MONTEVERDI'S "L' ORFEO"

“They that love beyond the world cannot be separated by it. Death cannot kill what never dies.” - William Penn
 

“L’ Orfeo” (SV 318), sometimes called “L’ Orfeo, favola in musica”, is a late Renaissance/early Baroque opera by Claudio Monteverdi, with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio. It is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and tells the story of his descent to Hades and his attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to the living world. Written in 1607 for a court performance during the annual Carnival at Mantua, “L’Orfeo” is one of the earliest music dramas still regularly performed.
 

Claudio Monteverdi, born in Cremona in 1567, was a musical prodigy who studied under Marc’ Antonio Ingegneri, the maestro di cappella (head of music) at Cremona Cathedral. After training in singing, strings playing and composition, Monteverdi worked as a musician in Verona and Milan until, in 1590 or 1591, he secured a post as suonatore di vivuola (viola player) at Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga’s court at Mantua. Through ability and hard work Monteverdi rose to become Gonzaga’s maestro della musica in 1601.
 

Vincenzo Gonzaga’s particular passion for musical theatre and spectacle grew from his family connections with the court of Florence. Towards the end of the 16th century innovative Florentine musicians were developing the intermedio (a long-established form of musical interlude inserted between the acts of spoken dramas) into increasingly elaborate forms. Led by Jacopo Corsi, these successors to the renowned Camerata were responsible for the first work generally recognised as belonging to the genre of opera: “Dafne”, composed by Corsi and Jacopo Peri and performed in Florence in 1598.
 

"Dafne" combined elements of madrigal singing and monody with dancing and instrumental passages to form a dramatic whole. Only fragments of its music still exist, but several other Florentine works of the same period (“Rappresentatione di Anima, et di Corpo” by Emilio de’ Cavalieri, Peri’s “Euridice” and Giulio Caccini’s identically titled “Euridice” survive complete). These last two works were the first of many musical representations of the Orpheus myth as recounted in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and as such were direct precursors of Monteverdi’s “L'Orfeo”.
 

Here is the complete "L' Orfeo" of Monteverdi performed by La Capella Reial de Catalunya, Conducted by Jordi Savall, with stage settings by Gilbert Deflo and directed by Brian Large. The painting above is by Margherita Fascione.

WINTER SOUP

“In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” - William Blake
 
It’s still Winter here in Melbourne despite the blooming of the bulb flowers and the riotous yellow of the flowering wattles. Soups are de rigueur, and here is an easy but delicious wintry offering.
 
CREAM OF CELERY AND MUSHROOM SOUP
Ingredients
 
1/4 cup butter
1 and 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 leek (white portion only)
1 can of cream of celery soup
1 and 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
Nutmeg, thyme, pepper to taste
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
 
Method
Sauté the chopped leek in the butter until tender.  Add the mushrooms and cook thoroughly until golden, stirring all the while.  Add the soup and heat through, stirring while adding the milk and parsley.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, adding a little more milk to maintain the volume constant.  Add the spices and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Mix in the grated cheese and serve immediately, garnished with a sprig of parsley.

This post is part of the Food Friday meme,
and also part of the Food Trip Friday meme.

A SAD SANTIAGO DAY

“For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity.” - William Penn
 
Today is the anniversary of the birthday of:

Henry Doulton, potter (1820);

Arthur Balfour, British PM (1848);

Eric Hoffer, author (1902);

Elias Canetti, Bulgarian author (1905);

Jack Gilford, actor (1907);

Paul J Weitz, US astronaut (1932);

Janet Margolin, actress (1943);

Louise Brown, world’s 1st test tube baby (1978).
 
Purple lilac, Syringa vulgaris, is today’s birthday flower. It means in the language of flowers: “Do you still love me?”.  It is symbolic of memory, first love and fastidiousness.
 
Today is said to be an auspicious day for commencing journeys. Both St Christopher and St James are traveller Saints and are invoked for special protection by travellers.  St Christopher (from the Greek Christos + Phoros means “Christ bearer”), according to legend was a giant who carried the infant Jesus on his shoulders across a flooded rushing river.  A St Christopher medal is carried by travellers and its adoration in the morning protects the faithful from harm during that day. In the Low Countries, St Christopher was identified with the Norse god of thunder, rain and farming, Thor. Well into the middle ages St Christopher was invoked (just as Thor was invoked) against thunderstorm-induced damage to their crops. The flowers dedicated to St Christopher are the vetch, meadowsweet, fleabane and royal fern.
 
Many people in Spain celebrate the life and deeds of James, son of Zebedee, on Saint James' Day (Santiago Apostol), which celebrated today, July 25. St James (Santiago) is the Patron Saint of Spain. James was one of Jesus’ first disciples. Some Christians believe that his remains are buried in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. St James travelled from Palestine to Spain where he preached the Gospel. His principal shrine in Compostella attracts many pilgrims to make the journey from all around Europe to adore his burial place.  He is the protector of pilgrims and they often wore the Compostella scallop shell as a badge as a symbol of their pilgrimage and the saint’s protection. Today is an auspicious day for picking chicory, as this plant (Cichorium intybus) is dedicated to St James.
 
This year of course, it is a sad day for Spain and Compostella as the train accident that killed about 80 people and injured many more is an occurrence that will mark the lives of hundreds of families indelibly. The driver of a Spanish high-speed train that derailed, killing at least 80 people, has been named as a suspect in one of Europe’s worst rail accidents. A court in Santiago de Compostela ordered police to question Francisco Jose Garzon, 52, who had admitted to driving at 190 kilometres per hour on a curve where the speed limit was 80km/h.
 
The train carrying 218 passengers from Madrid to Ferrol derailed and split apart late on Wednesday at Angrois, about 4km from the regional capital, Santiago de Compostela. Officials confirmed that the number of dead had risen from 78 to 80. Ninety-five injured people remained in hospital. Thirty-six of them, including four children, were in critical condition. The injured included several citizens of the US and the UK, the two countries’ embassies said.

POSTCARD FROM SYDNEY

“The party is a true art form in Sydney and people practise it a great deal. You can really get quite lost in it.” - Baz Luhrmann
 

Sydney is known as the Harbour City and with good reason as it is built around a magnificent natural harbour. It is the largest, oldest and most cosmopolitan city in Australia with an enviable reputation as one of the world’s most beautiful cities. It is full of history, culture, art, fashion, cuisine, design and within the city or a short distance from it are areas of great natural beauty, The city is set next to kilometres of ocean coastline and sandy surf beaches. Recent immigration trends have led to the cities reputation as one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse cities in Australia and the world. The city is also home to the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, two of the most iconic structures on the planet.
 

The Greater Sydney area is a vast sprawling metropolitan area with the suburbs spreading up to 100km from the city centre. The traveller visiting the suburbs will find less crowded beaches, parks, cheaper shopping, commercial centres, cultural festivals, and hidden gems. The Eastern Suburbs are between the City and the sea, and include the world-famous Bondi Beach and other city beaches, which are strong drawcards for visitors and residents in the city during summer.
 

The City Centre is the busy centre of government and finance, but also home to many famous attractions, fine restaurants, and shopping. Just to the west of Circular Quay, is the Rocks, the first colonial village of Sydney and the iconic Harbour Bridge, which are now a cosmopolitan and touristic area. Immediately to the west of the CBD is Darling Harbour, an extensive leisure and entertainment area. You can see restaurants, boardwalks, aquariums, wildlife, and museums by foot or from above by monorail. In the City South district is the Haymarket, Chinatown and Central Station, being an area home to markets, cafes, Chinese culture and cuisine, and some cheaper accommodation and shopping. In the City East region, are Kings Cross, Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Woolloomooloo and Moore Park. It’s here where you can sample the busy nightlife, trendy coffee shops, fashion and entertainment. The City West area is best seen in early morning, with a trip to the bustling fish markets, and then exploring the Powerhouse Museum, finding a maritime pub or vistiing The Star Casino.
 

Southern Sydney is the area south of the CBD and north of the Georges River, including the areas surrounding Sydney Airport and Brighton Le Sands on Botany Bay. In the Inner West are Sydney’s original suburbs, which are now bohemian and a hub of cheap eats, shopping and inner-city culture. Also contains Sydney Olympic Park, the home of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, parks, cycling, and events.
 

In the Lower North Shore, over the Harbour Bridge are leafy residential areas stretching northwards. The North Shore also has major commercial and retail areas at North Sydney and Chatswood, many smaller boutique shopping areas, and many parks and gardens, and Sydney’s famous Taronga Zoo. The Upper North Shore  includes leafy residential areas, national parks and waterways. The Northern Beaches stretch from Manly, North along the coast to Palm Beach. The North West contains the Northern Districts with includes Sydney’s Silicon Valley at Macquarie Park, the northern side of the western reaches of Sydney Harbour, and the largely residential area of the Hills District in the north-west of the city.
 

Parramatta is considered Sydney’s “second CBD”, with history, shopping, eating, all just 30 minutes from the city centre. Sutherland Shire is the district to the far south and east of the city centre including Cronulla and Captain Cook’s Landing Place. The South West contains the centres of Liverpool and Campbelltown, which are a large swathe of residential and commercial Sydney locales. In the Outer West is a vast area stretching from Parramatta out to the Blue Mountains. The Hawkesbury is a semi-rural area to the northwest of the city, centred around the Hawkesbury River. Its main towns are Richmond and Windsor.
 

If you are visiting Sydney and are serious about getting to know the greater metropolitan area, ensure you allow yourself plenty of time as there are numerous attractions, a huge area to explore and an immense variety of experiences ranging from the cultural to the consumeristic, options that take in natural beauty or the hustle and bustle of one of the great metropolitan centres of the world.

MEAD MOON

“It’s my friend Jimmy Lynch. But there’s much more to this painting than Jimmy. When I was young, I used to ride horse and motorcycles at night along with the local farm boys - in the middle of summer in the middle of the night, all of us naked. I was intrigued by the bodies of those farm kids - their faces so tanned, their bodies, covered up by their work clothes, looking like they were covered with wax. Nude bodies streaking around at night always impressed me. When I was doing this painting, I’d take off my clothes and, together, Jimmy and I would drive around - at two in the morning on his big Harley-Davidson. It wasn’t cold, for it was late August. The mist at night was fascinating. It combines the mystery of my youth with the shock of today. I have to laugh, for this one turns most people off.” - Andrew Wyeth
 
Magpie Tales has chosen Andrew Wyeth’s 1990 painting “Man and the Moon” as a stimulus for engendering creativity amongst the community of Magpie Talers. Here is my contribution:
 
Mead Moon
 
And when the wild ride was over,
He stood beside his steel steed, naked as the truth,
And looked up to see the Mead Moon rise.
 
The moonbeams tangled as they touched his skin
Knitting a translucent chain mail shirt,
Cooling his white-hot flesh, but not dousing his ardour.
 
And when the others had all left, he alone stood there,
Brave enough to confront his solitude,
The headlight paling into insignificance as moon shone on.
 
She smiled at him, the moon, amused by his feebleness
Although his young body concealed taut muscle, tough sinew,
His hands strong enough to squeeze the life out of one.
 
And when his thoughts finally had run out of his head,
Swarming around him like a hive of buzzing bees, he looked up
And invoked ancient spells, extracted from his latent femininity.
 
The night was mystic and the moon a witch bewitching,
And the sky tore like stiff cardboard and stars fell, like silver rain,
And the moonlight screamed while streaming down,
And his heart beat like huge bass drum, insistent.
 
And when the spell was done, he looked at himself with new eyes,
Able to admit at last his innermost desires, they too naked;
And he mounted on his steed and chased after the reality
Of what was some moments before, only a dream.

MOVIE MONDAY - RAINCOAT

“Let no one who loves be called altogether unhappy. Even love unreturned has its rainbow.” - J.M. Barrie
 
We watched an Indian film at the weekend, loosely based on O. Henry’s short story, “The Gift of the Magi”. This short story tells of a young impoverished couple who love each other very much, and at Christmas give each other gifts that neither of them can afford, or in the end, neither needs anymore. It is nevertheless proof of the immense love they have for each other. The film was Rituparno Ghosh’s 2004 production, “Raincoat”, starring Ajay Devgn, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and  Annu Kapoor.
 
Mannu (Devgn) lives with his mother in a village outside Calcutta and has become unemployed as the jute factory he was working at closed down. As the money runs out, he decides to travel to the big city in order to borrow some money from his old (and now successful) school friends in order to start his own business. He stays with friends in Calcutta, and the wife (Mouli Ganguli) in particular, understands his difficult situation and tries to help him. Mannu has another reason for visiting Calcutta. It is to visit his former girlfriend, Neeru (Rai Bachchan), whom he was to marry, but who preferred to marry someone richer from Calcutta.
 
The two former sweethearts have not seen each other for years and during a rainy afternoon in Neeru’s old house, in a room filled with antique furniture and bric-a-brac they talk about their lives. Each of them tells a false story to save their pride. Neither of them is happy and they wish to conceal that from each other, and while the afternoon drags on, they remember the past with nostalgia and remorse. At one point, Neeru puts on Mannu’s raincoat, so she can go out and buy something for him to eat as she is fasting. She warns him not to open the windows nor to let anyone in. Nevertheless, when alone, Mannu opens the windows and a man approaches, requesting entry into the house to use the toilet. Mannu lets him in, and afterwards the two begin to converse. It during this conversation that Mannu learns the truth about Neeru, her husband, and their married life…
 
The film is a poignant romantic story, slow-paced and intimate. While the central theme is taken from O. Henry’s story, Rituparno Ghosh (who wrote the scenario as well as directing) very definitely makes it his own and contextualises it to highlight some of the problems of contemporary Indian reality. The rain that forces Mannu to borrow a raincoat from his friends and the same rain that causes Neeru to wear it when she exits the house, is catalytic in dissolving the web of lies that the two former sweethearts have constructed. The darkness of the old house, the crowded room and the candlelight (so important in highlighting Neeru’s state of affairs) make for a look that has the dull glow of silver covered by the patina of time. The exquisite music and poetry of the film add to the mystery and pathos of the situation.
 
The dialogues in the script are insightful and packed with numerous details that hint at the reality behind the sham, the essence beneath the façades that each of the characters builds. There is much talk in this movie and not much action, however, the dialogues are engaging and poetic, revealing and filled with a rawness of emotion that immerses us in the predicament of the two leads. At one point, the narrator reciting some poetry epitomises the desperate situation that the two sweethearts currently find themselves in.
 
All of the actors play with conviction and make the most of their lines. Both Ajay Devgn and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan immerse themselves in the pent-up emotions of the characters they play and although there are many raw, unspoken feelings, we are aware of the characters’ inner turmoil and infinite regrets they have. They play with great restraint and elegance, making the most of the seemingly casual lines they often deliver, their faces showing us the reality neither of them will admit to.
 
This film is mellow and bitter-sweet, well acted and directed, with wonderful dialogue, costumes and sets. Its music complements the action well and the whole production is amongst the best I have seen in Indian films. It is definitely worth seeing, however, don’t expect action and thrills, but rather a piece from the heart for the heart. The star-crossed lovers and their sacrifices are touching and poignant, the film is intelligent and visually satisfying, as well as beautiful on many levels. Well worth seeing…
 
On 30 May 2013, the director Rituparno Ghosh suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away in Calcutta at the age of 49. He was suffering from pancreatitis.  Rituparno Ghosh was first acknowledged in the 90’s when he made films in Bengali with strong and sensitive subjects. He went on to direct some Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in major productions. Ghosh won many national awards and his film “Chokher Bali” starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Raima Sen was nominated for Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival in 2003.

ART SUNDAY - DEGAS

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” - Edgar Degas
 

Edgar Degas was born in Paris France on July 19, 1834 to Célestine Musson De Gas and Augustin De Gas who was a wealthy banker. He was the oldest of five children. Degas began to paint as a young boy. By the time he turned eighteen, he had turned his bedroom into an artist's studio. He registered to be an art copyist at the Louvre museum in Paris, the done thing for young artists being to copy paintings there, thus developing their skill. He was one of the few artists of the time who had plenty of money and could devote himself wholeheartedly to his art.
 

In 1855, Degas met Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres whose art he respected very much. He never forgot his advice: “Draw lines, young man, and still more lines, both from life and from memory, and you will become a good artist”. Later that same year Degas enrolled in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and studied drawing with Louis Lamothe who was a former student of Ingres. After having finished his studies he went to Italy where he stayed for five years, studying and copying meticulously the old masters of the Renaissance. His decision to study the old masters was typical for his personality - that of a perfectionist.
 

Back in France in 1859, Degas exhibited his works for the first five years at the official Salon in Paris. Later he joined the Impressionists and showed his artwork in their exhibitions from 1874 to 1886. The favourite subjects of Degas were scenes from the world of entertainment and later from everyday life. Ballet dancers, little ballerinas, women in intimate situations and horse races are the subjects that are immediately associated with him. Degas in contrast to his impressionist colleagues, preferred to work in a studio. He made sketches of his subjects on the spot and created the painting later in his studio. Toulouse-Lautrec, who was a great admirer of Edgar Degas, had the same work style.
 

Degas' “Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer”, which he displayed at the sixth Impressionist exhibition in 1881 is one of his most famous works. It was also one of his most controversial. Some art critics thought it was of “appalling ugliness” while others called it a “blossoming”. He wanted to show his dancer at rest, in an unposed way. The young dance student that posed for Degas was Marie van Goethem. Though she never became a famous dancer, she always will be remembered from Degas' work.
 

Japanese prints were very popular at the end of the nineteenth century and had a great influence on the French impressionists. Edgar Degas was one of the admirers of Japanese prints. Their influence can be seen in some of his daring compositions using large areas of flat colour. Degas was an artist torn between traditional art and the modern impressionist movement. He admired the French artist Ingres and the great Italian painters. His own compositions of images are harmonious and follow the traditions of the old masters. And what often looks like the spontaneous sketch of a fleeting moment, was in reality the elaborate result of a perfectionist at work. From the impressionists he had learned the use of creating effects with light, a daring use of colour and new ways to show the human figure in motion.
 

Degas used a wide variety of mediums and techniques. When he grew older, he turned to sculpturing, pastels and printmaking. Striving for perfection, he repeated the same subjects again and again. When he concentrated on printmaking in the nineties, his preferred subjects were female nudes, either nude women at their toilette or nude dancers. Edgar Degas had a collection of decorative utensils like a bathtub, a sofa and a curtained bed in a corner of his studio, which he used to assist his models posing for him.
 

During the war with Germany in 1870-1871 Degas served in the French army. Since his time in the army, he developed problems with his eyes, although the exact medical cause is not precisely known. In his late years the artist's eyesight deteriorated more and more. He was unable to create paintings and focussed his artistic creativity on sculptures. Degas formed his sculptures using wax or clay. Favourite subjects were ballerinas and race horses. When Degas had died, he left more than 2000 oil paintings and pastel drawingss and 150 sculptures. The sculpture models were all cast after his death. Even before his death, Degas was considered an important artist. His colourful works of everyday life crossed over the accepted ways of creating art, his work collectively being considered a corpus of great beauty. Degas himself is now recognised as one of the greatest Impressionists.
 

The work reproduced above is The Entrance of the Masked Dancers” of 1884 - pastel on paper (49x65 cm, at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts USA).

CHERUBINI

“If we were all determined to play the first violin we should never have an ensemble. therefore, respect every musician in his proper place.” - Robert Schumann
 

For Music Saturday today, Luigi Cherubini’s (1760-1842) String Quartet No. 3 in D minor of 1834. Cherubini was born Florence and he studied at the conservatories in Bologna and Milan remaining in Italy until 1788, when he moved to Paris, where he lived for the rest of his life. He made his name as a composer of opera, but by 1805 Parisian tastes had changed and the heavy, serious operas that he, Gluck and others had been writing fell out of fashion. Cherubini then turned to religious and instrumental music. He served as director of the Paris Conservatory from 1822 until his death and was regarded as one of France’s leading musicians.
 

Beethoven considered Cherubini the greatest living dramatic composer, while Cherubini was perhaps the only important composer in France, who held Beethoven to be the greatest genius of the day. Perhaps no other contemporary composer studied Beethoven’s Middle and Late Quartets as did Cherubini, who both admired and understood them. Most others then living, regarded Beethoven’s Late Quartets as the work of a madman. That Cherubini truly understood and profited from Beethoven’s late work can clearly be seen in his Third String Quartet. No other contemporary chamber music work so closely approaches the profundity of Beethoven’s Late Quartets as  does Cherubini’s String Quartet No.3.
 

The Quartet was composed in 1834 and is in four movements. From the very opening notes of the Allegro Commodo, we hear the depth of thought. A short recitative in the first violin is answered by the cello before the noble and boldly rhythmic main theme makes its entrance. The second subject is pure Italian melody with an unusual rhythmic accompaniment giving the music an almost Spanish flavour.
 

The second movement, Larghetto Sostenuto, might be an aria from an Italian opera. The lovely bel canto melody is given a very expressive accompaniment. In the third movement, Scherzo, Allegro, one can tell that Cherubini had Beethoven as his model (and not the Op.18 quartets which was all that Reicha or Onslow could understand) but the Late Quartets. The serious and syncopated main theme is given to the cello and viola to introduce. There is a brash energy to it. The middle section features a polonaise. The finale, Allegro Risoluto, although in the major, nonetheless, maintains the sense of energy of the previous movement and adds to it a sense of powerful struggle.
 

This quartet is an unqualified masterpiece. Sadly, it has not been available for many years and is rarely, if ever, performed in concert, although, it goes without saying, that it should be. Amateurs who take the trouble to plumb its depths will be richly rewarded. The painting above is “String Quartet” by Jack Levine.

FOOD FRIDAY - DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

“Let’s face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me.” - Audrey Hepburn
 

It’s cold, wet and wintry in Melbourne. What better remedy than a rich moist chocolate cake?
 

Devil’s Food Cake
Ingredients
 

For cake:
50 g sifted cocoa powder
125 g brown sugar
250 ml boiling water
130 g soft unsalted butter
150 g caster sugar
225 g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 vanilla bean
3 small eggs (or 2 large)
 

For icing:
125 ml water
50 g brown sugar
175 g unsalted butter (cubed)
300 g dark chocolate (finely chopped)
 

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Line the bottoms of two 20cm round sandwich tins with baking paper and grease the bottom and sides.
Put the cocoa and brown sugar into a bowl and pour in the boiling water. Whisk to mix, then set aside.
Cream the butter and caster sugar together, beating well until light and fluffy.
While the butter is creaming, stir the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate together in another bowl, and set aside for a moment.
Scrape the vanilla bean interior into the creamed butter and sugar – mixing all the while – then drop in 1 egg, quickly followed by a scoopful of flour mixture, then the second egg, more flour and then the other egg.
Keep mixing and incorporate the rest of the dry ingredients for the cake, then finally mix and fold in the cocoa mixture, scraping its bowl well with a spatula.
Divide the chocolate batter between the 2 prepared tins and put in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Take the tins out and leave them on a wire rack for 5–10 minutes, before turning the cakes out to cool.
As soon as the cakes are in the oven, make the icing: Put the water, 30g brown sugar and 175 g butter in a pan over a low heat to melt.
When this mixture begins to bubble, take the pan off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, swirling the pan so that all the chocolate is heated, then leave for a minute to melt before whisking till smooth and glossy.
Leave for about 1 hour, whisking now and again, by which time the cakes will be cooled, and ready for the icing.
Set one of the cooled cakes, with its top side down, on a cake stand or plate, and spread with about a third of the icing, then top that with the second cake, regular way up, and spread the remaining icing over the top and sides, in swirling patterns.
 

This post is part of the Food Friday meme,

and also part of the Food Trip Friday meme.

WORK

“All life demands struggle. Those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life. The very striving and hard work that we so constantly try to avoid is the major building block in the person we are today.” - Pope Paul VI
 

I’ve had an extremely busy couple of days with 12 and 13 hour working days and then once home I’ve been quite exhausted, so it has not been much of a time for reflection and blogging… Although I do work about 9-10 hours everyday, once it starts to get above that, my energy levels go right down and it rather difficult to do anything outside work, work, work – even if it is pleasant or for my leisure.
 

I have a quiet weekend planned, but very often one’s plans are in vain and life surprises us. Hopefully nothing untoward will happen and I will recharge the old batteries at the weekend.

THE LANDFILL HARMONIC ORCHESTRA

“Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has.” - Billy Graham
 
Every so often one reads a snippet in the news, or sees something on the internet and is struck by its contents. This happened to me the other day when I read about the “Landfill Harmonic Orchestra” of Paraguay (La Armonía del Vertedero - Orquesta de Instrumentos Reciclados de Cateura). This was a poignant and inspiring video that made me stop, think and recontextualise my everyday existence and the “problems” I deal with every day.
 
The Landfill Orchestra is a children’s music group in Catuera, Paraguay, whose instruments are made from rubbish that has been dumped in the landfill.  A cello made from an oil can and pieces of wood, that were thrown in the rubbish; a saxophone made of spoons and buttons, violins made of tin cans and pieces of thrown-away wood. These instruments are made by Nicolas, a “recycler” who has no previous experience making musical instruments. He is like many others in Catuera who live a hand-to-mouth existence, sorting through rubbish and recycling in the slum by the garbage dump in Catuera.
 
Inspired by this initiative and resourcefulness in the face of adversity, Maestro Luis Szaran, director of “Sounds of the Earth” formed the “recycled orchestra” comprising children living near the rubbish dump. The guiding light of these children is hope and the inspiration to become better people. Making music with their recycled instruments teaches them to be good people not only to be musicians. To work together in order to make order out of chaos, pleasure out of pain, companionship out of isolation, creativity out of destruction and peace out of strife is a means of building a better world for themselves.
 
This group is worthy of support and encouragement. You can do this in a very real and substantive manner – visit their YouTube channel to find out how.

MOVIE MONDAY - PEACE, LOVE & MISUNDERSTANDING

“Parenthood...It’s about guiding the next generation, and forgiving the last.” - Peter Krause
 
A difference in values and attitudes between one generation and another has been called the generation gap. This creates a lack of communication and understanding between parents and children, especially, which can lead to various problems and can cause a great deal of strife. Numerous films have dealt with this theme and the film we watched at the weekend is a typical example of this genre. It can even be classed as a “chick-flick” as it deals with mother-daughter relationships in particular and explores the changing views, attitudes and mind-set of women from the 1960s to the present time.
 
The film is Bruce Beresford’s 2011 comedy-drama “Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding” starring Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener, Nat Wolff, Elizabeth Olsen and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The film is set in Woodstock and makes the most of the “Hippie” connection, but having said that, the place also seems to be quite a delightful one, with magnificent countryside, quaint township and interesting people. While the film is mainly about parent-child relationships and the generation gap, it is also about personal relationships and overcoming and resolving problems that people have when in a relationship or when they are just embarking on one.
 
The plot centres on the uptight, obsessive-compulsive lawyer Diane (Catherine Keener) who lives in New York City. As the film starts, Diane is told by her husband Mar (Kyle MacLachlan) that he wants a divorce. This shocks and hurts Diane, who quickly decides to escape the situation by taking her two teenager children and visit her estranged mother, Grace (Jane Fonda). Diane’s children are the geeky video camera addict, virginal Jake (Nat Wolff) and vegan, opinionated daughter Zoe (Elizabeth Olsen). Diane’s mother is still a hippie and lives in Woodstock. Mother and daughter have not seen each other for 20 years as Grace sold marijuana to Diane’s friends at Diane’s wedding, something which the daughter has never forgiven.  Diane and her children plan to only stay for a couple of days but events and people conspire to keep them there longer. Diane meets furniture craftsman Jude (Jeffrey Dean Morgan); Zoe is attracted to the local butcher Cole (Chace Crawford); and Jake falls for young Tara (Marissa O’Donnell). It’s a tortuous journey to understanding through misunderstanding, peace through strife and love through selfishness and petty hates.
 
The film is basically a feel-good romantic comedy with some “deep and meaningful” stuff thrown in (well it’s basically pretty shallow popular psychology). There are some funny moments throughout and the film is very polished with good performances by everyone. Bruce Beresford, an Australian film director, is at his best with period pieces and small-scale dramas. Considered one of Australia’s “New Wave” directors, he directs this film with a light touch and gets the most out of the plot, actors and locations, directing with a light touch. The soundtrack complements the action and location and the duet between Keener and Morgan at the town festival is quite cute.
 
Jane Fonda looks remarkably good for her 74 years of age in this movie and she enjoys playing the ageing hippy, giving it her best, including howling at the full moon in a goddess ritual and negotiating her way in her house amongst the wandering chickens that have run of the place. There is extensive reference to drug use (marijuana) in the film, which is to be expected given the plot. We enjoyed watching this lightweight comedy which required little cerebral activity and was to the brain what fast food is to the digestive system.

ART SUNDAY - REMBRANDT'S SELF-PORTRAITS

“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” - William Shakespeare
 
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born on July 15, 1606 in Leiden, the Netherlands. Although his family lived modestly his parents took great care with his education. At the age of fourteen he attended the University of Leiden. As his talent became apparent, he soon left university to pursue a career as an artist. He studied under local masters named Jacob van Swanenburch and Pieter Lastman who were known for historical paintings. It was not long before he was a master at his craft. At twenty-two he began taking on students of his own.
 
In 1631 he moved to Amsterdam to set up his studio there. Three years later he married Saskia van Uylenburgh. Her cousin was a successful art dealer who introduced him to wealthy patrons who commissioned portraits, thus ensuring Remrandt’s financial success. Besides painting portraits Rembrandt’s mythological and religious works were much in demand and in fashion. Nevertheless, his work was innovative and astounding, as well as being popular.
 

To an outsider, Rembrandt’s life seemed to have it all. He had a great career doing what he loved to do as well as the love of his wife. While he should have been enjoying a prosperous career he and his wife suffered one great personal loss after another. Within a span of five years each of his three children would die in infancy. In 1641 a son they named Titus would break that cycle. However, tragedy always seemed to prevail. Although their son lived, Saskia’s death would come one short year later.
 
In 1649 after a brief affair with his son’s nanny, Geertghe Dircx, Rembrandt found someone to share his life with. Hendrickje Stoffels, his housekeeper, soon became his partner in love and the subject for many of his paintings. 
Although he was successful in his career as an artist, teacher and art dealer, Rembrandt was living well beyond his means which finally drove him to declare bankruptcy in 1656. Much of his collection of art and antiquities including the sale of his house went to pay his huge debts.
 
During these times some of his greatest works were created: “The Jewish Bride”, “The Syndics of the Cloth Guild”, “Bathsheba”, and “Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph”. 
His personal life seemed cursed as again he was robbed of a second chance at love. Hendrickje died in 1663 and two years later his only son would meet the same fate. Within a short year later on October 4th, 1669 at sixty-three years old Rembrandt died. He will always live on through the many masterpieces he left behind as he proves to be an inspiration to many.
 
While most artists may produce a self-portrait or two during their lifetime, Rembrandt depicted himself in approximately forty to fifty paintings, thirty-two etchings and several drawings. Many scholars agree that a Rembrandt self-portrait reflects his journey of self-discovery. His early self portrait etchings emphasised real fascinating facial expressions which were always cast in shadows. His study with chiaroscuro (contrast between light and dark) became a defining trademark. The mysterious nature of his paintings caught the attention of the art world at large as his reputation as an eccentric genius spread among collectors.
 
During his time in Amsterdam during the 1630s he began to paint himself with more light. He portrayed himself in many different ways; elegantly dressed and adorned with gold chains, as a fashionable middle class burgher donning a wide-brimmed hat and an expensive cloak or in other portraits as a beggar. During his marriage to Saskia van Uylenburgh he portrayed the two of them in different scenarios. A 1636 etching depicts himself as an artist whose loving wife looks on at him while he creates. In another he is the prodigal son and Saskia is a temptress.
 
In a 1640 Rembrandt self portrait, he portrays himself as the accomplished man of means who can stand alongside great creators of the past. He was at the pinnacle of success during this, not only creating great works of art but also collecting creations of other great artists of his day. During the early 1640s he stayed away from self portraiture. One by one each of his three infant children would die within the first few months of life. His fourth child would to everyone’s surprise survive infancy. The birth and survival of his son Titus was one of the biggest joys of his lifetime.
 
He returned to self-portraiture in the later 1640s and 1650s with a different style. These portraits were mainly etchings that portrayed more sensitive inward looking images of self. A Rembrandt self-portrait painted in 1652 in which he wears his definitive beret depicts a more serious Rembrandt. In this painting he is facing front with hands on his hips wearing a plain brown robe. This was created during a time when his popularity was fading. He was experimenting with a more elegant Flemish style of painting that was not very popular.
 
When he was suffering financially he sold a few self-portraits just to keep his head above water. One in particular painted in 1659, a detail of which is shown above, is dark and sombre and the only illuminated feature is the face. This melancholy face and intense gaze seems to indicate how  forlorn he was feeling during this time. The rawness of his expression and each wrinkle painted realistically amplify his life history and the eyes disclose a despair of accumulated sorrows.
 
In the last year of his life he painted the last of his self-portraits. One shows himself standing in his studio with his palette and brushes in hand, a great painter until the end. He will always be known for being the master of the self-portrait. His legacy is an experience of self-discovery through art that artists and art lovers worldwide have had the privilege to enjoy.

MUSIC SATURDAY - FADO

“Music is the shorthand of emotion.” - Leo Tolstoy
 
Anna Moura (born 1979 in Santarém, Portugal) is an internationally recognised Portuguese fado singer, and the youngest fadista to be nominated for a Dutch Edison Award. Ana Moura’s debut album was “Guarda-me a vida na mão” (2003), followed by “Aconteceu” (2005). She sang in various nightspots in Lisbon and became known on television, performing fado with Antonio Pinto Basto.
 
“Para Além da Saudade” (2007), containing songs such as “Os Buzios” or “Fado da Procura”, is the album that followed “Aconteceu”. With this album and appearances on programs such as Family Contact and Superstar, Moura became more widely known in Portugal. These television appearances helped promote this record, which was to reach triple platinum for sales exceeding 55,000 units. The album stayed in the Top 30 in Portugal for 120 weeks. For this album, Moura received a nomination for the Golden Globes in the category of Music, Best Individual Performer, losing to Jorge Palma.
 
Here is Anna Moura’s “Desfado” of 2012, showcasing her velvety voice, soulful lyrics and wonderful music. Enjoy!

LET'S HAVE A SMOOTHIE!

 
“It takes more than just a good looking body. You’ve got to have the heart and soul to go with it.” - Epictetus
 
Smoothies are a great addition to a healthful breakfast or lunch and if made with fresh fruit and vegetables can pack quite nutrition punch, while at the same time tasting wonderful. Here are three recipes to try as the seasonal produce becomes available.
 
Peach Smoothie
Ingredients
1 large carrot, peeled, chopped and microwaved with some water until tender
1 and 1/2 cup peeled chopped peaches
1 tbsp honey
1 container low fat vanilla yoghurt
2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice 

Method 
Place drained carrot, honey and peaches in a blender and pulse until chopped. Add the yoghurt and orange juice and purée until smooth. Serve with a slice of orange as decoration.
 
Strawberry Smoothie 
Ingredients
1 large truss tomato, peeled
1 cup of strawberries
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp honey3 ice cubes
1 container low fat raspberry yoghurt
 
Method
Place tomato and strawberries with the sugar and honey in a blender and pulse until chopped up. Add the ice cubes and pulse until chopped up. Add the yoghurt and purée. Decorate with a strawberry.
 
Banana Kiwi Smoothie
Ingredients 
1 cup of kale leaves tightly packed
1 ripe banana
2 kiwi fruit
1 tbsp honey
3 ice cubes
1 container low fat vanilla yoghurt
 
Method 
Place kale, banana and kiwi fruit with the honey in a blender and pulse until chopped up. Add the ice cubes and pulse until chopped up. Add the yoghurt and purée. Serve with a kiwi fruit slice.
 
This post is part of the Food Friday meme,
and also part of the Food Trip Friday meme.

NAADAM & HAPPY MONGOLIAN NATIONAL DAY!

“I never think of the future, it comes soon enough.” - Albert Einstein
 
Today is the anniversary of the birthday of:

Robert the Bruce, king of Scotland (1274);

Thomas Bowdler, prude who bowdlerised Shakespeare (1754);

John Quincy Adams, 6th president (1825-29) of the USA (1767);

E. B. White, writer (1899);

Gough Whitlam, Australian PM (1916);

Yul Brynner, actor (1920);

Tab Hunter, actor (1931);

Suzanne Vega, singer/songwriter (1959).

Angelica archangelica, angelica, is this day’s birthday flower, signifying ecstasy, magic and inspiration.  Astrologically, it is a herb of the sun and under the dominion of Leo.  Candied angelica stem is that wonderfully green decorative element of cakes and pastries that always seems to go so well with the red glacé cherries.
 
On this day in 1533, Pope Clement VII excommunicated King Henry VIII of England, beginning the schism between the Roman Catholic faith and the Church of England.
 
Today is the People’s Republic of Mongolia, Revolution (National) Day. Mongolia is a vast land to the North of China with an area of 1,565,000 square km and a population of 2.5 million, making it a country with one of the lowest population densities in the world. The capital city is Ulan Bator while other towns are Tamsag Bulag, Mörön, Ulan Göm and Mandalgovi. Most of the country is an undulating plateau with rich grasslands that support the horses and cattle for which Mongolia is famous. Mountains to the North separate the country form the Russian Federation while to the South is the arid Gobi Desert. Rich mineral resources, oil, coal and gas remain still relatively underdeveloped. Wheat and other cereals are the major agricultural product.
 
Naadam (literally “games”) is a traditional festival in Mongolia. The festival is also locally termed “Eriin Gurvan Naadam” (“the three games of men”). The games are Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery and are held throughout the country during midsummer. Women have started participating in the archery and girls in the horse-racing games, but not in Mongolian wrestling. In 2010, Naadam was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.
 
The biggest Naadam of the country is held in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar during the National Holiday from July 11 – 13, in the National Sports Stadium. Naadam begins with an elaborate introduction ceremony featuring dancers, athletes, horse riders, and musicians. After the ceremony, the competitions begin.
 
Naadam is the most widely watched festival among Mongols, and is believed to have existed for centuries in one fashion or another. Naadam has its origin in the activities, such as military parades and sporting competitions such as archery, horse riding and wrestling, that followed the celebration of various occasions, including weddings or spiritual gatherings. It later served as a way to train soldiers for battle. Now it formally commemorates the 1921 revolution when Mongolia declared itself a free country.
 
Genghis Khan’s nine yak tails, representing the nine tribes of the Mongols, are still ceremonially transported from Sukhbaatar Square to the Stadium to open the Naadam festivities. At these opening and closing ceremonies there are impressive parades of mounted cavalry, athletes and monks. Another popular Naadam activity is the playing of games using shagai, sheep anklebones that serve as game pieces and tokens of both divination and friendship. In the larger Nadaam festivals, tournaments may take place in a separate venue.

CHATHAM HOUSE RULE

“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.” - Swami Vivekananda
 
I am away from work for work for two days, taking part in a Leadership School. This is a series of professional development seminars that our People and Culture department organise in order to cultivate the talent of leaders within our organisation. Thirty of our staff of 400 have been chosen in order to take part in this development program and it provides a forum for discussions, activities and a think tank so that we can advance the strategies and goals of our organisation in an efficient way. External facilitators are in charge of the meeting and the mix of staff from different departments and at different levels in the hierarchy make for an interesting experience.
 
Frank discussions are had and people are encouraged to actively participate and state their ideas, views and opinions about things that are good or not so good within the work environment. We work together to acquire new skills and develop existing ones. Facilitators provide an environment conducive to creative thinking and an honest tackling of identified issues and problems within our work environments. We work under the Chatham House Rule, and this is something that fosters that feeling of safety and frankness when expressing one’s views.
 
The Chatham House Rule is a core principle that governs the confidentiality of the source of information received at a meeting. The rule originated in June 1927 at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, also known as Chatham House (http://www.chathamhouse.org). The rule (not “rules” as is often misquoted) was reviewed and refined in 2002, states:
 
“When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.”
 
This allows people to speak as individuals and to express views that may not be those of their organisations, and therefore, encourages independent discussion, not hampered by allegiances or “towing the party line”. Speakers are free to voice their own opinions, without concern for their personal reputation or their official duties and professional ties. The Chatham House Rule resolves a boundary problem faced by many communities of practice, in that it permits acknowledgment of the community or conversation, while protecting the freedom of interaction that is necessary for the community to carry out its conversations.
 
When a group meets, using the rule guarantees anonymity to those speaking within the context of the meeting so that better insights and free debate may be encouraged. The rule is often used internationally as an aid to free discussion. The original rule was refined in October 1992 and again, in 2002. Chatham House has translated the rule into Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian.
 
Meetings, or parts of meetings, either may be held on the record, or, under the Chatham House Rule. In the latter case, all participants are understood to have agreed that it would be conducive to free discussion that they should be subject to the rule for the relevant part of the meeting. The success of the rule may depend upon it being considered morally binding, particularly in circumstances where a failure to comply with the rule may not result in sanction.
 
Care needs to be taken not to invoke the Chatham House Rule where what is intended is that the views discussed be kept confidential. The Chatham House Rule is intended to promote public discussion of the views expressed at a meeting, but without attributing those views to any individual or organisation.

APOCALYPTIC MOON

“The moon puts on an elegant show, different every time in shape, colour and nuance.” - Arthur Smith
 
A supermoon is the coincidence of a full moon or a new moon with the closest approach the Moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, resulting in the largest apparent size of the lunar disk as seen from Earth. The technical name is the perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. The term “supermoon” is not astronomical, but originated in modern astrology. The moon will not be so close again until August 10, 2014. Supermoons occur about once every 14 full moons in a full moon cycle. Magpie Tales  has provided an image of last month’s supermoon by Julio Cortez, to inspire participants in her creative writing challenge. Here is my offering.
 
Apocalypse
 
One day I’ll tear
The thin gauze of the passing seasons,
Transcending time
I’ll pass into the infinite.
Stepping on bleeding moon
Expiring in its death throes
I’ll merge with dying breath
Of supernovaed sun
And travel through Armageddon.
 
I’ll fathom the true meaning of eternity
Seconds, days, aeons being identical,
My soul will fill to bursting
And still yearn for more;
Forever on until my eyes resemble seas
My brain engorged with newness and
With increasing understanding.
 
And ever onward,
To know,
To learn,
To understand,
To seek,
To find,
To see the reason why...

MOVIE MONDAY - JOE KIDD

“Pictures are for entertainment, messages should be delivered by Western Union.” - Samuel Goldwyn
 
We watched the 1972 John Sturges “Joe Kidd” last weekend. This was a good old fashioned Western starring Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, John Saxon – “old fashioned” relating to the look and feel, although the plot was a little more inventive than the cowboys versus Indians or bad guys versus good guys type of Western. We quite enjoyed it as it was short, direct and non-pretentious. Had not seen a Western for ages, so this was quite a refreshing change from the typical Hollywood pap that is served up nowadays.
 
Joe Kidd (Eastwood) is a tough, former bounty hunter in the American Southwest. When a band of Mexicans find their U. S. land claims denied and all relevant records “destroyed in a courthouse fire”, they turn to violence and eye for eye and tooth for tooth reprisals. Louis Chama (Saxon) is their charismatic leader, full of revolutionary rhetoric and mobilizing the Mexicans under him to demand land reform. A wealthy landowner with interests in the disputed area, Frank Harlan (Duvall), decides to settle things his own way – using a slash, burn and destroy policy. He hires a band of killers and wants Joe Kidd to help them track Chama. Initially, Kidd wants to avoid any involvement, until Chama makes the mistake of stealing Kidd’s horses and terrorising his friends.
 
The plot turns quite ambivalent denouncing violence on the one hand, but justifying on the other, ending up on the side of truth, justice and the American way in the end. Nevertheless, it does make for an interesting story and there are enough Western conventions in it to keep the genre fans happy. Eastwood plays his role with ease and aplomb – having been typecast to a certain extent as the tough, strong silent cowboy who rights wrongs. The other actors all do well also, even the two token females in what is essentially a cowboy and horse opera.
 
Lalo Schifrin’s music is suitably ominous and quite suited to the action, blending into the background when it needs to and as it should. Costumes, sets and wide open spaces are well done, Hollywood has enough experience in this genre to make it look right. Overall the film is entertaining and a good B-grade film with enough wry humour, action and even some morality/ethical type of questioning in order to keep it interesting. Watch it if you come across it, it’s quite good fun!

ART SUNDAY - CHAGALL

“All colours are the friends of their neighbours and the lovers of their opposites.” - Marc Chagall
 
Marc Chagall (Moishe Shagal) was born on July 7, 1887,  in the village of Vitebsk, Byelorussia. He was the oldest of nine children born to a working-class Jewish family. In his career, he was associated with several major artistic styles and one of the most successful artists of the 20th century. He was an early modernist, and created works in virtually every artistic medium, including painting, book illustrations, stained glass, stage sets, ceramic, tapestries and fine art prints.
 
In Russia at that time, Jewish children were not allowed to attend regular Russian schools or universities. Their movement within the city was also restricted. Chagall therefore received his primary education at the local Jewish religious school, where he studied Hebrew and the Bible. At the age of 13, his mother tried to enrol him in a Russian high school, which was not allowed. Chagall’s mother offered the headmaster 50 roubles to let him attend, which he accepted and Marc attended school.
 
A turning point of his artistic life came when he first noticed a fellow student drawing. Chagall would later say that there was no art of any kind in his family’s home and the concept was totally alien to him. When Chagall asked the schoolmate how he learned to draw, his friend replied, “Go and find a book in the library, idiot, choose any picture you like, and just copy it”. He soon began copying images from books and found the experience so rewarding he then decided he wanted to become an artist.
 
At age 20 he began to study painting, first in Vitebsk, then in St. Petersburg. His distinctive style was already beginning to appear in his early works.
 In 1910 he began four years of living in Paris, a city that kept drawing him back for the rest of his life. In Paris, he became acquainted with art movements of the time, including Fauvism and Cubism. He also became acquainted with leading artists of the time, including Braque, Picasso, Delaunay, Leger, and others.
 
Chagall held a very successful, one-man show in Berlin in 1914, as part of an eventual journey home.
 
At the outbreak of WWI, Chagall returned home to Vitebsk, where he married Bella Rosenfeld. He worked in Vitebsk for several years and became director of the Vitebsk Academy of Arts. He moved to Moscow in 1920 and worked on stage decor and painted panels for the avant-garde Jewish Theatre. After it was made clear he would not have the freedom to develop, given the political realities of Marxist socialism, he left Moscow for Europe in 1923.
 

After arriving in France, he met French art dealer Ambroise Vollard and started creating etchings for future publications. These were not published until years later due to Vollard’s death and WWII. Chagall’s paintings were shown at galleries in New York as well as Paris, Berlin, and other European cities. He was commissioned by Vollard to produce a series of etchings illustrating the Old Testament version of the Bible. These were also not published until after WWII. During his travels, Chagall fell in love with the Cote d’Azur. Chagall eventually moved away from Paris to a villa near Porte d’Auteuil.
 
Chagall continued to work in France despite the growing Anti-Semitism of the Nazi movement and the invasion of France by Germany in 1939. He was eventually convinced by his daughter Ida of the urgency to leave France. Marc and Bella first travelled to Marseilles, France and eventually left for the United States in May of 1941. Their daughter Ida joined them a short time later.
 
Marc Chagall arrived in New York City in June, 1941. In addition to paintings, he worked on theatre sets and costumes. His paintings were exhibited in New York, Chicago, and Paris. His wife Bella died suddenly in 1944 due to a viral infection. Marc ceased all work for almost a year. In 1946, after the end of WWII the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City held an exhibition showing 40 years of Chagall’s work. He had become very well known, and he began making plans to return to France.
 
Chagall returned to Paris in 1948 and signed Teriade (Stratis Eleftheriades) to publish his graphic works. He settled in Vence, in Provence in 1950. In addition to painting, he continued to create graphic works. Many of his earlier etchings and lithographs were finally published in the early 1950’s. His daughter Ida introduced him to Valentine Brodsky, whom he later married. In this period, he expanded the mediums in which he worked to include ceramics, stone sculptures, mosaics, and tapestries.
 
In 1958, he designed scenery and costumes for the ballet Daphne and Chloe for the Paris Opera. This led to other public commissions in the 1960s, including stained glass windows for the Hadassah Synagogue near Jerusalem, the United Nations, and several cathedrals in Europe. He designed a new ceiling for the Paris Opera House and panels for the Lincoln Center in New York. He also produced what many consider his best graphic works, the Daphne and Chloe suite of lithographs in 1961.
 
In 1966, Chagall moved from Vence to St. Paul de Vence (still in Provence). Chagall’s reputation continued to grow. He continued painting, producing graphic works, and producing public commissions. His works were exhibited at the galleries and museums throughout the world, including the Louvre and Petit Palais in Paris. He produced the America Windows for America’s Bicentennial celebration in 1977 in gratitude for America taking his family in during WWII. These windows can be viewed today at the Art Institute of Chicago.
 
He died March 28, 1985 in St. Paul de Vence, where he was buried. His long, prolific career and distinctive themes and use of color make him one of the acknowledge masters of 20th Century modern art.
 
The painting above, “The Circus Horse” of about 1964 illustrates Chagall’s style admirably with its free, expressive use of colour and sprightly draughtsmanship. The figures counterbalance the expanses of bright colour and juxtaposition of human figures and animals (a device Chagall often uses) is particularly apt here in the circus. Chagall used this theme many times in his artistic life and the bright, multicolour action of the subject suited his sensibilities.