A Cubist's Dream: Two Interior Views of Katz

I had the very fine idea that I would like to photograph the Arboretum and the new art museum construction site from above. So I decided to visit the Business Building on Shortlidge and East Park, and the Katz Building, across from the Arboretum. Both buildings are gorgeous and offer wonderful shapes, lines, and reflections.

I have to tell you - I am smitten by Penn State's Katz Law School Building, and especially its gorgeous library, which is full of delightful lines and colors and light. I am particularly enchanted with the ramp that runs upward along the one side of the building closest to the Arboretum, and so it is featured in both of today's shots.

The one above, I call A Cubist's Dream. Cubism (more here) is an art movement from the early 20th century made famous by people like Pablo Picasso. It features lots of simple geometric shapes, sometimes seemingly floating in space, unbounded by traditional expectations of perspective and order.

There is a second shot in the extras that I call Tickling the Ivories. As I was standing on a nearby stairwell looking down, a young woman walked up the ramp, and I saw the shapes and shadows around her as a piano keyboard, with black and white keys. I wonder what tune she made as she walked up those keys?

I have two photos, so there are two soundtrack songs for this day. If you can believe it, I found a song called Cubist Town, by Manfred Mann, for the shot above. And for the extra, of the piano keyboard, here is Ebony and Ivory, by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.