A journal by artist and designer John Coulthart.
Cities
Des Jardins du Trocadéro l’Automne.
Paris again and a suitably autumnal scene from Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower (1902) by Henri Rivière (1864–1951). Inspired by the celebrated Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, these do for the City of Light what Hokusai and Hiroshige did for Japan.
De la rue Beethoven.
Du Pont d’Austerlitz.
Previously on { feuilleton }
• Peter Eudenbach’s Eiffel Ferris wheel
• City of Light
Main entrance gate by René Binet.
I can’t leave the 1900 Paris exposition alone, and with good reason. If further proof were required that this event brought Winsor McCay’s Slumberland to earth for a few weeks, this stunning Brooklyn Museum Flickr set has the evidence. Not only five pages of high-resolution views but they’re all hand-tinted which adds to the splendour and highlights the ladies’ parasols.
For earlier posts on the Exposition Universelle, see the links below. Via Things Magazine.
Esplanade des Invalides.
Palace of Electricity.
Previously on { feuilleton }
• The Palais Lumineux
• Louis Bonnier’s exposition dreams
• Exposition Universelle, 1900
• The Palais du Trocadéro
• The Evanescent City
• Winsor McCay’s Hippodrome souvenirs
Balloons in Bloom Street.
Another day of the Pride weekend and despite my gloomy predictions the sun shone all day. Amazing.
After eating little and walking/standing around all day I didn’t feel like waiting for Roisin Murphy’s set. Sorry Roisin. But I did watch Australian Abba copyists Björn Again who were great fun and went down really well with a crowd that knew every word of every song. So well, in fact, it would have made sense to drop one of the more turgid acts on the bill and let them play for longer.
Meanwhile, more photos from Saturday are turning up on Flickr.
Drag japes in Sackville Park.
The Cruz bus flaunts its giant flag.
It’s that time of year again as Manchester gives over its city centre to the flamboyant hordes. I was surprised that the afternoon weather—which has been singularly dismal this year—managed to be bright and even slightly warm while the Parade was in progress. Yes it’s August but this summer has seen temperatures struggle to rise above 17ºC and we’ve had continual rain.
The Canal Street throng.
After the Parade the Gay Village streets were insanely crowded, too much so, it was impossible to move much of the time. That aside, there was a good atmosphere as there always is in gay crowds. (Or is that just my bias?) Roisin Murphy is playing the main stage on Sunday evening so I may stick around if the weather holds. As I type this it’s raining heavily—again.
Numerous drag queens in evidence. And a shirtless guy on stilts…
Previously on { feuilleton }
• Over the rainbow
• London Pride
• São Paulo Pride 2006
Paris and Brussels are well-known centres of Art Nouveau architecture, less well-known but equally valuable is the Latvian capital of Riga whose historic centre is now a World Heritage Site. The highly distinctive building at Elizabetes Iela 10b is one of a number of buildings there designed by Mikhail Eisenstein, father of film director Sergei Eisenstein. The giant decorative heads are quite unique, and I also like the peacock and other mascarons. One can’t help but think that this façade—in a street full of equally detailed façades—would have sustained a lot more attention had it been built in a European capital.
Previously on { feuilleton }
• Atelier Elvira
• Louis Bonnier’s exposition dreams
• The Maison Lavirotte
• The House with Chimaeras