EASY BREAD RECIPE

“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.” - Ursula K. LeGuin

In cold autumn or winter, when the days are short and rain maybe is falling, there is nothing better than freshly-baked bread straight out of the oven to fill the warm kitchen with its delicious smell and to have for brunch with lashings of molten butter. The following recipe is fairly simple and easy, making a tasty loaf of bread.

EASY BREAD

Ingredients

•    Melted butter, for greasing and brushing

•    250g plain white flour

•    250g plain wholemeal flour 

•    ½ tsp ground cardamon seed

•    2 tsp (7g/1 sachet) dried yeast

•    1 tsp sugar

•    1.5 tsp salt

•    175ml lukewarm water

•    100 ml lukewarm milk

•    ½ cup olive oil

•    Extra water, for brushing

•    1 tsp nigella seeds, for sprinkling (optional)

Method

1.       Brush a 10 x 20cm loaf pan with the melted butter to lightly grease. Measure all your ingredients.

2.       Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the lukewarm water and stir to mix. Add the milk and stir well.

3.       Place the flour, cardamon and salt in a large bowl and mix well to combine. Make a well in the centre and add the water/milk/yeast mixture and oil to the dry ingredients and mix well.

4.       Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

5.       Shape the dough into a ball. Brush a large bowl with the melted butter to grease. Place the dough into the bowl and turn it over to lightly coat the dough surface with the butter. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and then place it in a warm, draught-free place to allow the dough to rise.

6.       Leave the dough to prove until it is double its size, between 45-75 minutes at 30˚C. When the dough is ready, it will retain a finger imprint when lightly pressed.

7.       Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down in the centre with your fist and knead on a lightly floured surface again for 2-3 minutes or until smooth and elastic and returned to its original size.

8.       Preheat oven to 200°C.

9.       Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and shape each into a smooth round. Place the portions of dough side by side in the greased loaf pan. Brush lightly with the melted butter. Stand the pan in a warm, draught-free place, as before, for about 30 minutes or until the dough has risen about 1cm about the top of the pan.

10.     Gently brush the loaf with a little water and then sprinkle with the nigella seeds if desired. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

11.     Turn the loaf immediately onto a wire rack and allow to cool.

12.     Once cool, store the loaf in a well-ventilated place at room temperature.

This post is part of the Food Friday meme,

and also part of the Food Trip Friday meme.

HAPPY DAY FOR NORWAY

“Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak” - Thomas Carlyle
 

Today is:
Cayman Islands - Discovery Day
Norway - Constitution (National) Day (since 1814).

It is also the anniversary of the birth of:
Edward Jenner, English physician, pioneer of vaccination (1749);
Joseph Norman Lockyer, astronomer (1836);
Erik (Alfred Leslie) Satie, French composer (1866);
Dorothy Richardson, writer (1882);
Alfonso XIII, king of Spain (1886);
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iranian extremist (1900);
Jean Gabin (Jean-Alexis Moncorgé), actor (1904);
Maureen O'Sullivan, actress (1911);
Birgit Nilsson, opera singer (1918);
Dennis Hopper, actor (1936);
Kathleen Sullivan, actress (1953);
Grace Jones, singer (1955).

The thistle, Onopordum acanthium, is the birthday plant for this day.  Astrologically, this is a herb of Mars.  It symbolises defiance, independence, austerity desolation, grief and rejection.  It is the emblem of Scotland, adopted during the eight century when a Danish attack on Stirling Castle was unsuccessful because the barefooted Danish scouts cried out in pain when they encountered the plant, thus warning the Scots.  The thistle was adopted as an emblem with the motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (“Nobody provokes me with impunity”).  The thistle flower closes up before rain and was used as a weather oracle.

Erik Satie (1866-1925) was a French composer who rebelled against romanticism with his unorthodox and often whimsical compositions, such as Socrate (1918).  My favourite works of his are the Gymnopédies, especially the Gymnopédie No 1 (perhaps not so unorthodox, but certainly very beautiful).

Norway is a Scandinavian country that was united with Denmark since 1397 and with Sweden since 1814.  It gained its independence in 1905.  It has an area of about 323,000 square km and a population of about 5 million people.  It is a mountainous country, its coastline dominated by fjords.  The capital city is Oslo, other major cities being Stavanger, Kristiansand, Bergen and Trondheim.  It is rich in natural resources with crude oil and natural gas produced in abundance.  Chemical production, metal industries and paper manufacture rely on the cheap, hydroelectrical power that is produced.

Died on this day: 

In 1163, Héloïse, French secret wife of Abelard; in 1510, Sandro Botticelli, Italian artist; in 1935, Paul Dukas, French composer.

BAKED BEANS, GREEK STYLE

“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

A recipe for today, as the weather keeps getting wintrier here in the Southern Hemisphere. This is a classic Greek dish perfectly suited to falling temperatures, increasing rain and shorter days!

Fasolatha (Greek Baked Beans)
Ingredients
160    g dried haricot beans
2    litres water
1    large celery heart (stalks and leaves)
2    large onions
2    tablespoonfuls tomato paste
1    240 g can of peeled tomatoes
2    large chopped carrots
4    rashers of bacon (optional)
1    cupful of olive oil
1    handful of chopped parsley
2    stock cubes
    salt and pepper to taste

Method
Soak the beans in water for a couple of hours and then rinse them thoroughly in a colander under running water. Put them in a kettle with the 2 litres of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer. In a second pan brown the chopped onions in the hot olive oil and add the finely chopped bacon and stir in the chopped carrots and parsley. When these are well coated with oil, add the tomato puree and chopped peeled tomatoes, stirring well. Pour the vegetable mixture into the simmering beans, add the stock cubes and continue to cook slowly until the beans are very soft, adding more water if you need to.

Fasolatha is the national dish of Greece and is traditionally considered a poor person's dish, since beans are very cheap. Adding more water makes the dish more of a soup, while less water makes the dish more substantial and more suitable as a single course meal, served with slices of crusty bread and washed down with some red wine. The addition of bacon is an extravagance that was usually out of the means of most people having this dish.

Given the dire economic straits that Greece is finding itself in, it seems that recourse to this dish as a regular staple may be the only solution to many a family’s hardship…

CHANGE AGAIN

“There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction” - Winston Churchill

I blogged last month about a change that was about to happen in my life and a couple of my readers were rather disappointed that I had not divulged what it would be. Well, it is time to spill the beans! I have been working at my last place of employment for 4.5 years and the place has developed considerably and I have contributed much to the improvements that have occurred there during this time. It is a tertiary private College delivering higher education and vocational education courses, but it is rather off the mainstream.

A couple of opportunities came up recently and as they were in areas that interested me greatly (tertiary education, flexible learning, e-Learning), I applied and went through the interview processes. I ended up being offered two of those positions in two different institutions. It was hard to choose between them as both were great opportunities and both were back in the mainstream University system here in Melbourne. After a lot of cogitation and much discussion with friends and family I made up my mind and signed on the dotted line of a new contract.

This is an exciting time for me and I look forward to the challenges of the new job, but at the same time I am a little sad to leave the old job behind me as I did develop some good working relationships with a lot of the staff there. Nevertheless, the time was ripe for change and I am really looking forward to beginning a new chapter in my life.

The new job involves a higher level managerial/strategic role in one of the prime tertiary education providers in Australia, which holds a linchpin position in distance education and e-Learning. This is an interesting position, which promises to hold many opportunities and professional development, but at the same time it will be one where I shall I play an important role in the lives of many people who wish to educate themselves in an innovative and time-efficient manner.

Changing jobs can be a stressful time and there is a lot to absorb, much to learn, new people to get to know, many changes of routine and a new working environment to get accustomed to. The good thing is that I shall still be in the City and my commuting schedule will stay the same. I love using the train to get to work and this is one part of my routine that will not change. I think that the older I get the more accommodating I can be to change and the easier it is to adapt to a new environment. Certainly experience, knowledge, lived life lessons all help to make transitions easier and less stressful.

MOVIE MONDAY - UNKNOWN

 “I am interested in madness. I believe it is the biggest thing in the human race, and the most constant. How do you take away from a man his madness without also taking away his identity?” - William Saroyan

We love a good action/thriller movie and at the weekend we watched a good one. It was the 2011, Jaume Collet-Serra’s “Unknown” starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger and January Jones. The screenplay by Oliver Butcher and Stephen Cornwell was based on the novel “Out of My Head” by Didier Van Cauwelaert. The production was slick the direction crisp and slick, and the acting excellent with Liam Neeson doing an excellent job an action hero, or should that be antihero?

The plot involves a research biotechnologist (Neeson) who arrives in Berlin accompanied by his wife (Jones) for a conference at which a scientist and his Arab Prince backer will announce breakthrough research that will change the agribusiness landscape around the world. While his wife checks into the hotel, he grabs a taxi to return to the airport for his briefcase, left at the kerb. On the way to the airport, an accident involving the taxi he is in and he is saved by the attractive taxi driver (Kruger). He is in a coma though, from which he awakes four days later without identification and with gaps in his memory. He goes to his hotel where his wife refuses to recognise him and another man has claimed his identity. With help from a nurse, the taxi driver, a retired Stasi agent, and an academic friend, he tries to unravel what’s going on.

The film was engaging and involving, with a few twists and turns in the plot, peppered with some great actions sequences. It reminded me a little bit of the good old Hitchcock movies and was most enjoyable. We recommend this to people who like a good action thriller.

MOTHER'S DAY ART

“Some are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together.” - Pearl S. Buck

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers! 

An Art Sunday inspired by this international day of celebration of motherhood.

When he was born to a family of wealthy cloth merchants on 16th July, 1796, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot seemed destined for a life in business. Even though he started out in the family’s business, his talent and inclination were sufficient to convince his parents to allow him to study art. Abandoning his commercial career at the age of 26, Corot began to study under the academic landscape painter Victor Bertin, learning classical composition both in the studio and in his travels to Italy, the Netherlands and England. Because of his family’s wealth, Corot was able to paint without the necessity of selling his work.

Corot’s gift for landscape was immediately apparent, and by 1845 he was critically acclaimed and selling his work regularly. His close alignment with nature, while not idealising the concept of the happy yeoman that his contemporary Millet presented, nor the romantic view of nature as an antidote to increased urbanisation and industrialisation of the age proposed by Rousseau, brought him into the realm of the Barbizon school.

Today, Corot is most appreciated for very different kinds of landscape: For plein air sketches, never destined to be exhibited themselves but painted outdoors in preparation for studio pictures, and for lyrical views of the countryside he called souvenirs. The soft, silvery souvenirs recapture a poetic response to nature. Their fresh touch and light atmosphere are informed by outdoor studies and combined with a strong sense of form retained from classical French landscapes of the seventeenth century. Corot's work was an important influence on younger Impressionist painters.  Well-loved by his friends, peers and pupils, Corot was a generous and noble soul. He gave unstintingly of both time and money, thus earning the nickname “Père Corot”. Camille Corot was deeply mourned when he died in Paris on 22 February, 1875.

This painting “Mother and Child on the Beach” painted in 1860 is now exhibited in the Philadelphia Museum of Art (United States). The painting treats the subject with a straight-forward and earnest simplicity, yet there is a monumental air to it also, foreshadowing perhaps Picasso’s early work. The mother tenderly looks after her baby on the beach, with the activity in the background suggesting labour more than fun. The mother’s earth-coloured dress contrasts with the background and the dress of the baby, both in shades of steel-blue and gray. This is a tender mother, but also one who works as well as looking after her child. Corot is making a social statement as well as observing the intimate relationship of motherhood.

AUTUMN REFLECTION

“The man who has seen the rising moon break out of the clouds at midnight has been present like an archangel at the creation of light and of the world” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Another busy Saturday with a morning full of chores and the usual rushing around to try and get the things that accumulated during the week done. Thankfully the evening arrives and it was time to relax and enjoy a quiet time while the cold wind blew outside. What better than to relax with some heavenly Bach? Here is the adagio from the Concerto in C Minor for Violin and Oboe BWV 1060 by Johann Sebastian Bach.

AN AUTUMN SALAD

“No man can taste the fruits of autumn while he is delighting his scent with the flowers of spring.” - Samuel Johnson

As the days continue to shorten and the temperatures continue to fall, we know that Autumn is progressing inexorably towards Winter. It is lovely to feel the bracing coolness in the air and hear the patter of the rain, especially if one is in a warm bed – the rain may then lash the windowpanes and the cold wind may blow, it is but a lullaby that sends one to sleep.

Seasonal fruit and vegetables figure prominently on our table and as always we love our salads. We could not imagine a meal without some sort of salad playing either an accompanying part or having starring role in the proceedings. Today we had a lovely salad that was put together with whatever was in the fridge and whatever could be gathered from the garden. These impromptu seasonal salads are tasty and surprisingly fresh and healthful. The carrots and last of the season’s tomatoes were from the greengrocer’s. The tamarillos, spring onions and herbs were from our garden. We have a lovely little tamarillo tree (Cyphomandra betacea) that is very productive and every autumn we enjoy its fruits.

Carrot, Tamarillo and Tomato Salad

Ingredients

4 carrots

3 tamarillos

1 large tomato

2 spring onions, chopped

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tsp chopped dill

1 pinch of dried oregano

1 tbsp capers

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

Salt, pepper to taste

Method

Grate finely the carrots and place in a salad bowl.

Add the finely chopped onions and herbs, and season with salt and pepper.

Mix well and then add the vinegar and oil, tossing well through the carrots.

Peel the tomato and dice finely into 0.5 cm cubes, arranging it on top of the carrots in the centre of the bowl.

Peel the tamarillos and dice finely into 0.5 cm cubes, arranging it around the tomato along the periphery of the bowl.

Garnish with the capers.

Toss at the table before serving.

This post is part of the Food Friday meme,

and also part of the Food Trip Friday meme.

LAG B'OMER

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” - Oprah Winfrey
 

Many Jewish communities around the world will observe today the Lag B’Omer holiday, also known as Lag BaOmer, which falls on the 18th day of the month of Iyar in the Jewish calendar. The name of this observance means “the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer”. The Counting of the Omer is a time for spiritual growth and some Jewish groups forbid haircuts, weddings, dancing and other forms of entertainment in this period. However, Lag B’Omer is a time of celebration and these restrictions are either lifted for one day or ended. Many people hold picnics or barbecues, sing, dance, and encourage their children to play outside with bows, arrows, bats and balls. In Meron, Israel, three-year-old boys are given their first haircuts on this holiday.

In Israel, Lag B’Omer is a school holiday. In the weeks or days beforehand, children and young people gather waste wood, particularly old doors and boards, to pile into huge bonfires. On the evening at the start of Lag B’Omer, the bonfires are lit. The bonfires may symbolise fires lit to communicate and celebrate that a war or period of fighting has ended. People may also offer “Chai Rotel” by donating or offering 18 rotel (about 13 gallons or 54 liters) of liquid food or drink to pilgrims attending the celebrations at the Hilula of R’Shimon bar Yochai in Meron, Israel. Many people believe that anyone who does this will be granted a miracle. An example of this would be that a woman who cannot have children through pregnancy may miraculously become pregnant.

The Lag B’Omer holiday originates from the time of Rabbi Akiva, a scholar and teacher of Jewish law who lived approximately during the years 50 to 135 CE. In a number of Jewish documents, there are passages, which report that 24,000 of his students died in a plague, because they had not respected each other. The plague ended on the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer, a period of 49 days between the Jewish holidays of Passover and Shavuot.  Some scholars think that the “plague” refers to the Roman occupation of Jewish lands and that the students died resisting the Roman army, perhaps in the Bar Kokhba revolt in the years 132 to 135 CE. The bonfire connection may be made here, perhaps.

Many visit the resting place (in Meron, northern Israel) of the great sage and mystic Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the anniversary of whose passing is on this day. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (ca 100-160 CE), was the first to publicly teach the mystical dimension of the Torah known as the “Kabbalah,” and is the author of the basic work of Kabbalah, the Zohar. On the day of his passing, Rabbi Shimon instructed his disciples to mark the date as “the day of my joy.” The chassidic masters explain that the final day of a righteous person’s earthly life marks the point at which “all his deeds, teachings and work” achieve their culminating perfection and the zenith of their impact upon our lives. So each Lag B’Omer, the Rabbi Shimon’s life and the revelation of the esoteric soul of Torah are celebrated.

Kabbalah |kəˈbɑːlə, ˈkabələ|(also Kabbala, Cabbala, Cabala, or Qabalah ), noun.
The ancient Jewish tradition of mystical interpretation of the Bible, first transmitted orally and using esoteric methods (including ciphers). It reached the height of its influence in the later Middle Ages and remains significant in Hasidism.

DERIVATIVES
Kabbalism noun,
Kabbalist noun,
Kabbalistic adjective
ORIGIN: From medieval Latin cabala, cabbala, from Rabbinical Hebrew qabbālāh ‘tradition’, from qibbēl ‘receive, accept’.

MOONSTRUCK

“Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody” - Mark Twain

Last Saturday we were treated to the closest and largest full moon of this year. Astronomers call this sort of close full moon a “perigee full moon”. The word perigee describes the moon’s closest point to Earth for a given month. But last year, when the closest and largest full moon occurred on March 19, 2011, many used the term “supermoon”, which was once again used to describe this 2012 close full moon. The word supermoon didn’t come from astronomy, but rather from astrology. Astrologer Richard Nolle of the website www.astropro.com takes credit for coining the term “supermoon”. In 1979, he defined it as:
“…a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit (perigee). In short, Earth, moon and sun are all in a line, with moon in its nearest approach to Earth.”

According to Nolle’s definition, he says that:
“There are 4-6 supermoons a year on average.”

Well, what’s all the fuss about, then? Saturday’s close full moon lines up much more closely with perigee (the moon’s closest point to Earth) than Nolle’s original definition. At perigee, the moon lies only 356,955 kilometers away. Later this month, on May 19, the moon will swing out to apogee (its farthest point for the month) at 406,448 kilometers distant.

The moon won’t come as close as this month’s extra-close moon until August 10, 2014. Even the proximity of full moon with perigee in today’s moon isn’t all that rare. Looking further into the future, the perigee full moon on November 14, 2016 (356,509 km) will even be closer than the one on March 19, 2011 (356,575 km). The perigee full moon will come closer than 356,500 kilometers for the first time in the 21st century on November 25, 2034 (356,446 km). The closest moon of the 21st century will fall on December 6, 2052 (356,421 km).

All full moons bring higher-than-usual tides, and perigee full moons bring the highest (and lowest) tides of all. Each month, on the day of the full moon, the moon, Earth and sun are aligned, with Earth in between. This line up creates wide-ranging tides, known as spring tides. High spring tides climb up especially high, and on the same day low tides plunge especially low. Last Saturday’s extra-close full moon accentuated these monthly (full moon) spring tides all the more.

Did you know that each full moon every month has its own name (for Northern Hemisphere):
January: Old Moon, or Moon After Yule
February: Snow Moon, Hunger Moon, or Wolf Moon
March: Sap Moon, Crow Moon, or Lenten Moon
April: Grass Moon, or Egg Moon
May: Planting Moon, or Milk Moon
June: Rose Moon, Flower Moon, or Strawberry Moon
July: Thunder Moon, or Hay Moon
August: Green Corn Moon, or Grain Moon
September: Fruit Moon, or Harvest Moon
October: Harvest Moon, or Hunter’s Moon
November: Hunter’s Moon, Frosty Moon, or Beaver Moon
December: Moon Before Yule, or Long Night Moon

About once every 19 years, February has no full moon at all. Moreover, in 7 out of every 19 years, two full moons will fall in the same calendar month. The second of the month’s two full moons is popularly referred to as a Blue Moon. The next Blue Moon by this definition will happen on August 31, 2012.

RED CROSS/RED CRESCENT DAY 2012

“Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.” - Dalai Lama
 

May 8th is World Red Cross/Red Crescent Day. This day was chosen to honour the birthday of Henri Dunant (1828 –1910), the Swiss founder of the Red Cross. His idea of a volunteer-based humanitarian organisation has grown into an international movement made up of 185 member Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. People all over the world, united in their belief in humanity and their desire to make the world a better place, will take a moment on World Red Cross/Red Crescent Day, to recognise past achievements and look towards a better future.

Dunant received a Nobel Peace Prize for his commitment to peaceful pursuits, which directly contributed to the creation of the Geneva Convention in 1864. Within this treaty, 12 nations agreed to grant neutrality to those willing to care for the wounded on the battlefield until recovery, and expedite supplies to those bearing the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent’s (IFRC) symbols.

The resulting global observance of the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day dictates the annual themed focus representing the organisation's long term goals. The 2012 theme is “Together for Humanity”, representing a vision not unlike Dunant’s 148 years ago. Red Cross/Red Crescent youth volunteers worldwide will be on the move to lead positive change today in celebration of World Red Cross Red Crescent Day. It is gratifying to know that of the 13 million IFRC volunteers worldwide, half of them are young people.

The vision of the Red Cross/Red Crescent is to:

• Initiate efforts for the reduction of deaths because of illnesses
• Alleviate the impact of any kind of injury and death due to any sort of disaster
• Decrease the rate of public health emergencies
• Empower the Red Cross/Red Crescent and civil society along with local communities in order to ensure quick response to emergencies and vulnerable situations
• Reinstitute human dignity at all the time.

All those who want to be a part of World Red Cross/Red Crescent Day celebration can do the following:

• Support the Red Cross/Red Crescent and its programs or efforts
• Send donation to Red Cross/Red Crescent Society near you
• Donate blood
• Become a volunteer of Red Cross/Red Crescent
• Appreciate and recognise the efforts of the Red Cross/Red Crescent volunteers.

IFRC is the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, providing worldwide relief during times of disease, famine, disaster or war. It has around 97 million members and volunteers in some 170 countries and helps more than 230 million people every year. It represents the best of humanity, where compassion, fellow-feeling, kindness, concern, empathy and active help of one’s fellow human beings is manifest.

The Australian Red Cross is active both in Australia and overseas and is always in need of donations and volunteers. Make every day of the year a Red Cross/Red Crescent day by contributing in some way to the humanitarian work of this important body. The web page has many ways in which everyone of us can help the IFRC’s work.

MOVIE MONDAY - THE AMERICAN

 “The pleasure of expecting enjoyment is often greater than that of obtaining it, and the completion of almost every wish is found a disappointment” - Samuel Johnson

We watched a rather disappointing film with George Clooney at the weekend. It was Anton Corbijn’s 2010 film “The American”, starring George Clooney, Paolo Bonacelli, Thekla Reuten and Violante Placido. I must say that a few films with George Clooney that we have seen lately have been lemons (who can forget the super lemon “The Men Who Stare At Goats” or the other super lemon “Syriana”?). This last film we watched was a mini lemon, suffering from a pedestrian script and a self-important, “we-are-making-a-serious-art-film-here-and-don’t-you-forget-it” type of attitude.

The plot was simple enough (and that was part of the problem): Jack (Clooney) is an assassin, a hitman, a murderer, but also a master craftsman who can modify guns to specification. He is an American who is working in Europe. A job in Sweden ends more messily than expected and he tells his contact, Pavel, that his next assignment will be his last. Jack goes to the Italian countryside, where he takes up residence in a small apartment in a small rural town posing as a landscape photographer. The assignment, as specified by a Belgian woman, Mathilde (Reuten), involves a gun being modified to specification. Jack is befriended by the local priest Father Benedetto (Bonacelli) and pursues romance with local hooker, Clara (Placido). However, things begin to sour when double crossing enters the equation.

First let me say that everyone acted well, there is no arguing with that. Second, the countryside and Italian townscapes provide for plenty of opportunity for good cinematography. The sound track is appropriate and the production values high. That summarises the good things about the movie. Now as for the bad, where do I start? At 105 minutes run time the film feels like it’s at least three hours long. Although it is described as an action thriller, this is a slooooow film, ostensibly about the feelings and moral dilemmas that a contract killer has. The script is laughable and the pretence of the basic idea makes this film tedious. There is a lot of gratuitous nudity and sex in the film, not necessarily relevant to the plot – I guess that was to make it more saleable? Really, nowadays? There were plot holes and the movie failed to engage the viewer. As if all that wasn’t bad enough, we are expected to feel sorry for Jack the contract murderer.

In the end, all we could muster was: “Oh? Is that all? Ho hum!” The film could have been made more exciting, more action-packed and the characters more engaging. I could not work up enough sympathy for poor old George and in the end could not help thinking he got what he deserved – he was a killer after all. His redemption was half-hearted and unconvincing. It was a boring film and too steeped in its own inflated self-importance. There were too many clichés and what was meant to be an exciting edge-of-your-seat thriller ended up being a love story and a soppy one at that.

This is a movie for George Clooney fans, very definitely one to appeal more to a female audience. I was quite bored and I am usually quite forgiving and want to give films every possible chance. I would not recommend it unreservedly and would suggest that if you watch it, do it while you are doing something else as well.

ART SUNDAY - BYZANTINE MOSAIC

“It is the neglect of timely repair that makes rebuilding necessary.” - Richard Whately

Hagia Sofia (Aya Sofya) is the legendary Church of Holy Wisdom in Istanbul, Western Turkey. Dedicated on December 26th, 537 AD by the emperor Justinian, the great church of Haghia Sophia was the religious centre of the Byzantine Empire for nine hundred years, in what was then the capital of the Empire, Constantinople (now Istanbul). After the Turkish conquest of Constantinople in 1453, The Hagia Sophia served as an imperial mosque of the Ottoman Empire. After the foundation of the Turkish Republic, it was turned into a museum in 1935.

The present structure dates from the reign of Justinian (527-565 AD), and was built by his architects Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus. Isidorus the Younger, nephew of Isidorus of Miletus, supervised significant restoration after an earthquake in Justinian’s time. Buttresses were erected much later by Emperor Andronicus Palaeologus in 1317 and minarets were added by Sultan Mehmet II (the Conqueror), Beyazit II, and Murat III.

The church was sumptuously built with rich carvings, marble facings, semiprecious stones, a solid silver iconostasis, and richly decorated with frescoes and mosaics throughout the centuries. The mosaics either depicted the Virgin Mother, Jesus, saints, or emperors and empresses. Other parts were decorated in a purely decorative style with geometric patterns. During the Sack of Constantinople in 1204, the Latin Crusaders vandalised valuable items in every important Byzantine structure of the city, including the golden mosaics of the Hagia Sophia. Many of these items were shipped to Venice, whose Doge, Enrico Dandolo, had organized the invasion and sack of Constantinople.

Following the building’s conversion into a mosque in 1453, many of its mosaics were covered with plaster, due to Islam’s ban on representational imagery. This process was not completed at once, and reports exist from the 17th century in which travellers note that they could still see Christian images in the former church. In 1847–49, the building was restored by two Swiss Italian brothers, Gaspare and Giuseppe Fossati, and Sultan Abdülmecid allowed them to also document any mosaics they might discover during this process. This work did not include repairing the mosaics and after recording the details about an image, the Fossatis painted it over again. In some cases, the Fossatis recreated damaged decorative mosaic patterns in paint, sometimes redesigning them in the process.

The Fossati records are the primary sources about a number of mosaic images now believed to have been completely or partially destroyed in an earthquake in 1894. These include a great mosaic of Christ Pantocrator in the dome, a mosaic over a now-unidentified Door of the Poor, a large image of a jewel-encrusted cross, and a large number of images of angels, saints, patriarchs, and church fathers. Most of the missing images were located in the building’s two tympana. The Fossatis also added a pulpit (minbar) and the four large medallions on the walls of the nave bearing the names of Muhammad and Islam’s first caliphs.

Illustrated here is a particularly fine 12th Century mosaic (most likely from 1118 AD) of the Virgin Mary and the infant Christ flanked by Emperor John II Comnenus and the Empress Irene (Eirene). The inscription above the emperor reads: “John, in Christ the Lord faithful Emperor, Porphyrogenitus and Autocrat of the Romans, Comnenus”. The term porphyrogenitus means “born in the purple”, i.e. a legitimate son of the reigning emperor. Keep in mind that the first son of the preceding emperor did not always live long enough to be crowned himself (in fact, John’s two eldest sons died before him).  Also known as Kaloiannis (John the Beautiful), he was apparently quite ugly (the term beautiful apparently referring to his pious character). He married the daughter (later to be the Empress Eirene) of King Ladislaus I of Hungary. The inscription above her head reads: “Eirene, the most pious Augusta”.

This mosaic exemplifies the high art and technical expertise reached by the mosaic artists of the Byzantine era, who created shimmering, sparkling works with vivid and fresh colours. Mosaics have a high degree of permanency and that these mosaics survived for centuries and numerous attempts at defacement is a credit to the skill of the artists and craftsmen, as well as the permanency of the medium of mosaic.

With the Greek Election occurring today it is perhaps appropriate that one considers the persistence of the Greek people and the ever-recurring resurrection of a country and people that has been conquered, enslaved, subjugated, razed and humiliated on numerous occasions. The recent economic crisis and its numerous attendant misfortunes is yet another of these obstacles that will be overcome and Greece will rise from its ashes once again. It will be like a mosaic obscured by time, neglect, daubing with plaster, which is revealed by loving restoration.

AUTUMN SATURDAY SERENITY

“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
 

Another cool, gray Autumn day today. We went to the City this morning, but the rain came, fell and kept falling, finally defeating us so we came back home early. It was good to turn the heater on, have lunch and watch a movie.

Here is some Saturday Serenity with Alicia de Larrocha, piano and the English Chamber Orchestra London conducted by Sir Colin Davis playing one of the most sublime slow movements from Mozart’s piano concertos. This is the Adagio from Piano Concerto No.23 in A major K.488.

RAISIN SCONES

“It will be a great day when our schools have all the money they need, and our air force has to have a bake-sale to buy a bomber.” - Robert Fulghum

We had an afternoon tea at work today, for no special reason except that it was Friday and Autumn, and everyone wanted a little bit of a treat at the end of the week. A few people brought in some goodies to eat, including chocolate cake, savoury party pies, cookies, pinwheel sandwiches and the pièce de resistance, Scottish Raisin Scones, which I liked particularly well. The woman who brought them in was congratulated heartily all around for her baking prowess and she was kind enough to share the recipe:

Maddy’s Scottish Raisin Scones
Ingredients
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 cup milk
4 - 6 cups unsifted plain flour
4 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1 egg yolk
sugar for sprinkling

Method
•    Preheat oven to 230˚C
•    Stir vinegar into milk and set aside
•    Combine 4 cups flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Mix well
•    Cut in butter, rubbing through lightly until mixture resembles coarse crumbs
•    Stir in raisins
•    Add milk mixture to dry ingredients at once and stir with a fork until all ingredients are moistened
•    Add additional flour if mixture is too moist (i.e. you are not able to knead it easily)
•    Turn out on a lightly floured board and knead gently about 20 times
•    Make balls of dough about 4 cm in diameter
•    Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle sugar on top
•    Bake in preheated oven at 230˚C oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until done.

These were so good, I think I’ll suggest we bake them for Sunday brunch!

This post is part of the Food Friday Meme,

and also for the Food Trip Friday Meme.

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY 2012

“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” - George Washington

On May 3rd, World Press Freedom Day is annually observed to inform the community that freedom of the press and freedom of expression are fundamental human rights. This day reminds people that many journalists brave death or face jail to bring daily news to the public. The day gives people the opportunity to acknowledge media professionals who risked or lost their lives in the line of duty. Many communities, organizations and individuals take part in this day through various events such as art exhibitions, dinners featuring keynote speakers, and awards nights to honour those who bring news to the world in an objective, truthful and candid manner.

World Press Freedom Day was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 1993 as an outgrowth of the Seminar on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press. This seminar took place in Namibia in 1991 and led to the adoption of the Windhoek Declaration on Promoting Independent and Pluralistic Media. The Windhoek Declaration called to establish, maintain and foster an independent, pluralistic and free press. It emphasized the importance of a free press for developing and maintaining democracy in a nation, and for economic development. World Press Freedom Day is celebrated annually on May 3, the date on which the Windhoek Declaration was adopted.

Although World Press Freedom Day has only been celebrated since 1993, it has much deeper roots in the United Nations. Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights states that everyone “has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”.

Each year since 1997, the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize is awarded to honour the work of an individual or an organisation defending or promoting freedom of expression, especially if it puts the individual’s life at risk. The award is named after a journalist murdered in 1986 after denouncing drug barons. Last year it was awarded posthumously to a Russian investigative reporter who was murdered in a contract-style killing in 2006.

The theme for World Press Freedom Day 2012 is “New Voices: Media Freedom Helping to Transform Societies”. The recent uprisings worldwide have highlighted the power of the media, the human quest for freedom of expression and the confluence of press freedom and freedom of expression through various traditional and new media, such as blogging, Facebook, Twitter, etc. This has given rise to an unprecedented level of media freedom. New media have enabled civil society, young people and communities to bring about massive social and political transformations by self-organising, and engaging the global youth in the fight to be able to freely express themselves and the aspirations of their wider communities.

However, it must be understood that media freedom is fragile, and it is also not yet within the reach of everyone. As more reporting is now done online, more and more online journalists including bloggers are being harassed, attacked or even killed for their work. We should take great pains to allow freedom of expression of individuals on whatever platform they choose. By being aware of the important and fundamental human right of freedom of speech, we can safeguard it and help make it a respected right worldwide.

Rights have also attendant responsibilities and freedom of expression is no exception. Many people interpret freedom of the press and freedom of speech to mean that anything can be reported and written with impunity. However, it is the responsibility of good journalism to be objective, respectful of other people, inclusive, civil, tactful and cautious. Freedom of the press doesn’t imply that a reporter may vilify, abuse and denigrate nor does it give free rein to fabrication and sloppy reportage that is deficient in facts and laden with poorly formed opinion. A good reporter has all the facts, is objective and while incisive and honest, is never slanderous or pejorative.

NOVALIS

“Everything beloved is the centre point of a paradise.” - Novalis
 

Tansy, Tanacetum vulgare, is the plant for today’s birthdays.  It symbolises courage and resistance and in the language of flowers means: “I declare against you”.  An old name for the herb is athanasia (Greek for “immortality”). In the past it was used to preserve corpses which may be associated with this older name.  Consequently, the herb was sacred to St Athanasius. The herb was used to flavour many Easter dishes (cakes, omelettes and the Paschal lamb) and was representative of Lent as a bitter herb.  Astrologically, it is under the dominion of Venus.

Novalis (1772 - 1801) was the pen name of Friedrich Leopold, Baron von Hardenberg. He took the name from “de Novali” which was an old family name. The future Baron von Hardenberg was born into a noble German family in lower Saxony. He was sent to a religious school as a boy, but he was stifled by the strict atmosphere and he never adjusted to its severe discipline. He later lived with his uncle who introduced him to the French literature and rational philosophy. He then went to Weissenfels, where his father moved, and entered the Eisleben gymnasium. In 1790-91 he studied law at the University of Jena, where he met Friedrich von Schiller and Friedrich Schlegel. Novalis completed his studies at Wittenberg in 1793.

In the 1790s, the ideas of the French Revolution spread among idealistic intellectual circles throughout Europe, greatly inspiring the young Novalis. He was also deeply moved by reading the mystical philosophical writings of Goethe. Goethe’s book “Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship”, which he read in 1795, influenced him deeply; he considered it the Bible for the “New Age”. In 1795-96 he studied the works of Johann Gottlieb Fichte. At the age of 21 he moved to Tennstädt and took up job in civil service.

When Novalis was a young man, he fell in love with a teenage girl named, appropriately enough, Sophie (Sophia is a personification of the goddess of wisdom, the feminine embodiment of the divine in Western gnostic traditions). His experience of love for the young woman was so deep that it became a transformative, “mystical” experience for the young and impressionable Novalis, whose reading had made him receptive to the concept of ideal love. Sadly, Sophie von Kühn died two years later of tuberculosis.

In 1798 Novalis published a series of philosophical fragments, “Fragmenten”. The loss of his beloved caused an infinitude of pain and sorrow for the hapless young lover, but it also served as strong inspiration and source of creative energy. His “Hymnen an die Nacht” (Hymns to the Night - 1800) was the resultant work. This is a collection of prose, poetry and aphorisms in praise of the sacred encounters with nature, night, sleep, and the magnetic connection between the masculine and the feminine.

Novalis died at the age of 29 of tuberculosis, the same disease that claimed Sophie. He is considered one of the early German Romantics, and he is sometimes referred to as “the prophet of the Romantics”.

Hymns to the Night – No 6
Longing for Death

Into the bosom of the earth,
Out of the Light's dominion,
Death's pains are but a bursting forth,
Sign of glad departure.
Swift in the narrow little boat,
Swift to the heavenly shore we float.

Blessed be the everlasting Night,
And blessed the endless slumber.
We are heated by the day too bright,
And withered up with care.
We're weary of a life abroad,
And we now want our Father's home.

What in this world should we all
Do with love and with faith?
That which is old is set aside,
And the new may perish also.
Alone he stands and sore downcast
Who loves with pious warmth the Past.

The Past where the light of the senses
In lofty flames did rise;
Where the Father's face and hand
All men did recognize;
And, with high sense, in simplicity
Many still fit the original pattern.

The Past wherein, still rich in bloom,
Man's strain did burgeon glorious,
And children, for the world to come,
Sought pain and death victorious,
And, through both life and pleasure spake,
Yet many a heart for love did break.

The Past, where to the flow of youth
God still showed himself,
And truly to an early death
Did commit his sweet life.
Fear and torture patiently he bore
So that he would be loved forever.

With anxious yearning now we see
That Past in darkness drenched,
With this world's water never we
Shall find our hot thirst quenched.
To our old home we have to go
That blessed time again to know.

What yet doth hinder our return
To loved ones long reposed?
Their grave limits our lives.
We are all sad and afraid.
We can search for nothing more --
The heart is full, the world is void.

Infinite and mysterious,
Thrills through us a sweet trembling --
As if from far there echoed thus
A sigh, our grief resembling.
Our loved ones yearn as well as we,
And sent to us this longing breeze.

Down to the sweet bride, and away
To the beloved Jesus.
Have courage, evening shades grow gray
To those who love and grieve.
A dream will dash our chains apart,
And lay us in the Father's lap.

Novalis

MELBOURNE MAY DAY 2012

“Sooner or later comes a crisis in our affairs, and how we meet it determines our future happiness and success. Since the beginning of time, every form of life has been called upon to meet such crisis.” - Robert Collier

It is May Day today and I have blogged before about this anniversary, its history and traditions, here, and also here and lastly here. Today at lunchtime I was walking back to the office after a meeting and chanced upon a May Day demonstration in central Melbourne. It was a rather mild affair with a few dozen of protesters, but they did manage to stop the traffic for a few minutes while the crowd watched with expressions ranging from apathy to mild amusement to annoyance. The police were there to keep an eye on things and the demonstrators moved on after a while.

We are still relatively fortunate here in Australia in these terrible times of economic crisis. The unemployment rate tends to be quite low compared to other Western nations, the economy (although not booming) is still fairly healthy, and our lifestyle is still quite relaxed. We are counting our blessings, but the question is, till when? How long will the mining boom that has buoyed up the economy last? Will international pressures force our economy down sooner rather than later.? One thinks of the fat and lean cows, and we must prepare ourselves for the worse…

I dare say that labour demonstrations marking May Day that will take place across the world will be more vehement and rather more well-attended than the Melbourne one. Europe with its backdrop of unpopular austerity measures and rising social unrest will play a leading role in these demonstrations, I should think. Greece, Spain and Portugal are set to hold large nationwide demonstrations. At a Paris rally, National Front leader Marine Le Pen is expected to tell her supporters who they should vote for in Sunday's presidential run-off vote. The Occupy protest movement has urged May Day action spanning the globe…

The Occupy protest movement released a statement that said: “The Occupy Movement has called for A Day Without the 99% on May 1st, 2012”. This is in reference to its slogan that the wealthy 1% rules over a powerless 99%.  The main Occupy rally will be in New York in the afternoon rush hour. The Occupy movement in San Francisco called for a Golden Gate Bridge protest, with the statement there being: “This May Day we look forward to seeing strong, powerful picket lines, unlike anything the Golden Gate Bridge bosses have seen before”.

Rallies have already taken place across Asia, with the protest in Hong Kong attracting about 5,000 workers who marched demanding a rise in the minimum wage. In Jakarta, Indonesia, more than 9,000 workers marched to the state palace calling for better pay and job protection. In Manila, the Philippines, some 8,000 workers rallied near the Malacanang palace to call for pay increases.

We live in interesting times, and things are going to get all the more interesting as time progresses. As with any crisis a resolution will follow - history teaches us that. In any resolution some things will get better, but also there will be many casualties. One hopes that some good sense prevails and we vote in some politicians that will think of the greater, longer term good.

MOVIE MONDAY - SECRET OF THE GRAIN

“Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.” - E. B. White

We watched an interesting French film at the weekend, which although rather slow and of an almost documentary-like look, was quite effective and made some strong points about some of the problems immigrants face in France. It was the 2007 film by Abdellatif Kechiche, La Graine et le Mulet - “The Secret of the Grain”, starring Habib Boufares, Hafsia Herzi and Farida Benkhetache.

At the port of Sète, near Montpellier in Southern France, Mr Slimani, a 60-year-old man, works the local shipyard. He is from Tunisia, but has been working at the shipyard for 30 years. As the economy gets worse and the shipyard loses business, big demands are made on the workers so that productivity increases as staff is laid off.  Mr Slimani is divorced and a good father who stays close to his family despite the existing tensions amongst the family members. Tempers flare, arguments are easily sparked off and financial difficulties make everything even more intense. Making things more complicated is his lady friend who is a cheap hotel owner and her young daughter who adores Mr Slimani, as if he were her own father. Mr Slimani is going through a difficult period in his life and everything seems to make him feel a failure. He has a dream to start up his own restaurant. When Slimane is laid off, he has nothing to lose and rescues an old ship from the wreckers and remodels it to become a floating restaurant. What seems to be an unreachable dream suddenly begins to become reality with the help of family and friends who rally around him to support his project: His sons help with the boat’s renovation; his girlfriend’s daughter helps acquiring the necessary bank loans and official documents; and his ex-wife cooks the restaurants signature dish – fish couscous. But unfortunately all is not rosy…

The grain referred to in the title of the film is the staple dish of North Africa, couscous. This is to be the specialty of the restaurant and it is to be served with fish, special sauces and delicious hors d’ oeuvres. All is cooked to perfection, but his philandering son throws a spanner in the works on the party night that Mr Slimani has invited all the city VIPs to show them how his restaurant will function faultlessly.

The movie was over-long at 151 minutes and a lot of film should have been left on the cutting room floor to make it tighter, to flow more easily and to discard a lot of irrelevant details that were bordering on the tiresome (the sequence with Mr Slimani’s grandaughter’s toilet training was a typical example). One can argue that the meandering dialogue was natural and believable, but it laboured a point and most viewers would lose interest very quickly in a long discussion about the price of nappies. However, as the film progressed, the pace quickened and the final scenes contrasted very much with the earlier part of the film.

The acting was excellent and Habib Boufares gives an understated, dignified performance as Mr Slimani. Hafsia Herzi and Farida Benkhetache sparkle as the adopted and blood daughters and the supporting cast do a great job of making the family and their contacts come to life. Many of these were not professional actors and much of the dialogue surely must have been improvised on the spot (highlighting once again the need for tighter editing). The cinematography is good and the music very apt.

The restaurant is of course symbolic of the dreams of immigrants and hopes of immigrants, wishing to make it good in the “new country”. To achieve a success that will elevate them in their new community, while raising their status amongst their peers. The wish to integrate and work in their new community, whilst still retaining the culture and customs of their homeland is a tough balancing act, but Mr Slimane tries to do this valiantly. The community’s dual attitude toward immigrants is an issue that the film confronts. During a party at Slimane’s restaurant, the invited guests (who all accepted and turned up for the free feed) compliment their host and try their hand at a little Arabic; however, as soon as Slimane’s back is turned, they whisper amongst themselves that “he’s not from around here”; “he’ll ruin the market for us – his prices will be much cheaper than at our own restaurants”; and “of course he cannot moor his boat restaurant at the good side of the port”…

The ending of the film is abrupt and quite shocking, leaving the viewer flummoxed. But one has to remember that this is not an ordinary film. It is documentary-like tragicomedy, with real glimpses of family life, tensions between the immigrant community and the autochthonous elements, love and devotion – parental, filial and otherwise, as well as the value of dreaming and the hope of achieving one’s dreams. It is a difficult film to watch but quite rewarding for those who are interested in off-beat, unconventional and highly individualistic movies.

ART SUNDAY - BRIDGET RILEY

“It is our illusions that create the world” - Didier van Cauwelaert

Op art, also known as optical art, is a style of visual art that makes use of optical illusions. Op art works are abstract, with many of the better known pieces made in only black and white. When the viewer looks at them, the impression is given of movement, hidden images, flashing and vibration, patterns, or alternatively, of swelling or warping. This art became popular in the 1960s, but as more artists became involved in the movement, the predominantly black and white style became infused by colour.

Bridget Louise Riley CH CBE (born 24 April 1931) is an English painter who is one of the foremost proponents of Op art. Riley was born in London and spent her childhood in Cornwall and Lincolnshire. She was educated at Cheltenham Ladies’ College. She studied art first at Goldsmiths College (1949–52), and later at the Royal College of Art (1952–55), where her fellow students included artists Peter Blake and Frank Auerbach.

Her early work was figurative with a semi-impressionist style. Around 1960 she began to develop her signature Op Art style consisting of black and white geometric patterns that explore the dynamism of sight and produce a disorienting effect on the eye. Early in her career, Riley worked as an art teacher from 1957-58 at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Harrow. Later she worked at the Loughborough School of Art (1959), Hornsey College of Art, and Croydon College of Art (1962–64). She also worked as an illustrator for the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency prior to giving it up in 1964. In 1968 Riley, with Peter Sedgley and Peter Townsend, created the artists' organization SPACE (Space Provision Artistic Cultural and Educational), with the goal of providing artists large and affordable studio space.

Bridget Riley may be best known for her optical black and white paintings – now  synonymous with the 1960s – but in the stunning colour work that she started experimenting with in 1967, she continued her exploration of perception through the relationship between structure and colour. In 1968, Riley represented Great Britain in the Venice Biennale. She was the first British contemporary painter, and the first woman, to be awarded the prestigious International Prize for painting. In many works since this period, Riley has employed others to paint the pieces, while she concentrates on the actual design of her work.

In 2009 Bridget Riley was recipient of Germany’s most prestigious prize, The Goslar Award for Modern Art and in 2012 she will be awarded the Rubenspreis der Stadt Siegen. Her work is in the collection of major international museums including Neues Museum, Nurnberg; MoMA, New York; Tate Gallery, London; Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo among others. Two wall paintings as well as paintings and studies are also currently on view in a unique exhibition, Bridget Riley: Paintings and Related Work, at the National Gallery in London, which was on view until 22 May 2011.

The work above is “Debut”, 1988, oil on linen, 167,6 x 226,1 cm.