Photography

I'm impressed with the photography of Irving Penn, and was disappointed in the decision, though I respect it, to not be a part of a portrait show of which I asked him to be a part. Irving Penn does not do group shows, is what I was told. I could have snatched those words right off the screen had it been possible. I would have preferred "Mr. Penn does not participate", but hey, not everyone reads into the tone in an e-mail like me. Regardless, I couldn't blame Mr. Penn for a blanket response that really had nothing to do with me, or the show I was creating. Still, he was once just a staff writer turned photographer for Vogue in the 40s when it all started for him.

By the way, it was a fabulous show!

I've always respected the art, though I understand there are some that do not in general, and how he presents it in fact, and I do so even now after he denied me. Distasteful as the employee seemed to be on the other end of the digital conversation, albeit a poor taste of words, he holds me. I am still quite pleased every time I see an Irving Penn show, and currently in New York City there are two.

Tomorrow, following the dress rehearsal of Purcell's King Arthur, directed at New York City Opera by the well-known genius choreographer / dancer / director / conductor, Doctor Mark Morris, I will see one of those shows. I plan to sandwich Morris's opera with gallery visits, my favorite Saturday outings in NY.

UPDATE (MARCH 6, 2008) - REVIEW OF MORRIS'S KING ARTHUR

Morris smiles when people refer to him by the title granted by one of the 9 institutions that have bestowed him his honorary doctorates. Why wouldn't we want to make the man who brings joy to the world, as declared by The New York Times, smile? Mark Morris is a man who has taken on some of the best works of music ever recorded and has brought them to the world in live accompaniment of his most fabulous Mark Morris Dance Group. They're technically masterful these days and he's proud to have the best modern dancers in the world working for him. The Mark Morris Dance Group is an entirely separate genius, and the man that makes them is a gem I'm fortunate to have in my world, and July 3 of this year will explain why.

But tomorrow's dress rehearsal is not that one, a love story in its purest sense. This one, still to come, is more of a pageant. And though not his best, it certainly is certifiably Morris.