“The Gate Crashers”

“The Four Justices” (2012) by Nelson Shanks hangs at the National Portrait Gallery (photo from July 2023). From back left to front right are Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. O’Connor was the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court after being nominated by Ronald Reagan in 1981. Ginsburg was nominated by Bill Clinton in 1993 while Sotomayor and Kagan were brought forward by Barack Obama in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Amy Coney Barrett would join the Court in 2020 under the eye of Donald Trump. At the time of this portrait, she was still practicing law in Stepford, Connecticut. Ketanji Brown Jackson was a Joe Biden era appointee. And her presence bucks the pervasive sense, among my tribe anyway, that all human progress halted and went full reverse during the Trump administration, the political equivalent of end-stage neurosyphilis (the grift that keeps on grifting).

“Gettysburg: A Tale of Two Ridges”

The view looking east from the Confederate side on Seminary Ridge (photo from Nov 2023).
The direction of the Confederate attack on the third and final day of fighting (July 3, 1863), commonly referred to as Pickett’s Charge, though sometimes called the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge for the commanders of the three divisions in action. They were all under the overall command of Gen. James Longstreet. Gen. George Pickett’s fresh division, mostly Virginians, led the way and thus his name is most often associated with the failed assault.
The North Carolina Monument on Seminary Ridge. The divisions led by Pettigrew and Trimble had troops from North Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. Imagine those cars in the background are horses.
Looking west from the Union line on Cemetery Ridge. Lee chose to attack the center, hoping that simultaneous cavalry action in the Union rear and a coordinated attack on the Union right at Culp’s Hill would cause the enemy’s line to collapse. NOT!!
The Union center was breached and there were two transient gaps in the line. The larger gap was filled by a counterattack from the 72nd Pennsylvania (a Zouave regiment whose monument is shown above) who forced the Confederates into retreat in a melee of close-quarter fighting that included bare fists and bayonets. The entire assault lasted less than an hour.
The story goes that the Union soldiers waiting behind the wall were shouting, “Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!” in memory of their own disastrous advance on the Confederate line at the Battle of Fredericksburg (Dec 1862). I’m imagining one wise-ass shouting, “Don’t fire ’til you see the yellow of their teeth!” And honestly, post-pandemic, I couldn’t run that far being chased by a bear.
Any tour of a great Civil War battlefield inevitably ends in the gift shop. I’m sporting a Hot-Ass Abe pin that I now cherish. Oh, and I also bought a shot glass.

“Devils in the Details”

“Both Members of This Club” (1909) by George Bellows at National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Oddly enough, my grandmother, herself a docent at the National Portrait Gallery, much enjoyed the gritty works of George Bellows. Reserved and genteel by nature, she didn’t shy from controversial or grotesque art. Maybe it was the novel combination of a crudely impressionistic technique and harshly realistic urban scenes. Palpably raw but also smart. Frozen yet in action. Shocking and somehow beautiful. Apparently Bellows would frequent Sharkey’s Athletic Club, which was a saloon with a boxing ring at the back. Public fights were illegal in NYC at the time but clubs like this were a loophole. In this work, a brutal contest is given motion by his dynamic composition, with most of the attention focused on the blood-smeared combatants. And one cannot miss the racial overtones. It was the following year (July 4, 1910) that Jack Johnson famously defeated Jim Jeffries in the 15th round of the “Battle of the Century” in Reno, Nevada. It was a heavyweight championship bout that was fully promoted as an epic showdown between the two races. Johnson’s victory dashed dreams of a “great white hope” and triggered race riots in 50 cities that left at least 20 dead. There’s a lot going on in this painting and Mimi knew it!

After seeing the piece several times, I finally homed in on what was surely another theme of Bellows’ work. The crowd. A mob’s mentality. He conveys the frenzied spectators in various states of excitement from the morose to the ecstatic. We see ghoulish mask-like facies, cigar-smoking fat cats, crazed red-mugged punters, mouths in open scream (see Francis Bacon), and others in cadaveric repose. A real rogues’ gallery. A bettor’s noir, this abattoir. Great fun had by all! And this dodgy crowd scene somehow reminded me of the opening line of Al Stewart‘s song “Year of the Cat” (since all roads here lead to the 70’s):

“On a morning from a Bogart movie
In a country where they turn back time
You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre
Contemplating a crime“

All this to say, don’t forget to search the background/corners of paintings for rich but hidden details. Sometimes it’s where the real action lives.

But what was his meaning? What’s this say about us? That maybe we’re enjoying the carnage too much (looks like a damn Trump rally)…

Each man has his story. Each has his own reasons. But when will the fresh blood go out of season?

Detail images taken at National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC from July 2022. The nightmares ended in early September of that year.

They say, “Don’t hate the player, just hate the game.” Game says it’s people who pay that should bear the blame.

“Huh, Baltimore…??”

A building of, as yet, unclear identity in north Baltimore (Aug 2023). Dance hall? Soccer club?

The window features are certainly evocative of some sort of flag. And it turns out that many African flags use the trio of red, yellow and green. According to the pocket guide Complete Flags of the World (DK Publishing), “Pan-Africanism is the concept that African countries should embrace their mutual bond as Africans. Red, yellow, green and black are colors commonly used to represent Pan-Africanism.” The colors carry with them certain cultural meanings, as follows:

RED: the blood uniting all people of black African ancestry

YELLOW: a reference to the sun; the presence of precious resources, particularly gold

GREEN: the abundant flora and natural wealth of Africa

BLACK: a symbol of the African race

Many West African flags employ this color grouping, including Mali, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo* (with a white star), Benin, Cameroon, Sao Tome and Principe, Congo, Zimbabwe* (white surrounds the Zimbabwe bird), Ethiopia* (blue star overlies), and Mozambique* (with white lines). But the one that most closely resembles our specimen is the flag of Congo with its diagonal fields of green, yellow and red (red/green inversion noted). That country is not to be confused with its eastern neighbor Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire, where George Foreman fought Muhammad Ali in 1974’s “Rumble in the Jungle” (Ali won in an 8th round knockout after debuting his rope-a-dope tactic). It should be noted that the majority of African flags do not employ that color scheme while some non-African countries do, such as Lithuania, Bolivia, and Myanmar* (with a white star). And if I solve the mystery of this curious building, you will be the first to know!

The flag of Congo holds some resemblance to our mystery building’s motif. Maybe the lightning bolt represents the chanting of “Ali, boma ye!” (“Ali, kill him!”) heard in neighboring Zaire back in ’74.

ADDENDUM:

The case has been SOLVED!! It took the brilliant detective work of my old friend JS who did a reverse Google search on the image (I had done a failed search on BING, not knowing Google had that feature, but of course they do!). The place, it turns out, is an inking parlour called Waverly Tattoo. Perhaps they will adorn your skin with your favorite world flag. Or you might go trendy with the banner of Wrexham AFC. Maybe you’ll collect all 54 of the official African countries (per the United Nations), if your back is big enough. Still not sure about the color scheme and painted windows. A phone call inquiry is in order. Watch this space…

“What’s in Your Dopp Kit?”

Interviewer: “Tell us what you like about Jack Black Turbo Wash.”

Me: “It has a nice consistency and washes off easily without leaving a film. It works well both as a body wash and shampoo — though I’d advise a conditioner. And it smells really good.”

Interviewer: “Okay. What about Kevin Murphy Free Hold Styling Creme?”

Me: “It applies evenly without a heavy build-up. Plus it smells really good.”

Interviewer: “Excellent, thank you. Now what’s the story with Van Der Hagen Shave Butter?”

Me: “It has a smooth texture and is easy to spread without the wasteful excess of heavy shave creams or the drips and droplets of a thinner brand. Oh, and it also smells really good.”

Interviewer: “And, finally, how about the L’Occitane L’Occitan After-Shave Balm?”

Me: “It has a cool, soothing feel that isn’t greasy, and it smells really, really good.”

Interviewer: “And there you have it. Thank you for your time and your insight.”

Me: “My pleasure. Thank you. By the way, what are you wearing?”

Interviewer: “I visited my grandfather before coming here and splashed on some of his old HAI KARATE, just for kicks. You like it?”

Me: “It’s not good. It’s absolutely fantastic! How much would he want for it?!”