Golden Peacocks

Before blogging, I would go through magazines, cut up images and put them in old-time photo albums with the sticky 8.5″ x 11″ backgrounds and clear covers. Frequently, I would even put snippets of words in there knowing that I would read them one day and they would inspire me to research. I started doing this while in my early teens — I’d cut out words like “BE BOLD”, outfits I liked or colors I loved — anything that made a pleasing collage of information and inspiration.? It continues to this day except now I’m all digital. Going through one of my old albums recently, I spied these words on a paper with no image:

“Paris’ iconic L’Hotel, just lavishly redone by famed designer Jacques Garcia, features a decadent gold-leaf mural in the room where Oscar Wilde spent his final days.”

Please. I’m all over that. Forget “hello” — it had me at “decadent gold-leaf mural”. BTW, do I know myself or what? Of course I’d want to research that one day! Apparently, Interior Designer Jacques Garcia is known for opulent interiors, bold use of colors and use of luxurious materials in his designs. (I haven’t even met him and I adore him.) Author Oscar Wilde resided at the hotel while famously stating he “lived above his means”. Hmm. Here’s the room in L’Hotel — I also found a grainy close-up where you can see the texture and the yummy crackle it has as well.

How I wish the camera had panned just a little more to the right...

The image immediately brought to mind The Peacock Room by James McNeill Whistler. That famous room has Dutch gold leaf and oil paints on three surfaces: leather, wood and canvas.

It has a very interesting story that I’ll sum up — but you can read all the details here. The artist, Mr. Whistler, was working elsewhere in the home when the architect, Thomas Jeckyll, consulted him on a color matter. The client, Frederick R. Leyland, gave the go-ahead to make a minor color change and then left town on business. Mr. Whistler then thought something along the lines of “this room needs to be altered” and proceeded to make tremendous changes without his client’s consent or letting him know it would cost him more money. (In fact, he held press conferences and entertained visitors in the room without getting the consent of his client, either. Wow.)

When Mr. Leyland got back — oof. It would be an understatement to say he was not pleased, especially after receiving The Bill. Because of this, Whistler created the fighting peacocks you see in the first image of the room, to memorialize the epic disagreement between them over artistry and compensation. He titled it “Art and Money, or The Story of the Room”. Whistler eventually received a little less than half of what he charged, architect Thomas Jeckyll suffered a mental collapse and spent the rest of his life in an asylum and Mr. Leyland now lives in infamy over this row. The Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., houses the meticulously restored Peacock Room. If you’d like to see the gold leaf mural in the room where Oscar Wilde drew his last breath, you can visit L’Hotel in Paris and request to stay in the Oscar Wilde suite.

Hope you enjoyed this nice side avenue on the grand journey we’re on together.? Enjoy the day!