Roses in New York

It's not quite spring but it's definitely around the corner.  We had a particularly brutal winter in New York this year and we are all ready for a long break.  We have finally moved from below 20 degree Fahrenheit weather to slightly above 40 degrees.  My hibernation period is finally over!

I walked around the park in front of my apartment the other day and didn't see any promising buds yet on any flower stalk.  However, I walked on Park Avenue later that day and found not only buds but actual beautiful flowers and insects roaming on their leaves...it was a sight to behold (see picture).  Okay, they are not the kind of flowers that you need to put in water...but they seemed pretty real to me!  Will Ryman is a New York artist - some of his rose sculptures reach as tall as 25-feet along Park Avenue. He installed 38 rose buds from 57th to 67th Street and some scattered petals on some of the streets.  There are also insects inside some of the roses, ladybugs and other insects...how fabulous is that?

I love it when streets become museum galleries and art becomes part of the daily landscape of the city.  The profusion of art accessible to all is more commonly seen in parks, like at the Tuilleries in Paris or at the Piazza della Signoria in Florence.  At the Piazza, there were tournaments and feasts in the 13th Century until it became an open air museum two centuries later.

I saw sculptures by Botero displayed there a few years ago. They were placed close to other statues, such as David's replica of the original David by Michaelangelo. Botero's large men and women stood out defiantly and proud against centuries of architectural elegance and tradition as represented by the towers and palaces surrounding the square.  They stood tall against centuries of intrigue and political infighting between the ruling families that lived in those palaces.  The Botero statues seemed loose and decadent to some degree, they certainly looked like they had enjoyed a series of gluttonous meals and delighted in limitless excess.  They existed in distinct contrast to the quiet renaissance beauty throughout the square.  Considering their size, my guess is that they were particularly happy to be in the land of amazing pasta and gnocchi dishes!  The Champs-Elysees and Park Avenue have played the role of open air museums in the past.  I remember Botero statues - and other artwork - being exhibited right where these roses are today...it's a wonderful idea.

Whether it's a Botero statue or roses by Will Ryman, seeing art while I am walking around the city fills my heart with joy.  It makes me very happy to live here.  It reminds me how in New York anything can happen.   Including seeing beautiful flowers in the middle of winter on Park Avenue.