Carol and I met up for lunch at Burger Joint yesterday. They’ve raised their prices but they’re still good. This hidden gem in the Parker Meridian Hotel has gotten so much press, what is there to say? Minor celebs like Daisy Fuentes sign their walls—everyone goes. I was surprised to see that the burger was now 6 bux, but it’s still the best place if you’re on 57th St. to get a good burger. Lunch wasn’t the high point though, we met up to see the Martin Ramirez show at the American Folk Art Museum. It was awesome! Ramirez was a regular guy, farming in Mexico until he went to Cali to help build the railroads and send money back home to his family. He was put in jail for something, probably being Mexican, then into a mental hospital in the 1930s because they thought he was crazy. Turns out he probably had manic depression and didn't speak because he only knew Spanish. The hospital labeled him mute. It’s a sad story that makes you wonder among other things would he have drawn so much if he wasn’t stuck in a state hospital? He drew these amazing pictures by melting crayons in a bowl made of dried oatmeal using a matchstick as a brush. For paper he patched pieces with old bread mixed with spit until he discovered that he could draw on the long sheets of medical exam table paper. There were also two pieces done on shopping bags. He has a couple of subjects that he repeats a lot—trains, guys on horses, cars, animals, but his patterns, lines and shadow are amazing. The sweeping lines of pattern reminded me of old movie house architecture and the curator said that there was indeed a movie palace nearby where Martin could have gone. If you haven't seen it already, I think you'd really enjoy it. It closes April 29 and the museum has free hours on Friday.
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