new york | The Hanslick Girls

November 19, 2018

Joy Of The Chase: E.L. Konigsburg’s “From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler”

The cover image, with the two photographed children standing at the steps of a pen drawing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was too iconic to be mistaken for any other. Dania’s heart skipped to see it in Gwen’s hands.

“The Mixed-Up Files” had been a formative book for Dania –– a testament to the power of art and history, the need to let facts affect you rather than simply accumulate in your mind. Since first reading Konigsburg’s book as a child, Dania had returned to it periodically. Each pass through Claudia and Jamie’s tale provided more details, including humor at the comparatively cheap prices in the New York of the 1960s.

September 11, 2017

Clear Blue Sky: Paul Greengrass’ “United 93”

Meet the Hanslick Girls: Gwen, Eleanor and Dania. Created by writer Zach Barr, they are a trio of friends who are always out experiencing the best of entertainment. Be it plays, films, concerts, exhibits, or games, they’ve learned that the arts are best when experienced together. They may not have the same opinions, but their conversations tend to make for an entertaining read. In honor of the 16th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the Girls watched the first film to directly depict the events of that day. Let’s listen in on their conversation…

It had been a issue before that Gwen never cried during a movie. Admittedly, she had gotten choked up at films before, though she always managed to stifle the lump in her throat before it burst forth into sobs. This became a problem when she, attending these sad stories with her friends, had to field accusations of heartlessness, when her distress about the film did not manifest itself in runny noses and loud sniffles.

Worse still, she thought, as the final moments of Paul Greengrass’ film United 93 flashed before her eyes, were movies where she hadn’t even come close to crying. Especially since Eleanor and Dania – the former especially – were common criers at any emotional ending to a movie. And during the final shot of the film, the minimalist score from John Powell was accompanied by additional percussion from Eleanor attempting, loudly, not to weep. It was an emotional moment, certainly. One that Gwen felt, internally.

August 21, 2017

Flood Of Moonglow: Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night”

Meet the Hanslick Girls: Gwen, Eleanor and Dania. Created by writer Zach Barr, they are a trio of friends who are always out experiencing the best of entertainment. Be it plays, films, concerts, exhibits, or games, they’ve learned that the arts are best when experienced together. They may not have the same opinions, but their conversations tend to make for an entertaining read. This week, the Girls get into a celestial mood over the North American Total Eclipse, leading to a discussion of one of the art world’s most famous lunar landscapes. Let’s listen in on their conversation…

Dania was standing on a chair, trying to measure across the wall to find the midpoint where the nail would go. Absolutely OCD about centering and focus, she was determined that the painting be hung correctly. After all, it would be a focal point and conversation starter in the room – they had specifically ordered the print out of a desire to make the walls of the apartment less bland and beige.

Stretching the tape measure across the wall, Dania locked the length and marked the 40″ point on the wall in pencil.

“Don’t draw on the wall, Dania,” Eleanor said. She, and the canvas, were slouched on the couch, watching Dania balance.

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