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1. Click player below to start the music. 2. Click the image to also have a closer look at the lady. 3. Study for three minutes the picnic. |
I know it’s rude - but I would label Maestro Fragonard as a horny Kitsch painter - but that is exactly why his “Swing” is the best image to celebrate the beginning of spring. And yes, he was a Frenchmen.
Click image for a larger center.
Click image for a larger image of the left panel.
Click image for a larger image of the right panel.
Many great paintings like this one are hard to see or show on a blog - because they are painted on walls or ceillings. “Portable” painting on canvas are a modern “trend”.
So Paul Delaroche’s painting of the ceiling of the National School of Fine Arts in Paris is literally a neck breaking piece of art. I can show you only three fragments of the semi-circular painting - you have to stitch together in your mind. Some day someone will make a 3D panorama shot of this.
From Wikipedia:
The Hémicycle
In 1837 Delaroche received the commission for the great picture, 27 metres long, in the hemicycle of the award theatre of the École des Beaux Arts. The commission came from the Ecole’s architect, Felix Duban. This represents seventy-five great artists of all ages, in conversation, assembled in groups on either hand of a central elevation of white marble steps, on the topmost of which are three thrones filled by the creators of the Parthenon: architect Phidias, sculptor Ictinus, and painter Apelles, symbolizing the unity of these arts.
To supply the female element in this vast composition he introduced the genii or muses, who symbolize or reign over the arts, leaning against the balustrade of the steps, beautiful and queenly figures with a certain antique perfection of form, but not informed by any wonderful or profound expression. The portrait figures are nearly all unexceptionable and admirable. This great and successful work is on the wall itself, an inner wall however, and is executed in oil. It was finished in 1841, and considerably injured by a fire which occurred in 1855, which injury he immediately set himself to remedy (finished by Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury); but he died before he had well begun, on the 4th of November 1856.
More? Paul Delaroche @ Wikipedia
There not much a simple soul and music lover like me can write about such a genius.
I remember when I was 16 and a coworker introduced and educated me about classical music. Since I loved symphonic soundtracks like Star Wars or Star Trek II that was easily done - and I was hooked. Loved Beethoven and his wild emotions and free spirit. Mozart - nah - that was shallow. My coworker told me to be patient - and the taste for Mozart would come with maturity. Now that I am an old fart myself I have to say he was right. Now I am very much into Mozart and much more can hear and appreciate all his subtleties and nuances.
The challenge with Mozart - for any new acolyte of classical music - is his huge volume of work. It ranges from entertaining little melodies to to breath taking requiems. There is music for almost any occasion and mood in his huge repertoire.
Click to play “The Marriage of Figaro - Overture”:
Click to play “Klaviersonate Nr. 15 C-dur KV 495″:
Click to play “Symphonie Nr. 31 D-dur KV 297 ‘Pariser’”:
So if you like what you just heard and want to dig deeper buy one of the many “Best of Mozart” CD or MP3 collections. Check the pieces and maybe pick one piece that you enjoyed in particular.
His operas range from easy to monumental, so if you want to see one go to YouTube and dig a bit deeper. The Magic Flute is always a safe choice and charming, Don Giovanni is more like Heavy Metal. 
More? Mozart @ Wikipedia
Finally the boss of the American Federal Reserve confronts reality -and uses the dreaded ‘R’-Word.
How much more obvious does American decline to be to get Washington and the public to act?
The US Dollar is weaker then the Canadian Dollar.
The Euro has eclipsed the Dollar and stands good chances to become the dominant currency for reserves.
The US infrastructure is crumbling and underfunded.
The middle class is slowly disappearing, instead tent cities are appearing.
Even Wall Street and big banks are in serious trouble.
The Industrial-Military-Complex has worked in the past - but only because it employed massive amounts of people. Today’s streamlined and outsourced manufacturing no longer is a benefit to the American masses (only to the stockholders).
Who is to blame? A lazy US congress, a very bad President, the huge American deficit, the expensive war in Iraq and the total lack of good oversight of the financial markets and big business.
I wonder if most Americans will ever understand how long the Bush legacy, deficit and his idiotic war will burden their lives?
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1. Click player below to start the music. 2. Click the image to dive into the art. 3. Study for three minutes this great piece of art and all the drama. |
What better way to celebrate Easter than watching some Christian pain porn? Maestro Waterhouse once again proves his sense for drama and half naked ladies with this piece.
Poor little St. Eulalia was just a young girl, when she was brutally tortured and than finally killed for refusing to pay homage to pagan gods. From Wikipedia:
Eulalia of Mérida was a Roman Christian child martyred in Emerita in Lusitania (modern Mérida in Spain) during the persecution of Christians in the reign of emperor Diocletian and his co-emperor Maximian. Others place her death at the time of Trajan Decius (AD 249-51).[2] There is some dispute as to whether Saint Eulalia of Barcelona, whose story is similar, is the same person.[3]
Eulalia was a devout Christian virgin, aged 12–14, whose mother sequestered her in the countryside in AD 304 because all citizens were required to avow faith in the Roman gods. Eulalia ran away to the law court of the governor Dacian at Emerita, professed herself a Christian, insulted the pagan gods and emperor Maximian, and challenged the authorities to martyr her. The judge’s attempts at flattery and bribery failed. According to the Spanish-Roman poet Prudentius of the fifth century, she said:
Isis Apollo Venus nihil est,
Maximianus et ipse nihil:
illa nihil, quia factu manu;
hic, manuum quia facta colit(Isis, Apollo and Venus are naught,
Nor is Maximian anything more;
Nothing are they, for by hand they were wrought,
He, for of hands he the work doth adore)She was then stripped by the soldiers, tortured with hooks and torches, and burnt at the stake, suffocating from smoke inhalation. She taunted her torturers all the while, and as she expired a dove flew out of her mouth. This frightened away the soldiers and allowed a miraculous snow to cover her nakedness, its whiteness indicating her sainthood.
Can’t wait for Mel Gibson to make another bloody movie about her.
The painting itself has an unusual symmetry, since the main subject literally falls flat on the lower third of the image. The central space is almost vacant. Compared to most other Waterhouse paintings (where the woman and the tension is located smack in the center of the image) this one requires some “looking” to realize what is actually going on.
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1. Click player below to start the music. 2. Click the image above to dive into the art. 3. Study for seven minutes (sorry, a bit longer than usual) this great piece of art. |
I am a huge Beethoven fan. This human being was simply amazing and his music still sends shivers down my spine. And I guess I am not alone.
One of the things that pisses me off about Beethoven is that we don’t have any recordings of him playing the piano. It has been reported that he was not only a genius composer but also a master of the black & white keys.
Can anyone please build a time machine and bring back a good recording?
This portrait from Herr Stieler is the only one were Beethoven could be persuaded to sit down and be painted. People noted back than that this portrait was actually pretty close to the van’s passionate self.
Under the almost mad Air Force General Curtis LeMay the American bombed Japan to bits. Since most Japanese cities were built with wood Curtis ordered incendiary bombs to be used instead of normal bombs - and the effect was devastating.
On March the 10th 1945 more than 25% of Tokyo was destroyed and over 100.000 people were killed. That us MUCH more than in Dresden (were estimates range from 24.000 to 40.000). Even Hiroshima (est. 80.000 direct deaths) and Nakasaki (est. 40.000 to 75.000 deaths).
But the firebombing of Tokyo is one of the many forgotten war crimes and human disasters.
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1. Click player below to start the music. 2. Click the image above to dive into the art. 3. Study for three minutes this great piece of art. |
The Story of Elijah is a huge epic - for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. He has raised the dead and brought fire from haven. Quite a religious superman. But he had his weak moments too.
He challenged King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of Israel to a contest - and was promptly forced to flee their anger. As usual for prophets in the region he was stranded in the desolate wilderness with hardly enough food and water. He has a harsh time ahead of him (from Wikipedia):
Elijah travels, for forty days and forty nights, to Mount Horeb and seeks shelter in a cave. God again speaks to Elijah (1 Kings 19:9): “What doest thou here, Elijah?” Elijah lays out all his complaints and his despair. Up until this time Elijah has only the word of God to guide him, but now he is told to go outside the cave and “stand before the Lord.” A terrible wind passes, but God is not in the wind. A great earthquake shakes the mountain, but God is not in the earthquake. Then a fire passes the mountain, but God is not in the fire. Then a “still small voice” comes to Elijah and asks again, “What doest thou here, Elijah?” Elijah responds again with his complaints and his sense of hopelessness.
In the scene above we see an Angel bringing supplies to the sleeping Elijah.
Lord Leighton has this keen sense for drama and posture for his scenes. He knows how to place his actors for full effect. Too bad he never made movies - I am sure he would have been a great director for something like Cleopatra or Gone with the Wind.
Click image for more Venus.
I love these ancient Greek statues - almost all amazing graces. I wish there was a 3D image for showing off such artwork on the web - so we could rotate the statue and zoom into details.
A crouching position is pretty unusual - most statues stand up - which makes them more impressive to their followers (remember we talk about the Goddess Venus here).
Many sculptures have an eerie presence that goes way beyond the power and energy most paintings posses. It is a magnificent mixture of grace and reality that overwhelms.
BBC News: Anti-depressants ‘of little use’
The label “Depression” includes a wide range of mental conditions, reasons and cures. A new study found out that most Anti-Depressants only help a few people - which made the drug companies very unhappy.
Overall we have to ask ourselves as a society why we haven’t come to grips with “happiness” and why so many people feel the need for medication or drugs to cope with life?
I don’t think we are unhappier and life is harsher than say in the Middle Ages - but people today “expect” to be happy all the time, while in most periods in human history we were just glad to be alive with some food and security.
Happiness is mandatory! So smile or medicate …
In our rich societies we are constantly bombarded with images, products and ideas about “happiness” - so reaching this stage seems the ultimate goal today. Just being alive, safe, clothed, feed, secure, educated, fucked and cared for isn’t enough anymore.
People with serious depressions need better medicine - and for the rest of us: we need better education and training how to cope with life and our own desires. Just because you are unhappy or can’t cope with obstacles in your life doesn’t mean you suffer from depression …
Another piece from Maestro Cagnacci.
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1. Click player below to start the music. 2. Click the image above to dive into the art. 3. Study for four minutes this piece of art. |
I like the style of the painting, but compared to his other masterpiece ‘Lucretia’ this is pretty lame. The composition is weak, the drama rather pathetic and not worth the death of the great Cleopatra. And the snake is rather puny. The Lady looking at the snake looks more like eating or cuddling it any moment …
Overall this image is way to European and not very Egyptian. I can only suspect that the original buyer wanted to have something with many half-naked ladies?
Smart campaign to visualize how we plunder the (green) resources of our planet. I wonder if we really still need to raise awareness of the situation - I would rather see a paper spender that limits waste in some way …
I am a huge fan of Burne-Jones. His paintings are always touching and very intimate in an almost personal way. Not many painters are able to connect to deeply by using ’simple’ topic.
On this painting Saint George doesn’t come across as the dragon kicking hero, full of testosterone and male desire to save the damsel in distress. He is rather a melancholic-charming fellow. His gaze is almost shy and he seems to feel a bit awkward as well.
I love how Burne-Jones integrated the serpent and the damsel on Saint George’s shield design. Plus the red flag from his lance representing blood or passion in a very subtle way …
This is for Nerds and people with slow Notebooks using Windows XP only. Microsoft introduced with Windows Vista some nifty new caching technology to speed up the launch of applications and the operating system by using an USB stick as an accelerator. Windows XP users didn’t get the boost.
eBoostr (which is $29 or €19) offers the same boost (in combination with a FAST USB stick with at least 1 GByte of free space). I tried it and bought it for my older Fujitsu-Siemens notebook. Especially on notebooks with slower drives and little RAM eBoostr really makes a difference. If you have a fast desktop computer or shiny new notebook with a speedy drive (7200 RPM) you won’t see much difference.
Until the great Iconoclasm triggered by Martin Luther - Christian art was to believed to have divine powers - reflecting those depicted. So praying or touching a Madonna statue or altar piece was not just worship - but a physical connection and portal to higher plane. Many pieces of art were meant to have miracle powers.
That is why many processions literally tried to carry the holy person depicted all around town - to bring the saints blessing to every person and house.
Before many artworks of old Masters became JUST great pieces of art they often were important religious objects. It took the bloody days of the reformation and destruction of huge amounts of church art to get religion and idol worshipping ‘out’ of art.
After the Renaissance and the Reformist Iconoclasm there was a huge change in art: the topics, attitudes and perspective of European Art changed completely. And instead of mostly the Holy Mother Church and the feudal class normal (rich) citizens, and companies commissioned artwork.
I used to love Frank Dicksee - but today he is a bit too much Kitsch for me. But maybe I am denying myself the romance, hope, love and chivalry he so perfectly portrays in his work?
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1. Click player below to start the music. 2. Click the image above to dive into the art. 3. Study for three minutes this great piece of art. |
If Maestro Dicksee would have been born just a few decades later he would have become a Hollywood director and made such great classics like “The Adventure of Robin Hood” with Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone.
Just two years ago I discovered Bob Ross show ‘The Joy of Painting‘ although it’s pretty old. You might not like his style, but he is fun to watch. It’s the most peaceful art show I have ever seen - he is more like a monk preaching happiness then a art teacher. I love it - and I might even learn a trick of two.
He died over ten year ago 1995 - a sad loss, since there are not many TV art shows around. I would swap ten big brothers for one decent show about architecture or sculpting. I would even dump some of these techno fetish documentaries (Monster Trucks, Monster Buildings, Monster Anything) from the History Channel for some more art education.
We already have way too much crap on TV.
More? Bob Ross on YouTube
Click image for a larger Teutonic Master.
Herr Dürer is simply a God of Art. He paints and draws like none other. Too bad his great skills were wasted during the Dark Ages. This is his self-portrait aged 28.
Click frames to get bigger ones.
In my art postings or rarely have paintings with their frames. But a good frame can really improve a picture.
This ‘Allegory of Spring‘ is brilliant and shows Maestro Botticelli at his best. Usually his crowd scenes look flat and confusing - but this one is almost like a modern comic panel.
The Scene is set in in the Garden of Venus - with the lovely Goddess in the center of it all.
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1. Click player below to start the music. 2. Click the image above to dive into the art. 3. Study for almost four minutes this great piece of art. |
The figures of the painting …
The three Charites of the Greek Mythology: Aglaea ("Beauty"), Euphrosyne ("Mirth"), and Thalia ("Good Cheer").
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