"David, Delacroix, and Revolutionary France: Drawings from the Louvre"

The Morgan Library and Museum in New York City recently welcomed "David, Delacroix, and Revolutionary France: Drawings from the Louvre," which will be on display through Dec. 31.

The exhibition highlights a period in French history between the French Revolution in 1789 and King Louis-Philippe's reign in 1852. A turbulent time in French history, its artistic products are equally interesting.

Jacques-Louis David, Theodore Gericault, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Eugene Delacroix and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot are among the artists whose 80 drawings will visit the Morgan Library and Museum.

The Georgia Museum of Art's extensive works on paper in the Ceseri Collection also include drawings by Delacroix and Ingres. If a trip to New York for the exhibition is not in the cards this year, consider touring the Ceseri Collection, which is open to the public by appointment.

A Park with a View

Have you ever walked down railroad tracks because it was a faster route to where you were going or because you wanted the excitement of looking down on other roads, cars and pedestrians? Of course you haven’t, because it’s actually illegal if trains still use the tracks. Fortunately for us, a community-run non-profit in Manhattan has given pedestrians a simple and aesthetically pleasing solution to this legal problem: The High Line.

Friends of the High Line is a community-run, non-profit organization.

In 1934, a high line for trains opened above the streets of Manhattan from the Meat Packing District to West Chelsea to Hell’s Kitchen, because so many deaths were occurring from car-train accidents and pedestrian-train ones on the street level. Raising the trains was a great solution and helped 10^th avenue lose its nickname “Death Avenue.” Soon after the line was built, however, the rise of interstate trucking as a means of transportation led to a drop in rail traffic, and the high line was abandoned and left to decay. You can see pictures of the historic line here. In the mid-1980s many property owners lobbied for its demolition, but a large community outcry halted their efforts. The community agreed that something needed to be done with the structure, but what could they do that would allow them to keep and improve the line?

The old train high line running through West Chelsea.

In 1999, a group of New Yorkers founded Friends of the High Line and worked together to figure out a way to turn this dilapidated structure into something useful and community-oriented. Thus, the High Line Project was born. Today, the first phase of the new High Line is complete and is intended for pedestrians, tourists, and city-lovers of all ages. The High Line has become a walkway above the city with observation decks, benches, food carts, gardens, miniature water parks, and even galleries for local artists. You can watch a video of the entire design plan for the High Line here (The High Line Design Video 2008). Everything about the High Line is meant to “reinforce New York City, and in particular, the neighborhood around the High Line, as a vital cultural center.” The City of New York is in full support (even financially) of this environmentally friendly project and so are we. We love the idea of a green, pedestrian-centered art space running through Manhattan as well as repurposing something old in the sake of art. There are also many ways to get involved with the High Line. Construction and upkeep is ongoing. Check out the High Line Youth Corps on their blog! If you’re traveling to New York this summer, don’t miss this exciting and inventive addition. The second phase will be open June 8.

The new and improved High Line is enjoyed by pedestrians, New Yorkers and tourists year-round

Lets Play The Quiet Game - Stillspotting NYC

New York City—a place of peace and tranquility. If you raised an eyebrow at that opinion, you are not alone. New York is typically known for its fast pace, and the stresses that come with attempting to be “ahead of the game” in a crowd that is already there. Hordes of people shuffle in and out of therapy appointments as a way to find some relief in the chaos of the Big Apple.

In reaction to this seemingly overstimulated lifestyle, the Guggenheim Museum has instituted a two-year program called “stillspotting nyc.” Under the leadership of Pedro Reyes, the museum temporarily transforms unused spaces and turns them into “Sanatoriums.” These oases guide visitors through specialized relaxation games and team-building exercises. Individual sessions are also offered and include exercises to help you calm down and regain a sense of peace. Some of the activities are a little bizarre, like GooDoo, in which the participants channel their negative energy into dolls, but the feedback from visitors is overwhelmingly positive.

To schedule your own visit to the Sanatorium, take a look [here]

Romantic Gardens

John Martin (1789–1854). View of the Temple of Suryah & Fountain of Maha Dao, with a Distant View of North Side of Mansion House. Etching with aquatint added by Frederick Christain Lewis (1779–1856), in Martin's series of views of Sezincote, ca. 1818.

Romantic Gardens: Nature, Art, and Landscape Design is currently on view at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City. The exhibition includes prints, drawings and texts showcasing the Romantic ideas that were implemented both in private estates and public parks during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

In addition to the original proposals for Central Park by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the exhibition also includes works by J. M. W. Turner, William Wordsworth and John Ruskin. These and other Romantic-era landscape designers “sought to express the inherent beauty of nature” and looked to nature as a “liberating force.”

Highlights of the exhibition include steel engravings from William Cullen Bryant’s Picturesque America (1872–74), lithographs from Prince Pückler-Muskau’s Hints on Landscape Gardening (1834) and two manuscript “Red Books” by Humphry Repton (1752–1818). The Morgan Library & Museum also has lectures, discussions, family programs and films to accompany the exhibition.

Romantic Gardens: Nature, Art, and Landscape Design is on view through August 29.