I'm inspired by lines today.

At The Met. Facade of the Second Branch Bank of the United States in The Charles Engelhard Court.

I hopped on the M4 the other day and passed by The Met. From Uptown, it's been quite a lengthy bus ride at this point, and I was instantly reminded of the Charles Engelhard Court. Its statues, the beautiful columns, and sunroof are truly breathtaking. The lines in this space and the serene colors of the sculptures, are marvelous. The backdrop features one of NYC's most treasured pieces of architecture – the facade of the Second Bank of the United States. The original building was demolished; however, just before they destroyed it, The Met's President, Robert Defrost, made a big effort to save the facade designed by the American builder-architect Martin E. Thompson.

Lines have an interesting way of sneaking up on you. In fashion, some people are repelled by horizontal ones, but some love the vertical ones. The drape of a dress, the cut of a suit, all hinge on the placement and flow of lines. Zigzag lines are seen plenty in Missoni's house and were the pinnacle of design in the 1960s. Lines can create a Zen moment in our bedroom or make a gathering room seem palatial. They offer boundaries one should not cross and goals to reach.

Lines can offer a journey filled with excitement or the start of deeply seeded wounds (some not so deep, too).

Lines guide us to places – trips to nowhere, trips where we don't have to go nowhere.

Photograph of interior lines in the American Ballet Company building. Martha Argelia 2018.

The art of lines in dance and beauty.

American Ballet Company. The Pas De Deux- the Nutcracker. Photo by Martha Argelia. 2019.

Edgar Laing Stores, Washington and Murray Streets, New York. Image courtesy of Library of Congress.

Lines are the silent storytellers, guiding our eyes, shaping our perception, and leaving us in awe of their understated brilliance.

Photography by Andrea Klarin

Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow by Piet Mondrian, 1930, via Kunsthaus Zürich Museum; with The Mondrian dress by Yves Saint Laurent, fall/winter 1965 collection, via Met Museum, New York. Image from The Collector.

The beauty of lines lies in their versatility. They can be bold and brash, or soft and delicate. They can evoke a sense of order or chaos, movement or stillness. They are the language of simplicity, yet their power to communicate emotions and ideas is profound.

Let lines run free and be.

Peace,

MA