Bart drove us out east towards the Hamptons yesterday and provided me with a little tour of some of its communities. I had no idea "The Hamptons" was an umbrella term that referred to a bunch of different towns, and my goodness -- the number of mansions out there! Talk about excess. Let me amuse you with a fun fact that Bart pointed out yesterday -- Sagaponack has a population of 582, spans an area of 8 miles (22.35% of which is water), and was once listed as the most expensive zip codes across the nation. According to Forbes, it's now third in the nation with a median home price of about $4 million. Dear Lord.
Our first stop was in Bridgehampton, where we came across the Mark Borghi Gallery, which happened to be selling several Elaine de Kooning paintings amongst other contemporary artists. I was vaguely familiar Willem de Kooning, but had never heard of Elaine. The girl at the front desk told us they were spouses that had a rocky relationship. At first, I was not impressed with de Kooning's abstract work because they seemed so quickly executed, but now I'm reconsidering this opinion because of two things: (1) what the front desk receptionist said and (2) the absence of the parergon -- none of her paintings had the small detail block including the work's title, year of production, medium.
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After Bridge Hampton, we drove further east to some beach on East Hampton, where we ate a picnic he packed for us (he's adorable: peanut butter & strawberry jelly sandwiches, salt & vinger flavored almonds, and salt & pepper kettle cooked chips). I took some pictures of the horizon with the Yaschica 35mm I found at home (can't wait to develop them!). A month from now, we'll be crossing the Atlantic on our way to Europe!
After lunch, we got back on the road and headed towards Montauk, and arrived shortly after the gates to the lighthouse closed. This worked to our advantage since we were spared the $8 parking fee visitors must pay between 9a-4p. We still got a chance to walk around the area and appreciate the lighthouse from afar.
In case you're interested, I borrowed the following info from Montauk Point Lighthouse ...
Our first stop was in Bridgehampton, where we came across the Mark Borghi Gallery, which happened to be selling several Elaine de Kooning paintings amongst other contemporary artists. I was vaguely familiar Willem de Kooning, but had never heard of Elaine. The girl at the front desk told us they were spouses that had a rocky relationship. At first, I was not impressed with de Kooning's abstract work because they seemed so quickly executed, but now I'm reconsidering this opinion because of two things: (1) what the front desk receptionist said and (2) the absence of the parergon -- none of her paintings had the small detail block including the work's title, year of production, medium.
- (1) - I'm sitting here and remembering entering the gallery and to my right, at the very entrance, there was this large canvas that occupied nearly 10 feet in height and perhaps 20 feet in width; it had extremely wide brushstrokes of a variety colors (mostly vibrant) layered on top of one another*. My immediate observation, was the brush stroke's style, which I initially conceived as requiring minimal effort and skill -- this turned me off (sigh, I know, I know -- I'm really trying to let go of this awfully close minded approach to art, but it takes time). Unfortunately, as a result, my examination of her painting ended there and I became indifferent to the rest of her work. I'm now realizing that I didn't consider what these brushstrokes might mean -- they had an intensity and aggression to them. Perhaps this style of painting served as therapy to Elaine when she was frustrated with Willem or some other external factor? Within this context, I'm now understanding her more abstract work much like I understand and appreciate Pollock's action paintings or Kusama's Infinity Nets series, where the form of the brushstroke (or paint splatter in Pollock's case) is the manifestation of a gesture and supplies the viewer with some insight about how the artist may have felt at the time of the work's conception.
- * = Bart really enjoyed this layering because of the combinatorial effect when the brush strokes of different colors cross over.
- (2) - The parergon is that which supplements a work (within a context of a painting, examples would include the artist's signature, the painting's frame, its title, etc) and is a term I've only recently become familiar with. The gallery didn't provide any of the painting's details next to de Kooning's work -- I was lucky enough to recognize it was her work because of a signature and date she placed at the bottom right hand of each piece. Instead the gallery provided a single sheet of paper at its front desk (I should have requested a copy, but it didn't occur to me then), indicating the artwork's name and price (as far as I could tell, there really was no way of discerning which title corresponded to painting on this long list with small text). I honestly think this borders disrespect to the work itself. Some might argue with me and say authorial intent might not be relevant, and if that's the case, well then, I'd appreciate at the very least a little note next to the piece indicating the work is untitled.
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After Bridge Hampton, we drove further east to some beach on East Hampton, where we ate a picnic he packed for us (he's adorable: peanut butter & strawberry jelly sandwiches, salt & vinger flavored almonds, and salt & pepper kettle cooked chips). I took some pictures of the horizon with the Yaschica 35mm I found at home (can't wait to develop them!). A month from now, we'll be crossing the Atlantic on our way to Europe!
After lunch, we got back on the road and headed towards Montauk, and arrived shortly after the gates to the lighthouse closed. This worked to our advantage since we were spared the $8 parking fee visitors must pay between 9a-4p. We still got a chance to walk around the area and appreciate the lighthouse from afar.
In case you're interested, I borrowed the following info from Montauk Point Lighthouse ...
Members of the U.S. Lighthouse Service and the U.S. Coast Guard have been the residing keepers, tending the light for those at sea. Whaling ships, steamers, submarines, fishing and sailing vessels of all kinds have passed this tower on Turtle Hill, guided and reassured by its presence. On land, generations of visitors have made the trek to Long Island's easternmost tip, marveling at this lighthouse, the work of the keeper, and the beauty of Montauk Point.
Prior to yesterday, lighthouses had never really piqued my interest, but now I'm really loving this idea of safety associated with them.Automated by the Coast Guard in 1987, the Montauk Point Lighthouse no longer needs a lightkeeper; however, a keeper of its history is essential. Under a program to provide for the continued maintenance and preservation of this historic lighthouse, the Coast Guard has transferred ownership of the lighthouse to the Montauk Historical Society.
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| In an attempt to get a good angle of the lighthouse, we stood on top of the bench. |
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| A beautiful boy with a curmudgeon's expression juxtaposed alongside erosion. WWDD? |
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| Looking for aerodynamic efficient rocks for rock skipping. |
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| Nope, we can't take normal pictures together. |
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| Ocean horizons are beautiful. |
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