HOW'S YER EPIPHYTE?

Well, our big St. Patrick's Day parade, always held on the preceding Saturday, is off. So is the small, crazier one held on the day itself. Minor problem given the big picture these days, but there is a scarcity of photo material as well as toilet paper. (None of that in the local Target today.)

But the orchid show is still on at the botanical garden. I went by myself last Sunday and may go back with Mrs. C, depending on how strictly we're social spacing. Pretty photographs are not usually my thing but these are irresistible. It's counter-intuitive but carefully made B&Ws produce some of the most intense images. No question that the monochrome flower pictures of Robert Mapplethorpe are a big influence.

       

ARCHED WINDOWS

The setting in the second floor of the St. Louis Art Museum. The arched windows overlook the central great hall and you can see the one on the other side. The placard on the left of the pedestal shows the artwork that inspired the floral arrangement, in this case a white marble statue.

THE LOCAL SITUATION - we have one confirmed COVID-19 case in St. Louis, a student who just returned from Italy, and two in the State of Missouri. St. Louis City and County just banned all public gatherings of more than 1,000 people. (500 is safe?) We were to attend a big fundraising dinner and auction for an arts group tonight and it's off. The symphony is canceled for the weekend (we had tickets). Our small law office is open but our desks are all more than 2 meters apart. We are changing all client meetings to phone calls. There are contingency plans if most of us have to work from home. I'm getting all of us burner phones so we can call clients without having our personal phone numbers on Caller ID. Hoping for the best and preparing for trouble. 

PS: moments ago, St. Louis County prohibited gatherings of more than 250 people. St. Louis City and County are separate political entities but the City should follow along shortly.    

SOUTHBOUND END OF A NORTHBOUND HORSE

The caption is sort of rude regional expression, or I presume it is. Never heard it until I transferred to the Midwest from the Northeast. It's easy to get the meaning.

This is the monumental statue of St. Louis seen here many times before, taken from inside the art museum during the Art In Bloom show. And, yes, his majesty is facing north.         

A WISP OF SMOKE

I don't remember which work of art this arrangement was associated with. Too much distraction from the crowds, trying to find lines of sight and getting a good exposure. I like the asymmetry from this POV. The twisted branch off to the left makes me think of a jet of soot shooting off from a furnace.        

WAS IST LOS, DEUTCHLAND?

The German artist Anselm Kiefer seems preoccupied with the dark side of technology and his country's history. The work in the background, Burning Rods, refers to the legend of Osiris, the Cernobyl meltdown and a generally dystopian view (although a German business magazine ranked him among the thousand richest people in the country). You need a precis to find your way through it.

The arrangement in front won first prize in the show. You can hardly call it floral. It's barely organic.