Art! at the Latchis Theatre

Last night, we went to a program at the Latchis celebrating the theater’s recently conserved murals and statuary. It was mostly a fundraiser, and we were happy to contribute a few bucks to the cause. We also got to hear some good stories from Anne Latchis, who grew up working and playing in her family’s business (and whom we know as a stalwart of the local rowing club).

The “professional” presenters, a pair of art historians, followed by the statue restorer, went overly long in their remarks, using way too many words to say way too little. We ran into our friends Bernd from the bike club and his companion Felicity, Felicity herself being an art historian, and had our opinions validated. Still, we did learn something about the murals and the artist who created them. This scene, with Bacchus in the center in the oddly sideways position, turns out to be a direct quote from a famous painting by Titian. The artist, Louis Jambor, was kind of a big deal in the day, and we wished we could have learned more about how he ended up getting the commission, deciding on the themes for the murals, and so on.

We were able to retire to a nearby pub and unwind from sitting through such a long lecture with a nice glass of German beer. Surely the art of the brewer should be celebrated as much as that of the painter!