Category Archives: Reviews

Environment: “NASA Looks Back At 50 Years Of Earth Day” – April 22, 2020 (Video)

It’s been five decades since Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders photographed Earth peaking over the Moon’s horizon. The iconic image, dubbed Earthrise, inspired a new appreciation of the fragility of our place in the universe. Two years later, Earth Day was born to honor our home planet. As the world prepares to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, NASA reflects on how the continued growth of its fleet of Earth-observing satellites has sharpened our view of the planet’s climate, atmosphere, land, polar regions and oceans.

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Art Insider: “Monet’s Groundbreaking ‘Poplar’ Series” (PhilaMuseum)

Philadelphia Museum of Art LogoIn the summer of 1891, Claude Monet began to paint a row of poplar trees that lined the river Epte near his house at Giverny. The trees were auctioned off for timber shortly thereafter, but Monet made a deal with the purchaser to delay cutting them so he could continue to paint the trees through the autumn. Using a shallow rowboat that had slots in the bottom capable of holding several canvases at once, Monet painted twenty-four pictures of the poplars from his floating studio.

The resulting pictures reflect the view at different seasons and times of day and were known as the “Poplar Series” when they were exhibited in February 1892.

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Reopening The Economy: “What The Year Ahead Might Look Like” (NY Times)

The Daily - New York Times podcastDonald G. McNeil Jr., a science and health reporter for The New York Times, discusses how the Coronavirus lockdown might end what it would look like.

While the economy is likely to reopen slowly, there is hope that society will adapt to manage the uncertainty of our new circumstances. Here’s what experts say the next year (or more) will look like.

Health: “Patient One – Saving America’s First Known Coronavirus Patient” (Frontline)

The inside story of how the first confirmed COVID-19 patient in the U.S. was identified and treated in Washington State.

Frontline Coronavirus Pandemic PBSWhen a man returning from Wuhan, China in January 2020 exhibited symptoms of the novel coronavirus, public health officials in the Seattle area were already on alert.

“We had a game plan in place already,” says Dr. George Diaz, who treated patient one when he was admitted to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett. Yet in spite of the state’s preparedness, it would soon become clear that the virus’s spread was already ahead of efforts to contain it.

“Patient One: Saving America’s First Known Coronavirus Patient” was drawn from FRONTLINE’s reporting for “Coronavirus Pandemic” – veteran science reporter Miles O’Brien and his team’s investigation of the U.S. response to COVID-19.

“Coronavirus Pandemic” premieres Tues., April 21. Stream it on the PBS Video App starting at 7/6c, or watch it on PBS or YouTube at 9/8c. Check local PBS listings.

More here: https://to.pbs.org/2ypGUOw

 

Art: American Surrealist Painter Kay Sage – “Eerily Lit Landscapes” (1898-1963)

From Christie’s article (April 16, 2020):

Kay Sage Catalogue Raisonn book.Sage is renowned for her empty, enigmatic, eerily lit landscapes. Human figures are markedly absent — their presence felt only by the monolithic, architectural structures and unidentifiable, draped objects they seem to have left behind. In this respect, 1945’s Other Answers  is a quintessential Sage painting.

 

In 1939, with clouds of war hovering over Europe, Kay Sage returned to the United States after more than two decades away. Her lover and fellow Surrealist, Yves Tanguy, soon followed her across the Atlantic, despite the fact that both of them were married to other people. In Sage’s case to an Italian prince — her official title was La principessa di San Faustino.

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Christie'sIn the summer of 1940, Sage had her first solo show, at the influential Pierre Matisse Gallery in Manhattan. Then, in early 1943, she was part of the landmark Exhibition by 31 Women, curated and staged by Peggy Guggenheim in her Art of This Century Gallery.

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Classics: “1959 BMW 507 Series II” – Amazing Story Behind The “Perfect Car”

From Classic Driver Magazine (April 18, 2020):

1959 BMW 507 Series II Interior“Astonishing” is the word we are looking to describe this BMW 507. A word we use a lot if it comes to selling classic cars, but only a little few deserve this ‘title’ like this 507 does. When an exceptional model, with an unique story, from what the historical documents are well archieved, it just makes us going crazy. Add matching numbers and -colors tot his list and we are losing it totally. That’s no different with this 507.

1959 BMW 507 Series II FrontMax Hoffman convinced BMW that if they built a competitor to the Mercedes-Benz 300SL, he would sell it profitable in the United States. The BMW was intended to fill the gap between the affordable sports cars like the triumph and MG and the exclusive cars like the Mercedes-Benz 300SL and Ferrari 250 GT California. Though, BMW couldn’t achieve their target price, for what the BMW 507 was even more expensive than the 300SL. BMW found itself in a financial difficult situation and almost went bankrupt. At the end of the day, BMW recovered from this “failure” and the 507 even became a true flagship in the whole history of automotive.

Classic Driver MagazineIn the ‘50s BMW disposed over all fundamental ingredients which would make the 507 complete. An all-aluminium 3.2-litre V8 engine was placed in a shortened chassis of the 502. This ingenious masterpiece produced no less than 150hp and sounds like a guitar solo in your ears. To save weigt, the body was made of aluminium, which results in a 1280kg’s for a fully finished 507. Besides the phenomenal results, BMW wanted to offer luxury as well. Both aspects are just spot on.

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Art Curator: “Why Did Michelangelo Use Red Chalk?” (Getty Museum)

From The Iris (Getty Museum – April 17, 2020):

gm_374970EX1_1300To work out the details of all the figures in pen and ink would have been extremely labor-intensive, and sharpening quills and mixing inks would’ve added an additional distraction. Drawing in chalk necessitated great skill, but it also allowed Michelangelo a flexibility. He could create subtle tonal variations by applying more or less pressure onto the chalk or by wetting it. The red chalk also provided an immediate mid-tone on the paper and could be easily blended when modeling and shading forms. Being a naturally occurring material that was available to artists in sticks that could be sharpened as desired, it was also convenient and portable.

The Iris - Behind The Scenes at the Getty MuseumDuring his lifetime, Michelangelo likely produced tens of thousands of drawings. But being protective of his ideas, and to give an impression of effortless genius, he destroyed many of them. Today only about 600 drawings by the Renaissance artist survive. A Getty exhibition highlighted 28 of them, giving viewers a window into Michelangelo’s artistic process. “He used drawings to record his observations, to explore certain ideas, to further develop these ideas, to reconsider them entirely,” said Assistant Curator Edina Adam.

The exhibition included a relatively high number of drawings in red chalk, which prompted the question: Why did Michelangelo use this particular drawing material?

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Virtual Travel: “Tour West Coast National Parks” (Google Earth Video)

Visit some of the West Coast’s most popular National Parks with Google Earth! Travel from the peaks of Washington’s Mount Rainier to Joshua Tree’s cholla cactus gardens in California.

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Health News: “Navigating The Coronavirus” – Wall Street Journal (April 17)

From the Wall Street Journal (April 17, 2020):

As the coronavirus pandemic upends work, travel and home life, the rules are shifting for what people can and can’t do in their daily lives. The WSJ is continuously updating advice and information on how to stay safe, healthy and connected, and how to help others.

WSJ Special Section 4.17.20 - Navigating the Coronavirus-

Aid to a Friend Caring for a Coronavirus Patient

“Because I am organized in my job and day-to-day life, I took on my husband’s care thinking I would have it all quickly in hand. But things didn’t turn out that way,” writes Leslie Yazel, whose husband came down with coronavirus-related pneumonia. Here, she offers what she learned about the best ways to help those who are caring for someone with coronavirus.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

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