“For everything
you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain,
you lose something else.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
A relaxing and
restful day today, with the usual Saturday morning chores and the expedition to
the shops. We were back at home by lunchtime and then as the day was cold and
gray, we spent it indoors with the heater going full blast. Listening to music,
watching a film, reading. A nice dinner in and before we knew it another Saturday
was over. So also passes our life, over before we know it...
A wonderful song
by Greek songwriter/singer Dionysis Savvopoulos. “I Saw Anna, Once Upon a Time”.
“I am come into
my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have
eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O
friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.” – The Old Testament (Song of Solomon)
Chutney refers
to a wide-ranging family of condiments from South Asian cuisine that usually
contain some mixture of spices and vegetables and/or fruits. There are many
varieties of chutney. Chutneys may be either wet or dry, and they can have a coarse
to a fine texture. The Anglo-Indian loan word refers to fresh and pickled
preparations indiscriminately, with preserves often sweetened. Several Northern
Indian languages use the word for fresh preparations only. A different word
achār applies to preserves that often contain oil and are rarely sweet. Vinegar
or citrus juice may be added as natural preservatives, or fermentation in the
presence of salt may be used to create acid.
Here is a
favourite chutney recipe that adds spice to many a bland dish or can be a
wonderful condiment for all sorts of charcuterie or meat dishes. It marries the best of the Indian and English traditions.
APPLE CHUTNEY
Ingredients
1 kg cooking
apples
1 tablespoon
salt
2 tablespoons
vegetable oil
1 tablespoon
brown mustard seeds
2 large cloves
garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon
grated fresh ginger
1½ teaspoons
ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground
turmeric
½ teaspoon ground
black pepper
1½ cups white
wine vinegar
1 cup brown
sugar
Grated rind and
juice of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon
cayenne pepper
Method
Peel, core and
slice or chop apples into small pieces.
Place in a bowl
with salt, stir and leave to stand for an hour. Drain away any liquid.
Heat oil in
saucepan and add mustard seeds, garlic and fresh ginger and fry gently for a
couple of minutes, stirring.
Add cumin,
turmeric and pepper and cook for a few more seconds or until aromatic, then add
apples with the vinegar, sugar, lemon rind and juice and cayenne pepper.
Simmer over a
slow heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The Winter solstice
is the time at which the Sun is appearing at noon at its lowest altitude above
the horizon. In the Northern Hemisphere this is the Southern solstice, the time
at which the Sun is at its southernmost point in the sky, which usually occurs
on December 21st to 22nd each year. In the Southern
Hemisphere this is the Northern solstice, the time at which the Sun is at its northernmost
point in the sky, which usually occurs on June 20th to 21st
each year.
The axial tilt
of Earth and gyroscopic effects of the planet’s daily rotation keep the axis of
rotation pointed at the same point in the sky. As the Earth follows its orbit around
the Sun, the same hemisphere that faced away from the Sun, experiencing winter,
will, in half a year, face towards the Sun and experience summer. Since the two
hemispheres face opposite directions along the planetary pole, as one polar
hemisphere experiences winter, the other experiences summer.
More evident from
high latitudes, a hemisphere’s winter solstice occurs on the shortest day and
longest night of the year, when the sun's daily maximum elevation in the sky is
the lowest. Since the winter solstice lasts only a moment in time, other terms
are often used for the day on which it occurs, such as “midwinter”, “the
longest night”, “the shortest day” or “the first day of winter”.
The seasonal
significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradual
lengthening of nights and shortening of days. Worldwide, interpretation of the
event has varied from culture to culture, but most northern hemisphere cultures
have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals
or other celebrations around that time.
We have had a
very wintry day in Melbourne today, with non-stop rain, low temperatures and a
grey, leaden sky. The day was very short and night very long. I got into work
while it was still dark and left work in the dark also. Just as well I went for
a lunchtime walk, which even though was in the rain, helped to put me in a good
mood.
Last night in
Melbourne at 8:54 pm we felt an earth tremor. We were sitting in our living
room and suddenly we felt the armchairs move beneath us and the house shudder,
while a low rumbling noise, as if a distant train were passing, could be heard from
outside. We shot up and felt the floor shake slightly beneath us. It was all
over in 3-4 seconds, but it was enough to immediately make us aware that we had
been through an earthquake. Although it was not a major tremor, it still was an
earthquake. This is unusual in Australia, which has quite a stable geological
profile and where medium to strong earthquakes are quite rare. We had no damage
to speak of in our house, save only a few cracks here and there in the plaster.
The Geoscience
Australia website reported that the quake that rocked Victoria was the biggest
in the state for 109 years.Geoscience
reported the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter scale, down from their
earlier estimate of 5.5. It was almost 10km deep with an epicentre between
Trafalgar and Moe in the southeast of Melbourne, about 130 kilometres from the
CBD.
This caused me
some concern as my father lives in the area worse affected by the quake.
Speaking with him I was able to get his first-hand report of how he experienced
the earthquake: He was lying in bed reading and said that he felt three or four
strong jolts, moving the bed quite noticeably, this being accompanied by a low
growl or dull roar. He sat up and felt more rocking for about 20-25 seconds.
Having experienced earthquakes many times before he immediately knew what it
was, but did not panic. He got up and went outside where many of his neighbours
were also in the street wondering what had happened. A less severe aftershock
shook the area slightly about 10-15 minutes later. A quick inspection of his
house showed there was no major damage, so after a while he went back to bed
and slept well for the rest of the night!
Social media
like Facebook and Twitter were the first to carry the news of the earthquake.
It was interesting that nothing was on TV until much later and even the online
news sites were lagging behind the buzz of posts on social media. It really
does show how technology is changing the world as we know it. It explains why
Fairfax media is winding down its operation in the print media and why 1900
jobs will be cut in its newspaper business…
The world is
changing, and even here in relatively prosperous Australia we are seeing the
effects of the change brought about by the financial crisis. Nothing can be
relied upon as immutable. The small earth tremor is a warning that even in the
rock-solid, geologically stable Victorian locale, earthquakes are possible. In
the good economic climate of Australia, 1900 people are about to lose their
jobs because of changes in our lives brought about by progress. From one moment
to the next, we can never be sure what will happen. We can never take for
granted the prosperity we enjoy, nor can we depend on our jobs being assured,
not even can we be certain that the people we love will not betray us.
A small pebble
thrown in the waters of a still lake will generate waves that will travel for
hundreds of metres. A tiny change in routine can have dire consequences in the
flow of our daily lives. A new technology can alter the status quo in
unpredictable ways and have immense effects. A careless word, an unconsidered
action can wreak havoc with relationships. It is a an uncertain world we live
in and we should be grateful for all the good things that we usually take for
granted…
After a break from the Magpie Tales meme, I return this week with an offering that is inspired by the art of M.C. Escher (17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972), who was a Dutch graphic artist. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints. These feature impossible constructions, explorations of infinity, architecture, and tessellations. His “Puddle” is perhaps one of his more conventional works, even though within the reflections of the water there is a hint of the greater world (or perhaps another world?).
The Winter Rain
Rain falls in weaving sheets
The water droplets merging as they descend,
Coalescing, running together in silver rivulets.
Skies weep, and raindrops are tears of clouds
Falling down, once pure;
Defiled and contaminated when they come to earth.
As puddles form, their mirror surface
Reflects all the ills of the world,
Below as they are above, in leaden skies.
My face is wet under the umbrella,
Although my hood and Mackintosh are impermeable,
Immune from wetting rain.
Eyes weep, and tears are raindrops of the soul,
Falling down, laden with sorrow,
Purifying, as they run down my cheeks in rivulets.
My heart is full of tear-puddles, mirroring
The ills of my soul, my mind’s turmoil.
Rain falls within, as sky-tears descend without…
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” - C.S. Lewis
We watched yet another “chick flick” at the weekend and I must say that I squirmed a little while watching it, as it pretty much indulged in quite a bit of “male-bashing” while waxing lyrical about the re-invention of the female protagonist and her ultimate success over adversity (and triumph over the male of the species). Nevertheless, I enjoyed the lush scenery and the acting was passable for what the film was and there were a couple of amusing scenes.
It was the 2003, Audrey Wells movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”. It was based on a book by Frances Mayes, which was adapted for the screen by the director, who also wrote the screenplay of the adaptation. I have not read the book, but apparently the movie is quite a different beast and has not followed the book closely (so I was told by a colleague today, with whom I was discussing the film). I have read similar books (and seen film or TV series adaptations of them) set in Provence, in Sicily, in Greece and various other exotic locations, all more or less having the same story, so the film was predictably representative of this genre.
It starred Diane Lane (as Frances Mayes), Raoul Bova (as the Latin Lover), Vincent Riotta (as the Italian married man), Lindsay Duncan (as the crackpot expat) and Sandra Oh (as Patti, Frances’ friend). The supporting actors I found rather more believably human and sympathetic than the leads and I was more interested in their stories (although they were treated very superficially).
The plot can be summarised thus: Frances is a writer and literature critic who lives a seemingly happy life in San Francisco with her husband. A disgruntled would-be novelist incensed by Frances’ negative literary criticism takes revenge by revealing to her that her husband is unfaithful. Frances discovers this to be true and her marriage ends abruptly, causing her to become depressed. Her friends make her a gift of a holiday in Italy and reluctantly she joins a bus tour of Tuscany. Once there, quite impulsively, she buys a crumbling Tuscan villa from a Contessa who has fallen on hard times. She begins to renovate the villa and in doing so provides employment for an unlikely trio of Polish immigrants, and an old Italian builder. As they work together on the villa, she begins to settle into her new life and becomes friendly with a neighbouring family. She welcomes to her villa one of her pregnant American friends who has given her the ticket (after she has also split up with her partner). Frances is keen to become involved romantically again but chooses the wrong men: First her married real estate agent, then a charming and dashing stranger. Will Frances manage to realise all her dreams or will she need to re-evaluate her expectations? Well, easy to answer that question, it is a romantic comedy, chick flick after all!
The film was saccharine sweet and rather superficial. Its ending predictable and its characterisation rather two-dimensional and abounding with stereotypes. I am sure that many people would find some of the caricatures offensive. Some of the arty crowd would find the Fellini tribute quite ludicrous and many people in happy relationships would it all quite tiresome. However, the film has its fans and I am sure that many would watch it and enjoy it. It is a “rah-rah-rah” sort of film, or perhaps functions like a fizzy alka-seltzer drink when one wakes up with a hangover – psychologically speaking…
As far as recommending it? We voted for it after watching it – 5/10 and 6/10. I would say it’s not worth looking for, but if it’s on and you’re doing something that needs suitable light-weight distraction, have it playing in the background.
“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
The second run of the earlier inconclusive parliamentary Greek Elections is being held today, so it is apt to highlight a Greek artist for this Art Sunday. Despite the numerous political, financial and social problems faced by modern Greeks, a strong element of cultural and artistic life manages to survive in the crisis, or perhaps is even fuelled by it. It will be interesting to see the results of this Greek election and whether the elected party/parties can form a functional government that will lead Greece out of the crisis…
Alekos Fassianos (born in 1935) is a famous Greek painter. He studied violin at the Athens Conservatory and painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts from 1956 to 1960 where he was taught by Yannis Moralis. He went to Paris on a French State scholarship between 1962 and 1964, where he also attended lessons on lithography along with Clairin and Caroline Chariot-Dayez. In 1966 he lived and worked solely in Paris, while from 1974 he divided his time between Paris and Athens.
Since his first exhibition in Athens in 1959 he has had more than 70 solo exhibitions in Paris, Athens, Thessaloniki, Milan, New York, London, Tokyo, Beirut, Hamburg, Munich and other cities. Apart from painting he has worked on calligraphy, poster creation, illustration of books and various publications in Greece and abroad. He has also collaborated in many theatrical projects with the National Theatre of Greece. He has also written poems and essays. At least four documentaries on his work have been produced by Greek and French television networks. He was invited to produce stamps and posters for the Athens 2004 Olympics. His works are today exhibited in many museums and private collections in Greece and abroad.
Fassianos’ personal artistic style was shaped during the 1960s. His inspiration is manifold and he takes his subjects from Greek myths, history and the Greek social and geographical landscape. One can see associations with the Fayum mummy portraits, Byzantine icons and the Greek popular shadow theatre characters. His paintings are also characterised by motion, which is emphasised by the hair or clothes waving in the breeze. In his artistic maturity his figures are known for their voluptuousness and the luminosity of the color he uses to highlight the sensuality and the immense pleasure of everyday life. This is probably less true of his early works. His works from the 1960s were made in the expressionist style and his figures are more grotesque or exaggerated.
The painting above is a typical example of the artist’s mature style, showing the characteristically grotesque figures, which nevertheless acknowledge multiple historical and folk traditions in Greek art. One may see resemblances to ancient Greek pottery, modern-day cartoons (for example those of Bost), one observes a kinship with Matisse’s work and that of Picasso and Botero. Fassianos’ paintings nevertheless retain their individual flavor and make powerful statements about modern life and the vicissitudes of Greek history from ancient to modern times.
“Je n’ ai alors
rien su comprendre! J’ aurais dû la juger sur les actes et non sur les mots.
Elle m’ embaumait et m’ éclairait. Je n’ aurais jamais dû m’ enfuir! J’ aurais
dû deviner sa tendresse derrière ses pauvres ruses. Les fleurs sont si
contradictoires! Mais j’ étais trop jeune pour savoir l’ aimer.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Elle est
tellement lourde, ton absence, mon amour. Je ne comprendrai jamais pourquoi la
vie t’a prise en t’ éloignant de moi. Je ne sais pas combien de temps on peut
survivre sans la personne qu’ on aime, quand le chagrin est si pesant. Je t’ aime.
“A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting.” - Abraham Maslow
As I was away, travelling for work I missed a couple of entries here. It was a very busy time full of meetings during the day and even before and after those, I had to confer with my colleagues at breakfast and dinner in order to prepare for the day. Hence quite a hectic time, but fortunately all went well and it was a successful trip.
Back in wintry Melbourne and what better than a hearty soup to drive those winter blues away? We love having this mushroom soup, which is delicious as well as having a delightful flavour. We use a variety of mushrooms to make it and thankfully the supermarkets and greengrocers carry a variety of mushrooms. However, if you do gather your own make sure you know what you are gathering and eating as wild mushrooms can be poisonous!
Cream of Mushroom Soup Ingredients 600g mixed fresh mushrooms (use Swiss brown, shiitake, oyster, button mushrooms, etc) 3 shallots minced 50g butter 100ml white wine 500ml vegetable stock 1 clove of garlic, crushed Salt and pepper 1/4 tsp ground mace 200ml heavy cream Parsley or chopped spring onions for garnishing (optional)
Method Clean the mushrooms carefully and chop them finely. Melt the butter in a deep saucepan, add the minced shallot and cook gently until translucent, approximately 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, and sauté for a few minutes while stirring. Cover the pan and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the mushrooms have given up all their juices. Add the garlic clove. Add the wine, the stock. Season lightly with a little salt and pepper. Boil gently for 10 minutes. Add the cream and cook for a further 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning and serve in warmed bowls, garnishing with a sprig of parsley or chopped spring onion.
“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” — Mark Twain
I am visiting Perth for work for a few days, so it has been rather hectic. I came to Perth expecting some sunshine and fine weather, but instead the plane flew into a gale with wind, rain, cold and wet conditions that were almost cyclonic. Fortunately, despite the inclemency of the weather, the plane landed without hitch, but the real difficult part was getting a taxi out of the airport. The queue was several lengths and breadths greater than that allowed for by the space allocated to it and it took nearly 30 minutes to get a taxi.
Once out of the airport the traffic lightened up and finally at the hotel I breathed a sigh of relief. Perth has become an expensive city and it was quite a lot of trouble to get a hotel that was reasonably priced. Nevertheless, it is a very nice hotel by the riverside and the well appointed suite promise a comfortable night’s rest.
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia, with an estimated population of 1.74 million living in the Perth metropolitan area. The metropolitan area is located in the South West Division of Western Australia, between the Indian Ocean and a low coastal escarpment known as the Darling Range. The central business district and suburbs of Perth are situated on the banks of the Swan River.
Shortly after the establishment of the port settlement of Fremantle, Perth was founded on 12 June 1829 by Captain James Stirling as the political centre of the Swan River Colony. As the business and administration centre for the resource-rich state, Perth has grown consistently. Perth became known worldwide as the “City of Light” when city residents lit their house lights and streetlights as American astronaut John Glenn passed overhead while orbiting the earth on Friendship 7 in 1962. The city repeated the act as Glenn passed overhead on the Space Shuttle in 1998. Perth is tied for eighth place in The Economist’s 2011 list of the world's most livable cities.
Perth’s residents have traditionally enjoyed the highest standard of living of any of Australia’s big cities. Until recently, the reason for this has been that, for most occupations, wages were only a little less than could be found in cities such as Sydney and Melbourne while house prices in Perth were considerably lower than the other cities.
Western Australia has huge deposits of metal ores and coal. Booming Asian economies, particularly China, have sourced many of their raw materials from Western Australia, resulting in high economic growth for the state and its capital, Perth. Many large mining and mineral concerns have their headquarters in Perth. Mining itself is carried on outside Perth but the city is home to many support industries employing engineers and scientists. There is a large oil refinery at Kwinana, 25 km south of Perth, with associated engineering and chemicals jobs.
“More important than the curriculum is the question of the methods of teaching and the spirit in which the teaching is given” - Bertrand Russell
Novels and movies based on real stories seem to hold a fascination for people and they are quite likely to capture the imagination and generate interest, especially if they are stories that concern special people displaying courage and determination. We watched such a film at the weekend and it was just so: Engaging and involving, well-made and acted, and of course interesting because it was base a true story. The film was Richard LaGravenese’s 2007 “Freedom Writers” , starring Hilary Swank, Imelda Staunton, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn and April L. Hernandez. It is based on the book “The Freedom Writers Diary” by teacher Erin Gruwell who wrote the story based on Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach, California. The title is a play on the term “Freedom Riders”, referring to the multiracial civil rights activists who tested the U.S. Supreme Court decision ordering the desegregation of interstate buses in 1961.
“Freedom Writers” received mostly positive reviews from critics. It is a frank, albeit formulaic entry in the inspirational, inner-city teacher genre. Although the actors are too old to play high school students, and the pacing slow at times, overall the film works and argues for listening to teenagers. Hillary Swank gives an energetic, well-thought out performance and her interaction with the cast of young, unknowns that play the students is good. She seems believable as the dedicated, idealistic teacher who is not afraid to fight for what she believes in. Patrick Dempsey playing her husband tried to work with his short, almost cameo role, but he comes out as a little two-dimensional – after all this is not his story. Imelda Staunton playing the older and rather conservative teacher at odds with Erin Gruwell, plays her role well, although she comes out as a tad too intense at times. A good performance was put in by Scott Glenn, playing Erin’s father, but most impressive perhaps were the young students, led by April L. Hernandez who all put in excellent performances.
In a nutshell, the plot set in 1994 in Long Beach, California, concerns a young and idealistic teacher, Erin Gruwell, who is just starting out on her first teaching job. She will teach freshman and sophomore English classes at Woodrow Wilson High School, which, two years earlier, implemented a voluntary integration program. Many of the existing teachers are of the opinion that integration has ruined the school, whose previously stellar academic standing has been diminished, its good middle class white students largely replaced by students belonging to minority groups who will be lucky to graduate or even to be literate. Erin is unprepared for the difficulties she faces in her classroom, whose students live by generations of strict moral codes of protecting their own at all cost. Many are in gangs and almost all know somebody that has been killed by gang violence. The Latinos hate the Cambodians who hate the blacks and so on. However, they all seem united in hating Ms Gruwell. The movie centres on the building of bridges and establishing relationships that transcend social class and race.
We enjoyed the film even though it was at times raw and challenging, sometimes violent and confronting. Even though formulaic, the formula works because it represents reality and it describes a story that changed the lives of some people that would otherwise have been confined to illiteracy, violence or even an untimely death. Some of the stories of the individual students that are depicted are poignant and very sad, their young lives already scarred by hostility, brutality and savage cruelty. Erin Gruwell’s success comes from the fact that she managed to awaken within these students the ability to see the world differently through reading and writing. She captured the imagination of these students by getting them to realise their potential and by making them aware of situations that stir their consciousness and sympathies: The holocaust and Anne Frank; the race riots in the USA, the reality of gang violence and its consequences, which they all know first hand.
We recommend this film for viewing, although it can be quite challenging and sometimes even depressing. However, it paints a compelling picture of contemporary issues and shows that there are solutions possible, even to those problems that are often classified as “insoluble”.
“Beauty, like truth, is relative to the time when one lives and to the individual who can grasp it. The expression of beauty is in direct ratio to the power of conception the artist has acquired.” - Gustave Courbet
As it is Gustave Courbet’s birth anniversary today, it seems appropriate to devote Art Sunday to him. Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet (10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) was a French painter and the leader of the Realist movement in 19th-century French painting. Courbet is very important in French painting for two reasons. Firstly, he was prepared to try out new ideas and ways of painting. Secondly, his paintings made social comment on the world around him. He was unafraid to show “real life” in a way that was not always picturesque and conventionally “beautiful”.
Courbet’s paintings were an inspiration to many other painters, particularly the French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec were all inspired by Gustave Courbet’s paintings, especially those depicting people. His landscape paintings were an inspiration to Claude Monet, Seurat, Cezanne and many other painters.
Born in Ornans (Doubs), into a prosperous farming family, which wanted him to study law, Courbet went to Paris in 1839, and worked at the studio of Steuben and Hesse. An independent spirit, he soon left, preferring to develop his own style by studying Spanish, Flemish and French painters and painting copies of their work. His first works were an Odalisque, suggested by the writing of Victor Hugo, and a Lelia, illustrating George Sand, but he soon abandoned literary influences for the study of real life. A trip to the Netherlands in 1847 strengthened Courbet’s belief that painters should portray the life around them, as Rembrandt, Hals, and the other Dutch masters had done.
Among his early works, he painted his own portrait with his dog, and “The Man with a Pipe”, both of which the Paris Salon jury rejected. However, the younger critics, the Neo-romantics and Realists, loudly sang his praises, and by 1849 Courbet was becoming well known, producing such pictures as “After Dinner at Ornans” (for which the Salon awarded him a medal) and “The Valley of the Loire”.
One of Courbet's most important works is the “Burial at Ornans”, a huge canvas (3.1 by 6.6 meters) recording an event which he witnessed in September 1848. Courbet’s painting of the funeral of his grand uncle became the first masterpiece in the Realist style. People who had attended the funeral were used as models for the painting. Courbet said that he “painted the very people who had been present at the interment, all the townspeople”, rather than models as other artists were doing. The result is a realistic presentation of them, and of life, in Ornans. The painting caused a fuss with critics and the public. Eventually the public grew more interested in the new Realist approach, and the lavish, decadent fantasy of Romanticism lost popularity. The artist well understood the importance of this painting; as Courbet said: “The Burial at Ornans was in reality the burial of Romanticism”.
Towards the end of the 1860s, Courbet painted a series of increasingly erotic works such as “Femme nue couchee”. This culminated in “The Origin of the World” (1866), depicting female genitalia, and “Sleep” (1866), featuring two naked women in bed. While banned from public display, these works only served to increase his notoriety. On 14 April 1870, Courbet established a “Federation of Artists” for the free and uncensored expansion of art. The group'’ members included Andre Gill, Honore Daumier, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Eugene Pottier, Jules Dalou, and Edouard Manet.
His refusal of the cross of the Legion of Honour offered to him by Napoleon III made him immensely popular with those who opposed the current regime, and in 1871 under the revolutionary Paris Commune he was placed in charge of all the Paris art museums and saved them from looting mobs. For his insistence in executing the Communal decree for the destruction of the Vendome Column, he was designated as responsible for the act and accordingly sentenced on 2 September 1871 by a Versailles court martial to six months in prison and a fine of 500 francs.
Courbet died, age 58, in La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland, of a liver disease aggravated by heavy drinking on 31 December 1877. Illustrated above is his “Self-portrait” (The Desperate Man), painted ca 1843–1845. This is influenced by a host of renaissance and Flemish self-portraits, but the artist gives himself an intense confronting expression, whose vehemence and passion challenge the viewer. This is indeed the portrait of an artist as a desperate man who will not be stopped by convention and will provoke public mores and tradition without any compunction.
“The world is
full enough of hurts and mischance without wars to multiply them.” - J.R.R. Tolkien
The situation in
Syria has become worse and worse with each passing week and the atrocities
committed seem to have no end. The inhumanity of the killing bears no
description and as more information filters out of the beleaguered country, the
enormity and extent of the massacres is sickening. I can only think of the
masses of innocent people whose lives have been turned upside down or who have
indeed lost their lives.
UN observers reported
from the village of Al-Kubeir, near Hama, that there was blood on the walls and
a strong stench of burnt flesh, prompting Western governments to launch a push
for tough new sanctions against Damascus. Nine women and three children were among 17 people killed on Saturday in
a pre-dawn bombardment of a residential neighbourhood of the southern city of
Daraa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Dozens more were wounded, some of them
seriously, in the city which was the birthplace of the uprising against
President Bashar al-Assad’s rule which erupted in March last year.
In nearby Jordan, hundreds of Syrian refugees demonstrated at dawn in
the border town of Ramtha to protest against the deaths in Daraa, Jordan’s
official Petra news agency reported. The Syrian army has killed at least 23
civilians in two protest cities, a watchdog says, as international outcry
mounts over a massacre in a central village.
It is unfortunate, but it looks very much like civil war and the situation
is likely to worsen. Unless firm action is taken, the bloodbath will become widespread
and many more innocent people will lose their lives. To have a country steeped
in violence like this in this day and age is a crime against humanity and it is
deplorable that the international community has not been more active in
intervening.
A requiem tonight in memory of the innocent people who lost their live,
whatever their creed, race or ideological background. It is the first movement
of Tomas Luis de Victoria's (1548 - 1611) from the Officium Defunctorum of 1605, performed by The Choir of Westminster
Cathedral.
“Work is the meat of life, pleasure the dessert.” - B. C. Forbes
A delicious recipe for an afternoon tea delight that we make every now and then and which pleases all who try it.
APRICOT SHORTBREAD Ingredients • 250 g unsalted butter, softened • 1 cup caster sugar • 1 egg • 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted • 1 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted • 200 g apricot conserve • 200 g dried apricots, chopped and mixed with the conserve
Method 1 Preheat oven to 180º C. 2. Line base and sides of a 30 x 20 cm lamington tin with baking paper. 3. Using an electric beater, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 4. Add egg and beat until well combined. Add flours and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. 5. Form 1/3 dough into a sausage shape, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 25 minutes or until firm. 6. Press two-thirds of dough into base of prepared tin. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden. 7 Put apricot conserve and chopped dried apricots in a small pan over a medium heat and stir until smooth and spreadable. Stand conserve for 10 minutes to cool, then spread evenly over dough in tin. 8. Take dough from freezer, remove plastic wrap and grate evenly over conserve. 9. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Stand tin on a wire rack to cool. When cold, cut into squares or fingers.
“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” - Abraham Lincoln
The older one gets, the less attention one pays to birthdays. They tend to follow each other more quickly it seems than when one is young. And one definitely does not one want to make a song and dance about it, with birthday parties, cakes, presets and such like, less likely to be afforded much importance or prominence. Well-wishes and a card are the main expectations or perhaps a dinner out. Gift giving is likely to be confined to close family members and the day passes quickly into obscurity.
The birthdays of our childhood are memories, which time has gilded and sugar coated. Parties, cakes, presents and carefree laughter seem to be things of the past that are more difficult to attain or which certainly have lees of a lustre of excitement and enjoyment than one remembers from one’s younger years. It is part and parcel of growing older, more mature and perhaps even wiser one would think. It is a shift away from the “me” mentality to the “we” mentality, maybe.
A birthday dinner with the special people one shares one’s life with may be the most apt and enjoyable birthday celebration. Personally, I am now loath to engage in excesses of social interaction associated with birthdays. Parties have become tiresome and even a formal dinner party can be quite an effort, especially if it is attended by people one only marginally knows or likes. Small intimate gatherings of people one loves, likes or shares common interests with are much more preferable.
Each passing year makes us older, each year added to our age makes us wiser, hopefully. Each year brings us closer to the inevitability of death, so perhaps there is the reluctance to acknowledge our birthdays the older we get. It is important for us to make the most of time, enjoy what we can, do as much good as we can and pay less attention to our age. A life well-lived is a life well spent. Birthdays have nothing to do with it. Some people live a short but eventful and useful life, while some elderly people die and lament their wasted lives…
The world’s been rather a-buzz with excitement over the past couple of weeks regarding the rare event of the transit of Venus. A transit of Venus occurs when the planet Venus is observed to move across the face of the Sun. The first transit since 1882 occurred on 8th June 2004. The next transit occurred today, on 6th June 2012, was visible in many places around the world. In Australia, for example, the transit was visible Sydney from beginning to end, starting at 8.16am (1st contact) and ending at 2.44pm (last contact). Part of the excitement and the hype surrounding this event is that the following transit of Venus won’t occur until 2117, which is certainly beyond the lifetime of most people around during this transit.
Although it was quite overcast in Melbourne and thus we were unable to watch the transit of Venus first hand and “live”, a number of excellent photographic records of the event have been published and it is good to be able to witness this event, even second-hand, through technology. Some of the photographs that are being published are quite spectacular and fuel my fascination with all things astronomical.
There is a connection with Australia as far as the transit of Venus is concerned. On June 3rd, 1769, British navigator, Captain James Cook, British astronomer Charles Green and Swedish naturalist Daniel Solander observed and recorded the transit of Venus on the island of Tahiti during Cook’s first voyage around the world. This unusual astronomical phenomenon takes place in a pattern that repeats itself every 243 years, so there was considerable scientific interest in the event in Cook’s time. The event includes two transits that are eight years apart, separated by breaks of 121.5 and 105.5 years. These men, along with a crew of scientists, were commissioned by the Royal Society of London for the primary purpose of viewing the transit of Venus. Not only would their findings help expand scientific knowledge, they would help with navigation by accurately calculating the observer’s longitude. At this time, longitude was difficult to determine and not always precise. A “secret” mission that followed the transit included the exploration of the South Pacific to find the legendary Terra Australis Incognita or “unknown land of the South”.
After finishing his task in Tahiti, Cook proceeded to New Zealand, where he took formal possession of areas from both the main islands and accurately charted 3860 km of coastline for the first time. During 1770 he the discovered the east coast of Australia, which he charted and claimed for Great Britain under the name of New South Wales. The rest of course is history!
The image above is provided by NASA. The SDO satellite captured an ultra-high definition image of the Transit of Venus across the face of the sun on June 5th from space.
“In all things
of nature there is something of the marvellous.” – Aristotle
Today is World
Environment Day, which is an annual event that is aimed at being the biggest
and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. World
Environment Day activities rightly take place all year round, but the climax is
on the 5th of June every year, involving people all around the world.
The celebration of World Environment Day began in 1972 and since then has grown
to become the one of the main ways that the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of
the environment and encourages political attention and action.
Through World
Environment Day, the UN Environment Programme is able to personalise
environmental issues and enable everyone to realise not only their
responsibility, but also their power to become agents for change in support of
sustainable and equitable development. This day is also a day for people from
all walks of life to come together to ensure a cleaner, greener and brighter
outlook for themselves and future generations.
Everyone can
become involved in celebrating World Environment Day: Organise a clean-up in
your home, workplace, neighbourhood or community; stop using plastic bags and
get your community to do the same; plant a tree or better yet organise a collective
tree planting effort; walk to work or use public transport instead of driving;
start a recycling drive; reduce your carbon footprint; grow your own vegetables
and fruit; use solar power and other renewable energy sources; conserve water,
and lots more. Your local council can provide you with a host of other idea
around green living, conservation and sustainability.
The 2012 theme
for World Environment Day is Green Economy, into which everyone can contribute,
not just politicians and economists. A Green Economy is one that results in
improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing
environmental risks and ecological scarcities. It can be thought of as an
economy, which is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive.
A Green Economy
is one whose growth in income and employment is driven by public and private
investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and
resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem
services. These investments need to be catalysed and supported by targeted special
government budget-driven initiatives, legal and policy reforms and regulatory
changes. Citizens can also contribute to this by lobbying politicians, joining
action groups and supporting industries that prescribe to Green Economy ideals.
Oh, and perhaps the least
you could do today is hug a tree!
“The punishment of criminals should be of use; when a man is hanged he is good for nothing” - Voltaire
We watched an interesting and rather amusing (in a black humour sort of way) Australian film last weekend, which we enjoyed. It was Gregor Jordan’s 1999 “Two Hands” (), starring Heath Ledger, Bryan Brown and David Field. It is set in Sydney and one sees the seamy side of this metropolis with all of its wheeling and dealing, crime and ruthless “settling of accounts”. There is an interesting set of characters and the film is very Australian, and some things may seem a little strange to those people seeing it abroad. However, overall, it was quite a good film although there are some violent scenes in it, one particularly that made my stomach churn and ever more wary when I am driving...
The plot concerns Jimmy (Heath Ledger), who is given a simple job by underworld “boss” Pando (Bryan Brown) delivering $10,000 to a particular address. However, when no one answers the door Jimmy decides to take a dip at Bondi Beach to pass the time, but he notices that his clothes on the sand have been messed up and the money that he has stupidly left unattended, is gone. Jimmy rings Pando to tell him the problem, but not surprisingly Pando doesn’t want to hear what he thinks are Jimmy’s lame excuses. Pando and his boys try their best to locate Jimmy in order to “take care of him”, just as they took care of his brother (unbeknownst to Jimmy). Jimmy goes into hiding and decides to join another two inept criminals to rob a bank to get Pando’s money back. Throughout these trials and tribulations, he meets innocent and sweet country-girl Alex (Rose Byrne) and together they try to deal with all sorts of “situations” that arise.
The film is shot in Sydney and Kings Cross gets quite a showing, with all of its glitz and tinselly showiness. Although there are no koalas or gum trees in the movie, it is very much Australian and Bryan Brown does a great job of portraying the typical Aussie bloke who while being an underworld kingpin manages to be a good father and husband in the suburbs. Heath Ledger does an excellent job of portraying the naïve but honest (in a dishonest way!) Jimmy, while Rose Byrne is perfectly cast as the young ingénue that provides a romantic interest. One cannot help but feel involved with Jimmy’s plight and despite the crookedness of his actions, one feels that all he needs is the love of a good woman (aka: Alex) to bring him back on to the straight and narrow.
There is an interesting thread of the supernatural injected into the film as Jimmy’s brother’s ghost enters the story now and then to comment on the proceedings and lend a protecting hand to Jimmy. The subplot involving the two teenagers that steal Jimmy’s $10,000 is poignant and dark and essential for the films dénouement.
We enjoyed this film, although some scenes could prove challenging for some viewers who are sensitive to violence and strong themes. It is best classed as a “black comedy” and it paints a fairly realistic picture of small time criminal life in a big city, although the naïveté and unlikeliness of some of the plot twists can be seen to be artistic licence to make for a more engaging movie.
“Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift.” - Albert Einstein
A relatively little-known artist for Art Sunday today, who during his life did not command much attention, also. Martin Johnson Heade (August 11, 1819 – September 4, 1904) was a prolific American painter known for his salt marsh landscapes, seascapes, and depictions of tropical birds (such as hummingbirds), as well as tropical flowers and other still lives. His painting style and subject matter, while derived from the romanticism of the time, are regarded by art historians as a significant departure from those of his peers.
Heade was born in Lumberville, Pennsylvania, the son of a shopkeeper. He studied with Edward Hicks, and possibly with Thomas Hicks. His earliest works were produced during the 1840s and were chiefly portraits. He travelled to Europe several times as a young man, became an itinerant artist on American shores, and exhibited in Philadelphia in 1841 and New York in 1843. Friendships with artists of the Hudson River School led to an interest in landscape art. In 1863, he planned to publish a volume of Brazilian hummingbirds and tropical flowers, but the project was eventually abandoned. He travelled to the tropics several times thereafter, and continued to paint birds and flowers.
Heade married in 1883 and moved to St. Augustine, Florida. His chief works from this period were Floridian landscapes and flowers, particularly magnolias laid upon velvet cloth. He died in 1904. His best known works are depictions of light and shadow upon the salt marshes of New England. Heade was not a widely known artist during his lifetime, but his work attracted the notice of scholars, art historians, and collectors during the 1940s. He thereafter became recognised as a major American artist. Although often considered a Hudson River School artist, some critics and scholars take exception to this categorisation. Heade’s works are now in major museums and collections. His paintings are occasionally discovered in unlikely places such as garage sales and flea markets.
I like his botanical paintings quite a lot as they remind me of a natural history textbook that we used in primary school. There is a strong feel of erudite and nostalgic 19th century naturalism in these paintings and part of their appeal is that while they are botanically accurate, they are also beautifully artistic and highly decorative. The “Orchid and Hummingbird near a Mountain Waterfall” of 1902 shown here is characteristic of Heade’s work in the natural history genre, but the other major part of his work, landscape, is also hinted at by the broad vista behind the main subject.
I have been blogging daily on this platform for several years now. It is surprising that I have persisted as the world is changing and "microblogging" is now the norm. I blog to amuse myself, make comment on current affairs, externalise some of my creativity, keep notes on things that interest me, learn something new and to surprise myself with things that I discover about this wonderful, and sometimes crazy, world we live in.
I sometimes get the impression that I am on a soapbox delivering a monologue, so your comments are welcome.
