Polonia Global Fund

The Biedermeier style, first popularized in the early 19th century, is making a comeback.

See: The World of Biedermeier

Its attributes of high gloss finish, classic lines, and beautiful woods first attracted the newly rich middle class of the Austro-Hungary empire.

The style received new popularity during the Art Deco period of the mid-20th century.

Janusz Maszkiewicz, proprietor of Vienna Woods at 351 S. La Brea Ave., has been specializing in restoration of Biedermeier furniture for more than 30 years.

“My grandfather first introduced me to Biedermeier; he was a cabinetmaker in my native Poland,” said Maszkiewicz, who owned shops in London and New York before settling in southern California in 1993.

“It’s the French polish, a combination of shellac and oil, that gives the furniture its high gloss,” the craftsman said.

To maintain that highly polished look Maszkiewicz cautioned against using name brand or furniture oil on Biedermeier pieces. These applications create dirt buildup and attract moisture to the surface.

Instead, he said, use a drop of dishwasher soap on a slightly damp cloth; then wipe with a dry cloth. He also tells his customers to wax the surface two or three times a year with a French-made product called Kiwi Bois.

The Vienna Woods showroom contains tables, chairs, settees, desks and cabinets, but the real nerve center is behind the shop where Maszkiewicz and his associates create and restore furniture.

It is here that Biedermeier furnishings receive that special care that his three decades of experience can provide.

Who was Biedermeier?

“Papa Biedermeier” was a fictitious character, made famous in political cartoons of his day, the mid 19th century. He represented “every man,” and more specifically the newly affluent Austrian society.

The same style, often influenced by Egyptian designs, was known as Regency in England and Empire in France. But Biedermeier style was less ornate and renown for its simplicity and elegance of form.

© Jane Gilman, Larchmont Chronicle

Pianist Piotr Anderszewski does not like trying to pin down his own style. He is an artist who doesn’t fit neatly into categorization, who plays music that moves him, regardless of era or style.

“Don’t try to define the indefinable,” Anderszewski said from his hotel in Rome when pressed on the matter. “Good art defies the rules, and good art is an exception.”

At 33, the Polish-Hungarian pianist is already defying the rules. He is a rising star on the piano, already a well-known name in Europe. But he acknowledges that he is still young and perfecting his own style. He is the most recent winner of the Gilmore Artist Award — a prestigious prize handed out every four years by the Gilmore Keyboard Festival in Michigan. What makes the prize special is that it is awarded not for a single competition but for the evaluated pianism and musicianship over an extended period of time. Anderszewski won for his power and refinement. He uses dynamics, especially those softer and subtler, to great effect, and his technical proficiency on the keyboard is startlingly original and mature. He felt pleased and validated by the award.

“It was such a wonderful surprise . . . it encourages you,” he says. “I’m so self-critical anyway.”

Anderszewski doesn’t like listening to his own recordings after making them. In fact, he doesn’t listen to music much at all. He would rather be moved by other art forms.

He plays artists as diverse as Bach, Mozart, Webern and Janacek but says Beethoven is closest to his heart.

“There is incredible joy in Beethoven . . . the rhythmic power and invention, and in his early music, a happiness,” he says.

He has favorites from the 20th century, though he doesn’t care for contemporary composers: “What can you write today after all that has been written? We are at a dead end in terms of new composition. Nobody listens to contemporary compositions.”

So Anderszewski plays pieces that speak the most to him. He is a perfectionist but knows that true perfection doesn’t exist. He is constantly pushing himself. His playing is conscious of the past, but he approaches each piece with his own elements of style.

“You shouldn’t try to play what you think the composer wanted,” he says, “because you’ll never know.”

So he comes from a different angle, constantly searching and growing. Listening to him, one hears an exacting pianist. His fingers are nimble; his inflections — both rhythmic and tonal — are subtle and full of passion, intensity and knowledge.

Anderszewski was born in Poland and resides in Paris when not on the road. He is fairly new to American audiences, but through touring he hopes to attract greater attention.

Anderszewski makes his second swing through Portland beginning Saturday, March 1, playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major with the Oregon Symphony and guest conductor Yakov Kreizberg. The program also features Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D major. It’s Anderszewski’s debut with the symphony and his first time working with Kreizberg. He admits that playing with an orchestra is not his favorite setup, preferring recitals instead.

“Recitals give you more freedom and time. A recital builds an evening,” he said.

While playing solo is freer and more expressive for him, he does enjoy playing in all formats.

“It all depends on who you work with,” he says.

KYLE O’BRIEN, The Oregonian

MARBLE, Colorado — In a meeting that was part inspiration and part reality check, more than 30 sculptors, quarrymen and community leaders gathered at the Redstone Inn Wednesday night.

Their goal? To start determining the costs, schedule and infrastructure needed to carve the marble block that will replace the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.

The original marble was extracted in 1931 from the Yule Marble Quarry, above the little town of Marble, to commemorate the thousands of unknown soldiers lost in battle fighting for their country. That original stone now has a crack in it, and needs to be replaced.

When the original marble was pulled out of Marble, it was sent to the East to be sculpted. But local sculptor Davidmark Trujillo has spearheaded the idea to have Colorado sculptors replicate the stone’s cuttings and carvings right here.

“The stone is coming from Colorado, and so should the sculptors,” said Trujillo.

Working to that end, Trujillo organized the Redstone Inn meeting.

There are no guarantees that Trujillo’s dream will become reality. Yule Marble Quarry owner Rex Loesby didn’t know if Trujillo and his fellow sculptors would be able to meet the strict qualifications required of artists whose work appears at federal monuments like Arlington.

Nonetheless, Loesby started the evening off by showing two video clips from Denver television news shows broadcast late last year.

The clips, which told the story of the Yule Marble Quarry’s quest to find the replacement marble, were met with rousing applause from the group.

Those who attended included Marble Mayor Wayne Brown, Garfield County Commissioner John Martin, Glenwood Springs businessman David Osborne, Redstone Art Center owner Bev Goss and Kiwanis members Steven Spears and George Morris.

Glenwood Springs resident John Haines, who donated $30,000 to purchase the replacement marble, also attended.

Following the videos, Loesby outlined two goals for the coming weeks.

“We need to know if we have the capability to attempt this project,” he said, “and we have to know how much it’s going to cost.”

Those initial questions placed the focus on established, local sculptors in attendance — Greg Tonozzi, Gerald Balciar, Steve Kentz, Janusz Obst, Madeline Wiener and Kathi Caricof — and Yule Marble Quarry stonecutters Gary Bascom, Mario Villalobos and Kirk Blue.

Loesby passed out packets of information, including photos and diagrams of the existing tomb showing the cracks running through it. The cap of the tomb, that is, the top, and the die, the main part of the tomb, are to be replaced. The tomb’s base and sub-base will remain in place.

Loesby said quarry workers have set a “very tentative date” of July 4 to bring the replacement marble down from the quarry. At this point, that block of marble has not been located.

“It’s in there,” said quarry superintendent Gary Bascom of the perfect block, which must measure 7 feet 4 inches by 13 feet 4 inches by 6 feet 6 inches. “We’ll find it.”

Loesby outlined the logistics of carving the block in Colorado, including a carving location.

Garfield County Commissioner John Martin suggested as a possible site the county’s Road and Bridge Department facilities in Glenwood Springs, Rifle, or a new facility to be built at Cattle Creek.

When discussions turned to estimated man hours needed for the project, Loesby turned to Glenwood Springs sculptor Janusz Obst, who headed a massive project in his native Poland. Obst oversaw the rebuilding of a 16th Century Warsaw castle filled with intricate carving and stonework that had been destroyed during World War II.

Obst estimated it would probably take three sculptors working eight-hour days for a total of six months to complete the tomb.

Obst knows about man-hours. Over 13 years, Obst worked with 60 builders and artists to recreate the Warsaw castle, which originally took 200 years to build.

In contrast, the tomb is a physically smaller project, he said, but enormous in terms of what it symbolizes.

“This is very, very important project,” Obst said. “We need to be very serious and very disciplined in how we go about this.”

Obst’s wife, Margaret, agreed.

“There are two aspects to the tomb. One is architectural, and the other is decorative,” she said, referring to the precise cuts that need to be made in the stone and the relief work that must be duplicated.

“It’s very important to realize we must make an exact replica of the existing stone,” she said. “And we can do that using the newest possible technology.”

At the close of the meeting, the sculptors discussed among themselves who would serve as the leader of the effort. Knowing his experience in managing a major carving project, they chose Obst by unanimous acclaim, according to Kimberley Perrin, office administrator for the Yule Marble Quarry.

Perrin noted that the Marble Historical Society will meet soon to discuss how to receive contributions for the project.

She said Obst is expected to confer with other key sculptors who couldn’t attend the meeting Wednesday before setting another meeting for the project.

Many questions remain, but the turnout for the meeting indicated to Trujillo that the interest level is high for the tomb project.
“This renews my faith in America,” said Trujillo. “I really appreciate everyone taking the time to come and be a part of this.”

By Carrie Click, Post Independent

Back in August I promised an update. What an update it’s been.

PGF ended up serving over 63,600 unique visitors in 2002. What’s really amazing is that the average visitor spent over four (4) minutes on the site viewing almost 5 pages of data and information.

We’ve just completed our third major site redesign. I hope you enjoy it and find your way around easily. The intent of the redesign is to focus on our unique themes – our goals, mission and values. We want you to understand what we’re about. We also want to bring you all the information you need.

Now I should finish my thoughts from August…

I tend to hear the ‘think globally act locally’ cliché a little less than I used to. We obviously need local activities, charity, events, perspective. At the same time we need to think big. Dream the dream on a global scale. It is the seed for wholesale change in the way we interact as people, families, communities, and nations.

If there anything positive in the Columbia tragedy, it is what the crew represented. The Columbia’s crew represented all of us well. Their varied backgrounds, religions, skin color, and accents helped us in defining them as people. The marvelous dynamic was that they all worked together…without animosity or bitterness…in the pursuit of science and human relationship.

Yes, I think we need to be more like them. We need to retain the best of what is within each of our families, cultures, and heritage and to bring those attributes to the table locally, nationally and globally.