The Bagel Factory

I think I've found the perfect place, near home, to spend my last bohemian month in Italy, before leaving. I found the perfect place to play the role of the creative writer, assuming the correct "aura" and "charisma" one should show to be respected and consequently well payed.

Forgive me for this, but today I'll definitely give publicity to a shop in Corso XXII Marzo, American Style, called "The Bagel Factory".
I had no clear idea of what a Bagel is, until this shop opened near my gym. I saw the restyling procedure lasting enough to be sure they totally reconverted the old "pizza da asporto" into a valuable location.
Today I found the courage to enter and I had a very good impression. It was because I found a place quite common abroad, but not so diffused in Italy (I don't know what about Rome, but in Milan this formula is quite unusual).

The Bagel Factory is a place where you can have the traditional American Bagel (maybe you can confirm me they are traditional, I cannot check). They also serve hot teas, american coffees, ice creams and yoghurts, salads… everything is healthy and organic. They focus all on the quality of the "raw materials", and I think this is a winning choice in moments of economical crisis.

The shop is structured on two levels. The lower is the selling area. The upper is a mezzanine where counters follows the limits of the floor, with chairs all along them. You can see the street in front of you.
Of course it's a simple scheme, nothing special, but maybe I was attracted by the fact it was quite empty (it's new and I went there in an unusual time - not for breakfast or lunch or dinner) clear and clean.

The style wants to recall something old and traditional, maybe even more European than American, but it doesn't matter: you can breath tradition and cleanliness. The walls are covered with ceramic tiles and the floors have a texture of little tesserae, white and black. The black ones should form something with a hole, like the bagel is. Pretty smart, I would say.

I'm perfectly conscious all the rest of the world is full of places like this, but for the Milanese standards is something new. It's not our classic "bar", nor a restaurant. It's a place, with free wi-fi, where you can go there and spent time in a creative way, maybe drinking a great black tea (vanilla flavored) 100% organic, as I did writing on my I-pad.

TodayI felt citizen of the world for almost 30 minutes…
Maybe we Milan is not that old as I could fear!


(the Architect's choice: metallic grid to better see the street and to bet your heels - as I did)



[please notice and remember:]

*Italy has no Starbucks at all.

*We have a lot of Mc Donald's - recently converted in Mc Cafè - and some Burger Kings.

*The 2012 is the 10° anniversary from MY last "Mc Lunch" and it was a salad. If you need a review on Mc Donald's, ask someone else!]

In lust we trust

Walking along Corso Garibaldi and Corso Como in Milan is starting to be very challenging if you are not interested in lust. Even the ironmongery -one of the few of the city- seems to be so stylish, with the charming old-style windows (but perfectly updated prices).

I was there to visit Galleria Carla Sozzani, but I took the occasion to study the environment; it's quite a long time since I last went there looking up in the air; at the moment everybody is building around here and a bright new future is forecasted here. Corso Como is already a must-go place for those interested in expensive shops and the most popular fashion. You'll find something different from the best known Italian brands (Gucci, Versace, Dolce&Gabbana…) but if your wallet is ready, you'll have a myriad of alternatives to spend your money.

While walking there, I was looking at the new buildings raising in Garibaldi area, around the station. They will be all luxurious apartments and offices, in prestigious condos, inserted in an area that has been empty for decades. Arriving from Corso Como, you see the old city -just restored a bit, considering the high profile inhabitants- in comparison with the new coming. Here weird short-circuits between "Old and New Urbanization" are ready to be noticed by me.

Before talking of my strolling about culture, just few pics about the area, to give you an idea of what I'm chatting of.

First of all, I suppose the joy of the male dwellers living in the house opposite to the biggest Belèn Rodriguez I've ever seen. I can imagine the happiness of them, opening their window in the early morning. A good reason to wake up early, I would say.

Notices boasting the new construction of Eco-Efficient houses, just above the most sadly eco-friendly residence.



New opening for an ice cream shop. The suggestion here is to lick quickly your dessert, before that dangerous vase dangling from the balcony ends on your head or in your ice cream…




Now let's talk about Photography, since Galleria Carla Sozzani is special for free exhibits of famous photographers.
This time it's Alice Springs time, until 22nd April 2012.

The address is Corso Como 10, where you'll find also a gorgeous clothes shop, an excellent bookshop (for art, design and photography) and a sufficiently expensive café. You won't lack anything here, just polish your American Express!

Alice Springs was Mr Helmut Newton wife and He taught her what to do, but without exaggerating with technical secrets. He said, about her portraits, that <she doesn't use any tricks, simply because she does not know them>.
This read, I understood that the portraits displayed in the white spaces are special because she used only natural light, no flash or advanced techniques. The magic of the moment was caught as it was in that exactly instant.
It's a spontaneous mix of intimacy and familiarity with the portrayed people. And what a people! We are talking about the best elements of '70s and '80s fashion and cinema panorama. 
The Galleria temporarily hosts 130 prints. Someone wrote, on the guest book, that the prints were not graphically good. I'm not an expert of this but I felt there was something.. strange in the final rendition. The pictures seemed a bit foggy, but the exhibition anyway shows Alice's work (or June Newton's - her real name) with the best bored jet-set stars and the best creative artists of the time. Everybody is shot in their "natural environment" or, if in a undefined place, with a detail that freeze the personality of the stars. Most of them looked fed up with that golden world, other scared or astonished. But everybody should have been very happy to be represented by Alice.

Some shots are deeply Helmut Newton style, in particular the first with the female naked models; pics even more malicious than Helmut's ones!
The portraits are, I think, the best way SHE could find to express a society and an era, with no regret for the past, but with a certain surprise for the situation, indeed.
As the Press Papers says: she captured their charisma, their aura.

Well, exiting the fashionable building and crossing the stylish courtyard, I looked around me, noticing all the controversies of an early afternoon in Corso Como. The street was waiting for the nocturne "movida" and all the consequent trendy society filling the clubs and cocktail-bars.
Considering that a lot of contemporary supposed celebrities come here to spend their nights, I would like to know how many of them could be ever portrayed in the same way Alice did, 30 or 40 years ago.

For the moment, we only have a 4 floors Belèn Rodriguez, hanging on a building!

REVIT FIRST ATTEMPT

Two houses in Milan

Spring is almost here even in Milan... Perfect season to enjoy the city!

Today I give you two good addresses to spent time in very elegant Milanese houses.
Almost all the European cities have an "époque house" to visit, containing old furniture following a precise style. Most of them were the native homes of great writers or scientists, so you can find even their personal objects.
In Milan you can see something different but I think definitely more interesting: the houses I'm going to present you were private until few years ago and when the dwellers died, they donated both to the Italian cultural heritage.

* First address, Via Mozart 14, Milan.
In a very central position, very close to our famous golden quadrilateral, you can find Villa Necchi Campiglio. They have a precise timetable so please check the website.
Here you'll see a big rationalist Villa, with garden, made by the Architect Piero Portaluppi between 1932 and 1935. Angelo Campiglio and Gigina Necchi lived there with Gigina's sister Nedda. It was a rich family interested in industry and the Villa reflects the wise choices of Portaluppi (elegant furniture designed by himself, simple decorations, rich materials) but also the classical ones by the other involved Architect Tomaso Buzzi. 

 

(Villa Necchi Campiglio - The pool in the flowered garden)

The Villa is filled with original furniture and object of the family (Nedda lived there and died in 2001) and the rooms left empty were furnished again with suitable furniture. The restoration of the house lasted from the 2001 until the 2008, thanks to the effort of FAI Fondo Ambientale Italiano.

Visiting this Villa is a big opportunity to see the best Italian design before the "Vespa era", when the Dolcevita was still something of culturally deep.
You'll have to follow the guided tour, very well done, that explains you also the Claudia Gian Ferrari Collections that gives even more value to the spaces.


* The other address is Via Jan 15, near Corso Buenos Aires, Casa Boschi-Di Stefano.

If you are tired of shopping in the chaotic street, take a break visiting (free entrance!) the flat where Mr Boschi and Mrs De Stefano lived collecting hundreds of paintings from the best master of the XXth century. Rumors say the furniture was almost nothing, since they had to keep in their house so many paintings that some had to lay on the floor! You'll visited 10 rooms, with very kind volunteers by the Touring Club, that will be very happy to explain you everything about the paintings and the owners. The house guests around 300 paintings, out of more than 2000 owned by this couple.

The architect was again Piero Portaluppi and you'll be able to appreciate his work starting from outside, from the street.
The furniture in the house is not original, but reasonable and original of the '30s.
Special mention to the bathroom, with black marble, containing paintings even there.


As usual, I can just say please visit, visit and visit again!

 

(Casa Boschi - Di Stefano; detail of a decorated window)

 

(Casa Boschi - Di Stefano)

 

(Casa Boschi - Di Stefano; dining room, with music)

Lorenzo Petrantoni

Timestory 
by Lorenzo Petrantoni
Galleria Credito Valtellinese
Corso Magenta, 69
Milano

Hurry up! There is time(story) until April, 1st  2012  to see something interesting and free in Milan. I know this could sound quite strange after what I wrote in the last post, but there is an explanation.

Lorenzo Petrantoni was born in Genova in 1970, got his training in Milan and worked in France as an art director. Now he's back in Milan as an illustrator and his work is quite famous all over the world - in particular the graphics.

He has found a cool way to express contemporary needs and trends, making treasure of the past. Using little details of old books and reviews (very old!) and creating his own paper, he prints ads or magazines covers "pixelating" our present with our gran-gran-gran-granparents symbols.

The final effect is peculiar, sort of baroque gears dramatically vibrant but graphically steady. If you don't believe me, take these!

 

 

(Coca-cola ad)

(please click to enlarge, and feel the vibe...)

  

(this is one of my favourites)

 

You'll find even more stuff in the special room (long 60 m and high 5 m / 196 feet x 16) he had to personally set up with a crazy paper installation.

For the lazy ones (or just too abroad to reach us) visit the website and look at the video too!

http://www.lorenzopetrantoni.com/

The Old Milano or Milano the Old?

For sure Milan can be considered a fashion and design capital (from an Italian point of view) but I think that we are quite an old city. I'm not talking about the fact that there is very little place for young workers (another sad story). I just think it's fairly peculiar the fact we do have two "Museum of the XIX° century"!
It goes without saying that I had appointment in the private one, the so called "Gallerie d'Italia" (Via Manzoni, 10)  but I wrongly went to the public one, the so called GAM, located in Via Palestro.

Once solved the misunderstanding, I reached the correct location for my guided visit to the private collection of Fondazione Cariplo and Intesa Sanpaolo, two Italian banks. If you have the occasion, please visit both the Museums, because they really deserve a little time to be spent there, they are both of value.

Today I'll talk about the collection of almost two hundreds masterpieces from Canova to Boccioni guested in "Gallerie d'Italia". Two tremendous old palaces, Palazzo Anguissola (XVIIIth century) and Palazzo Brentani (XIXth century), contain treasures that really impressed me. The palaces are both completely restored and they are great examples of the best Milanese Illuminism with gorgeous ceilings and amazing walls.
To be honest with myself, they are too much restored (by Michele de Lucchi) to my taste; Palazzo Anguissola is like a doll house, but this is not the moment to bring out my "conservative" nature [restoration is not the same of conservation].
The original style was respected, that's all.

Once entered in Via Manzoni 10, near Teatro alla Scala, you are first welcomed with a sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro in Palazzo Anguissola.

Then the tour brings you room after room across the Lombard XIXth century. Starting with bas-reliefs by Antonio Canova (dedicated to the bourgeoisie favorite virtues) the visit is full of sections dedicated to Lombardy and Milan. The most appreciable thing about this collection is not  the single quality of the pieces; all the pieces are qualitatively good, but it's more it's interesting to have a complete view on the city in that century. Also for those not being that keen on this age painting. You'll be able to see a Milan now half disappeared, with revolutions and riots wonderfully picked, or landscapes from the plan of Po river and poor workers.

Palazzo Brentani, connected to the first Palace by the courtyard, was differently restored. Here De Lucchi followed a different strategy (see also Scuderie del Quirinale, Roma) pointing at a simplified classicity, with minimal details but strong colours. As the previous Palace, this is equally worthy of a visit. The collection continues there ending with a few  bright and colored Boccioni's, premise of Futurism.

I wish I were able to take pictures, but I couldn't. Those inserted here are taken from the Institutions website, or from online reviews. 

This means: you really should go there in person, to fully appreciate.

I would suggest Palazzo Anguissola also for the children: show them how Milano was, with the Navigli an the old streets!

Tiziano e il paesaggio moderno

Palazzo Reale is now hosting "Tiziano e il paesaggio moderno" (transl. "Tiziano and the modern landscape"). There is time until May, 20th 2012 to discover that Tiziano was the first to use the word paesaggio (landscape) in a letter to the the Emperor Philip II of Spain <giving proof of the consciousness of a great and resounding awareness>. It was the 1552…

There are 50 paintings by a lot of artists and, actually, Tiziano is not exactly the most represented in the Palace, even if all the reviews on the web seems not to notice this. Why?
I think the exhibition is a very good one, centered on the evolution of the landscape. Of course that's intended in a modern way, that means: Nature is not only intended to be exploited, but is finally recognized as a pleasant place to live, to longing for the return of a mythologic golden age, or to dream about an happy future. The woods are not only places to hunt or where gather firewood, but also magical backgrounds for myths and legends. Moreover, the presentation clearly show the passage from the inversion of the roles between landscape and human figures. The classical subjects start to be smaller and smaller, giving more importance to the "background" that becomes the main character of the composition.
Tiziano? There are beautiful paintings by him, but I think that Lambert Sustris is more representative of the main theme the curator Mauro Lucco wanted to highlight.

I think the title of the exhibition is not correct, but only because it focuses too much on Tiziano. It could have been only "The modern landscape" and collect even more success, avoiding a certain embarrassment of the guides trying to find Tiziano among others beautiful landscapes.
The exhibit is good, but just be prepared if you go there, and maybe ask for a guided visit anyway - that's the only way to get a meaning out of that.

AMoYA!

I've been to Prague for 3 days and I could see an exhibition like few others. I've never directly seen something like that; I could have heard about, but never found the will to spend money and time to visit. But after seeing only romantic streets and baroque buildings, pleasant shops and charming restaurants I really need something different. I found it exactly 10 steps before Karluv Most (Carlo's Bridge).

 

The exhibition name is Artbanka Museum of Young Art (AMoYA) and it's a strange place where selected artists can freely present their works. The Association, born in 2011, is described as follow: <AMoYA presents its vision to the public by offering a very bold programme taking place in the unique atmosphere of a Baroque palace in the most historical part of Prague, where visitors – floor after floor, room after room – familiarize themselves with the world of contemporary Czech and international art.>

But the most interesting idea is that all the masterpiece are for rent. Just check the website to learn more. Now my review.

The exhibitions wanted to be shocking and disturbing (if I well remember, that was exactly the purpose of the selection we could see). The location is a quite rotten building with a court, in Karlova street.  Half of that is Baroque style and the rest is obtained from a multi-restored working class condo. Just few words on the location: it's an interesting opportunity to see a true old building, not yet ready for a fable book as the rest of Prague tends to be. The Baroque part is made of big rooms, with stinky old tapestry, dirt floors and big stairs. Big lesson of architecture: do the magnificent stone stairs for the aristocratic floors and the wooden and simplest ones for the servants.

In the "newest part", until few years ago full of poor apartments for rent, you can see the empty dwellings filled with (wanna be) art. You should visit this even only to see the spaces: every square foot has a story to tell, and another to guess.

An then the works of art… so much stuff, all together! It was quite confusing and not all the artists' intents were clear or shareable. I'll do what I can starting with a rough classing:

1) "Wanna be famous" (but not too early)

2) "I can get no satisfaction" (sub. "and I try, I try, I try…")

3) "Buona la prima" (see: well done)

1) Here you can find a lot of angry artists trying to express their anxiety and irritation for what's society today.

You can recognize them for the massive use of tags, aerosol colors, graffiti, putrefaction of substances and a certain number of flying penis in search of the Promise Land -no way to find that in that chaos!

2) They try, they try a lot but they can get no satisfaction. I think their problem is the comparison with the world of Fine Arts, from which they come from. They want to reject it, but in the end it seems only an aestethic game, funny but not enough to convince me. Even those quoting more recents artists (quoting our Pietro Manzoni) cannot get farer then their "specific work" (a bad problem if you quote the shit can!).

* extra points for the shit representing little humans trying to get out of the can

 

* extra points for the artwork with wax - but silly and useless position, mere virtuosism

 

* underwear stuff made of mice fur and heads. Whiskers included. Extra points for choosing Chanel.



* Modernity tries to kiss Classicity, but closes the eyes! Superficial kiss.

3) Well done, guys… you got it!

Even if some could result quite annoying, I must approve the followings:

- Mega-Christ hanging on the rings

- Stuffed Rocking horse [even if the artist focused on her sweet dead friend, instead of looking at the classical fight between horse/body and man/spirit and at the fact of reducing the body/horse to a toy] 

- Four big guns crossing their shots [not new idea but well inserted in the romantic location of the courtyard]

- Scary and anguishing carpet covering "something" in a semi-dark room with frightening sounds [not new (see Duchamp) but very perturbing (according to A. Vidler definition)]

- Marble "classical" statue of the ideal today man: chubby and busy at wiping a plate with a kitchen sponge.

 

Once recognized that contemporary society is too often wrong bad and dirty, remembering that for decades everybody has been saying/picturing/drawing/carving/melting this, should' we try to say something new or at least different?

Given the global anxiety in the air as a fact, or we find a (serious) solution for that, or we completely change subject.

ps. we could only see parts A and B, C was closed. Damn!!!