Having decided on a visit to view Leonardo's Last Supper, be sure also to visit the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan's largest art gallery and one of the most important in Italy. The gallery is housed in the Palazzo Brera, once a Jesuit college; the Brera district itself is one of the most chic and fashionable in this most fashion-driven city.
The collection grew out of that of Milan’s Academy of Fine Arts (housed in the same building and founded in 1776), and it's most famous works were acquired successively, with fine collections of Venetian and Lombard paintings from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Latterly two important collections of modern art have been added to the already impressive catalogue.
The gallery is spread across more than 30 rooms on the first floor of the building (works are ordered chronologically and geographically), and amongst the masterpieces on show perhaps the most sought-after are:
The San Luca Altarpiece by Andrea Mantegna, 1453
Supper at Emmaus by Caravaggio, 1606
Holy Conversation, by Piero della Francesca, ?1472-1474
Wedding of the Virgin by Raphael, 1504
Finding of the body of St Mark by Tintoretto, 1548
The Kiss by Francesco Hayez, 1859
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
What`s Ida...in NHM
The Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo is Norway’s most comprehensible natural history collection. For almost 200 years, preserved plant specimens, animal specimens, rocks, minerals and fossils have been collected, studied and preserved here.
A selection of specimens are on display for the general public, in the Geological Museum and the Zoological Museum. Both are to be found in the beautiful Botanical Garden. Located at Tøyen in the east of Oslo city centre, the garden is not only popular for recreation, but is a scientific collection in itself.
Ida is the world’s oldest complete primate skeleton, and the most valuable object exhibited at The Natural History Museum of Oslo. She was bought by the museum in 2007, and presented to the world in 2009.
Ida fascinates us in several ways:
•The dramatic story about the unfortunate little girl, still with her milk teeth, who had a broken wrist, was poisoned, fell in the water, and drowned.
•The superb state of preservation of the fossil
•What the fossil can tell us about the evolutionary history of mankind
•The secrecy surrounding the fossil from the time it was found in 1983 until it became publicly known
•The meticulously planned launch, with a book, a made-for-TV documentary, a website, huge press conferences and correspondingly great media coverage
•The ensuing debate around the popularization of research
Through the summer of 2010, Ida can be seen as part of the exhibition ”Can We Forgive Darwin?” After that, she will be included in the museum’s permanent exhibitions....
A selection of specimens are on display for the general public, in the Geological Museum and the Zoological Museum. Both are to be found in the beautiful Botanical Garden. Located at Tøyen in the east of Oslo city centre, the garden is not only popular for recreation, but is a scientific collection in itself.
Ida is the world’s oldest complete primate skeleton, and the most valuable object exhibited at The Natural History Museum of Oslo. She was bought by the museum in 2007, and presented to the world in 2009.
Ida fascinates us in several ways:
•The dramatic story about the unfortunate little girl, still with her milk teeth, who had a broken wrist, was poisoned, fell in the water, and drowned.
•The superb state of preservation of the fossil
•What the fossil can tell us about the evolutionary history of mankind
•The secrecy surrounding the fossil from the time it was found in 1983 until it became publicly known
•The meticulously planned launch, with a book, a made-for-TV documentary, a website, huge press conferences and correspondingly great media coverage
•The ensuing debate around the popularization of research
Through the summer of 2010, Ida can be seen as part of the exhibition ”Can We Forgive Darwin?” After that, she will be included in the museum’s permanent exhibitions....
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
into Portuguese Minds
Portuguese literature
Luís Vaz de Camões
The poet Luís Vaz de Camões or Luís Vaz Camoens (1524 - June 10, 1580) was the author of the epic poem The Lusiad. (In the Victorian era, he was both sufficiently admired and sufficiently obscure for Elizabeth Barrett Browning to disguise her work by entitling it Sonnets from the Portuguese, a reference to Camões).
The Portuguese national holiday, "Portugal's Day" or "Dia de Portugal, das Comunidades Portuguesas e de Camões" (Portugal's, Portuguese Communities' and Camoens' Day), is celebrated on June 10, the anniversary of Camões' death. It is a day of national pride similar to the "Independence Day" celebrated in other countries.
Eça de Queiroz
Eça de Queiroz (1845–1900) is a Portuguese novelist. Born in Póvoa de Varzim, near Oporto, he traveled throughout the world as a consul. He accepted an assignment to the consulate of Paris in 1888 and remained there until his death on August 16, 1900. The books he wrote in Paris are critical of Portuguese society. His most famous works include Os Maias (The Maias) (1878) , O Crime do Padre Amaro (The Crime of Father Amaro) (1876) and O Primo Bazilio (Cousin Basílio) (1878). Nicknamed the "Portuguese Zola," Eça was the founder of Portuguese Naturalism.
In 2002, the Mexican director Carlos Carrera made a motion picture, "El Crimen del Padre Amaro" ("The Crime of Father Amaro"), adapted from Queirós' novel. One of the most successful Mexican films in history, it was also controversial because of its depiction of Catholic priesthood.
Fernando Pessoa
Fernando Pessoa (1888–1935) was a Portuguese poet. He used heteronyms, where he wrote in different styles as if he were more than one poet. One of his most famous works was an adaptation of the Lusiad called The Message (A Mensagem).
The Message discusses the Sebastianism and Portuguese prophecies, that were created and prophesized during the time of Camoes. The Portuguese await the return of the dead king on a foggy day - the return of National Me (Eu Nacional) that will take Portugal, once more, to govern the Fifth Empire.
Luís Vaz de Camões
The poet Luís Vaz de Camões or Luís Vaz Camoens (1524 - June 10, 1580) was the author of the epic poem The Lusiad. (In the Victorian era, he was both sufficiently admired and sufficiently obscure for Elizabeth Barrett Browning to disguise her work by entitling it Sonnets from the Portuguese, a reference to Camões).
The Portuguese national holiday, "Portugal's Day" or "Dia de Portugal, das Comunidades Portuguesas e de Camões" (Portugal's, Portuguese Communities' and Camoens' Day), is celebrated on June 10, the anniversary of Camões' death. It is a day of national pride similar to the "Independence Day" celebrated in other countries.
Eça de Queiroz
Eça de Queiroz (1845–1900) is a Portuguese novelist. Born in Póvoa de Varzim, near Oporto, he traveled throughout the world as a consul. He accepted an assignment to the consulate of Paris in 1888 and remained there until his death on August 16, 1900. The books he wrote in Paris are critical of Portuguese society. His most famous works include Os Maias (The Maias) (1878) , O Crime do Padre Amaro (The Crime of Father Amaro) (1876) and O Primo Bazilio (Cousin Basílio) (1878). Nicknamed the "Portuguese Zola," Eça was the founder of Portuguese Naturalism.
In 2002, the Mexican director Carlos Carrera made a motion picture, "El Crimen del Padre Amaro" ("The Crime of Father Amaro"), adapted from Queirós' novel. One of the most successful Mexican films in history, it was also controversial because of its depiction of Catholic priesthood.
Fernando Pessoa
Fernando Pessoa (1888–1935) was a Portuguese poet. He used heteronyms, where he wrote in different styles as if he were more than one poet. One of his most famous works was an adaptation of the Lusiad called The Message (A Mensagem).
The Message discusses the Sebastianism and Portuguese prophecies, that were created and prophesized during the time of Camoes. The Portuguese await the return of the dead king on a foggy day - the return of National Me (Eu Nacional) that will take Portugal, once more, to govern the Fifth Empire.
Monday, July 4, 2011
a Jakhe, a Klong jin, a Klong kaek
The music of Thailand reflects its geographic position at the intersection of China and India, and reflects trade routes that have historically included Persia, Africa, Greece and Rome. Thai musical instruments are varied and reflect ancient influence from far afield - including the klong thap and khim (Persian origin), the jakhe (Indian origin), the klong jin (Chinese origin), and the klong kaek (Indonesian origin).
Though Thailand was never colonized by colonial powers, pop music and other forms of modern Asian, European and American music have become extremely influential. The two most popular styles of traditional Thai music are luk thung and mor lam; the latter in particular has close affinities with the Music of Laos.
Aside from the Thai, ethnic minorities such as the Lao, Lawa, Hmong, Akha, Khmer, Lisu, Karen and Lahu peoples have retained traditional musical forms.
Though Thailand was never colonized by colonial powers, pop music and other forms of modern Asian, European and American music have become extremely influential. The two most popular styles of traditional Thai music are luk thung and mor lam; the latter in particular has close affinities with the Music of Laos.
Aside from the Thai, ethnic minorities such as the Lao, Lawa, Hmong, Akha, Khmer, Lisu, Karen and Lahu peoples have retained traditional musical forms.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Botero`s lifes...
His paintings and sculptures are united by their proportionally exaggerated, or "fat" figures, as he once referred to them.
Botero explains his use of these "large people", as they are often called by critics, in the following way:
"An artist is attracted to certain kinds of form without knowing why. You adopt a position intuitively; only later do you attempt to rationalize or even justify it."
Botero is an abstract artist in the most fundamental sense, choosing colors, shapes, and proportions based on intuitive aesthetic thinking. Though he spends only one month a year in Colombia, he considers himself the "most Colombian artist living" due to his insulation from the international trends of the art world.
In 2004 Botero exhibited a series of 27 drawings and 23 paintings dealing with the violence in Colombia from the drug cartels. He donated the works to the National Museum of Colombia, where they were first exhibited.
In 2005 Botero gained considerable attention for his Abu Ghraib series, which was exhibited first in Europe. He based the works on reports of United States forces' abuses of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison during the Iraq War. Beginning with an idea he had on a plane journey, Botero produced more than 85 paintings and 100 drawings in exploring this concept and "painting out the poison." The series was exhibited at two United States locations in 2007, including Washington, DC. Botero said he would not sell any of the works, but would donate them to museums.
In 2006, after having focused exclusively on the Abu Ghraib series for over 14 months, Botero returned to the themes of his early life such as the family and maternity. In his "Une Famille" Botero represented the Colombian family, a subject often painted in the seventies and eighties. In his "Maternity", Botero repeated a composition he already painted in 2003, being able to evoke a sensuous velvety texture that lends it a special appeal and testifies for a personal involvement of the artist. Interestingly, the Child in the 2006 drawing has a wound in his right chest as if the Author wanted to identify him with Jesus Christ, thus giving it a religious meaning that was absent in the 2003 artwork.
In 2008 he exhibited the works of his The Circus collection, featuring 20 works in oil and watercolor. In a 2010 interview, Botero said that he was ready for other subjects: "After all this, I always return to the simplest things: still lifes."
Botero explains his use of these "large people", as they are often called by critics, in the following way:
"An artist is attracted to certain kinds of form without knowing why. You adopt a position intuitively; only later do you attempt to rationalize or even justify it."
Botero is an abstract artist in the most fundamental sense, choosing colors, shapes, and proportions based on intuitive aesthetic thinking. Though he spends only one month a year in Colombia, he considers himself the "most Colombian artist living" due to his insulation from the international trends of the art world.
In 2004 Botero exhibited a series of 27 drawings and 23 paintings dealing with the violence in Colombia from the drug cartels. He donated the works to the National Museum of Colombia, where they were first exhibited.
In 2005 Botero gained considerable attention for his Abu Ghraib series, which was exhibited first in Europe. He based the works on reports of United States forces' abuses of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison during the Iraq War. Beginning with an idea he had on a plane journey, Botero produced more than 85 paintings and 100 drawings in exploring this concept and "painting out the poison." The series was exhibited at two United States locations in 2007, including Washington, DC. Botero said he would not sell any of the works, but would donate them to museums.
In 2006, after having focused exclusively on the Abu Ghraib series for over 14 months, Botero returned to the themes of his early life such as the family and maternity. In his "Une Famille" Botero represented the Colombian family, a subject often painted in the seventies and eighties. In his "Maternity", Botero repeated a composition he already painted in 2003, being able to evoke a sensuous velvety texture that lends it a special appeal and testifies for a personal involvement of the artist. Interestingly, the Child in the 2006 drawing has a wound in his right chest as if the Author wanted to identify him with Jesus Christ, thus giving it a religious meaning that was absent in the 2003 artwork.
In 2008 he exhibited the works of his The Circus collection, featuring 20 works in oil and watercolor. In a 2010 interview, Botero said that he was ready for other subjects: "After all this, I always return to the simplest things: still lifes."
History in Bangladesh
All non-official and official records of historical value are preserved in the National Archives. National Library is the legal depository of all new books and printed materials published in the country under Copy Right Law. The directorate is run by only one Director and two Deputy Directors with their respective physical infrastructure including own self reliant building and other logistics infrastructure like, Security personnel, technical manpower, Transport, Machinery, equipments, information resources, users group, service system, Act. International community, publications etc.
The present National Library was basically the Central Library of pre independence Bangladesh. It was established in 1967 as the part of the then National Library. After independence, this Central Library was turned and declared as the National Library of Bangladesh and started functioning on 6-11-1972 in Dhaka. The National Archives was formally set up in Dhaka after independence. In 1972 this twin national organizations were brought under one Directorate in the name of Directorate Archives and Libraries under the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture Division. After the creation of Ministry of Cultural Affairs in 1988. The Sports and Culture Division including Directorate came automatically under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs for rapid development and florishment in the light of plan, policy and infrastructure of the government.
The present National Library was basically the Central Library of pre independence Bangladesh. It was established in 1967 as the part of the then National Library. After independence, this Central Library was turned and declared as the National Library of Bangladesh and started functioning on 6-11-1972 in Dhaka. The National Archives was formally set up in Dhaka after independence. In 1972 this twin national organizations were brought under one Directorate in the name of Directorate Archives and Libraries under the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture Division. After the creation of Ministry of Cultural Affairs in 1988. The Sports and Culture Division including Directorate came automatically under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs for rapid development and florishment in the light of plan, policy and infrastructure of the government.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
a Piano, such Piano!
Éric Alfred Leslie Satie (pronounced: [eʁik sati]) (17 May 1866 – Paris, 1 July 1925; signed his name Erik Satie after 1884) was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde. His work was a precursor to later artistic movements such as minimalism, repetitive music, and the Theatre of the Absurd.
An eccentric, Satie was introduced as a "gymnopedist" in 1887, shortly before writing his most famous compositions, the Gymnopédies. Later, he also referred to himself as a "phonometrician" (meaning "someone who measures sounds") preferring this designation to that of a "musician", after having been called "a clumsy but subtle technician" in a book on contemporary French composers published in 1911.
In addition to his body of music, Satie also left a remarkable set of writings, having contributed work for a range of publications, from the dadaist 391 to the American top culture chronicle Vanity Fair. Although in later life he prided himself on always publishing his work under his own name, in the late nineteenth century he appears to have used pseudonyms such as Virginie Lebeau and François de Paule in some of his published writings.
An eccentric, Satie was introduced as a "gymnopedist" in 1887, shortly before writing his most famous compositions, the Gymnopédies. Later, he also referred to himself as a "phonometrician" (meaning "someone who measures sounds") preferring this designation to that of a "musician", after having been called "a clumsy but subtle technician" in a book on contemporary French composers published in 1911.
In addition to his body of music, Satie also left a remarkable set of writings, having contributed work for a range of publications, from the dadaist 391 to the American top culture chronicle Vanity Fair. Although in later life he prided himself on always publishing his work under his own name, in the late nineteenth century he appears to have used pseudonyms such as Virginie Lebeau and François de Paule in some of his published writings.
Friday, July 1, 2011
The Lord God is in the Details
In 1935 Walter Benjamin showed how the original artwork loses its aura through mass reproduction – an observation that is particularly relevant in the age of the Internet. As the most famous painting in Cologne and the universal “trademark” of the city’s mediaeval painting tradition, this Madonna has been reproduced countless times. So how has the “Mona Lisa of Cologne” never the less managed to retain her aura?
The countless details cannot be appreciated in reproductions; they have to be viewed in the original. From the flowers at Mary’s feet to the musical instruments held by the angels, to the precious brooch and the heavenly crown, not forgetting the decorations in the golden background. And none of this was an end in itself: just look at the ornamentation worked into Mary’s halo: it is a simplified depiction of the lunar cycle and indicates the mediaeval link between astronomy and theology. The tiny brooch repeats the main image on a symbolic level, for it shows a virgin with a unicorn. The two are linked by their gestures in much the same way as Mary and the Baby Jesus – in an allusion to the “Mystic Wedding” between Christ and the Church. In addition comes the painting’s ingenious geometry based on the old Cologne Zoll (1 Zoll = 2.4 cm): this alludes to the connection between music and celestial architecture and denotes the modest bower as Paradise. At the same time the geometry of the bower symbolises the divine plan of salvation in which Mary and Christ play the lead roles.
Like a complex system of clockwork, the elements interlock to produce an extremely subtle theological statement. Behind a delightful overall impression, the artist has concealed a gigantic programme: the phases of history and course of salvation have been condensed in a wonderful way. And with that the painting remains untouched by our human calendar – and by the technology of reproduction.
Wallraf das Museum
a way to Kokoschka
Kokoschka was born in Pöchlarn. His early career was marked by portraits of Viennese celebrities, painted in a nervously animated style. He served in the Austrian army in World War I and was wounded. At the hospital, the doctors decided that he was mentally unstable. Nevertheless, he continued to develop his career as an artist, traveling across Europe and painting the landscape.
The house in which Oskar Kokoschka was born in Pöchlarn (August 2006)Kokoschka had a passionate, often stormy affair with Alma Mahler, shortly after the death of her four-year-old daughter Maria Mahler and her affair with Walter Gropius. After several years together, Alma rejected him, explaining that she was afraid of being too overcome with passion. He continued to love her his entire life, and one of his greatest works The Bride of the Wind (The Tempest), is a tribute to her. His poem Allos Markar was inspired by this relationship. The poet Georg Trakl visited the studio while Kokoschka was painting this masterpiece. Kokoschka also commissioned a life-sized female doll in 1918.Although intended to simulate Alma and receive his affection, the gynoid-Alma did not satisfy Kokoschka and he destroyed it during a party.
1963-Deemed a degenerate by the Nazis, Kokoschka fled Austria in 1934 for Prague. There, his name was adopted by the Oskar-Kokoschka-Bund, founded by other expatriate artists, although he declined to otherwise participate (K. Holz, Modern German Art for Thirties Paris, Prague, and London: Resistance and Acquiescence in a Democratic Public Sphere). In 1938, when the Czechs began to mobilize for the expected invasion of the Wehrmacht, he fled to the United Kingdom and remained there during the war. With the help of the British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia (later the Czech Refugee Trust Fund), all members of the OKB were able to escape through Poland and Sweden.
Kokoschka became a British citizen in 1946 and only in 1978 would regain Austrian citizenship. He traveled briefly to the United States in 1947 before settling in Switzerland, where he lived the rest of his life. He died in Montreux.
Kokoschka had much in common with his contemporary Max Beckmann. Both maintained their independence from German Expressionism, yet they are now regarded as its supreme masters, who delved deeply into the art of past masters to develop unique individual styles. Their individualism left them both orphaned from the main movements of Twentieth Century modernism. Both wrote eloquently of the need to develop the art of "seeing" (Kokoschka emphasized depth perception while Beckmann was concerned with mystical insight into the invisible realm), and both were masters of innovative oil painting techniques anchored in earlier traditions.
Kokoschka's last years were somewhat embittered, as he found himself marginalized as a curious footnote to art history. A noteworthy student of Kokoschka's "School of Seeing" was Konrad Juestel (1924–2001).
Kokoschka's literary works are as peculiar and interesting as his art. His memoir, A Sea Ringed with Visions, is as wildly psychedelic as anything written by others under the influence of actual hallucinogens.His short play "Murderer, the Hope of Women" (1909, set ten years later by Paul Hindemith as Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen) is often called the first Expressionist drama. His Orpheus und Eurydike (1918) became an opera by Ernst Krenek, who was first approached for incidental music.
The house in which Oskar Kokoschka was born in Pöchlarn (August 2006)Kokoschka had a passionate, often stormy affair with Alma Mahler, shortly after the death of her four-year-old daughter Maria Mahler and her affair with Walter Gropius. After several years together, Alma rejected him, explaining that she was afraid of being too overcome with passion. He continued to love her his entire life, and one of his greatest works The Bride of the Wind (The Tempest), is a tribute to her. His poem Allos Markar was inspired by this relationship. The poet Georg Trakl visited the studio while Kokoschka was painting this masterpiece. Kokoschka also commissioned a life-sized female doll in 1918.Although intended to simulate Alma and receive his affection, the gynoid-Alma did not satisfy Kokoschka and he destroyed it during a party.
1963-Deemed a degenerate by the Nazis, Kokoschka fled Austria in 1934 for Prague. There, his name was adopted by the Oskar-Kokoschka-Bund, founded by other expatriate artists, although he declined to otherwise participate (K. Holz, Modern German Art for Thirties Paris, Prague, and London: Resistance and Acquiescence in a Democratic Public Sphere). In 1938, when the Czechs began to mobilize for the expected invasion of the Wehrmacht, he fled to the United Kingdom and remained there during the war. With the help of the British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia (later the Czech Refugee Trust Fund), all members of the OKB were able to escape through Poland and Sweden.
Kokoschka became a British citizen in 1946 and only in 1978 would regain Austrian citizenship. He traveled briefly to the United States in 1947 before settling in Switzerland, where he lived the rest of his life. He died in Montreux.
Kokoschka had much in common with his contemporary Max Beckmann. Both maintained their independence from German Expressionism, yet they are now regarded as its supreme masters, who delved deeply into the art of past masters to develop unique individual styles. Their individualism left them both orphaned from the main movements of Twentieth Century modernism. Both wrote eloquently of the need to develop the art of "seeing" (Kokoschka emphasized depth perception while Beckmann was concerned with mystical insight into the invisible realm), and both were masters of innovative oil painting techniques anchored in earlier traditions.
Kokoschka's last years were somewhat embittered, as he found himself marginalized as a curious footnote to art history. A noteworthy student of Kokoschka's "School of Seeing" was Konrad Juestel (1924–2001).
Kokoschka's literary works are as peculiar and interesting as his art. His memoir, A Sea Ringed with Visions, is as wildly psychedelic as anything written by others under the influence of actual hallucinogens.His short play "Murderer, the Hope of Women" (1909, set ten years later by Paul Hindemith as Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen) is often called the first Expressionist drama. His Orpheus und Eurydike (1918) became an opera by Ernst Krenek, who was first approached for incidental music.
Ιπτάμενη Αλεπού
"A small scale research at the location where Johannes Vermeer was born in 1632 may illustrate this point. From a 1637 document it is known that his parents rented a house back in those days from Pieter Corstiaens'son Hopprus at Voldersgracht. Indeed the 1620-1632 "kohier van verponding" tax register does show a Pieter Corstiaens'son as an owner, of the third house east of the St Luke guild house [= Old Mens House]. This seems to correspond readily with present day Voldersgracht number 25.
However, when we search within that address in the databank, this Pieter does not come up at all. We do however find him in the archival sources for the present day houses at Voldersgracht 26 and 27. Obviously in the years 1620-1640 a number of changes have been going on just in the row of houses at Voldersgracht 23-27 concerning lot ownership and rebuilding. Plausibly some buildings have been joined and then split in other lots - or the other way around. Only extremely detailed research in the building history, the ownership of houses and the names of persons living in those houses might yield Vermeer's exact birth house location. Thus enough riddles are left over to provide whole generations of researchers a pleasant puzzle."
Vermeer's
However, when we search within that address in the databank, this Pieter does not come up at all. We do however find him in the archival sources for the present day houses at Voldersgracht 26 and 27. Obviously in the years 1620-1640 a number of changes have been going on just in the row of houses at Voldersgracht 23-27 concerning lot ownership and rebuilding. Plausibly some buildings have been joined and then split in other lots - or the other way around. Only extremely detailed research in the building history, the ownership of houses and the names of persons living in those houses might yield Vermeer's exact birth house location. Thus enough riddles are left over to provide whole generations of researchers a pleasant puzzle."
Vermeer's
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