Favorite Photos of 2021

Isa Genzken, Rose III, 2016.

Post published:December 30, 2021

These are my favorites among the thousands of photos I took last year in New York, Massachusetts, Colorado, Rhode Island, Florida, and Washington, DC. To make the cut, the subject of the photo had to be significant for me, and the photo had to be nicely composed and lit. All photos are copyright © 2021 Dianne L. Durante. For favorite photos from previous years, click here.

Colorado

Cool (literally) tech: changing LEDs in light sculptures at Vail.

Ice scultpures with changing LED lights. Vail.

Massachusetts

Chesterwood, the home and studio of Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), has a wonderful collection of French’s plaster models. More on Chesterwood here; other sculptures by French here. This arrestingly peculiar shelf of plaster models includes (second from left) a head of Audrey Munson, America’s first supermodel.

Daniel Chester French, assorted models, including (second from left) a head of Audrey Munson. Chesterwood.

I love the bone structure on Daniel Chester French’s allegorical figures. Chesterwood staff has done a great job lighting them.

Daniel Chester French, models of Spirit of Life, Dupont Memorial, and First Infantry Memorial.__

Washington, DC

Why yes, I am making a statement about the relative stature of George Washington vs. today’s congressmen.

Washington Monument and Capitol. Washington.

Detail of the back of the Lafayette Memorial in Lafayette Square, near the White House, by Alexandre Falguière and Antonin Mercié. It’s remarkable that they created the martial figures on the rest of the monument, but also these charming children.

Detail of Alexandre Falguière and Antonin Mercié, Lafayette Memorial, 1891. Washington, DC.

Florida

St. Petersburg hosts Sanding Ovations, an annual contest of sand sculptures. These are my two favorites from this year. More entries here.

“Mischiefish”. Sanding Ovations, 2021, at St. Petersburg.

“Whale Wash,” Sanding Ovations, 2021, at St. Petersburg.

Florida became a winter haven for the wealthy when the Gilded Age was in full swing, so Florida has a few spectacular examples of mansions from that period. This outdoor pavilion is at Vizcaya, in Miami. More pics in this album.

Ceiling of an outdoor pavilion at Vizcaya. Miami.

Below: the drawing room of the Flagler Mansion in Palm Beach. What seem to be bouquets of flowers on the tables are, in fact, lamps with shades made of silk flowers. The shades were intended to tone down the new-fangled electric lights – so much harsher than candles or oil lamps! More pics of the Flagler here.

Drawing room of the Flagler Museum. Palm Beach, FL

Below: the tower of the Ca’ d’Zan, John and Mable Ringling’s home in Sarasota, built in 1924-1926. More on the Ringling Museum and the Ca’ d’Zan here.

Ca d’Zan, in the Ringling Estate__, Sarasota.

From the Ringling Museum: a detail of a beautiful piece of Renaissance furniture with symbols of the Strozzi and Medici families. The attention to detail is stunning. More here.

Detail of a Renaissance day bed at the Ringling Museum, Sarasota.

Because Tiepolo usually worked on a huge scale and in fresco, most of his paintings remain in their original locations in Italy, Spain, and Germany. This is one of the few I’ve seen in the United States. I love the stylization. His paintings were made to be seen from several yards away: he never gets lost in the details.

Tiepolo fresco, 1760, from the Ringling Museum, Sarasota.

Rhode Island

One of the most gilt of Gilded Age mansions: Cornelius Vanderbilt II’s Newport “cottage”, The Breakers, built in 1893-1895 to a design of Richard Morris Hunt. More here and here.

Chandelier in the Great Hall of The Breakers. Newport, RI.

Ceiling of the billiard room at The Breakers. Newport, RI.

My favorite room in The Breakers: the loggia overlooking the ocean.

Second-floor loggia at The Breakers. Newport, RI.

Nevada

And with Vizcaya, the Flagler, and The Breakers in mind … very often, Las Vegas casinos imitate Gilded Age mansions.

Vegas pretending to be a Gilded Age Mansion. Inside the Venetian.

Sometimes casinos imitate other cities.

Vegas pretending to be the Italian Renaissance, on a huge scale. Foreground: fountain show at the Bellaggio.

Below: a phoenix in the Bellaggio courtyard. I’d normally cut this because of the way the detail is blown out on the bird’s wing and chest, but for a creature known for bursting into flame, it seems appropriate.

We had a great time wandering around Las Vegas for 6 days, seeing the sights: never did get around to gambling. More pics here.

Vegas is a wonder. The Hoover Dam is equally breathtaking, although I don’t think I could spend six days there. Its size and its arid surroundings are a vivid reminder that without man’s intervention, that area is desert. More pics here.

Hoover Dam, Colorado River, on the Nevada / Arizona border.

View from the Hoover Dam toward the The Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Bridge. Colorado River on the Nevada / Arizona border.

New York

Hudson Yards is still progressing.

Below: pretty good for a shot taken out the window of a speeding train! I haven’t seen the Manhattan skyline from that angle before. The “needle buildings” are in the 50s, just south of Central Park.

Manhattan skyline from the Triboro Bridge.

This 25-foot-high artwork is just east of the World Trade Center. More here.

A bit of silly

Sunrise, sunset

Sunrise over Manhattan. Taken in Jersey City.

Monument to the Diver, Cozumel. More Cozumel sculpture here.

Sunset from a schooner in Clearwater, FL.

Blue hour at Lazy Days, Islamorada, Florida Keys.

And that’s all!

For favorite photos and Sunday Recommendations from previous years, click here.
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