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mariaclaragomez276 · 4 years

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Picture Perfect: 10 of the world’s most Instagrammable boutique hotels

In a digital age in which more people are on some form of social media than not, postcards have given way to posts on the ever-popular Instagram grid, a picture-perfect world of ‘punny’ captions, hashtags, and emojis. Scrolling, swiping, double-tapping, and story highlighting have all but replaced printed photo albums of half-blurred holiday snaps on film you needed to get developed. With so many photogenic places to choose from, we’ve rounded up the best boutique hotel Instagram accounts to follow for your daily dose of wanderlust – bookmark these #nofilterneeded beauties for your next aesthetic adventure, and don’t forget to enjoy the view while you’re there…

Halcyon House, Cabarita Beach – Australia

@_halcyonhouse

Cornflower blue muddled in an eclectic mixture of pastel pinks and soft greens, a patchwork of prints and mis-matched frames alongside hatstands and fabric headboards, seaside touches of shell trinket dishes and marine life illustrations. And oh, the pool. With its nautical blue and white striped loungers lined with swaying palms and drapes billowing in the Cabarita Beach breeze. We could go on forever about every aesthetic corner of Halcyon House, our Most Liked Hotel of 2020, but we’ll let you do some scrolling through @_halcyonhouse and its equally gorgeous restaurant @_paperdaisy_ and lifestyle account @halcyonatelier instead.

From the feed…

Castello di Reschio, Umbria – Italy

@reschio

It’s not difficult to see why Castello di Reschio, a meticulously designed thousand-year-old castle on the Umbrian-Tuscan border, was recognised with the Most Inspirational Interiors at this year’s SLH Awards, along with being one of our Highly Commended Most Liked Hotels. Dating back to 1050, there is a story behind every lovingly restored terracotta brick, with bespoke furniture handpicked by architect Count Benedikt Bolza and his wife Nencia Corsini. Personal touches are hidden within each room, from vintage photographs to ornaments discovered in local antique markets. Think hand-stitched linen curtains, ancient wooden beams running through the ceiling, exposed stonework dotted with original oil paintings, and impossibly smooth marble finishing in the bathrooms. And this is all before you’ve even started to explore the 1,500-hectare estate, scattered with traditional farmhouses available for exclusive hire, a state-of-the-art stable block home to some of the world’s finest purebred Spanish horses (look out for their dressage videos on @reschio), and a rustic outdoor pool overlooked by Il Torrino, the castle’s original watchtower turned trendy pool bar.

From the feed…

Canaves Oia Suites, Santorini – Greece

@canavesoia

One of the most photographed destinations in the world, the cobbled streets, whitewashed buildings covered in fuschia flowers, and Cycladic blue cupolas of Santorini fill the Instagram feeds of most travel enthusiasts. The pristine white rooms of Canaves Oia Suites are set into the dark volcanic rocks, each with individual terraces overlooking the Aegean Sea. Every shade of blue can be found on @canavesoia which keeps its palette as simple as its striking surroundings.

From the feed…

Cap Rocat, Mallorca – Spain

@cap_rocat

The dusky pink hues of this former military fortress’ walls are the perfect backdrop for any picture, whether it’s by the drawbridge, the palm-filled terrace, that infinity pool cut into the cliff, or the private rock beach with direct access to the sea. There is a photo opportunity at every twist and turn, not to mention onboard the hotel’s private yacht. There’s a touch of Mallorcan magic about sleeping in the fortified citadel of Cap Rocat, while the naturally lit hammam excavated in the heart of the fortress is an absolute must-see. Satisfy your Mediterranean cravings with a scroll through @cap_rocat in all its golden hour glory.

From the feed…

Miramonti Boutique Hotel, The Dolomites – Italy

@miramontiboutiquehotel

A spellbinding setting in sunshine or snow, Miramonti Boutique Hotel is picture-perfect all year round. With its horizon-edged infinity pool and a 360-degree Alpine vista, the natural beauty of this high altitude retreat and its mountainside surroundings is captured on @miramontiboutiquehotel in endless forest-fringed and water-reflected shots. Foodies can enjoy dinner with a view at the hotel’s 1,230-metre high Panorama Restaurant, or share raclette and homemade patisserie in the 19th-century, wood panelled Stube.

From the feed…

Le Coucou Méribel, The Alps – France

@lecoucoumeribel

Be sure to pack your most stylish pair of salopettes for a stay at Le Coucou Méribel, whose Instagram feed looks like it’s straight from a Vogue ski editorial. Pierre Yovanovitch’s chic interiors run from the rooms to the restaurants at this ski-in ski-out lodge, with geometric shapes, teddy bear chairs, pale wooden tones and wall-length windows to let the bluebird daylight in. After exploring the 330 pistes at your feet, leave your boots to dry in the elegant Ski Room while you take a dip in one of the spa’s indoor-outdoor heated infinity pools.

From the feed…

Hôtel Lou Pinet, Saint Tropez – France

@hotelloupinet

The effortlessly chic Saint Tropez sister hotel to Le Coucou, every inch of Hôtel Lou Pinet oozes Riviera glamour. This hotel was made to be photographed, with its rustic rouge umbrellas lining the pine and lavender scented pool, the Côte d’Azur blue shutters, and graphic printed interiors. Celebrating local artists and renowned French designers, the carefully curated grid of @hotelloupinet shares colourful artworks alongside its own images, creating a pretty palette of Provençal shades and Mediterranean hues.

From the feed…

Hôtel Crillon le Brave, Provence – France

@hotelcrillonlebrave

Completing the trio of stylish sister hotels, the nine stone houses of Hôtel Crillon le Brave are bathed in the famous Provençal light that once inspired the sketches of Cezanne and Van Gogh. The quintessentially French interiors have been given a modern twist, with terracotta tiles, colourful throws and handpicked antique furniture. Sprigs of lavender and a straw sunhat are thoughtfully laid on the end of the bed, giving this château a rustic yet romantic feel. Look out over the rolling hills dotted with cypress trees from the hotel’s relaxed dining space, La Table du Ventoux, with a glass of the region’s famous wine in hand. @hotelcrillonlebrave is very much in keeping with its sisters’ Instagram aesthetic, while flower-laden bicycles in lavender fields and wicker baskets of organic produce give it a distinctly Provençal personality.

From the feed…

Storfjord Hotel, Skodje – Norway

@storfjordhotel

Minimalist Scandi-chic is all over the Instagram feeds of fashion, lifestyle, and travel influencers – but nowhere does it quite like Storfjord Hotel, a secluded log cabin on a wooded, fjord fringed hilltop in Alpine Norway. Step into a Scandinavian folk tale of antler chandeliers, soft throws over antique furniture, and a soothing neutral palette to complement natural materials. With the Sunmøre Alps on your doorstep, you’ll want to photograph the landscape as much as this hotel’s interiors. Hygge hunters will find an invitingly cosy aesthetic of homemade honey, crackling fireplaces, and snow-dusted scenery on @storfjordhotel – it’ll soon be top of your winter wish list.

From the feed…

Quinta Da Comporta – Wellness Boutique Resort, Comporta – Portugal

@quintadacomporta

Imagined and invented by renowned Portuguese architect Miguel Câncio Martins, Quinta Da Comporta blends seamlessly with its surroundings, from the sun-bleached woods to the sandy furnishings. Step inside to whitewashed walls and cool-toned touches, reflective of both traditional Portuguese style and contemporary design. Each room has a luxurious beach hut feel, with rustic-style furniture drawn from a natural colour palette. If you’re in need of some interior inspiration, look no further than @quintadacomporta – start planning your dream home, and holiday, all at once.

From the feed…

All image credits can be found on the respective Instagram channels. For further Instagrammable inspiration, follow @smallluxuryhotels to begin building your bucketlist.

The post Picture Perfect: 10 of the world’s most Instagrammable boutique hotels appeared first on Small Luxury Hotels.

from Small Luxury Hotels https://ift.tt/3cSjEJo Publish First on

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vacationclub98 · 5 years

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Some Known Factual Statements About Holidays In Spain

From the sparkling Mediterranean in the south to the wilder Atlantic coastline in the west, also the fussiest holidaymaker can discover their ideal hotel on Spain's costas. Peñiscola's sweep of sands reaches round in a gold half-moon to a castle atop a promontory. It's a fanciful setting, however that's not all-- this is additionally the region stated to have the very best langoustines in Spain.

Remain at: The RH Shop Porto Cristo is simply off the main beach and also has an outdoor hot tub. Spaces are merely equipped and also although your terrace won't have a sea view, the terrace bar looks right out throughout the water at the castle. A few of Spain's biggest hits are out the landmass.

The largest of the Balearic Islands is residence to one of Spain's leading cities: top-notch food , as well. The Tramuntana mountains exist simply north. Take the charming wooden train with the olive, lemon as well as orange groves to Sóller for hill views and fresh orange juice. Remain at: Book a room at Cap Rocat , an imposing old armed forces fortress that is all chunky rock barricades and roof balconies with views across Palma Bay.

Don't pay attention to anybody that tells you Tenerife isn't sophisticated. This sun-drenched Canary Island has premium restaurants, 5-star resorts, amazing coastlines and a volcano at its heart. Mount Teide is the highest possible mountain in Spain at greater than 12,000 feet-- it's well worth increasing before dawn to get to the summit for dawn.

Read our complete overview to Tenerife below . Remain at: The super-luxury El Rincón de Juan Carlos . Spain has soporific towns aplenty, and also across the country you'll locate enchanting areas where the streets are patched, the plazas are untouched by contemporary style and the castle is the tallest point for miles.

Arcos de la Frontera, however, is added special, balanced on a limestone ridge encountering right down a large high cliff right into the Guadalete river. Its web of roads leads up to an enforcing castle, where there are eye-popping sights across the levels. Remain at: The normally Andalucían Resort Los Olivos is all white-washed walls as well as terracotta tiles, arranged around a central plant-filled yard.

The village of Fiscal in the Spanish Pyrenees|© Les Haines/ Flickr Españan is one of the most visited nations in Europe, yet the most prominent locations in Spain are not necessarily the only places you can inspect out. In addition to discovering the very best cities to go to in Spain and also the tried-and-tested seaside hotels, you can check out a little further to discover some concealed gems.

Spain provides site visitors a wide variety of must-see destinations including dynamic cities, pristine beaches, and also tasty food. With a lot to see as well as experience, determining what to do on your next roadway trip can be daunting. That's why we have actually produced this road trip itinerary to aid you Drive to Discover the ideal locations to visit in Spain! This travel plan includes our 7 favored UNESCO Globe Heritage websites from across the country and also is ideal for container checklist tourists or background lovers.

With this overview you will certainly start your 894-mile journey at Barajas Flight terminal in Spain's resources city of Madrid as well as travel through main and also southerly Spain, checking off 7 must-see UNESCO World Heritage site from your container list! Keep in mind to pack accordingly as temperature levels in this location of Spain is understood for extremes. Print this Drive to Discover overview now .

This was the initial city worldwide to be designed as well as constructed as a college community and worked as a version that was duplicated across Europe and also in the United States. The website was provided UNESCO website status for its outstanding style and also social relevance which consists of significant payments to the Spanish languages.

Automobile Europe has worked tirelessly for the past 60+ years to ensure your ability to rent a cars and truck at the most practical area for your journy. Make Use Of the Booking Engine at the top of the web page to schedule your Madrid rental cars and truck ! Cuenca is positioned high a top a mountainside, with high cliffs that forget the Huecar River.

The 'hanging homes' or casas colgadas are a popular function in the Castillo quarter that includes a variety of manors and also large baroque churches. As the name implies, these structures are hanging over the sides of the cliffs generating some amazing views. Visitors can access this area of the city through a slim suspension foot-bridge.

With building frameworks standing for 3 major religions (Christianity, Judaism, and also Islam) as well as jobs of art from numerous renowned artist, Toledo uses a window into the history of numerous old cultures in one location. Tourists with limited time might always start their journey below and rent a car in Toledo to uncover the remaining destinations on their go back to Madrid.

The city has 300 mosques including The Terrific Mosque (La Mezquita) dating from 784 A.D. The imposing interior has not been replicated anywhere in the world making it an ever-impressive framework. Cordoba is just one of the many cities throughout Spain that Auto Europe supplies hassle-free and headache complimentary auto rental places.

Reserve your Cordoba car rental today! Seville is house to 3 UNESCO websites. The first is the stunning and also enormous Alcazar compound which is most certainly one of one of the most stunning areas to see in Spain. Site visitors checking out the inside will certainly uncover lush gardens, beautiful showing swimming pools, and also ornately embellished structures.

The third site is the Archivo de Indias which home treasured records from Spain's expeditions right into the Americas. In addition to these UNESCO sites, the city is renowned for flamenco dancing in addition to bull combating. Vacationers can constantly choose to rent a car in Seville to invest even more time finding the ancient appeal of the city.

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worldhotelvideo · 6 years

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Alam Puri Art Museum Resort & Spa in Denpasar, Indonesia (Asia) Hotel. Welcome to Alam Puri Art Museum Resort & Spa in Denpasar, Indonesia (Asia). Subscribe in http://goo.gl/VQ4MLN cycling and fishing. In the section of restaurants we can enjoy: fruits, restaurant, bottle of water, breakfast in the room, room service, bar, snack bar, bbq facilities and wine/champagne. To relax, the facilities include couples massage, pool/beach towels, swimming pool, body scrub, facial treatments, full body massage, neck massage, spa/wellness packages, spa facilities, yoga classes, spa and wellness centre, pool with view, foot massage, pedicure, back massage, beauty services, outdoor pool, pool bar, massage, body treatments, manicure and plunge pool. With regard to relocation we have shuttle service (free), airport pick up, shuttle service, car hire, bicycle rental (additional charge), airport shuttle, airport shuttle (additional charge), bikes available (free) and airport drop off. For the reception we will be able to have private check-in/check-out, newspapers, currency exchange, 24-hour front desk, concierge service, safety deposit box, luggage storage, tour desk and express check-in/check-out. Within the related areas we will be able to enjoy library, garden and terrace and sun terrace. For the leisure of the family we can dispose of babysitting/child services. The function of the cleaning services have included dry cleaning, daily maid service, ironing service, shoeshine and laundry. If you arrive by business matters in the accommodation you will have meeting/banquet facilities and fax/photocopying. gift shop. We could highlight other possibilities as vip room facilities, bridal suite, non-smoking throughout, family rooms and air conditioning [https://youtu.be/BiGPLxQsDaw] Book now cheaper in https://ift.tt/2lHVhEl You can find more info in https://ift.tt/2yRVXR0 We hope you have a pleasant stay in Alam Puri Art Museum Resort & Spa Other hotels in Denpasar The Banyumas Villa https://youtu.be/fsbujvaLCQk HARRIS Hotel and Conventions Denpasar Bali https://youtu.be/f6jGftCv4gI Success Dive Resort Sanur https://youtu.be/estos pasos Aston Denpasar Hotel & Convention https://youtu.be/estos pasos Other hotels in this channel Costa Norte Ingleses Hotel https://youtu.be/5pTT8mjxAas Hotel La Sitja https://youtu.be/tOPNuCue9pU The Blowfish Hotel https://youtu.be/JCpBd23QTAQ Intercontinental Hotel Bucharest https://youtu.be/zRjVVd5LElk Otsuka City Hotel https://youtu.be/jw0erJdO360 Hotel 82 London https://youtu.be/rWFNgkXppJw Crowne Plaza Antalya https://youtu.be/n96-i_tbNj8 Cap Rocat https://youtu.be/IDbJozImKbw Casa Mateo Hotel Boutique https://youtu.be/b5o7La8Xvow S33 Compact Sukhumvit Hotel https://youtu.be/9lc69bVfVQY Mövenpick Resort & Marine Spa Sousse https://youtu.be/25UKXKbDaD8 Courbaril Village https://youtu.be/RTABELThXcE Royal Residence Boutique Hotel & Spa https://youtu.be/sgDJ6ozwe10 Des Etrangers Hotel & SPA https://youtu.be/DAZUu_osAXo Hôtel Sawa https://youtu.be/1ycEeon5oDI In Denpasar we recommended to visit In the Indonesia you can visit some of the most recommended places such as Tanah Lot, Pantai Sanur, Bali Museum, Le Mayeur Museum, Interactive Art Museum Bali, Fingerprint Painting Museum, Seminyak, Pura Taman Ayun and Waterbom Bali. We also recommend that you do not miss Bajra Sandhi Monument, Serangan Island, Bali Bird Park, Jalan Legian, Bali Zoo, Batu Bolong Beach, We hope you have a pleasant stay in Alam Puri Art Museum Resort & Spa and we hope you enjoy our top 10 of the best hotels in Indonesia based in Alam Puri Art Museum Resort & Spa Tripadvisor Reviews. All images used in this video are or have been provided by Booking. If you are the owner and do not want this video to appear, simply contact us. You can find us at https://ift.tt/2iPJ6Xr by World Hotel Video

#whv #YouTube

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hotelmassag-blog · 6 years

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TOP 10 BEST HOTELS IN SPAIN

Spain happens to be a place where a lot of people love spending their holiday. One of the things that makes holidaying in Spain worthwhile is that it boast of top class hotels. However, there are people who find it difficult to easily pick the best of over hundreds of hotel in the country "Spain" where they can enjoy first class fun and relaxation. Here in this article, I will list out the top 10 hotels that can be found in Spain.

PARK HYATT MALLORCA This hotel is located in the eastern coast of Mallorca. This hotel is newly established and it outshines Canyamel valley which happens to be one of the In Room Massage Madrid. Not only that, it also offers the view found in Canyamel also in Balearic Sea. This hotel claimed to have more than one hundred and forty two rooms with good spacing and loveable guest rooms assigned together with sixteen unique suites that is well designed. Everything in this hotel is known to be sophisticated and comfortable. ST. REGIS MARDAVALL MALLORCA This hotel hit the number two spot on my list and it was ranked as a five star hotel in the world most especially in Europe. Though the price is high but yet you will see what you are paying for because of their awesome services, the weather, environment and the food. More also, butler service that is rendered in the hotel is so pleasing and their bed is comfortable and properly arranged. Breakfast in the hotel is what you will enjoy. The interested part about the hotel is its closeness to the Mediterranean Sea which thrill people whenever they visit the hotel. There are one hundred and thirty three rooms in the hotel with enough space, it is very luxury to wake up in such a wonderful room and you saw the sea. It is very cool and very interesting, people rush down as everything about the inn is awesome.

MANDARIN ORIENTAL BARCELONA This is the third on the list and also the first in Barcelona. This Mandarin Oriental Hotel is known to be the newest with their special and ultra-design. This hotel is well organized with a good structure. In fact, the ceiling in all the ninety three rooms are mirror and twenty eight suites. In Barcelona, this hotel is situated in a place where people love to visit "Passeig de Gràcia" In Orientalis. Not only that, Mandarin is one of the best hotel that people prefer in Barcelona. People enjoy the stunning view of the Casa Batlló. Truth be told, they also present a wonderful service which will make you to enjoy your stay in the hotel. It is also a five star hotel in Spain because of the classical luxury. GRAN HOTEL DOMINE BILBAO This is another five star hotel in Spain, this hotel faced the popularly known Museum "Guggenheim" which simply express an ancient concept. However, this hotel cover the views of the ancient museum and its environment making the guests to enjoy the contemporary concept and designs. Gran Domine Bilbao hotel has about one hundred and forty five rooms together with suites. Not only that, those rooms are well spaced, also comes with the modern that view Atrium, most especially the contemporary museum. W. BARCELONA This hotel was situated in the waterfront region of the most dynamic and stylish city in Spain, This hotel has four hundred and thirty seven loving guest rooms also with suites, this hotel claimed to have a cumbersome structure that face the Mediterranean sea. Viewing the live sailing right from your room which is better than seeing the modern day art design and it makes the hotel to be luxurious.

CAP ROCAT This hotel was formerly known to be military lodge but later changed it to a loving hotel. This hotel was situated in Palma de Mallorca. In this hotel there room are classify into 3 groups and this hotel has about twenty four standard rooms with first class services. This is a five star hotel, there are rooms for soldiers, private room and the general room (The three classes of their rooms). MARQUES DE RISCAL In 2006, this hotel was unveiled and it was also known to be a five star hotel in Elciego. This hotel has Tilted walls with cathedral height ceiling. Not only that, the windows are zigzag in all its forty three rooms with suite. WESTIN PALACE MADRID This hotel was designated with the aim of offering a pleasant services to the dignitaries. This hotel has passed through series of renovation for the past 85years. Even this was among the oldest hotel in Spain but still secure its position to be among the top 10 hotel in Spain. This hotel is placed in the interior core of the city and that is in-between the Parliamentary/ Thyssen Museum. This hotel has claimed to have four hundred and sixty seven guest rooms also with the suites which are furnished, decorated with the glowing marble. WESTIN VALENCIA Westin Valencia is one of the hotel that has a modern day structure as it was constructed using modernized style. This hotel enjoys the full attention from people due to its location. It has about one hundred and thirty five clean rooms with art styling, also with suites that is having relaxing and warm environment. There are many light which are natural in each rooms. You will definitely enjoy your stay in this hotel as it was rated to be one of the five star hotels.

For more information visit us:- hotel massages in Madrid FINCA CORTESIN HOTEL One of the smartest hotel in the country of Spain is Finca Cortesin Hotel, as it was known to be. The atmosphere is very cool and comfortable as there is enough spacboth inside the rooms and outside. Not only that, there are restaurants and massage centers where you can easily relax yourself. Guests claim that this hotel is place where they will like to visit more again because they really enjoyed their time.

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welikedtheseplaces · 7 years

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Spain

september 2017 - san sebastian - mallorca - barcelona

we liked these stays

hotel maria cristina for perfectly-situated luxury in san sebastian

cap rocat for stunning suites and five-star service in an old fortress in mallorca

hotel cort for courtyard charm in palma

cotton house hotel for neoclassical beauty in barcelona

we liked these eats

arzak for four michelin stars and iPad ingenuity in san sebastian

TOPA for creative basque food x a cool setting in san sebastian

ganbara for world-class mushrooms in san sebastian

bar sport, zumeltzegi, sirimiri, bar vina for pintxos in san sebastian

the sea club at cap rocat for their paella in mallorca

a casa mia for the local’s favorite italian in a cozy spot in palma

bunkers for a popular and trendy spot in palma’s santa catalina neighborhood

restaurante sa foradada for stunning views and stellar paella in sa foradada

vinitus for top-quality tapas in barcelona

bar canete for upscale tapas in barcelona’s gothic quarter

boca grande for a sceney dinner in barcelona

xiringuito escriba for beach-side paella in barcelona

bo de b for amazingly good and cheap sandwiches in barcelona

we liked these drinks

Mala Gissona Beer House for basque craft beers in san sebastian

sakona coffee roasters for your morning pick-me-up in san sebastian

bar andaluz for their complimentary all-you-want after-dinner liqueuer in mallorca

brassclub for creative + delicious cocktails in palma

L’Antiquari for aperol spritzes in palma’s back-streets

paradiso for its speakeasy cocktails in barcelona

casa lolea for its homemade sangrias in barcelona

bar mut for its spritzes in barcelona

we liked these activities

mimo food tours for pintxo-tasting (and txakoli-pouring) goodness in san sebastian

monte urgull for a hike up to beautiful views of la concha

day-trip from san sebastian for amazing views of the flysch in zumaia

continuing the day-trip for the famous whole fish at kai-pe in getaria

mezzo magic for private charter sailing on the beautiful mallorcan coast in soller

mercat de l’Olivar for picnic-shopping in palma

barcelona street style tour for an informative and fun bike ride through the best street art in barcelona

camp nou for an FC Barca match to see messi in person in barcelona

#spain #barcelona #san sebastian #palma #mallorca #Travelogue #tourism #travel

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nofomoartworld · 7 years

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Hyperallergic: An Artist Who Fantasized as a Way to Survive

In the field of outsider art, remarkable discoveries have sometimes been made in dusty attics, boxes tucked away in garages, or ready-to-be-hauled-away dumpsters. Shortly before the reclusive, solitary Henry Darger died in 1973, his voluminous life’s work — more than 300 drawings and some 15,000 typewritten pages of his epic narrative, In the Realms of the Unreal — were discovered in the small rooms he had occupied for decades in a modest Chicago boarding house.

Generally speaking, admirers of outsider art tend to like a compelling biography to go with the uncovering of an unusual body of hitherto unknown work. Now, with the publication of The Secret World of Renaldo Kuhler, by Brett Ingram (Blast Books), a first-ever account of the life and career of an autodidact who died in North Carolina in 2013, at the age of 81, fans of this kind of art may become familiar with a distinctive oeuvre that is as cohesive as it is ambitious, and with the intriguing eccentricities of the talented draftsman and storyteller who concocted it.

The artist Renaldo Kuhler at work at his home in Raleigh, North Carolina, 2009 (photo © Brett Ingram, courtesy of Blast Books)

Ronald Otto Louis Kuhler was born in 1931 in Teaneck, New Jersey; his mother, Simmone Gillet Kuhler, whom he would grow to detest, came from Belgium; his father, Otto Kuhler, a designer of streamlined trains and an amateur painter, had emigrated to the United States from Germany. When Ronald was born, the couple already had a first child, the boy’s older sister. During the 1930s and 1940s, Otto Kuhler’s busy career kept him away from home, leaving the children at the mercy of their abusive mother. In the late 1930s, the family moved to Rockland County, north of New York City, a setting young Ronald seemed to like, but his parents packed him off to boarding school, where, as a shy and miserable boy who routinely wet his bed, he was painfully teased by his fellow students.

Such bullying continued right up until the late 1940s, when Otto Kuhler ended his career as an industrial designer, purchased a ranch in Colorado, and moved his family there. Feeling more isolated than ever in such a remote place, his son began keeping illustrated and typewritten journals detailing his daily experiences. “I felt more dead than alive and I will not mention the horrors of it,” he wrote in one entry. “What do I do here at the KZ Ranch?” he asked himself in another.

The teenager’s proficiency for drawing was evident in his pictures of cars, buildings, and other features of his surroundings. Before long, Ronald — it would still be several years before he would legally change his name to the more pleasant-sounding “Renaldo” — applied his considerable talent and powerful imagination to devising a great escape from the unhappy family life and dispiriting circumstances in which he found himself. Through his drawings, he began giving visible form to “Rocaterrania,” an imaginary country inspired partly by the Rockland County ambiance he had left behind.

Rocaterrania’s Empress Mary Catherine de Rochelle and the imaginary country’s provinces and major landmarks (portrait drawing by Renaldo Kuhler, © Brett Ingram; map by Blast Books; photo courtesy of the publisher)

Situated in upstate New York, near the border with Canada, it was a place whose made-up history, social system, and culture were also influenced by Kuhler’s interest in and knowledge of Victorian-era styles in general and his fascination with Germanic and 19th-century Eastern European lands. Over time, he even developed “Rocaterranski,” a unique language for his secret place in the imagination, complete with its own alphabet.

Tall and skinny, with a little moustache, Kuhler later stood out at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where he smoked a pipe and favored three-piece suits, while his all-American peers wore their letter sweaters and preppy duds. Graduating with an undergraduate degree in history, he landed a job as a curator in that field at a museum in Spokane, Washington, where he worked for a few years and changed his name to “Renaldo Gillet Kuhler.” After returning to Colorado for a two-year program in museum studies, the odd fellow who drew himself pictures of an imaginary girlfriend moved to Raleigh to take up a new position as a scientific illustrator at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. He would remain there until his death.

Today, Brett Ingram, The Secret World of Renaldo Kuhler’s author, teaches filmmaking in the media studies department at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. It was thanks to two chance encounters with Kuhler, he recalls in his new book, that he came to know the “flamboyant giant” who later became his friend and, ultimately, entrusted Ingram with the preservation of his artistic legacy.

Renaldo Kuhler and the book’s author, Brett Ingram, in North Carolina, 2009 (photo © Geoff Wood, courtesy of Blast Books)

Ingram first spotted Kuhler during a ride on a public bus in Raleigh in 1994. The elderly artist was more than six feet tall, he writes in the book, “with a bushy white beard and ponytail.” He wore “a custom-tailored uniform of indeterminate origin: a sleeveless, Kelly green suit jacket with wide, black, notched lapels, epaulets, and brass buttons, a matching suit vest, yellow flannel dress shirt, a fleur-de-lis Boy Scout neckerchief, and tight-fitting, knee-length shorts.” Although other passengers looked away, Ingram watched and listened as Kuhler declaimed about the virtues of public transportation. He writes that he at first found the old man to be “[j]ust another crazy person talking to himself,” but that the more he paid attention to his rant, the more he “noticed the good sense he made.”

Two years later, as Ingram was starting a media-development job at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, he was surprised to meet Kuhler there in person when his new boss introduced him to other employees; the artist’s workspace was tucked away in an annex building “filled with taxidermy, mammal skeletons, and jars of preserved specimens.” Ingram would later learn that Kuhler was completely self-taught as a scientific illustrator and “attributed his draftsmanship to his ability to see the world in detail.”

As skillfully rendered as the pictures on display around his worktable were — Kuhler drew snakes, birds, fish, and bone structures — it was the his precise, almost “obsessive” depictions “of androgynous humanoids in form-fitting uniforms” similar to the garments the artist wore himself that caught Ingram’s eye. Those images were labeled with what appeared to be the names of their subjects — “Eutie,” “Beulis,” and “Peekle” (all characters, it turned out, from Rocaterrania). Along with neatly hand-lettered bus schedules and lists of telephone numbers, such drawings, Ingram writes, “clearly [had] originated outside the purview of Renaldo’s job description.”

Ingram recalls how, over time, he befriended his new work colleague, who eventually invited him to visit his home. There, he showed him the uniforms he meticulously designed and arranged for a local tailor to construct for him, as well as drawings, notebooks, sketches, and hand-made objects — pipes, jars, badges, neckerchief holders — made of glued-and-sculpted cardboard that collectively represented his imaginary country. In his mock-lederhosen ensemble, puffing one of his elaborate, homemade pipes, Kuhler went out drinking with Ingram, looking every bit the incarnation of one of his Rocaterranian characters. (“You have beautiful teeth,” the artist would say during such outings to a woman he found attractive, not as a pick-up line but as a sincere compliment.)

Kuhler’s drawings, reproduced in the book: left, Brümaire, nicknamed “Beans” for the large warts that protruded from his nose, with his revolutionary co-conspirator Nikolai Romanovski; right, listening to the election returns over the radio at President Kahn’s residence (artworks by Renaldo Kuhler, © Brett Ingram; photo courtesy of Blast Books)

As their friendship developed, Kuhler permitted Ingram to film him at his home and around town; Ingram used the footage he amassed to produce Rocaterrania, a documentary about the artist’s life and the evolution of his imaginary country, which was released in 2009. (The film will be screened tonight at Anthology Film Archives.) Later, after the artist’s death, Ingram inherited his large body of work and spent years organizing and carefully archiving it.

Perhaps even more straightforwardly than his movie, Ingram’s new book lays out the story lines of the different aspects of Rocaterrania that Kuhler developed over a period of some six decades. Blast Books’ founder and publisher, Laura Lindgren, noted during a recent interview at her Manhattan office that the new book “constitutes the complete telling of Renaldo Kuhler’s narrative for the first time.”

When I met Ingram at his home in Greensboro several months ago, he told me that he felt lucky that he was able to ask the artist many questions about Rocaterrania before he died. “Renaldo had it all in his head but he never wrote it all down,” Ingram explained. Thus, the new book provides a family tree and an accounting of the members of the imaginary country’s first emperor, Philippe Romanovski, a descendant of Russian nobility, and his offspring, as well as descriptions of its political revolutions, its multi-tiered society (in which Peekle and his pals are “neutants,” humanoids that are neither male or female), its ethnic groups, and its religions (like “Ojallaism,” which is rooted in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam).

A page spread from the new book shows, on the left, Ojallic clergy at a wake for a fallen coal miner, accompanied by nuns; right: the consecration of the victim of a mining accident (artworks by Renaldo Kuhler, © Brett Ingram; photo courtesy of Blast Books)

Ingram, channeling Kuhler, also describes Rocaterrania’s social customs and scientific advances (one of its farms was “the first to use human waste as a crop fertilizer”), and summarizes, with some of the most striking of any of Kuhler’s full-color drawings, the story of a Rocaterranian film, supposedly produced in 1956, about the voyage of the nation’s astronauts to the Moon. “[T]he people need an escape once in a while,” a confidante of Rocaterrania’s president tells the little country’s leader in what is, in effect, the proposing of a fantasy within a fantasy. A reader can imagine Kuhler relishing his imagination’s rich turns.

The complexities of Henry Darger’s inventively illustrated, good-versus-evil magnum opus, with its legions of naked, Victorian little girls with penises in combat against monsters, armies, and hangmen, or those found in the work of the Swiss art brut legend Adolf Wölfli (1864-1930), whose alter ego, “Saint Adolf,” creates an entire universe within a 45-volume grand narrative filled with texts, musical scores, and elaborate images, might seem edgier or more sophisticated than the multifaceted but comparatively familiar storybook character of Kuhler’s big production. Still, as Ingram’s book suggests, Kuhler brought something of a polymath’s resources, along with effusive enthusiasm, to his creation of Rocaterrania in all its detail.

Lindgren, who worked closely with Ingram over several years to shape the new book (as well as design it, as she does all of her company’s titles), observed, “A lot of it is just simply delightful, as was Renaldo himself.” She was referring to the time she met the artist in person during his appearance in a group exhibition at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore in 2009. “He was sitting at his drawing table, which they had brought from his home in North Carolina, and his drawings were on display,” she said. “It was weird to have a human being on display, too, but he was so sweet. He looked at my male friend who had mutton-chop sideburns and was wearing a three-piece suit and said, approvingly, ‘The 19th century!’ He saw another long-haired friend of mine and said, ‘Schubertian!’”

Kuhler’s drawings showing, at left, workers in Rocaterrania’s National Labor Service, and on the right, a labor camp in the country’s province of White New Serbia (artworks by Renaldo Kuhler, © Brett Ingram; photo courtesy of Blast Books)

Ingram’s book points out that Kuhler “drank a lot, smoked a lot, [and] talked a lot […] to anyone within earshot,” and that he “possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of history, architecture, and movies.” In addition, he was deeply knowledgeable about religions and languages, and “loved bathtubs, gaslights, long legs, ice cream and horses’ ears.”

After reading and considering Ingram’s recollections about the artist, certain questions inevitably emerge, especially: Like Darger, how much, if any, personal experience with sex did the artist have in his lifetime, and to what extent did his knowledge or understanding of human sexuality inform — or not — the erotic current that pulses through some of his art? As far as anyone knows, he was never diagnosed as autistic or mentally ill, but his behavior was of the kind that those around him would have described as “strange.” Still, he made his way through life and the world he knew on his own terms, and in his own way, he triumphed.

In Ingram’s book, old photos of Kuhler as a child show a youngster standing uncomfortably next to his mother, detached and awkward, with big eyes gazing somewhere a million miles away.

“The ability to fantasize is the ability to survive,” he once stated. As this book honoring the power of his imagination suggests, this discovery, for an artist and his audience, may be one of the most meaningful of all.

The Secret World of Renaldo Kuhler (2017) is published by Blast Books and is available from Amazon and other online booksellers.

The post An Artist Who Fantasized as a Way to Survive appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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