Yousuf Karsh at the National Portrait Gallery

Select works from Armenian-Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh are now on view at the National Portrait Gallery, following a gift of 109 photographs from Karsh's widow, Estrellita, to the museum. The Gallery will show the Karsh gift in two installations.  The first, Yousuf Karsh: American Portraits, includes photographs of notable Americans.

I wanted to share with you some of Karsh's work, including pieces that don't appear in the current Portrait Gallery exhibit. (Like the one immediately above. Disclaimer!)  Karsh's portraits focus on notable figures in society, including entertainers and policy-makers, so you may recognize some of these images.  See more after the jump.

Le weekend est arrivé!

It's been a super busy, fly-by week here.  One highlight was seeing the excellent documentary The Square, which I'll tell you more about next week. (Bottom line: See it as soon as you can.)  What will the weekend hold for you?  I hope it's a good one! xox

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I really loved this Newshour piece featuring poet Naomi Shihab Nye.

Hand-etched wooden spoons would make a great cold-weather craft or holiday gift.  I can just imagine them sticking out of the tops of stockings at my house.

A kind of awesome foray into green lipstick, including tips for wearing an emerald pucker.

Gorge metallic leather coasters, maybe as a hostess gift?  Or house-warming?  Or for yourself, just because?

Have you ever made potato roasties?  This Middle East-inspired recipe calls for the addition of tart sumac.

Nicholas Nixon's beautiful series of annual photos capturing four sisters over nearly forty years. 

This Facebook status generator is hilariously accurate. 

Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!  Taste it tonight at the Embassy of France.

Kitties and cute men together are as great as you think they will be.

A list of D.C. bars and restaurants with fireplaces.  They left out the Georgetown Ritz-Carlton lobby, which serves s'mores on weekend evenings around 6. 

(Image via Design Sponge; lipstick link via The Cut; Beaujolais tip via Eater DC.)

Life and Art: Venice

When I visited Venice a few years ago, I fell in love at first glance. The buildings seemed to float on opaque turquoise canals, and it was immediately apparent why Venice is known as La Serenissima ("the most serene"). The city was especially quiet since it was the middle of winter. Summer throngs were months away, and light snow dusted the three bridges that cross the Grand Canal.

Maurice Prendergast, Grand Canal, Venice, ca. 1898-99

A somewhat unexpected new love that I encountered in Venice, aside from the city itself, was the work of the Canadian-American painter Maurice Prendergast. The Peggy Guggeheim Collection (Ms. Guggenheim warrants her own post at a later date.) held a relatively small, but vibrant and captivating, exhibit of Prendergast's paintings of Italy. Included in these were lovely odes to La Serenissima, its canals, and its people.

Combing through my travel photos, I found themes similar to those depicted by Mr. Prendergast and his contemporaries: 

Right: Maurice Prendergast, Venetian Palaces on the Grand Canal, 1899

Right: John Singer Sargent, Palazzo Labia and San Geremia Venice, 1913

Right: Frits Thaulow, On the Grand Canal, Venice, 1885

 Have you been to Venice? Have you ever found a favorite artist or painting while on vacation?