|
Saturday, December 20, 2003: Deco show
Today actually went according to plan; we went to the Art Deco show at the ROM, and then came home and baked. The show at the ROM was very good. It was a travelling exhibit from the V&A in London, and although I went to the V&A in 1998 I don't remember a single item, which says something about how my aesthetic tastes have changed since then. The exhibit had lots of pieces, and it was well-presented; they demonstrated how Deco was inspired by various cultures and styles, and of course had lots of actual Deco pieces, textiles, housewares, furniture, clothing. Even after all that, though, I'm not sure what Art Deco is. Art Nouveau is easy to pin down, with the flowy lines and the natural influences. Art Moderne is easy too, with the speed lines and rounded edges, although it is apparently a subset of Deco. But I couldn't really get my head around the characteristics of Deco. I guess it's like pornography; you know it when you see it. In addition to the Deco show, we saw a Beatrix Potter exhibit, also from the V&A, and the bat cave, and a felt exhibit. We bought memberships to the ROM, and I'm pretty happy that we did because the exhibits are well-presented. They're also planning a very exciting renovation which should bring in the tourists and perhaps convince people that Toronto is pretty cool. If the gay marriages and the pot didn't do it. Once home we looked, unsuccessfully, for the menorah. This year we have candles, but no menorah, which is the opposite of usual. Then I got to baking; first we made a pan of gingerbread -- Blake measured it out and I mixed it up. It came out as tasty as I remember it, but not quite as moist. You're supposed to let it sit for a couple of day before you eat it, so I'm curious to see how it ages. I also made a dozen mince tarts; I only used one bottle of the mincemeat my mother sent. Tomorrow I will be lazy and make one of those pies which is just pastry folded over the filling. That was pretty much for the day. We tossed together pasta and beans for supper, because I was monopolizing the stove, and now we're watching trashy TV. |