden Court Courtesy of The Frick Collection |
The Fragonard Room and Garden Court are serene places that I enjoy visiting, however the purpose of this visit was to see Renoir, Impressionism and Full-Length Painting- a nine painting exhibition of Renoir’s large figurative compositions. The Frick consistently presents exhibitions along with lectures and symposia that explore a subject in depth. Renoir, Impressionism and Full-Length Painting questions Renoir’s relationship with fashion and the intricate ways in which he captured it as the son of a dressmaker and tailor. An amazing exhibit that I highly recommend seeing.
So I have to ask- where do you go to recharge after a long week? Do tell.
I completely agree with the Dries Van Noten quote and I was thinking just that while I was in my home town for Easter: the big city keeps me on track with my studies and my goals, but it's so easy to lose perspective of what really matters. Going to a small town or the countryside is like a breeze of fresh air with its modest and down to earth people.
ReplyDeleteFlorina- I love that quote. I agree with you- cities are good for staying on track with goals but you really can lose perspective in them. There's something so comforting about small towns and the countryside that can really recharge the spirit.
DeleteI hope you had a good Easter and enjoyed the time in your hometown.
Such lovely pictures! I remember ducking into the John Soane museum and the Tate's Clore galleries in London for the same reason.
ReplyDeleteIn Delhi, my favourite respite usually involves a coffee at my club in the early evening when it's nearly deserted. I treasure the opportunity to be alone with my thoughts.
Ammu- Thanks. It's so nice to be able to pop right into such amazing places. I try not to take that for granted.
DeleteOh I love that the John Soane has evening candlelight opening- so pretty.
I like that you've found clubs in Delhi to make your own. A warm drink and a bit of peace & quiet sounds perfect.
On weekends I will find some time to take a long walk at a nature reserve near my place - it has easy, short trails and it's such a relief to get away from traffic. On weekends, I settle curling up with a book or a recorded TV programme and light a favourite candle. Or, sometimes I go to my neighbourhood pub for a beer and chat with the bartenders whom I'm friendly with.
ReplyDeleteThe Frick is stunning. Museums in Singapore don't really compare.
lin- I love a long walk! The nature reserve by you sounds so nice- you're lucky to have it right in your backyard. I walk everywhere, but there's something really nice about not having a specific place to be and taking your own time.
DeleteBooks and scented candles are amazing ways to relax.
I love to go for a walk in the park. Madrid is a very green city with many parks, I have two really close where I live. We go every weekend, weather permitting. This month hasn't stop raining and I miss it....
ReplyDeletelunaday- I love that! Having access to outdoor spaces really improves the overall quality of life and well being.
DeleteI hope it stops raining soon for you!
I enjoy the vibrancy of London but after a day of pushing and shoving, I escape to my little place with the countryside in my backyard. On the other hand, I often find that despite the frantic pace in London, one can always find quiet streets as long as you get off the main roads.
ReplyDeleteChocolate, Cookies & Candies- Your pictures of the countryside are so beautiful. It's amazing that it's your backyard. I could never get tired of such serene views.
DeleteI know exactly what you mean about London. Despite the crazy pace there are such charming places to make your own.
It always breaks my heart to think of all of the historic architecture that has been pulled down to make way for newer buildings in the core of any city. I'm glad that the Frick mansion has been preserved; whenever I read Henry James or Edith Wharton, I always imagine what 5th Avenue and other parts of NYC must have looked like at one time.
ReplyDeleteEven out here in Portland, OR we've lost a number of incredible Gothic Revival and Queen Anne Victorian mansions due to city development; I like to drive around and admire the ones left. I also have a book with pictures of the interiors and exteriors taken in the 1950s, when many were torn down to make way for PSU and office buildings.
petrichore- I know exactly what you mean. It's so important to preserve our historic architecture. I enjoy reading Henry James and Edith Wharton for exactly the same reason- you get such a wonderful since of what NY was like at the time.
DeleteThat's such a shame about Portland. It would have been nice to incorporate incorporate such amazing architecture into the development plans. It must be so fun to drive around and see what's left. Thank goodness for books.
Just reread "The House of Mirth" last week, and thought of the Frick mansion as I read it!
Deletepetrichore- "The House of Mirth" is so worthy of a reread. It does remind me of the Frick too:)
Deleteid love to visit the Frick mansion! I went to the zoo this weekend, anything away from "normal life" is a good getaway for me :)
ReplyDeleteAlice- You should!!! The zoo is such a fun way to escape on the weekend. I'm glad you had fun.
DeleteWhat a beautiful garden! The weather is getting a little too warm to stroll around in a place like this here. Would love to visit The Frick Collection one day!
ReplyDeleteinvasionista
Teresa- So beautiful indeed. You should visit when you make it to NY!
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