The title of this post is not a reference to the sad truth that those of us who found our way to Hudson in the 1990s and first decade of the new millennium are getting astonishingly old but to the impression that every building getting painted in Hudson these days seems to be painted some shade of gray. The latest is the late John Ashbery's home on West Court Street. During the many years that the house belonged to Ashbery and his partner, David Kermani, the house was painted pale yellow, with gray to match the stone on the tower and the cornice and Essex green shutters. (I'm told that when Ashbery acquired the house, it had traditionally been painted brown, and some in Hudson were scandalized by the colors Ashbery and Kermani chose for the house.)
And the lights are on. There is obviously wonderful life in this new home, so let's be happy for the continual love and commentment they have shown to this historic house and to our unique city.
ReplyDeletei think it looks great. Yes, all the houses in town are gray -- but somehow I do not find it so bad. I think it is a the current mood -- expressed in paint.
ReplyDeleteI also think it looks great. the dark blue on the upper sashes (barely visible in the pic above) is an elegant and interesting touch.
ReplyDeleteAshbery was so generous and non-judgmental that you'd probably never know whether he disliked the new color or not.
ReplyDeleteUgh. Don't get me started. As if modern life isn't dismal enough already, every house is now in competition to be Bleak House. So depressing, and what a bunch of lemmings people are. Pretty soon the whole town will look like a penitentiary.
ReplyDeleteThis "color" scheme isn't nearly as bad as some of the depressingly grim all-black houses that have been popping up around Hudson. It at least accentuates some of the architectural elements. Still, something more imaginative would have been nice.
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