Shutters

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

photograph by Julius Shulman and David Glomb

I had the honor of being my good friend Whitney's matron of honor at her beautiful wedding in Los Angeles at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. I've read a lot of comments about the modernist architecture of LA's cathedral (i.e., Why do we walk *down* to the altar…ought not the altar be elevated? Why do the tapestries convey saints with faces of contemporary Los Angelinos even for those saints whose visages can be accurately identified in historical pictures? Why are there no windows save for a few high-pitched vaults? etc., etc.). Regardless of the caveats, I thought the cathedral was stunning and a perfect place to commemorate sacred nuptial vows. Thank you for including me in your special day Whitney and Donovan!!!

The Getty

This last weekend when I was in Los Angeles, the first place I went after my early morning flight was straight to The Getty to catch lunch and the ocean breezes from its hillside heights. It's really the perfect place to ease into a California state of mind and the Pacific timezone. I love this place and am often more interested in taking in the scenic views, the Richard Meier architecture, and the sunny Cali weather than I am intent on touring all of the art galleries and exhibitions...although this last time, the Jackson Pollock and Queen Victoria exhibits appealed to me in a personal way.

I had to laugh about the long lines, gift shop memorabilia, and gallery tours surrounding Pollock's Mural during its traveling stint at The Getty. As an undergrad at the University of Iowa, I often crossed the river over to the UI Art Museum to sit in front of Pollock's Mural while reading or studying or writing my ridiculous attempts at Jorie Graham--inspired poetry. Back in the day in Iowa City, I usually had Pollock all to myself for hours at a time---quite the contrast to the Mural's Getty reception...

And, since I'm defending my dissertation on the Victorian novel in less than a week, this series on Queen Victoria and Photography seemed like one I ought not miss. One of the things I learned from this exhibition: royal photographers often "photo-shopped" Victoria's visage to lessen her "royal jowls" (as anachronistic as Photoshop would have been to those eminent Victorians). A lovely afternoon all around at the Los Angeles Getty!

LA Baby!