Don't cry for me Argentina...

Argentine National Historical Museum (Spanish: Museo Histórico Nacional) is located in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is a museum dedicated to the history of Argentina, exhibiting objects relating to the May Revolution and the Argentine War of Independence.
The institution was established as the Museo Histórico de la Capital (Historical Museum of the Capital) by Mayor Francisco Seeber on May 24, 1889.

The museum resulted from a proposal by historian Adolfo Carranza, who was designated director of the museum upon its inauguration on February 15, 1891. The museum was initially located on government property located at 3951 Santa Fe Avenue (now occupied by the Buenos Aires Botanical Garden). It was relocated to its present location in the San Telmo ward after the land's purchase by the Municipality of Buenos Aires in 1897. The land later occupied by the Botanical Garden was thus transferred to the municipal government, and the museum to the national government.

The mansion was originally built for English Argentine businessman Charles Ridgley Horne in 1846. Allied to the paramount Governor of Buenos Aires, Juan Manuel de Rosas, Ridgley Horne was forced into exile after the strongman's 1852 overthrow, and the land was sold to José Gregorio Lezama. Following his 1894 death, his widow, Ángela Álzaga de Lezama sold the property to the city, which converted the mansion into the museum, and most of the surrounding land into Lezama Park.

The museum houses over 50,000 items. Portions of the collection were gathered from donations of relatives of important figures in the May Revolution and the wars of independence. Other objects were part of the collection of the Public Museum (Museo Público) created in 1822 by Bernardino Rivadavia. Its displays include regalia, belongings, furnishings and documents belonging to José de San Martín, María de los Remedios de Escalada, Manuel Belgrano, William Carr Beresford, Juan Manuel de Rosas, Bartolomé Mitre, Juan and Eva Perón, and other Argentine, as well as foreign, statesmen, lawmakers, and military figures who played key roles in the nation's history. Its collection of history paintings includes works by Esteban Echeverría, Cándido López and Prilidiano Pueyrredón, among others.

Re-imagining

Διεθνές συνέδριο με τίτλο "Re-imagining the Past: Antiquity and Modern Greek Culture" διοργανώνει το Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity και το Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies του Πανεπιστημίου του Birmingham, στις 27 και 28 Ιουνίου 2011. Προθεσμία υποβολής περιλήψεων: 30 Ιουνίου 2010.

Για περισσότερες πληροφορίες:
http://www.iaa.bham.ac.uk/news/conferences/reimaginingthepast/in...
 

into Mongolian History

National Museum of Mongolian History is one of the national museums of Mongolia located in the capital Ulan Bator. The National Museum of Mongolian History is a cultural, scientific, and educational organization, which is responsible for the collection, care and interpretation of the objects.
The first museum in Mongolia, which was called the Mongolian National Museum, was established in 1924 and became the basis for other museums, including the National Museum of Mongolian History. Russian scholars, such as P.K.Kozlov, V.I.Lisovskii, A.D.Simukov, and the American researcher C.Andrews contributed in the collection and display of the first museum in Mongolia.
The modern National Museum of Mongolian History was established after the merger of historical, archeological and ethnographical departments of the State Central Museum and the Museum of the Revolution in 1991. It is now located in the facility built for the Museum of the Revolution, which was founded in 1971. The National Museum of Mongolian History is currently recognized as one of the leading museums in Mongolia. A significant responsibility for preserving Mongolian cultural heritage therefore lies with the museum.

Snow Storm...on a Steam Boat

Dreadful catastrophe was a common theme in English romantic art period. The romantics had taken a liking to natural phenomena and shipwreck became a popular subject. 19th century Britain specifically was very familiar with shipwreck as it was a period of great English shipping. The Navigation Acts, the skill in English shipbuilding and the use of English oak made such trade possible. Still, the craftsmanship of these ships did not deter the fact that the man made vessel was still at the mercy of the wind.

Snow Storm - Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth shows a ship off the English coast struggling to persevere through a storm. Rumor has that Turner actually had himself tied to the mast of a ship during the storm to get a better account of the wind and ocean and what the ship must've felt like in the midst of it. There is no way to test the validity of this rumor, however it is clear that unlike any other artist, Turner grasped the nature of the storm better than any other artist. This story, located in Harwich, was most likely invented but shows a striking proof of Turner's lifetime of experience on the sea.

The steam-boat resides in the center of the vortex. Turner once again shows the effects of the environment over mankind's inabilities.

Snow Storm - Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth Inspirations for the WorkTopWilliam Turner drew his greatest inspiration from nature itself. He found great inspiration by studying the work of fellow landscapists and from studying the work of other artists on his a trip to the Louvre in 1802. He analyzed Dutch storm paintings that were on exhibition studying them closely and critiqued them carefully.

The power of the storm versus man's inabilities was a main theme in Turner's work. His love for the sea and natural elements was ongoing. He painted themes of shipwreck a number of times throughout his life. Snow Storm - Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth is said to have been inspired by a storm he had seen in Harwich, in which he had himself tied to the mast of the ship to fully experience the storm.

Throughout his lifetime, the activities of the sea captivated William Turner. He made a career of channeling this fascination of nature and putting it to the canvas. In Snow Storm - Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth his untamed brushwork creates a swirling composition of chaotic colors and lighting. Once again he shows the frailty of man and man-made objects against the merciless forces of nature.

Composition:

The swirling storm creates a composition that leaves the eye to circle around the canvas repeatedly. The black of the wind and the waves of the sea create a circle around the doomed ship. Through the windy peephole, the viewer can see the helpless ship at the mercy of nature's violent motion. One can imagine the ship swaying to and fro as its crew desperately tries to take control of the sail and stay afloat.
 

Muzeul Naţional de Artă al României

The National Museum of Art of Romania (Romanian: Muzeul Naţional de Artă al României) is located in the former royal palace in Revolution Square, central Bucharest, Romania, completed in 1937. It features notable collections of medieval and modern Romanian art, as well as the international collection assembled by the Romanian royal family.

The museum was damaged during the 1989 Romanian Revolution that led to the downfall of Nicolae Ceauşescu. In 2000, part of the museum reopened to the public, housing the modern Romanian collection and the international collection; the comprehensive Medieval art collection, which now features works salvaged from monasteries destroyed during the Ceauşescu era, reopened in spring 2002. There are also two halls that house temporary exhibits.

The modern Romanian collection features sculptures by Constantin Brâncuşi and Dimitrie Paciurea, as well as paintings by Theodor Aman, Nicolae Grigorescu, Theodor Pallady, Gheorghe Petraşcu, and Gheorghe Tattarescu.

The international collection includes works by Old Masters such as Domenico Veneziano, El Greco, Tintoretto, Jan van Eyck, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Peter Paul Rubens, and Rembrandt, plus a smattering of works by impressionists such as Claude Monet and Alfred Sisley. Among the most famous Old Master works in the collection are Jacopo Amigoni's portrait of the singer Farinelli, a Crucifixion by Antonello da Messina, and Alonso Cano's Christ at the Column.
 

Matisse, Matisse

Musée Matisse: créé par Henri Matisse de son vivant dans sa ville natale , réouvert depuis le 8 novembre 2002 après trois années de travaux, plus de 170 oeuvres de celui que tous s'accordent à reconnaître comme un des plus grands peintres du XXe siècle vous sont proposées.

Installé dans l’ancien palais Fénelon depuis 1982, il offre un superbe panorama de l’œuvre de cet artiste, un des plus grands du XXème siècle: Dix-sept salles d'exposition ont été aménagées dans le musée Matisse rénové. - La collection Matisse est installée dans le corps du Palais Fénelon. Dix salles qui, en dix étapes, racontent la vie et l'œuvre d'Henri Matisse La collection d'Auguste Herbin est agencée dans le nouveau bâtiment, en cinq salles retraçant le parcours de l'artiste né à Quiévy en 1882 . - La salle Tériade présente la donation du célèbre éditeur : 27 livres et quelque 500 gravures réalisées par les plus grands artistes : Chagall, Léger, Rouault, Miro, Matisse, Le Corbusier... - Une salle d'exposition temporaire de 500 m2 : la première exposition est consacrée à la donation d'Alice Tériade : Tériade et le livre de peintre.

Musée départemental Matisse, Palais Fénelon, 59360 Le Cateau-Cambrésis, T. 33 (0)3 27 84 64 50/ F. 33 (0)3 27 84 64 54 museematisse@cg59.fr
 

Sorolla in Portraits

Joaquim Sorolla i Bastida (Valencian: [dʒuaˈkim soˈɾoʎa], Spanish: [xoˈakin soˈɾoʎa]) (27 February 1863 – 10 August 1923) was a Valencian Spanish painter. Sorolla excelled in the painting of portraits, landscapes, and monumental works of social and historical themes. His most typical works are characterized by a dexterous representation of the people and landscape under the sunlight of his native land.

Sorolla painted in 1897 two masterpieces linking art and science: Portrait of Dr. Simarro at the microscope (seen at right) and A Research. These paintings were presented at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts held in Madrid in that year and Sorolla won the Prize of Honor. Here, he presents his friend Simarro as a man of science who transmits his wisdom investigating and, in addition, it is the triumph of naturalism, as it recreates the indoor environment of the laboratory, catching the luminous atmosphere produced by the artificial reddish-yellow light of a gas burner that contrasts with the weak mauvish afternoon light that shines through the window. These paintings may be among the most outstanding world paintings of this genre.
 

Angel Of Music, The song

The song is performed in Act One after the song "Angel of Music" (The Mirror) and before "The Music of the Night" (and is reprised in Act Two at the end of the song "Notes/Twisted Every Way"). It takes place as the Phantom escorts Christine by boat to his lair beneath the Opera Garnier. It is sung as a duet by Christine and the Phantom. In this song, Christine sings her highest note in the show, an E6, at the end of the song. In different shows, Sarah Brightman sings this song in different duets with other performers Steve Harley, Antonio Banderas, Chris Thompson, Alessandro Safina and Mario Frangoulis.

What makes this particular song unique is its unusual hard rock style, while most of the songs in the musical have a more operatic style. Early in the musical's production, Andrew Lloyd Webber met Jim Steinman, who described "The Phantom of the Opera" as a rock song invading an opera house. This is what inspired the hard rock style of the song, which influenced all of the rock-based instruments in the song including drums and electric guitar.

"The Phantom of the Opera" song was also specially arranged by the show's original orchestrator, David Cullen, for a virtuoso cello version for cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, Andrew's brother, for the CD Lloyd Webber Plays Lloyd Webber.


The song "The Phantom of the Opera" was covered in 2002 by the Finnish symphonic power metal quintet Nightwish and released on the album Century Child. This particular version of the song, with Tarja Turunen (soprano) singing Christine's part and Marco Hietala (baritone/tenor) singing the part of The Phantom, is set in a different register to the original version written by Andrew Lloyd Webber. On the recorded version, the female vocalisation at the end of the song is slightly different from the original, however, when the song is performed live, the vocalisation is the same. There is also another gothic metal version released in 1999 by Austrian band Dreams of Sanity(Masquerade album)

The song was also covered by Israeli contratenor David D'Or, backed by the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, on David D’Or & the Philharmonic; Live Concert, released on April 1, 2003.

Power metal band HolyHell also covered the song, with Eric Adams of Manowar making a guest appearance singing the part of The Phantom.

The song was also covered by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes on their show-tune album, Are A Drag. Also, in Rufus Wainwright's song "Between My Legs", from the album Release the Stars, the last 30 seconds plays the main theme from this song. The song was also covered by X Factor finalist, Rhydian Roberts, for which Lord Lloyd Webber wrote a male solo version specially for the artist.

The famous opening pipe organ section is very similar to a section in Rick Wakeman's instrumental "Judas Iscariot" - a track from the album Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record, released some 9 years before Phantom Of The Opera. Wakeman mentioned this fact during his Grumpy Old Picture Show tour, indicating that Tim Rice may have been the link between the two songs.

Ray Repp sued Andrew Lloyd Webber over the main melody of Phantom, claiming that it was based on his folk song "Till You" which he recorded in 1978. Webber won the case however, with the counter-claim that the section of "Phantom" in question was actually based on Webber's "Close Every Door", which was written before Till You.

In addition, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd had asserted that Andrew Lloyd Webber had plagiarized the intro section from the Pink Floyd song "Echoes", which largely resembles it, although he decided against filing a lawsuit.

"Yeah, the beginning of that bloody Phantom song is from Echoes. *DAAAA-da-da-da-da-da* . I couldn't believe it when I heard it. It's the same time signature - it's 12/8 - and it's the same structure and it's the same notes and it's the same everything. Bastard. It probably is actionable. It really is! But I think that life's too long to bother with suing Andrew fucking Lloyd Webber."

The beginning melody for this song was also used in the Alice Cooper concert DVD Live in Montreux before the song "Department of Youth".

Richard Clayderman has also arranged a piano-orchestral version of the song; originally found in his album The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
 

Deep Blue Sea

by Christina Georgina Rossetti
(1830-1894)

Why does the sea moan evermore?
Shut out from heaven it makes its moan,
It frets against the boundary shore;
All earth's full rivers cannot fill
The sea, that drinking thirsteth still.

Sheer miracles of loveliness
Lie hid in its unlooked-on bed:
Anemones, salt, passionless,
Blow flower-like; just enough alive
To blow and multiply and thrive.

Shells quaint with curve, or spot, or spike,
Encrusted live things argus-eyed,
All fair alike, yet all unlike,
Are born without a pang, and die
Without a pang, and so pass by.

Fine Arts in Seville

The Fine Arts Museum of Seville since 1839, located in the former convent of the Merced Calzada at the  Plaza del Museo.

Construction works of the convent started in 1602. It is an example of Andalusian mannerism of the 17th century, designed around three  Patios and a large stairway.

The Fine Arts museum of Seville was founded as a Museum of Paintings in 1835. It opened its doors to the public in 1841 with the works from closed down convents and monasteries. Today it is one of the best museums of fine arts in Spain.

The museum's impressive collection of Spanish art extends from the medieval to the modern, focusing on the work of Seville School artists such as Francisco de Zurbarán, Juan de Valdés Leal and  Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.