Art Under Your Feet
January 21, 2014
Paul Heymont discovers a trove of history, civic pride and art in the manhole covers at our feet
Paul Heymont discovers a trove of history, civic pride and art in the manhole covers at our feet
Dramatically colored clouds, looking thick enough to touch, split the blue sky over the Oslofjord in Norway on a summer afternoon. And a more serene view of clouds from above, shortly before landing in Mexico City.
Flowers brighten the traffic islands at a number of Oslo’s busy downtown intersections. We stood next to this one, near the National Theatre, for quite a while, waiting for our tram. This area is in the center of Oslo, a short walk from cultural…
This jaunty houseboat, moored just off Aker Brygge, Oslo’s old port area, probably started life as a small fishing vessel. Even painted Pepto-Bismol pink, it’s just one of many unusual watercraft you’ll see on a short ferry ride across the harbor. On…
Historically, statues have served a variety of serious purposes: to honor the worthy, remember the dead, appease the gods, glorify the government, instill patriotism, and more. As such, they are usually dignified, evocative and, well…monumental. Usually, but not always. As the ones selected here show, they can also bring a smile or a laugh—sometimes on purpose, and sometimes not.
Cruise ship is dwarfed by steep mountains as it enters Norway’s Naeroyfjord, an arm of the Sognefjord in the rugged coastal mountains north of Bergen. A network of these deep waterways connects scattered areas of small towns and farms on…
Paul Heymont discovers a trove of history, civic pride and art in the manhole covers at our feet
Dramatically colored clouds, looking thick enough to touch, split the blue sky over the Oslofjord in Norway on a summer afternoon. And a more serene view of clouds from above, shortly before landing in Mexico City.
Flowers brighten the traffic islands at a number of Oslo’s busy downtown intersections. We stood next to this one, near the National Theatre, for quite a while, waiting for our tram. This area is in the center of Oslo, a short walk from cultural…
This jaunty houseboat, moored just off Aker Brygge, Oslo’s old port area, probably started life as a small fishing vessel. Even painted Pepto-Bismol pink, it’s just one of many unusual watercraft you’ll see on a short ferry ride across the harbor. On…
Historically, statues have served a variety of serious purposes: to honor the worthy, remember the dead, appease the gods, glorify the government, instill patriotism, and more. As such, they are usually dignified, evocative and, well…monumental. Usually, but not always. As the ones selected here show, they can also bring a smile or a laugh—sometimes on purpose, and sometimes not.
Cruise ship is dwarfed by steep mountains as it enters Norway’s Naeroyfjord, an arm of the Sognefjord in the rugged coastal mountains north of Bergen. A network of these deep waterways connects scattered areas of small towns and farms on…