PJ's Studio: October 2023

Sunday, October 29, 2023

Halloween Gone Wild – Part 1

NYC has its mojo back!

It has been decided by mutual acclaim that it is time to finally move on from Covid.

Not that it’s actually gone.

(I finally got it in June. And one of my favorite vendors at the Union Square Farmer’s Market got it a couple of weeks ago.)

But now that it is no longer as scary as getting pushed off of a subway platform – New Yorkers’ number one fear – it’s time to party on.

And enjoying Halloween is a great place to start.

It’s always been a fun holiday with many of the brownstones in the Upper East Side historic district competing for “best on block.”

This year it has exploded and apartment buildings are getting in on the action – a reflection of the fact that people are happy again.

I avoid photographing the displays that are gory. And favor the ones that are funny.

And of course I’m always looking for something other than skeletons! (They are clearly the most popular choice.)

This year, I have plenty to choose from. More next week, and here are some pics from previous years…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2014/11/halloween-in-hood.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2015/11/halloween-2.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2016/10/halloween-3.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/11/halloween-in-hood-4.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2021/10/halloween-street-fair-on-88th-street.html

Happy Halloween 😊

Cheers!

Sunday, October 22, 2023

Collaboration with Tim #36 – City Hall Park

A while back when I was walking to jury duty from the subway, I looked up to see the following scene and immediately thought – Tim will love this! So I wasn’t all that surprised when he asked for a jpeg and reminded me that we have been collaborating for five years now. No wonder we are reading each other’s minds!

Here’s Tim’s take on the scene…

And, here are some previous collaborations with Tim. You can also follow us on Instagram at @pjlehrer and @timbaynes…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2022/05/collaboration-with-tim-22-park-avenue.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2022/04/collaboration-with-tim-21-chrysler.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2022/03/collaboration-with-tim-20-chinatown.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2021/09/collaborating-with-tim-16-view-from.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2021/08/collaborating-with-tim-15-big-crane.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/10/collaborating-with-tim-9-keep-moving.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/04/collaborating-with-tim-6-34th-street.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2019/10/collaborating-with-tim-3-guggenheim.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2019/09/collaborating-with-tim-2-times-square.html

Cheers!

Sunday, October 15, 2023

Robert Indiana

Robert Indiana’s “LOVE” statue has lived on 6^th Avenue & 55^th Street for as long as I can remember. I’ve photographed people there of course. 😉

Apparently it was whisked away for refurbishing during Covid, and now has returned to NYC where it is visiting Rockefeller Center until October 23^rd.

In addition to the LOVE sculpture Indiana’s sculpture “ONE Through ZERO (The Ten Numbers) ” is also on display.

The Number sculptures were originally executed between 1980 and 1983.

Each number represents a different phase of a person’s life from birth until death –

starting with one, ending with zero.

Indiana credited his enduring interest in numbers to the formative experience of moving households multiple times as a child,

having lived in twenty-one different homes by the age of seventeen.

“Numbers fill my life,” the artist once said.

“They fill my life even more than love.”

“We are immersed I numbers from the moment we are born.”

Cheers!

Sunday, October 8, 2023

The Rape of Proserpina

I’ve waited 26 years to see this statue by Bernini.

Back in 1997, on my last trip to Rome, we were unable to get reservations at The Villa Borghese so I was only able to get this glimpse of it through the window from the adjacent gardens.

I could see that it was worth a better look, so seeing it up close was my number one goal for our recent trip to Rome.

I was not disappointed.

As Edward has often remarked - a great statue is beautiful from every angle. (He took this photo. 😊 )

In fact, it was difficult for me to pick a favorite.

But there is no doubt that Hades’ fingers digging into the flesh of Proserpina’s thigh resonated with me the most. Incredibly life-like.

And of course, Bernini is the master of folded cloth.

I am sure that part of my joy in seeing this sculpture is due to the fact that “The Abduction of Persephone,” as she is known in English, is my favorite Greek myth.

For those of you who haven’t read Bulfinch – because she ate six pomegranate seeds while captive in the underworld, her mother, Demeter, was only able to get her released from the underworld for six months each year. Hence the birth of the seasons.

It’s a great story and an even better sculpture, made from Carrara marble, completed by Bernini in 1621-1622, when he was only 23 years old. WOW!!!

Here are the previous blogs of Rome…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2016/01/rome.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2018/03/rome-2.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2021/01/rome-3.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2023/02/villa-deste.html

Ciao

Sunday, October 1, 2023

Hibiscus 2

Hibiscus flowers are plentiful in NYC during the summer.

They come in a variety of pretty colors and you can find them in all the local botanical gardens,

but also in the Amherst roof garden.

That’s how you know that they are user friendly. 😉

Thanks to a sign on the High Line, I have learned that this variety is called “Swamprose Mallow.” You would have thought that they could have come up with a prettier name. Apparently though the flower has a unique pollinator native to New York called – you guessed it – the Rose Mallow Bee. So that explains that.