| |
by
Nina Beckwith
1st appeared 16
November 1998
NINA'S ARTS NOTES
Your Thursday Date
The Chancellor's Concert series has quickly become a much-anticipated and much-appreciated
feature of the Parnassus week. "It gives us a chance to enjoy wonderful classical
music," said one student, "while fitting easily into our busy schedules."
This Thursday, the 19th, is the last in the series for l998. (It is
planned to resume the concerts in January.) And this one is a concert not to be missed,
consisting of a piece you may never have heard before and may fall in love with, by dear
old Ludwig van.
Two artists from the SF Symphony and one from the SF Conservatory are the players:
Julie Ann Giacobassi, English Horn
Eugene Izotov, Oboe
Roger Weismeyer, oboe
They will play Beethoven's Trio for two Oboes and English Horn, which interweaves the wild
woodland sound of the oboes against the deeper resonance of the Cor Anglais or English
Horn.
The place: Cole Hall, Thursday, November 19th. Admission Free. Seating and lunch 12 to
12:15; music from 12:15 to 12:45.
* * * * *
Reminder: The Alexander Calder show at the SFMOMA (Museum of
Modern Art) closes December 1. It would be a shame for you and all your family to
miss such a joyful experience. Our story about it appeared first in Daybreak on September
14. Check it out.
SFMOMA is at 151 Third Street, between Mission & Howard. Open every day but Wednesday,
11 to 6, Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. at half-price. Phone 357-4000 or www.sfmoma.org .
* * * * *
A Fabulous Feast
Before, during, or after the Thanksgiving holiday, there's a totally non-fattening and
utterly unforgettable feast awaiting you at the De Young in Golden Gate Park.
Described as "an engaging exploration of the amusing and complicated relationships we
have with food," the more than 200 works in this very special show range from a
strong wooden sculpture of people carrying home loaves of bread made by the Yoruba of
Nigeria to a fragile Faberge tea service made for the Czar of Russia and luscious arrays
of cakes and ice cream sundaes painted by California's own Wayne Thiebaud.
More than "amusing," this show has hilarious moments along with its
thought-provoking survey of changing attitudes toward food and its many striking works of
art. Among the latter are several Dutch and Flemish 17th- century still-life renderings of
fruits so real you can taste them and one of berries by Raphael Peale -- of the
early-American painting family noted for portraits of George Washington -- which is among
the most superb still-lifes ever painted. There are the products of fishing and hunting,
such as gleaming salmon trout, pheasants and partridge; turning the tables is a tiny
engraving from the l500s of Hares Roasting a Hunter.
Take your time in this show or you might miss the two exquisite Steuben glass toasting
goblets, the Paul Revere sugar caster, a drawing from l562 by Breughel the Elder of
beekeepers under their baskets, or a curious thing like a long-necked animal made by
Alphonse Mattil in l984 for serving hors d'oeuvres. You can hardly overlook a massive
silver spice keeper from Peru or an entire mahogany table fully and splendidly laid for a
seven-course dinner as served in the late l700s. Spend time with Masami Teraoka's 31
Flavors Invading Japan, one of two bitingly satiric 1977 pictures in the style of
classical Japanese prints, and with Picasso's two thin people at The Frugal Repast
from l913, and Arnold Genthe's dramatic photograph of San Franciscans eating at long
outdoor tables near a Hot Meal Kitchen on Outer Market Street in l906, when no
indoor cooking was permitted following the earthquake and fire. The burned-out shell of
the old City Hall dome can be seen in the background.
In one corner you can see seven videos, including a very funny short film from l906 called
Dream of a Rarebit Fiend about a man who eats too much melted cheese, and another
about life and pickles in a New York deli. And you will want to stop and admire, if that's
the word, the Romaine lettuce lady and Miss Pasta Salad. A l970 watercolor called Sin
with an Olive by Ed Ruscha comes with a famous quote from Dorothy Parker:
I
like to have a martini,
Two at the very most.
After three I'm under
the table.
After four I'm under my
host.
I could go on and on because the scope and quality and sheer delight of this show are in
every way exceptional. "Food in Art" is indeed "A Feast for
the Eye." Exhibition runs through December 13. The De Young in
Golden Gate Park is open Tues-Sun, 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open Wednesday, December 2 until
8:45 with free admission. Tel. 863-3330.
* * * * *
The SF International Film Festival is putting on a special
program of Italian cinema starting Wednesday, November 18 through Sunday the
22nd. Seven new films and seven shorts are scheduled to be shown: none of them is likely
to be distributed commercially in the US; all of them piqued my curiosity.
All showings at the Kabuki. A Cinefilo Pass is available for $35 for all films except the
closing night showing of Marco Risi's Kaputt Mundi, followed by presentation of
the City of Florence Award and a party. Ticket orders can be faxed to 921-5032 or log on
to www.sfiff.org .
A San Francisco resident for 20 years, Nina
Beckwith is a longtime arts writer and music critic and a former Time magazine overseas
correspondent. She was founding editor of the UC Berkeley Library newsletter Bene Legere
and worked for six years with the late Dr. Peter Ostwald, Director of the UCSF Health
Program for Performing Artists. |
|
