Raymond Savignac aux échecs by Robert Doisneau

Raymond Savignac

Woke Up But I'm Still Dreaming : Visions of Juan O'Gorman

Self-Portrait (1950) by Mexican muralist and architect Juan O'Gorman.  He is known for designing Casa Azul (The Blue House) for Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo.

  

Mosaic mural on the exterior of the UNAM Library in Mexico City by O'Gorman in 1953.  The stone details decorate all four façades of the structure, depicting aspects of Aztec culture and the creation of modern Mexico.

 

O’Gorman’s own house outside Mexico City (1953–56, demolished 1969) was considered his most extraordinary work. It was in part a natural cave and was designed to harmonize with the lava formations of the landscape.

 
Decorated with mosaic symbols and images from Aztec mythology, it marked his eventual rejection of Functionalism in favor of an approach that united modern structural designs with indigenous Mexican decorative motifs.

In 1958, Juan O'Gorman was photographed by pioneering architectural historian Esther McCoy on his visit to the Watts Towers in Los Angeles.  McCoy promoted the work of O'Gorman in California, organizing a solo exhibition for him in 1958 at the Long Beach Museum of Art. 

Now It's Your Turn

VOGUE (July, 1950) by Irving Penn

Optician's Window (New York) by Irving Penn

Spectacle Bridge

Spectacle Bridge of Otani in Kyoto, Japan

Into The Wild

Gold wire-rimmed P3 glasses at Mt. Shasta long ago, 1950.

It is not supposed to be easy, that is the whole point!

Hand-tinted glass lantern slides, circa 1937, of mountaineers in camp during the ascent of Mount Logan, Yukon (above), and mountaineers and serac at the end of a glacier in the Canadian Rockies (below).

At the base of the mountain, 1948.

Approaching Ben Lui in the Highlands of Scotland, Easter, 1965.

The "Brocken Spectre" meteorological optical phenomena at Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, 1968. The "spectre" appears when the sun shines from behind the observer, who is looking down from a ridge or peak into mist or fog.

...I had a dream which both frightened and encouraged me. It was night in some unknown place, and I was making slow and painful headway against a mighty wind. Dense fog was flying along everywhere. I had my hands cupped around a tiny light which threatened to go out at any moment... Suddenly I had the feeling that something was coming up behind me. I looked back, and saw a gigantic black figure following me... When I awoke I realized at once that the figure was a "specter of the Brocken," my own shadow on the swirling mists, brought into being by the little light I was carrying.

- Carl Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections

Asymmetrical Ambivalence

Turn the Lights On | Candlelight Composition 1950

Fifties era college girls compose letters by candlelight, using an old india ink jar as a makeshift candleholder, 1950.

Elegant Exile | King of Romania, 1950

Former King Carol II of Romania and his wife Magda Lupescu, now the Princess Elena of Romania, living more lavishly than any other Estoril exiles in Portugal, 1950.

Known rather for his romantic misadventures than for any leadership skills, Carol was first married to "Zizi" Lambrino, daughter of a Romanian general; and the marriage was annulled by decision of the Ilfov Tribunal in 1919. He next married Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark, but the marriage soon collapsed in the wake of Carol's affair with Elena "Magda" Lupescu , the daughter of a Jewish pharmacist and his Roman Catholic wife. As a result of the scandal, he renounced his right to the throne in December of 1925 in favour of his son who became King in July of 1927. Carol also had a son and a daughter by his mistress Maria Martini, a high-school student. Returning to the country unexpectedly on June 7, 1930, Carol reneged on the renunciation and was proclaimed King the following day.

Feeling Peckish | Gregory in Goggles, 1950

Gregory Peck costumed as WWII American Air Forces bomber pilot for movie Twelve O'Clock High. This film is frequently cited by surviving bomber crewmembers as the only accurate depiction from Hollywood of their life during the war. Twelve O'Clock High premiered in Los Angeles December 21, 1949. Peck was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Brigadier General Frank Savage.

Bachelor No. 1 | Dolphin, Fez, & Eyewear of 1950

L.A. Bachelor costumed For the Annual Ball.