The Daily Omnivore

Ubiquitous [yoo-bik-wi-tuhs] gaze, also referred to as pursuing eyes, is an art term for the effect created by certain portraits, such as the ‘Mona Lisa,’ which give the impression that the subject’s eyes are following the viewer.

When such a painting is viewed from any angle, the subject’s eyes still appear to be looking straight into the viewer’s. This is an effect of perspective and may be deliberate or not. Ubiquitous gaze is a common technique of the trompe-l’œil school of painting, and can be seen in numerous works.

Trompe l’oeil [trawmp loy], French for ‘deceive the eye’, is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions. Although the phrase has its origin in the Baroque period, when it refers to perspectival illusionism, use of trompe-l’œil dates back much further. It was (and is) often employed in murals. Instances from Greek and Roman times are known, for instance in Pompeii. A typical trompe-l’œil mural might depict a window, door, or hallway, intended to suggest a larger room.

A version of an oft-told ancient Greek story concerns a contest between two renowned painters. Zeuxis (born around 464 BCE) produced a still life painting so convincing, that birds flew down from the sky to peck at the painted grapes. He then asked his rival, Parrhasius, to pull back a pair of very tattered curtains in order to judge the painting behind them. Parrhasius won the contest, as his painting was of the curtains themselves.

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Tipitina’s is a music venue located at the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street in Uptown New Orleans, which opened in 1977. The name was inspired by a well-known song by Professor Longhair who also performed there until his death in 1980. It was known as The 501 Club, in reference to its street address (501 Napoleon Avenue). Tipitina’s stands as one of the best-known clubs in New Orleans. The building itself was constructed in 1912, and originally served as a gambling house, gymnasium, and brothel.

In the early years, it had a juice bar and restaurant as well as a bar. The only remnant of the juice bar is the banana in Tipitina’s logo. In the early 1980s, the studios of radio station WWOZ (anon-profit, community-supported radio station) were located in one of the apartments upstairs from the club. In 1998, Tipitina’s opened a second location on North Peters Street in the French Quarter, which for a time was also a regular live music venue but is currently used for private events and parties. Apart from running these venues, Tipitina’s has established Tipitina’s Foundation, a non-profit organization to support local music and musicians. The foundation has been especially active in supporting the musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina.

The Maple Leaf Bar is a music performance venue in New Orleans that opened in 1974, and is one of the longest continuing operations of New Orleans’ music clubs with live performances seven nights a week.

On that first night Andrew Hall’s Society Jazz Band played and were there every Saturday for seven years. Many of the old time musicians were featured including numerous members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Musical styles represented include blues, funk, R&B, rock, zydeco, jazz, jam bands and any combination thereof, hosting both local performers and touring national acts.

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