Rodin At The Met

21 Sep 2017 Leave a comment

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Art and Crafts, NYC Events, Travel and Leisure Tags: , , ,

 

Between lovers,

a little confession 

is a dangerous thing.

Helen Rowland

The Kiss

Fun fact while touring colleges with my daughter:  Philadelphia was the first city in the United States to exhibit works by the French artist Auguste Rodin (1840-1917).  Apparently, Rodin had sent eight sculptures to the Centennial Exposition held in Fairmount Park 1876, but his work did not win awards nor impress the press. He could not have imagined that this city would one day house one of the greatest single collections of his work outside of Paris.

To contest Philly’s claim to fame, NYC’s Metropolitan Museum is currently hosting a retrospective of Rodin’s sculptures, drawings and art to celebrate his centennial.

In a career that spanned the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Auguste Rodin rebelled against the idealized forms of tradition and his discovery of Michelangelo during a visit to Italy in 1875-76 inspired him to introduce innovative techniques that paved the way for modern sculpture.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (top left) to share your favorite Rodin piece(s). Mine are on this page–including Camille Claudel’s The Waltz, Rodin’s lover and colleague who worked in his shadow, never getting the recognition she deserved.

xoxox

 

Danaid

 

 

Cupid and Psyche

 

 

Eternal Idol

 

 

Camille Claudel’s The Waltz

Photos on this page from Google Images

xoxox

 

 

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© Sharon Birke

Managing Member, DoubleSmart LLC

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Woman

 

The Follies of Bergdorf

06 Dec 2012 1 Comment

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Art and Crafts, Boudoir Photography, Glamour Portraits Tags: , , ,

You can’t fool me–

There ain’t no Sanity Claus!

Fiorello (Chico Marx)

What era would I love to relive?   Take a guess from my favorite holiday windows at Bergdorf Goodman.   The BG Follies of 2012 are inspired by the Ziegfeld Follies, Vaudeville revues and Hollywood classics.  Imagine spending more than a year (never mind the $$$) of letting your imagination run wild, making your fantastic visions come true?   I say “That ain’t work!!!”

Bergdorf’s blog shares behind the scenes video and photos of the art process of their obsessive old world craftsmen at http://blog.bergdorfgoodman.com.   Click on “Leave a Comment” to share:  What would your daughter do if she saw mom kissing Santa?

Mommy Kissing Santa Bergdorf Goodman Follies 2012 by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Act I.  By Request  An all girl orchestra (in Marc Jacobs, Philip Lim, Elie Saab, etc) pays homage to Bill Wilder’s Marilyn Monroe and her silver ukelele in “Some Like It Hot.”   This window is my absolute fave with its bird’s eye view of glamorously dressed women having a grand old time practicing their craft.

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Act II Naughty and Nice  is a tribute to burlesque performer Sally Rand, inventor of the risque fan dance, covered in thousands of white feathers meticulously constructed into an all white mosaic.

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Act III A Cast of Thousands showcases a collection of mid-century miniature American mannequins (once used for display merchandising and sewing practice)   as 1920s Ziegfeld Follies girls on fifteen miniature stage reproductions made from replica 18th-Century wood moulding.

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Act IV Daredevils Inspired by cartoonist Rube Goldberg is Fifth Avenue’s novelty act featuring a runway look from Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2013 collection.   Every surface is covered in gold and silver leaf while 24 plaster dogs perform every trick under the sun.

Bergdorf Goodman Follies 2012 by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

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Act V  Finale    Approximately 1,000 individually beveled mirrors create this kaleidoscope set into motion by 7 separate rotating motors.  A homage to Busby Berkeley’s overhead kaleidoscopic camera shot seen in Footlight Parade, complimented by Naeem Khan gowns that mimic Berkeley’s famous waterfall number.

ps  Bergdorf’s fabulous windows are on display through January 3 if you’d like to join their Instagram contest.

Bergdorf Goodman Follies 2012 by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

 © Sharon Birke

201 697 1947

PowerfulGoddess@me.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

Carnival of Animals at Bergdorf

18 Dec 2011 2 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Art and Crafts, Beauty and Fashion, Family, Fantasy Tags: , , , , , , ,

Money, if it does not bring you happiness,

will at least help you be miserable in comfort.

Helen Gurley Brown

More than the Rockefeller Christmas tree (which is looking extra fabulous this year,) the spectacle I look forward to seeing when the holidays roll around are the windows of Bergdorf Goodman.

This year’s Carnival of Animals by David Hoey‘s team is a mind blowing flight of fancy with brass birds, animals made of intricately hand cut/folded paper, needlework and carved wood, fish made of gemstones and glass mosaics,  gowns with fur, fine beadwork, feathers, leather scales and diamond mesh by Alexander McQueen, Oscar de la Renta, Pringle of Scotland, Valentino and Celine.   With five windows overflowing with animals created by artists such as Sergio Bustamante and Brett Windham, my eyes did not know where to start and stop looking.   Here are a few details to whet your appetite.  Catch a glimpse of this fantastic vision before January 3rd.

Thanks to the countless artisans and artists who contributed to this monument of creativity and wealth–reminding us of other realities, an oasis from the obsession of “this economy.”

What riches (that money can’t buy) embellish the fabric of your life already?

© Sharon Birke

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

Powerful Goddess is a trademark of DoubleSmart LLC

Very Koi Body Painting

11 Dec 2011 Leave a comment

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Art and Crafts, Body Image, Body Painting, Health and Wellness, Party Ideas, Personalized Gifts, Unique Gift Ideas, Women Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It is a paradox of creativity that

we must get serious about taking ourselves lightly.

We must work at learning to play.  

Julia Cameron

“The Artist’s Way” by  Julia Cameron  recommends a weekly “artist date” to continually replenish our reservoir of creativity before we dredge a dried out bottom and feel stuck, blocked, or uninspired.   An artist date is any activity that’s fun, enjoyable, akin to childlike play and exploration.  My inner artist happens to be an uptown girl so for a recent artist date, I had to drag her kicking and screaming over the Brooklyn bridge to the new body painting studio of Danny Setiawan of www.DenArtNY.com (he’s matching me in red below.)  And, Goddess, was she glad I did!

Models patiently stood/sat through a couple hours of being a human canvas–whoever wasn’t comfortable being topless covered her front torso with a scarf or halter top .  My inner artist had not touched a brush in months.  She quickly got carried away painting the biggest koi fish possible, extending the design all over my model’s forearms and the contours of her voluptuous body.  After 3 hours of painting punctuated by fits of laughter and dancing, my model and I squeezed into the studio’se tiny bathroom where a wall of painted curls and swirls provided a matching graphic backdrop.  The perfect souvenir for a most memorable afternoon.

Add body painting to your possibilities for playdates and unique gift ideas.  Make a party out of it and ask Danny to bring his art to your venue!

Where will you take your inner artist on your next date?

© Sharon Birke

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

Powerful Goddess is a trademark of DoubleSmart LLC

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