Winslow Homer and His Contemporaries
August 15, 2010 - Comments Off
Regarded as one of America’s great artists based solely on his achievements as a painter, Winslow Homer was also an exceptional printmaker. This extraordinary show chronicles Homer’s printmaking career with wood engravings, etchings and lithographs. Homer’s works are distinctive for their insightful characterisation of human behaviour, their bold compositions and their subtle balance of lines and tone. The exhibition also includes prints by many of his accomplished contemporaries such as Mary Cassatt, William M Chase and James McNeill Whistler.
Nine
August 11, 2010 - Comments Off
This superslick West Loop hot spot attracts a youngish crowd of traders and professionals. It is dressed to the nines with mosaic glass pillars bathed in lavender light and a single daffodil adorning each table. Beneath a domed silver-leaf ceiling is a granite champagne-and-caviar bar. Well-spaced tables and the high ceiling convert the hum of conversation into an unobtrusive background. Starters include tiered shellfish platters, lobster-and-avocado cones, tiny flavourful steamed mussels and mushrooms speared on a twig of rosemary. Follow with aged prime steak, double-rib lamb chops or veal porterhouse.
Miami Film Festival
August 3, 2010 - Comments Off
A drama set in war-torn Columbia, two documentaries about Afro-Cuban music and a sumptuous romance about forbidden love in 1960s Hong Kong are among the highlights of the 18th Miami Film Festival at the Gusman Center in downtown Miami. The line-up consists of 26 films – including nine US premières – from 16 countries. The festival kicks off with ‘The Golden Bowl,’ Merchant-Ivory’s adaptation of the Henry James classic, and closes two weeks later with ‘The Luzhin Defence,’ director Marleen Gorris’ take on the Nabokov novel about a chessmaster in love.
Molivè
July 25, 2010 - Comments Off
Put aside preconceived notions about hotel dining. This handsome American bistro in clubby Whitehall offers some of Chicago’s most innovative cuisine. For people watchers, a brand-new sidewalk atrium less than a block from Mag Mile features mottled green ceramic floor tiles and tables set with stylish black cloths. Start with wild mushrooms rich with foie gras or poached artichokes with goat cheese. Star entrées include scallops piled onto paella-like risotto and osso bucco with Tuscan beans. There are 40-plus wines-by-the-glass to choose from.
Don Giovanni
July 22, 2010 - Comments Off
In the ‘Amadeus’ version of Mozart’s life, ‘Don Giovanni’ was something of a confessional about the composer’s own sense of guilt for his wayward ways in the face of his disapproving father. Even without that bit of psychoanalysis, it remains a disturbing and engaging opera about a serial seducer nobleman always looking to add to his string of conquests. This classic staging highlights the macabre moment when the statue of the Commendatore, who Don Giovanni has killed in the course of his lusty wanderings, accepts his invitation to dinner.
Stars of The Moscow Circus
July 21, 2010 - Comments Off
The circus is in town but if you’re opposed to the sight of once-wild animals tamely doing stunts alongside clowns and acrobats you had better stay away. This travelling circus comes form the age-old tradition rather than the Cirque De Soleil school of big-top entertainment, which is a pity, because the jugglers, trapeze artists, wire-walkers et al make for a fascinating enough afternoon. The giant tent seats 2,000 and is home to 65 performers.
Pabellón Cuba
July 20, 2010 - Comments Off
Calle N #266, esquina a 23 (324921/329056)
Open 9am-5pm daily. Admission $1.
Apparently this 1960s creation used to be quite attractive, with its many waterfalls, lotus flowers and pools of tropical fish. Nowadays the Pabellón looks more like a decaying monster. Located on the corner of La Rampa, it is one of the UJC’s (Union of Young Communists) main cultural venues. All sorts of events take place here, including live concerts during the cultural festivals. Salsa , rap, rock and reggae gigs all feature; there’s also a disco. Check outside billboards or call for further information.
