The Golden Era

So much focus is placed on Germany's dark history, but what is often ignored are the astonishing cultural and intellectual feats that were made just years before Hitler's rise to power. This time period, called the Weimar Republic, lasted from the end of World War I to around 1933 when Hitler gained power. Weimar culture was vibrant, daring, and unnervingly modern. Artists who were scarred by what they had seen during the Great War, used their medium as a way of dealing with their pain, and in doing so they unleashed a type of realism that is rarely seen even to this day. My favorite works emerged during this short but productive time, and artists like Otto Dix and Christian Schad (works pictured above) were part of the Neue Sachlichkeit movement, whose work was gritty, dark, and purposefully ugly. Thankfully I don't have to travel all the way to Germany or Austria to see these pieces in person, as my favorite New York City museum, the Neue Galerie, exclusively caters to my obsession. From now through August 30th, the Galerie is exhibiting a collection of Otto Dix's work, the first such collection ever held in North America. Now put down your bratwurst, and get yourself over to the Neue for a taste of some real German culture.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow? No Way!

Maybe it's just the mentality of a perpetual renter, but every time I enter a space, especially in New York City, I always think about it's history. What was this before it became what it is today? What words were spoken here 20 years ago? 40? 50? Did some tragic or joyful event transpire in the very place I stand? I'm happy that I'm not the only one that thinks this way, as evidenced by an article today in the New York Times. The photography above is of 316 E 59th Street in Manhattan. The first two pictures were taken in the 1930s, and the last picture was taken this year. But these aren't just personal pieces of memorabilia: between 1938 and 1943, 700,000 black-and-white images, known as tax photos, were taken to make property assessments in addition to creating a jobs program for the federal Works Progress Administration. Once again in the 1980s, a second set of 800,000 photos was taken, also for tax purposes. These images document the changes that transpire in a city, but also highlight the constants that stand the test of time. The architecture that peppers NYC is more important than we think, and it takes a second glance to really appreciate the fact that an old building can shelter both old and new souls alike.