Tim Burton is a creative genius. So many of the films on my "Favorites" list are courtesy of him. I have until April to get back to New York and see the exhibit at MoMA.
Don't even get me started about the upcoming release of Alice In Wonderland. Can't wait!
Beyond words…
There are times when words alone cannot explain or paint a complete enough description of an object. That is how I feel about the carved AD 2nd century sarcophagus in the photos. It is a battle scene between Romans and Germanic barbarians. Stupefacente! The National Museum of Rome (http://www.reidsguides.com/destinations/europe/italy/lazio/rome/sights/mnr_palazzo_massimo.html ) houses a collection of statuary (marble and bronze), frescoes, and mosaics that is not to be believed. I added a couple of photos of some of the mosaics.
We stumbled upon this museum in 2008 and drooled on the 2nd floor as we watched them in the process of installing a new corridor of the mosaics exhibit. We had to go back this year and stand in front of what we could only peek at last year. Yes, we drooled again.
The day started with the morning service at All Saints Anglican Church (http://www.allsaintsrome.org/ ), followed by lunch at La Fontanella (http://www.lafontanellaborghese.it/index.php ). We kept lunch simple by only ordering a first and second course, skipping the antipasti. We had the same pasta for our first course (remember in Italy, the first course is the pasta course): Fettuccine alla puntenesca (a pasta made famous by the ladies-of-the-evening who often cooked this simple and quick dish for their late-night clients). For the second course, I had the Pollo alla cacciatore (chicken, hunter-style) and Richard had the Involtini di melanzane di buffala mozzarella (eggplant rolled up with fresh mozzarella chesse in the center). It was a great lunch before heading off to the National Museum of Rome at the Palazzo Massimo.
After the museum, we spent the rest of our second day in Rome wandering through churches and looking forward to our meal at Pierluigi (http://www.pierluigi.it/EN/home_en/index_en.php ). A photographer we met at a recent photo shoot suggested it to us—here is a link to Christopher Baker’s photography in the book Tulipa (http://www.amazon.com/Tulipa-Photographers-Botanical-Willem-Lemmers/dp/1579651224 ). His assistant, Paola—a Roman, suggested Pierluigi, too. There is nothing better than getting a restaurant suggestion directly from a Roman—especially, when you are going to be in Rome.
Pierluigi is somewhat off the beaten track, and although there were other tourists at the tables, most of the tables were occupied by Italians—some were well-dressed businessmen and their clients. The interior is hung with a diverse collection of artwork and at times the clientele was as eclectic as what was hanging on the walls.
Our meal started off with a glass of prosecco, an Italian sparkling white wine. Think of it as the Italian version of champagne, although people into wine will correct me about that. We ordered our way through the menu and, for all of you wine lovers, we ordered a Brunello di Montalcino, Il Marroneto, Madonna della Grazie, 2004 (http://www.ilmarroneto.it/prodotti.php ).
Our antipasti were: Tartare di melanzane e ricotta di buffala (sliced eggplant with buffalo milk ricotta cheese) and Sautè di cozze (sautéed mussels). Our first course, the pasta course was: Ravioli di pesce di mare (seafood ravioli) and Paccheri con tonno (a thick pasta noodle with tuna). Our second course was: Scallopine con la pepe rosa (Veal scallopine served with pink peppercorns) and Carpaccio di manzo con ruchetta e parmigiano-reggiano (Thinly sliced beef served with arugula and slices of parmigiano-reggiano cheese). If that wasn’t enough, we ordered the carciofi fritti (fried artichokes)—something that is very particular to Rome and to the Jewish ghetto. For dessert, we had a Torta di cioccolato con panna (chocolate tort served with whipped cream) and Carpaccio di ananas ed arancia (thinly slices of pineapple and orange).
We will definitely be returning to the National Museum of Rome at the Palazzo Massimo and Pierluigi has been officially added to our list of favorite Roman restaurants not to be missed.
Ciao e a presto,
Mark
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Curator high on list of most stressful jobs that pay badly
Posted by News on 9 November 2009 at 3:00pm
CNN has made a list of the fifteen most stressful jobs that pay badly, reports Lindsay Pollock, and number 12 is Curator (Social Worker is number 1). 89% of curators apparently report that their job is stressful, and 'median pay' is listed as $46,000. 'News' would like to point out that Reporter is number 6 on the list, however, and paid worse ('median pay' - $32,900). We would also like to take this opportunity, while we are talking about poor, exploited workers who are going out of their minds with stress, to alert you to Hyperallergic's very funny Powerless 20 (based on ArtReview's very own Power 100). The Top 20 Most Powerless People in the Art World. Wannabe curators, if not put off enough by today's news, should pay attention to the number 3 and 7 most powerless people....."3 – Independent curators without trust funds – There’s a saying, “No trust, no love.”
7 – Assistant Curators living off $27,000 salaries, with $80,000 in grad school debt from a fancy curatorial studies program. (When students enter MBA programs, professors often talk about the negative investment they make in their futures as they spend money to eventually make six or seven figures upon graduation. In curatorial programs, discussions of economics that don’t reference Marx or Negri are just gauche.)"
