Florentine Baroque Has Landed in Phoenix

 

The second exhibit that I went to see at the Phoenix Art Museum is called "Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection.  It consists of works from the collection of Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl, a Houston-based collector.  The collection contains paintings that have been amassed over 40 years.  The painting above is by Giovanni Domenico Ferretti and was painted in 1740 and depicts God reproving Cain for the murder of Abel.

This painting is called "Allegory of Poetry" and it was painted by Felice Ficherrelli in the 1620's.  That frame is adorned with lapis lazuli.  Speaking of the frame, be sure to notice the frames on all of these paintings.  The frames alone are works of art.

 This painting in its very thick, gold leafed frame is by Onorio Marianari.  The painting of Madonna and Child was painted sometime in the 17th century.  

This is another painting by Giovanni Domenico Ferretti and it was painted in 1745.  It is called "Harlequin and His Lady".  Look at the details in that elaborate frame.  I see plenty of cherubs mixed in with a few faces and lots of gold.  The frames on all of the paintings in this exhibit seemed every bit as important as the historic paintings.  

The presentation of these works at the Phoenix Art Museum is a first of its kind in Arizona.  It's well worth a visit to the museum.

Telling Stories With a Paintbrush

 

The museum nerd strikes again! 

I visited the Phoenix Art Museum last Sunday to see three new exhibits that I had been reading about.  The first exhibit I visited was of paintings by Eric Fischl, a painter who tells stories with his large scale paintings.  I was lucky on Sunday to have joined a museum docent who led a tour of this exhibit and asked the five people in our tour group what we saw in each painting he featured.  For the painting above, I had actually already read the description so I knew what it was about.  I waited to hear what others thought. The painting is called "October 7: Heading Out".  It depicts a women in a big city hotel room who is preparing to go out when she is interrupted by the news of the events of October 7th when Israel was struck by a terrorist attack.  One member of our little tour group was extremely good at coming up with stories for each painting.  She saw something entirely different before she learned the artists true intent.  That lady's ability to create stories made for some fun dialog among our small tour group.

The title for the Exhibit is "Eric Fischl, Stories Told".  The painting above is a self portrait of the artist in his studio.  I asked the docent about Mr. Fischl's bandaged hands in this painting and he said that the artist explained that all through his career he expected the work to get easier as he progressed.  He said it hasn't.  Instead it seems to have gotten harder.  The bandages are to represent how hard the work is.

It was certainly a great exhibit.  I'll go back sometime soon to see it again.  I'd like to stand in front of a few more of the paintings and come up with my own stories about the subjects before I read the descriptions.

I'm a Museum Nerd

 

I am what many people would call a museum nerd.  I love a good museum and I seek them out wherever I go.  I also love the ancient history of Egypt so, museums that feature Egyptian artifacts have a special draw for me.  (Above is the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.)

Yesterday I read an article in the New York Times about the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo and it inspired me to scan through my photos and look at all the Egyptian artifacts that I've seen that are not actually in Egypt any longer.  The Egyptian government would very much like to change that.

I've visited the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum (pictured above) at least twice and I'd very much like to visit it again.

I found this duplicate of Nefertiti at the Rosicrucian Museum.  The original is in a museum in Berlin. The Egyptian government has petitioned for its return.  

When I was in London last August, I made a point of walking through the gallery with all the Egyptian statues and artifacts at the British Museum.  

One of those artifacts is the Rosetta Stone which the Egyptian government would very much like to have returned to them.  According to the Times article, negotiations are taking place.

When I was in London last August, I also took a day trip to Oxford and visited the Ashmolean Museum for the first time.  I was happy to discover another museum with a section dedicated to Egypt and the Middle East.  

The photos in that Times article are pretty spectacular and they insprired me to create this post.  Now if I could just figure out how to get to Cairo to see this new museum in person. That would truly be an adventure. Check out the photos on Google.  It's a place to be admired. 

Breakfast Spot

 

Breakfast restaurants are showing up all over town.  I saw this one on Roosevelt Row when I was there Saturday night and I loved the name and logo.

It wasn't open at the time I took the photos but checking their online site, it looks like they serve the standard fare of pancakes, waffles and eggs and bacon.  

That is such a busy street so I'm betting they do a good business. 

Big City Looks

 

I met my friends David and Riley for dinner Saturday night at a new place in downtown Phoenix that we hadn't tried before.  It is located on Roosevelt Row, that very trendy arts district in downtown.  Standing just outside the restaurant, I was struck by the 'big city' look of all the tall buildings lit up at night.  That combined with the very busy traffic and the crowds of people walking in the area made Phoenix feel like a big city indeed.

After dinner we walked along Roosevelt Row and admired all the new bars and restaurants that have cropped up recently.  We picked a few that we need to try sometime soon.

Phoenix is a big city of course, but it is mostly composed of a vast urban sprawl.  It feels quite different when you are in an area of high density for both residents and businesses.  I like that feeling.

The Season is Upon Us

 

Going to the mall on Friday made me aware that the holiday season is open for business.  I only stayed in one little section of the mall but there were holiday signs everywhere.  

This tree with the oversized Christmas lights was just inside the door of the Coach store.  

This tiny little glass Christmas tree was in the window of the Swarovski store.  It goes nicely with the little glass Christmas presents on the right.  

I didn't venture into the main part of the mall so I probably missed a major portion of the decorations. I'm sure I'll see plenty more decorations before the season ends.

Fashion Design Students

 

I went to the mall yesterday and saw this display of some of the fashion designs created by Arizona State University students. 

I saw one of these shows once before at the mall but it was 6 years ago.  I posted photos here.

To me these fashion look a little wild and crazy but in the grand scheme of things, they aren't much different than what we see on the Oscars red carpet or Project Runway.

In Disguise

 

I love finding these cell phone towers that are disguised as trees or other plants.  This one looks like a tall tree unless you look closely.

From this viewpoint it's pretty obvious.  

Most of the ones I see are shaped like palm trees.  I've even seen one that looks like a saguaro cactus.  

They have been finding some creative ways to hide those antennas.  

Aging Nicely

 

When I drove over to the old neighborhood to check on the skeleton family, I happed to spot this nice looking Mercury Comet sitting in someone's driveway.  It looks like a 1960 model to me and it's looking very well cared for.  Wouldn't it be something if it still belonged to the original owner?  

Mourning a Loss

I'm mourning the loss of two huge ficus trees that used to shade the central courtyard where I live.  They were taken down as a precaution against some of the storms we've been hit with recently.  We had one of those storms a few weeks ago that caused some severe damage to homes and apartments in the east valley.  Inspectors decided that these two trees were possible targets for what are called micro-bursts that cause severe damage.  

I understand the need for safety and damage control but I have to admit this made me very sad.  Apparently, I'm not the only one.  I see that someone else placed some flowers on the tree stump left behind.  When I saw the flowers I thought "my sentiments exactly".

 I'm glad I took that photo of the trees stump and flowers (above) when I did on Sunday because yesterday they were grinding up the stumps with this serious looking machine.

I've been told that the grounds will soon have some new trees which is good news.  However, it will take a very long time for new trees to reach the scale of the trees that were lost.

That Sign at Night

 

Last year I did a post about this cute little deli on Central Avenue in Phoenix. There was some discussion about whether that big sign on top of the building lit up at night.  Well, it's a year later and I finally found myself near the shop after dark and when I saw that sign all lit up, I just had to get a photo.

I met some friends Sunday evening for dinner at a new restaurant that happens to be across the street from this deli.  We got to talking about the deli and how long it's been there which turns out to be since 1949.  

I learned that the shop underwent a major remodel inside and out.  The man who made that sign on top has been retired for a number of years but he came out of retirement to work on the sign and give it a facelift.  

I will have to make a point of going there some time soon. That will be fun.  I haven't been inside for a very long time.

Return to the Scene of the Crime

 

I featured photos of this house two weeks ago when I discovered those two very tall skeletons on each corner of this house.  I happened to drive by the same house on Saturday and discovered even more skeletons frolicking all around the house.  

These three even climbed atop that tall saguaro cactus.  I had to stop for a few more photos.

Normally, climbing on a saguaro cactus would not be advised but I guess it's okay for these three.  After all, they don't have any skin in the game.  

😉

More of the Skeleton Family

 

Here is a few more photos of the Skeleton Family that I featured on Halloween.  This group was lounging in the sunlight on the patio.

While this group was hanging around the street sign.

This group appeared to be having a conversation among themselves away from the crowd. 

I should drive by this house again this weekend to make sure this group has gone back underground.

Theme Day: Breakfast

 

I hardly ever eat a big breakfast but sometimes when I'm on vacation, a nice breakfast is just the ticket.  Last year when I was in Laguna Beach for a few days, I had breakfast at the oceanside restaurant at Crystal Cove State Park.  The place is called The Beachcomber and since it sits mere feet from the lapping waves, it's a perfect name.  On this particular day, I ordered the Ranch Skillet which is eggs scrambled with bacon, sausage, peppers and onions.  I had no idea it would be this big!  I hated to let any of this delicious dish go to waste, but I simply couldn't eat it all.  I could easily have split this with my friend Glenda and possibly the people at the next table too.   

However, Glenda was already deep into the house-made beignets.  Don't those look delicious?

The first of the month is always "Theme Day" for City Daily Photo Bloggers and the November 1st theme is Breakfast.  Check here to see more breakfast food from around the world.

Especially for Halloween

 

I made a special trip over to my old neighborhood to see if the skeleton family had made its annual appearance and I wasn't disappointed.  They were out in full force.  

One of them even waved at me.  

This trio was climbing a ladder to get up to their cousins sitting on the roof.

This group was there to greet anyone who comes to the door.  

As usual, the owner of this house has gone out of his way to make this group of characters welcome.

I'll show you a few more I found around this house next week.

Call the Exterminator!

 

I pulled over to the curb to snap a photo of this house that clearly has a problem with a large-spider infestation.  I certainly hope they have called an exterminator before those fellow make their way inside that house.

When I turned to put my camera down, I saw this fellow approaching my car.  It was time to step on the accelerator and get out of there.

I feel sorry for the mailman who has to walk past this tall dude to get to the mailbox.

A Coven of Witches

 

I found this coven of short witches doing a little dance around a tree in front of a house.  I couldn't hear if they were chanting, singing or just tossing an eye of newt into a cauldron.    

A little further away, this creepy pumpkin-headed creature was doing a little dance in another yard.  We all need to be very aware of our surroundings this Halloween season.  You never know what you will run into

Seasonal Decorations

I had lunch recently at this place that has joined the season of goblins and ghosts.  They have gotten into the 'spirit' in a big way.  

I turned that pumpkin around while I ate my lunch.

Mural in the Neighborhood

I found this lovely mural on a wall in one of the historic neighborhoods in Phoenix.  It was a long one so I took photos in sections.

It looks a bit like a colorful Mexican village.

Possibly a Mexican village on the west coast of Mexico. I looked at it closely for a signature but I couldn't find one so I can't give the artist credit for the lovely mural.

Taking part in Monday Murals.

Halloween is "Popping-Up" Everywhere

 

The Halloween season has encouraged some pretty creepy characters to disinter themselves and join the rest of us.

I'm glad this guy didn't pop up near my house.

A little further away from the guy above, this scary fellow was also trying to get out of the ground.