June Visit to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.

The National Portrait Gallery is the finer of the two collections housed in the Reynolds Center for American Art & Portraiture in Washington.  In addition to its superb collection of portraits of all 43 past presidents -- several of the earlier ones by Gilbert Stuart -- it has a wonderful permanent collection of great Americans.  From the early colonists to current literati and gliterati, the collection has portraits from every era and every aspect of our history and culture.

The collection is generally organized chronologically, but there are also small thematic special exhibitions.  When I was there in January and June there were several first floor galleries devoted to American dance -- including several video loops.  Although photography is never allowed in the special exhibitions, I realized this only after taking a photo of this strong, sensuous bronze bust of 'Jose Limon' by Philip Grausman.

'Jose Limon' by Philip Grausman, bronze, 1969.  Photo by McClure

Each portrait is accompanied by explanatory wall text about the individual portrayed which will often yield both some known and unknown information about the subject.  Among the more notable personalities portrayed or vivid portraits displayed that caught my eye on this visit were:

'Oliver Hazard Perry' by Martin J. Heade in 1855.  Photo by McClure

This dashing portrait of Oliver Hazard Perry was painted in 1855, but portrays Perry as the 28-year-old who created the U.S. Navy to fight the British in the War of 1812.  After fighting the British in a naval battle on Lake Erie in 1813, he sent the famous message:  'We have met the enemy, and they are ours'.  Less well known is the fact that his crew included many African-Americans.  In speaking of their courage in battle he said:  'They seem to be absolutely insensible to danger'.

'Andrew Jackson' by Ferdinand Pettrich based on an original from 1836.  Photo by McClure

I like this craggy marble portrait bust of Andrew Jackson -- a vivid example of great portrait art -- despite it's largely unlikeable subject.  Jackson was the 7th president.  He vetoed more legislation than all of his predecessors combined.  He was a proponent of states rights and minimal federal government; a supporter of slavery; and a backer/enforcer of the removal of Native Americans to reservations.

'Black Hawk' by George Catlin, oil on canvas, circa 1835.  Photo by McClure

Black Hawk, a leader of the Sac tribe originally living in the Illinois area, was one of the Native Americans portrayed by George Catlin in his extraordinary documentation of Native American tribes.  A large selection of Catlin's American Indian portraits had been displayed at the Renwick Gallery (another Smithsonian venue) which closed for renovation at the end of 2013.  Black Hawk and the Sac tribe were allied with the British in the War of 1812.  In 1832, he instigated what is known as the 'Black Hawk War' in a last-ditch effort to resist Andrew Jackson's aggressive Indian removal policy. He said: 'the cause of our making war is well-known to all white men . . . they ought to be ashamed of it'. 
  

'Daniel Webster' by Francis Alexander, oil on canvas, 1835.  Photo by McClure

This turbulent oil of 'Daniel Webster' by Francis Alexander commemorates Webster's 1818 win before the Supreme Court in the Dartmouth College case.  That ruling upheld the validity of charters granted and contracts made during the colonial period before the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. During his argument before the court he uttered those famous words (at least for Dartmouth alumni):  'It is, Sir, as I have said, a small college.  And yet, there are those who love it'.  Webster went on to become a fiery orator in the fight against states rights and for strong federalism in the era before the Civil War.

'Pierre G. T. Beauregard' by George P. A. Healy, oil on canvas, 1861

General Pierre Beauregard commanded the militia in Charleston, S.C. that was ordered to begin the bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor on April 12, 1861, which initiated the Civil War.  After his success in dislodging the Union forces from Fort Sumter, Beauregard went on to help lead the Confederate Army to victory at the First Battle of Manassas in Virginia on July 21, 1861.

'Robert E. Lee' by Edward Caledon Bruce, oil on canvas, circa 1865

Robert E. Lee was born into a prominent Virginia family.  His father, Henry 'Light Horse Harry' Lee, was a major general in the Revolutionary War.  His father suffered financial losses, spent time in a debtors prison, and died when Robert was just 11-years-old.  The family depended on his mother's relatives for the necessities of life.  Lee went to West Point where he graduated second in his class.  When Virginia voted to secede from the Union in 1861, Lee took charge of the Army of Northern Virginia.  After several initial victories, Lee's lack of manpower and resources gradually took its toll. He surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865.   

'Julia Ward Howe' by John Elliot and William H. Cotton, oil on canvas, circa 1925.
Photo by McClure

Julia Ward Howe is best known as the author of 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic' written in 1861 near the beginning of the Civil War.  It quickly became the battle anthem of the Union cause during the war.  After the war, Mrs. Howe became active in the women's suffrage movement.  This portrait was begun by her son-in-law, John Elliot, in 1910. He attempted to portray her as she would have appeared in 1861 when she wrote 'Battle Hymn'.

'Douglas MacArthur' by Howard Chandler Christie, oil on canvas, 1952

This portrait of General Douglas MacArthur shows him rising from the turbulence of a South Pacific island typhoon. MacArthur, the commander of American ground forces in the South Pacific at the start of World War II, suffered a humiliating defeat in 1942 when he was forced to withdraw from the Philippines as the Japanese advanced.  He promised 'I shall return' -- and he did in the spring of 1945, going on to preside over Japan's final surrender on the battleship USS Missouri on September 2, 1945.  MacArthur then headed the occupation of Japan until 1951 and became the commander of U.N. forces at the beginning of the Korean War.  MacArthur was relieved of command by President Truman on April 11, 1951, for making public statements contradictory to the Truman administration's stated policies regarding conduct of that war.

'George C. Marshall' by Thomas E. Stephens, oil on canvas, circa 1949. Photo by McClure 

This bland, straightforward portrait of General George C. Marshall does not begin to convey the complexity of the man who was both soldier and statesman, strategist and diplomat. As chief of staff during World War II he organized the military mobilization of America for the war.  Following the war, he became Truman's Secretary of State.  In 1947 he developed a plan for American aid to rebuild the war-ravaged countries of Europe that became known as the Marshall Plan -- one of the greatest triumphs of American diplomacy. 

'Carl Sandberg' by William A. Smith, oil on canvas, 1961. Photo by McClure 

Carl Sandberg was an American man of letters -- poet, biographer, and booster of what was best about our country. He wrote the poem 'Chicago' ('hog butcher to the world') and a 6-volume biography of Lincoln.  This wistful portrait shows him nearing the end of his distinguished career.

'Gertrude Stein' by Jo Davidson, terra cotta, 1923. Photo by McClure 

Jo Davidson depicts the doyenne of early 20th century modernism as a 'sort of modern Buddha'.  Stein wrote spare, repetitive poetry that inspired composers, artists, playwrights and other poets.  Gertrude Stein and her life partner, Alice B. Toklas, were the center of an avant-garde coterie that converged on their legendary Paris apartment every Saturday evening for nearly 40 years.

'Self-Portrait with Rita' by Thomas Hart Benton, oil on canvas, 1922. Photo by McClure 

Thomas Hart Benton painted this self-portrait with his wife, Rita, on Martha's Vineyard during their first year of marriage.  It is in the muscular style that Benton was just developing which would lead him to become one of the great painters and muralists of the American 'Regionalist' movement.

'The Recital (Portrait of Denyce Graves)' by Nelson Shanks, oil on canvas, 2000. Photo by McClure  

The message of this portrait seems to be:  'you can take the opera diva out of the drama, but you can't take the drama out of the diva'.  Nelson Shanks dramatic portrait of Denyce Graves in recital with her accompanist, Marc Mostovoy, conveys the intensity that Ms. Graves brought to roles such as Carmen and Delilah in the great opera houses of the world.

'The Four Justices' by Nelson Shanks, oil on canvas, 2012. Photo by McClure 

I found this quadruple portrait in a prominent location in the north lobby.  Nelson Shanks uses the traditional Dutch group portrait as a model for his portrait of the first four women to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court.  Although they never all sat on the Court together, the elevation of these four extraordinary women to the highest court in the land, beginning in 1981, speaks to the continuing advancement of women's rights in our country.  Clockwise from bottom center they are: Sandra Day O'Connor (associate justice from 1981 through 2006); Sonya Sotomayor (associate justice since 2009); Elena Kagan (associate justice since 2010); and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (associate justice since 1993).  It may not be the greatest art in the building, but it sure is great American history.

Thoughts on the Movie 'Chef'

We saw the movie 'Chef' yesterday afternoon.  It had been recommended by several friends, which probably created unwarranted expectations.

Written, directed and starring Jon Favreau, 'Chef' is the story of a well-regarded chef who rebels at the strictures of a job in a fine-dining restaurant in Los Angeles -- cooking the same menu for the same clients for the past 10 years.  Favreau is a marvelous, earthy presence throughout the movie.  He has assembled a great supporting cast including Dustin Hoffman (the up-tight restaurant owner); Scarlett Johanssohn (the sensual sommelier and casual hook-up); Oliver Platt (a jaded food critic and food blogger); John Leguziamo (his line chef and devoted buddy); Bobby Cannavale (the sous chef); Sofia Vergara (his supportive former wife); Robert Downey Jr. (her sleazy, self-involved other former husband); and especially Emjay Anthony (his lonely, tech-savvy 10-year-old son).

Movie Poster for 'Chef' with (from left) Emjay Anthony, John Leguizamo, John Favreau and Sofia Vergara.

The story -- a mix of buddy, road trip, father-son bonding, rom-com, and getting back your 'mojo' -- is full of loose ends, unlikely coincidences, and unprepared lurches forward.  The consequences of forays into social media-- both intended and inadvertant -- move the plot forward in both malicious and whimsical ways.  Unfortunately, their use is not made available to the audience in a consistent format, which sometimes leaves us hanging in a maddening 'what-just-happened?' way.

As with many smaller, less-polished movies, your reaction will probably be partially based on the life experiences you bring into the theater that you'll use to fill in the holes in the plot.   Do you cook? do you love food? do you go to the farmers market? do you improvise with new ingredients?  Do you tweet? are you a social media wiz?  Do you have kids? Have you been married? divorced? worked in a stifling work environment?  Answers to these, and more, will trigger the ways that you react to this movie.  It's surely worth giving it a try.  Just bring moderate expectations and be willing to participate in the experience.

Visit to Reynolds Center for American Art & Portraiture in Washington, DC.

In early June on our trip to Washington DC, I spent some time at the Reynolds Center for American Art & Portraiture which contains the National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum, both divisions of the Smithsonian Institution.  The Reynolds Center was created from the Old U.S. Patent Office, a block-square building in the Greek Revival style completed in 1865 after more than 14 scandal-plagued years of on-and-off construction.  It was the site of Lincoln's second inaugural ball in that same year.  The Doric colonnades at the center of each side of the building are said to have the same proportions as the Parthenon in Athens. 

Central Doric Colonnade at center of F Street facade.  Photo from Smithsonian Institution

In 1968 the Patent Office was repurposed as the home of the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum.  The Center closed for much needed repairs and renovations in 2001.  It reopened in 2006 and 2007 after a complete reconditioning and the addition of an undulating glass and metal canopy covering the interior courtyard (the Kogod Courtyard) designed by Sir Norman Foster. 

Kogod Courtyard designed by Sir Norman Foster, Reynolds Center of American Art &
Portraiture.  Photo by McClure

The discussion, debate and approval process for the canopy cost the Smithsonian tens of millions due to delays, reversals and reconfigurations, but ultimately resulted in a dynamic space which attracts both tourists and event planners.  Caterers were busy setting up the courtyard for an event the evening of my visit.

Foster's courtyard canopy interfaces with the facade of the south wing.  Photo by McClure

Intrigued by the stained glass windows in the round bay of the south wing, I went up to the third floor for a better view.  The beautifully restored Great Hall in the center of the third floor was also being set up by caterers for a seated dinner that evening.

The Great Hall with original 1860's Greek Revival details and skylight.
Photo by McClure

Spreading out on either side of the Great Hall are galleries for the display of art and portraits and above them on mezzanines are the open storage facilities of the Henry Luce Foundation Center where scholars of history and art can research the portions of the Center's collections not currently on display in the galleries.

Third floor of the south wing looking west through the Great Hall.
The Luce Foundation Center's open storage facilities are on the mezzanine.
Photo by McClure

The Reynolds Center is one of several monumental federal buildings that have been successfully repurposed as tourist sites, including the the Old Pension Building from 1887 which became the National Building Museum in 1997; the Old Post Office Pavilion on Pennsylvania Avenue from 1899 which became a food court and mall in 1983 and is now being renovated by the Trump Organization into a luxury hotel; and, of course, the General Post Office built in 1842, later became the Tariff Commission Building and now is the Kimpton Monaco Hotel -- where we stayed on our June trip.  

Italian Trip Diary -- Day #5, Florence -- 'Michelangelo Day'

Sunday, June 17, 2001, Florence:

Today was 'Michelangelo' day.  Before heading to the Accademia, though, we stuck our heads into Santissima Annuziata on our hotel's piazza where we found a lovely fresco by Pontormo in the cloisters and a wonderful, large crucifixion in the 'Cappella del Crocifisso'.

'Visitation of the Virgin and Saint Elizabeth' by Pontormo in the cloisters of
Santissima Annuziata, Florence.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

'Crucifix' in Cappella del Crocifisso, Santissima Annuziata, Florence.

After that we went to the Accademia Gallery just on the other side of the block from our hotel to start our Michelangelo immersion course.  Michelangelo's  'David' is displayed under a skylight at the end of a long (and overcrowded) gallery.  

Michelangelo's 'David' at end of gallery in Accademia Gallery
with three of his unfinished 'Captives in Stone' and large crowd.
Photo from internet.

The 'David' is breath-taking, but the hordes of tourists – mostly in large groups with obnoxious guides – really detracted from our enjoyment.  The same gallery contains several of Michelangelo's 'Captives in Stone' and a 'Pieta' -- all of which he left unfinished.  Leaving things unfinished seems to have been a personal idiosyncrasy of this artist.  

The Accademia Gallery also contains many wonderful Florentine and Sienese paintings.  The galleries where these works are displayed offer a welcome respite from the hubbub of the 'David' gallery and we were able to enjoy them in relative serenity.

Painting gallery at the Accademia Gallery, Florence
with plaster model 'Rape of the Sabine Women' by Giambologna in center.
Photo from internet.

After the Accademia, we walked over to the Piazza San Marco in hopes that the monastery where Fra Angelico’s frescoes are preserved would be open.  

Church of San Marco on Piazza San Marco, Florence. The neo-classical facade is from 1778.
The monastery attached to the church has cells decorated with frescoes by Fra Angelico.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

Unfortunately, San Marco was closed, but we stopped at a lovely outdoor restaurant on the piazza for tramezinni (sandwiches) and cold drinks.  

After lunch we went to the Medici Chapels attached to the church of San Lorenzo.  The 'old' chapel (Cappella dei Principi) is quite large – octagonal with walls in shades of grey marble inlaid with Medici coats of arms done in semi-precious colored stones.  The frescoes on the dome are unattributed in the guidebooks we were carrying, but they are a dramatically colorful cap above the sobriety of the walls and floor.  

The 'Sagrestia Nuovo' in San Lorenzo is, of course, designed by Michaelangelo and contains sculptures that he created for the tombs of two of the Medici -- Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino and Guiliano, Duke of Nemours.  The chapel was under renovation when we were there with a huge work shaft going up through the center.  It was impossible to enjoy the balanced proportions of the architecture, but the sculptures remained available and are very powerful.  They include full-size portraits of the two Medici brothers, 'Night' and 'Day' (below Guiliano), 'Dawn' and 'Dusk' (below Lorenzo), and a wonderful 'Madonna & Child' flanked by Saints Cosma and Damian.  It was intriguing to note that Michaelangelo had left the madonna’s feet unfinished.  In fact, he left the entire chapel unfinished -- leaving for Rome and the Sistine Chapel ceiling before this commisson was completed.

Leaving the Medici Chapels we walked across the Ponte Vecchio (always crowded with American tourists) and climbed the hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo.  The piazza was filled with tourist buses disgorging hordes of tourists.  If you can ignore the Japanese tourists crowding each other for the best view point for snapping pictures of one another, the view down and across the Arno to the domes and turrets of the city and the mountains beyond is breathtaking.  

View of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo with (left to right) Ponte Vecchio over Arno,
Palazzo Vecchio, San Lorenzo, Campanile and Duomo,. Photo by Blomme-McClure

Like everyone else, we took pictures of one another and also pictures of the copy of Michelangelo's 'David' in bronze on a pedestal with bronze replicas of 'Night', 'Day', 'Dawn', and 'Dusk' from the Medici Chapels clustered below.  (If you aren't allowed to take photographs inside the Accademia and San Lorenzo, this is the next best thing.)

Bronze copy of Michelangelo's 'David' surrounded by copies of figures from
his Medici tombs, Piazzale Michelangelo, Florence.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Then, unlike nearly everyone else at the Piazzale, we climbed further up the hill to the church of San Miniato al Monte.  It is a Romanesque jewel built into the hillside with a lower nave and raised apse.  The façade is in the Florentine style with green and white marble in geometric patterns – five Romanesque arches surmounted by a high pediment with inset mosaics and topped by an eagle (symbol of the cloth merchants guild -- responsible for the upkeep of the church). 

Facade of San Miniato al Monte, Florence.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

There are several lovely mosaics, frescoes and statues inside.

Interior of San Miniato al Monte, Florence.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Freestanding 'Chapel of the Crucifix' by Michelozzo, San Miniato al Monte, Florence.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

Romanesque mosaic of Christ with the Virgin and saints above the apse from 1297 A.D.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

The view out over Florence from the terrace at the top of the long staircase is even better than from the Piazzale and nearly deserted -- in contrast to the chaotic tourist crowds on the Piazzale.

View of Florence from San Miniato al Monte with (from left to right): tower of Palazzo Vecchio,  dome of San Lorenzo, Baptistry, Capanile, and Duomo.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

After pausing in the relative peace of the terraces above the old cemetery we walked down to a café midway between the church and the Piazzale for granitas on a terrace overlooking the city.  Then we took a different route down a long sloping ramp into the city then back across the Arno to our hotel.

Since it was Sunday, the restaurants that we knew from our guidebooks and friends were either closed or already booked.  So we asked the evening concierge to make a reservation at a comfortable, moderately priced spot.  He suggested with Osteria 'Natalino' (Borgo degli Albizi 17r, Firenze; 055/289404; http://www.ristorantenatalino.com/) which turned out to be a real gem.  The food was delicious and we all fell for our waiter – a tall, handsome, well-built young man with a short black beard framing a delightful smile and dancing black eyes.  As we ate dinner in the outdoor café, we became aware that all of his customers, male and female, were equally enthralled.  It was a delightful end to a lovely day.

Movie: 'The Fault in Our Stars'

'The Fault in Our Stars' directed by Josh Boone is based on a much-loved (so they say) novel of the same name by John Green.

'The Fault in Our Stars' Poster with Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort

Hannah Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley) is a 16-year-old with thyroid cancer, so she's permanently tethered to an oxygen tank she carries in a wheeled backpack.  After some prodding from her parents (Laura Dern and Sam Trammell) Hannah starts going to support group meetings at the local church.  She meets Augustus 'Gus' Waters (Ansel Elgort) who is there to support his buddy, Isaac (Nat Wolff), who has lost one eye due to a tumor and has just found out that there's a tumor in the other eye that will cause him to be blind when it is removed.

After the meeting, Gus approaches Hannah and reveals that he had osteosarcoma, but is now cancer free after having most of one leg amputated -- he walks with a slight limp on a prosthetic leg.  During their tentative early friendship, Hannah and Gus exchange favorite books.  Hannah's is 'An Imperial Affliction' about a young girl with cancer.  The book just stops in the middle of a sentence and Hannah has unsuccessfully tried to contact the author, Van Houten, to find out what happened to the girl and her family after that abrupt ending.

Gus succeeds in contacting the author by email and receives a flippant reply that Van Houten can't reveal what happened 'in writing', but that he'll be glad to do it 'in person'.  Gus should 'drop by' if he is ever in Amsterdam.

Hannah wants desperately to go to Amsterdam to meet Van Houten.  Unfortunately, she used her wish from a 'make-a-wish' charity for a family trip to Disney World when she was 13.  

Needless to say, Hannah and Gus get to Amsterdam, fall in love and don't live happily ever after.  Bring extra tissues -- you may need them.

There are a few harrowing scenes of life with cancer, but life seems pretty great when you're in love and you've got good lighting and make-up.  Shailene Woodley gives an intelligent, sensitive performance as Hannah Grace; Laura Dern is indispensable as her mother; Ansel Elgort wrestles the poorly written, too-good-to-be-true Gus to a draw; and Nat Wolff is refreshing and effective as Isaac.

It doesn't make this film better or worse, but I just learned that Ansel Elgort was a student at the School of American Ballet when he was nine (he's now 20).   

Matthew Bourne's 'Sleeping Beauty' on PBS Great Performances

I watched Matthew Bourne's 'Sleeping Beauty' which I had recorded from PBS Great Performances over several evenings last week.  It completes Bourne's reconceptions of the great trilogy of Tschaikovsky ballets -- 'The Nutcracker', 'Swan Lake', and 'Sleeping Beauty'.  The so-called 'male' 'Swan Lake' became an enormous hit in London, on Broadway and around the globe.  We saw 'The Nutcracker' in Los Angeles over ten years ago.  It's set in a Dickensian orphanage. 

In rethinking 'The Sleeping Beauty', Bourne has tackled the thorny problem of the love story.  How realistic is it for Princess Aurora to awaken from a 100-year sleep by the kiss of a prince she has never met, then to immediately fall in love with him and marry him?  

Bourne's solution is that the fairies from the Prologue are also vampires -- vampire fairies.  

The six Vampire-Fairies in the Prologue/Christening.  Liam Mower as Count Lilac is third from the left.
Photo by Simon Annand

This clever and trendy (think the 'Twilight' series of novels and films and the HBO series 'True Blood') combination allows him to make the Act I 'Rose Adagio' into a love duet for Aurora and her true love, the gamekeeper.  

Hannah Vassallo as Aurora and Dominic North as Leo, the gamekeeper, after she is pricked by the thorn
Photo from BBC

When Aurora is pricked by the rose thorn and falls into that century of slumber, the Lilac-Vampire-Fairy bites the gamekeeper -- making him an immortal gamekeeper-vampire-fairy.

Meanwhile, Carabosse, the evil fairy is only a fairy -- not a vampire --  and thus sickens and dies after making her curse in the Prologue.  She's replaced by one of her sons, Caradoc,  who is distraught at his mother's mistreatment by the royals in the Prologue.  He proceeds to enact the curse on Aurora at her 21st birthday celebration.  Later, Caradoc deceives Leo, the gamekeeper-vampire-fairy, into bestowing the awakening kiss on Aurora.  Then Caradoc abducts her for a blood wedding to himself.  

Hannah Vassallo as Aurora arrives for the 'blood wedding' to Caradoc
Photo by Simon Annand

Caradoc is foiled by the Lilac-Vampire-Fairy who kills him with the sacrificial dagger he is about to use on Aurora.

Count Lilac (the Lilac Fairy-Vampire) stabs Caradoc with the ritual knife to end the blood wedding
Photo by Simon Annand

Aurora is spared to wed the gamekeeper and the Apotheosis shows them happily married with their own vampire-fairy-child.

Wedding of Aurora (Hannah Vassallo) and Leo, the gamekeeper-vampire-fairy (Dominic North)Photo by Simon Annand

Throughout the ballet Bourne's choreography ranges from inspired to insipid.  Bourne often demonstrates that he has studied the Petipa original and uses it as the reference point for his own choreographic deconstructions.  His variations for the six fairy-vampires in the Prologue is one clever example.  He uses Petipa's dance motifs for each of the fairies, but then lets his choreographic imagination take hold to expand and alter them to suit his fairy-vampires -- half of whom are female and half male.

In Act I, Bourne's choreography to the garland dance often undermined the waltz impulse of the celebratory music in order to make points about the Edwardian setting.  While his choreography to the Rose adagio music moved the love story forward, it really rode over many of the natural climaxes that are so beautifully effective in the traditional Petipa choreography.  

The vision scene was really more of a collection of dance moments than a sustained exploration of longing and desire. 

Bourne discarded much of the Act III music for the wedding guests (bluebirds, precious jewels, red riding hood) and used the Puss'n'boots music for a dance for the corps with cat-claw motifs.  Bourne used Tschaikovsky's music for the wedding pas de deux for the action sequences of the interrupted blood wedding.

The Prologue/Christening is set in 1890, the year that Petipa's production opened at the Maryinsky in Saint Petersburg.  Act I is set in 1911 on Aurora's 21st birthday celebrated with an Edwardian tea dance/lawn tennis party in front of the castle.  The Act II vision scene is set in a birch forest where most of the characters are in Edwardian corsets and undergarments.  Act III begins in 2011, the year before Bourne's production was introduced.  It starts with the awakening in the birch forest and then moves to a blood-red underground club where all of the characters are dressed in red and black for the blood wedding.  It ends in 2012 with the birth of the vampire-fairy-child to Aurora and Leo.

Aurora as a baby and Leo and Aurora's vampire-fairy-child are played by puppets manipulated by puppeteers using sticks.  They add a whimsical note to the Christening and the Apotheosis.

Having seen all three of Bourne's Tschaikovsky reinventions I think they all display some novelty in their conception, but fail to follow through with consistent levels of choreographic invention.  'Sleeping Beauty' falls back on the admittedly clever vampire-fairy concept but dance imagination often flags.

Italian Trip Diary -- Day #4, Florence

Saturday, June 16, 2001, Florence:

We had an early (for us) breakfast at the hotel because we had 10:45 a.m. reservations at the Uffizi (Galleria degli Uffizi) that we had secured on the internet (http://www.uffizi.com/online-ticket-booking-uffizi-gallery.asp).  So after breakfast, we walked around the back of the Duomo

Campanile and South Facade of the Duomo, Florence, photo by Blomme-McClure

into the Piazza Signoria, past the Loggia di Lanzi with the famous Cellini bronze “Perseus with the Head of Medusa” 

'Perseus with the Head of Medusa' by Benvenuto Cellini in the Loggia di Lanzi, Florence,
photo by Blomme-McClure

and on to the Uffizi. There was a long line to get in, so we felt smug as we walked right up to the entrance with our internet receipt and started on a marvelous journey through the treasure house of mostly Tuscan art.  The early rooms feature powerful Italian Primitive paintings by Cimabue and Giotto.  These are followed by wonderful Bottecelli’s including the famous “Birth of Venus” and “Spring” – sensual overload!

'Birth of Venus' by Sandro Botticelli, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, photo from Uffizi.org

'Allegory of Spring' by Sandro Botticelli, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, photo from Uffizi.org

There is a natural break when you transfer from the east wing to the west wing through a corridor with windows looking out to the Ponte Vecchio crossing the Arno to the south

Ponte Vecchio viewed from windows of the Uffizi Gallery, Florence,
(the gallery directly under the red tiled roof allowed the Medici to go from the Uffizi to the Pitti Palace across the Arno without going outside), 
photo by Blomme-McClure

and on the opposite side down between the wings of the Uffizi to the copy of David in the Piazza della Signoria.

Palazzo Vecchio with dome of Duomo beyond from Uffizi Gallery, Florence,
photo by Blomme-McClure

We took advantage of this natural break to stop for lunch at the museum’s terrace café on the roof of the Loggia di Lanzi with the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio rising to our right and the dome and campanile of the Duomo straight ahead.

After lunch we resumed with the galleries containing the Michelangelo “tondo” of the Holy Family and other great art.  

'Holy Family' by Michelangelo, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, photo from Uffizi.org

This wing seems disappointing after the extremely high standard set by the east wing galleries, but certainly not by world art standards.

Leaving the Uffizi dazed and confused by art overload, we walked out to the Piazza della Signoria for a gelato break.

Equestrian statue of Grand Duke Cosimo I di Medici by Giambologna in
Piazza della Signoria, Florence, photo by Blomme-McClure

Then it was on to the Duomo.  The nave of the Duomo is extremely plain and very big – just four huge gothic bays. The two transcepts are the same size and shape as the chancel creating a symmetrical cluster around the crossing.  It was begun in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio and completed by Filippo Brunelleschi's dome in 1436 -- one of the largest domes in the world.

Nave of the Duomo (looking east from West Doors), Florence, photo by Blomme-McClure

The Vasari frescoes of the 'Last Judgement' on the dome above the crossing are extraordinary.  It was in this 'Last Judgement' that we discovered that the figures descending to hell were much more interesting than those ascending to heaven – greater sense of movement, more nudity (especially male) and engaging in more imaginative (sinful) activities.  

'Last Judgement' frescoes begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1568 on dome of Duomo, Florence,
photo by Blomme-McClure

We could only imagine how these images would affect the people of the Middle Ages struggling with their own sins!

'Resurrection' by Luca della Robbia above north door of Sacristy, Duomo, Florence,
photo by Blomme-McClure

North Transcept of the Duomo, Florence, photo by Blomme-McClure

Our hotel was just a short walk from the Duomo, so we went back for a nap.  

Basilica of the Most Holy Annunciation on the northeast side of the Piazza della Santa Annuziata,
our hotel was on the nothwest side of the piazza, photo by Blomme-McClure

The entrance to our hotel, Loggiato dei Serviti

Carl decided to go back and climb the campanile – from which he got some wonderful panoramic views of the city and the surrounding hills as well as fantastic close-ups of the dome, the Signoria and San Minianato al Monte.

In the evening we went to Enoteca Pinchiori (Via Ghibellina 87, 39 055 242777, www.enotecapinchiorri.it/), the best restaurant in Italy at that time, according to the Red Guide Michelin.  As we arrived we were fitted for jackets since we weren’t dressed “appropriately”.  Enoteca is a “wine bar” that serves wonderful food with grand serving flourishes – all of the entrees are placed in front of each guest at the table under large silver domes.  Suddenly enough staff members materialize at the table to uncover all of the dishes simultanesouly with a flourish.  The effect is both luxurious and intimidating.  Our meal unfurled at a leisurely pace and the food was delicious – as were the three types of wine that Carl ordered (and that we tasted).