Pass the Eye

Five O'Clock and Frantisek Kupka

I finished work a little early today and have a little time to kill before my dinner date shows up. So, I started doing some research for an upcoming post on my favorite paintings.

I didn't get very far down the road when I (re)discovered Frantisek Kupka.

He was an artist I first came across on a trip to Budapest, where I saw a couple of his (later) paintings in a museum. I jotted his name in my travel notebook and looked him up once I got back to the states. 

At the time, I was pretty amazed to learn that he'd done a few paintings that I'd seen before, including -- my favorite -- The Black Idol (pictured left).

If the painting looks somewhat familiar, that's because it seemingly served as the inspiration for Dracula's castle (pictured below) in Francis Ford Coppola's version of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Think that's a stretch? Watch the movie again. It's littered with artistic references, from Dracula's Gustav-Klimt inspired traveling gown to the font that the movie's name is written in (also seemingly inspired by Klimt). In fact, it's one of the things I loved most about that movie. It was one big love letter to Symbolist art.

At any rate, if you haven't checked out Kupka, he's worth a look.

It also doesn't hurt that he was completely hot.

Today's Covet: Almodovar Espresso Cup for Illy

Two of my biggest obsessions (coffee and Spanish director Pedro Almodovar) come together with this Warhol-esque espresso cup designed by Almodovar for espresso maker Illy.

Entitled Los Abrazos Rotos (broken embraces), it's the first in a series that will be released this fall.

Illy isn't my favorite espresso brand (not even close, actually); however, I give them full props for their masterful marketing strategy that's featured creative (and marketing) geniuses like Jeff Koons and now Almodovar.

The cup is $60 (!) and available here.

Five Summer Must Haves

1) Rite in the Rain notebooks. We're having the wettest spring and summer in recent memory in NYC. So to make sure I can still capture my thoughts -- even when dashing to the 2 train in the rain -- there's the classic waterproof with the trademark yellow cover. 

2) Bora Bora juice. I don't mind a bit of gilding the lily here and there, but the thing I like about this juice is that it's pretty much squeezed and that's it. I stumbled across it in my cafeteria at work and have been drinking it ever since. Super C is the one I drink most often, and I have a couple of bottles in my fridge now. 

3) Prosecco. A nice dry, sweet, sparkling glass of prosecco has been a summer staple for me for the past few years. I've tried dozens, but my favorite by a mile is Primo Nino Franco which I have only found at one place in the city: Nancy's Wines on the UWS.

4) 'cesca's faro salad. When it comes to Italian food, I'm evangelical about il Buco. But I recently stopped into 'cesca and -- at the bartender's suggestion -- tried the faro salad. The crunchy, slightly mealy, tangy, oily mix is one of the best chopped vegetable salads I've had in years. A must try. 

5) Pomegranate soap. This is a year-round favorite, but my stock is running low so it's front of mind. This is the my favorite soap on the planet, and I suppose it should be. Santa Maria Novella has had 600 years to figure it out. Along with Diptyque, SMN is the brand habit I can't shake. 

Masters of the Grotesque: Ensor, Ernst, Bacon, and Goya

Looking forward to catching a few shows at The Met over the long weekend, including Francis Bacon and James Ensor (whose work is pictured at left).

Back in college, I remember coming across a few artists in the Expressionist movement but I missed Ensor entirely. Didn't really catch on to his work until I came across this piece in The Times recently. (Don't forget to take a look at the slideshow.)

His work is delightfully weird and macabe. He hits on two of my favorite themes in art: The memento-mori skull and anthropomorphism. Goya also hit on both as did Max Ernst.

Ernst's The Robing of the Bride (pictured left) is one of my Top 10 favorite paintings of all time.

Setting forth on those emaciated limbs, installed in the red feather robe, with the pert but timid breasts, the bride resembles a glam rock icon preparing to storm the stage.

The cock of the head and angling of the body feels so familiar now (pick up any Us Weekly and you'll see the pose repeatedly in the red carpet pics), but it must have seemed incredibly direct and affronting at the time.

The painting is bizarre, arresting, and absolutely unforgettable.

Ho Sweet Home: Latest Scented Candle, "Stripper"

I've been a scented candle freak for years now, but perhaps the trend has gone too far.  While companies like Diptyque and Cire Trudon (pictured) continue to test the limits of the price ceiling for candles, other companies have adopted the "novelty" approach.

Witness the stripper scented candle from HotWicks.

If that's not your thing (and who wouldn't be into the heady combo of baby oil, thong sweat, crumpled bills, and Newport cigarettes?), other scents are available, including mouthwash, urinal cake, and hippie.

If you prefer the high-end variety, there's no better place to buy than Aedes de Venustas on Christopher Street in Manhattan.

Since you asked, my all-time favorite candle is Feu de Bois (wood fire) by Diptyque. But I'm having a pretty heavy summer fling with their new Patchouli candle.

Today's Covet: Phaidon Colour Art Library

The packaging gods at Phaidon have worked their magic again with this beautiful set of art surveys ($389, via auto).

This was probably inspired by the success of their Wallpaper travel guides -- brilliantly packaged, amazingly curated primers to a host of international cities. (The Rome installment was my go-to guide when I was there, helping me pick everything from my hotel to dining spots.)

Nice to see Phaidon giving Taschen and Assouline a run for their money. I do wish, however, that their stationary section was a bit more robust.

And, also: Why don't they offer the complete set on their own site? Well, thanks goodness the folks at auto are on the ball.

Random Scent Review: Costes

Ok, this is a good one. I was always drawn to the leathery red color and skinny Helvetica font that jointly are the distinctive calling card of the Costes product line -- if not the price. The entire line is ungodly expensive! (The small handsoap pump will run you about $50 with tax.)

But, even with the price, the original Costes scent is in my current holy trinity of fragrances, rounded out by two from Hermes: Eau d'Orange Verte and Terre d'Hermes.

So what does it smell like? Like a warm gingerbread cookie served up by a naked, sweaty man in a black leather apron. 

'Nuf said?