Category Archives: Art, Architecture & Design

Ideal Pelléas

Posted on June 15, 2014 by barczablog

It may be redundant to speak of an ideal Pelléas et Mélisande. The work is symbolist, which means it’s by definition a kind of ideal work. And notice I did not say “An” or “The” ideal Pelléas. It was “Ideal … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Nils Dardel and the Modern Age

Posted on June 11, 2014 by barczablog

One of the journeys of my life has been to reconcile myself to fame.  Not everyone gets famous, and often it’s the wrong people.  For this Canadian it is very clear at least how it doesn’t work. It is not … Continue reading →

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A conversation

Posted on June 7, 2014 by barczablog

One of the glories of travel is the encounter with the other. It’s fun to get to another country and talk to countrymen who just happen to be abroad. But that reminds me of the Accidental Tourist. Remember the film? … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Food, Health and Nutrition, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics | 1 Comment

Toonseum

Posted on May 16, 2014 by barczablog

What was it that he said again? Joe Wos could have been talking about the way we make them, or the way we perceive them. I think he said that cartoons both exaggerate and simplify. The funny thing is that … Continue reading →

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Back for More Moore, Bacon (and Brandt)

Posted on April 29, 2014 by barczablog

Today I revisited the AGO show “Francis Bacon Henry Moore Terror and Beauty” (or FBHM for short) that I wrote about at the beginning of April.  I’m on holiday today even if it’s a rainy spring day.  I saw the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Leave a comment

AJ Gray this is your life

Posted on April 9, 2014 by barczablog

I came to the restaurant for AJ Gray’s art displayed on the second floor. I’d known this place in its earlier incarnations, and now it has become “Harvest Kitchen”, on Harbord Street in that competitive stretch west of Spadina Ave … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Food, Health and Nutrition | Tagged | 8 Comments

Bacon and Moore: Terror and Beauty

Posted on April 2, 2014 by barczablog

The show is called “Francis Bacon and Henry Moore” with the subtitle “Terror and Beauty”, opening at the AGO on April 5th and running until July 20th. Moore? As a Torontonian I have a relationship with Henry Moore, the sculptor … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Pesky Porter raccoons

Posted on March 23, 2014 by barczablog

I had a conflict of interest, I’ll state it right off the bat.  I love flying to New York on Porter airlines.  As a resident of Scarborough it doesn’t make that much difference going to Billy Bishop Airport on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Art, Architecture & Design, Personal ruminations & essays, Politics | Leave a comment

Patrick DeCoste: Dreaming of Bear and Crow

Posted on March 6, 2014 by barczablog

There is a particularly Canadian sensibility that I crave, an attitude that feels all too scarce these days.  I crave a real sense of history, the kind of thing I grew up watching on the CBC & the NFB.  At … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Art, Architecture & Design, Reviews, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

City-building

Posted on January 12, 2014 by barczablog

I suppose the headline suggests something big, when all I really want to talk about is dinner in a small town. I was in Barrie today for a play at the Mady Centre, a charming new theatre right in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Food, Health and Nutrition | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments