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Thursday, October 18, 2018

#MiesVanDerRohe’s Villa #Tugendhat in the #Czech city of #Brno remains an Ultramodern Classic

Tour an Ultramodern 1930 Villa by Mies van der Rohe | The Study
Lounge of Mies van der Rohe's Villa TugendhatDining room of Mies van der Rohe's Villa TugendhatAt Villa Tugendhat in the Czech city of Brno, Mies van der Rohe created some of his most iconic furniture pieces. 

Along with its then-unprecedented construction system, the materials used-Macassar Ebony, Palisander-are rare and exotic. 

The technical facilities-with heating, cooling and retractable windows-remain exceptional even for a contemporary house.

Tour an Ultramodern 1930 Villa by Mies van der Rohe

While designing Villa Tugendhat, the visionary architect also created some of his most iconic furniture pieces.

by Joann Plockova | Photos by David Zidlicky
The rear exterior of Mies van der Rohe's Villa Tugendhat in Brno
Mies van der Rohe designed Villa Tugendhat (shown here from the back) in the Czech city of Brno for Grete and Fritz Tugendhat. All photos © David Zidlicky
On New Year's Eve 1928, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe presented the completed plans for a villa he was commissioned to design for a newly married couple in the Czech city of Brno. Grete and Fritz Tugendhat, both locals from affluent German-speaking Jewish families, were intrigued by a series of crosses they saw on the architect's floor plan.
"For the first time in the history of architecture, a steel supporting structure in the form of cross-shaped columns was used in a private residence," says architect Iveta Cerna, "which Mies van der Rohe used to create a unique spatial concept of the interior."
Today, Cerna is the director of Villa Tugendhat: the couple's commissioned home and now one of the Czech Republic's 12 UNESCO heritage sites. "There are many reasons why the house remains relevant even 87 years after its construction," Cerna says.
Along with its then-unprecedented construction system, "the materials used are rare and exotic. Also worth mentioning are the technical facilities, which remain exceptional even for a contemporary house. Last but not least, the story of Villa Tugendhat and its destiny throughout history is also why many people want to see this unique piece of architecture."
Unassuming, yet striking from its street-facing side, the three-level villa sits on a sloped plot that was part of Grete's parents' Low-Beer Villa property. Following Grete's marriage to Fritz, her father gifted the upper-level portion of the land to his daughter and financed the home's construction. Grete had come to appreciate Mies van der Rohe's work while living in Germany, during her first marriage. The architect gladly accepted the commission, appreciating the site's exclusive position and expansive views of the city.
The front of Villa Tugendhat
The house's front facade
Sadly, the couple's time inhabiting the home with their three children was short lived. In 1938, just eight years after they took up residence, they were forced to emigrate. Seized by the Gestapo in 1939, the home then became property of the German Reich in 1942.
It suffered structural changes and then massive damage in 1945, when it was occupied by a cavalry unit of the Red Army, who used the main living area as a horse stable. The main living area's massive glazed windows were also broken as a result of pressure waves from air raids. The freestanding furniture was removed and the curved Macassar ebony partition went amiss.
Villa Tugendhat underwent its first significant reconstruction effort in 1980, but it wasn't until a meticulous renovation project between 2010 and 2012 that the home was sensitively restored to its original state. Today, visitors travel from all corners of the globe to see Mies's masterpiece, which includes a flowing spatial plan, impeccable attention to detail and an emphasis on indoor-outdoor living. Before you have the chance to see Villa Tugendhat for yourself (which needs to be booked months in advance), here's a tour of some of the highlights.

Entryway

Entryway of Mies van der Rohe's Villa Tugendhat
The entrance hall is paved in Italian travertine floors and features a rounded milk-glazed wall that bathe the space in natural light.

Main Living Area

Main living area of Mies van der Rohe's Villa Tugendhat
It's truly a "wow" moment to descend the spiral staircase from the entry hall. Villa Tugenhdat's 2,550-square-foot main living area is the center of the home and where Mies's flowing arrangement is fully realized. Divisions of space are loosely created by the curved Macassar partition and the veined onyx wall. The latter, mined in Morocco, was preserved thanks to an architect who occupied the house in the 1940s and had the foresight to cover it in brick.
The thoughtful placement of the freestanding furniture — the majority of it tubular or strip steel and designed by Mies in collaboration with Lilly Reich, his partner between 1925 and 1938 — also contributes to the flow. The striking wall of windows defines the home's connection between interior and exterior, and the famed chrome-clad steel columns go beyond function to add another element of interest to the stunning space.

Lounge

Lounge of Mies van der Rohe's Villa Tugendhat
In front of the onyx wall, two Barcelona chairs and a Barcelona stool are upholstered in green (a departure from the typical black and white) to mimic the exterior surroundings. A trio of silver-gray Tugendhat chairs — one of the chairs designed specifically for the home — sit just across from them. Also part of the Barcelona series, which Mies created to furnish his German Pavilion for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, the red chaise longue adds a pop of color. The seven floor-to-ceiling windowpanes are the exact copies of the 1930s originals, including the two fully retractable windows, further blurring the distinction between indoors and outdoors.

Dining Room

Dining room of Mies van der Rohe's Villa Tugendhat
The rounded Macassar partition is the star among the home's use of exotic woods. Its panels, which disappeared from the main living room in 1940, were later discovered in the cafeteria of the Faculty of Law at Brno's Masaryk University. where the Gestapo had its base during the war. After more than 70 years, these elements were returned to their original place. The partition follows the shape of the Mies-designed polished pearwood dining table and its set of 15 white leather Brno chairs, which were designed specifically for the house.

Study and Library

Study and library of Mies van der Rohe's Villa Tugendhat
Behind the onyx wall and next to the adjoining winter garden, the study and library includes a Tugendhat chair in peach leather and two woven MR20, or Stuttgart, chairs at Fritz's desk. The MR20, also in the entry hall and in the nanny's room, was created for Mies's contribution to the Weissenhof housing estate in Stuttgart. The built-in bookcase, featuring the original panels (its shelves, with the exception of one preserved original, were made in the exact replica) is veneered in the same Macassar ebony as the dining room's partition.

Grete's Room

Grete's bedroom at Mies van der Rohe's Villa Tugendhat
Strong materials, a few key pieces and an indoor-outdoor connection are the defining details of Mies's starkly simple bedroom design. "Less is more," he famously said. Next to Grete's daybed is a Brno chair and Barcelona stool, both upholstered in red leather. Original built-in wardrobes are veneered in palisander, as they are in Fritz's bedroom just past the couple's adjoining bathroom.

Hanna's Room

Hanna's bedroom at Mies van der Rohe's Villa Tugendhat
The children's rooms, including Hanna's (Grete's daughter from her first marriage), feature zebrawood veneered built-ins and the same austere design as their parents' bedrooms.

Bathrooms and Kitchen

Bathroom at Mies van der Rohe's Villa Tugendhat
Designed to be purely functional, the starkness of these spaces comes as a bit of shock compared to the second-floor main living area.

Machine Room

Machine room at Mies van der Rohe's Villa Tugendhat
Even the technology was ahead of its time at Villa Tugendhat. "In the 1930s, the villa was already equipped with hot-air heating and cooling, and electric retractable windows," Cerna says. Along with the machine room, which served to open and close two windows in the main living room, the lower-level utility rooms included a storage space for Grete's fur coats and a dark room for Fritz's photography passion.

Garden and Terrace

Garden terrace at Mies van der Rohe's Villa Tugendhat
Where the front side of the house was designed for privacy, the southwest-facing side opens up to the view. A set of travertine stairs lead down to the garden, which was designed as an open grassy meadow and features a large weeping willow tree. The view from the terrace looks out to Brno's Spilberk Castle, important cathedrals and churches and even the site of Adolf Loos's birthplace. Greenery grows up the side of the home, fully immersing Villa Tugendhat in its surroundings.

Monday, September 3, 2018

Beppe #Rinaldi has died. Here is his "testament" on #Barolo #Piemonte #wine - Cucina Corriere.it




Translation by google 

Beppe Rinaldi died. Here is his "testament" on Barolo


News
It was the free, critical and caustic soul of Barolo. The last anarchist in the cellar, in a land with more and more investors and less and less pure and artisanal winemakers. Beppe Rinaldi, for all "Citrico", died at the age of 70, on Sunday 2 September. The news was given by the Intravino and Cronache di gusto websites.

He was sick for a long time. Leave behind excellent wines and many thoughts. On the Langhe, on the Barolo, above all. In reality every time he discussed the way he understood his work, and how he saw it changing around him, he spoke more generally of mankind, of strength and weakness, power and submission, honesty and cunning. His public tastings were shows of civil oratory in which the wine seemed at most a co-star, never a center of exclusive interest. His utterances left their mark. The last one had entrusted it to the "Corriere della Sera", last January. So powerful that, eight months later, he continues to discuss: on the day of his death, a wine site, Winesurf, proposes on reflection starting from Rinaldi's letter. Which we reproduce below, as his last written document. Almost a will.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Incredible #Miami Artist @JMargulis

Meet J. Margulis of J.Margulis Visual Artist - Voyage MIA Magazine | Miami City Guide

Incredible art from Miami artist, the Venezuelan @JMargulis in @VoyageMIAmag 

Meet J. Margulis of J.Margulis Visual Artist



Today we'd like to introduce you to J. Margulis.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don't you give us some details about you and your story.
I began my career as an artist through photography while studying Management in my native Venezuela. I was working at the time in a family-run business exploring digital printing and later in life, I decided to apply my professional skills to art making, as I progressively became interested in sculpture. Today, my artwork is the result of an intrinsic connection between two and three -dimensional planes, working with sculpture in parallel with photography.
I began producing acrylic 3D sculptures and compositions made from different types of colorful plastic sheets, affixing them onto surfaces, other times as free-standing structures or traditional fixtures on a wall. As a direct consequence of these productions, I began photographing my pieces as a way of documenting them, thereby generating a significant volume of autonomous photographic work which created an intimate connection between the photograph and its related piece, developing a visual yet independent dialogue through language, photography, and sculpture.
At the same time I was supporting myself through custom work I did in my acrylic shop, furniture, displays and any job I could make using my skills and equipment. One day a friend of mine from childhood was in town, he used to be the director of an Art Museum in California and even though I had a long time without talking to him I send him a message and ask him to come over and take a look at my work. I was not even showing my work at that time, I just had this small collection of pieces created by me which I felt where good enough for me to dream of having an Artist career. (something I dream about all my life and honestly felt it was not going to happen in this lifetime of mine).
I needed an opinion from someone I respect and trust given the subjective nature of art critique. I already had a family with two children at that time and could not afford to play the artist, I had a big responsibility but the urge to create, the ability to express myself with a clear voice was so overwhelming that I only need one encouraging word that would unlock my vision to give me license to dream of truly becoming a professional artist. And so it happens that one afternoon my friend swing by and took one look at my small collection of pieces and he could not believe these were the first pieces I ever made…
He took me under his wing and prepare my first show which obviously took many people by surprise, a lot of people did not believe in me and look at me as if I was a bit crazy but the show was a great success and so my artist career began and I never look back. On the contrary, I just spring forward working like a madman, evolving, growing and developing this new sense of myself. It's been several years from that time and I still have this feeling of gratitude, this sense of purpose and obligation to become the very best version of myself. Very few people get to do what the love the most in life, the possibility of realization is not a given and when you are lucky enough to find it specially when you thought it was too late for it then you know you must honor it every day for the rest of your life.
Has it been a smooth road?
As a struggling artist many times you must take another paying job we all have hear this before but the truth is that not being able to work on your Art is one of the most miserable feeling you can have, it just feels like a great waste of time. When you are an artist you know that transcendence, redemption and the ability to deeply communicate with other human beings only can be realize through art.
To sell an art piece more than the money you get to spend is a promise that you can keep making art and maybe if you sell enough you will be able to do it all day and everyday of your life…. that is a dream worth taking risks, exposing yourself and revealing without fear your most intimate essence.
It's a road full of uncertainty and many discouraging moments, disappointments and self doubt. But when you know this is your mission in life, when you know there is anything else that can take you to developing your full potential then you become a survivor and find the way to push forward and have faith in yourself.
So let's switch gears a bit and go into the J.Margulis Visual artist story. Tell us more about the business.
I believe that courage, empathy, and kindness are all ingredients in a powerful and elusive formula, which arms us with a clean and ever-sharpening lens that catches fleeting glimpses of our true nature. Small fractions of divine understanding that reverberate in our essence with the power to shape our deepest beliefs and completely change our perspectives, and so, the way we act in the unfolding of our own existence.
My work is about the physical representation of this belief. I digitally design 3-D objects and compositions, and cut them in slices from different types of plastic sheet materials. These slices are then fixed to a rigid canvas, a pedestal or held together in space. Most of my work is done using acrylic sheets with different levels of translucency in a range of colors, graphic patterns, textures and photographic images directly printed on the sheets' surfaces. The bright and fully saturated color palettes to which I instinctively gravitate to, is heavily influenced by the traditional Mexican arts and crafts which made a great impact on me during the time that I lived there.
I treat my three-dimensional pieces as light traps or secret blueprints, in which by controlling the placement of its components, I'm able to create intriguing 3-D containers. Their designs are then fully revealed by applying or "pouring" light into them. In a sense, light becomes the ink that reveals the design by following a 3-D template. The light source may vary from natural to one or more fixtures, placed on precise locations in relationship to the subject, with specific power, color temperature, angle and proximity.
These exposed patterns and designs are not absolutes or unique because as the viewer changes his point of view, the work expresses a different narrative that is completely new in its own essence. It intrigues and fascinates me how the object mutates in front of me, with no other resource but a simple change of perspective. Going back and forth naturally, I try to synthesize and integrate different perceptions that coexist as different facets of an object.
Every time, I find myself trying to lock that seemingly unreal angle in which we are able to contemplate the amazing connections among complex layers of facts, prejudices, and beliefs; that "sometimes surreal" frame in which we discover how easily we could be absolutely wrong and misjudge everything that surrounds us, while tragicomically posing ourselves as proud holders of truth and owners of higher grounds.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think that the future is already here. Social media and online gallery platforms has created this scenario where there is a personal and direct relationship between the artist and the audience.
Right now anyone can truly get to know an artist by following his or her development on a continuous basis through social media images and the artist expressed ideas and thoughts. There is this virtual conversation in which art gets infused into people's daily life. You can talk to the artist, you can tell them what you like, what you don't like, celebrate the success or critique the shortcomings there is this amazing relationship potential not only with the art but with the artist itself.
Contact Info:

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