Venice--and Why All the World Loves It

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Opus 40 in Saugerties, New York, is an ancestral work of landscape art. Sculptor Harvey Fite bought a played-out slate mine in 1938 and, shortly thereafter, began stacking slate to create a platform for his art. At some point, he realized that the platform was the art, and only one sculpture was placed upon it, as a focal point.

The result is a swooping and swirling topography of stone with narrow passages, pools of water, and short bridges, which you are allowed to walk upon. When was the last time you walked on a major work of art?

Wow.

The first time (of many) I visited Opus 40, I thought it was the best and only time I would ever get to walk on a world-class work of art.

And then I came to Venice.

I am by nature a creator. I use that term, rather than maker, because makers have physical skills I regretfully lack. But I share the common compulsion to make things. So, on my recent visit to Venice, I took dozens of photos and posted them on social media.

People praised me for the beauty of my photos.

No credit to me. Stand anywhere in Venice, close your eyes, point your phone in any direction, and click. Voila! A beautiful photograph.*

Because Venice, taken as a whole, is a physical work of art. I say that as someone who has wandered through many immersive works of art. For reasons of history and commerce and empire, the city of Venice is a coherent artwork. Start anywhere, wander wherever. You will be enchanted.

And if you take photos, they will all be beautiful.

And I have to add . . .

Ambling through obscure streets and sotoportegos, I was struck by how many people looked joyful. Couples taking selfies had unforced smiles. A woman reaching the top of the Rialto spontaneously broke into dance. Everywhere, one saw happy faces.

Of course, Marianne and I were there in January, where there are a minimum of tourists and all the usual reasons to be happy. But it was striking. And it made me happy in turn.

 

*I exaggerate. But only slightly.

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CROWS AND SILENCES by Lucius Shepard

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Look what came in the mail! Crows and Silences is a collection of four novellas by Lucius Shepard with an introduction by yours truly. As the dust jacket says: 

A combination of misfortunes prevented Lucius Shepard from breaking out into the literary world beyond SF and his elevation to the Pantheon of writers remains always just a breath and a wish away In the meantime, here are four tales of people hoping to survive the daily trauma of their lives. All caught in a world of crows and silences and trying to make the best of it.

 

The book comes from Subterranean Press and it’s both beautifully and solidly made. The cover and an interior illustration are by Aurélien Police, and the title is taken from the text of one of the novellas within. The four novellas are "Kalimantan," "Skull City," "Louisiana Breakdown," and "Colonel Rutherford's Colt." If you’re a fan of Lucius’ work, you want this book.

 

Issued in an edition of 500 numbered hardcover copy. You can buy  one here. Or go to Subterranean Press and wander about, wistfully browsing, here.

 

And if you want a frustrating taste of the introduction I wrote...

 

Here’s how it begins?

 

          Let’s start with a story. Lucius Shepard was headed home, drunk, at three in the morning. This was when he was living in a bad neighborhood in Staten Island. A derelict came stumbling out of the darkness toward him and Lucius reached for his wallet to dredge out a couple of bucks. But then the man stuck a gun in his face and pulled the trigger.

          Click.

          No bullet.

          Pulling the gun back, the man stared down at it in astonishment and giggled.

 

And the story goes on from there. SPOILER ALERT: Lucius Shepard lived. Though not, alas, to the present day.

 

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