The PICASSO Art & Arena exhibition opened yesterday in St. Augustine. The show celebrates the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Florida by Juan Ponce de León. The show is also the first of many exhibitions planned as part of the St. Augustine’s 450th Commemoration.
Previewing the Picasso Bull Series
The PICASSO collection includes 39 original pieces created between 1929 and 1961, on loan from the Picasso Foundation in Malaga, Spain. They provide insights into one of the artist’s main themes: bullfighting. Bullfighting was a revered tradition in Spain, Picasso’s home country. Curator Maria D’Adamo told of Picasso’s fascination with the sport’s trilogy: the matador, picador and the bull.
The exhibition in the Visitor’s Center is set in the round, like a bullfighting ring, with two large photographic reproductions of spectators defining the space.
Faces in the crowd watch a bullfight.
One of the highlights is a series of 11 lithographs, created between December 1945 and January 1946. They begin with a realistic drawing of the animal and succeeding works gradually reduce the strokes into a cave like primitive drawing. The final lithograph is only a few lines, but still recognizable as the animal.
The Bull
I believe the bull series will appeal to both adults and children because they can clearly trace the transformation. Picasso said, “It took me four years to learn to paint like Raphael, and a lifetime to paint like a child.”
An intriguing 20-minute video is displayed on the rear wall showing Picasso painting on glass. The viewer gets to watch a work of art come to life right in front of their eyes.
In addition, the show includes some of the prolific artist’s ceramic pieces and illustrations composed for books. A timeline of Picasso’s life helps the visitor understand the stages of his artistic lifestyle.
Nebraska State Capitol Building with statue of Abraham Lincoln by Daniel Chester.
While visiting Nebraska in the fall of 2012, I toured the state capitol building in Lincoln, known as the Tower of the Plains. The structure bursts with symbolism and art and made me realize a tour of all 50 US state capitols might be a worthwhile quest.
The building was designed by architect Bertram Goodhue in neo-gothic or what I consider Art Deco style. It stands on the site of the previous Capitol and features a “cross within a square” floor plan. The broad square base runs 437 feet on each side, partially underground, and rises three levels in height standing for the rolling prairie fields. The landmark domed tower rises 400-feet and supports a 19- foot tall bronze figure of “The Sower”. The figure represents agriculture as the heart of Nebraska’s prosperity. Mosiac Thunderbirds beneath the “Sower” imply rain.
“The Sower” atop the Capitol dome.
Construction began in 1922 around the old building and continued for ten years. Landscaping was competed in 1934 at which time the Capitol was fully paid for at a cost of $9.8 million.
I found a plethora of art on every wall and corner, on the ceilings and the floor. Why, the place out ranks most art museums. My guide explained that each piece tells the story of Nebraskans from the Native Americans to the pioneers, to the present day.
My favorite artworks included the following areas with descriptions taken from the official website: http://capitol.org/visit.
Vestibule The theme of the Vestibule is “Gifts of Nature to Man on the Plains”. The sun, an important gift of nature, is represented in the top of the dome, the chandelier and the large floor mosaic. In the mosaic tile dome, surrounding the sun in a large circle are agricultural products of Nebraska, and in the corners of the dome are the four seasons of agriculture.
Floor of the Nebraska Capitol Building
Warner Chamber Native American doors
The colorful doors to the Warner Chamber tell of Native American culture and life. Corn, the Native American’s main agricultural crop and important food source is in the center of the doorway, represented as a tree of life. The Thunderbird, a symbol of rain and life is pictured at its center. On the sides, an Indian man is standing on an otter, a symbol of medicine and an Indian woman is standing on a turtle, symbol of fertility.
Doors to the Warner Chamber
Hildreth Meiere’s ceiling mosaics within the chamber represent the daily activities of the Native American cultures of the Plains: women hoeing corn, a war party, a tribal council, and a buffalo hunt. The mosaics and decorative borders were designed to look like Native American beadwork.
Ceiling resembling Native American beadwork.
West Legislative Chamber doors
The leather doors of the West Chamber show the agricultural foundation of Western Civilization in the ancient middle eastern region. With the Assyrian man and woman planting a tree of life under an Egyptian sun.
West Chamber Doors
Supreme Court
The 8000 piece carved walnut ceiling aids in the acoustical quality of the Chamber. It has coffers which along with the Guastavino Acoustic Tile walls capture sound waves and prevent echos. The public is welcome to attend the court’s sessions and enter from the rear of the Chamber.
Ceiling of the Supreme Court Chambers
Memorial Chamber The central room of the 14th Floor Observation Level is the Memorial Chamber, it is “dedicated to the forms of heroism called for in the public service and in devotion to humanity”.
Memorial Chamber Dome
***********
www.Visit Nebraska.org The Capitol is open 7 days a week. 445 K Street On K, between 14th and 16th Streets Lincoln, Nebraska 68509–4696 hello@capitol.org • (402) 471–0448
In 2011, National Geographic named St. Augustine, Florida one of the top ten places in the world to see Christmas lights. That’s a high honor indeed for my current hometown. The 144-square-block historic district truly sparkles with excitement from over three million tiny white bulbs (each white, per city ordinance) strewn along the ancient streets and historic buildings.
Nights of Lights Photo by: http://www.floridashistoriccoast.com
The “Nights of Lights” traces its origins to the Spanish tradition of displaying a lighted white candle during the Christmas holidays.
Should you happen to arrive in town along the bayfront, and pass the 17th-century fort called Castillo de San Carlos, you will undoubtedly notice the Casablanca Inn. The Bed and Breakfast outshines all the other buildings; it radiantly glows with warm hospitality, hundreds and hundreds of white lights and tiki torches. The Inn is surrounded by a two-level elegant verandah, which is typically graced with visitors and locals chatting over drinks. You see the Casablanca Inn is also the home of the Tini Martini Bar; a watering hole so popular folks overflow on the porch and patio.
Casablanca Inn, St. Augustine, FL
When I moved to St. Augustine a year ago, the bar attracted me like a powerful magnet. I stopped in and was greeted by friendly bartenders who mix a mean martini. And…one that is anything but teeny. Choose from the menu that features “Classy Tinis,” specialty Tini’s like “Espress-oh-Tinis” and a big selection of “Fruitinis.” Or just ask the bartender to shake, not stir, one to your specifications. By the way, overnight guests receive a $15 bar credit each day.
A gorgeous martini from the Tini Martini Bar
The Tini Martini Bar also serves 32 vintages by the glass, and several fine single malt Scotch choices. Beer aficionados won’t be disappointed either, with 28 distinctive brews to choose from. Live jazz or blues adds to the convivial atmosphere on Thursday through Saturday evenings.
I recently had the opportunity to spend two nights as a guest at the Casablanca. What fun to be a tourist in my own city. I learned the 1914 building is a Mediterranean revival historic home listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I also found the ambiance very romantic, except I was unfortunately staying alone!
My room would seduce any couple with its multi-pillow adorned queen bed, antique furnishings and a Jacuzzi tub. Sleeping in luxury was more than heavenly, I felt like I was starring in the Princess and the Pea fable. Owner Michael Miles explained: “We only want the best for our guests. (So) We have insured a superbly beautiful and comfortable night’s sleep with our Select Comfort Sleep Number Pillow Top Bed. They are topped with an Isotonic pillow-top mattress cover. The next layer is a feather bed cover (hypoallergenic)…then nearly at the top are 400-count cotton sateen sheets & pillow cases (silky and smooth). The pinnacle is designer duvet covers and isotonic pillows.”
The room sat on the second floor, one of 23 suites and rooms available, and included a balcony overlooking cobblestone Charlotte Street, the road behind the Inn. How lovely to escape to this hideaway with morning coffee or an afternoon drink and enjoy the city’s charm–even by myself!
Breakfast begins at 8:15 and guests are served much more than a continental style buffet. They sit down in the dining room and order from the menu or choose the gourmet special of the day. I splurged with a fresh fruit cup, banana bread and Eggs Benedict.
Eggs Benedict at the Casablanca Inn
Since St. Augustine is a walking town, once you park your car (the Inn has a lot for guests) you won’t need it again. The Casablanca rests on the main thoroughfare and within a stones throw of many foodie-worthy restaurants. Consider jovial Meehan’s Irish Pub –practically next-door, tapas at the Tasting Room around the corner, or authentic French fare at Bistro de Leon a block away. If you desperately need early morning coffee- try Crucial Coffee on Charlotte Street and later wander into the adjoining courtyard restaurant, The Gourmet Hut, for lunch.
Although Christmas is now over, St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights continue through the end of January. Should that not fit into your calendar, visit later. Come stroll around the fort; visit historic homes and cemeteries, the Lightner Museum, St. Augustine Lighthouse or just walk over the famed Bridge of Lions. From that vantage point you have the ultimate view of the Casablanca Inn shining as a welcoming star in a city.
Casablanca Inn Sign
And don’t just take my word for it. This year Forbes named the nation’s oldest city one of the prettiest towns in America and National Geographic Traveler Magazine declared St. Augustine one of the 20 Must-See Places for 2013. How lucky am I to live there.
