Monday, November 13, 2006

Frederick Polley in New Orleans No. 1

Click to enlarge

Frederick Polley loved New Orleans and made a number of excellent drawings while visiting there. He seemed to appreciate the intrinsic uniqueness of the city, how it was unlike any other that he had seen in his considerable travels. This, and several pictures to follow, were published in the Indianapolis Star back in the 1940's. Customarily, for all of his published newspaper work, he also wrote a by-line describing the location, maybe its history, sometimes the occasion of his visit, etc.


Listening: Spem in Alium by Thomas Tallis (b. circa1505-d.11/23/1585) This is a hauntingly beautiful piece, unique in its use of 40 voices, divided into 8 5-voice choirs, each singing a unique part. This very popular work is presumed to have debuted at Queen Elizabeth's 40th birthday and it has had an interesting performance history, including a special BBC performance this year.

2 comments:

Nestor Family said...

You have me interested in this man's work... may have to take a trip up to Ames to check out what they have on display at ISU.

Also checked out A Word A Day from the link on your blog. Enjoyed it a lot. Thanks!

Barry Pike said...

Wow, that would be cool, Heidi. If I'm ever out in Iowa, I would definitely try to do that, too.

Technically, he is my great, great uncle, but he died a long time before I was born. I really like his artwork. And, though he is well-known in certain circles, he is not hugely famous so we've been able, occassionally, to afford to buy some of his etchings and prints on eBay. My Mom and my Grandma each have one of his oil paintings, but most of his work was drawings, etchings, etc.