Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle, once owned by William Randolph Hearst, is probably the strangest historical house/museum that I have ever visited in my life, aesthetically-speaking. The exterior of the main house looks like the facade of a Spanish Renaissance church, for starters, and is complete with two bell towers. And the interior of the main waiting room and dining room are decorated with choir stalls for wainscoting. The ceilings are carved with panels, the walls above the wainscoting are covered with tapestries, and paintings are interspersed in the remaining wall surface area. It's all super bizarre.

But I'm drawn to this place, too. It seems to have all of the things that I enjoy about art and art history: it is a collector museum, it has Baroque and Neo-classical art (including a copy of Canova's "The Three Graces"), it even has ancient art (such as an Egyptian sculpture of Sekhmet). There are gardens and mosaics and a beautiful seaside coast. The castle even has connections with feminism, since it was designed by the architect Julia Morgan, who was the first woman to receive a degree in architecture from the School of Fine Arts in Paris. William Randolph Hearst's mother was also connected to the Suffragette movement, which makes me interested in his family. I can even connect the estate to art crime. I can even connect my interest in Old Hollywood to this place, since Hearst would invite stars like Clark Gable, Cary Grant, and Charlie Chaplin to visit.

It seems like this place is just calling for me to write something about it. An article? A dissertation? I'm not sure yet. But for now I'm thinking about how this place is full of contradictions: New World (California) vs. Old World, traditionalism (in style) vs. progressivism (female architect), fictive environments (including the movie theater and the impromptu plays that Hearst's Hollywood guests would perform), and public vs. private spaces. Maybe there is something I can derive from his mistress Marion Davies, who acted as hostess alongside Hearst? We'll see what I come up with after I finish mulling these ideas over in my mind.

Ceiling of the waiting room

Wainscoting in the waiting room - this was inspired by another architect

Statue of Sekhmet rests on an Art Deco fountain designed by Julia Morgan

The dining hall

Detail of the Game Room, next to one of the billiard tables

Detail of the movie theater in the house

A copy of Canova's "The Three Graces," by Boyer (late 19th century)

This indoor swimming pool was my favorite place on the estate - gorgeous!

Sam is Ten!

Sam is ten years old! It has been a busy day trying to make sure that he has felt special and celebrated. Everything worked out and he really did have a good day. In between the busy schedule of the day, I've had a few moments to reflect on how I entered parenthood a decade ago when Sam was born. I feel like I am in the thick of parenthood right now, and sometimes it is hard to remember a time when I didn't have children. But at the same time, I feel like the time has passed so quickly from when Sam was a tiny little baby and a tiny little boy.

I know I've written this before, but I am so struck with how mature Sam is for his age. He is always willing to obey my requests for help. He is very good with Violet and always steps in to help when we ask him to. He doesn't complain or talk back to me, and is very kind and patient with Lucy. He is still imaginative and will occasionally pretend some type of role-playing game with Lucy. Most of the time, though, his pretending is inside his head, when he makes his Lego figurines interact with each other.

Sam loves to play games on the computer. Lately he has been very interested in playing the Roblox games, and we are starting to explore the dynamics of playing games online and what it means to play interactive games with other friends online. He is only allowed to accept friend requests from people that he personally knows, and he is very good at following this rule.

Sam still likes to play the piano and is starting to take the initiative to learn songs outside of his lesson books. Over the past few weeks, he learned how to play "The Sound of Silence." He knows it well enough that he can play it slowly (as written) or sometimes with a sharp allegro beat. Right now we hear that song a few times a day - and often he sits down to play it as we are trying to walk out the door and go somewhere!

Right now Sam just earned his Webelos badge in Cub Scouts, and he will be working on his Arrow of Light for next year. As of now, he isn't interested in continuing onto Boy Scouts, which is fine with me and J! Sam has also been participating in the Drama Kids before-school program on Fridays. Even though he feels a little out of his comfort zone, he has been a really good sport and I think that he has enjoyed learning the script and thinking creatively about his character role.

Sam still loves to read. We read A Wrinkle in Time earlier this year together. He also read The Hobbit with Jeremy a few months ago, and now they are reading The Fellowship of the Ring. This year he also has been interested in reading the Origami Star Wars books, and he liked reading Inkheart with his class. He still loves comics. Since he has finished the library's collection of Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes books, he has tried some Dilbert and also FoxTrot comics.

Sam loves one-on-one conversations and is very chatty if you get him talking about something that he is interested or excited about. He mostly is chatty if he is explaining the features of a video game. For his birthday he asked for money so he could get some "Robucks" to by Roblox avatar features and games. We spent quite a bit of time this afternoon talking about the avatar features and the different things that he likes in Roblox.

We love Sam!

Opening presents in the morning

Wearing a new Star Wars t-shirt from the F-family. Sam wanted chocolate crepes with whipped cream and strawberries (as well as some eggs) for his birthday breakfast.

A Harry Potter team shirt from the Hawaii S-family!

Paintings of Dresses and Fabrics

Several weeks ago I came across a post on Instagram about Viktor Schramm's paintings of fabric. About this same time, I was watching the second season of "Victoria" (with Jenna Coleman), and I by looking at those costumes (see HERE, HERE, and HERE) I was struck with how well Schramm was able to capture the shimmery and even iridescent quality of the fabrics from the late 19th and early 20th century.

Viktor Schramm,  Bei der Anprobe (The Fitting), 1900

Viktor Schramm, "Preparing for the Ball," c. 1900

Here are some other paintings of fabulous fabrics. The fluidity of the brushstrokes really emphasize how the fabric is silky smooth:

Edmund Hodgson Smart, "Dawn," 1907

Sir John Lavery, "The Green Couch," c. 1903

I adore how the brushstrokes reveal the multiple colors that comprise the dress, so you can see the painting process but also get the suggestion that there are many layers of fabric. I also love how the black sleeves are clearly sheer. More information on this painting from Sotheby's

Hans Andersen Brendekilde's "Springtime: The First Anemones" (1889)

I came across this picture today and thought about how the subject matter resonates with me. Lucy and I have taken many springtime walks together (usually with Violet), and we both enjoy looking at the flowers and talking about their pretty colors. Springtime is still such a new idea for Lucy - I don't know if she remembers it last year, when she was two - and I love seeing her celebrate all of the life and color around us.

Although my life with a toddler is not as idyllic as the scene presented in this painting (our walk to the bus stop today involved Lucy whining and loudly crying), I still can connect with the quiet, loving moment that these two people share together as they hold hands and make eye contact. Each day I spent with Lucy, there is at least one memorable moment during the day where we have held hands, had a snuggle, or laughed together. And I do love to feel her small hand in mine; I know that little hand won't stay little forever.

Trip to Germany: Day 11 (Sans Soucci)

Germany Trip Day 12: This day was a polar opposite experience from my visit to Sachsenhausen the day before. Instead, I visited the Schloss and Park Sanssouci, which was begun as a summer retreat for Frederick the Great (1712-86) so he could be "sans souci" (without cares). What luxury and opulence were here! This park has numerous palaces, monuments and gardens. I spent seven hours here and still didn't see everything! 

I first visited the Sanssouci Palace itself. I was interested to learn that a specific strain the Rococo style can be seen at Sanssouci, which is known as Frederician Rococo. This style embraces nature in all its forms, including spiderwebs and spiders! 🕷 I also loved seeing the oval dome in the Marble Room (it reminded me of Borromini) and the floral garland on the ceiling of the Voltaire Room.

I really adored the bedchamber nicknamed the "Voltaire Room." Voltaire was a guest at Sanssouci for three years, from 1750-1753.

Ceiling of the Voltaire Room

Wall paneling in the Voltaire Room

The Bildergalerie:

This is the Bildergalerie in Sanssouci Park. The lighting is similar to the original lighting for the gallery (i. e., using windows, so the glare is terrible), but it was still fun to see Caravaggio's "Doubting Thomas."

The Orangerie:I then went and visited the Orangerie. This palace contains a Raphael Hall, which is based off of the Sala Regia in the Vatican. The room is filled with copies of Raphael paintings. I thought of my late friend Hasan when I walked into this room - he would have loved it!

The New Chambers: 

The Chinese House:I really enjoyed seeing the Chinese House and thinking about chinoiserie. I love that Corinthian column were replaced with lush, exotic palm trees. 

The Roman Bath House:

This is the Caryatid Room in the Roman Bath House

Neues Palace:
The most impressive room to me in the Neues Palace was the Grotto Hall, since the walls were covered with iridescent shells and colored stones. When I was there, I remember thinking how I've never seen anything like it before. The royal family would spend Christmas in this hall.

Neues Palace

Schloss Charlottenhof: 

The red door color was in vogue in the Neoclassical era because of the discoveries of red Roman wall paintings at Pompeii. 

This is the Tent Room at Schloss Charlettenhof. This was a guest room and was supposed to evoke a Roman commander's tent. I imagine there also was some interest in tents because of Turquerie.

This was an unforgettable day in Potsdam. I saw so many beautiful things and I learned a lot, too. I'm really glad that I got to go here at the very end of my trip - what a great finale to my experience in Germany!

Trip to Germany: Sachsenhausen (Day 10)

Germany Trip Day 10: This day I explored the dark and difficult parts of German history. In the morning I went to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. This camp was built in 1936 and served as a prototype for other Nazi camps. The Nazis imprisoned 200,000 people here, and tens of thousands died here. After WWII, the Soviets retained this site as a prison until it became a memorial site in 1961.

It was a cooler day, but I think I mostly felt chills by being in such a lonely and evil place. There weren't too many people at the site that day, either, which made the experience seem even more introspective and lonely. The complex is very big and it wasn't difficult to imagine the area filled with prisoners from eighteen different countries. It was a humbling and poignant experience. I was most horrified by the "Station Z" extermination area, as well as an exhibit about the brothel which was set up using female prisoners. I hope this history never repeats itself. 

The presence of the prisoners who suffered here was especially palpable to me in a few places of the complex. One display had an especially threadbare prison uniform with a purple triangle, which indicated the prisoner was a Jehovah's Witness (the reason for incarceration). I also felt a connection to the prisoners who worked in the kitchen cellar, washing and peeling vegetables. Some paintings have been left on the wall of the cellar, including a humorous vegetable scene (1945-50) that was painted by animation artist Hans Fisher-Köchen when he was an inmate of the Soviet special camp.

One particular part of the site I found interesting and disturbing was the Soviet memorial in the center with the sculpture "Liberation" (1961) by Rene Graetz. According to the audio guide, this rescued prisoners in this sculpture were modified to seem less emaciated than the actual prisoners who were rescued. This was done because it was thought that the Russian efforts would seem more ennobling and heroic if they were rescuing visually-appealing people who looked like they were worthy of rescue.

After Sachsenhausen, I went back to Berlin. When I was at the Brandenburg Gate, I thought of Ronald Regan's famous speech in front of the gate, in which he said, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" (Also, side note: I learned that the Brandenburg Gate design is influenced by the Propylaea in Athens.) 

I walked to the Reichstag and then continued on to the Holocaust Memorial with its Field of Stelae. In the memorial museum, I was really impacted by the few extant letters which imprisoned or about-to-be-imprisoned Jews were able to send to their family members. These people suffered so much! 

I then visited the Topography of Terror exhibit which is placed along a good portion of the remaining Berlin Wall. This outdoor exhibit explained the rise of Hitler's power, WWII, and the impact of the Nazis on the people of Berlin. While standing in the shadow of the Berlin Wall, I couldn't help but read the exhibition text and think about how much the people of Berlin suffered (especially those in East Berlin) in the decades which followed WWII. Now having been in Berlin, I have a much better understanding of the Cold War and the political tension between the US and Soviets.