gculture | men's luxury magazine | issue 7 january 2009

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7 January 2009

© GCulture 2009 Men’s Luxury Magazine

Weary: Male Skin Fatigue FitnessFirst: A New Year’s ResolutionDufy, The Anti-Modern Music -2008 Review, 2009 Preview GetYourself Organised: Pens andDiaries Atomic Floyd The PalladianHeritage Gin - A History

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© GCulture 2009 Page 1Men’s Luxury Magazine

Editors’ LetterAs we stumble over the line into 2009 amid financial uncertainty and an ever changing market, we find ourselves turning to pleasure and organisation to help see us through.

In this issue, Simon Hughes looks at the options available to those still looking for that perfect fitness regime, whilst Elizabeth Dodd remi-nisces her 2008 musical highlights and gazes into the ether to predict the top trends of 2009.

In the true spirit of organisation, GCulture looks at the best selection of diaries and pens to keep you on your toes and planning ahead. And speaking of spirits, Emma Nankivell journeys into the history of gin, look-ing at its humble medicinal begin-nings in 17th century Holland to its now immortal status.

Marie-Béatrice Billault explores light and shade at the Raoul Dufy exhibi-tion in Paris whilst Aaron Hales vents his frustrations over his head-phone woes, only to find solace in a very unique product. GCulture also journeys down into the dermis to explore the secrets of male skin care and explains what exactly it is your skin needs to stay looking healthy.

As an homage to the quincentenary of his birth, GCulture dedicates a feature to Andrea Palladio, the 16th-century architect whose work and four books on the subject, changed the face of western architecture as we see it today.

A. Hales Benoit Durand

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Body

A quick Google of 'male skin fatigue' reveals some unexpected results. Instead of the usual scientific infor-mation, cosmetic brands are the highest ranking, providing cures in the forms of serums and creams. Guides to the '5 signs of male fatigue' and information on how to beat that 'stressed, worn look' can be found everywhere. But does male skin fatigue pose as a serious problem, or is it something slightly exaggerated by cosmetic companies?

The skin is the largest organ protect-ing the body from damage and is made up of several layers of tissue that guard the underlying contents. The skin is usually highly underesti-mated for its role in which it plays in protecting, insulating and regulating the body. The skin is composed of three primary layers, the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis.

The epidermis acts as the protective wrap over the body's surface con-necting through a membrane to the dermis, the layer of skin that acts as a cushion, protecting the body from stress and strain. This is where the sense of touch and heat is stored as well as the hair follicles, sweat glands and blood vessels.

Before turning to the world of cos-metics, it is wise to consider check-ing over a few points in order to ensure the best environment and support for your skin.

Hygiene is a major factor in having healthy skin. If the skin is not cleaned regularly, then dead cells and sweat mix on its surface to form a filthy layer. If left, this mixture begins to decompose, producing an awful smell.

Weary: Male Skin Fatigue

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BodyThe skins day-to-day procedures begin to slow down when dirty, becoming more easily damaged, releasing less anti-bacteria and becoming prone to infection.

Lifestyle choices are also another major factor in the world of skincare. A healthy mixture of sunlight, water and air are advised, but sun protec-tion is always necessary. Ultraviolet light from the sun causes deep dam-ages in the skin, from dry rough skin to cancerous (malignant) skin tumors. The sun's rays are most damaging between 10am and 4pm, so a good sunscreen with a protec-tion factor (SPF) greater than 15 is advised.

Smoking is unwise if you wish to look after your skin. Smoking causes narrowing of the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of the skin. This decreases the blood flow, deprives the skin of oxygen and important nutrients such as vitamin A. The skin's elastin and collagen are also damaged, affecting the strength and elasticity of the skin.

The male skin can also be greatly damaged by a task that has to be completed on a daily basis for some: shaving. Shaving can cause serious skin irritations, especially if the skin is particularly thin, dry or sensitive.

It is always advised for a man to shave after a warm bath or shower, as this softens the hair in prepara-

tion. Dry skin should never be shaved, as this can cause razor burn. Always remember to ensure that the skin is thoroughly lubricated with a cream, lotion or gel before shaving. The razor must be sharp and clean and used in the direction of the hair growth and not against it. Avoid the use of alcohol-based products as alcohol evaporates rapidly from the skin and may dry the skin out.

'You are what you eat' seems to have become more of a social focus, and should certainly be taken into con-sideration when looking to improve your skin. A balanced diet is the best way to achieve healthy skin although the secret to a glowing complexion seems to lie in vitamin A, one of the most important components of skin health. Healthy skin has long been associated with the consumption of carrots, although those suffering from diabetes or a thyroid condition cannot convert the beta carotene found in carrots to Vitamin A. Low-fat dairy products are said to contain 'true' Vitamin A, and therefore acces-sible to everyone. Green tea has recently been championed as the answer to natural skin repair, with its anti-inflammatory properties, and ability to reduce damage from ultra-violet light and protect cell mem-branes. One of the simplest ways to keep your skin looking healthy is to drink plenty of water. Good hydra-tion from pure, clean water keeps nutrients in and toxins out and allows us to sweat more efficiently,

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Bodykeeping the skin clean and clear.

Male skin fatigue is a naturally occurring problem. The mixture of stress, diet and lifestyle choices in a busy man's life really is reflected on

the surface. Keeping fit and healthy in both body and mind as well as getting into a routine of clean, cau-tious grooming is the ultimate for-mula for healthy, long-lasting skin.

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Body

Getting fit means getting into good shape, and this includes mind, body and soul.Regardless, getting and staying fit does not have to mean spending hour after hour, night after night, in your dreary gym padding the endless rolling road of the treadmill. Instead while many of us will be heading en mass, fresh with New Year promise, to our nearest health centre, we at GCulture want to preach an alterna-tive Fitness First Revolution. Before you go ahead and join the January fitness rebellion, consider first our alternative look at ways to start exer-cising when the healthy-bug bites in the midst of January's lingering winterdom.

Become a triathlete

A three disciplined event, combining swimming, cycling and running, triathlon is one the UK's fastest

growing sports. It's perhaps not surprising given that at beginner level, triathlon is certainly not at all expensive, apart from the basics like good goggles and running shoes, many beginners can be competitive even with an ordinary non-remarkable bike. Indeed most of us will have tried at least one of the disciplines involved and many will be well versed in all three.

So, with the three sports combined, you will learn to train harder as you don't concentrateon just one activity. By training in multi sports you will develop both in terms of all round muscle toning - by working all of the main groups, and in terms of cardiovascular capacity, as well as increasing your overall sporting performance.

By training in the cross disciplines you can break down training to

Fitness First: A New Year's Resolution

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Bodyenable you to gain the most out of each session without having to use sore, exhausted muscles, as you go from session to session, reducing the amount of injuries while increasing the frequency of training. With care-ful planning, and a little dedication, competing in a triathlon event needn't be impossible.

Obviously you shouldn't be planning on throwing yourself into an Iron-man event without some serious training; nevertheless beginners will be surprised at how quickly the basics are covered. You will be rap-idly improving your swim, bike and running technique as your fitness levels soar.

Go commando - assault the body and senses and attempt an assault course

The Krypton Factor returns and so does our adolescent fascination with cargo nets, zip wires and monkey bars, as you could do far worse than indulge your passion for Granada TV's most dangerous inception.

In the years before the viral celeb prime time takeover, Gordon Burns' army of jump-suit clad bankers and hedge fund managers by day, merci-less warriors by night - would take on the mighty Granada assault course, going all out over walls, nets and wires, without a safety harness or risk assessment in sight.

These days it's a much safer (we can all thank the personal injury solici-tors for that!) yet nonetheless unfor-giving way to spend a weekend knee deep in mud as your heart pounds and your legs fail. You could even take the boys from the office and see who at the end is the one left stand-ing as the rest toil about in the mud, or watch the boss wheeze into sub-mission.

Ride your bike

Chris Hoy is the BBC Sports Person-ality and with Lance Armstrong back on the Tour de France in 2009, what more inspiration do you need?

With the downturn in the economy encouraging more people to ditch the 4x4 in favour of the power of the pedal, more people than ever are saddling up and hitting the road.

So what of the benefits?

Cycling is one of the most effective exercises to burn those extra calo-ries, not only does it pave the way for maintaining fitness, it helps improve balance, coordination and stamina, even the most casual ‘commuter' can see their overall fitness levels rise simply by swapping the car for the bike. Or if you don't fancy that, there is always the weekend to pick up the bike and enjoy anything from smoother family outings and urban routes to grueling hill climbs.

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BodyOr if you fancy getting seriously involved why not give yourself the thigh wrenching experience of Sport-ives.

The premise of bridging the gap between riding and racing is simply a set course that must be covered in a set time, based upon your age. Thereafter increasing in size and monstrous lung-busting difficulty, riders can join single-day events throughout the UK, or be seriously tested over courses that take the twisted mountain climbs from stages of the European Tours and drop them in front of your quivering leg muscles.

Parkour up

Parkour or ‘PK' as is sometimes known is a fast growing movement. The point of the activity is to move from one point to another, focusing on developing principles of efficiency and speed.

Combining elements from martial arts and gymnastics and tracing roots to the classic obstacle course method of military training, scholars learn the basics of spatial awareness, movement and balance.

You will soon find that PK works each and every muscle in your body as you bounce over everything from concrete walls, rails to rocks and even buildings.

You develop the strength of mind to take and defeat anything your urban, or rural setting can muster. 2008 was a great year for action films, The Dark Knight, Casino Royale etc. With Parkour you will soon be emu-lating your comic book favourites as you leap around in parks like Gotham's finest.

Nintendo Wii it!

Finally, it might be time to throw away that gym membership and get a Nintendo Wii instead. If ever you needed an excuse to relive those endless boyhood days playing Nin-tendo then a study by John Moores at Liverpool University found that playing the Wii could set you up for some serious weight shedding.

The Wii Fit might not be the most obvious way to kick in a new fitness regime but you will soon be reaping the benefits with a little help from Mario and co.

Just don't expect your favourite Nintendo character to come and hound you down for poor perfor-mance like your current trainer as Nintendo has left the humiliation out for now.

Simon Hughes

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Mind

Protected from the crowd of big-budget exhibitions of star artists, Raoul Dufy is waiting for us, discrete but confident, in the calm and the space of the galleries of the Museum of Modern Art in Paris.

The title of the exhibition is based on an affirmation from the woman of letters and collector Gertrude Stein, who wrote in 1946 "Raoul Dufy is pleasure". At first this title is a ques-tion: is Raoul Dufy this painter of lightness whose easy and colourful themes of horse and boat-racings were the predilection? Is this epithet representative of the painter? Indeed he is mainly famous for his appar-ently superficial 1930's paintings.

According to a progression mixing thematic and chronology, the exhibi-tion presents the varied course of the painter from Le Havre (1877-1953) through more than 200 of his art-

works, mostly painted, but also including drawings, prints, ceramics and cloths.

Very influenced by Boudin, other painters from Normandy, and by Monet's impressionist shapes, the first turning point of Dufy's work occurred in 1905, in front of Mat-isse's painting Luxe, calme et volupté. Dufy then liberated himself indefinitely from impressionism to enter with conviction Fauvism. It is the only pictorial movement that he joined completely, and is also the movement that mostly marked his style over the years. Contrary to the other Fauves, Dufy favors popular scenes in a landscape. His first series appeared, including the 14th of July paintings, colourful and festive.

Dufy, The Anti-Modern

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Raoul Dufy, Paysage de Vence, 1908© Adagp, Paris 2008

Then Dufy studied Cézanne and became shortly close to Cubism, but without completely abandoning colour, still Fauve, or arabesque. The attempt to Cubist austerity does not suit him.

Meanwhile, Dufy did not cease taking inspiration from popular art. His prints delicioulsy illustrate Bestaire by Apollinaire, published in 1911, while creating postcards for his small propaganda business during the First World War. But his meeting with couturier Paul Poiret and his collaboration with silk manufacturer Bianchini-Férier offered Dufy the best opportunity to diversify himself and to give freedom to his imagina-tion. From 1910 and for over twenty years, Dufy realised a multitude of decorative works such as drapes, advertisements as well as a screen representing a Panorama of Paris (1929-1933).

With le jardin abandoné in 1913, Dufy's style started to affirm itself. This trend continued in the 1920's. One discovers with astonishment his delicate water-coloured series of Morocco and Venice. From there, he is considered by his contemporaries as a master of watercolor highlighted with gouache thanks to the subtle colors of paintings such as Thé chez le pacha de Marrakech (1926).

Dufy found his style with fluidity and vivacity, shimmering with black lines that one very often saw at the begin-ning of his career. He did not paint many portraits but some windows, workshops, horse-races series, as well as music and big orchestra series in which a dominant colour gives the painting its unity.

Raoul Dufy, Bateaux Pavoisés, 1931© Adagp, Paris 2008

The last series, that of Cargos noirs, painted at the end of his life, links his favorite theme from his early years, the sea, and a darker aspect of

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Mindthe painter, with these black masses that give the painting a worrying atmosphere. It is maybe to remind one that Dufy is not just lightness.

The exhibition ends with the monu-mental Fée Électricité (Electricty Fairy), fresco painted by Dufy for the International Exhibition of Arts and Technics in 1937, and is part of the museum's permanent collection.

So, pleasure, the title of the exhibi-tion, is well chosen: it is both reduc-ing and claiming. Reducing because it voluntarily reflects ones ignorance of the painter, giving him this quali-fier once again, after reflexion and without shame. Plus demonstrating that lightness is not just necessarily superficial.

Raoul Dufy is finally an unknown modern. The exhibition thus under-lines more exactly that Dufy is, in his own way, an anti-modern. Not a conservative, because this touched-everything painter, as one saw, lived with his time. He is a modern who takes the paths, a modern that one can not limit to a single label. He spawned with the avant-garde but often navigated onside, he innovated

while resisting, with some peaks of nostalgia in his brush strokes and colours. He is indefinable but recog-nisable among all, he created this style that is only light in appearance. Dufy is an anti-modern, i.e. he is modern but free. For our greatest pleasure.

"Raoul Dufy. Le Plaisir": until the 11th January 2009.

Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris11 avenue du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris, France

Open from Monday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm, late night opening on Thursday unitl 10pm.

Full price: 9 eurosReduced price: 7 euros / Youth price: 4.5 euros

Tel: +33 (0)1 53 67 40 00

For more information, please visit www.paris.fr

Marie-Béatrice Billault

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Mind

Whether knowingly triumphant or hilariously misjudged, music tips for the New Year provide as much an indulgent space for reflection as they do enthusiastic guesswork. With 2009 shaping up to be an interesting year culturally, politically and eco-nomically, there's no better opportu-nity to predict responses to the coming zeitgeist. But before 2008 can disintegrate entirely in a haze of Champagne Supernovas, it's worth remembering the trends that rocked the year; from the rock'n'roll that kicked up against ‘07s nu-rave renaissance, the noise that subcon-sciously soundtracked the US Presi-dential Election, through to the pre-lude to the Christmas Credit Crunch.

Mainstream pop's appetite - gleaned from that of the indie subculture - for everything new rendered 2008 a year of ten-second-wonders and flash-in-the-pan techno.

Fortunately this saturation - mainly in the guise of pseudo-eccentric female singer songwriters and shal-low, kitsch electro - bade farewell to the recent trend nu-eighties rave and ushered in an underground resur-gence of big sounds, big bands and bigger chords. ‘Epic' was ‘08s mot de jour, with magnificently weighty soundscapes from indie band British Sea Power (Do You Like Rock Music?, released in January) and Swedish post-rockers Sigur Ros (Með suð í eyrum við spilum enda-laust, released in June). Nine Inch Nails released The Slip, free, in May - at once moving the goalposts for industry-commercial standards and packing hook-ridden industrial with swathes of ambient soundscape, proving Trent Reznor remains one of the pioneers of modern music.

As Americana rose out of the dust kicked up by the presidential elec-

Music - 2008 Review, 2009 Preview

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Mindtions 2008 moved to embrace tradi-tional rock'n'roll. Picks of the best include The Gutter Twins album Saturnalia, released in March, which crossed goth-bleak lyricism, grated over Mark (nee Queens of the Stone Age) Lanegan's desert wrenched vocals, with blues-chord-progressions. A more optimistic turn from outstanding Brooklyn-based The Hold Steady, whose follow up album to ‘06s Boys and Girls in America, Stay Positive (July) was a Husker Du-esque infusion of Beat poetry and keyboard-accordian. The UK responded in kind, master song-crafter Nick Cave's latest Dig, Lazarus, Dig! (March) a stately return to form, concept album style, whilst Elbow's Mercury Award win-ning The Seldom Seen Kid (March) was yet further proof that the band are the radio friendly Radiohead, a masterful combination of Northern atmosphere, complex lyricism and gentle epic. Pitching from this classic rock'n'roll renaissance was a leap into hair metal. Top of the pile was Metallica's Death Magnetic (September), five years in the making and an album that more than made up for the disappoint-ments of 2003's St. Anger. Featuring some genuinely vital tracks and produced by rock guru Rick Rubin, Death Magnetic saw a return to band's mid-eighties thrash roots. Top of the Indie releases for 2008 was TV On The Radio's Dear Science (September), a masterpiece of com-plex production and intricate sound;

intelligent lyrics and musicianship. Fleet Foxes self-titled debut (March) was another graceful classic along the lines of The Guillemots: a com-plex of nostalgic folksy-harmonic art rock.

With a difficult 2009 ahead, under-ground eyes are on a re-emergence of punk rock. A recession, potential for Tory government and mass unemployment are conditions simi-lar to those in the late seventies that produced some of the most exciting and meaningful music to come out of post-Beatles Britain. While a resur-gence of second-wave stateside hard-core is unlikely, the USA are gearing up for releases from punk stalwarts Suicidal Tendencies, Rancid and ex-Hardcore New Yorkers, The Beastie Boys. U2, who have been working with sound genius Brian Eno on the follow up to How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, are due to release No Line on the Horizon in March and if the stadium stalwarts aren't your usual fare, Eno-crafted atmosphere might see the band return to some of the airier, less proselytizing post-rock of Boy and October.

With the techno colour of the eight-ies rave scene behind us and the stark neo-industrialism ahead, monochrome may well be the word of the year. Bands to watch in 2009 include White Lies, whose Interpol-esque alt-rock has already made waves amongst the NME readership

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Mindand whose new album To Lose My Life, to be released in January, should live up to the Indie band's hype. Red Light Company, another band to follow, should secure the epic alt-rock crossover with much hyped album Fine Fascination in February. The current vogue for tech-musicianship looks to continue beyond Foals' '08 debut, Antidote, with growing hype surrounding scene-mates Jonquil and noisier tech rockers Rolo Tomassi. Much talked about Northern Irish rock outfit The Answer support AC/DC on their '09 European tour, and are due to follow up their touring success with a new album and long awaited album, Everyday Demons, in 2009. Nu-folk is 2008: in 2009, singer-songwriters will be merging sounds with their

dance contempories. One act in particular, Lady Gaga, dubbed the new M.I.A, should be leading the charge for female fronted, ethnic twisted, rap-rock.

Whether the recession will spell the death of the music industry or its rejuvenation - for the sake of nostal-gia and vacuum packed comfort - remains to be seen. Either way, there is much to look forward to in the coming year, from stadium stalwarts to indie entrepreneurs. We raved, moshed and strummed our way through 2008: raise the dregs of your champagne to a hard rocking ‘09.

Elizabeth Dodd

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Indulgence

One of your New Year's resolutions might be that of organisation. Nevertheless, as every resolution, it risks not being followed for very long. And if being organised was also an essential part of your unique style? GCulture selects dia-ries and pens that, more than helping you to manage your hectic life, will give you an elegance and flair that everyone envies.

Right: 1. Diary in crocodile-finish brown calfskin by Smythson, from £46 - 2. Vertical diary in black alligator by Montblanc, £2,285 - 3. Johnnie Walker Blue Label Diary, By Appointment Only by Johnnie Walker Blue Label. This diary contains invitations for three once-in-a-lifetime experiences as well as a con-cierge service that will arrange a series of Blue Label events throughout the year. Created and designed by Aspinal of London, only two diaries have been pro-duced, £95,000 sold exclusively at Selfridges. 20 further diaries have been cre-ated with access to the concierge service and the three events, £2,000.

Get Yourself Organised: Pens and Diaries

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Indulgence

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Indulgence

1. Bijou Soho diary in crocodile-finish brown calfskin by Smythson, from £140 - 2. Note holder by Montblanc, £95 - 3. Diary in Box in black calfskin by Hermès, €640 - 4. Sceptre ballpen in Amethyst, Garnet or Amber by Yard-O-Led, £295 - 5. Westminster personalised diary by Letts of London at www.lettsoflondon.co.uk, from £15.

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Indulgence

1. Kings Desk diary in crocodile-finish brown calfskin by Smythson, from £150 - 2. Amazona personal organiser by Filofax, £80 - 3. Kendal personal organiser by Filofax, £52 - 4. 200 limited edition Grand Esprit fountain pen in silver by Yard-O-Led, £850 - 5. Finchley personal organiser by Filofax, £67 - 6. Meister-stück fountain pen in black resin and platinum by Montblanc, £400.

Benoît Durand

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Indulgence

I am not a huge fan of headphones. Usually fragile, tangly and expend-able objects that seem to cause me more annoyance than pleasure as I spend most of my time trying to find them or keep them in my ears whilst walking. It was suggested that I move over to the 'can' style head-phone for my music on the go, but the idea of walking about attempting to look fairly dapper with those attached to my head is nothing but cringeworthy.

After consistent moaning, the Atomic FloydTM AirJax Titanium2TM were thrust in my direction. I was informed that these were what I was looking for - great sound, comfort and that extra bit of attention to detail that made them quite unique. I surveyed the packaging, instantly noticing 'adjustable ear hook' which always gives me nightmares of the bluetooth headset circa five years

ago.

However, once you get your hands on the AirJax, you realise that you are in the presence of quality. Firstly, 'Titanium2' is no marketing gimmick - these headphones use an alloy that flexes but will always retain its origi-nal shape (which is great if your ears are not 'conventional'). The hooks themselves are comfortable, light and can be adjusted in four ways to allow a more custom fit, which can then be screwed in place with the accompanied tool. The once easily worn plastic covering the cable has been replaced with a tougher fabric cord, which comes as a great relief.

The audio quality in the Atomic FloydTM AirJax Titanium2TM is sup-ported by a mixture of components that have obviously been chosen for their quality. The audio experience with the AirJax is very pure and

Atomic Floyd

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Indulgence

clean, as the treble is clear without being too tinny and the bass is sur-prisingly rich without ever distorting or dominating. The earphones fit comfortably into the ear, using a rubber that perfectly fits the contour of the inside ear, which when coupled with the hooks leaves a pair of headphones that are not going anywhere anytime soon.

With fantastic sound for a product in this price range, a very polished look and the capacity to work with any ipod/mp3 (including the iphone), the AirJaxTM Titanium2TM certainly

blows its competition out of the water.

I'm suddenly a huge fan...

Price: £120

The AirJax Titanium2TM comes complete with a double-stitched protective leather pouch, aeroplane adapters and an audio jack.

For more information and to order online, please visit: www.atomicfloyd.com

Aaron Hales

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Refinement

Andrea Palladio is everywhere. Widely considered as the most influ-ential person in the history of west-ern architecture, Palladio's style has reached from Italy through France, Britain and even to the United States.

Andrea di Pietro della Gondola (Palladio was a later bestoment) was born in 1508 in Padua, then part of the Republic of Venice. He began his working life as an apprentice stone-mason, moving from workshop to workshop, taking greater interest in classical architecture and roman architectural principles.

Palladio's Venice was quickly turning from once great military and com-merical power to a minor player in the game of trade and land control. The capture of Constantinople by the turks in 1453 and Christopher Co-lumbus's 1492 expedition had replaced the Orient as the most

lucrative destination for European traders. A recently discovered sea route to Asia meant that Venice could no longer demand safe passage to the East, rendering the Mediterra-nean powerless.

The Palladian Heritage

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RefinementThe recent arrival of corn from the New World prompted several noble Venetian families who had gained substantial capital from foreign trade, to move their work closer to home and begin dominating the farming industry. The Venetians also considered this an opportunity to escape the ever growing hustle and bustle of Venice to seek spiritual reflection in the countryside. Ever optimistic, the Venetians still had a problem. Where would they live?

Grand palaces simply did not exist in the countryside, and the families certainly needed a building that reflected their own magnificence. To build a Venetian palace in the coun-tryside would not be functional, as a building was needed that could supervise a large agricultural busi-ness as well as store grain and wine. An urban structure would intrude on the families attempt at connecting with nature and their spiritual tran-quility, but most of all, would cost a lot of money to build.

The Venetians needed something entirely new - an opulent, grand structure that was comfortable, con-nected with nature, acted as a func-tional agricultural centre and most of all, dug as little as possible into the families finances. Luckily, a certain Andrea Palladio, working sixty or so kilometres from Venice provided the answer. After extensive research, Palladio had defined a three-part solution to what was now a problem

for the world of modern architecture and economics as a whole. Palladio devised a solution that included 1) dramatic exterior motifs 2) economi-cal materials and 3) internal har-mony and balance.

Exterior motifs taking inspiration from Greek temple fronts that incor-porated left and right balance as well as the use of brick and stucco (a material made of an aggregate, binder and water) instead of granite and marble paved the way for numerous commissions from Palla-dio.

One of the most impressive points to the villas of Palladio is the use of harmony and balance inside the house. Palladio states that the parts of a house must correspond to the whole and to each other, both in ratios of width and length. Volumet-ric size is extremely disciplined, with each room taking inspiration from a central template, sometimes set inside a square.

In 1570, having accomplished the use of movable type (then only about a hundred years old) and following

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Refinementyears of research and preparation, Palladio published 'I Quattro Libri dell' Architettura' (The Four Books of Architecture). It was in these

Some eighteen surviving Palladio villas have been the inspiration for a number of buildings across the world, especially in England. Lord Burlington's Chiswick House, Sir. John Vanbrugh's Blenheim Palace, Sir. Robert Walpole's Houghton Hall and Robert Adam's Kedleston Hall all take direct inspiration from the techniques used by Palladio. Perhaps the most famous Palladian structure in the United States is Thomas Jef-ferson's Monticello estate. As an amateur architect, Jefferson referred to Palladio's 'I Quattro Libri dell' Architettura' as his 'bible' and based many of his designs on those found

books that Palladio set out architec-tural principles and advice that builders and architects would and continue to use till this very day.

in Palladio's book.

Andrea Palladio died in 1580, yet his work has survived and has possibly been one of the single most impor-tant contributions to our thoughts on architecture now, and for many years to come.

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Refinement

A gin and tonic is music to the ears for some, especially at this time of year after struggling back to work or after a manic day of tackling the thousands of people in the shopping frenzy. Whether you prefer an exotic Bombay sapphire, a world-class Tanqueray or a traditional Gordon's, the name G&T has evolved into more than a simple beverage.

Gin originated in the Netherlands in around the 17th Century. There is often speculation about the origin of Gin but it is known that scientists trying to concoct a medicine to help with stomach pains, gout and gall-stones stumbled across the concoc-tion that came to be known as Gin. The meddling in medicine resulted in the creation of a spirit that was soon to be drunk and known by thousands. The classic taste stems from a blend of Juniper berries mixed with citrus botanicals, allow-

ing for an immersion of the senses in intense exotic flavours.

Gin first became popular in England shortly after the Glorious Revolution put William of Orange on the thrown and the Government allowed unli-censed gin to be produced. This along with the strict ban on imported spirits saw a mass increase in the market for Gin and with it being so cheap to produce, it made a very popular choice for the poor.

Over half of the number of drinking establishments had been converted into Gin shops and as so many people consumed the alcohol, it carried a bad reputation as being the cause behind so many social and medical problems. Saying this, it may have also been the factor behind stabilising the exceeding birth rate in England at the time. The term ‘Dutch courage' is said to have originated

Gin - A History

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Refinementfrom the time when British soldiers brought gin back from Holland in the 17th century.

For those of whom Gin is their tipple, there are many different brands that have created the classic flavour with a unique twist. The mixture of herbs and spices used to flavour gin vary from brand to brand but are known to include coriander, lemon and orange peel, liquorice, cinnamon and grains of paradise. With the neutral spirit being at least 96% alcohol the essential botanicals along with pure water has to be added to lower the strength to EU legal alcohol requirements. Plym-ouths, Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, Gordon's, Beefeater and Tower of London are just a few of England's most popular premium brands.

It was alleged that tonic water was a good cure for malaria, as it contained quinine. People visiting the tropics chose to add Gin to the tonic water to make it a more pleasurable drink.

Thus, a beautiful partnership was formed and history was made.

Hendrick's is available from all Wait-rose stores, Oddbins and selected Sainsbury's.

RRP £20.79

Emma Nankivell

GCulturewww.gculture.co.uk

gculture | men's luxury magazine | issue 7 january 2009

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