Scheurich 278-35

I spent over eight years working in New York City. As I did not live there, I had to commute in — and it was a VERY long commute. Waiting for me every day was NYC itself, one of most aesthetically unpleasing cities in the world. It is concrete upon concrete, which is not only ugly but makes the city hotter than normal in the summer and colder than normal in the winter. When I placed these two vases together recently, all of my thoughts about NYC resurfaced. The gray example, with its pitted gray tinged with ochre, brought to mind the countless sidewalks and skyscapers. The white example, with its ground-down surface, cracked glaze and hints of green, reminded me of the old paint and faded surfaces of everything from storefronts to the subway to water towers. That is not to say that sidewalks and patina cannot be beautiful; when married with artistic intent, you have the magic of Paris. But NYC does not want to be Paris, or magic, or beautiful. NYC wants to be Big and Imposing and Loud and succeeds marvelously. It is less a city than a constant imposition on the human soul, and to say I was glad to leave and never return is an understatement. Perhaps I should be grateful to these vases; you will never catch me getting misty-eyed about the Big Apple as long as I have them as a reminder.