Gary J. Kirkpatrick Art and Travel Blog
Posting original art
September 24, 2015
Below, a small boat serves as a kitchen. They make fish sandwhiches and pass them to the land. The bones go in the water (not a good idea, as the decomposition removed the oxygen from the water)
This is a great place to people watch.
Walking around Istanbul I began to get the impressions that there was not a high degree of religiosity. There are some women in ha-jib, but a small percentage; otherwise it’s just head scarves if not just plain western dress. Despite the dominance of the skyline in some areas by minarets and the very loud andcalls to prayer five times a day from more than one mosque at the same time, I did not observe an influx of people heading to the mosques.
I was surprised, given the success of the AKP, an Islamic party although officially secular as the law prohibits religious parties. Even the AKP is pro-Western and pro-American. However they support the Muslim Brotherhood and have been behind efforts to allow women to wear scarves in the public schools- prohibited since the time of Ataturk.
Gallup’s 2012 survey supports my impression: 23% of Turks are religious, 73% are irreligious and 2% are Atheists (not sure what happened to the other 2%). By ‘irreligious’ I mean that religion is not important to these people but they are not (at least openly) convinced atheists. I think Gallup and others mean by ‘atheist’ that you are certain there are no deities. Atheists do not all assert this, but rather that say that the evidence for deities is absent and that condition is unlikely to ever change.
The 75%/23% is a far greater spread than one might expect given that some 95% of the population is officially Muslim. I learned that they are registered as Muslim at birth, and must be so registered, unless their parents can show they have another religion. This is an intrusion into one’s personal affairs we do not tolerate in the rest of the western world (although there are intrusions, they are of a different sort).
I do not have a sense of where Turkey is headed. The continued success of the AKP is worrisome- they have been in power since the early part of this century.
October 1, 2015
Another surprise was the cuisine. It is very complex, sophisticated and exquisite. The pastries! I was stunned. Now the coffee, you can have it. Stick to the tea.
The other pleasant surprise – Istanbul Modern. I’ve posted here some photos. Their modern art collection is excellent, not so far out it makes no sense, but experimental enough to hold your attention.
The other pleasant surprise – Istanbul Modern. I’ve posted some photos in another entry. Their modern art collection is excellent, not so far out it makes no sense, but experimental enough to hold your attention.
On the less surprising but very pleasant side of things, The Bosphorus, the strait that divides Turkey between the “European” side and the “Asian” side, is always busy with ferries and ships, making a lovely backdrop for countless numbers, for the city is built on hills.
The main sites include the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. The former is not all that impressive, other than its size and airy feeling, unless you are a fan of their mosaics. They can be beautiful but they seemed overwhelmed by the size of the place. The Hagia is much more interesting not only for the structure but also the lovely (and sufficiently large) mosaics. You’d be surprised by its age and beauty, but I’d been there before. Here’s my rendition:
Being unrestricted by Islamic rules governing art, they can show the human figure. It’s well worn themes, but some are beautifully executed. I was not so surprised as a bit more appreciative than the last time, not that I fell asleep in here then.
I visited the Archaeological Museum, near the Topkapi Palace (it too, but it was so crowded we left before seeing very much of it, although the view alone is almost worth it). I had no idea that there would be some excellent Roman era sculptures, notably Alexander the Great and Sappho. I felt honored to be able to stand and sketch them in my little notebook.
There is an excellent overview of the history of the city, to the dawn of its history, its establishment as the capitol of the Eastern (Byzantine) Empire by Constantine, its sacking by the Crusaders (they thought it was a Muslim city, but it was Christian at that time), and its conquest by the Ottoman Turks. The explanations are in excellent English, here and in fact everywhere we went in Istanbul (a very pleasant surprise). This museum is worth another visit as I did not finish this section and there are two more buildings.
With more time I would try to visit more of the palaces and archaeological sites I learned about at the museum. The palaces you can see along the Bosphorus are both immense and stunningly beautiful (at least from outside).
The old wall is largely gone, but here’s a rendition of it.
If you’ve never visited, I suggest you put this city, nay, country (i’ve been elsewhere and it’s fabulous in differing ways) on your list.
This was our last day in Tallin. Tomorrow at noonish we return to Helsinki and fly to Istanbul on Monday. It was an excellent day, with a visit to the Estonian Museum of Applied Arts and Design. There we concentrated on the “New Nordic Fashion Illustration 2” exhibit. I think you will agree that the works are fabulous!
Illustration is an orphan art genre. It’s uses are primarily in advertising or as aids of other sorts, such as in books and magazines to support the story line. Its pinnacle is reached in fashion illustration. This use goes back to around 1750, per the exhibit we saw in Amsterdam at Rijks Museum. But since the advent of fashion photography “…the focus has shifted from conveying garments to independent self-expression, creating a new visual and captivating context and fascinating the viewer with idiosyncratic worlds, which in their uniqueness have found broad application in the fashion industry, magazines, the interior design of fashion outlets, and in the marketing strategies of the most diverse brands in the field of fashion and pop culture.” http://www.etdm.ee/en/news?news_id=360
I struggle to see why we can not call this ‘art’ other than it’s end use, reflected in the lack of signatures on most of the pieces. The artist hopes not to so much to make a statement as to sell the piece to a commercial entity. Otherwise, it’s art.
September 9, 2015
Another interesting day in Tallinn, the capitol of Estonia. I visited the St. Nicholas’ Church, Niguliste kirik. It is famous for the Danse Macabre fragment, as seen below, which is about 1/3 of the original 30 meter (100′) work. It owes its theme to the Black Death that afflicted much of Europe. Unfortunately it is not easy to see, as it is protected by highly reflected glass or plastic.
Here’s the altar screen, also a fine piece:
Afterwards we visited the Occupations (Nazi and Soviet) Museums. There’s an excellent exhibit about the Nazi and Soviet Occupations, very well translated (as is the norm here) into English. The USSR got there first, pursuant to its pact with the Nazis dividing eastern Europe. Then came the Nazis, driving the Russians well back across the border, from Tallinn, the capital, just 210 kilometers away. Like the Finns the Estonians welcomed the Nazis at first, but many changed their minds. Others enlisted in the German armed services, on the side opposite to those who joined USSR forces. The Nazis murdered tens of thousands (not many were Jews from here), setting up 10 extermination camps. While at first some thought the Nazis would bring freedom, they were soon revealed to be another occupying power, exploiting Estonia for all they could in the interest of its war ambitions. Some Estonians fought the Russians on the latter’s way out, inflicting significant damages. The Nazis disarmed them once the Russians were gone. The Germans instituted the draft in 1942, eliminating most of the remaining support they had from the populace.
On September 22, 1944 the USSR retook Estonia, by which time 10% of the population had fled to the West. The transition from Soviet rule was rather complicated and taken in steps. I’ll leave you with a link to the Wiki entry on the subject: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Estonia#Soviet_reoccupation_.281944-1991.29
Lunch was at the Boheme Cafe near our house. There were some interesting pastas on the menu but we stuck with more local fare. I had buckwheat with salmon and shrimp in a tomato basil sauce. I am not sure how local the sauce was. In any case the sauce over-powered the seafood and the buckwheat, which was in grain form. Peg got mushroom pancakes, not at all objectionable but not very interesting either. What was more interesting was the conversation with the waitresses and the tall slender blond sitting nearby. They tolds us English instruction starts in first grade if not sooner. All movies and tv shows are in English if they originate that way, and there are no subtitles. The system works, and it is the same in Holland, Finland, and I bet the rest of these northern countries. Think Abba. They were Swiss.
I’d picked up a local art scene paper. The young blond noted I was taking photos of some of the fashion shots and told us about the exhibit. We’ll go tomorrow.
This was among the friendlier moments we’ve had here. They do not smile much.
September 8, 2015
While walking through town, we run across the fabulous Russian Orthodox Church. I am sternly warned about wearing my hat inside. We watch a woman kiss various objects and a priest make blessing signs over a few people allowed beyond the barriers. No hat , no photography either. It is much more impressive inside than the Russian Church in Helsinki.
This is the old town wall- up the steps there is a cafe
Another view of the town wall.
This is the fabulous town square. Pricey restaurants abound and aggressive hosts try to pull you in.
We visited the Estonia History Museum at the Grand Guild Hall. A few interesting facts: They trace settlement back to around 11,000 years ago when the ice melted enough to allow for human settlement. The Estonians, a Finnish people, have inhabited the Baltic Sea area for at least 3000 years. The country dates to around 1100 but has been independent for only 40 of those years. Their language is closely related to the Finnish and Sami languages (Norweigan, Swedish and Russian primarily), and distantly related to Hungarian. There are currently a mere 1.5 million inhabitants and an amazing 2200 islands.
Estonia was annexed by the USSR in 1939 following Stalin’s delightful deal with Hitler, then taken by Germany, before being retaken by the USSR and dominated until 1991. They welcomed the Germans in WWII, thinking they would be better than the Russians; they changed their minds in short order. The Finns reacted similarly, having been invaded by the USSR in the same period.
You might think Estonia is rather backwards. It isn’t. It has a high per capita income and is one of the most wired countries in the world; Skype was invented here. It has freedom of the press and is in other ways a developed democracy. English is widely spoken if a bit less fluently than in Finland. Nonetheless, the musuem’s ehibits were in nearly flawless English, interesting and entertaining as well.
Per a BBC podcast, the Estonians are very nervous about Russia and have instituted a draft. About 25% of the population is Russian speaking and they do not feel they are part of Estonia.
For lunch I had pancakes with meat, as they bluntly put it, which turned out to be ground beef, very basic but certainly not objectionable, and Peg had broth with a hard boiled egg in it and potato salad on the side. We shared a very good piece of almond cake with icing. It was inexpensive, just 13 euros for the whole thing. On the plaza lunches were about 13 per person, by comparison. No doubt it was a much simpler meal than those at twice the price.
An interesting walk about town included stops in several artisanal shops- the place is full of them. The quality of the work is impressive. Paintings, drawings, stained glass, leather, jewelry and other handicrafts.
There is an old Dominican church that is now a theater. The order was closed down during the Reformation and its property confiscated, just some 300 years after the forcible conversion to Christianity. Today Estonia is one of the least religious countries on the earth, with 14% saying religion plays an important part in their life. I saw several of the 14% today, sharing germs via religious objects; hopefully the surfaces are not all that hospitable to the little creatures.
September 8, 2015
September 7, 2015
Jugend architecture is more generally known as Art Nouveau. In Finland you see swooping, flowing lines in the decoration. There are mythological symbols, many from the national epic poem, Kalevala, as well as images of nature, such as owls and bears. There are elements. The most important buildings are in stone, but they also used soapstone, a softer rock. This style was in vogue in the early 20th century.
I’ll post another entry with interior shots- quite fabulous!
Here are some good examples of building exteriors from a two or three block area near the harbor and the Russian Church:
August 29, 2015
I guess I did not do enough walking yesterday, so we walked to downtown Zaandam. I photographed one of the houses Monet painted. It no longer looks the part, as you can see. There are about 35 Zaandam houses by Monet. There is a map you can use to see them all.
I saw one of Monet’s houses today, and it does not look the part, as you can see. The port is still there but there is a house in the way.
Peter the Great lived nearby for 8 months, studying ship building. The house was saved from collapse and is inside a building. It is so badly sagging that when you enter you lose your balance. It’s like being in a fun house with many crazy angles. He was there to learn military ship building but found that the lack of written plans here to be counter-productive to his purposes and so went to England where they used plans. He later returned to visit the village. His landlord refused to see him, as Peter had lived there 8 months without paying any rent.
While Peg was shopping I did a few sketches while having coffee along a canal. These are miniatures, about 2″ x 4″ in pen and ink:
Of course I have to do these sketches surreptitiously, and the people usually move a lot, so it is quite challenging.
