July 8, 2013

ISIQ-0188

“Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I spent this Sunday afternoon with my daughter, at a fabulous “Horrible Histories” stage performance at the Opera House in Sydney. It was our first daddy-daughter date in quite a while, and something I enjoyed immensely.

It was also the first time in a couple of years that I simply walked around the Opera House forecourt while not holding an SLR, directing a bridal party and negotiating tourist traffic.

It got me thinking.

About how iconic the building is. About how utterly loved it is by so many people all over the world. About how risky it was when first built. About how much time, money and courage it took – both on its own terms, and in the context of its time.

About how it’s an absolute work of art.

Architect Jørn Utzon designed it in 1957, and it has proven to be the most acclaimed of all his works. This is despite Utzon’s resignation prior to the project’s completion due to a variation on the “artistic differences” conversation, and a lengthy disassociation from the building. Utzon wasn’t even invited to the opening, nor mentioned once during the opening celebration as the genius behind it.

The purity of Utzon’s art is, to me, utterly staggering.

And something I aspire to.

What do you aspire to? What art are you here to make?

With love,
Israel. xo

 

 

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