Vladimir Kagan's Blog

My Son The Artist

 

Copyright Vladimir Kagan, Augusst 31, 2012

 

My son the artist - Illya Ian Hamilton Kagan

 

We have the misfortune of coming from an artistic family.. There were no fledgling doctors, bankers, lawyer, or a mathematical genius that might have ended up at MIT with an advanced degree in something useful. Of course that’s not all bad; it makes us a bit bohemian, “laissez-faire” and easy to get along with and on rare occasions, the envy of the high achievers.

 

My Maternal grandfather, Julius Wallach was one of Bavaria’s iconic dealers in folk-art and hand blocked textiles, (even Hitler had his Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden decorated with grandfather’s textiles… little did he know that he was Jewish) My mother, as a young woman, was beautiful and gregarious and didn’t have to be an artist but carried the family genes in her veins. Dad was a master cabinetmaker and latched onto the Bauhaus mentality making practical modern furniture, in addition he opened two Art Galleries, one in Worms the other in Heidelberg where he pioneered German and Austrian avant-garde crafts and graphics…. My sister and I were doomed; we both went to the School of Industrial Art (later rechristened as the School of Art and Design), I developed a niche as a furniture designer, while Tanya as a fledgling fashion designer was swept off to Europe by her husband where she became a gifted painter - her daughter Cathy followed in her footsteps. On Erica’s side of the family the artsy streak was not that clearly defined, though Erica’s mother was an assistant to Austin Brown, a well-known English printmaker, her artistic skills remained dormant. Erica was not going to cut it in the usual female profession of secretary – (she never learned to type, do short-hand or mathematics on anything but her ten finger) Her mother saw the pretty blond child diligently drawing everything in sight, often interpreting it in stitches. Her career track was preordained; she went to the Royal School of Needlework in London and became Erica Wilson, the world-renowned artist with her crewel and needlepoint designs.

 

With such a heavy burden to bear, how could our son escape – he was destined to become an artist. We did hold out hope that perhaps one day he might take to the pen. To give him a head’s up in either career, we gave him four suitable names: Illya Kagan if he chose the rout of the brush and Ian Hamilton were he to succeed with words… The brush won out and we had a budding artist on our hands by the time he went off to boarding school. His passion for painting intensified as he went to college. Having studied a year in Lacoste, France. He developed a zeal for painting en plein aire in the footprints of the great Impressionist painters whose Ghosts inhabited every corner of Province.

 

Illya Kagan just had his 23^rd one-man show in Nantucket. As every year, it is one of the “Les must” of the Island’s August social events. He is a prolific painter; obsessed with the urge to create. This show featured four walls of a gymnasium-sized gallery with paintings hung two and three high. By the end of the day a large percentage had red dots.

   

The gallery hung floor to ceiling with Illya's prodigous output of paintings

Illya's discerning eye of the Nantucket landscape

He frequently revisits the same site two or three times to catch the light and mood at different times of the day

Illya never travels without his easel and a roll of canvases ready to be stretched at moment’s notice when a scene stops him in his tracks. His travels often take him to very picturesque places. This show included paintings from Costa Rica, Paris, and Annecy in the French Alps, Province, Boston, New York and his favorite Nantucket.

 

On a surfing visit to Costa Rica, Illya produced a collection amazing beach scenes

Accompanying me on a business trip to Paris, Illya was inspired by the Sein

Illya showing a client the painting of Annecy in the French Alp. (She bought the painting!)

Most of his old school friend’s careers took a different track becoming investment bankers, venture capitalists, or real estate developers making fortunes working their tedious nine to five jobs, Illya, when he is not painting, skis, sails, surfs and plays ice hockey with all the locals on Nantucket. He is the father of two adorable girls who worship him. Illya wouldn’t change his lifestyle for that of his mogul friends… On the other hand, he is the envy of his all buddies… they all want to be Illya!

 

 

to see more pictures of Illya’s painting please go to his Website

illyakagan.com

A Sunday Sermon: Politics & Religion

A Primer on Religion 101

Copyright Vladimir Kagan August 19, 2012

 

My Mother always told me; if you want to keep your friends, stay away from politics and religion – good advice! So I am stepping squarely into this hornet’s nest.

…Vladi

 

 

Some sixty Blogs ago, I cajoled you with a Sunday sermon about the possible existence of a benevolent GOD.

 

Well, the subject has become a hot-ticket item. If you intend to run for an elected office, be it dog-catcher or President of the United States you’d better have God on your side campaigning for you. Rick Santorum, who, for a short time, dominated center stage, preached good old-fashioned religion. He hit a raw nerve when he attacked same sex marriage and had the temerity to suggest that if you’re going to go down that road, what’s to stop you from marrying three partners instead of two?

It is ironic that the two leading candidates for this year’s top office both have polygamy coursing through their veins! Mitt’s religion: Mormon only recently (in a historical sense), denounced polygamy. Obama with his Muslim heritage on his father’s side is also in the polygamous camp.

…. JUST FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

 

My revisiting religion for this Blog goes back over fifty years... Erica, not yet my wife, lived with a roommate in Millbrook, New York. Sally and Erica were blithe sprits – both free thinkers. This meant tolerance and a wink at traditional lore’s. (How else could I have gotten away with parking my bright red Thunderbird convertible overnight in front of their shared house on Main Street?) A Ménage-a-trois was definitely not considered within the realm of possibilities in those days. I was engaged to Erica and Sally discreetly tolerated my weekend visitations and withdrew to her quarters.

 

Millbrook was a conservative "wasp" town; the Social Register was the only phone book anyone needed. Like every other self-respecting community in Duchess County, it was overtly anti-Semitic. Hence it was quite a miracle that I was admitted into this close-knit society. Of course, Erica and Sally’s impeccable credentials opened all doors. Sally had a wicket tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. She beautifully petite-pointed a heraldic blazer emblem for me, combining the Scottish thistle with a Star of David. Both girls were firmly in the camp of evolution… And this is the crux of this Blog.

Sally was a good ol’ southern gal from Virginia, not much given to the fast life of the city and hence stayed in Milbrook all of her life. She became a pillar of the local church replete with all of its trimmings. She knew all the gossip and could dish it out freely. It was hilarious to receive her periodic letters. Sally married quite late in life to Bill.  Bill sadly died prematurely and Sally became a grieving widow. Her savior was religion. Evolution gave way to a strict adherence to scripture. Happiness came from the Word of the Lord. This became apparent when Erica died. Sally opened up all her religious spigots and got to work on me with the bible. Her soothing letters promised reunion with Erica at the pearly gates… just as her Bill will be there awaitin’. She repeatedly has reassured me that it will be the happiest moment of my life! To reinforce my faith, Sally sent a small “missal” to prepare me for this miracle. It is called “THE LIE – Evolution” written by Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis and a co-founder of creation evangelism… Yup, we are going back to Genesis and the true meaning of life. I am enthralled by this little epistle. It scuffs away the myth of evolution as hogwash. God created the Universe in seven days and that’s it…. Take it or leave it! The author makes it perfectly clear that the bunk called evolution is just another religion. So you are either with us or against us… pure and simple. 

This book has become fascinating reading. There are a few things that have always troubled me with this evolution stuff: If we come from the Apes, why are there any apes left? Germs and bacteria, if they’re too small to see with the naked eye, why bother with them? I am sure Ken Ham will have a reasonable explanation... I’ve always had trouble believing that the earth is round…. If you ever did a Pilgrimage to Compa Destella in Spain and walked a few miles further, you come to Cape Finisterre … literally meaning Land’s End. The little village of Fisterra hangs on its cliff…If you fall off, you’ve had it. Ships that departed from its harbor disappeared over the edge and were never seen again. (True proof of the Earth’s flatness.) So Ken and I are on the same wavelength!

There are a few more mysteries for Ken to unravel for me: I’ve always hated the notion that the earth spins around the sun…. what nonsense. How could we have sunrise and sunsets if we are doing the spinning? The Moon… OK, it’s not made of cheese, but it’s a very fickle friend…. Sometimes it rises on schedule, other times it “don’t”. You can never be certain where it’s going to be when. It’s a well-known fact that staring at a full moon can cause lunacy.

Stars… a very confused science… all that vast space out there and astronomers speculating that there is no end – infinity? What happens on the other side of infinity?

Ken I am sure has the answer to a lot of this baffling stuff… I haven’t finished his book… But HALLELUJAH when I’ve completed my conversion!

 

 

 P.S. Sally is still one of my best friends and her well-meaning advice comes from the heart and I greatly appreciate it. Wish that I could have her faith!... Maybe by the time I finish the book I will.

 

 

Vladimir & Erica's Travel Log

What To Do When You've Done It All

Vladimir Kagan copyright August 6, 2012

 

The Taj Mahal in India                        The Blue Mosque in Istanbul

Sagrada Familia in Barceona              Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

 

Looking back on the fifty-four years of my exciting marriage, life could get devoid of future ambitions. This is dangerous and to be avoided. But I cannot fathom what I'd like to do that I haven't done already or have always been too chicken to do in the first place.

 

A checklist:

India to see the temples – done

Mosques in Istanbul – done

Cathedrals in Spain - Ditto

Indonesia in the lap of luxury at the Amandari Hotel in Bali - done

Ride elephants in Thailand - done

China before it became a tourist destination - done

Watch red-hot lava flow into the ocean on the big island in Hawaii - done

Walk into a dormant Volcano and drive the Hanna Highway on Maui before it was paved - done

St. Petersburg before it was safe - done

Moscow - ditto

Japan soaking in hot springs on a snow covered mountain - done

The Outer Hebrides in Scotland - done

Visited many of England's hidden beauty spots and Stately Homes - done

Cote D'Azure, Provence, Paris - been there done that

Berlin after the wall came down - done

Munich, my mother's birthplace and Worms - my birthplace - often

The Swiss Alps - Never enough

Italy – my home away from home as I work there regularly – doesn’t count

Mexico: drive from Mexico City to Oaxaca then skim over the top of the mountains in a single engine plane to Porte Angelina before roads and pigs roamed the street – done

Crossed the River Verde on the Pacific side of Mexico in a dugout canoe - done

New Zealand and the fabulous South Island including a gratuitous Earthquake - done

Australia romping around man-eating crocodiles, swimming amongst deadly Box Jellyfish - done

Bermuda - Erica's childhood home was almost our first choice instead of Nantucket but the flights to Nantucket cost $12 vs. $60... Nantucket won out.

Brazil - Sao Paulo the most congested city in the world (so it seemed to me), where the rich travel in their Helicopter and the poor live in squalor - Rio - the city of bikini Beaches - Christ on the Mountain and Oscar Niemeyer’s' Museum of Art - we missed the beach but did the rest.

Cruisin' the Caribbean and Bahamas in a fast “stink-pot" (a sailor’s term for motor boat) with my friend Peter Bordes and his wife Lee... Peter was Captain Ahab... determined to touch every Island in our path even if we arrived late at night and departed at dawn.

Nova Scotia by boat and salmon fishing in picturesque streams, plus a visit to the remote Islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon by private plane – (the only French possession on the North American Continent) - done

I am ashamed to say that I have missed much of the "fly-over States" in America, though I have crossed the country countless times... But Erica, with her personal appearances has slept in every motel in the remotest parts of the country spreading her gospel of needlework while I remained home as the housefather. 

I’ve piloted airplanes and gliders, I climbed Mt. Washington on skis, I can drive a Model T and I still sail my boat…

 

So what have I missed: We could have gone to Angola where I was invited to design an office building while the security was very tenuous. We were invited to the Philippines the precise time that President Marco was overthrown. We were invited to Beirut while a war with Israel was imminent... (Our hosts assured us it would be safe from Cyprus by boat... we declined). A visit to Jerusalem was kindly declined for similar reasons. A safari in Africa certainly should have been on our wish list but eluded us. And now that I am a lone traveler, hobbling about on two sticks, my world has shrunk. The Safari seems remote, the Middle East too dangerous. I had been invited to enter the African desert via Morocco by a genuine Bedouin Carpet dealer, but riding a camel seemed very iffy in my condition. A Mediterranean Cruise to fish for a new wife – unlikely.

 

I have developed micro-curiosities: I’d like to see how Maraschino cherries are pitted and died red without poisoning us. I love walnuts and wonder what machinery cracks them and spews-out a perfect half section each time. (I have never been able to achieve this with my manual nutcracker). Robot machinery in automobile factories fascinates but scares me. There is one overriding curiosity that I’d like to fulfill. I am a train buff. I love steam engines, but they are a thing of the past and only novelties in game parks. But freight trains…. They are something else. Their moaning whistles late at night as they traverse level crossings stir nostalgia. . I have spent frustrated minutes at these crossings, counting over two hundred freight cars in a never-ending procession.

Where do they come from – where are they going – where do they assemble and where are they dispersed? How are they shunted from track to track avoiding collisions? –Massive diesel engines are hooked together in tandem. They labor uphill and prevent a roller-coaster ride down the other side. I want to ride in the cab of one of these mammoth machines

 

Closer to home, I love the ferries that cross Nantucket Sound from our Island to Hyannis and back… day and night – rain or shine – winter and summer and in sudden pea soup fog. The guys and gals that work these vessels are my heroes… I would love to sit in the pilothouse and see the Captain avoid havoc among the pleasure-boat filled harbor and maneuver his clumsy top-heavy boat by spinning its bow or stern on a dime as he coaxes his behemoth into the dock.

I guess my trip to Antarctica can wait!

 

A photo album of highlight from our travels abroad  

 

A country garden and ancient cottage in Bath England

 

The barren hills of Scotland and the sheep that graze on them

Three Lord's of the Manor (except the middle one is an imposter!)

We actually visited the people who live in this foreboding castle in the Border Country of Scotland

Sunrise over the Gangy River in India

Veranasi on the sacrate Gangy

 

 

India in its colorful beauty

Moscow's churches and catherdrals

The ladies in red... Moscow's beautiful export product!

and sticking to the red theme... fresh-caught fish in Taiwan

Diverese cityscapes in Taipei, Taiwan

Until recently, the talest buislding in the world in Taipei

The Grand Canyon of Taipei in the Formosa Forest

Our gracious host, Wilson Chen, showing us his Island

...a hop to Brazil and Oscar Niemeyer's Museum of Modern art in Rio de janeiro.

And over the Atlantich to Italy and a cruise on Lake Como

Portofino.... as close as you can get to heaven on earth

Les Must de Paris

 peace and tranquility in Provence!

The view from Van Gogh sanitorium-prison  -  Roman ruins in Avignon

My beloved Switzerland Summer and Winter

Eelephant riding in Thailand 

Finally back in the States - tranquility on the beach in Mendocino, California

....And now let's go back a half century or more!

and with the children in Nantucket some forty years ago