Winter 2003

Rehearsal of the Pasdeloup Orchestra at the Cirque d'Hiver
(about 1879-80)
John Singer Sargent, American 1856-1925. Oil on Canvas, (22 1/2" by 18 1/8"). Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The Hayden Collection. Charles Henry Hayden Fund, 22.598

John Singer Sargent, a passionate lover of music and accomplished pianist, was a frequent visitor to the Sunday morning rehearsals of the Pasdeloup Orchestra at the Cirque d'Hiver in Paris. In his inspirited painting, Rehearsal of the Pasdeloup Orchestra at the Cirque d'Hiver, the energy of the musicians and drama of the circular amphitheater are captured and distilled into one stunning composition. Embraced in an impressionistic swirl of movement, the musicians and their instruments are portrayed in calligraphic strokes of black and white paint, suggesting the shapes of musical notes.

Born in 1856 in Florence Italy to American parents, John Singer Sargent lived most of his life in Europe. He was greatly influenced by Carolus-Duran (a noted French portraitist with whom he studied), the Spanish Master Velazquez, the Dutch Master Frans Hals, and the Impressionist movement. He was known for his portraits of socially prominent people of the period and was considered the most admired portraitist of his time, both in Britain and the United States. In 1907 he stopped painting portraits and turned to landscape painting, producing over 1,000 oils and watercolors. He visited the United States for the first time when he was 21 years of age and only returned for short trips. In spite of his short stays, he produced outstanding murals for the Boston Public Library, the Museum of Fine Arts, and for the Widener Memorial Library at Harvard, a project that was left uncompleted at the time fo his death in 1925. Hard to label, Sargent was considered to be the last great generalist because of his fluency with so many different painting styles.

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Fall 2002

Passion Flowers and Hummingbirds
(about 1870-83)
Martin Johnson Heade, American, 1819-1904. Oil on Canvas, (15 1/2” by 21 5/8”). Gift of Maxim Karolik for the M. and M. Karolik Collection of American Paintings, 1815-1865. Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Martin Johnson Heade traveled to Brazil in 1863 to paint illustrations for a book about hummingbirds. Although the book never materialized, Heade continued to paint images of tiny hummingbirds and exotic flowers—usually orchids—for more than 40 years. Reflecting mid-nineteenth century beliefs in the unity of art and science, Heade rendered his birds and blossoms with meticulous precision, clearly captivated by their sensuous beauty. Here, the brilliant flowers are silhouetted against gray mist shot with light, and we look through sinuous, snaking vines into a vast jungle landscape.

Born in rural Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1819, Martin Johnson Heade had no formal schooling in art, yet he traveled throughout America and Europe painting portraits and scenes of daily life. He moved to New York in 1859 and was greatly influenced by the landscape painter Frederic Edwin Church. It was there that he began to develop his own personal style and lifelong interest in the fleeting beauty of nature that he translated into still-lifes and landscapes. Excursions to Latin America from 1863-1870 expanded his repertoire to include tropical landscapes and unique compositions that combined flowers and hummingbirds. Virtually ignored and unknown in his day, Heade now is considered one of the greatest American romantic painters, admired for his originality, subtle atmospheric effects, glorious light, and warmth of his canvases.

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Summer 2002

People's Federal Savings & Loan Association Bank, a building designed by Louis Henry Sullivan and erected in 1917. It brings into bold relief Sullivan's imaginative integration of organic materials into his building design, including intricate terra cotta, mosaic, and natural brick ornamentation. Louis Henry Sullivan (1856-1924) is considered by many to be the defining figure in modern American architecture. Born in Boston, Sullivan spent his adult career practicing architecture in Chicago, and was the key force in what came to be known as the Chicago School. Using steel frame construction rather than masonry, his work celebrated the vertical rise of tall urban buildings and early skyscrapers, and emphasized simple, geometric forms, often embellished with lightweight materials like terra cotta. His philosophy was firmly rooted in creating an original American architecture that reflected the spirit and needs of the day. Sullivan's work was influenced by H.H. Richardson whom he greatly respected for his ability to marry art with craft. In turn, Sullivan influenced Frank Lloyd Wright, his disciple for a short time in the late 1800s, who embraced Sullivan's vision of blending the man-made and natural worlds. Balthazar Korab is an architectural photographer whose vision is deepened by his background as an architect. His photography has been featured in over 17 major books, exhibited in numerous shows in the U.S.A. and Italy, and is part of many permanent collections. Speaking about his work, Balthazar Korab says "I am an architect with a passion for nature's lessons and man's interventions. My images are born out of a deep emotional investment in their subject. Their content is never sacrificed for mere visual effects, nor is a polemic activism intended to prevail over an aesthetic balance."

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Spring 2002

Oak Park Home and Studio, Library,
Oak Park, Illinois, 1992.

Courtesy of Paul Rocheleau, Photographer, Richmond, MA.
Featured on our cover is the inviting library of an Oak Park, Illinois home
designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959).

As you enter the library, the eye is carried inward by the room’s circularity, drawing attention toward its center and then upward to the vast, extended skylight, opening to the world, and blurring the separation between the built and natural environment. Considered to be the most innovative and influential architect of his time, Lloyd Wright’s work inspired generations of architects and artists all over the world. He designed over 1,000 structures, almost half of which were built; founded and ran a successful school of architecture; authored books, and was an important artist in his own right. His interest in design went beyond the exterior to the smallest details of interior space, including furniture, art glass, and other aspects of interior design. He described his “organic architecture,” based on natural forms, as “...buildings qualified by light, bred by native character to the environment, married to the ground.” Ahead of his time, Wright resisted box-like houses and rooms, preferring instead to define, rather than enclose spaces. Using subtle changes in ceiling heights and screening devices, he created fluid living environments that were defined by the user rather than the space. His building structures were modern yet completely in harmony with the natural environment in which they were situated, and his influences can be found in many homes today.

Renowned photographer Paul Rocheleau has specialized in Americana for the past 15 years, focusing on three dimensional art, architecture (interiors and exteriors) and landscape architectural subjects. With over twenty-five titles to his credit, including major projects for notable publishing houses such as Rizzoli, Houghton Mifflin, and Monacelli Press, Mr. Rocheleau roams the highways and byways of the nation developing self-conceptualized projects to record and interpret the human environment, its structures, and its varied artistic expressions. He lives with his family in the small hamlet of Richmond, Massachusetts.

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Winter 2001/2002

Allegheny County Courthouse, Main Stairway,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Courtesy of Paul Rocheleau, Photographer, Richmond, MA.
From the book, Henry Hobson Richardson, A Genius for Architecture.
Text by Margaret Henderson Floyd. Photography by Paul Rocheleau, 1997.

The Allegheny County Courthouse, one of the most impressive public buildings in America, was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and erected between 1883 and 1888. Embodying the "majesty of the law", it is considered to be one of the most significant monumental works of Richardson's short-lived career (1838-1886). The "great glory" of the courthouse interior is the grand staircase, with its restraint in ornamentation, and elliptical play of arches that offer changing vistas as one goes up or down.

Richardson's unique and powerful personal style draws its influence from the Romanesque of England and rural Normandy: his larger buildings defined by strong, clear, simple, rusticated masonry forms. One of the best and most famous examples of this design is Trinity Church (1877) in Boston.

Making Brookline his home until his premature death in 1886, some of Richardson's most important works are in Massachusetts. His work inspired great architects Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Stanford White, and Charles Follen McKim.

Renowned photographer Paul Rocheleau has specialized in Americana for the past 15 years, focusing on three dimensional art, architecture (interiors and exteriors) and landscape architectural subjects. With over twenty-five titles to his credit, including major projects for notable publishing houses such as Rizzoli, Houghton Mifflin, and Monacelli Press, Mr. Rocheleau roams the highways and byways of the nation developing self-conceptualized projects to record and interpret the human environment, its structures, and its varied artistic expressions. He lives with his family in the small hamlet of Richmond, Massachusetts.

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Fall 2001

Front Entry, The Gamble House,
Pasadena, California (1998)

Courtesy of Alexander Vertikoff, photographer, and The Gamble House, Pasadena California. From the book, Greene and Greene Masterworks. Text by Bruce Smith. Photographs by Alexander Vertikoff, 1998.

The elegrant front entry featured on our cover invites you into the Gamble House in Pasadena, California, an internationally recognized masterpiece of the turn-of-the-century Arts and Crafts Movement in America. Designed by Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene in 1907, the house is considered to be one of the most complete and original examples of their work.

Greene and Greene's designs, which made a profound impact on the development of the 20th century American architecture, combine a seamless fusion of simplicity and sophisticated detail with meticulous attention to building materials and natural surroundings. These qualities are evident in the teak-framed front entrance to the Gamble House, with its gnarled branches of an oak tree styled into sinuous patterns of iridescent glass that reach out to bathe the doors in a golden glow.

Early in their careers (1891-93), the brothers served apprenticeships at several Boston architectural firms and contribued to the design work for the main administration building (the former Cox House) at Pine Manor College and a private home on Uplands Road in Brookline.

Alexander Vertikoff specializes in photographing architecture, interiors, and gardens. His work has appeared in many publications such as Architectural Digest, The New York Times, and American Bungalow and has been featured in several recent books. He lives with his family on a ranch in New Mexico.

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Summer 2001

Supposed Portrait of Jayavarman VII

From the National Museum, Phnom Penh, Cambodia (detail)
Angkorian period. Bayon style, late 12th/early 13th century.
Sandstone. 42 x 25 x 31 cm.
Courtesy of ARTEPHOT, Paris, France
Hans Hinz, photographer

The serene Buddha-like image featured on our cover is, in fact, the head of a sovereign, Jayavarman VII, one of the most forceful and productive kings of the Khmer (Cambodian) Empire of Angkor (reigning from 1181-1218). Portrayed in his maturity, his lips are set in the famous "Angkor smile," his eyes are lowered, and his expression is one of restrained humility, as if in meditation. The simplicity of the sandstone carving perfectly complements his image of spiritual serenity.

The sculpture is typical of the more personal and naturalistic Bayon style of the late 12th and early 13th century. This artistic style was profoundly influenced by, and was a vehicle for, a short-lived form of Cambodian Buddhism that was adopted by Jayavarman VII as the state religion. It accounts for the Buddha-like representation of the king in this sculpture and others of the time.

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Spring 2001

Alabaster Lid of Canopic Jar

This image is courtesy of Araldo De Luca, Photographer, Rome, Italy. The image was photographed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt, 1999. From the book, Egyptian Treasures from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Edited by Francesco Tiradritti. Photographs by Araldo De Luca.

The elegant alabaster lid featured on our cover sits on top of a canopic jar (funerary urn), holding the preserved remains of Tutankhamun's internal organs. The image depicted on the lid is thought to be that of a youthful Tutankhamun. The contrast of his pale face with black almond-shaped eyes and bright red lips provides a striking image of youth and vitality. His head is framed by the nemes headcloth and crowned with images of the sacred deities, the cobra and the vulture, representing a united Upper and Lower Egypt.

Araldo De Luca is an internationally acclaimed Italian photographer renowned for his images of ancient statuary and jewelry. His photographs have appeared in books and periodicals published by some of the world's most prestigious museums. Mr. De Luca's photographs, featured in the book, Egyptian Treasures from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, flawlessly and artistically document remarkable collection of Egyptian art.

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Winter 2000/2001

Endymion (detail), 1819

Antonio Canova (1757-1822)
Chatsworth, Devonshire Collection, U.K.
Photograph, "Endymion Sleeping," courtesy of © Nouvelle Images. S.A. Editors, 2000.

In Greek mythology, Endymion was granted eternal youth by the goddess Artemis who caused an endless sleep to come over him, preserving for all time his youthful beauty.

The story of Endymion has inspired many of the world's greatest artists, including the poets Keats and Longfellow, who saw in him a symbol of the timelessness of beauty. Perhaps the best visual representation of Endymion, capturing the essence of his youth and beauty, is in the sculpture by Antonio Canova, a detail of which is featured on our cover.

Antonio Canova (1757-1822), an Italian sculptor, was recognized as the foremost neo-classical sculptor of his day. His work, "Endymion" was commissioned by the Duke of Devonshire in 1819 and became the Duke's most treasured possession. Canova himself was especially pleased with this work, saying that the marble from which it was carved was the finest quality he had ever seen. The sculpture may be viewed today as part of an outstanding private art collection at Chatsworth, U.K.

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Fall 2000

Phra Buddha Ong Luang (1998)
Leica R6; 250mm Lens, Kodak 100 ASA Professional Ektachrome Courtesy of Mark Standen, Photographer (b.1963)
From the book, Buddha in the Landscape — A Sacred Expression of Thailand by Mark Standen.
Location: Wat Phra That Chom Kitti; Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai province, Thailand.

Mark Standen is a British photographer who has lived in Thailand since 1998. Originally trained as an architect, he later pursued photography as a means of recording aspects of life and the environment. His architectural background has influenced his photographic work, which focuses on relationships between people and architecture, both from historical and present-day perspectives. His book, Buddha in the Landscape (Pomegranate Communications, Inc. 1999), is a thoughtful, lucid history of the styles of the Buddha image in Thailand, intertwined with what the Buddha image symbolizes, and an overview of Thailand's regional cultures and environment.

Thailand is a land of Buddha images. No other country in the world presents such a wealth and variety of statues of the Buddha, sculpture that is both an art form and a sacred expression. Among the most striking images are the huge statues of the Lord Buddha, many rising to a height of 15 meters or more, which are to be seen in the Thai countryside.

Phra Buddha Ong Luang, featured on our cover, is a typically serene Buddha, dwelling in a leafy grove that evokes both the calm and the emphasis on nature that are intrinsic to Buddhism. This photograph was taken towards the end of the year, during mid-day, to allow enough light to penetrate the trees from above and more reflected light to reach the Buddha's face.

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