Author Archives: Blowhard, Esq.

About Blowhard, Esq.

Amateur, dilettante, wannabe.

The Culture That Is Japan

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Daiso Japan is a Japanese-based retailer that specializes in cutesy cheap crap — curios, stationary, toys, kitchen supplies, cosmetics, toiletries, seasonal goods, etc. It’s an Asian Dollar Tree, with few exceptions, everything in the store is $1.50. The company … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Shopping, Travel | Tagged Japan | 7 Comments

Art Du Jour

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: SHAG (aka Josh Agle), “Her Second Night in the City,” 2013 Click on the image to enlarge.

Posted in Art | Tagged Josh Agle, mid-century modernism, SHAG, tiki, vinyl | 22 Comments

Architecture Du Jour: The Hallenhaus House Barn

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Once found in a wide arc right across the eastern Netherlands and northern Germany, the Hallenhaus is a form of wood-frame house barn that contained, under one roof, living quarters, stables, and crop store. It was in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture | Tagged barn, Germany, Netherlands, vernacular architecture | 2 Comments

Then and Now: Downtown L.A.

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: The intersection of Hill and Third in downtown Los Angeles, 1919 v. 2014. The concrete structure on the left is the parking lot for the Grand Central Market. Click on the image to enlarge.

Posted in Architecture, History | Tagged Bunker Hill, Grand Central Market, Los Angeles, traditionalism, urbanism | 12 Comments

Architecture Du Jour: The Shaker Style

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: The basic standards that defined both the buildings and their interiors were simplicity and utility. The Shakers frowned on any kind of decoration, and they favored pure, clean forms that were highly functional and economic to make. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture | Tagged North America, religious art, Shakers, vernacular architecture | 5 Comments

“The 50 Year Argument” (2014)

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Co-directed by Scorsese and David Tedeschi, this is Scorsese’s second documentary chronicling the intellectual and cultural life of New York. Although I enjoyed Scorsese’s PUBLIC SPEAKING, a profile of Fran Leibowitz which I thought was a good evocation … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Movies | Tagged David Tedeschi, documentaries, Martin Scorsese, New York Review of Books | 3 Comments

Art Du Jour

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Jean-Léon Gérôme, “Pollice Verso,” 1872 Click on the image to enlarge

Posted in Art | Tagged Academic art, Jean-Léon Gérôme | 3 Comments

Linkage

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Michael Lewis says the “Ray Rice video of the financial sector has arrived.” Eric Holder’s legacy of duplicity, incompetence, and obliviousness. BoingBoing reminds us that he pioneered the Too Big To Jail doctrine. Fifty percent of Americans think … Continue reading →

Posted in Linkathons | Leave a comment

Architecture Du Jour: The Wooden Churches of Chiloe

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: The remote, heavily forested Isla de Chiloe [in Chile]…is home to a remarkable set of wood churches, sixteen of which have been recognized by UNESCO World Heritage as “outstanding examples of the successful fusion of European and indigenous … Continue reading →