The Sword of Damocles

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According to the story, Damocles was pandering to Dionysius, his king, and exclaimed to him that Dionysius was truly fortunate as a great man of power and authority, surrounded by magnificence.

In response, Dionysius offered to switch places with Damocles for one day so that Damocles could taste that very fortune firsthand. Damocles quickly and eagerly accepted the king’s proposal. Damocles sat down in the king’s throne surrounded by every luxury, but Dionysius, who had made many enemies during his reign,

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Ndebele house paintings

The Creators Project gets exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the cross-country U.S. tour of renowned South African artist Esther Mahlangu. As she travels through New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, D.C. and Atlanta, we get insight into the craft, skill, matrilineal tradition, innovation, and inspiration behind her larger body of work, as well as the original pieces she created for this (Belvedere)RED campaign, raising money for the Global Fund to fight and eliminate the transmission of HIV/AIDS.

In the 18th century the Ndzundza Ndebele people of South Africa created their own tradition and style of house painting. Until the late 1900s, the Ndebele people were very fierce warriors and large landowners. In the autumn of 1883, they went to war with the neighboring Boer workers. The loss of the war brought on a harsh life and horrible punishments for the Ndebele. Through those hard times expressive symbols were generated by the suffering people expressing their grief. These symbols were the beginning of the African art known as Ndebele house paintings.

Dorothy Circus Gallery – Mother and Child

Μέρα της μάνας λέει …
Ποιας μάνας;
Της γυναίκας που μια φορά το χρόνο την γιορτάζουν επειδή αγρυπνάει, πονά, φροντίζει, νοιάζεται, λαχταράει να γίνει η επόμενη ανάσα των σπλάχνων της… ή
εκείνης που απ’ τη στιγμή που ευλογήθηκε να φέρει στον κόσμο παιδιά, έβαλε πίσω τον εαυτό της, τα θέλω της κι έγινε για πάντα ίσκιος τρυφερός να αναπαυτούν οι αγαπημένοι της, χωρίς να ενδιαφέρεται για γιορτές και τυμπανοκρουσίες;
Της γυναίκας που έγινε μάνα του συντρόφου της, μάνα των φίλων, μάνα του περίγυρου, μάνα κάθε πλάσματος που έχει την ανάγκη της στη γη;
Της μάνας που έγινε μάνα της μάνας της και της έλεγε παραμύθια λίγο πριν το τελείωμα της..;
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Α, ρε μάνα…
Α, ρε μάνες…
Πόσους ήλιους κουρασμένους κοιμίσατε στη ματιά σας…
Πόσα φεγγάρια οδοιπόρα ξαποστάσατε στον κόρφο σας…
Πόσες βραδινές περιπολίες κάνατε με τη σκέψη, με πόσες του έρωτα λιτανείες θυμιατίσατε κρυφά τα ανέφικτα…
Πόσες έγνοιες φορέσατε κατάσαρκα, πανωφόρια αφόρετα ολονών…
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Μάνα, χέρι της καρδιάς πάντα απλωμένο.
Χούφτα ζεστή και ιδρωμένη απ’ τα συχώρια που συνωστίζει μέσα της.
Μάνα, μια ζυγαριά που γέρνει κατά εκεί που είναι το κέρδος των ανθρώπων …
..μια αγκαλιά που φωλιάζουν χαμογελαστά τα κυνηγητά των αγριμιών…
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Μάνα, σε γιορτάζουν σήμερα, μπορείς να αναπαυτείς.

Κωνσταντίνα Σταθακοπούλου

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Motherhood has been a popular artistic theme since the early ages, with some of the most famous paintings and sculptures being depictions of The Madonna and Child. Today, many artists continue to explore deeply personal maternal relationships, visualizing their unique, unconditional bond and fierce protection. Open now until June 9, 2019, in both its London and Rome locations, Dorothy Circus Gallery is hosting a group show, titled Mother and Child.

Time orders Old Age to destroy Beauty – Pompeo Batoni

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Πίνακας του Pompeo (Girolamo) Batoni (1708-1787): “Ο Χρόνος διατάζει τα Γηρατειά να καταστρέψουν την Ομορφιά” περ. 1746. The National Gallery of London.(Εθνική Πινακοθήκη Λονδίνου).

Time orders Old Age to destroy Beauty is a 1746 allegorical oil on canvas painting by the Italian artist Pompeo Batoni. It was commissioned from him by Bartolomeo Talenti, a collector from Lucca, as a pendant for La lascivia, now in the Hermitage Museum. It shows personifications of Time as an old man with a scythe, Old Age as an old woman and Beauty as a young woman. It came into the collection of the Russian count Nikolai Alexandrovich Kushelev-Bezborodko, before being acquired in 1961 by the National Gallery, London where it now hangs.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_orders_Old_Age_to_destroy_Beauty

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Annual Cartoon Xira 2019 puts spotlight on Portuguese bullfighting

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As Portugal’s bullfighting tradition is stirring a tense debate about outlawing it in the country. Cartoon Xira presented an exhibition of the Argentinian cartoonist Marlene Pohle’s unpublished drawings

 

 

 

 

Created during the 2018 festivities of “Colete Encarnado” (“Red Vest” – the colour of the vest of campinos – the local herdsmen and cowboys) the annual festival of Vila Franca de Xira that honours local herdsmen, lezíria (Tagus prairies) and bulls.

“I interviewed three local bullfighters and they told me their point of view. They are really fascinating stories. So let’s say it is not that I agree absolutely, but I do understand this philosophy more. It was very interesting.”

Rosemaling, the decorative folk painting of Norway

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Τhanks Amanda  from blog … Something to Ponder About

 

 

 

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Halling folk Museum

Most people have never heard of “Rosemaling” or Rose Painting, but if you ever go to Norway, you will see plenty of it in shops, museums, private homes and most especially, in older churches.

Before technology arrived, Norwegians spent long winters in darkness, so, in order to brighten up the interior of the homes and places of worship, they developed a form of traditional painting that was completely unique. “Rosemaling artists” or Rose painters earned their living traveling through the western fjords of Norway, often times painting in the styles that might have passed out of European fashion 100 years previously.

Meet Afghanistan’s first female graffiti artist, who is risking it all for her murals

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«Αν ένα ρεύμα γίνει και πάλι ποταμός αλλά τα ψάρια έχουν πεθάνει, δεν υπάρχει επιστροφή γι’ αυτό που έφυγε».

Η Σαμσιά Χασάνι μέσα από την τέχνη της θέλει να δείξει ότι οι γυναίκες επέστρεψαν δυναμικά στην αφγανική κοινωνία

‘Freedom is not that we remove our burqas and hijabs, freedom is having peace. Even if she removes her cover, if she still can’t study and work, what good is it?‘

The ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and the US are never far from the headlines. The possibility of their return to power elicits plenty of questions, none of which seem to have an answer. But there are particular queries to be had for those working in creative industries, and especially for women. After all, even the arts couldn’t escape the wrath of the fundamentalist political movement, which once restricted the sector with harsh punishments.

But not all Afghans are against the Taliban’s return, at least not outright. Shamsia Hassani, 31, thought to be Afghanistan’s first female graffiti artist and co-founder of Berang Arts, a group that promotes contemporary arts in Afghanistan, says she does

Serbian art, the art recognizable by its uniqueness

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Serbian painting have followed all the world’s trends from medieval to modern times, but it still managed to develop an authentic form of its own

Serbian painting was developed within architecture and a tradition of decorating walls in churches built by Serbian nobles and kings over a century ago. It originates from Byzantine art that however originated from rich Hellenic heritage.

Between two worlds, the East and the West, Serbian painting was influenced by both sides and it turned into the art recognizable by its uniqueness and grandeur. This art was inseparably connected to history, culture and literature of Serbia in the Middle ages.

Marianne North – The painter of the world’s plants

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Αντί να προβάλλουμε την ασχήμια και τη διαφθορά δε θα ήταν καλύτερα να μαθαίνουμε για ανθρώπους που αγωνίστηκαν με όποιον τρόπο να αφήσουν κάτι στους επόμενους που να αξίζει????

Marianne North

Η ζωγράφος των φυτών του κόσμου

Το 1860, η Marianne North ερασιτέχνης κηπουρός και ζωγράφος, διέσχισε τον ωκεανό για την Αμερική, κουβαλώντας πινέλα, μπογιές, ένα καβαλέτο, και την αγάπη της για τα λουλούδια. Στη συνέχεια ταξίδεψε στη Τζαμάικα, στο Περού, στην Ιαπωνία, στην Ινδία και την Αυστραλία. Επισκέφτηκε όλες τις ηπείρους εκτός από την Ανταρκτική, ψάχνοντας νέα λουλούδια για να ζωγραφίσει. «Εντυπωσιάστηκα από την ποικιλία των θεμάτων που μπορούσα να ζωγραφίσω», έγραψε.

Rather than projecting ugliness and corruption, it would not be better to learn about people who fought in any way to leave something to the next to be worth ???? 

 

In 1860, Marianne North, an amateur gardener and painter, crossed the ocean to America, carrying brushes, paints, a cane, and her love for flowers. He then traveled to Jamaica, Peru, Japan, India and Australia. He visited all the continents except Antarctica, looking for new flowers to paint. “I was impressed by the variety of subjects I could draw,” she wrote.

Marianne North (24 October 1830 – 30 August 1890) was a prolific English Victorian biologist and botanical artist, notable for her plant and landscape paintings, her extensive foreign travels, her writings, her plant discoveries and the creation of her gallery at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

The naive painters of Kovačica

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Kovačica (Serbian village) is said to be a place where fairy tales are painted

Ναΐφ τέχνη (Naïve art, ή Toddler art) είναι μία κατηγορία τέχνης που χαρακτηρίζεται από μια παιδικού τύπου απλοϊκότητα, τόσο στην ύλη και το περιεχόμενο όσο και στην τεχνική. Η λέξη Ναΐφ είναι διεθνής πλέον, αλλά προέρχεται από την Γαλλική naive που σημαίνει αφελής. Όμως το δεδομένο ότι υπάρχουν τόσοι πολλοί ναΐφ καλλιτέχνες, με τα έργα τους, οι οποίοι έχουν λίγη ή καθόλου εικαστική παιδεία, αυτό και μόνο αποδεικνύει ότι ο όρος συχνά δεν ισχύει.

 

 

The people who make fairy tales literally come to life are the naive painters of Kovačica. Were it not for these astounding artists, this magical place would be just another village in Vojvodina.

And were it not for them, this small village wouldn’t have been visited by world famous celebrities such as the Rolling Stones, Pele and Alain Delon, and even the former president of France François Mitterrand.

Modern take on Flemish classics in new Bruges museum

Έκθεση με 3D απεικόνιση έργων των ζωγράφων Jeroen Bosch, Jan Van Eyck και Hans Memling στο μουσείο «Musea Sculpta» στη Μπρίζ του Βελγίου

Inspired by Jan van Eyck and other 15th-century Flemish painters, 40 artists came together over 60 days to produce sculptures for a new museum in Bruges.

The Musea Sculpta, in the shadow of Bruges’s Saint-Salvator Cathedral, hopes to attract tourists with a modern take on the works of the Flemish masters.

Paintings are displayed at the newly opened “Musea Sculpta” in Bruges, Belgium.

40 artists came together over 60 days.

The 700 square-metre museum was designed by artist Alexander Deman.

They represent the birth of the depth technique in their paintings.

 

 

https://www.gulftoday.ae/culture/2019/04/17/modern-take-on-flemish-classics-in-new-bruges-museum

The 700 square-metre museum was designed by artist Alexander Deman to house works inspired by Renaissance painters Van Eyck, Hans Memling and Hieronymus Bosch.

After 20 years of hosting ice and sand sculpture festivals in Belgium and France, Deman, a Bruges native, said he wanted to create something more permanent and feature the works of the early Flemish Renaissance painters because “they represent the birth of the depth technique in their paintings”.

Reuters

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Good and Bad Governments: An Allegory by Ambrogio Lorenzetti (1338-39)

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«Η αλληγορία της καλής και κακής διακυβέρνησης» του Αμπρότζιο Λορεντσέτι

A brief description of the scenes:

What do we see in Good Government? – On the right, the personification of Wisdom as a man, flanked by six females: Peace, Fortitude and Prudence on the left and Magnanimity, Temperance and Justice on the right. (Fortitude, Prudence, Temperance and Justice being cardinal virtues). Above are Faith, Hope and Charity (theological virtues). On the left of the mural, Justice balances the scales of Wisdom.

Oedipus and the Sphinx

Oedipus and the Sphinx

is an 1864 oil on canvas painting by Gustave Moreau that was first exhibited at the French Salon of 1864 where it was an immediate success. It is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.The work was a fresh treatment of the established subject of the meeting between Oedipus and the Sphinx on the road to Delphi, notably portrayed at Sophocles‘ play Oedipus Rex.

The painting depicts Oedipus meeting the Sphinx at the crossroads on his journey between Thebes and Delphi.

The Egg Dance

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The Egg dance was one of the earliest Saxon Medieval dances and, like the Carole, was performed during a period of festivity namely the Easter-tide festivities.

The  egg dance was derived from a traditional Easter game, in the egg dance eggs were laid on the ground or floor and the goal was to dance among them damaging as few eggs as possible.

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Ο χορός αυγών ήταν ένας από τους αρχαιότερους σαξονικούς μεσαιωνικούς χορούς, και λάμβανε χώρα κατά τη διάρκεια μιας περιόδου γιορτών του παλατιού.

The Railway Station – Archibald Lampman

 

 I will be with my grandson for some days!!
So don’t worry I will be fine!!
See you on Monday!! Love you all!!!

 

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Τα τρένα 

παγεροί μάρτυρες γίνονται 

στους εναγκαλισμούς 

τα χαμόγελα, 

τα φιλιά, 

τα δάκρυα 

και τα μουρμουρητά των επιβατών τους …..

 

Μπριλή Μαίρη

 

*William Powell Frith, The Railway Station, c.1862-1909, oil on canvas, Royal Collection

 

The darkness brings no quiet here, the light
No waking: ever on my blinded brain
The flare of lights, the rush, and cry, and strain,
The engines’ scream, the hiss and thunder smite:
I see the hurrying crowds, the clasp, the flight,
Faces that touch, eyes that are dim with pain:
I see the hoarse wheels turn, and the great train
Move labouring out into the bourneless night.
So many souls within its dim recesses,
So many bright, so many mournful eyes:
Mine eyes that watch grow fixed with dreams and guesses;
What threads of life, what hidden histories,
What sweet or passionate dreams and dark distresses,
What unknown thoughts, what various agonies!

BREAKING POINT – Carlos Caicedo

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Ah! Paper! Along with the pencils, it’s becoming an endangered species. Future generations won’t get to experience the touch, the caresses with the eyes over the page, the pleasure of turning the paper at the sound of a good read, the instant magic of sketching. Call it nostalgia. Yes, it is…

A small yellow pencil finds itself hanging in danger from its own line.

«Κατάρτι το μολύβι μου, το κείμενο φορτίο…»

Κυριακή ΜπεΪόγλου

 

Με τον καφέ στο χέρι κάθομαι και ξαφνικά συνειδητοποιώ πως μου λείπουν τα ασπρόμαυρα κύματα της χαρτοθάλασσας που υπήρχε επί πολλά χρόνια πάνω στο γραφείο. Και όχι μόνο εκεί, παντού στο σπίτι.

Τώρα τελευταία μου λείπει να γράφω με μολύβι σε χαρτί. Τα γραπτά μας πια πληκτρολογούνται σε ηλεκτρονικούς υπολογιστές κι οι γρήγορες σημειώσεις αποθηκεύονται στα κινητά.

Francesco del Cossa – Allegory of April: Triumph of Venus

Francesco del Cossa – Allegory of April: Triumph of Venus, c.1470, fresco (Palazzo Schiffanoia, Ferrara) – three detail images. Also an image of a Roman fresco of the Three Graces from the Casa di Titus Dentatius Panthera in Pompeii, c.70-79 AD (now in the National Archaeological Museum, Naples)

The Palazzo Schiffanoia was a summer pleasure villa built for extravagant entertainments at the aristocratic Court of Ferrara. In 1469 the ruling d’Este family commissioned Cosme Tura and Francesco del Cossa to paint an elaborate series of allegorical

Return of Spring: Return of Persephone

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Spring Equinox

Λεπτομέρεια από τον πίνακα του Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema,(1836-1912) “Εαρινή ισημερία” , 1894.

In ancient times, the spring equinox marks the time of the return of the goddess Persephone from the Underworld. Persephone is the daughter of Demeter, goddess of the earth and, at the fall equinox, she descends downward into the Underworld to visit with the dead.

In her absence, Demeter searches in vain for her daughter, and becomes consumed by grief, causing all of the earth to wither and die.  The gods later intervene, bringing Persephone back up from the Underworld to reunite with her mother at spring time, thus the blossoming of the earth anew. Grecian history marks the story of

Stieglitz And O’Keeffe: Their Love And Life In Letters

 

 

From 1915 until 1946, some 25,000 pieces of paper were exchanged between two major 20th-century artists. Painter Georgia O’Keeffe and photographer Alfred Stieglitz wrote each other letters — sometimes two and three a day, some of them 40 pages long. The correspondence tracks their relationship from acquaintances to admirers to lovers to man and wife to exasperated — but still together — long-marrieds.

The first volume of those letters has just been published. My Faraway One, edited by Sarah Greenough, features 700-plus pages of the couple’s correspondence, sent between 1915 and 1933.

The Flying Lovers, Bella and Marc Chagall

.Οι ιπτάμενοι εραστές του Vitebsk” είναι ένας ύμνος γεμάτος χρώμα, που αναβιώνει το θρυλικό love story του καλλιτέχνη για την αιώνια μούσα του, Bella Rosenfeld

Love at First Sight

They fell for each other in 1909 in Saint Petersburg. Bella Rosenfeld, who was a 19-years-old daughter of a wealthy Russian jeweller, and Marc, seven years her senior, a painter still attending an art school.

They both said it was love at the first sight. Bella, who was to become a talented writer, described how Marc looked on their first encounter: When you did catch a glimpse of his eyes, they were

Courtroom sketch

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Οι σκιτσογράφοι στις μεγάλες “κλειστές” δίκες

A courtroom sketch is an artistic depiction of the proceedings in a court of law. In many jurisdictions, cameras are not allowed in courtrooms in order to prevent distractions and preserve privacy. This requires news media to rely on sketch artists for illustrations of the proceedings.

The only woman on earth?

Lucas Cranach

 

When Adam stayed out very late for a few nights, Eve became upset.

“You΄re running around with other women,” she told her mate.

“Eve, honey, you΄re being unreasonable,” Adam responded. “You know you΄re the only woman on earth.” The quarrel continued until Adam fell asleep, only to be awakened by a strange pain in his side. It was Eve poking him about the torso.

“What do you think you΄re doing?” Adam demanded.

“Counting your ribs,” said Eve.

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Pattachitra Art

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Pattachitra παραδοσιακή  ινδική ζωγραφική!

Στην σανσκριτική γλώσσα, «Πάττα» κυριολεκτικά σημαίνει «πανί» και «χίτρα» σημαίνει «εικόνα» . Τα περισσότερα από αυτά τα έργα απεικονίζουν τις ιστορίες των ινδουιστικών θεοτήτων.

 Τα Pattachitra έχουν μυθολογικές αφηγήσεις, οι οποίες εξηγούνται χρησιμοποιώντας περίπλοκες λεπτομέρειες.

Αυτή η μορφή τέχνης ορίζεται από την πλούσια χρήση του χρώματος, των δημιουργικών σχεδίων και μοτίβων και από το συνδυασμό κλασικών και λαϊκών στοιχείων.

Orissa, the land of Lord Jagannath is synonymous with the ancient art form, Pattachitra.

One of the many art forms to have survived over thousand years, Pattachitra can virtually act like a historical chronicle of our country through time. Simple and rustic in appearance, you will be surprised to know that Pattachitra paintings require immense patience, intense hard work and skilled craftsmanship. Let’s share some interesting bits of information about the art that are as mind blowing as the masterpieces the art has given us.

An interactive painting

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The canvas has been computerized and hovering the mouse over a person will tell who each person is.

Clicking on a person, you will get their life history.

 

Chinese Artists Dai Dudu, Li Tiezi, and Zhang An, 2006, oil on canvas

Από μόνος του όλος ο πίνακας είναι μοναδικός…

Αλλά θα διαπιστώσετε πως σύροντας το ποντίκι  σας επάνω σε κάθε μία προσωπικότητα (πέραν από κάποιους ξενέρωτους) σας μεταφέρει σε σχετικές πληροφοριακές σελίδες.

Δηλαδή, επιλέγοντας μία από τις απεικονισμένες προσωπικότητες, μεταφέρεστε στην ιστορία της ζωής του.

<::::ΕΠΙΛΕΞΤΕ ΤΗΝ ΥΠΕΡΣΥΝΔΕΣΗ <http://cliptank.com/PeopleofInfluencePainting.htm>

Ox cart carreta Costa Rica

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The carreta, or ox cart, is a brightly colored handicraft and symbol of Costa Rica culture. Those looking to appreciate the artistic side of Costa Rica will enjoy this unique art form, and those interested in history and mechanics will enjoy seeing carretas being crafted in the traditional manner.

Ox Cart Background

The ox cart became a significant means of transportation for rural Costa Ricans after it was introduced to the area circa 1840. Farmers used ox carts in order to transport valuable crops like coffee beans or sugar cane. The carreta was valued for its ability to maneuver over all types of hazardous terrain. In spite of the name, originally

Keep Eating and Never Regret: Fat Thursday 2019

KΑΛΗ ΤΣΙΚΝΟΠΕΜΠΤΗ ΣΕ ΟΛΟΥΣ

Doughnuts, doughnuts… who wouldn’t be tempted by one freshly out of the bakery, covered in sweet coating and with a warm, creamy filling… Aaaaah…
People dieting- no talk of calories or fats, you’re forbidden entry to today’s Fat Thursday post because today is all about EXCESS and GLUTTONY.

I would even eat a spoon if I only could

Gluttony, i.e. excessive indulgence in food and drink, is one of the seven deadly sins which good observant Christians should avoid committing. It’s a recurring subject in art history and worth looking at, especially that it’s pretty clear that humanity hasn’t changed at all and still enjoys overeating.

Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you….

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…All they show is limitation.
Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you’ll see the way to fly.

– Richard Bach

*painting : Fly me to Paris by Daria Petrilli

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Faces of Favelas Brazil

 

 

The French artist JR first made his mark in Rio de Janeiro , as giant posters of staring eyes started appearing on buildings in the city’s oldest favela. He was drawn there following the controversial

“The Balance”

Woman Holding a Balance, 1664, Johannes Vermeer 1632-1675, oil on canvas, 15 5/8 x 14 inches, Widener Collection-National Gallery of Art Washington D.C.

 

 

So this week as you balance all your activities, take a moment to trace the outline of your soul’s journey

 

 

Light-Silence-Seed-Germination

Gala dinner: Salvador Dalí’s surrealist cookbook

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Σεξ και αστακοί: Το  βιβλίο συνταγών του Σαλβαντόρ Νταλί 

Ο σουρεαλισμός και το φαγητό συνδυάζονται ιδανικά σε ένα ακόμη αδίστακτο καλλιτεχνικό παιχνίδι του Νταλί

“Les dîners de Gala is uniquely devoted to the pleasures of taste … If you are a disciple of one of those calorie-counters who turn the joys of eating into a form of punishment, close this book at once; it is too lively, too aggressive, and far too impertinent for you.”—Salvador Dalí

Food and surrealism make perfect bedfellows: Sex and lobsters, collage and cannibalism, the meeting of a swan and a toothbrush on a pastry case. The opulent dinner parties thrown by Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) and his wife and muse, Gala (1894–1982) were the

Rattle of eternity

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……. On the next death
I will donate the rattle of eternity
in the first passive devil

1600 Jan Claesz., Girl with a Rattle

…….Στον επόμενο θάνατο
θα δωρίσω τη κουδουνίστρα της αιωνιότητας
στο πρώτο περαστικό διάβολο..

Μαρία Ροδοπούλου

 

 

Samuel van Hoogstraten – A Peepshow with Views of the Interior of a Dutch House

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The peepshow is a rectangular box; the interior is painted on three sides, as well as on the top and bottom

 

The sixth side is open; originally light would have entered the box from this side, perhaps through specially treated paper stretched across it. The box would have been placed close to a window or illumination provided by a candle. There are peep-holes in the two shorter sides which provide the illusion of three-dimensional views of the interior of a house.

Hoogstraten’s box is an unusually elaborate example, decorated on the exterior with allegorical paintings which correspond to chapters in a theoretical book that the artist was to write later. The long side illustrates

The Choice Is Mine – Abimbola T. Alabi

 

*Merab Gagiladze
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Life may not let me choose my lot,
But whether I’d be happy or not…
That is my choice.

To leave hurtful memories behind
Or allow them to bother my mind…
The choice is mine.

To fret over a mistake when it’s done
Or learn from it and move on…
The choice is mine.

To be bothered by all that people say
Or ignore them and go my own way…
The choice is mine.

To hide my feelings, pent up, unspoken,
Or say my mind and ease the burden…
The choice is mine.

To enjoy what I’ve been able to gain
Or ungratefully regard it with disdain…
The choice is mine.

Sometimes I won’t get to pick my lot,
But whether I’ll be happy or not
Will always be my choice.

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Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/the-choice-is-mine

The Witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth

 

Shakespeare wrote Macbeth at a time when interest in witchcraft bordered on hysteria. Witches were blamed for causing illness, death and disaster, and were thought to punish their enemies by giving them nightmares, making their crops fail and their animals sicken.

The Macbeth and the Three Witches 1855 painting originally painted by Theodore Chasseriau

Witches were thought to allow the Devil to suckle from them in the form of an animal, such as ‘Graymalkin’ and ‘Paddock’, the grey cat and the toad mentioned by the Witches in Act 1, Scene 1. Those who were convicted were often tortured, their trials reported in grisly detail in pamphlets that circulated in their hundreds. Often, those accused of witchcraft lived on the edges of society: they were old, poor and unprotected, and were therefore easy to blame.

Στο έργο, οι τρεις μάγισσες αντιπροσωπεύουν το σκοτάδι, το χάος και τη σύγκρουση, ενώ παίζουν και το ρόλο των μαρτύρων. Την εποχή του Σαίξπηρ, οι μάγισσες θεωρούνταν χειρότερες από επαναστάτες, αφού ήταν όχι μόνο πολιτικοί αλλά και πνευματικοί προδότες.

The most striking art inspired by opera

Η νύχτα στην όπερα είναι ηλεκτρισμένη. Δεν είναι περίεργο ότι οι εικαστικοί καλλιτέχνες εμπνέονται χρόνια τώρα από αυτές τις  μεθυστικές μορφές τέχνης.

 

1895 Typogravure Charles Courtney Curran Metropolitan Opera House New York Art

 

A night at the opera is electric. It’s no wonder that visual artists have long been inspired by this most intoxicating of art forms.

Some early artworks present a window into a world available only to a small handful of elite opera-goers; later works turn their attention from the stage and shine the spotlight on the audience and even use the architecture of opera houses as a canvas.

Here are our favourite pieces of visual art inspired by opera:

Εδώ είναι τα αγαπημένα μας κομμάτια εικαστικής τέχνης εμπνευσμένα από την όπερα

William Hogarth
A Scene from ‘The Beggar’s Opera’ VI (1731)

Detail of William Hogarth’s A Scene from ‘The Beggar’s Opera’ VI (1731)

William Hogarth’s painting captures the climactic scene of John Gay’s ballad opera – the moment the highwayman Macheath is sentenced to death.

Saddest Truth of the World

This time, Constellation features Steve Cutts, Ashim Shakya, John Holcroft and Pawel Kuczynski through their powerful animations and illustrations. The sad truth about our society reflected through the minds of artistic geniuses.

«O Φασιανός στη Γαλλία», (“Fassianos en France”)- Ιστορικό Αρχείο Μουσείο Ύδρας

Pieces of work of the famous Greek artist Alekos Fassianos are being displayed in the Historical Archives Museum of Hydra till the end of November. The exhibition includes twenty two paintings and twenty prints that belong to the private collection Zachariadis. These works of art have been displayed in places all over the world, like Paris and New York, and now they are presented for the first time in Greece.

Photos Efi 2018

Alekos Fassianos was born in Athens in 1935. He studied in the Athens School of Fine Arts and then went to Paris on a scholarship to continue his studies on lithography. His works have been displayed in the major museums and galleries of the world. Apart from a painter, Fassianos is also a writer, a poet and a stage-designer. His paintings are characterized by slight motion, bright colours and sensuality. He usually gets inspired from tales, figures of shadow theatre and everyday life.

Book of Hours – Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry

 

 

Ο ΟΚΤΩΒΡΙΟΣ από το Γαλλογοτθικό ιστορημένο χειρόγραφο βιβλίο των εποχών-καλεντάρι, έργο των αδελφών Limbourg: “Οι πιο πλούσιες Ώρες του Δούκα του Μπαρύ” (Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry) 1485–1489.

Η αγροτική σκηνή στο πρώτο πλάνο αναπαριστά τη σπορά. Στα δεξιά ένας άντρας σπέρνει στα αυλάκια που έχουν ανοίξει με κάποιο είδος αλετριού. Καρακάξες και κοράκια σπεύδουν να φάνε από τους σπόρους που μόλις έχουν σπαρθεί.

Πίσω, ένα σκιάχτρο με τη μορφή ενός τοξότη με τεντωμένο τόξο, πάνω στο οποίο κρέμονται φτερά, μάταια προσπαθεί να κρατήσει τα πουλιά μακριά.

Αριστερά, ένας αγρότης με άλογο περνάει με μια σβάρνα με μια πέτρα πάνω της, για βάρος, ώστε να να διεισδύσουν τα δόντια βαθύτερα στο έδαφος. Καλύπτει τους σπόρους που μόλις έχουν σπαρθεί.

Στο βάθος, ο ζωγράφος αναπαριστά το παλάτι του Λούβρου. Το σύνολο περιβάλλεται από ένα τείχος που κατ’ αποστάσεις φέρει τρεις πύργους και δυο bretèches (είδος κλειστής πολεμίστρας). Στο βάθος ο Σηκουάνας με μερικές βάρκες και στην ακτή κάποιοι περπατούν ή άλλοι κουβεντιάζουν. Επάνω τα ζώδια του μήνα, Ζυγός και Σκορπιός.

Venetia Georgiou(

Georgia O’Keeffe: Visions of Hawai‘i

Όταν η Τζόρτζια Ο΄Κιφ ζωγράφιζε τον τροπικό παράδεισο της Χαβάης

 

You know a Georgia O’Keeffe painting when you see one – those oversized flowers and stark images of New Mexico. But an exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden showcases one of her lesser-known subjects. “Georgia O’Keeffe: Visions of Hawaii” includes 20 works, and a curated flower show.

“This is Georgia O’Keeffe, but sort of turned up a notch,” said Joanna Groarke, one of the curators of the exhibit. “We see these incredibly bright tropical colors that of course are inherent to the subject, but also feel different.”

The Blessed Damozel – Dante Gabriel Rossetti

 

 

“The Blessed Damozel” is perhaps the best known poem by Dante Gabriel Rossetti as well as the title of some of his best known paintings. The poem was first published in 1850 in the Pre-Raphaelite journal The Germ. Rossetti subsequently revised the poem twice and republished it in 1856, 1870 and 1873. ^[1]

The poem was partially inspired by Edgar Allan Poe‘s poem “The Raven“, with its depiction of a lover grieving on Earth over the death of his loved one. Rossetti chose to represent the situation in reverse. The poem describes

Tussar Paintings – History of traditional Odisha silk saree artworks

Tussar Paintings are commonly known as Patta Chitra and is quite a popular art in West Bengal and Odisha. It’s a traditional art done on a piece of cloth or silk sarees with Lord Krishna stories.

Patta means a piece of cloth and Chitra means painting. Various types of cloth materials are used for the patta paintings and the most popular cloths are gauze like cloth, tussar silk and so on.

The Naked Truth

 

One day the truth went down to the lake for a morning swim. He took off his glorious white robes and jumped into the refreshing cool water. While the truth was swimming, a lie came along and saw the beautiful attire of the truth laying there in the grass.

The lie decided he’d take off his old stinky ragged garments and put on the truth’s beautiful clothing. So the lie stole the truth’s clothes. Can you imagine that?

A LIE DRESSED UP LIKE THE TRUTH! The lie went into town parading

Malala Yousafzai ‘honoured’ by new portrait at UK’s National Portrait Gallery

In 2014, the activist and writer became the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Now she is being further honoured, with her portrait joining those of Queen Elizabeth II and Nelson Mandela in London’s famous gallery.

 

“I am honoured to have my portrait included in the National Portrait Gallery alongside some of Britain’s most influential writers, artists and leaders,” Ms Yousafzai said at the unveiling this weekend.

“I hope it will remind visitors that girls everywhere are fighting for change in their communities and countries — their stories must also be heard.”

Caravaggio: Oltre la tela -Καραβάτζιο τρισδιάστατος έξω από το τελάρο

“Dentro Caravaggio” presents an unexplored new perspective of the years of the artist’s extraordinary production, under the light of a some new documents and more recent researches

Once again Milan pays homage to the genius artist showing eighteen of the master’s works of art together for the first time ever.

 

Deemed as unique, this retrospective not only presents the public with works on loan from other major Italian museums, and from equally important foreign museums, but for the first time ever Caravaggio’s canvases will be flanked by their respective radiographic images thanks to the innovative use of multimedia equipment, enabling the audience to follow and discover the artist’s journey from his initial thoughts to the final achievement.

Savage Rose ~ The Earth And The Sky

 

The soul wants to dance
Like the shinning sun of spring
And the baby Is kissing mom
You know it now ….

Painter: Luis Gabriel Pacheco

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Summer Storm – Sara Teasdale

Kαλοκαιρινές καταιγίδες και κατασκευές κάτω από μια παλιά βάρκα…

Summer storms and crafts under an old boat

 

 

efi’s summer crafts 2018

The panther wind
Leaps out of the night,
The snake of lightning
Is twisting and white,
The lion of thunder
Roars — and we
Sit still and content
Under a tree —
We have met fate together
And love and pain,
Why should we fear
The wrath of the rain!

‘

Old habit that does not stop waking up in the morning, wherever I am … even on holidays.

I took my coffee….  brushes … my paintings and after the morning walk I drove to the sea in Skopelos and started painting and decoupage …

That morning looked different from the others …

The sky was loading and the sun did not come out

Everything seemed like a great rain coming.

Παλιά συνήθεια που δεν κόβεται να ξυπνώ πολύ πρωί όπου κι αν είμαι… ακόμα και στις διακοπές..

Έπαιρνα τον καφέ μου…. τα πινέλα… τις μπογιές μου και μετά τον πρωϊνό περίπατο άραζα στη θάλασσα στη Σκόπελο και άρχιζα τη ζωγραφική…

Κείνο το πρωϊνό φαινόταν αλλιώτικο από τα άλλα…

Ο ουρανός φόρτωνε και ο ήλιος αργούσε να βγει….

Όλα έδειχναν πως θα ξεσπάσει μπόρα …

 

 

Oscar Benton – Vitta Bella

….Vita bella

vita bella

life can be wonderful

life can be cruel

So we spend our time

till we’re old and wise

still we have to compromise….

Paintings – Mihail&Inessa Garmash

..

Bob Dylan ~ One More Cup Of Coffee

….One more cup of coffee for the road

One more cup of coffee ‘fore I go.

To the valley below….

Painter: Pascal Campion

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Why doesn’t anyone discuss Khalil Gibran’s Paintings?

A little silly to point out – but Khalil Gibran is a legend worldwide when it comes to poetry. In the visual arts, his name hasn’t made it as far.

In comparison to how well-acquainted readers are with The Prophet, very few are familiar with a single one of his paintings.
Κhalil Gibran was a talented painter, and has painted alongside some of the most acclaimed artists of his days, most notably alongside French sculptor Auguste Rodin.

 

 

Ο Χαλίλ Γκιμπράν γεννήθηκε στο Μπεχάρι του Λιβάνου, 6 Ιανουαρίου 1883. Μετά τις σπουδές του στο Παρίσι, εγκαταστάθηκε στη Νέα Υόρκη των Η.Π.Α. όπου και πέθανε 10 Απριλίου 1931.

Καταγόταν από οικογένεια σχετικά εύπορη και καλλιεργημένη. Η μητέρα του ήταν καλλιτεχνική φύση, με ξεχωριστό ταλέντο στη μουσική. Ο νεαρός Γκιμπράν παρουσίασε από μικρός ιδιαίτερη επίδοση στη ζωγραφική,την πλαστική και το γράψιμο. Σπούδασε ζωγραφική στο Παρίσι, στη Σχολή Καλών Τεχνών, με δάσκαλο τον Αύγουστο Ροντέν.

Veronica Verdier – Asi Se Baila El Tango

 

 

Artwork by Machado Juarez

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