A Taste for Modernism

On Sunday, MM and I had a chance to visit the William S. Paley Collection A Taste for Modernism in the de Young Museum. Paley, the founder of CBS, bequeathed his collection of masterpieces of Picasso, Matisse, Cezanne to MOMA in NYC. As his company grew into one of the world’s largest broadcast companies, he endeavored in philanthropic work, becoming MOMA’s president. He collected works that were intimate in scale and character and had the art adorn his apartment, providing a personal and immediate experience of these works.

The small and digestible exhibition did not have the chronological organization as the previous Impressionist exhibits. Rather it had the feel of a stamp collection mirroring the modern taste of the collector. A few of the works were simply striking and moving and arresting.

 Note Latrec’s deft draftsmanship and use of color and honesty.

Henri Matisse Odalisque with a Tambourine
 I love Matisse’s Odalisque: it shows movement, composition and balance of color.

Henri Matisse The Musketeer

 It is fascinating how Matisse uses the bright orange, green and red to focus on what would be unimportant parts of the Musketeer and uses muted notes for the face and gesture of the figure.

Pablo Picasso La Coiffure

Pablo Picasso Circus Rider

 Picasso’s superb draftsmanship is on display in these small drawings.

Pierre Bonnard Reclining Nude

Édouard Vuillard The Green Lamp

 I discovered Bonnard and Vuillard in a previous exbibition. Their small, intimate painting are jewels. Here you see Bonnard and Vuilllard’s work is both and representational and abstract at the same time.

Georges Braque Still Life on a Mantelpiece

Georges Rouault Biblical Landscape with Two Trees

Georges Rouault Little Peasant Girl

Georges Rouault The Clown

Rouault has been a favorite of mine for his black lines that contain bright color and his sympathetic characters and religious imagery. 

Come celebrate

© Hector Lee, 2012

© Kara Gonzales, 2012

Nothing is more practical than
finding God, than
falling in Love
in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination, will affect everything.
It will decide
what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, whom you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in Love, stay in love,
and it will decide everything.

--Pedro Arrupe S.J.

Happy 25th anniversary, Robert & Paloma.

© Paloma Similla, 2012

Believe

© Hector Lee, 2012

Happy Bday George. Love you.

Christ the King

You say I am a king.

For this I was born and for his I came into the world:

To testify to the truth.

Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.

--John 18:37

We encounter truths in our lives. Some “truths” are given to us. But some truths are born out of experience and life—no less real than the laws of physics. Below I provide some truths that I’ve come to in my life or truths I try to live out:

• The purpose of life is to love and be loved.
• I can only change myself. As I recognize the circumstances necessary for my change, I can have compassion and only invite others to their own change.
• Change can be both scary and life-affirming.
• I must accept people as they are and as they can be.
• Failure to address a problem is sometimes not a lack of knowledge and will but of imagination.
• When I am angry, I must find the cause within rather than the cause without.
• Man (and woman) are not meant to be alone. Gen 2:18
• To have strength for my job, I must remember to nourish myself, identify and do the things that I enjoy about my job, and remind myself of my core values as to why chose this job.
• To do nothing is a value.
• Be creative. Recreate.
• The best cure for loneliness is solitude.
• I have to have a God otherwise I will create one.

© Hector Lee, 2012

The mystery of vocations

Vocation is partially about the job, but more about the way a person’s choice of work allows something deeper to develop in his or her heart. For many “the call” comes at the expense of other aspirations. It is a trade-off. We let go of certain impulses and choose to follow other desires, in what is often circuitous route, that we hope will lead toward a deeper awareness of how we might better love and serve humanity.

--Fr. Paul Lickteig, S.J

Read more:
http://thejesuitpost.org/site/2012/09/how-vocations-happen-it-could-happen-to-you/

just for you

© Hector Lee, 2012

Happy Bday Armando. Love you.

WWW: what went well?

 During Sunday’s homily, Fr. Buckley mentioned that as part of helping those in the St. Vincent de Paul Wellness Center to flourish, he has the participants ask themselves: What went well? And have them list 3 things that went well. Doing this repeatedly has an impact on the person’s whole outlook and disposition.

It appears that it comes from Ignatian examen of consciousness, of 1. What went well? 2 what didn’t go well? 3. What can I do better next time? It affirms the goodness we are and we do, acknowledges the truth about our failings, and is rooted in the hope that we can change. 

extraordinary

© Hector Lee, 2012

My wonderful world of shoes

© Hector Lee, 2012

Happy birthday Anna. Wonderful to have you as my sister. love you.