The Golden Age of Travel

Every winter I rack up a small handful of miles due to my winter color guard & percussion judging. Friends have the misconception that I am some jet setter taking in tourist meccas across the country. When in fact, I am staying in suburban hotels in Omaha, Brunswick NJ or Schaumburg IL. This is not fashionable frequent flyer miles. Especially this last weekend after a sobering flight on #Spirit Air where my seat was no more than a folding lawn chair and my table tray would not hold a lunch pail.

 

However, many of the airports I pass through are elevating the experience of travel. Our own MSP International just took top honors in its size for the 3rd year. Many of us are old enough to remember the classic TWA Terminal that was so "mod" during the 1960's era in New York City. I'm not sure I was even aware that it still existed as it was replaced by the current JFK Terminal which brings the masses to the Big Apple. I just recall the stylish posh of it all built by renowned architect Eero Saarinen in 1962. At the time it was named Idlewild Airport until it became synonymous as the hub for TWA airlines. It got its last shout out during the filing of Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can and ceased operating in 2001 slated to be torn down.

But here it is in 2019 ready to be rechristened as a luxury hotel. Of course the lobby pipes in classic pop from the 60's which range from Frank Sinatra to Dusty Springfield & Petula Clark. Snacks are sprinkled throughout the lobby on airline service carts. And mini fridges are stocked with both champagne and Tab! It even continues to use revamped rotary telephones.

But the stunning curves and openness of the original design remain its magnificence. The lobby retains the signature Chili Pepper Red hue of Saarinen's choice. Elegant staircases and wide double-paned windows keep the roar at bay but the view expansive. There are the requisite work out rooms, saunas and yoga studios. But also a 10,000 foot rooftop deck with pool. A museum with vintage uniforms designed by Valentino & Ralph Lauren. There are 8 bars, 6 restaurants and even the original Ambassadors Club where you can dine on French cuisine, Italian pasta or plain American BBQ. All this can be yours come this May for a mere $249+ a night.

This would be traveling in the lap of luxury. Not the meek travel that I pursue.

 

The Kitsch of Klimt

This feature has been in draft mode for well over a year. Since I have been spending my winter hibernation in the upstairs den with an endless paint-by-number kit, it surfaced again. My eyes are going bonkers from the tiny impressionist blotches. Even harder is trying to define the minuscule distinction between white, eggshell and vanilla tones on the cobblestone street that makes up a large portion of the painting.

Color has always been my entry point into the world of art. Gustav Klimt would have to be at the forefront of chroma. We were enamored enough of an Ikea print, that we have him prominently on display as the centerpiece of our dining room. The rich golds, oranges and maroons are stunning. 

Art seems to re inspire us in waves. Klimt has been back in fashion over the last few years. There was first the Helen Mirren film, a factual telling of his Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer which was titled Woman in Gold. There is the interactive showing in Paris Atelier des Lumieres that is over-the-top and continues to repeat of my Facebook feeds. I cannot even fathom submersing myself in it.
Atelier des Lumieres - Klimt 

But my original curiosity was this article in ArtNet News dating back to 2015. It is masterful photography work by Inge Prader that daringly takes his famous pieces and brings them to life with models. He is Austrian and the sittings were done for a fund raising benefit. The images are complex, intricate and provoking to say the least. Klimt was part of a Viennese Secessionist movement which was founded to encourage art to think ourside the box. "To every age its art. To every art its freedom." Each artist was exploring in their own uniqueness. This was also coming into the period of Freud and free thinking.

Almost 200 years later, the images (both the paintings and these photos) are sublime. Enjoy theses posted portraits and look at the full collection posted in the link.




 

Inge Prader - Klimt Portraits