Preparing for London

Do you love planning and researching a trip as much as I do? It's almost as fun as the actual journey! I am getting ready for a trip to London and Yorkshire in the spring and have discovered three fabulous books on London to help me create my itinerary. Each one validates the well-known adage that if you are tired of London you are tired of life. They are filled with wonderful suggestions for things to do in London. Some have been on my to-do list forever, some are ones I have never heard of until now, and others are places I have already been to and now can't wait to revisit. Here are the books and some interesting things I learned from them:

Literary London by Eloise Millar & Sam Jordison. This books gives us the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of our literary heroes. It tells the stories behind the stories, giving us fascinating facts about London's best literary landmarks, taking us into publishing houses, cafes, parks and all our favorite authors' stomping grounds. There are charming maps within the pages to help us find the best of literary London. Here are a few fun and quirky things that stood out to me:

1) A Dickensian pub crawl including the George Inn on Borough High Street, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (love the name) on Fleet street and the Lamb and Flag in Covent Garden which boasts a little plaque in the alleyway commemorating Dickens' time there. In his days the tavern had a slightly more sinister name: The Bucket of Blood!

2) Berry Bros & Wine Merchants on St. James Street. I walk past this wine shop every time I am in London. I loved learning that it has had the same slanting floor since 1698 (better for rolling barrels) and was the poet Lord Byron's shop of choice for his wine cellar.

3) Brown's Hotel. I've been to Brown's for afternoon tea but didn't know it was the model for Agatha Christie's "At Bertram's Hotel." An interesting fact: Brown's Hotel was opened by Lord Byron's former valet a few years after the poet's death in 1837 (and on Albermarle Street, the same road as Byron's publisher). And the tea is supposedly very similar to the one Miss Marple eats.

4) Maison Bertaux. Located at 28 Greek Street, Soho, this is London's oldest French patisserie. The Bloomsbury Group loved to gather here for pastries and coffee.

The Art Lovers' Guide, London. This is a fully illustrated guidebook about the finest art in London. I learned a few interesting facts about some very famous paintings.

1) "Ophelia" by John Everett Millais which is at the Tate Britain was worked on by the artist for four months. He worked on a riverbank in order to copy the background accurately. For the foreground his model Lizzie Siddal posed for days in a cold bath, becoming ill in the process.

2) "The Swing" by Fragonard is the most famous masterpiece of Rococo art at the Wallace Collection, one of my very favorite places to visit in London. The Wallace Collection is located in London's Hertford House which was once the home of Richard Wallace and his descendants. It is now a national museum exhibiting the family's acquisitions of European art, including London's finest group of 18th-century French paintings. Next time I go I will seek out "The Swing."

3) "A Bar at the Folies-Bergeres" by Manet is one of my favorite paintings and I have enjoyed seeing it at the Courtauld Gallery. This painting of the famous Paris musical hall was Manet's last major work. The Courtauld is located in beautiful Somerset House and has a fabulous collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Art. I haven't been for many years and after reading details about its impressive collection, I can't wait to go back. The description of the paintings by Degas and Renoir at the Courtauld are especially enticing.

The London Cookbook by Aleksandra Crapanzano. This wonderful book is both a guide to some of the best restaurants in London as well as a cookbook featuring some of the best recipes from these restaurants. Here are a three that I want to go to that feature some of the the best of British cooking.

1) La Fromagerie. This is a cheese shop with a cafe that is supposed to be a great place for lunch. The featured recipe in the book is "Alpine Fondue." In the notes for the recipe, the author writes that a great fondue is a balancing act, melding different varieties of cheese so no single one claims center state. This dish is served with bowls of cornichons, ham, boiled potatoes and cubes of crusty bread. I would love to order this dish if I make it to the restaurant!

2) Bucca Di Luppo.  An Italian restaurant that I have been to, it is located on a tiny street in Soho. This is another great place for lunch, especially sitting at the bar where you can watch the cooking. After reading about the featured recipe, Chestnut Straccetti with Mushrooms and Chestnuts, a pasta dish that includes chestnuts, pancetta, sage and mushrooms, I now want to go for dinner.

3) Nopi. One of Yotam Ottolenghi's restaurants, Nopi is a brasserie located in Soho. I have all of his cookbooks and would love to finally eat at his restaurant. The featured recipe is Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Olive Oil Mash. As the author says, "You may well wonder why I've included a recipe here for what is essentially mashed potatoes and grilled broccoli. The answer is simply Yotam. When Yotam cooks vegetables, magical things happen." That answer is good enough for me. I have been cooking his food for years and have total confidence that this dish will be delicious!

And one more thing: a good friend just returned from London where she saw the Vanessa Bell retrospective at the Dulwich Picture Gallery. She brought me home a copy of the collector's edition of the March  2017 issue of Harpers Bazaar UK which includes two fabulous articles about Vanessa Bell and Bloomsbury written by Virginia Nicholson as well as a short story by Virginia Woolf that was originally published in Harpers in 1936. I am planning to see the Vanessa Bell exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery and can now read up on it. I will be adding this to my ever-growing pile of research for my trip!

Out And About

Winter seems to be coming to an end, at least here in Los Angeles. Hopefully we will get some more rain but this week the temperatures are going to be in the eighties. And everyone wants to be out and about. I was in Sonoma for Valentine's Day weekend and had the opportunity to relax and read some of my favorite magazines, newspapers and websites. So many exciting items caught my eye. As always, there is a lot going on in the spring. I thought it would be fun to compile a list of some cultural happenings that look especially good to me. Here are some of the art, literary, and garden events I've spotted recently. I hope to make it to some of these. They are guaranteed to make the spring season just a little sweeter!

In Southern California...

The Artist's Garden: American Impressionism and the Garden Movement at the Huntington Library in San Marino

Catherine Opie: Portraits at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles

Woven Gold: Tapestries of Louis XIV at the Getty Center in Los Angeles

Robinson Gardens 28th Annual Garden Tour in Beverly Hills

Literary Affairs lecture on Love in the Time of Cholera on March 10 at the Hotel Bel-Air

In San Francisco...

Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective at the de Young Museum in San Francisco

In New York...

Vigee Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France at The Metropolitan Museum 

The fourteenth annual Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Gardens. This year's theme is Orhcidelerium: the history of orchid collecting.

In London...

Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse at the Royal Academy of Art

Botticelli Reimagined at the Victoria & Albert Museum

Vogue 100 -- A Century of Style at the National Portrait Gallery

And in the world of books...

An unknown story by Beatrix Potter has been discovered and will be published by Penguin

A new garden book:  Oxford College Gardens by Tim Richardson

A new cookbook spotlights 25 female chefs who are redefining cooking in New York

Television...

The last episode of "Downton Abbey" will air on March 6. Oh the sadness...

 "Outlander" will return on April 9

Theater...

A Grammy win for "Hamilton!" This was so well deserved.

And photography...

Stunning photos of Adele by Annie Leibovitz in the March issue of Vogue

The spring arts season is officially in bloom!

Emma Tennant, Botanical Artist

Many years ago I took a class on botanical watercolors. It was a humbling experience. But I was excited to try it out since I have never had any skill as an artist. I enjoyed the challenge. For one week we studied our subject and were instructed in the art of botanical watercolor painting. I learned about looking and seeing the flower (mine was a fuchsia) as I'd never done before. I loved mixing colors and painting with watercolors. But I was amazed at how difficult it was to capture my subject. To this day I stand in admiration of those artists who are able to render beautiful representations of nature's beauties. And every time I see an accomplished botanical painting I remember how challenging it was to paint that flower!

With spring around the corner, I've been thinking about gardens and looking at botanical art. I have read that the ability to capture the essential nature of a plant lies at the heart of the best botanical art. And lately there's one name I've been drawn to: British artist Emma Tennant. Her delicate watercolors are beautiful and have a freshness and immediacy that makes them stand out. Although I've never seen her work in person, I am now completely in love with it. Since she recently had a show in London, there has been a lot of press on her and I have been enchanted with everything I have seen and read. Here are some of the highlights:

She is part of the storied Mitford family and grew up on the estate of Chatsworth House which her parents inherited when she went off to college. She is the daughter of the youngest Mitford sister, Deborah. Her daughter is the well-known model Stella Tennant. Her other daughter Isabel is a gifted gilder and with Stella runs Gilded Pleasures by Tennant & Tennant. They produce a handmade collection of gilded lamps, mirrors and carved flowers. Their mother Emma has been gardening most of her life, studied painting in college, but only took it up seriously after her children were born. Her love of gardening and her talent as a botanical artist go hand in hand.

She spent her childhood at Edensor, a family house on the Chatsworth estate in Derbyshire. The garden on the estate was a big part of her life. While at Oxford she painted and drew at the Ruskin School of Art. She married Toby Tennant and they bought a neglected farm in the Scottish borders and restored it. After having three children and setting up the farm, Tennant converted a small outbuilding into a studio and began her career as an artist there. Her experience as a gardener was key to her success as a painter. She knew the plants as only a gardener would. Her painting style is unique and deeply influenced by the flowing technique of Chinese and Japanese artists. Because their art was on scrolls or screens rather than contained in books or frames, they were able to do great flowing lines. She decided to incorporate this looseness into her art by using absorbent Japanese paper which allows her brushstrokes to bleed into the surface. This gives her paintings a distinctive look.

Take a look at some of her watercolors.  I think you will agree that they capture the essential nature of the plants, which is what the best botanical art does. And they are full of joy and poetry.

Emma Tennant describes her art as "botanical accuracy with a free line." What a perfect description. Most of her watercolors are framed by her daughter Issy who has been a gilder for 30 years. I loved learning about this inspiring family of women, their art and the Chatsworth connection. Hailing from Deborah Mitford, Chatsworth was an influence on all of them. Emma was affected by the garden and daughter Isabel was affected by the beautiful carved flowers she discovered at the Chatsworth attic sale, bringing this concept into her gilding business. I learned that Chatsworth is famous for many garden and architectural features, including its gilding which adorns the rooms and even the window frames on the outside of the house. It seems that both Emma and her daughters discovered their artistic calling through the legacy of this great house. What a remarkable group of women and artists. Next time I have an opportunity I will make a beeline to see Emma Tennant's art.

Images via here, here, and here

Inspiring Places...The Frick Collection

Lady Hamilton as 'Nature' by George Romney

The Frick Collection in New York city is an oasis of beauty and peace for everyone who visits. Housed in the elegant Gilded Age mansion that once belonged to Henry Clay Frick, this small museum offers a lovely setting to view art as well as a comfortable place to feel in touch with history. Every time I am in New York I visit the Frick and am always happy to return. There are certain paintings that I love and check in with during my visit. In addition to its fabulous permanent collection, the Frick also has fascinating exhibitions.

One of my favorite paintings is the portrait (above) of Emma Hamilton by George Romney. I have been interested in it since I read "The Volcano Lover" by Susan Sontag. That book told the story of Emma Hamilton, Sir William Hamilton and Admiral Nelson. Emma was the muse of George Romney. She started out as the daughter of a blacksmith and went on to marry Sir William Hamilton, the British ambassador to Naples. She had a scandalous affair with the great naval hero Admiral Nelson. She was an 18th-century superstar and this painting shows her in the early days as a young, unaffected teenager at the outset of her career.

When I went to the Frick's website, I learned some interesting information about this painting. Emma was 17 years old when she posed for this portrait commissioned by her lover the Hon. Charles Greville. She was a beautiful young woman and Greville hoped to make some money by selling Romney's paintings of her. However he eventually grew tired of Emma and asked his 62-year old uncle Sir William Hamilton to take her off his hands. Hamilton did more that that; he married her. He took her to Naples where she became a sensation due to her beauty and talent for assuming "attitudes," romantic posturing achieved with shawls and classical draperies in which she became a living work of art. In Naples Emma met Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson with whom she had a notorious love affair which continued until his death in 1805. Though she inherited money from both her husband and her lover, her extravagance led her into debt and she died in poverty.

"St. Francis in the Desert" by Bellini

I also loved the exhibition a few years ago of Bellini's "St. Francis in the Desert." The exhibition was about the research that the Frick undertook in conjunction with the Metropolitan Museum into some the great mysteries surrounding this painting and its meaning. They used infrared technology to create the first complete image of the underdrawing that guided the artist's hand. I was impressed by the level of study and analysis that went into the process. The exhibition reminded me that museums are not just static institutions displaying works of art but vibrant institutions of learning where continual study and research keep the art alive, meaningful and relevant. It was inspiring to learn what goes on behind the scenes of our greatest museums.

Thomas Cromwell by Hans Holbein

Ever since I read Hilary Mantel's books on Thomas Cromwell this painting by Hans Holbein has taken on new life for me. I now check in with it each time I visit the Frick. It sits across the fireplace from a portrait of Cromwell's mortal enemy Thomas More. In fact, they hang face to face. We know from Mantel's book that Cromwell was a ruthless man. This painting shows his intensity in his face as well as his body language. He looks like a successful man, always on the alert and ready for anything. He is prepared to do the business of the king.

"Winter" by Francois Boucher

And for sheer delight and beauty these panels representing the "Four Seasons" by Francois Boucher always knock me out. They are simply stunning. "Winter" is my favorite. From the website I learned that Boucher made the panels for one of the homes of his major patron Madame de Pompadour and that they were probably intended for over door decorations. The subject of each painting is love. "Winter" depicts a snowy scene with a young man dressed in a Russian costume pushing the heroine in an elaborate Rococo sleigh. She wears a billowing fur trimmed gown and a little fur necklace, though her chest is exposed to the elements. She looks out at the viewer with a coy expression on her face. According to the information on the website, this combination of luxury and seduction is typical of Boucher.

On Sunday the NY Times had a fabulous article on an outreach program at the Frick that really excited me. Students at the Ghetto Film School in the South Bronx are participating in a yearlong collaboration with the Frick. The program draws on the museum's collection to inspire the storytelling abilities of young people while simultaneously building fine arts into the school's curriculum. The students go to the museum on Mondays, when it is closed, for discussions with its curator on art by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Fragonard and others. The students then write scripts inspired by the art or the setting. They choose one script to make into a film and do the filming at the Frick. What a dynamic way to get young people involved in the art world and bring art to the schools. Go here to read more. You'll be surprised at the paintings that inspired the winning script. Wouldn't it be wonderful if more museums did this kind of thing? 

    

Beautiful London

"What she loved: life, London, this moment of June." --  Virginia Woolf

I just returned from a wonderful two week trip to London and Scotland. This will require a few blog posts, so I'll start with London where we had beautiful weather. The end of May, beginning of June, is such a good time to see this city. As always, it was filled with so much inspiration, excitement, art, history and beauty. The weather was the icing on the cake!

Carlos Place, Mayfair

Because of the great weather we did a lot of walking, through some beautiful streets and green spaces of London.

Discovering little out of the way places, like this church near the Connaught Hotel

And this park, Mount Street Gardens, next to the church

We stumbled upon Colefax & Fowler on Brook Street and were amazed to find this gorgeous garden at the back of the store.

A perfect little haven

And inside there was Nancy Lancaster's famous "yellow room"

The Royal Academy of Arts had a fabulous Richard Diebenkorn exhibition in its Sackler Galleries

And on this beautiful day, everyone was taking advantage of the sunshine

The National Gallery had the Inventing Impressionism show and the National Portrait Gallery had the John Singer Sargent, both of which were excellent. The portrait of the Victorian actress Ellen Terry dressed as Lady Macbeth and painted by Sargent took my breath away! The audio narrative on this was great. Apparently the spectacle of her arriving at Sargent's studio drew many visitors, including Oscar Wilde, who watched her being painted.

That day there was an organized run that went past Trafalgar Square, which was very exciting to see!

We went to the Wallace Collection for the first time where we were bowled over by the beauty of the place. This historic London town house sits on its own little square and is filled with old masters by English, French and Dutch artists.

Each gallery is a little gem

Another discovery was The Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace, an exquisite art space, where we saw the exhibition Painting Paradise, The Art of the Garden. It was stunning.

One beautiful room after another filled with art about gardens

I loved this painting

Of course, you can't go wrong hanging out at London's fabulous bookstores, such as Hatchard's.
We did a lot of this!

 All kinds of inspiration there

Or Liberty of London

Where they built a towering maypole out of their famous fabrics

I loved looking up

Evenings were filled with some great restaurant discoveries such as Cheyne Walk Brasserie

And walks through historic neighborhoods -- I thought that address sounded familiar!

Where literary giants lived

Evening walks took us past Duke's Hotel where Ian Fleming used to hang out and order martinis  "shaken, not stirred."

This place is filled with history

The Ritz Hotel

As is the Ritz Hotel on Piccadilly where we went for the first time to experience the elegance. We were not disappointed. We sat with two of their signature cocktails and people-watched. There are so many stories attached to this place. Did  you know that Churchill, Eisenhower, and de Gaulle met in the Marie-Antoinette suite for summit meetings during the Second World War? And that Noel Coward wrote songs here? Tallulah Bankhead sipped Champagne from her slipper during a press conference in the 1950's. It was a favorite of Hollywood stars.

The Royal Opera House

And on a very special evening we went to the Royal Opera House to see the new ballet Woolf Works which was inspired by three of Virginia Woolf's novels. It was staggering in its poignancy and beauty. Please try to see this if they stage it again. Anyone who loves ballet would love this one. It is inventive, original, touching and very beautiful. The costumes, the lighting, the imagery projected onto the stage, and the dancing were very special. The creator of the ballet came out at the end to take a bow and the applause was rapturous!

"Woolf Works" at the Royal Opera House
This is a scene from the first act based on "Mrs. Dalloway"
Image via here

Back home at the Stafford Hotel we were given a tour of the wine cellar which was used as a bomb shelter during World War II. There are actually gas masks and other war paraphernalia from that time that have never been moved. Amazing. Some nights it was almost impossible to go to sleep with so many stories whirling around in my brain. London is endlessly fascinating.

Charleston Farmhouse

Which is why it's always a good idea to get out of the city and visit some gardens! Next up, two day trips out of London. One to Petersham Nurseries, a magical place for anyone who loves gardens. And another to Charleston Farmhouse where I learned something very interesting this time. It has to do with Clive Bell's bedroom. Virginia Woolf's spirit seemed to preside over this trip!

********

P.S. I would never have known about Petersham Nurseries or the Virginia Woolf ballet if it weren't for two lovely friends in London who kept me informed as I was planning my trip. I was able to see both of them while I was in London. I caught up with my friend Sarah Berry over tea and scones. She has worked in interior design over the years and I loved hearing about her exciting new career opportunities. And I was able to meet up with a new friend, Miranda Mills, of the beautiful and inspiring blog Miranda's Notebook. We got together over a glass of wine at Quo Vadis restaurant. I am so grateful to have made these friends through the world of blogging!