Americans are at a disadvantage when answering our title question because the word “secession” is so identified with our Civil War. When eleven southern states each announced that they were seceding from the United States in 1860 and 1861, they initiated this bloody conflict. In Austria, on the other hand, “secession” had nothing to do with …
Art & Architecture
Poster House (America’s Only Poster Museum) Opens with Alphonse Mucha
In the spring of 2017, visiting Amsterdam with my cousin, we were able to wander across the street (well, with the help of our hotel’s concierge) to the Van Gogh Museum to spend a morning with Prints in Paris 1900. It was an engrossing exhibition (the tagline read “The fin de siècle comes to life”). The …
More Art Nouveau Notes: Time and Place
Art Nouveau provides much pleasure to those who (like myself) have been captured by the allure of the style, and I think I might have come up with a reason why Art Nouveau is so appealing. It’s not only that the style provides the opportunity to experience exceptional beauty, however that elusive quality is defined …
Opera: Venice – The City of Music
On a visit to Venice last year, several performances gave new meaning (for me) to the common perception of Venice as an important musical destination. There seemed to be performances of classical music all over the place, in both secular venues and at the many churches that have been given over to musical events. It would …
Bellini and Mantegna: Two Versions of The Presentation at the Temple
A Fascinating Experience for the Layman In one of my favorite literary works – Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited – when the two young men arrive in Venice to visit Sebastian’s father, Lord Marchmain asks them what they want to do while they are in Venice. Charles, a budding artist, says he would like to see some …
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