Kudos to the cat burglar and Catwoman, who win over unlikely hearts

A Cat in Paris (2010), Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol

The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Christopher Nolan

 

A black cat accompanies a jewel thief on his late night escapades in A Cat in Paris. Coincidentally, this animated French feature meets its U.S. debut during the release of The Dark Knight Rises, which stars Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and jewel thief.

*But wait, as the curious 'burgh-lar, am I no longer allowed to believe in coincidence?

Consider another similarity/coincidence. Viewers of A Cat in Paris initially wonder, "Is the cat burglar a 'good guy'? He seems kind, but he's a burglar after all!" And viewers of The Dark Knight Rises might not understand their feelings towards Catwoman at first. "She's got badass moves, but does that justify stealing from Batman? She even sold his fingerprints!"

*If I believe in these coincidences, I might have to throw my pen and notebook off a bridge.

*So be it, as long as a lair awaits.

But in all seriousness...

ACiP: The cat burglar saves a girl from a gang leader who killed the girl's father a few years ago. Then the cat burglar woos the girl's mother, who, as a detective, was his opposition in the whole burglarizing-people-by-night gig, right?

tDKR: Catwoman compromises Batman's security by doing a job for an accomplice of Bane, the villain. Then Batman wins her over with his heroism, she saves his life, and they flee to Florence together. Enemies-turned-lovers, right?

At any rate, both movies are captivating in very different ways. It's thrilling to recognize Pittsburgh's own Downtown and Oakland interspersed with views of Bedfordshire, Glasgow, India, Los Angeles, New York, and Newark in The Dark Knight Rises. "They were here!" And we can't overlook that, for 2h 45m, the movie moves along stealthily, without hesitation, with brilliance in fact.

I am going out on a limb when I compare an animation with a budget of five million euros to an Imax blockbuster with a budget of 250 million dollars, but they share some basic plot elements, and they equally excite the imagination. Since far fewer people will probably see A Cat in Paris, its merit is worth describing. Radiant colors, a gentle pulse of light against shadow, and the characters' absurdly tiny feet distinguish the animation. The enticing soundtrack elevates the air of mystery as the cat burglar leaps among Paris rooftops, and playful references to movies like Reservoir Dogs and King Kong add the right dash of comedy to an animation full of thievery.

There is no competition between the two movies; I just couldn't overlook the similarities when I saw The Dark Knight Rises Friday and A Cat in Paris Saturday. Both are magnificent. The Dark Knight Rises will grip you with its suspenseful edge and make you gasp while Heinz Field explodes under Gotham City athletes. A Cat in Paris will delight you with its silly treatment of burglars, gangs, and police officials. And you'll marvel at the animated version of night vision, which enables the cat burglar to perform his wittiest trick.

*Parts of this post will be best understood if you have seen The Dark Knight Rises.

Thanks to PNME, July is a good month for contemporary live music

Every July, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble offers a concert series of contemporary music written by a majority of living composers. Seven members comprise PNME: Sean Connors (percussion), Lindsey Goodman (flute), Timothy Jones (bass-baritone vocals), Norbert Lewandowski (cello), Bobby Mitchell (piano), Kevin Schempf (clarinet), and Nathalie Shaw (violin). Under Artistic Director Kevin Noe since 2000, the ensemble annually performs at City Theatre in the South Side.

PNME offers two performances of each program on consecutive Friday and Saturday evenings. Programs vary from simply melodious to conceptually stimulating to amusingly theatrical. This weekend's program opens with a solo performance by Connors in The Anvil Chorus (1991), composed by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lang. It also features a dynamic trio Triple Crown (2009), composed by PNME's own founder David Stock. PNME also performs a mesmerizing quartet, The Life of Birds (2008), composed by Mason Bates, who was selected as Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's 2012-2013 Composer of the Year.

PNME performances prove to be not only musically exciting but also visually thoughtful. Take The Anvil Chorus. After the spoken introduction by Noe, Connors unexpectedly appears like a floating apparition on a lift against the stage's back wall. This simple feat of clever placement and lighting already heightens entertainment. The piece begins with a loose rhythm of abrasive clangs but develops into a percussive melody that convinces the audience to understand the instrumentation. People in the audience absentmindedly nod their heads or tap their feet, an indication of a successful performance.

In Triple Crown, Connors, Lewandowski, and Mitchell have a more traditional stage presence. Lewandowski sits centered with his cello, and the two larger instruments are on either side of him. There are three parts to the piece. In the first, dramatic downbeats give way to eerie trills. The second part sounds like a tango in andante, with the combination of each musician's movements creating the visual effect of a dance. Although separated from one another by space, each musician, involved with his own instrument, shows the audience how individual efforts result in music that requires a collective effort. Finally, the third part of Triple Crown evokes a distinct personality from each instrument, which is mildly reminiscent of Camille Saint-Saëns' The Carnival of the Animals (1886).

  
The Life of Birds is the highlight of this program. The violin, cello, flute, and clarinet quartet gloriously captures the notion of fluttering and singing birds. Put simply, it's a delightful piece that the members of PNME play flawlessly. Other numbers include Quicksilver (1992) by Randall Woolf, Klingende Buchstaben (1998) by Alfred Schnittke, and Silences (2004/2012) by Jeffrey Nytch. Attending at least one PNME performance is every bit worth two hours of a summer evening. Through varied programs comprised of contemporary compositions, the ensemble is sure to keep even regular attendees on their toes.

ToonSeum Does Injustice to Care Bears

There are only three museums dedicated to cartoon art in America. California has two, and Pennsylvania has one. ToonSeum: Pittsburgh Museum of Cartoon Art was originally part of the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh in 2007. In 2009, it moved to its current location in the Cultural District downtown.

The ToonSeum is now hosting Care Bears: 30 Years of Caring... and Hugs through August 26. The Care Bears debuted on greeting cards by American Greetings Corporation in 1982, so 2012 marks their 30th birthday. The lovable characters embody different emotions and have personalized symbols called belly badges. Grams Bear's belly badge, for instance, is a pink rose with a yellow bow.

The 80s were a big time for the Care Bears. Various toys, a television series, and three movies brought these cuddly creatures from the far clouds of Care-A-Lot into the homes of millions. Unfortunately, the ToonSeum's exhibit fails to cover Care Bear history or inform its audience about the creators. One of the museum's staff members states that American Greetings Corporation is secretive about its artists, yet the fact that Elena Kucharik was the lead artist and developer of the Care Bears is no secret. Her signature appears on several of the illustrations, and other signatures include Colton and Mead. Their full names, however, did not turn up in internet searches.

Not a single item in the exhibit has an object label. Even if American Greetings Corporation is not willing to disclose the full names of its artists, the museum should be responsible for labeling items to the best of its ability and informing the audience about what is in front of them. The ToonSeum also claims that the exhibit is friendly to those of all ages. Judging by the subject matter, that's true. It speaks to adults who grew up with the characters and to children who can view the new show Care Bears: Welcome to Care-A-Lot on The Hub TV Network.

However, all illustrations and animation stills hang at a level comfortable for adult viewers. Only two glass cases of a plush Tenderheart teddy bear and an assortment of Care Bear toys meet the eyes of children. If this exhibit is meant to speak to both children and adults, object labels should inform a mature audience, and images should be easily visible to children.

It is exciting to get a glimpse of original illustrations and animation stills, but it is also disappointing to leave an exhibit feeling the need to do more research because the museum neglected critical information. What are the different media used by illustrators? Some look like watercolor, others marker. What movies are the animation stills from? Failure to display this information isn't due to American Greetings Corporation's secrecy. The ToonSeum should simply take more care to present this work in a professional way, especially for the integrity of these lovable bears who care so much.

All images copyright American Greetings 2012.

Kishorit: A creative kibbutz

Fabric of Life: Wall Hangings

While walking through the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh's Irene Kaufmann Building, you simply can't miss Fabric of Life: Wall Hangings. On display in the Fine Perlow Weis Gallery, which is essentially a large room in the middle of the building, the wall hangings become part of the community space, livening the walls with blocks of colorful collages.

Untitled, Nir Yaron

Stitched from various cuts of fabric, each of the 14 untitled wall hangings has its own personality. The creators' choices of color, print, texture, and stitched detail are distinct from one work to the next.

Untitled, Sigal Rachamim

Each textile was made by a member of Kishorit, a kibbutz (Hebrew for "communal settlement") in Israel that facilitates self-sufficiency for those with physical, emotional, and mental challenges. Living at Kishorit enables its 140 members to maximize their independence and work together with staff to maintain a stable community. Kishorit's efforts are visible in the greater Israeli community too. They sell organic eggs, vegetables, and milk from their farms, and they sell toys from their factory called Pasteltoys.

This is the first time the Kishorit wall hangings have been exhibited in the United States, and they will be for sale. All wall hangings are priced at $1,100 with proceeds benefiting Kishorit. Fabric of Life: Wall Hangings is on display at the JCC through July 27.

Courteous on S Mathilda

A considerate stenciled warning.

Pittsburgh could use more of them.

Currently at CMoA: Not far from the norm [collection] but [entirely] worth your while

Impressionism in a New Light: From Monet to Stieglitz 

May 12 - August 26

The title of the show rings true; even though Impressionism influenced Pictorialist photography, it is rare to see Impressionist paintings displayed alongside the photographs of the same period. Organized by Amanda Zehnder, associate curator of fine arts, and Linda Benedict-Jones, curator of photography, the exhibit showcases much of the museum's own collection in a new way, encouraging visitors to look broadly at visual art produced around the turn of the 20th century.

While the first Impressionist exhibition was in 1874, Pictorialism developed later, in the 1890s. Pictorialists held that photography was more than a mechanical way to document the world; carefully photographing subjects to produce different visual effects required creative methods and artistry.

The Impressionists' ability to capture a sketchy glimpse of an image influenced photographers to exercise the camera lens and create slightly out of focus images. The gently blurred lines of Pictorialism lend a dreamy appearance to the photography and imitate Impressionist works.

Compare the photograph The Kiss (1904), by Clarence H. White, on loan from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, with an etching The Coiffure (1890-91), by Mary Cassatt. The care taken to produce these delicate images enhances the femininity of the subjects. As Cassatt's work emulates contemporaneous Japanese prints, it is evident that American and European artists found inspiration in the different art they were exposed to.

Impressionism in a New Light is distributed among three galleries. The second is where side by side comparisons of Pictorialist photography with Impressionist etchings or paintings like the one above can be found. The first room, however, introduces the audience to the exhibition by featuring mostly Impressionist paintings and some published criticism dating from the first Impressionist exhibitions in Paris. This witty display of what are now considered masterpieces, paired with disapproving commentary from notable critics of the time, places the visitor into the haughty Paris art scene at the end of the 19th century.

The careful organization of artworks in the first gallery, along with informative wall texts, provide insight to the works as well as the artists. Take for example three paintings of similar subject matter that, when placed next to each other, encourage a conversation about three artists at different stages in their careers.

Paul Cézanne's Rocks at the Seashore (1865-66), with its frustrated blocks of thick paint, is a perfect demonstration from his early career of what would prove to be his lifelong obsession over line and composition. Eugène Boudin's articulate strokes in The Port of Trouville (1882), from his later career, exemplify his polished success as one of the first "en plein air" painters, meaning he painted outside, directly from nature. Finally, the shimmering pastels in Cliffs near Dieppe (1882) by Claude Monet, a student of Boudin, signify the maturing artist as he discovered his niche.

This thoughtful progression from one painting to the next enhances the viewer's experience. By displaying much of its own collection in a new way, the Carnegie Museum of Art is not only reminding visitors that it has a rich collection but is also educating them about the art and artists in an engaging way. Vibrant paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Degas, and Paul Gaugin, along with sensational black and white photographs by Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, and others, encapsulate how visual art progressed in an era when cameras were a relatively new tool, forcing people to see things as they never had before.

The third room of the exhibition, opening up to the expanse of Monet's Water Lillies (c. 1915-26), offers a final take on Impressionism and Pictorialism. A few photographs hang on opposing walls, but Monet's work undoubtedly dominates the gallery space. Lastly, take a minute to watch a looped excerpt from Sacha Guitry's film Ceux de chez nous (c. 1915), which shows the master at work in his Giverny gardens.