Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Abraham Jedidiah Rogatnick

It was sometime around 1994 that I met an old man who was stooped and walked with a cane. I was a youngish (youthful?) 55. The old man, Abraham Rogatnick died in 2009. I was at his bed the day before he died. He had given me an hour-long treatise on Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580) and the merits and wonders of his Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore.

It is 2012 and I am now that old man with the exception that my beautiful carved and colourful Apizaco, Mexico, cane is behind my TV set in the den. I have yet no need for it.

I often think of how in just 15 years I have become a poor copy of the great old man that Rogatnick was when I met him.

At Rogatnick’s memorial service video artist extraordinaire, Clancy Dennehy showed us his take on Rogatnick. In a conversation with Dennehy just yesterday, he informed me he would post on YouTube a video about the late 90s tango band, Tango Paradiso. The video featured a then Vancouver Ballet BC dancer, Acacia Schachte, her father, another Ballet BC dancer, Rusty Toth and most improbably Abraham Rogatnick (who when not being an architect was a professional actor, Abraham Jedidiah Rogatnick. Because we discussed Rogatnick, today I was delighted to find that Dennehy had posted the Rogatnick video. Here it is.

Rogatnick video

The Profane Urbanist's Home

Rogatnick's manifesto for not moving the VAG

Abraham Jedidiah Rogatnick