tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23434393725195562542024-02-21T01:46:19.200-05:00Counterlight's Peculiars"Art is a lie that tells the truth" -- Pablo PicassoUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2647125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-79334378790642012192022-12-24T19:53:00.002-05:002022-12-24T19:53:56.775-05:00Angels by Duccio<p> From the Maestá in Siena.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdqhV4OJy7lUyjeSqmgCD6ARqJjhrPi6BcxTTnWGucqFBBJ6pRgM7zoeHPnTor4ku9gM9nALXFtFrAyBMW_y0rQFln39aJ5TpFi7WW7fAd7SnslfbKmJoYZIH24s2Q6NqLJGN3G62NdBFshYMqrovzgrZ93yK6DdwCImUjXSk7zhLj37Pu4Hc6FgLKg/s1581/46685073_273715619952009_609993301445050368_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1581" data-original-width="1400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdqhV4OJy7lUyjeSqmgCD6ARqJjhrPi6BcxTTnWGucqFBBJ6pRgM7zoeHPnTor4ku9gM9nALXFtFrAyBMW_y0rQFln39aJ5TpFi7WW7fAd7SnslfbKmJoYZIH24s2Q6NqLJGN3G62NdBFshYMqrovzgrZ93yK6DdwCImUjXSk7zhLj37Pu4Hc6FgLKg/w566-h640/46685073_273715619952009_609993301445050368_o.jpg" width="566" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5GHFTwdSYJ3S-zb0d6opa4BSe0jnHdqKiaXtl_t7Okss-1qdelI3Ug6ZLIeO2DJdTQzNH51k8HakNOsTOqd3MAMQ6EEYKtyk2BQzMrwugNhLlN1kWOJLwzJ3ubCISPDbEmCQodiRjlhW0NOW4guYl-HR4rnDegei-v7yfwcmeaGqec0LYmGYOmFMqw/s1600/48375674_290459478277623_4640756302706900992_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5GHFTwdSYJ3S-zb0d6opa4BSe0jnHdqKiaXtl_t7Okss-1qdelI3Ug6ZLIeO2DJdTQzNH51k8HakNOsTOqd3MAMQ6EEYKtyk2BQzMrwugNhLlN1kWOJLwzJ3ubCISPDbEmCQodiRjlhW0NOW4guYl-HR4rnDegei-v7yfwcmeaGqec0LYmGYOmFMqw/w560-h640/48375674_290459478277623_4640756302706900992_o.jpg" width="560" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9oBN9eV1hL_CydF4Jya9ip0IAu1IZ2ktBCd7z1iQN2-7oqEhdSCamQFKJwTP8gUuG4GxLQDDR8Hqm0nmVkSyOHjEhCzgVDiaFFZnlKQl67WtkzXbPpS7dqZPppvcLPwTOUY4MEi9bFsfrFfOJtG90JwHtBXNjy2BosyBCzeSmCM9Bssjvds3QZq9gw/s1989/46503308_272939343362970_6700689928595963904_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1989" data-original-width="1400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9oBN9eV1hL_CydF4Jya9ip0IAu1IZ2ktBCd7z1iQN2-7oqEhdSCamQFKJwTP8gUuG4GxLQDDR8Hqm0nmVkSyOHjEhCzgVDiaFFZnlKQl67WtkzXbPpS7dqZPppvcLPwTOUY4MEi9bFsfrFfOJtG90JwHtBXNjy2BosyBCzeSmCM9Bssjvds3QZq9gw/w450-h640/46503308_272939343362970_6700689928595963904_o.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYX0Ez7E9YcbAuzRZcIKKANYaZ6x0oEhjQEihZXLlf39nTOtdzgXe4EabgxOOB6JQRvy6WDOMQYs7vTGHhg7TadZvOXbZH3uMQBtz6LTQ50woUnRLY3TMfL-uu2iGDuXMt_wv8bI8Kc0y-D-Vyyo9IhmRh3_HwGGHZhwmWvF_z2UTBgq2H9YCeeJxzJA/s1832/48051425_281980432458861_4514380102657638400_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1832" data-original-width="1400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYX0Ez7E9YcbAuzRZcIKKANYaZ6x0oEhjQEihZXLlf39nTOtdzgXe4EabgxOOB6JQRvy6WDOMQYs7vTGHhg7TadZvOXbZH3uMQBtz6LTQ50woUnRLY3TMfL-uu2iGDuXMt_wv8bI8Kc0y-D-Vyyo9IhmRh3_HwGGHZhwmWvF_z2UTBgq2H9YCeeJxzJA/w490-h640/48051425_281980432458861_4514380102657638400_o.jpg" width="490" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kJ2Sso5VWuRscPKq3_oRn1GtTBDOIAWR5N3qJgyCDymcVvayvWclFtApz0Jo5nUAU_gcmU_FKOz1UGiOA_R90Sm1Kvngpmuzzn3gxoSmTquHPTUA9JVg4HEV6LRqyB3lTLwYvJjO5DePVuB9EuHompbjlJ87AsAWX3VbXUQEny5VA3h0QoZJQves9g/s1200/maest_06b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kJ2Sso5VWuRscPKq3_oRn1GtTBDOIAWR5N3qJgyCDymcVvayvWclFtApz0Jo5nUAU_gcmU_FKOz1UGiOA_R90Sm1Kvngpmuzzn3gxoSmTquHPTUA9JVg4HEV6LRqyB3lTLwYvJjO5DePVuB9EuHompbjlJ87AsAWX3VbXUQEny5VA3h0QoZJQves9g/w460-h640/maest_06b.jpg" width="460" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemKc2-ggBa0K1BMS8rMRzej9NMnfha1Fx4cUX5XHo4MaIrqhygiasglZSlTatGl3Mwe76JtCzJBECIcyXWd14aVr6XLyl0i8WOj271luqkvA-2ilZR7UFHeEKCa762tZr6jFLrjcZVmfSeGO2kcpXHWTVGQUfnL6pIfeisaGUBsYZGm6OGHfb_o705w/s1684/46379432_271542090169362_1936429637974360064_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1684" data-original-width="1400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemKc2-ggBa0K1BMS8rMRzej9NMnfha1Fx4cUX5XHo4MaIrqhygiasglZSlTatGl3Mwe76JtCzJBECIcyXWd14aVr6XLyl0i8WOj271luqkvA-2ilZR7UFHeEKCa762tZr6jFLrjcZVmfSeGO2kcpXHWTVGQUfnL6pIfeisaGUBsYZGm6OGHfb_o705w/w532-h640/46379432_271542090169362_1936429637974360064_o.jpg" width="532" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksM_y5yAI8GC0BDkVFFwk8xV1zSxlxWB7PvO0gMN8d6GC3sg0qAwSOXK2hVVdTYiH3cR5aiqPvyN55vHbl-8TRa1T2WyOT5KwGNif7HVYgieClq3HHx7wZTE_uFpV9GPIqf9BHpRw-PsbGow-aYfdfSv8d3bWCvnmC39Svv2mGk-HJdosSSa5SB3hQg/s2029/Duccio_maesta1021.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="2029" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksM_y5yAI8GC0BDkVFFwk8xV1zSxlxWB7PvO0gMN8d6GC3sg0qAwSOXK2hVVdTYiH3cR5aiqPvyN55vHbl-8TRa1T2WyOT5KwGNif7HVYgieClq3HHx7wZTE_uFpV9GPIqf9BHpRw-PsbGow-aYfdfSv8d3bWCvnmC39Svv2mGk-HJdosSSa5SB3hQg/w640-h316/Duccio_maesta1021.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-7536847455065245992022-12-24T19:33:00.000-05:002022-12-24T19:33:19.597-05:00Psalm 33<div><br /></div><div>REJOICE in the Lord, O ye righteous: for it becometh well the just to be thankful. <div>Praise the Lord with harp: sing praises unto him with the lute, and instrument of ten strings. </div><div>Sing unto the Lord a new song: sing praises lustily unto him with a good courage. </div><div>For the word of the Lord is true: and all his works are faithful. </div><div>He loveth righteousness and judgement: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. </div><div>By the word of the Lord were the heavens made: and all the hosts of them by the breath of his mouth. </div><div>He gathereth the waters of the sea together, as it were upon an heap: and layeth up the deep, as in a treasure-house. </div><div>Let all the earth fear the Lord: stand in awe of him, all ye that dwell in the world.
For he spake, and it was done: he commanded, and it stood fast. </div><div>The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: and maketh the devices of the people to be of none effect, and casteth out the counsels of princes. </div><div>The counsel of the Lord shall endure for ever: and the thoughts of his heart from generation to generation.
Blessed are the people, whose God is the Lord Jehovah: and blessed are the folk, that he hath chosen to him to be his inheritance. </div><div>The Lord looked down from heaven, and beheld all the children of men: from the habitation of his dwelling he considereth all them that dwell on the earth. </div><div>He fashioneth all the hearts of them: and understandeth all their works. </div><div>There is no king that can be saved by the multitude of an host: neither is any mighty man delivered by much strength. </div><div>A horse is counted but a vain thing to save a man: neither shall he deliver any man by his great strength.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him: and upon them that put their trust in his mercy; </div><div>To deliver their soul from death: and to feed them in the time of dearth. </div><div>Our soul hath patiently tarried for the Lord: for he is our help and our shield. </div><div>For our heart shall rejoice in him: because we have hoped in his holy Name. </div><div>Let thy merciful kindness, </div><div>O Lord, be upon us: like as we do put our trust in thee.<p> </p><p><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xxHNojOE7Q0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeo8s6PTycLqo0k8m1kdeth78AjtKJ7ygjfDp7KtHhUKG7QUmreii-rrSJwHYWXNFwh7LHtYNzysTMl4Nq6c3JKhkXj1GL5iMsgnFJA47jQaWTEIp3mzWJLgtqTXgmO8Cuzl0f-IxacGxO23xfoJKjzkcGZLqRcm4kMg1bAVDBl6bidWfPt0NuaI1sA/s4324/Oranta-Kyiv.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4324" data-original-width="3131" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDeo8s6PTycLqo0k8m1kdeth78AjtKJ7ygjfDp7KtHhUKG7QUmreii-rrSJwHYWXNFwh7LHtYNzysTMl4Nq6c3JKhkXj1GL5iMsgnFJA47jQaWTEIp3mzWJLgtqTXgmO8Cuzl0f-IxacGxO23xfoJKjzkcGZLqRcm4kMg1bAVDBl6bidWfPt0NuaI1sA/w464-h640/Oranta-Kyiv.jpeg" width="464" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-48873778939863294872022-12-24T18:45:00.003-05:002022-12-24T18:45:39.033-05:00Christmas 2022<p>A Merry and Blessed Christmas to all my readers. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PtiCLJvyePw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1OSLgR00naU" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Giotto</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4RBZ133z48QQPd0jJNVvbkNxgeIjPGYYx4En0eiYqiC1YcAyATW0NupzeH0FqB6ZD_XrSR1LIqC_fQfC-uGLg4ryR6gp6rCI5f-fNEbAOxEKIE14N2aaHyA6s-BRR9kiHz0fqJR1bT-8jGVGtSyfsEnaLrAQTfNvnyQ_iPQtAKpMDrgh5uW9nKRU4w/s2412/Birth_of_Jesus_-_Capella_dei_Scrovegni_-_Padua_2016.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2412" data-original-width="2364" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4RBZ133z48QQPd0jJNVvbkNxgeIjPGYYx4En0eiYqiC1YcAyATW0NupzeH0FqB6ZD_XrSR1LIqC_fQfC-uGLg4ryR6gp6rCI5f-fNEbAOxEKIE14N2aaHyA6s-BRR9kiHz0fqJR1bT-8jGVGtSyfsEnaLrAQTfNvnyQ_iPQtAKpMDrgh5uW9nKRU4w/w628-h640/Birth_of_Jesus_-_Capella_dei_Scrovegni_-_Padua_2016.jpeg" width="628" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-29104939373819540792022-12-21T20:46:00.000-05:002022-12-21T20:46:05.682-05:00Merry Christmas!<p> </p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">EB White </span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Christmas</span></div><div><br /></div><div> "From this high midtown hall, undecked with boughs, unfortified with mistletoe, we send forth our tinselled greetings as of old, to friends, to readers, to strangers of many conditions in many places. Merry Christmas to uncertified accountants, to tellers who have made a mistake in addition, to girls who have made a mistake in judgment, to grounded airline passengers, and to all those who can't eat clams! We greet with particular warmth people who wake and smell smoke. To captains of river boats on snowy mornings we send an answering toot at this holiday time. Merry Christmas to intellectuals and other despised minorities! Merry Christmas to the musicians of Muzak and men whose shoes don't fit! Greetings of the season to unemployed actors and the blacklisted everywhere who suffer for sins uncommitted; a holly thorn in the thumb of compilers of lists! Greetings to wives who can't find their glasses and to poets who can't find their rhymes! Merry Christmas to the unloved, the misunderstood, the overweight. Joy to the authors of books whose titles begin with the word "How" (as though they knew!). Greetings to people with a ringing in their ears; greetings to growers of gourds, to shearers of sheep, and to makers of change in the lonely underground booths! Merry Christmas to old men asleep in libraries! Merry Christmas to people who can't stay in the same room with a cat! We greet, too, the boarders in boarding houses on 25 December, the duennas in Central Park in fair weather and foul, and young lovers who got nothing in the mail. Merry Christmas to people who plant trees in city streets; merry Christmas to people who save prairie chickens from extinction! Greetings of a purely mechanical sort to machines that think--plus a sprig of artificial holly. Joyous Yule to Cadillac owners whose conduct is unworthy of their car! Merry Christmas to the defeated, the forgotten, the inept; joy to all dandiprats and bunglers! We send, most particularly and most hopefully, our greetings and our prayers to soldiers and guardsmen on land and sea and in the air--the young men doing the hardest things at the hardest time of life. To all such, Merry Christmas, blessings, and good luck! We greet the Secretaries-designate, the President-elect; Merry Christmas to our new leaders, peace on earth, good will, and good management! Merry Christmas to couples unhappy in doorways! Merry Christmas to all who think they are in love but aren't sure! Greetings to people waiting for trains that will take them in the wrong direction, to people doing up a bundle and the string is too short, to children with sleds and no snow! We greet ministers who can't think of a moral, gagmen who can't think of a joke. Greetings, too, to the inhabitants of other planets; see you soon! And last, we greet all skaters on small natural ponds at the edge of woods toward the end of afternoon. Merry Christmas, skaters! Ring, steel! Grow red, sky! Die down, wind! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good morrow!" </div><div> --E.B. White, 12/20/52
</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxsrolo02r10Iq-CkhncA-2KaKmhDIub4GJn7qMS-6hqWOe2bhtTgAHeGQDCQUbcBcQ4cGbcZNTDxBEXkeDS-YytdU4Axh-yLRvg7ORYnMU69TZ5j0EvaFDNRpYyK-DqF1U81CAAbSCEVVvLN4gIMJqMBYjV8uKBnBSWXh0dpVY_xH6QrMrWfxZ7Q3w/s1030/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-10%20at%2010.08.18%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1030" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxsrolo02r10Iq-CkhncA-2KaKmhDIub4GJn7qMS-6hqWOe2bhtTgAHeGQDCQUbcBcQ4cGbcZNTDxBEXkeDS-YytdU4Axh-yLRvg7ORYnMU69TZ5j0EvaFDNRpYyK-DqF1U81CAAbSCEVVvLN4gIMJqMBYjV8uKBnBSWXh0dpVY_xH6QrMrWfxZ7Q3w/w640-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-10%20at%2010.08.18%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-75613329545172743902022-12-03T20:58:00.002-05:002022-12-03T21:13:12.609-05:00Butterflies<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFywN9v1SOrodp42jDIwV0HbbN3ofL1he9uvP3wNvns4X9ONwwR1yJGsuhOej97V4nhrsXIxuRDnzO8zAYmIXae97fq90sUUNwmouh0axEC0Wd0XnKXr-f9zRT5BUd5cEHXeHHeEbE4ThJn-Fee-929rCnRC5dvJNWiNkQiaWefQTFN1DKDyk149kGQ/s1000/naturepl.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1000" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFywN9v1SOrodp42jDIwV0HbbN3ofL1he9uvP3wNvns4X9ONwwR1yJGsuhOej97V4nhrsXIxuRDnzO8zAYmIXae97fq90sUUNwmouh0axEC0Wd0XnKXr-f9zRT5BUd5cEHXeHHeEbE4ThJn-Fee-929rCnRC5dvJNWiNkQiaWefQTFN1DKDyk149kGQ/w640-h384/naturepl.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Vladimir Nabokov obsessed over butterflies since he was a boy. The author of Lolita, Pale Fire, and Ada loved and admired butterflies to the point of becoming a serious lepidopterist donating collections to the American Museum of Natural History in New York and publishing in reputable scientific journals. He even discovered a few new species.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Below are some of his drawings and notes from field expeditions (among his favorite places to go collecting was the Dallas-Ft. Worth area in Texas, where I'm originally from).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYP1OjUX9Pfx2Z1M9hIylbW9sC8HuZeomGB3OSXOJrbvjWahbhWWbtcr7CDPFMo81wpmlZcOn9AAbJ-jR2TP9-BBFIRurH3SRdCF5_x1ZiWWHZAyrWdV7_G7sxwvE_p2zmWwaZzoZChg2YohVfzf6DvP8Jsp3Bbo6jEwjlDdUvGdD9z13-RIHB9ITbQ/s1286/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-18%20at%209.29.19%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1286" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYP1OjUX9Pfx2Z1M9hIylbW9sC8HuZeomGB3OSXOJrbvjWahbhWWbtcr7CDPFMo81wpmlZcOn9AAbJ-jR2TP9-BBFIRurH3SRdCF5_x1ZiWWHZAyrWdV7_G7sxwvE_p2zmWwaZzoZChg2YohVfzf6DvP8Jsp3Bbo6jEwjlDdUvGdD9z13-RIHB9ITbQ/w640-h478/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-18%20at%209.29.19%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtU-WNx27jftXGVQFRq9XACvaA8aXxDZpmNmf-DUuAR6TfKdeu_6LiBlxyMuRbV25VKFBuAmgf5e5xrbud-MWcA5MLRZBHReap8eRcVMpgJkgwgzewzLHH1VhRvJ0XiU4kWETlC4uNHmygOmharukKAEThQog_TRbVTNrIyWhlxdhyFwRbt33ToWe9nw/s1296/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-18%20at%209.29.05%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1296" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtU-WNx27jftXGVQFRq9XACvaA8aXxDZpmNmf-DUuAR6TfKdeu_6LiBlxyMuRbV25VKFBuAmgf5e5xrbud-MWcA5MLRZBHReap8eRcVMpgJkgwgzewzLHH1VhRvJ0XiU4kWETlC4uNHmygOmharukKAEThQog_TRbVTNrIyWhlxdhyFwRbt33ToWe9nw/w640-h426/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-18%20at%209.29.05%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDBlVX_DBD5Wp85OMK4HbuCKchL0-X5AGeXNXridplFUUkqCqg3rI4V3svkTfLZ6i7FoaUxdovuk75xc4jmqe6O2oDRA93IYkai3_FoJJkgMctXb9BcLTumHeVYgtcuj-8xEi78S4c4I_na8hnbaCCdH5ZI8V5DBS5hr6Rb67_CEuIb85rfLJVYZ3Fg/s1290/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-18%20at%209.27.40%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1290" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDBlVX_DBD5Wp85OMK4HbuCKchL0-X5AGeXNXridplFUUkqCqg3rI4V3svkTfLZ6i7FoaUxdovuk75xc4jmqe6O2oDRA93IYkai3_FoJJkgMctXb9BcLTumHeVYgtcuj-8xEi78S4c4I_na8hnbaCCdH5ZI8V5DBS5hr6Rb67_CEuIb85rfLJVYZ3Fg/w640-h424/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-18%20at%209.27.40%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In ancient Mesoamerica and the Andes, butterflies were associated with war and royalty. Butterflies were the souls of warriors killed in battle, of women who died in childbirth, and of those sacrificed to the gods. Their patterned wings were the splendid raiment of heroes who died in battle, of the self-sacrifice of martyrs, and the glory of rulers and the gods themselves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Below are a series of elaborate incense braziers from ancient Teotihuacan showing gods and warriors wearing all kinds of animal motifs including butterflies.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8VRkaXKvfrtvUe0XXUg-ev25s2nqc_mj1PDhqzHTTZYOAMOrp33TDxYu615XqxULOtkbYfPaOKtpJ4AY4qC_J9KTSDiK1Nc8Rnh7Wlh4Y4ox8nSJy_ZbzpvtM4R4EKHlvoorRQUJYOBNV3331IfGqDImYNCNIBLsgmkMVsb-wDoN0wEK4NxUiHu1ng/s933/Teotihuacan-brazier-consisting-of-molded-applique-butterfly-motifs-affixed-to-the.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="850" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8VRkaXKvfrtvUe0XXUg-ev25s2nqc_mj1PDhqzHTTZYOAMOrp33TDxYu615XqxULOtkbYfPaOKtpJ4AY4qC_J9KTSDiK1Nc8Rnh7Wlh4Y4ox8nSJy_ZbzpvtM4R4EKHlvoorRQUJYOBNV3331IfGqDImYNCNIBLsgmkMVsb-wDoN0wEK4NxUiHu1ng/w584-h640/Teotihuacan-brazier-consisting-of-molded-applique-butterfly-motifs-affixed-to-the.png" width="584" /></a></div><div>A very elaborate incense burner from Teotihuacan filled with butterfly motifs starting with the nose ornament worn by a god in the very center.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3BXB07kpzNOHgkDFxoQOEmSfwp2dyYkzvJxn8DOzrGy_eT0qQjBPXPWtTO07_tUDLrzv6iQ2qzVWJpLE63hkzXpS7iwEPtt5zmKXI3Ek2_YUi4Zer7HY1ny_zn_q65sQ1OhibrSXfUZgkD5XOHcsbRrGuLZxf5gviE1Ec261CFcUXWn03_ZULYr55A/s1192/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-18%20at%2011.09.18%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="968" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3BXB07kpzNOHgkDFxoQOEmSfwp2dyYkzvJxn8DOzrGy_eT0qQjBPXPWtTO07_tUDLrzv6iQ2qzVWJpLE63hkzXpS7iwEPtt5zmKXI3Ek2_YUi4Zer7HY1ny_zn_q65sQ1OhibrSXfUZgkD5XOHcsbRrGuLZxf5gviE1Ec261CFcUXWn03_ZULYr55A/w520-h640/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-18%20at%2011.09.18%20AM.png" width="520" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Another incense burner with a god wearing a butterfly nose ornament, but other raiments recalling butterfly wings.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QpeIngJREQ_uvKQHLomPkfD6SXTxCowmTvdjn-ilS7D9yMH7jyAWr3SHaBsS4pnUo8-s2RFJDlRKqL8g8FrGR6ZhW6uquU9IUcT14L7LBYqKODnPeMeWccLuAwSJJO6vmKN1itgvqUbonFbMOvN20ToJ02tRqDotUdANVEiXQBI0XEVHcaFEZIQpaA/s3000/Mask%20from%20an%20Incense%20Burner%20Portraying%20the%20Old%20Deity%20of%20Fire.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2144" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QpeIngJREQ_uvKQHLomPkfD6SXTxCowmTvdjn-ilS7D9yMH7jyAWr3SHaBsS4pnUo8-s2RFJDlRKqL8g8FrGR6ZhW6uquU9IUcT14L7LBYqKODnPeMeWccLuAwSJJO6vmKN1itgvqUbonFbMOvN20ToJ02tRqDotUdANVEiXQBI0XEVHcaFEZIQpaA/w458-h640/Mask%20from%20an%20Incense%20Burner%20Portraying%20the%20Old%20Deity%20of%20Fire.jpeg" width="458" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>A magnificent head of an elderly god is all that survives of one incense burner. Projecting from his crown is a motif based on the curled proboscis mouth of a butterfly.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bHhXi0ycCknpJi3u62_PoqvtPqYyp5_m_o0cOze8YofHt20ieyfcoRfv3TNn-viKAhBqg7KMHTH6TchqABUiC8ekDFr67i_YxsNB3H_44PS7bafnJsmn8eY0bd32iw9ey81jucqHrxN2lcQpu1dhgbXEp4ikrSly1OgRQh7AUNAtW1zbbyYPS7pFjA/s1306/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-19%20at%208.27.20%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1306" data-original-width="1012" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bHhXi0ycCknpJi3u62_PoqvtPqYyp5_m_o0cOze8YofHt20ieyfcoRfv3TNn-viKAhBqg7KMHTH6TchqABUiC8ekDFr67i_YxsNB3H_44PS7bafnJsmn8eY0bd32iw9ey81jucqHrxN2lcQpu1dhgbXEp4ikrSly1OgRQh7AUNAtW1zbbyYPS7pFjA/w496-h640/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-19%20at%208.27.20%20PM.png" width="496" /></a></div><div>Another incense burner full of stylized butterflies.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGl1ZddGWofknCBex9FRr_zJf_7QECiuLZR_1ePnkVt9SDOHx5r5S6zQtbeS03gvghtPR7iHMdu5C_8HtGG0yfDnAfPvqw7L7UOjgn1ik5yUOMwaS3fwJV2BF1WGC3RxEJAbRoNoxp9cw0NaLpGZOkC6IBNnqcOHjSb3591eklteS96vd38b84BwqgFA/s1596/Moche%20nose%20ornament%203rd%20-%206thc.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1210" data-original-width="1596" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGl1ZddGWofknCBex9FRr_zJf_7QECiuLZR_1ePnkVt9SDOHx5r5S6zQtbeS03gvghtPR7iHMdu5C_8HtGG0yfDnAfPvqw7L7UOjgn1ik5yUOMwaS3fwJV2BF1WGC3RxEJAbRoNoxp9cw0NaLpGZOkC6IBNnqcOHjSb3591eklteS96vd38b84BwqgFA/w640-h486/Moche%20nose%20ornament%203rd%20-%206thc.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>A Moche gold nose ornament from Bolivia in the form of a butterfly, something worn only by a local ruler.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>In the long traditions of painting in the Far East beginning with China and spreading to Korea and Japan is a genre known as Bird and Flower painting. The great cosmic forces that ordered and drove life and all its processes manifest themselves in the small and particular in this genre, including butterflies.<div><br /></div><div>Below is a painting of butterflies with details by a Korean painter Moran Hojeopdo from the 15th century.<br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wERLe0mQFwz7kiXCi40QGXmQRIW-sxmPVFyedsA2Fc0LaIi7gQo3TGXU4MuEJzreMHoUgle52_GsGkEELRU00Zjcy8tDgS-aXK1rA7bHEVQgH9f80zeonGJ0myZuAX2mrOQUmL4gzuccFQ3lOKAKBtoRLDGb0RGcYQwLC3vaUcJO_NWmnrJ6T3h_CQ/s801/Korea-Joseon-Moran.Hojeopdo-01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="273" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wERLe0mQFwz7kiXCi40QGXmQRIW-sxmPVFyedsA2Fc0LaIi7gQo3TGXU4MuEJzreMHoUgle52_GsGkEELRU00Zjcy8tDgS-aXK1rA7bHEVQgH9f80zeonGJ0myZuAX2mrOQUmL4gzuccFQ3lOKAKBtoRLDGb0RGcYQwLC3vaUcJO_NWmnrJ6T3h_CQ/w218-h640/Korea-Joseon-Moran.Hojeopdo-01.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyg3YgkaFY9aaHi4yMfUp_mrsiEN-Au3Rm4dDKpVnJ7Q7cvuM6CDm9AKELFkqHlWnRKNK2jYgok6sY_GwttZXlH7qsVoo8k9WXVdBgH87QwINBQbXmuW3Vq4WnfTskXGz36G2OvCBS1cBC9u_0qY48G4loIaBtiim9LJ40Zo2Hhcm5DOOmejy0iwarWg/s1000/Korea-Joseon-Moran.Hojeopdo-d1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyg3YgkaFY9aaHi4yMfUp_mrsiEN-Au3Rm4dDKpVnJ7Q7cvuM6CDm9AKELFkqHlWnRKNK2jYgok6sY_GwttZXlH7qsVoo8k9WXVdBgH87QwINBQbXmuW3Vq4WnfTskXGz36G2OvCBS1cBC9u_0qY48G4loIaBtiim9LJ40Zo2Hhcm5DOOmejy0iwarWg/w426-h640/Korea-Joseon-Moran.Hojeopdo-d1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVijDL82Rb7Sm1TUhnINi7MHs8FBV2yhduJSbu2aCpmIs6rwrBUgj-C6ssdu6hPmG_K4Dio1PRGncztSoaVaOxxl6EyYhEcwCm-nGB-QWwhetqwcYoWrmo8D9IKQqz-jSpDuNYvUtThGVRwfmsUGBeCxtK1zjKXyZli_97TGmaaLuoXJcwwiz110G8w/s1000/Korea-Joseon-Moran.Hojeopdo-d4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVijDL82Rb7Sm1TUhnINi7MHs8FBV2yhduJSbu2aCpmIs6rwrBUgj-C6ssdu6hPmG_K4Dio1PRGncztSoaVaOxxl6EyYhEcwCm-nGB-QWwhetqwcYoWrmo8D9IKQqz-jSpDuNYvUtThGVRwfmsUGBeCxtK1zjKXyZli_97TGmaaLuoXJcwwiz110G8w/w640-h426/Korea-Joseon-Moran.Hojeopdo-d4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKk4ofSkv-cToQr3Ak7d4xFIWXtXMn0ja5IhKTrAtDTl6OjkwFmxf2bHLKSZ7rBunqGTB97saFlUtN0bT63CB8CtMTOuYouV7BB3xXGAykpS2TdEWk34rCflZBlqNb7l4kUTXfYaDY4cXo0ESVPMUPxmE2xJSMsCcg1MFW3m69vc3yPgfWcSFvVV6_Jw/s767/Korea-Joseon-Moran.Hojeopdo-d2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="767" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKk4ofSkv-cToQr3Ak7d4xFIWXtXMn0ja5IhKTrAtDTl6OjkwFmxf2bHLKSZ7rBunqGTB97saFlUtN0bT63CB8CtMTOuYouV7BB3xXGAykpS2TdEWk34rCflZBlqNb7l4kUTXfYaDY4cXo0ESVPMUPxmE2xJSMsCcg1MFW3m69vc3yPgfWcSFvVV6_Jw/w640-h556/Korea-Joseon-Moran.Hojeopdo-d2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>In Moran Hojeopdo's painting and in a lot of other Far Eastern painting, there is a very sensitive observation of butterflies and other creatures being themselves, doing what they do in the state of nature.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Another artist who made a career of painting butterflies based on close observation of both their speciation and their habits was the 18th century Japanese painter Maruyama Okyo.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_JqkTEen4O0alXbEAElrc3ow1_LDJX_0dXZlo2OKHb6PWRJLoy0JTahNaevcQhjRNV0wqstq2yMuo1ptSIm-E5IO-E1xoX0GWJA_So_NsHJq2SOwuhe7-_8FRGvXBX-tn8W48WsP0GlLcP3HnCP2zYTlv9I-9TglkyoMh5EjnWWRY13Clcc681k--8A/s559/130a318fce6817b903aa5ae50a9241e2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="559" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_JqkTEen4O0alXbEAElrc3ow1_LDJX_0dXZlo2OKHb6PWRJLoy0JTahNaevcQhjRNV0wqstq2yMuo1ptSIm-E5IO-E1xoX0GWJA_So_NsHJq2SOwuhe7-_8FRGvXBX-tn8W48WsP0GlLcP3HnCP2zYTlv9I-9TglkyoMh5EjnWWRY13Clcc681k--8A/w640-h470/130a318fce6817b903aa5ae50a9241e2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>A painting by Maruyama Okyo of a hundred butterflies from the 18th century in the style and materials of Chinese traditional painting (ink and colors on raw silk) that incorporates a reliance on observation that may be partly a Western import and partly Maruyama Okyo's own inclinations.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbPbJIGvrFU2-vw7sgBs4JITljAJbNJag3-CRf4YQE7BnAYAIf2aKfZA9xTyFNB9MU6l3r6twN5-KbxOw65SgRaHWB7E_RNri-29xoyzmTR4xE3SfyHj0z-C1ICFHVVrQTaa1GLF4yg953JcAJBXHcqphUBczuUrIdNaZ0PUq2sN7A3iyuXS4nDsTWw/s1420/Screen%20Shot%202022-10-28%20at%204.47.25%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1274" data-original-width="1420" height="574" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbPbJIGvrFU2-vw7sgBs4JITljAJbNJag3-CRf4YQE7BnAYAIf2aKfZA9xTyFNB9MU6l3r6twN5-KbxOw65SgRaHWB7E_RNri-29xoyzmTR4xE3SfyHj0z-C1ICFHVVrQTaa1GLF4yg953JcAJBXHcqphUBczuUrIdNaZ0PUq2sN7A3iyuXS4nDsTWw/w640-h574/Screen%20Shot%202022-10-28%20at%204.47.25%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>A detail from the Hundred Butterflies painting.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Below are pages from Maruyama Okyo's sketchbooks apparently made from living and dead butterflies </div><div>This kind of close attention to species and structure was very original in Japan. While popular with the public, traditionalist critics scorned his work for relying more on direct observation and less on guidance from esteemed past masters.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Gn101TZ8jqZTRFvT_nwwElpyal-8FKDgg8bZkhEMA14t4HGxItQTO0OLvuABV5i3YlLzNXNITCpslbvOvGkPLboIgadChkrWACC2oEP76p5DNE0HyAcwi-hXze7KHt1L9TXzOkdPMEDLIo_lRj87wA_pbJKxuWWoAuyJ9IkVt4sresAY67Poe5hp0A/s919/LL_C0045497.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="919" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Gn101TZ8jqZTRFvT_nwwElpyal-8FKDgg8bZkhEMA14t4HGxItQTO0OLvuABV5i3YlLzNXNITCpslbvOvGkPLboIgadChkrWACC2oEP76p5DNE0HyAcwi-hXze7KHt1L9TXzOkdPMEDLIo_lRj87wA_pbJKxuWWoAuyJ9IkVt4sresAY67Poe5hp0A/w640-h424/LL_C0045497.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdhzZD2TZ8ET5_h9P44mQRFWQvwTGB6QEc7NaiT7nPoUOGWd_vq0k2wkgQbi6Aw-2xPEZfQwfv72_DV0_CHjzknHz4iy4z_dvzOdgOkJr40nHxHcBj3qi_c5DstamyqUZhcxaT8omJpi7bfxGZQ0N1jqmtV2Hnoy8d13OhIzaFRMJ5J9ojq42hE_tHg/s901/LL_C0045496.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="901" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdhzZD2TZ8ET5_h9P44mQRFWQvwTGB6QEc7NaiT7nPoUOGWd_vq0k2wkgQbi6Aw-2xPEZfQwfv72_DV0_CHjzknHz4iy4z_dvzOdgOkJr40nHxHcBj3qi_c5DstamyqUZhcxaT8omJpi7bfxGZQ0N1jqmtV2Hnoy8d13OhIzaFRMJ5J9ojq42hE_tHg/w640-h436/LL_C0045496.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12TkJZPGfsX1RPMMcdI1oKAtolHjGPkpNB2su3eMYuf6mUhg0Sm7nwwu1gk-99kmUJ_AcMCjV9_sLDs11LMsDzgTFF3aqZwcoxEVOX-kz9mY1vw5h7x5OSHw0b_vBo2mU7OAlh0s6AIO5kPB8mH6VhLKSbrFZe-jXNeTmhf95fLsgzQjoYfWi3LUKrg/s5119/Evangile_Jean_Grandes_Heures_Anne_de_Bretagne.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5119" data-original-width="3328" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12TkJZPGfsX1RPMMcdI1oKAtolHjGPkpNB2su3eMYuf6mUhg0Sm7nwwu1gk-99kmUJ_AcMCjV9_sLDs11LMsDzgTFF3aqZwcoxEVOX-kz9mY1vw5h7x5OSHw0b_vBo2mU7OAlh0s6AIO5kPB8mH6VhLKSbrFZe-jXNeTmhf95fLsgzQjoYfWi3LUKrg/w416-h640/Evangile_Jean_Grandes_Heures_Anne_de_Bretagne.jpeg" width="416" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The West mostly saw butterflies as flying flowers and included them in the delightful marginalia of book ornamentation from the late Middle Ages to well into the 16th century.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_w0T2RGfYHtaoSX8sKwGEb-RvPW9311JkjM7K1-ar2kxAuzWuYjPGOEAtr0aV3RiG4OUtzeQr8ouV_AdgM0alzahwJwaXRk6sd7dtfHfeuDFGDuJJgrtmIUGmCO-OQaj2Sxc5axAOKB6tC2I0zrXTM595hZoI8QYxcKINk1MTp2zpVz48DnyTDMbyQ/s5544/Master_of_the_First_Prayerbook_of_Maximillian_-_Hours_of_Queen_Isabella_the_Catholic,_Queen_of_Spain-_Fol._167v,_St._Micha_-_1963.256.167.b_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5544" data-original-width="3801" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_w0T2RGfYHtaoSX8sKwGEb-RvPW9311JkjM7K1-ar2kxAuzWuYjPGOEAtr0aV3RiG4OUtzeQr8ouV_AdgM0alzahwJwaXRk6sd7dtfHfeuDFGDuJJgrtmIUGmCO-OQaj2Sxc5axAOKB6tC2I0zrXTM595hZoI8QYxcKINk1MTp2zpVz48DnyTDMbyQ/w438-h640/Master_of_the_First_Prayerbook_of_Maximillian_-_Hours_of_Queen_Isabella_the_Catholic,_Queen_of_Spain-_Fol._167v,_St._Micha_-_1963.256.167.b_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art.tif" width="438" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZIfw4o8eeUunqaN3jiYe--Oz98hmS1ONfHeWhf0bQHPRvM7Sqxbt2Pmv4dS58vsa7WGnNMQPyDbzBNSj1LX4Sr1JC_aXAQWaP545TpqFtEMRFPJAbxQkoW6Ny0BZ1DRKIOBpDd9kY-w7tq61i1E7_g68-EFcNPhf45Gz0ivC6MHKbrmH2kIywGo2qA/s3866/Pisanello_016.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3866" data-original-width="2697" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZIfw4o8eeUunqaN3jiYe--Oz98hmS1ONfHeWhf0bQHPRvM7Sqxbt2Pmv4dS58vsa7WGnNMQPyDbzBNSj1LX4Sr1JC_aXAQWaP545TpqFtEMRFPJAbxQkoW6Ny0BZ1DRKIOBpDd9kY-w7tq61i1E7_g68-EFcNPhf45Gz0ivC6MHKbrmH2kIywGo2qA/w446-h640/Pisanello_016.jpeg" width="446" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The splendid red admiral butterfly in Pisanello's portrait of a young princess may be a personal emblem and/or it may be an emblem of the soul. There are a lot of cultures and religious traditions that associate butterflies with death and resurrection.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfH74unPCIrXepjNTilSqOYYIZnx95TDduyvuG45nvWLVJXmmEkU0LLLKEVfllZAN4V-ZGaH-iF51VW-JhQbCs0gekMPxShKFnsX6BtbsmXAiy3ccHthAKbVW95lFBC-Qf6Uy4UfT6LTCfWCpsi-JGmUvkgB_ybVYq-A_qD2IY8iN5T5ppxtqKBydEA/s846/Coda_Madonna_and_Child.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="568" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfH74unPCIrXepjNTilSqOYYIZnx95TDduyvuG45nvWLVJXmmEkU0LLLKEVfllZAN4V-ZGaH-iF51VW-JhQbCs0gekMPxShKFnsX6BtbsmXAiy3ccHthAKbVW95lFBC-Qf6Uy4UfT6LTCfWCpsi-JGmUvkgB_ybVYq-A_qD2IY8iN5T5ppxtqKBydEA/w430-h640/Coda_Madonna_and_Child.jpeg" width="430" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This painting from the early 16th century by Benedetto Coda shows the infant John the Baptist guiding a butterfly to the Madonna and Child above, a religious symbol for the soul.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjWT_c3UVvGCWKyqgHuZrcfTaqyzZScjakqEoeBoWQaUkQtzzexJonxebuXiKcvVix71hOwopwPSznbjqRYgrEkhcC4ITdb7jUHTrVnM5nMn8qpgMXZVJfBEh0M9AKKTEmDml6hVsbhvD64wj0Yj29_PlfeKlsao9IEE8hrWQ8N2jHdrmbxdvFp3LrwQ/s2048/Coda_Madonna_and_Child_(detail).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjWT_c3UVvGCWKyqgHuZrcfTaqyzZScjakqEoeBoWQaUkQtzzexJonxebuXiKcvVix71hOwopwPSznbjqRYgrEkhcC4ITdb7jUHTrVnM5nMn8qpgMXZVJfBEh0M9AKKTEmDml6hVsbhvD64wj0Yj29_PlfeKlsao9IEE8hrWQ8N2jHdrmbxdvFp3LrwQ/w480-h640/Coda_Madonna_and_Child_(detail).jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOxPEW4a4RXsOdLD4e_JDiAbtUvCjjnRjKGawc2xLo-P2F0cbqsd0NlTLfUXQ8CVQlEmE9cA7wVQqC3yjbIS0YmEwDdUwkR0O1uTojfwLisk4e-HyH0jSgm4jDxYREOfzQBkCCkEK1b2cnigdym-FK5UeDi-XV0eUgEBMe2PMTAmflFEROhe8iSyoaA/s1496/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-19%20at%2010.01.06%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="1496" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOxPEW4a4RXsOdLD4e_JDiAbtUvCjjnRjKGawc2xLo-P2F0cbqsd0NlTLfUXQ8CVQlEmE9cA7wVQqC3yjbIS0YmEwDdUwkR0O1uTojfwLisk4e-HyH0jSgm4jDxYREOfzQBkCCkEK1b2cnigdym-FK5UeDi-XV0eUgEBMe2PMTAmflFEROhe8iSyoaA/w640-h528/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-19%20at%2010.01.06%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In the Low Countries of the Reformation for both Protestants and Catholics, butterflies became associated with decay and the vain things of the world of the flesh as in the anonymous memento more painting above.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dutch flower paintings are almost always thinly veiled memento mori paintings since in the 17th century, nothing could be enjoyed without a moral lesson.</div><div>Among the best of them all, and filled with butterflies, is this painting by Jan Davidz de Heem, a Dutch artist who converted to Catholicism.</div><div>Here is his painting in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC with selected details.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizX6Jp_GY-Xs77m8cLJ2uz3KD6k2q9EID_0zG6iSpN9Zrh7Q3PDx44uV0iJC56eCpiV5wNR0S5Qs8JhOVwXf1EDCvwrlHLtC5l3nEF4kyVQzaQtvCk7SydIG8Ewdv6naDfLfu0vmz_sL-3DdTIZCNY3SMmpzClmF5U6pGwSJmJcX_NXpVJZhJ02MJJ2g/s4096/vase_of_flowers_1961.6.1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3326" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizX6Jp_GY-Xs77m8cLJ2uz3KD6k2q9EID_0zG6iSpN9Zrh7Q3PDx44uV0iJC56eCpiV5wNR0S5Qs8JhOVwXf1EDCvwrlHLtC5l3nEF4kyVQzaQtvCk7SydIG8Ewdv6naDfLfu0vmz_sL-3DdTIZCNY3SMmpzClmF5U6pGwSJmJcX_NXpVJZhJ02MJJ2g/w520-h640/vase_of_flowers_1961.6.1.jpg" width="520" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji38BPW5yH6UFeNnskNPEuaslZK-CJOnKp8asm1_8O_iKmIpEYGPwKy_aKPwASmYa073SmDVvtX3F-3L-NlJINGZ0SxQoKfyItPMM0Ca-5R_liW96H0KEhEomQRQmjPMybIE0FVkxV6uWmJeErFjswlBf5rsgd77pSN0g57P1NtXkAJT2yof5hKvigyA/s1700/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-19%20at%2011.15.31%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1700" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji38BPW5yH6UFeNnskNPEuaslZK-CJOnKp8asm1_8O_iKmIpEYGPwKy_aKPwASmYa073SmDVvtX3F-3L-NlJINGZ0SxQoKfyItPMM0Ca-5R_liW96H0KEhEomQRQmjPMybIE0FVkxV6uWmJeErFjswlBf5rsgd77pSN0g57P1NtXkAJT2yof5hKvigyA/w640-h542/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-19%20at%2011.15.31%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Symbols of vanity and decay or not, these are beautifully painted butterflies probably accurate enough to satisfy the most demanding lepidopterist.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ptP4VS3bVx1ELsusGvLHvIGHChNXqnCPek16QEBXq2rY9a1A7f30VLJ3lVg89sPh9yZEqHjapmThJb1mDz8XBbBhkvmpkHdK4sUb9wLGaLLJRE6yAcgD0aVkKw4-WQ2LNft78H36XuNKKNVeeWGeaOBcsvxi-6NmfnOQxqlINj317ADZ1BUiCG97Zg/s1712/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-19%20at%2011.21.14%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="1712" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ptP4VS3bVx1ELsusGvLHvIGHChNXqnCPek16QEBXq2rY9a1A7f30VLJ3lVg89sPh9yZEqHjapmThJb1mDz8XBbBhkvmpkHdK4sUb9wLGaLLJRE6yAcgD0aVkKw4-WQ2LNft78H36XuNKKNVeeWGeaOBcsvxi-6NmfnOQxqlINj317ADZ1BUiCG97Zg/w640-h542/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-19%20at%2011.21.14%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5rY4QNySvLZ3f3BTdBTVuuPUtkKNv7jr6y1T15XcEqTOKnGJ-hb4zRrga3K4zIVFgSn0kucr_HHdohCRLod8LrvlXPv_9jcD3XGyVRM2a9yUHk7kTrRgjZ7U4OT2PlZZDwBK4S7U4ycMu2RvegLo09zqtagPz_VunZduaG6tCiOXqohbgf2szv33ZA/s1714/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-19%20at%2011.17.05%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1430" data-original-width="1714" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5rY4QNySvLZ3f3BTdBTVuuPUtkKNv7jr6y1T15XcEqTOKnGJ-hb4zRrga3K4zIVFgSn0kucr_HHdohCRLod8LrvlXPv_9jcD3XGyVRM2a9yUHk7kTrRgjZ7U4OT2PlZZDwBK4S7U4ycMu2RvegLo09zqtagPz_VunZduaG6tCiOXqohbgf2szv33ZA/w640-h534/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-19%20at%2011.17.05%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FM1cZ2Pb5yS18y1S5EeE03ma9wm6prD8A_RIkkKm3Mrh0mYvkQzA1qIAkfYDafMteo00diS2GY1ZvPny86zJ7FZZVDJVR0_KLpuT-Si4XPrjAuuN_1_rSwj8rAKCx5ZTS9KGCpZqkntC6ooCy2ZFThyCPbWKEnHCfjifkjACQhA1UO7SmMCALVI6fw/s1698/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-19%20at%2011.16.32%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1434" data-original-width="1698" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FM1cZ2Pb5yS18y1S5EeE03ma9wm6prD8A_RIkkKm3Mrh0mYvkQzA1qIAkfYDafMteo00diS2GY1ZvPny86zJ7FZZVDJVR0_KLpuT-Si4XPrjAuuN_1_rSwj8rAKCx5ZTS9KGCpZqkntC6ooCy2ZFThyCPbWKEnHCfjifkjACQhA1UO7SmMCALVI6fw/w640-h540/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-19%20at%2011.16.32%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>More emblems of decay at the bottom of the painting, a spider, a lizard, and a snail with decaying vegetation.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcJd4xVve4yxrWJiH-6XQjUbfSiSDAYJAthh6IhEvN-tW_oqLbQZYk1zMSqbxbHBgEFBjPDhOuD_P6-uadMqhm8RU4IWIwDr20hWcnmxyJBAuo76HnMXLmsW-LnUApDU0CEnu9vI78xfb7CTvsMRaamcWMC8NVNLKQVEr3wNiEJU9ZrUS3bainmknUQ/s1768/Jan_van_Kessel_001.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1458" data-original-width="1768" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcJd4xVve4yxrWJiH-6XQjUbfSiSDAYJAthh6IhEvN-tW_oqLbQZYk1zMSqbxbHBgEFBjPDhOuD_P6-uadMqhm8RU4IWIwDr20hWcnmxyJBAuo76HnMXLmsW-LnUApDU0CEnu9vI78xfb7CTvsMRaamcWMC8NVNLKQVEr3wNiEJU9ZrUS3bainmknUQ/w640-h528/Jan_van_Kessel_001.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Despite the vanitas moralizing still lives, the Dutch began to look at -- and collect -- the manifold small wonders of nature for their own sakes, especially butterflies. Some artists such as Jan van Kessel specialized in a kind of collectibles picture that showed butterflies, insects, and plants together not in a floral still life, but as they might appear in a collector's display cabinet/</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GfrSJRsPZnvCg8bTxWiVCYv6eKeMtgAV5OLQGL6j-t9Zf3_hWruFCMTOmgM2q0e2Q32DiQqNHoZkv2jUCEAJ2EI7AZlf2MIjLQQSv_Te-6os64aDyj-RP9JzuvWJIlwemfq8KNdEBchdX7oezsIh9utqLU2obW6HIBz9ksTfBf75m_xdvRQS5fOWjg/s1836/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-08%20at%206.58.35%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="1836" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GfrSJRsPZnvCg8bTxWiVCYv6eKeMtgAV5OLQGL6j-t9Zf3_hWruFCMTOmgM2q0e2Q32DiQqNHoZkv2jUCEAJ2EI7AZlf2MIjLQQSv_Te-6os64aDyj-RP9JzuvWJIlwemfq8KNdEBchdX7oezsIh9utqLU2obW6HIBz9ksTfBf75m_xdvRQS5fOWjg/w640-h452/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-08%20at%206.58.35%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>An artist who took the bug collection back to the garden and turned it loose was the eccentric Dutch artist Otto Marseus van Schrieck. Marseus van Schrieck brought these collectibles to life in his paintings, trying to recreate something of their natural habitat. Sometimes he set them in scenes of struggle that anticipate 19th century artists from Antoine-Louis Barye to John James Audubon.</div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2cd1zNy0qQiNSoQyvcNW0aECwywjfjhPKhN8JtEQhsERvkjOOQ7ZS7C4sIOLHAiCJp5W8qdrTQkxMZVubIpurgPo5DhlaAOVvE8nwYyzK4FtKoq90_gHsUrDmZxBUJnhdU1Lcgh7I5p7CoKmvXQ5fdqZmvzwiDlTvNy--CiNHEEmhi9U4IJcVC8vAA/s1077/Otto_Marseus_van_Schrieck_002.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="828" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2cd1zNy0qQiNSoQyvcNW0aECwywjfjhPKhN8JtEQhsERvkjOOQ7ZS7C4sIOLHAiCJp5W8qdrTQkxMZVubIpurgPo5DhlaAOVvE8nwYyzK4FtKoq90_gHsUrDmZxBUJnhdU1Lcgh7I5p7CoKmvXQ5fdqZmvzwiDlTvNy--CiNHEEmhi9U4IJcVC8vAA/w492-h640/Otto_Marseus_van_Schrieck_002.jpeg" width="492" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29gM9SeBY4Tuyj2_gsPfKIAahvns4c3BF24xNy7o_USMUAWM0UFirEQJSQMsMiD-KU72gh8uVP9y6W-TP_pVk4bReYyJAaDomTTToSECwcxPsuUAgxiKfeHvKlFB1_A5RHoa2Z-js3siuPoB6nxlaMopA88i8c8SMtgmcABEb63JsK_JltqRCYj7nMA/s1764/The%20Grave%20Personified,%201805.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="1764" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29gM9SeBY4Tuyj2_gsPfKIAahvns4c3BF24xNy7o_USMUAWM0UFirEQJSQMsMiD-KU72gh8uVP9y6W-TP_pVk4bReYyJAaDomTTToSECwcxPsuUAgxiKfeHvKlFB1_A5RHoa2Z-js3siuPoB6nxlaMopA88i8c8SMtgmcABEb63JsK_JltqRCYj7nMA/w640-h442/The%20Grave%20Personified,%201805.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>William Blake restored to butterflies something of their symbolic meaning just when scientists started describing them as living animals. Not only did butterflies symbolize the soul for Blake, but also spiritual transformation.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2ID4zcrfcuon0K5iu4dXi8FILr1LNX5VeJkVbjI27KnuVnCWY7XeuaOxqESezGFIU3ekVOO3192Jlt9K-gHNrWG2azauhbwqGgzQfOny4Hp8rgpsP96Owe9h5sNkI16lL5No1AB7622IL0gGYh6Rfx-84ohBFIwu3hlxw6cRByUnh_oMUcN0JCTr_A/s3113/jerusalem.e.p2.300.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3113" data-original-width="2403" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2ID4zcrfcuon0K5iu4dXi8FILr1LNX5VeJkVbjI27KnuVnCWY7XeuaOxqESezGFIU3ekVOO3192Jlt9K-gHNrWG2azauhbwqGgzQfOny4Hp8rgpsP96Owe9h5sNkI16lL5No1AB7622IL0gGYh6Rfx-84ohBFIwu3hlxw6cRByUnh_oMUcN0JCTr_A/w494-h640/jerusalem.e.p2.300.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Probably no one integrated the unique metamorphosis of the life cycle of butterflies with the idea of spiritual metamorphosis more magnificently that Blake did in his title page for his long poem Jerusalem. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>My Butterfly Paintings</div><div><br /></div><div>For me, butterflies are like all other beautiful things in nature, they are part of the pleasure of being alive. They are good and lovely living things in themselves before they are anything else.</div><div>Lately however, butterflies for me take on associations of loss and dread. Butterflies are scarce now in New York City. Solitary monarch butterflies flitting down streets or even avenues full of traffic on their way to Mexico were part of New York in the fall. I saw one for the first time in years on my way to work in the Bronx. City parks were once great places to spot butterflies, but now they are very rare, even in parks planted with butterfly-friendly gardens.</div><div>I've started a third butterfly painting about a vivid experience I had as a small child of a Spring afternoon in Dallas in about 1962 or 1963 with a swarm of butterflies of all different kinds in our backyard. I remember looking at them with my mother who carried a small Golden guidebook trying to identify them all. I remember some of the species there, but not all of them.</div><div>And now, the butterflies are gone, the house and its yard are gone, my mother is gone, and the whole neighborhood where this took place is gone, leveled to make way for an immense new business school with a new parking lot for Southern Methodist University which always owned most of the land under that neighborhood.</div><div>I sometimes fear that butterflies may disappear forever, part of the irrational dread I carry around that somehow I'm watching the whole world die in front of me. That may be a legacy of the pandemic.</div><div><br /></div><div>I began the first butterfly painting in Bluffton, South Carolina soon after the deaths of two old and close friends who died just eight days apart. I made a second one in New York during the pandemic shutdown shortly before my mother died. And now I'm making a third painting after the pandemic has receded if not quite ended, and a year after my mother's death.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The first butterfly painting.</div><div>It now sits in a mini-warehouse somewhere in the Miami area and may never see the light of day again.</div><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk85KHUZbaNE8oMmNEPhDY7UOwoFMwajyIcI-jnPwm3m2QBIvkMFhLthOZO3uIEw6G7I8TgQWdNgNyft73E1s26kq-ha4DJYbYk4M3u7Dnm6ygwt3y8rp47GnhU-NH0Ebl-HKiV4FsIFkkhOv7WzpP8K8M-uToKNoGaAF7aZOuveED5P3QvpzjDFHEZg/s4320/P1160202.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk85KHUZbaNE8oMmNEPhDY7UOwoFMwajyIcI-jnPwm3m2QBIvkMFhLthOZO3uIEw6G7I8TgQWdNgNyft73E1s26kq-ha4DJYbYk4M3u7Dnm6ygwt3y8rp47GnhU-NH0Ebl-HKiV4FsIFkkhOv7WzpP8K8M-uToKNoGaAF7aZOuveED5P3QvpzjDFHEZg/w640-h480/P1160202.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The first one that I made while living briefly in Bluffton, South Carolina in 2018.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This is not quite a butterfly painting. It has a few flitting around the background, but its star is an Io moth in the foreground. A friend bought this and it now hangs in her bedroom in San Francisco.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVWMQ_XBgbyti9Y--71phlfmDWvkGLjV9GP4fI2C28HTVZBqFIC6mLdcvU8KOJ7WCJEq04nCWC3vn3uviSTmxlp8HnmSO2pFH780xG3f9AaIpSl5Ox50OUH1FPcD8r2Yh1NH6xJNywZFaRVK5KMZNuM8aCz5xEIW7gWGTxDV5HL5dm9v5qrv3e10g6A/s7251/_DSC0339.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4824" data-original-width="7251" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVWMQ_XBgbyti9Y--71phlfmDWvkGLjV9GP4fI2C28HTVZBqFIC6mLdcvU8KOJ7WCJEq04nCWC3vn3uviSTmxlp8HnmSO2pFH780xG3f9AaIpSl5Ox50OUH1FPcD8r2Yh1NH6xJNywZFaRVK5KMZNuM8aCz5xEIW7gWGTxDV5HL5dm9v5qrv3e10g6A/w640-h426/_DSC0339.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe not exactly a butterfly painting, but close enough. This one is from 2019 and now belongs to my friend Tina in San Francisco.</div><div><br /></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is the second butterfly painting that I made during the lockdown on 3 canvas panels.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMTwU_LN6ZHhZs7aB92uLC5xt5h3X4gi9swTsZdEUbrGsV3E-X-aIzl3-SLtWlKt3Vo_hlfeO8mhi_om2M19z-fiaQfF6QvRPH8u7-Mp504LhakY5TcK5iJsvmlUr7lPRk_CUoGsOa8gvfuQX6SjYuBynSFZCNYXqE5S7Z4_A9wtrNkBEbKm8IqDE7Q/s1932/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-21%20at%204.24.07%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1932" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMTwU_LN6ZHhZs7aB92uLC5xt5h3X4gi9swTsZdEUbrGsV3E-X-aIzl3-SLtWlKt3Vo_hlfeO8mhi_om2M19z-fiaQfF6QvRPH8u7-Mp504LhakY5TcK5iJsvmlUr7lPRk_CUoGsOa8gvfuQX6SjYuBynSFZCNYXqE5S7Z4_A9wtrNkBEbKm8IqDE7Q/w640-h282/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-21%20at%204.24.07%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This painting was the first to feature something like the old neighborhood on Fondren that would be completely destroyed in 2022.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyxEO-e1XtJXt__9n_pStjnT65bB69_0RyyO9PRc-w9nOuEQAZ3qTnvt_cMKJ42fe6oVqCzxlK5GPbSoiGPb9mdLXGeDoXQwHxGZW6aFaJzYws7ABPUM2Kaqgx3XSp2jA2pq9W-yb_qAdk1i9tkwWBz8gHDi3ydH4inKNs9BkusORui-EmKd1VgakDA/s3264/20221121_123716.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyxEO-e1XtJXt__9n_pStjnT65bB69_0RyyO9PRc-w9nOuEQAZ3qTnvt_cMKJ42fe6oVqCzxlK5GPbSoiGPb9mdLXGeDoXQwHxGZW6aFaJzYws7ABPUM2Kaqgx3XSp2jA2pq9W-yb_qAdk1i9tkwWBz8gHDi3ydH4inKNs9BkusORui-EmKd1VgakDA/w640-h480/20221121_123716.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is the third butterfly painting that I am currently working on. It is not finished. This is how it looked on December 3, 2022.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPme-qqeNGDxFreviVMU5LzAf6i_Qj8YRwAu39QjYYflvywMXyjE2my-oS2Fw1LcAWaOy7U3wiUpwVBnV6TlJwdm0styZPziaBZfJBuk_XQKvjZKH_zzIbw6B9N7U99P2hbf5srDJ5vlLZvIBce1lxHXDApZyLFN-JqeYm_GOJL-cgKxjLyr6lNfCJcQ/s1904/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-03%20at%207.08.04%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="1904" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPme-qqeNGDxFreviVMU5LzAf6i_Qj8YRwAu39QjYYflvywMXyjE2my-oS2Fw1LcAWaOy7U3wiUpwVBnV6TlJwdm0styZPziaBZfJBuk_XQKvjZKH_zzIbw6B9N7U99P2hbf5srDJ5vlLZvIBce1lxHXDApZyLFN-JqeYm_GOJL-cgKxjLyr6lNfCJcQ/w640-h322/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-03%20at%207.08.04%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-26397637813403884462022-09-25T19:16:00.001-04:002022-09-25T19:36:49.376-04:00Utopia/Dystopia<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Blade Runner (1982)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FJknt541Sf_AeDcDVV3OscrqGgI2BRGy0XyNLajkDce6YAHmYGKxyJE3B9s44yDgJpJujzMvJZMpIGcQdNTkU1r6Tnph_sBGBXezZLV8vimB-thMbGIE44yAWMaGVv42lKO9VdtAbEpV02U2AA1GleeCY7LzwnuAjyHVZg599aWCXPanBSmZTm3mMg/s1756/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-22%20at%207.53.08%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1756" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FJknt541Sf_AeDcDVV3OscrqGgI2BRGy0XyNLajkDce6YAHmYGKxyJE3B9s44yDgJpJujzMvJZMpIGcQdNTkU1r6Tnph_sBGBXezZLV8vimB-thMbGIE44yAWMaGVv42lKO9VdtAbEpV02U2AA1GleeCY7LzwnuAjyHVZg599aWCXPanBSmZTm3mMg/w640-h264/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-22%20at%207.53.08%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>When Blade Runner first came out in 1982, it promptly flopped commercially. The kids at the suburban cineplex (who still are the bread and butter of Hollywood) were bored with it. No light saber duels, no cool monsters, no whizzing spaceships all over the screen, just a lot of atmospheric anxious dread. It was only years later that the public began taking a second look at the movie, mostly the older public. The critics soon followed and began revising their previously tepid reviews of the movie. For a long time the movie had a kind of cult following, and now is generally reckoned among the great classics of science fiction.</div><div>I was around in 1982 and vaguely remember when it came out, but I didn't see it until maybe the 1990s. I've seen it many times since. I think it's one of the most lushly beautiful science fiction movies ever made. I love the atmosphere, the constantly shifting light, the use of color, and I especially love that glamorously dying dark Los Angeles of an imagined 2019. Blade Runner made me think a lot not of Los Angeles, but New York of the early 1990s where I found myself when I first saw it. It looked so much like an even more glamorous version of already glamorously decadent New York just before the big waves of gentrification hit Manhattan and later Brooklyn. That movie still influences the way I see New York and the way I paint it. I think of a phrase from Hannah Arendt, "... the cruel splendor of a new age."</div><div><br /></div><div>The movie came out right at the dawn of four decades of reactionary politics determined to roll back the Civil Rights Movement and the social and cultural transformations that came out of the decade of the Vietnam War. That long reaction also tried to destroy the legacy of the New Deal. A culture of expectation became a culture of nostalgia, and stayed there for forty years (though those processes of social and cultural transformation continued sometimes underground, and sometimes joined with technological transformation). Blade Runner is neither hopeful nor nostalgic. It anticipated the fulfillment of the grim social Darwinist ideology of Supply Side Economics. It envisioned a world thoroughly despoiled by profit driven exploitation so badly that people were encouraged to emigrate to the "off world" colonies. Immense powerful corporations like Tyrell eclipsed what little was left of the public realm, of government and the rule of law. In this hyper-monopolistic commercial world slavery makes a comeback in the form of manufactured people with superior strength and abilities with a fail-safe lifespan of only 4 years. Four of those slaves rebel and return to earth hoping to force their creator Tyrell and his corporation into lengthening their lifespans. </div><div>Blade Runner is a dark vision of the world coming into being in 1982, a vision of what might happen, a dystopia. I sometimes think of dystopias as utopias exposed to light and air. The dominant ideology of the beginning of the 1980s was utopian though it was not a generous utopia like Thomas More's original story of that name. It was a Valhalla of the winners with its hard cruel visionaries like Ayn Rand. That utopia of the winners of capitalism would come at the price of creating a hell, a dystopia for everyone else. Blade Runner was a vision of that hell. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4X1iYXcdS39LB3Iu6Haqgr0ZRZ91RM6kmdRGGYguEmMXOooUJ4X4UlNHTMbvbpMulQ9zNYIAZ6LcxLxX-g-MyEvMr7QNdV9TPJUTtbBm8hgXjZjzxJYroSMsYb59MRHtuysOrRAroX4bKDVvHksTmcD0YtGvfWSVyEKlN2ZTeEpSNHIuqqZxb5Vc7IA/s2880/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-22%20at%207.51.16%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="2880" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4X1iYXcdS39LB3Iu6Haqgr0ZRZ91RM6kmdRGGYguEmMXOooUJ4X4UlNHTMbvbpMulQ9zNYIAZ6LcxLxX-g-MyEvMr7QNdV9TPJUTtbBm8hgXjZjzxJYroSMsYb59MRHtuysOrRAroX4bKDVvHksTmcD0YtGvfWSVyEKlN2ZTeEpSNHIuqqZxb5Vc7IA/w640-h264/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-22%20at%207.51.16%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yUs1N9eUdeV5IkuNHqQ2hp7b7MjsicZl2vnOBlsNu5EeTDdm4Lc596rBE_C5iKbUYITN6Xw3ZjGDF_WOc16m3BvrJVH1CTk8BEHIS9gYm74l3wMTwy_vkFSjcPG1DWcyLSReBp7NFR-vjc9h3z-iijJGZMV27d12FhlOO4xoni6d213rKUpKEk_8IQ/s2002/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-22%20at%207.44.41%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="2002" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yUs1N9eUdeV5IkuNHqQ2hp7b7MjsicZl2vnOBlsNu5EeTDdm4Lc596rBE_C5iKbUYITN6Xw3ZjGDF_WOc16m3BvrJVH1CTk8BEHIS9gYm74l3wMTwy_vkFSjcPG1DWcyLSReBp7NFR-vjc9h3z-iijJGZMV27d12FhlOO4xoni6d213rKUpKEk_8IQ/w640-h264/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-22%20at%207.44.41%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBiWkjSJK-glDv-Cmrr3x76ynXqkHcnNleFzDZ890sZIJoyrWzkS_AwyuiGqLHSD8Y3eduCsCa9OoLId6sMnBySR5EAh7-8vw2euyuJfd7UUGnqJRwhsrFPbyrvG7qsHFkzyMJtBk3Tn3p9Iy3AYd0Wde5_TXG7wzorr2AIyV-5HnZHuCqy8VDxaZJQ/s2874/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-22%20at%207.51.35%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="2874" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBiWkjSJK-glDv-Cmrr3x76ynXqkHcnNleFzDZ890sZIJoyrWzkS_AwyuiGqLHSD8Y3eduCsCa9OoLId6sMnBySR5EAh7-8vw2euyuJfd7UUGnqJRwhsrFPbyrvG7qsHFkzyMJtBk3Tn3p9Iy3AYd0Wde5_TXG7wzorr2AIyV-5HnZHuCqy8VDxaZJQ/w640-h268/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-22%20at%207.51.35%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLdBxf8nUbEG19qUnrtORqvda94o9jyysiO6ww5PULL3Q3jNEZdWVIo4SQimD5OGDuJYXZzE0RePvGJ4aXWY5EbDCbLBf6NSQY7GfKROznN68oE18jiioZu9cuM7NBinDbnsBQkkfaVAuaXfpVrRgN0YIwW5158QVV8ZSQS12cS3iC9pfwTgnXOzmPg/s1476/Screen%20Shot%202022-02-15%20at%208.44.31%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1476" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLdBxf8nUbEG19qUnrtORqvda94o9jyysiO6ww5PULL3Q3jNEZdWVIo4SQimD5OGDuJYXZzE0RePvGJ4aXWY5EbDCbLBf6NSQY7GfKROznN68oE18jiioZu9cuM7NBinDbnsBQkkfaVAuaXfpVrRgN0YIwW5158QVV8ZSQS12cS3iC9pfwTgnXOzmPg/w640-h424/Screen%20Shot%202022-02-15%20at%208.44.31%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkZGlUgZihMGX71fGVn45fb-dswxsRc6Xzg_qHw-5ryWVsewhozgjylPkqV1VCafYPHqF0h1bbBGhITH9KnXqcg3J5BE7Y7qCHHjjq7oZ0-PQVD-lKQE9R54DYKoaN3Kwn2YAxlPEhCIezHxiwvWD4G4LQem3CzlN-_OZITvifloOUGj3CgGrWIqrfA/s2624/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-22%20at%207.42.32%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1272" data-original-width="2624" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkZGlUgZihMGX71fGVn45fb-dswxsRc6Xzg_qHw-5ryWVsewhozgjylPkqV1VCafYPHqF0h1bbBGhITH9KnXqcg3J5BE7Y7qCHHjjq7oZ0-PQVD-lKQE9R54DYKoaN3Kwn2YAxlPEhCIezHxiwvWD4G4LQem3CzlN-_OZITvifloOUGj3CgGrWIqrfA/w640-h310/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-22%20at%207.42.32%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Blade Runner 2049 (2017)</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYyJaZNx5bWzL0MHFxfZ4FGuvFmE1FD2OaQI0BWT9djecdNYiZ5pmZDbVOQhfHXlL7G3uV9ymMQrQa2sJwwshi5WVoIk4jCg2TyuBHGta6KCWKBOQTWZLmCYP3E2XXTLrxq1FgwZmTSpJu5ILSMRaxwkb9B4kl-7dmI8yZGxeTp-2MS0SC6ZKyc3E8Q/s2500/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%205.38.33%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="2500" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYyJaZNx5bWzL0MHFxfZ4FGuvFmE1FD2OaQI0BWT9djecdNYiZ5pmZDbVOQhfHXlL7G3uV9ymMQrQa2sJwwshi5WVoIk4jCg2TyuBHGta6KCWKBOQTWZLmCYP3E2XXTLrxq1FgwZmTSpJu5ILSMRaxwkb9B4kl-7dmI8yZGxeTp-2MS0SC6ZKyc3E8Q/w640-h268/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%205.38.33%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The sequel to Blade Runner that came out in 2017 suffered a fate similar to that of the original movie. Critics were divided over it. The Blade Runner cultists faulted it for not being perfectly faithful to the original. And the public was largely indifferent to it. It was a box office fizzle.</div><div>I liked it better than the critics did. Its vision of Los Angeles in 2049 doesn't have the glamour or sex appeal of the 1982 movie, but I don't think that's a problem. The 2017 sequel is much more thoroughly a dystopia, and an even grimmer and more frightening one at that. Los Angeles in 2049 is literally darker than the city of the 1982 movie. Most of the city is crowded housing in the dark from short supplies of electrical power with lights confined to major thoroughfares. As far as I'm concerned, that's as it should be. Dystopias are visions of hell. Hell is supposed to terrify, not allure. The sequel is true to the visionary and atmospheric qualities of the 1982 movie in spades. I think the sequel is every bit as beautiful, if darker and more menacing, as the first Blade Runner movie. It uses the same atmosphere and shifting light to much more foreboding effect. The use of color is even more beautiful here than in the 1982 movie.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0he_ZoZuZ0vQjy8XjNdPvKaIIm_Vvu6qu6ipBwAMW2XvcyT_NhX03PeB8Mhx0oHGjs7xQDC8GAcYlzTxZOI0Xt1vCRPNqWzUzSOe2rQNbPOVyXw6vfndGxxq4pQwuhrR5S5ZEqr0vhWeMoipphmgN7mR5Etg-0WNFXmNp10BsARGILC9J2O48gVa8fA/s1920/*vU3QQSm42enJYLiBD2DeHRuILkx8bloseki7SHRT7r0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="1920" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0he_ZoZuZ0vQjy8XjNdPvKaIIm_Vvu6qu6ipBwAMW2XvcyT_NhX03PeB8Mhx0oHGjs7xQDC8GAcYlzTxZOI0Xt1vCRPNqWzUzSOe2rQNbPOVyXw6vfndGxxq4pQwuhrR5S5ZEqr0vhWeMoipphmgN7mR5Etg-0WNFXmNp10BsARGILC9J2O48gVa8fA/w640-h412/*vU3QQSm42enJYLiBD2DeHRuILkx8bloseki7SHRT7r0.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNRhaZsX2KnkGB9fO4nr1kcT6_qQtPNJw1xJYKIA7kC8M2g4OI_coWPem-xyAANrdk4ZKddvB58ISD_KaeyrGuZAMjmEF4v4_Uy3CJWlUoNl80WDoeKTQ1PgVr16DyvIBs6iy0dnocVrFYs0lrwF73CekUaf6Idd3CBIJQYDOr1t6zwNNSsD226_F3Q/s1532/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%204.05.35%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="1532" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNRhaZsX2KnkGB9fO4nr1kcT6_qQtPNJw1xJYKIA7kC8M2g4OI_coWPem-xyAANrdk4ZKddvB58ISD_KaeyrGuZAMjmEF4v4_Uy3CJWlUoNl80WDoeKTQ1PgVr16DyvIBs6iy0dnocVrFYs0lrwF73CekUaf6Idd3CBIJQYDOr1t6zwNNSsD226_F3Q/w640-h376/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%204.05.35%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4WuvFchqn3h8SxP1yU13g9r3DPk1XKDdA9U9YptUe_pvtxixEJBSvxKv2cJS1hjjdBXNkYKuij5YKRiYFE-KE2jCM_-SqabSgXsar9FZ-LAZh-rMvDZXX6Mqq2UJSOukSzRM1Q7iJ2NOw9n7SqmL6OGhzYIan5-7APWxOZ2qz1eJxI8esXNIXzcrow/s1872/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%203.57.51%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="994" data-original-width="1872" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4WuvFchqn3h8SxP1yU13g9r3DPk1XKDdA9U9YptUe_pvtxixEJBSvxKv2cJS1hjjdBXNkYKuij5YKRiYFE-KE2jCM_-SqabSgXsar9FZ-LAZh-rMvDZXX6Mqq2UJSOukSzRM1Q7iJ2NOw9n7SqmL6OGhzYIan5-7APWxOZ2qz1eJxI8esXNIXzcrow/w640-h340/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%203.57.51%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXuTSitGZzQ2uMHr8cp5yczRwJSu8JeYEEmM7UvPX-vgeEOAivCy65LM4GMpEDLSOxGQ8X9LyWXTNPdrRnGXZzvY_pT9qpqLmpkcvL_SAjlOQ0n2xDKq3LOCpmMYt8ULTMr-nEMSOCmEqeDkILs3IkfdyXiuBXawW-6-g4uCg7QtB-j28di_QOrzZtA/s1536/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%204.04.14%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1536" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXuTSitGZzQ2uMHr8cp5yczRwJSu8JeYEEmM7UvPX-vgeEOAivCy65LM4GMpEDLSOxGQ8X9LyWXTNPdrRnGXZzvY_pT9qpqLmpkcvL_SAjlOQ0n2xDKq3LOCpmMYt8ULTMr-nEMSOCmEqeDkILs3IkfdyXiuBXawW-6-g4uCg7QtB-j28di_QOrzZtA/w640-h406/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%204.04.14%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbchIzhfeGIgjJhV6WtbMTPQVda6jWzS0b1GR_OOfXKQtyMEXpp7D2l0bxUfu3SviSguM6Jq84jUrTos293KJPC68EYMg1afpdX7ude6Wd7JDmRlXW39Tq1Us8gUXDwAUDlp0l5oPUKhe-VIbnuEshvfOmI5-j3gC3GfdNW_OLiACx5FbWUXacokvVA/s755/BR2049-YELLOW.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="755" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbchIzhfeGIgjJhV6WtbMTPQVda6jWzS0b1GR_OOfXKQtyMEXpp7D2l0bxUfu3SviSguM6Jq84jUrTos293KJPC68EYMg1afpdX7ude6Wd7JDmRlXW39Tq1Us8gUXDwAUDlp0l5oPUKhe-VIbnuEshvfOmI5-j3gC3GfdNW_OLiACx5FbWUXacokvVA/w640-h272/BR2049-YELLOW.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fritz Lang, Metropolis (1927)</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlefjPsNMWV-uo0PYfoCy9tMOG6yCupjjjGbIFXpeNz-7oookcCykbrS9vfbN-T_zpOFF7_4r96SxccG3mk75bI0uX9wQM-7JjTAGyXi6FQ6XHZP_S0_17wxDk_lrQiMMuPI9-2LAxhgmcTidmX9OKvFHFw1GyRDVuQx3o9oFmNwiUXTW_FPeVDvJVw/s640/*00_16_4100018.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlefjPsNMWV-uo0PYfoCy9tMOG6yCupjjjGbIFXpeNz-7oookcCykbrS9vfbN-T_zpOFF7_4r96SxccG3mk75bI0uX9wQM-7JjTAGyXi6FQ6XHZP_S0_17wxDk_lrQiMMuPI9-2LAxhgmcTidmX9OKvFHFw1GyRDVuQx3o9oFmNwiUXTW_FPeVDvJVw/w640-h480/*00_16_4100018.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Fritz Lang's Metropolis is the first great dystopian cityscape in the movies. It is the great grandfather of the Blade Runner movies and all movies like them. Metropolis was a huge hit across Europe and eventually globally. Even so, the expense of making the movie was so great that it bankrupted Ufa, its producer and distributor.</div><div>New York inspired the creation of Metropolis. Lang and his then wife Thea von Harbou came up with the idea for the movie and the story while visiting New York City in 1924 and seeing its soaring skyscrapers and sprawling city streets.</div><div><br /></div><div>Metropolis remains controversial almost a century later because of its politics. It was politics that drove Fritz Lang and Thea von Harbou apart and caused Lang to ultimately disown this movie in later life.</div><div>Lang and some of the other actors in the movie such as Gustav Fröhlich and Brigitte Helm opposed the Nazis emerging as major political players in 1927. All of them would eventually refuse to work for Hitler and leave Germany. Others such as Heinrich George remained in Germany and worked willingly for the Nazi regime. Thea von Harbou enthusiastically supported the Nazis from the beginning. Lang divorced her because of her political loyalties. The Nazis loved the movie (to Lang's chagrin). They loved the idea of a messianic leader bringing classes together for the sake of a larger national identity. That was the theme of a lot of von Harbou's writing before and after Metropolis.</div><div>Metropolis had its right wing critics who saw the movie as latently communist for its overt sympathies with the workers. Left wing critics hated the movie for showing the workers as easily manipulated crazed witch-hunting savages goaded into a self-destructive rebellion by an agent of their employer.</div><div>Most other critics such as HG Wells found the movie's plot ridiculously naive and simplistic.</div><div><br /></div><div>What people then and now loved about the movie was the Metropolis itself, the first great dystopian spectacle in the movies that would have such a long influence on later films. Lang imagined a vast out of scale city as a giant money-making machine benefitting a small favored elite at the expense of a vast exploited proletariat that lived underground. It's a busy city full of traffic, cars, busses, trains, and even planes buzzing constantly through the vast canyons of the city (certainly inspired by the urban canyons Lang saw in New York in 1924). The Metropolis is a thrilling spectacle, especially at night lit up by the still new technology of electric lighting. It's the fulfillment of the city as chaotic spectacle foretold by the Italian Futurists a couple of decades earlier. It's Futurist architecture that so far existed only on paper brought to life.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmTWf1nmShQ93ZcN2hcduNdDkK8MpQ587Xm17wYKSN3eC_HMbcWWhBF6pNa0eX1jwFiJKmWBFV00LWx39VylnPETybDSNiCzZEudBIc9sDG_f1aLjtDTwpccb-JzDbC509dJhSpfFanfEmhz9NHKSkUKtfJO0fyttk1-6DAC71hQtHASVucfREG5mlA/s1160/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%208.06.53%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1160" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmTWf1nmShQ93ZcN2hcduNdDkK8MpQ587Xm17wYKSN3eC_HMbcWWhBF6pNa0eX1jwFiJKmWBFV00LWx39VylnPETybDSNiCzZEudBIc9sDG_f1aLjtDTwpccb-JzDbC509dJhSpfFanfEmhz9NHKSkUKtfJO0fyttk1-6DAC71hQtHASVucfREG5mlA/w640-h474/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%208.06.53%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrO0jdMubEq15rsUbegQpQcmopoNJdBgxZKvkUSZkUqYRank7o348FBi-J_E-uxtExxlUAkNLNU7rgUsJnI0fYZT6K1KRTiA0tQJ_Wl1Sv7lG6xbfM-5xyFdba4Ubdtx9wpo1RZbUBk9X6Ooa_5B6QFRYSwwFcVIcAzNs3AieVvKcilIYBGJiFpHTZRA/s1438/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%208.08.07%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1438" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrO0jdMubEq15rsUbegQpQcmopoNJdBgxZKvkUSZkUqYRank7o348FBi-J_E-uxtExxlUAkNLNU7rgUsJnI0fYZT6K1KRTiA0tQJ_Wl1Sv7lG6xbfM-5xyFdba4Ubdtx9wpo1RZbUBk9X6Ooa_5B6QFRYSwwFcVIcAzNs3AieVvKcilIYBGJiFpHTZRA/w640-h462/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%208.08.07%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ00V4ZzvhpI5crmG1bOAOZ7MIZJsYWcyjL2z3tFmvygGYkNRs-cX2EJK3JSzY808cNTRXLIryX9XyKc8IKohKg2pvX8NDoe3U1KLhsHQUP7WFi0etV1jgRmRCw__QAiQFdw2geLBH53p2z1ud7gb65F9w8Uy-g88DaJbwdnkBYwdXweEN8SYiQsd9hQ/s1014/*Fritz-Lang-Metropolis-Urban-Dystopia.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="1014" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ00V4ZzvhpI5crmG1bOAOZ7MIZJsYWcyjL2z3tFmvygGYkNRs-cX2EJK3JSzY808cNTRXLIryX9XyKc8IKohKg2pvX8NDoe3U1KLhsHQUP7WFi0etV1jgRmRCw__QAiQFdw2geLBH53p2z1ud7gb65F9w8Uy-g88DaJbwdnkBYwdXweEN8SYiQsd9hQ/w640-h458/*Fritz-Lang-Metropolis-Urban-Dystopia.webp" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXT4n8JIS6xJXHnugzxVpVyfeT3NrPMiw9Gejyq4sphXlBPKcRGcUw296qROfptuCSFfEdU_3_wTmY0iu052y9PXm2VuoZ0JCVpNetcFxwbQ3_Shz0K7b8V_hSykEcwQfdbSRZ-pYHFBJz_2K4mPPbIO_LABVDnMM0QOc5dR6nXguitKWWp6tsc4c4Nw/s1702/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%207.13.32%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="1702" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXT4n8JIS6xJXHnugzxVpVyfeT3NrPMiw9Gejyq4sphXlBPKcRGcUw296qROfptuCSFfEdU_3_wTmY0iu052y9PXm2VuoZ0JCVpNetcFxwbQ3_Shz0K7b8V_hSykEcwQfdbSRZ-pYHFBJz_2K4mPPbIO_LABVDnMM0QOc5dR6nXguitKWWp6tsc4c4Nw/w640-h446/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%207.13.32%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hugh Ferriss, The Metropolis of Tomorrow, 1929</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4nNaJ3TprcEYav1GA1-qeXLTVrTDx8H_a94PdN_3FEqlfYLLDt6iLKjumNaU0sQlw94IjzEgGKh5rTAWuUPlRYvyShwiFYaT1SQFFVw9c7zCq6rlwWhZ1z_sGTbEI4PjXsC-kv74ROk4g-1WTfMHOZcrrgtzfKE-aecRw6oMW9RkOshbi4HGLQgWvA/s1555/*87445_29a_Ferris.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1181" data-original-width="1555" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4nNaJ3TprcEYav1GA1-qeXLTVrTDx8H_a94PdN_3FEqlfYLLDt6iLKjumNaU0sQlw94IjzEgGKh5rTAWuUPlRYvyShwiFYaT1SQFFVw9c7zCq6rlwWhZ1z_sGTbEI4PjXsC-kv74ROk4g-1WTfMHOZcrrgtzfKE-aecRw6oMW9RkOshbi4HGLQgWvA/w640-h486/*87445_29a_Ferris.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>What began for architectural illustrator Hugh Ferriss as a hypothetical project looking at the promises and perils of the New York City 1916 building code mandating stepped back buildings to allow light and air to the street level eventually evolved into a much bigger project imagining a future New York City. Ferris created a series of fantastic imaginary prospects of the Art Deco architecture of his day that was already vast in scale taken to even more extreme scale. In doing so, the tone and mood of the whole project changed from a sunny chamber-of-commerce optimism to a kind of unaccountable gloom and dread. For these drawings Ferriss chose a very unusual medium for architectural drawings, conte crayon. Conte crayon is for large and rich plays of light and dark. A fine conte drawing conveys atmosphere. It does not do well in the fine detailing usually required for architectural rendering. Ferriss used conte crayon for precisely that purpose, to create atmosphere and mood for his imaginary cityscapes. </div><div>The exact time of day is never quite clear in his drawings, nor is it even clear that we are looking at daylight. There is a perpetual twilight of descending gloom in Ferriss' work. </div><div>Ferriss' melancholy and anxious Metropolis of Tomorrow calls to my mind the great photographers of New York of the 1930s and 40s, such as Berenice Abbott, Andreas Feininger, Samuel Gottscho, and Irving Browning. Their dramatic photos of the city convey a similar inexplicable dread in their strong contrasts of light and dark, that there is something exhilarating and vaguely monstrous about vast city they photographed. So too in these visions by Ferriss. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxF27kG2--OYoxfBKn9uA55U83nTS38hpOLk-RlSW-bWw4VkXZqQv1bQS0ngHusWYR9uOPwGzY66DCMGTTrY9HRI_MaPN2s7YM6CuvdOS_XlWO-ArXGWvOtusyaoh1DTJSrfe5oBHVrxiyE4GFiiXT7n357hdckyRM7ozJc6xZpKBQElwtR1MboycEA/s1977/*87445_30a_Ferris.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1181" data-original-width="1977" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxF27kG2--OYoxfBKn9uA55U83nTS38hpOLk-RlSW-bWw4VkXZqQv1bQS0ngHusWYR9uOPwGzY66DCMGTTrY9HRI_MaPN2s7YM6CuvdOS_XlWO-ArXGWvOtusyaoh1DTJSrfe5oBHVrxiyE4GFiiXT7n357hdckyRM7ozJc6xZpKBQElwtR1MboycEA/w640-h382/*87445_30a_Ferris.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZdtUQBtp69ZyEW4U-UNOVGyWfu0wk2BKVyaAZzYaV3wEUZO6zbyfeHfTbNxqI7dqqwWWWmKy9ig1fKvo3i0yMjm1OQ1RBGW26v9PDhTaaRPFH5dvw15NZmhylfi1f4qqd0Wq8AS7CCDCiqr8HVUZlwgM15zy_tpLCvAtehT_kp04OOcPhq3sfkxXgw/s1181/*87445_16a_Ferris.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1181" data-original-width="1050" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZdtUQBtp69ZyEW4U-UNOVGyWfu0wk2BKVyaAZzYaV3wEUZO6zbyfeHfTbNxqI7dqqwWWWmKy9ig1fKvo3i0yMjm1OQ1RBGW26v9PDhTaaRPFH5dvw15NZmhylfi1f4qqd0Wq8AS7CCDCiqr8HVUZlwgM15zy_tpLCvAtehT_kp04OOcPhq3sfkxXgw/w570-h640/*87445_16a_Ferris.jpeg" width="570" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_lD0xqDpi6R5koFSY0LOaH7_Jubuz9tm_Ni60O6dUTGWFeWx2hjGMZ38GL4TpKpC1PdjRBTAYom6xt0r3YP8XCAvEJoN6y9bRUsllIjjoEVkaEpNdWhedzyEIEdJDsZb9U8n-jFxiOwZ-V-QusOXCvN8Iiu30nnOycWFEm6Og6ZlJyTfHneoNz-0dg/s1964/*87445_35a_Ferris.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1181" data-original-width="1964" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_lD0xqDpi6R5koFSY0LOaH7_Jubuz9tm_Ni60O6dUTGWFeWx2hjGMZ38GL4TpKpC1PdjRBTAYom6xt0r3YP8XCAvEJoN6y9bRUsllIjjoEVkaEpNdWhedzyEIEdJDsZb9U8n-jFxiOwZ-V-QusOXCvN8Iiu30nnOycWFEm6Og6ZlJyTfHneoNz-0dg/w640-h384/*87445_35a_Ferris.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Antonio Sant' Elia, Futurist City, 1912 - 1914</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEI05ol5eQcdQrCHDPu297sOwWGxF7WBSeD0xEg1-WVWYb0qowNrJoW5V1YkZ9o2o8xcwq36jniFzwOREtG39BRyOcxZWvFTyyQXo58G-RuRWi4UnbJotIIcqvaoyLHlETWXTjGtDoEfzzBX0_CPuKbA4D5juGFlKPIIKU0-W8wD7sl1VibLW4wnmFQ/s2432/Casa_Sant'Elia.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2432" data-original-width="2386" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEI05ol5eQcdQrCHDPu297sOwWGxF7WBSeD0xEg1-WVWYb0qowNrJoW5V1YkZ9o2o8xcwq36jniFzwOREtG39BRyOcxZWvFTyyQXo58G-RuRWi4UnbJotIIcqvaoyLHlETWXTjGtDoEfzzBX0_CPuKbA4D5juGFlKPIIKU0-W8wD7sl1VibLW4wnmFQ/w628-h640/Casa_Sant'Elia.jpeg" width="628" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Antonio Sant 'Elia built very little in his very short career as an architect. He died in 1916 at age 28 on a battlefield in the First World War. We remember him best today for a series of drawings he made from about 1912 to 1914 of imaginary buildings of the future. Sant 'Elia was closely involved with the Futurist movement in Italy that formed around the poet Filippo Marinetti. Like other Futurists, Sant' Elia wanted to make a clean break with the past. The Futurists felt the heavy weight of a long history that hangs over Italy, a very ancient country. Marinetti wrote of flooding the museums to break free from what they felt was the oppression of the past. Churches, palaces, and civic buildings are conspicuously absent in Sant' Elia's imaginary cities. Most of the buildings in his cities are involved with transportation from railroad stations to airports that didn't quite yet exist, but he imagined them. Sometimes Sant' Elia designed utilities such as power plants and water works.</div><div>Modern design that radically imagined a whole new technological future began in two countries heavily weighted by the heritage of an ancient past, Italy and Russia. Both countries were the first to take what was implied in Cubist painting and sculpture and apply them to everything from graphic design to architecture. Sant Elia's buildings in particular still look remarkably forward-looking for the eve of World War I. Sant' Elia's first big influence was on science fiction illustration in the first half of the 20th century. Sant' Elia intended his designs to be hopeful, greeting the dawn of a new era freed from the prejudices of the past. A lot of feeling comes through in his work, especially wonder and excitement over a future he would not live to see. That perhaps is what the science fiction illustrators responded to.</div><div>Like the creations of the first generations of Russian modernists, these drawings for all their rationalist empirical pretensions are deeply emotional, romantic imaginings of a much hoped for future.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUF1ZKH0ZdHYV6-QZ4eofbqa9aIjjro5Yj_UdfRZ9itcW9LuRsGa7gCmglbjH8AC2WBS_DT6rKsMMole3bKh0290W-sTEWsK7rYLZOqYjQkw0At3RfBYzzxf0gLLGAuUDI7yHXlwlXdMFo9t01Xw-I5BEKBDvZhEfbvrgX3HANE8sn-TAZPp54fUuwg/s2916/Stazione_Sant'Elia.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2916" data-original-width="2366" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUF1ZKH0ZdHYV6-QZ4eofbqa9aIjjro5Yj_UdfRZ9itcW9LuRsGa7gCmglbjH8AC2WBS_DT6rKsMMole3bKh0290W-sTEWsK7rYLZOqYjQkw0At3RfBYzzxf0gLLGAuUDI7yHXlwlXdMFo9t01Xw-I5BEKBDvZhEfbvrgX3HANE8sn-TAZPp54fUuwg/w520-h640/Stazione_Sant'Elia.jpeg" width="520" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcNeOeeyBDlyd_3CPeZ3dIqLyefW7aIWa27OA1tThiD_8d8iXhtRHlU8YiAIVmZt3VWNqaeHRQGeTJpHncyUUza7MdiMl-nt7VY3PF8SXrkMrrocbCtmegqahwOd3ekLgHjrvZLAEeXrYeZiGATIHKL8GmCH7fwPCy1okEG40zydx_0_XV_2QlLeZVzA/s4362/Antonio_sant'elia,_studio_per_edificio,_1914_(coll._priv.).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4362" data-original-width="3006" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcNeOeeyBDlyd_3CPeZ3dIqLyefW7aIWa27OA1tThiD_8d8iXhtRHlU8YiAIVmZt3VWNqaeHRQGeTJpHncyUUza7MdiMl-nt7VY3PF8SXrkMrrocbCtmegqahwOd3ekLgHjrvZLAEeXrYeZiGATIHKL8GmCH7fwPCy1okEG40zydx_0_XV_2QlLeZVzA/w442-h640/Antonio_sant'elia,_studio_per_edificio,_1914_(coll._priv.).jpg" width="442" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinx8ZR8jt13sXvv2MChwTBMEquuL8JLZvqBTBuEXg1vd936a83jhwVLgCZ2jUiGYQRAg50ni58u-rTNzSd7k5oKxzKfh35lwJTsy-aND-mgRKNIE-pvI5h2ni21twp8mpmrEUW5YkztTMYJDFBvopsEtmFdsFCKFhdEogGEfBA6jArhfdYPDODE0wVEQ/s1639/art-925.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1639" data-original-width="1145" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinx8ZR8jt13sXvv2MChwTBMEquuL8JLZvqBTBuEXg1vd936a83jhwVLgCZ2jUiGYQRAg50ni58u-rTNzSd7k5oKxzKfh35lwJTsy-aND-mgRKNIE-pvI5h2ni21twp8mpmrEUW5YkztTMYJDFBvopsEtmFdsFCKFhdEogGEfBA6jArhfdYPDODE0wVEQ/w448-h640/art-925.jpg" width="448" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Piranesi, Carceri d'Invenzione, 2nd edition, 1761 -1768</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZvSiwav8C3ZUNx-CnVL-Y4hVQ6_x-57DvLgsXwSS98qpG7JuWyz3umxVSVbfhZJxVkUkPtADRqwHR7rLEUTGvf2eOUeWwCUs5Ff2I6Ln3XaVPyTa8kFiUo6qWKQmDzbaiLYQmud0tApi0yi0AGlnYSl5zg7Y-h7kEyItFTwB_j4jq_Szhe3Qg15OzQ/s2100/*The_Round_Tower_LACMA_46.27.3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1577" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZvSiwav8C3ZUNx-CnVL-Y4hVQ6_x-57DvLgsXwSS98qpG7JuWyz3umxVSVbfhZJxVkUkPtADRqwHR7rLEUTGvf2eOUeWwCUs5Ff2I6Ln3XaVPyTa8kFiUo6qWKQmDzbaiLYQmud0tApi0yi0AGlnYSl5zg7Y-h7kEyItFTwB_j4jq_Szhe3Qg15OzQ/w480-h640/*The_Round_Tower_LACMA_46.27.3.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Prisons of Giovanni Battista Piranesi are perhaps the first visions of dystopia, that mixture of dread and exhilaration at an imaginary future at the heart of so much modern science fiction. While Piranesi called these entirely imaginary prospects "prisons," they don't look much like prisons except for occasional chained prisoner here and there. It's hard to say what they look like, but they have that strange mix of grandeur and disorientation that's in the best imaginary dystopias in literature and movies.</div><div><br /></div><div>These prints are from a category of art at the time called "caprices," fantasies created by the artist. A lot of artists made these caprices, even Canaletto. Goya turned the artist's caprice into biting satire and frightening irrational visions of chaos and death. Piranesi devoted much of his life to archaeology in the service of architecture and design. He opposed Johann Joachim Winckelmann's sunny romantic imaginings of ancient Greece with the gritty realism of Rome, an ancient world that remained firmly in the past as Piranesi saw it. Piranesi saw the vast brooding monuments of ancient Rome as challenges for the emerging modern world. </div><div>Piranesi with Goya was among the first to imagine the perils of emerging modernity. Among those perils was a disintegrating sense of self confronted with a much larger and more impersonal environment. Complicated perspectives cross paths before us and seem to go nowhere. For all the carefully and rationally constructed perspectives in these prints, nothing is clear. There is no one path over others. There's nothing to clarify our sense of where we are and where we want to go. It's that sense of being lost, marooned in some vast and cold disorienting landscape that first appears in Piranesi's Carceri prints, and still speaks deeply to us.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjtJzwDjN2x3aiRSFzUSWwT10n7gs3ZaF8btStEzBXw-BgoGuhYEHoQQsSTkr3sbvOVw55CKgGk22bwFIK2cvYv75ZZVopXW1OjwQHbWK9pQVvv6f61mH8NCCxomYGxKkS-CAr-SDRvYi7YY_D0EQgC56A-J_sTimfo89tuzhWCOQW8VpuRHwaQQw1w/s3201/*Giovanni_Battista_Piranesi_-_The_Drawbridge,_plate_VII_from_the_series_Carceri_d'Invenzione_-_Google_Art_Project.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3201" data-original-width="2440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjtJzwDjN2x3aiRSFzUSWwT10n7gs3ZaF8btStEzBXw-BgoGuhYEHoQQsSTkr3sbvOVw55CKgGk22bwFIK2cvYv75ZZVopXW1OjwQHbWK9pQVvv6f61mH8NCCxomYGxKkS-CAr-SDRvYi7YY_D0EQgC56A-J_sTimfo89tuzhWCOQW8VpuRHwaQQw1w/w488-h640/*Giovanni_Battista_Piranesi_-_The_Drawbridge,_plate_VII_from_the_series_Carceri_d'Invenzione_-_Google_Art_Project.jpeg" width="488" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBNnO0hLXDsyrq-fZbw2MiyDsIv6j1Sc4NwwCvPCChPJPRxbzj2tC0zgw_6kz5PqEDX_zKPc12x5Ctbzt_cSXkqQF-f8_inATen9GE2BaiZ7m-kOyBN76Z_uL1uE64SnsGXPHEahwbdKKAF3yUjIuBVpO9sDiaw7iwFRAjbKCvzCRU_qcX4PbKHVt0g/s2100/*The_Gothic_Arch_LACMA_46.27.14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="2100" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBNnO0hLXDsyrq-fZbw2MiyDsIv6j1Sc4NwwCvPCChPJPRxbzj2tC0zgw_6kz5PqEDX_zKPc12x5Ctbzt_cSXkqQF-f8_inATen9GE2BaiZ7m-kOyBN76Z_uL1uE64SnsGXPHEahwbdKKAF3yUjIuBVpO9sDiaw7iwFRAjbKCvzCRU_qcX4PbKHVt0g/w640-h488/*The_Gothic_Arch_LACMA_46.27.14.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRcxZiKaC1-e97xpa9biCsB5JyBj9T2sIuRCS3nZ5swFS2vCzX4Lx9-myHW844RRXiivWFCg6rWD_JeE7d8WloBtSLuwjBO_puZwKuBvcCd7sXXDJyF5KPS5PhrUnR0IKbZUeof0aQ23cyOmPNFYevgDAX3chDkpAT2KlMoLyJmzZtIQqI005LS6t7g/s2100/*The_Pier_with_a_Lamp_LACMA_46.27.15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1573" data-original-width="2100" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRcxZiKaC1-e97xpa9biCsB5JyBj9T2sIuRCS3nZ5swFS2vCzX4Lx9-myHW844RRXiivWFCg6rWD_JeE7d8WloBtSLuwjBO_puZwKuBvcCd7sXXDJyF5KPS5PhrUnR0IKbZUeof0aQ23cyOmPNFYevgDAX3chDkpAT2KlMoLyJmzZtIQqI005LS6t7g/w640-h480/*The_Pier_with_a_Lamp_LACMA_46.27.15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Building Real Dystopias</span></p><p><br /></p><p>It's hard to walk through just about any of the major cities of the earth and not think of everything from Blade Runner to Piranesi's Carceri. The vast impersonal forces of economics, local and global, shape modern cities and fulfill the darkest and most alienating fantasies conjured by artists for over two and a half centuries.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">China</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Arnqsr-7eH-1rilP2qgpiBPlkLOMJ8F0xq-3CzXb4PZACQISbbCPoQx50SSFLnNJohn9spkPrBw1A-DuOAO8C-WbO-XhjGfJG9kVZbuuWiY7mLkYt3XAiAOeiTJCcwBzCc-xAY7L-hSyQ0HQxHgu7WsdMwrk-ZTsij_fZrVN9ObfVgaOU1gXNTsPQw/s998/Rem%20Koolhaas,%20CCTV,%20Beijing.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="998" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Arnqsr-7eH-1rilP2qgpiBPlkLOMJ8F0xq-3CzXb4PZACQISbbCPoQx50SSFLnNJohn9spkPrBw1A-DuOAO8C-WbO-XhjGfJG9kVZbuuWiY7mLkYt3XAiAOeiTJCcwBzCc-xAY7L-hSyQ0HQxHgu7WsdMwrk-ZTsij_fZrVN9ObfVgaOU1gXNTsPQw/w640-h428/Rem%20Koolhaas,%20CCTV,%20Beijing.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Rem Koolhaas' CCTV building in Beizhing.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>No one builds vast frightening dystopian architecture quite like the Chinese.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB3lYXDrkV9fXiX8usCHECdWki9ou-DBKXIFGvKCPhKK9pNlkqEqk2_SWRSsN5xGio2R4ap6FA6b2gcG62hJv3OG8R1QBA7OLVCCLtBbSp-1-6_SH0h_4ykmOFkDVSAk0jHmVQd2UvtG0cOrhYhcIxJ77HskCQrmt77ospSvyiRPeRKaKmXi0T5E4Djw/s1452/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%206.46.54%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="1452" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB3lYXDrkV9fXiX8usCHECdWki9ou-DBKXIFGvKCPhKK9pNlkqEqk2_SWRSsN5xGio2R4ap6FA6b2gcG62hJv3OG8R1QBA7OLVCCLtBbSp-1-6_SH0h_4ykmOFkDVSAk0jHmVQd2UvtG0cOrhYhcIxJ77HskCQrmt77ospSvyiRPeRKaKmXi0T5E4Djw/w640-h456/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%206.46.54%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The CCTV Tower and neighborhood in Beijing</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDafdgT2yMQcGfl2aa-5YbliN8hv8jJPYLodFCU9JqSq9TSOKscFPFqiI8LtcJH_OaGfA3Oqt3H2hfjTPLEnGc9x8fm0MmSRTpTganFP1KLyuIFRQlDrpMNoOXhTGjhsIlrjxFYjF2RXhsmDBI4H6vFnmacPBGjnzJGli2wFK8dnzUUs-bsJqXWcd6g/s1796/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%206.44.18%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1796" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDafdgT2yMQcGfl2aa-5YbliN8hv8jJPYLodFCU9JqSq9TSOKscFPFqiI8LtcJH_OaGfA3Oqt3H2hfjTPLEnGc9x8fm0MmSRTpTganFP1KLyuIFRQlDrpMNoOXhTGjhsIlrjxFYjF2RXhsmDBI4H6vFnmacPBGjnzJGli2wFK8dnzUUs-bsJqXWcd6g/w640-h428/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%206.44.18%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The new city center of Beijing</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVeIVxF4vOoDSsW-e8cY1GLlU0Lh-yk1krDNqLc3jQkVO3y5BbZveBkXGyjHVeolA71KOlp7Rtbx-7XnOEnR0Pi2An6iMG9r8T1zGPciTFx7c2US1slcEyHQPykFdfBveXlUsvB6Du1ru6aKLlbhfcFUEL2x8k2fntBfNu311HEuZVcF6xF98cS9Qa3A/s1790/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%206.49.37%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="1790" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVeIVxF4vOoDSsW-e8cY1GLlU0Lh-yk1krDNqLc3jQkVO3y5BbZveBkXGyjHVeolA71KOlp7Rtbx-7XnOEnR0Pi2An6iMG9r8T1zGPciTFx7c2US1slcEyHQPykFdfBveXlUsvB6Du1ru6aKLlbhfcFUEL2x8k2fntBfNu311HEuZVcF6xF98cS9Qa3A/w640-h426/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%206.49.37%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ5NZXLSY1GI8uNa6Q87apz8mTnZUqrECnX2S5_C-Z-IDwqkXm4twov0PIErKegHvyxkhLHk1SoSVwyRYmjUQjxS_j1Pafgva9EtFNZtrcel13cLeWN14nQK8v-9wzKCfRzqVWrSatHDtBW8glEDkbVFIdXDUdMdg2GqeHVatFYAbl9CBBvvf6Yb5LTw/s1278/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%206.45.13%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="1278" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ5NZXLSY1GI8uNa6Q87apz8mTnZUqrECnX2S5_C-Z-IDwqkXm4twov0PIErKegHvyxkhLHk1SoSVwyRYmjUQjxS_j1Pafgva9EtFNZtrcel13cLeWN14nQK8v-9wzKCfRzqVWrSatHDtBW8glEDkbVFIdXDUdMdg2GqeHVatFYAbl9CBBvvf6Yb5LTw/w640-h470/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%206.45.13%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Beijing Airport</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWi0gDpAHJII5pU3nvabkdCGUqEAkvFShysOoulOEAb3q7SaP2OuUikENhXMypZW4q9yHGj7ndwrPPkrWcmXVdjdNpRKA52zPDfBuIwgYftze8DyR_KZr3ulJa0nqgmtPQ9Lfyl3Q9Kg8dZvVr5L9EzbtXXY_OO33IZ60uuIXINvY7HChdalhbFRnjA/s1280/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%206.45.37%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1280" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWi0gDpAHJII5pU3nvabkdCGUqEAkvFShysOoulOEAb3q7SaP2OuUikENhXMypZW4q9yHGj7ndwrPPkrWcmXVdjdNpRKA52zPDfBuIwgYftze8DyR_KZr3ulJa0nqgmtPQ9Lfyl3Q9Kg8dZvVr5L9EzbtXXY_OO33IZ60uuIXINvY7HChdalhbFRnjA/w640-h422/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%206.45.37%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>A new annex to the National Library in Beijing<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Even more terrifyingly dystopian are Chinese housing blocks.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuiKYbWJduWwtQMmD_zMnBk7hC1l5B_xp2JY1eMR0rghsnEItJpi1skiLPkaK0ghW9GrMBZAwvbaFztIUutWBHT_EZoivbb7OkjS9Xq1rI1HAAsV4Lg1iTzXckuWINJW0BIwbtkAb1Uqtylj3viC0TOcQ9uIH-mbuhNjkz8UUV-J_HM0ktybO78kZNQ/s2031/13372251.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="2031" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuiKYbWJduWwtQMmD_zMnBk7hC1l5B_xp2JY1eMR0rghsnEItJpi1skiLPkaK0ghW9GrMBZAwvbaFztIUutWBHT_EZoivbb7OkjS9Xq1rI1HAAsV4Lg1iTzXckuWINJW0BIwbtkAb1Uqtylj3viC0TOcQ9uIH-mbuhNjkz8UUV-J_HM0ktybO78kZNQ/w640-h378/13372251.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5fYIpmspZdQ0dX5CbupMzXN1uLmdTm0M0-mXkzxioT9wd9Vdai61dRShOvhSqPiyLB1jGrig3F9a1YbXtXQdF0HuMENs8Tqwm2L5YOZWYihE-i3SKFLOPLc7aLKQpNW6VNHM4a_I_lQdcAd69GX3M01T5lDJwWmPtELNrkTzdoPS5uOdbRPNksQmFA/s2106/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%206.51.31%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1392" data-original-width="2106" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5fYIpmspZdQ0dX5CbupMzXN1uLmdTm0M0-mXkzxioT9wd9Vdai61dRShOvhSqPiyLB1jGrig3F9a1YbXtXQdF0HuMENs8Tqwm2L5YOZWYihE-i3SKFLOPLc7aLKQpNW6VNHM4a_I_lQdcAd69GX3M01T5lDJwWmPtELNrkTzdoPS5uOdbRPNksQmFA/w640-h424/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%206.51.31%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLyptzguZrUXiJSGT05i-KbdjidBChMpPEU1XZ6mEKCQqfjw_triNHfKM1zKN4XYyMbAUEF-5HN6MtT6EhideWV0NoKTLXAE8I4MQ8IKly4n2QsO2km2AuGfEWrq7Q_94Zatvnte2pebBZhsTcfy013cRIeb2Ujs-9eHEmLT4LIphvuYkAboY9Yg0vDQ/s1486/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%206.52.16%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1486" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLyptzguZrUXiJSGT05i-KbdjidBChMpPEU1XZ6mEKCQqfjw_triNHfKM1zKN4XYyMbAUEF-5HN6MtT6EhideWV0NoKTLXAE8I4MQ8IKly4n2QsO2km2AuGfEWrq7Q_94Zatvnte2pebBZhsTcfy013cRIeb2Ujs-9eHEmLT4LIphvuYkAboY9Yg0vDQ/w640-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%206.52.16%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Dubai</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kQ-ZatH9Sy_HOTU2OblKg4IqlC8XN49eOT-dj7E-wKsYohvXmZFZwcPf7dxG7GnzM_e2SOGsh_yWt28MAknxPCaN46NXIStr4CRFE8N0Z10qhixNWhW_q5bAjQsPMhHOOVTa8hCUJ9i9iVfFgQLAH30cJF8tXdmTsfsKXDHp4M3x6zmh4yk8MUIn9g/s6016/Dubai_Skylines_at_night_(Pexels_3787839).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4016" data-original-width="6016" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kQ-ZatH9Sy_HOTU2OblKg4IqlC8XN49eOT-dj7E-wKsYohvXmZFZwcPf7dxG7GnzM_e2SOGsh_yWt28MAknxPCaN46NXIStr4CRFE8N0Z10qhixNWhW_q5bAjQsPMhHOOVTa8hCUJ9i9iVfFgQLAH30cJF8tXdmTsfsKXDHp4M3x6zmh4yk8MUIn9g/w640-h428/Dubai_Skylines_at_night_(Pexels_3787839).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Dubai, the biggest and grandest of all dystopian cities, the unofficial capital of the international plutocracy and the preferred haven from taxation and extradition for the world's most astonishingly wealthy. It's a huge city seemingly sprung up out of empty desert overnight. It's home to the world's tallest building, and to other construction projects so vast they can be seen from space.</div><div>Dubai is a city of amazing splendor and incredible luxury sustained by a vast army of semi-slave labor.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbUSNCwTCcz3tbtyvRPPQsjds5b0iBvjoruVn3jec4njyFlVaok4hoz_9WLxZvBJP4h7AShDQHtHne4Hs2LKHMaHQkGJY8nyokQRHQpoSPv_OggLWE4Zb8XDy1SU_I-18r0YLvtmlNq35YXIHjJgQLmJzQHT60eAlDNzRNt5YEYNJpSgL_R6w1SCGvQ/s1558/Dubai_skyline_2015_(crop).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1179" data-original-width="1558" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbUSNCwTCcz3tbtyvRPPQsjds5b0iBvjoruVn3jec4njyFlVaok4hoz_9WLxZvBJP4h7AShDQHtHne4Hs2LKHMaHQkGJY8nyokQRHQpoSPv_OggLWE4Zb8XDy1SU_I-18r0YLvtmlNq35YXIHjJgQLmJzQHT60eAlDNzRNt5YEYNJpSgL_R6w1SCGvQ/w640-h484/Dubai_skyline_2015_(crop).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlAplmeouJ1uGd37JZBTntccG5Yp3lvgt3fbt1lQcgi_nUz_CQD3T8BBQa1YnDHaaRHTnIcsvzlhH_VN6OJubRmHMEak0KilSvI2C8R7dbubKr-J6rH3f3W2C_9DufXu-bD2C8iY5HwNg6nrWFFw9z5CD3xRWKj5McnHntq7ybPlUeivWgA6xv6iEkA/s1024/Dubai_Wingsuit_Flying_Trip_(7623566780).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrlAplmeouJ1uGd37JZBTntccG5Yp3lvgt3fbt1lQcgi_nUz_CQD3T8BBQa1YnDHaaRHTnIcsvzlhH_VN6OJubRmHMEak0KilSvI2C8R7dbubKr-J6rH3f3W2C_9DufXu-bD2C8iY5HwNg6nrWFFw9z5CD3xRWKj5McnHntq7ybPlUeivWgA6xv6iEkA/w640-h360/Dubai_Wingsuit_Flying_Trip_(7623566780).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdm6Ds9rt7SmtIpyovDak6HQIbYIutsZ6CesUOJvAOgjbABh0VVgQhEUosYLhhulZXiYEOri9mjezLnBxrTIVtZL-16Wcbg4yz3AtR_FtbcQTWdw732wSjwfg4ocUa70Ctx7VOxJpe1XZ_7cPLjJnkzKGeM0ES4cwAO4GhS9cCdvGb04GcMsaGo1nlNQ/s2102/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%207.08.43%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="2102" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdm6Ds9rt7SmtIpyovDak6HQIbYIutsZ6CesUOJvAOgjbABh0VVgQhEUosYLhhulZXiYEOri9mjezLnBxrTIVtZL-16Wcbg4yz3AtR_FtbcQTWdw732wSjwfg4ocUa70Ctx7VOxJpe1XZ_7cPLjJnkzKGeM0ES4cwAO4GhS9cCdvGb04GcMsaGo1nlNQ/w640-h426/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%207.08.43%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXv5PMb5ivn3FsnwQnECILzgeHGVKhaZ4rUSRBlcEr7_zwrVMrCrqHIVx_WBOkhz87uyZZ7K1Wz6foaV4ly_0ulVMprhTyGy_3Eqkp5uOhTsi0r3yA2zwMHwfs90pcX0uQxQau0NN6e9Ov9yzlTplP7Ze7lXbXG4rctvgHFdRuTl6gMBlE2JlqdTrrw/s1574/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%207.04.21%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="1574" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXv5PMb5ivn3FsnwQnECILzgeHGVKhaZ4rUSRBlcEr7_zwrVMrCrqHIVx_WBOkhz87uyZZ7K1Wz6foaV4ly_0ulVMprhTyGy_3Eqkp5uOhTsi0r3yA2zwMHwfs90pcX0uQxQau0NN6e9Ov9yzlTplP7Ze7lXbXG4rctvgHFdRuTl6gMBlE2JlqdTrrw/w640-h426/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%207.04.21%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7poBvCGpe4LpZrY7MBBc_smgXnURZfkRGM11O6pTIsnocf1TVl3m3Q_FYHlZt_DoJqDNNnmLucr-EKI8Uf4wD1A737mpvyEWtfQwu_YfLWUlNSAkaE96p1OpMoynTCP77gwBv5lEOvOocbaPoyZlCLHctYqO-RzHBa3JVcsTOIsIozXwSHnuaxBRyw/s1196/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%207.08.02%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1196" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7poBvCGpe4LpZrY7MBBc_smgXnURZfkRGM11O6pTIsnocf1TVl3m3Q_FYHlZt_DoJqDNNnmLucr-EKI8Uf4wD1A737mpvyEWtfQwu_YfLWUlNSAkaE96p1OpMoynTCP77gwBv5lEOvOocbaPoyZlCLHctYqO-RzHBa3JVcsTOIsIozXwSHnuaxBRyw/w640-h402/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%207.08.02%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFLiMCTspOHbpAPeT3FDroazcMFXzgCFcZYDLUpCNwcHEObMZyIzl5_v6XVsCcxyBG2gSyHG8yRX8Y2em_w1Kq_uy9HXFeLcr1Ce69nCuujYMOKJEAbC-hxaMlfnBurndgHYHiCxB5w5a3ZTUg_uZS37cL117rYkZAp-DZdlJETioMffTF2VRCCEtvQ/s2204/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%207.07.19%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="2204" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFLiMCTspOHbpAPeT3FDroazcMFXzgCFcZYDLUpCNwcHEObMZyIzl5_v6XVsCcxyBG2gSyHG8yRX8Y2em_w1Kq_uy9HXFeLcr1Ce69nCuujYMOKJEAbC-hxaMlfnBurndgHYHiCxB5w5a3ZTUg_uZS37cL117rYkZAp-DZdlJETioMffTF2VRCCEtvQ/w640-h308/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-25%20at%207.07.19%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpdIW3CiOd954aDZ-h7XW75Mee1vgUvYR8eSY81ejuAU0q56KZ3XJUJwqdzREREMxjkDC6Vg1Wo9ahqGpV-tf7CZhmf_TGn6ZQ-lcU7PniukBfZ8dMsgVHF2pP1ya5zBhk9GhcuCTIoPB8FKSqSowksvMJtLL6n_FchWLwYYu9lTe1EzEReAWXkRjwg/s4000/Dubai_Creek_Harbour_1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpdIW3CiOd954aDZ-h7XW75Mee1vgUvYR8eSY81ejuAU0q56KZ3XJUJwqdzREREMxjkDC6Vg1Wo9ahqGpV-tf7CZhmf_TGn6ZQ-lcU7PniukBfZ8dMsgVHF2pP1ya5zBhk9GhcuCTIoPB8FKSqSowksvMJtLL6n_FchWLwYYu9lTe1EzEReAWXkRjwg/w640-h480/Dubai_Creek_Harbour_1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Ashgabat</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIridSFnPFaF48uvREjYiGdXSLow-sZMBzK3MXL05rf5JIpNUL_QpDwXQnQSptipT8FXV32ixE9cfr4Mk-k5YWq9h8b2ge3tNRoBDEEhxatJLcn_KllydM3nyhrozEUU7hAhKXAV606Qtg4TDJz6ATl4kOwpAUWLJTZWxa7IzHtn4xSblLLdKgVQA4w/s1986/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%2010.17.59%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="1986" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIridSFnPFaF48uvREjYiGdXSLow-sZMBzK3MXL05rf5JIpNUL_QpDwXQnQSptipT8FXV32ixE9cfr4Mk-k5YWq9h8b2ge3tNRoBDEEhxatJLcn_KllydM3nyhrozEUU7hAhKXAV606Qtg4TDJz6ATl4kOwpAUWLJTZWxa7IzHtn4xSblLLdKgVQA4w/w640-h358/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%2010.17.59%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>If Vladimir Putin ever gets to build a new capital city and name it Putingrad, or Donald Trump succeeds in making himself President for Life of America and wants to build his own new capital of Trump City, both of those projects would almost certainly look like Ashgabat. </div><div>Ashgabat is the new capital of Turkmenistan, built like Dubai in the middle of empty desert. Turkmenistan's late dictator Saparmurat Niyazov built this mostly uninhabited new city as his own Xanadu, shaped by his self conception as a kind of political messiah, a nationalist demigod ruling over his isolated and impoverished country. </div><div>All of Ashgabat's monuments for all their size and splendor ultimately look like bowling trophies.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6Olc9av4Ig3l8tQB8KQuJrof1eYhsHiIuyyh5nIxDKUQZzP1FaX5owqZ5CEekx0eOd2a2MVqEDioKfDXGmmWZVyuXy17aTjGM79L33a1Z1jwooF3wZ7inUsQ0m6iP7WCV-xYCR2ZtBR0KucA8_MHxhW7qddDf23LNhzETtz-pHtGud4yGWidNhz3Ow/s1478/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%2010.48.38%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="1478" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6Olc9av4Ig3l8tQB8KQuJrof1eYhsHiIuyyh5nIxDKUQZzP1FaX5owqZ5CEekx0eOd2a2MVqEDioKfDXGmmWZVyuXy17aTjGM79L33a1Z1jwooF3wZ7inUsQ0m6iP7WCV-xYCR2ZtBR0KucA8_MHxhW7qddDf23LNhzETtz-pHtGud4yGWidNhz3Ow/w640-h408/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%2010.48.38%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1inHTr1yfoF0TXgOfml9rJYXw4OEl7GlD_Y_7Am5cgchJKzvBwU-KOiEgatuIQbX99LdWuniamQRtgWsLPI6zG5-YIo8Bb_MbB6wooIxlWYoWHv05CIKtuWJTpPelpZgtzCGbnzVgjnuE9roJD5lz8Gnkh1FcssEwcZpv1it9_kFugYAt2O9VHXPX7Q/s1482/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%2010.48.56%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1482" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1inHTr1yfoF0TXgOfml9rJYXw4OEl7GlD_Y_7Am5cgchJKzvBwU-KOiEgatuIQbX99LdWuniamQRtgWsLPI6zG5-YIo8Bb_MbB6wooIxlWYoWHv05CIKtuWJTpPelpZgtzCGbnzVgjnuE9roJD5lz8Gnkh1FcssEwcZpv1it9_kFugYAt2O9VHXPX7Q/w640-h414/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%2010.48.56%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GBUistUfibMX-OXB0bDVUXq4MlqgqWmmf4IYElclNbfvWkEnAA7e-0X63GMjgAkQ34bE_ae7oRThLKOz5H7xfhkDsfh7bKAZmaTacnvF599Ya-L_d-uowj1U-syohFA__MD4dT5TJ76EMhXlUtHR_uHl14cGvVaC4fWbKibMiyobFCYVlWquDgHdQg/s1476/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%2010.49.16%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1476" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GBUistUfibMX-OXB0bDVUXq4MlqgqWmmf4IYElclNbfvWkEnAA7e-0X63GMjgAkQ34bE_ae7oRThLKOz5H7xfhkDsfh7bKAZmaTacnvF599Ya-L_d-uowj1U-syohFA__MD4dT5TJ76EMhXlUtHR_uHl14cGvVaC4fWbKibMiyobFCYVlWquDgHdQg/w640-h426/*Screen%20Shot%202022-09-23%20at%2010.49.16%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinh7YQJEccz8Lgbf5dX0MfnDeJihdtgyL1KjxCWF-z23C4cugVcb7o-5lMcWKR80-az5_sKHtKKXsDEtm0Ks7SjS_VpC7EJtFeEvuVSOr5i3QPigltuH3uo_Q2vLjSH95NupzfRshfbYPa5vA6y0VFcaUwMJ5S-S1sWL5YiA0kPc0fYY-ivhpzvg581g/s2048/*7816690396_ebc797c3c5_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinh7YQJEccz8Lgbf5dX0MfnDeJihdtgyL1KjxCWF-z23C4cugVcb7o-5lMcWKR80-az5_sKHtKKXsDEtm0Ks7SjS_VpC7EJtFeEvuVSOr5i3QPigltuH3uo_Q2vLjSH95NupzfRshfbYPa5vA6y0VFcaUwMJ5S-S1sWL5YiA0kPc0fYY-ivhpzvg581g/w480-h640/*7816690396_ebc797c3c5_k.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-32681985593229988752022-09-16T21:03:00.003-04:002022-09-17T19:41:03.448-04:00Views of New York<p> In March of this year, Michael and I moved again. We won a city housing lottery giving us a brand new apartment in a brand new building with brand new appliances. On top of that, we now have a rent-stabilized lease through this city program. We have an apartment in the back of the building, so no more facing the Brooklyn Queens Expressway or any major street. We didn't move very far, from one end of Greenpoint in Brooklyn to the other. We now live in the northernmost point of Brooklyn a few blocks away from the Newtown Creek that forms Brooklyn's northernmost border with Queens. We can see our old neighborhood from the roof of our building. The building is 7 stories high with a roof garden. All of these photos were taken with my very cheap phone camera. They are all either from the roof, or from the Pulaski Bridge across Newtown Creek. I usually walk across that bridge to catch the 7 train into the city to Grand Central where I get the 4 train to the Bronx and the college where I work.</p><p>These are all my photos from March to September of this year.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPw6Wk5EzwRsrw6aeHxd4qxa2DdCFjbvdRpXzyc-Ore0fPDheYe9L8Fbkuu6JrXJPMG4Db6DGoVM82mZBYUns9r5xLobrzZsNAlJKQR31MG2pTcInrviVNGFL7AnddbUXBCZpTlWQjmAPyS0jMPOqzszGAXTnHlCRhrsJtuZOAwf56sHbUOKUDGy9SfQ/s3264/%5E20220509_120409.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPw6Wk5EzwRsrw6aeHxd4qxa2DdCFjbvdRpXzyc-Ore0fPDheYe9L8Fbkuu6JrXJPMG4Db6DGoVM82mZBYUns9r5xLobrzZsNAlJKQR31MG2pTcInrviVNGFL7AnddbUXBCZpTlWQjmAPyS0jMPOqzszGAXTnHlCRhrsJtuZOAwf56sHbUOKUDGy9SfQ/w640-h480/%5E20220509_120409.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>A view from the Pulaski Bridge over Newtown Creek meeting the East River. A lot of construction of large scale luxury and mixed housing along the riverfront, all of it within the past couple of years.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynPiPGp-FE10YicHhepTPP5-pv3vHxeAvkiT2ibx8t-93sk1BPY2ZsSUbPZOzCn4tKQsros-3fpJxAGff1vmbnD1mHaE6GipHjK8KzeaXOnrjeE93D_vuun1b5M37PZWkOE-M_JwMS3I9_lyaCsWirn_prHprlvk8MJGzNy171tgbDykxj3RoIlR3wA/s3264/%5E20220509_185203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynPiPGp-FE10YicHhepTPP5-pv3vHxeAvkiT2ibx8t-93sk1BPY2ZsSUbPZOzCn4tKQsros-3fpJxAGff1vmbnD1mHaE6GipHjK8KzeaXOnrjeE93D_vuun1b5M37PZWkOE-M_JwMS3I9_lyaCsWirn_prHprlvk8MJGzNy171tgbDykxj3RoIlR3wA/w640-h480/%5E20220509_185203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The World Trade Center viewed from the Pulaski Bridge with the approach to the Midtown Tunnel in the foreground.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCkXsJzNaBA78sCjAWk1XBobOOQ3ssZCGlWT14AnkVTiQHsBw0I4Kp-JjJSgTpv6eGnKSzWTkmBdnS2CN7rCtCKSBeM8bSRDHJ-rhiXrVX87RfMNLtTEaGR_rJ6b7_6Xqd2KphPWXIA0xu9Wv7facxvWoiEH8FLDaDvW3SOd_cGFysX0KyeGyY1ttXg/s3264/%5E20220519_162645.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCkXsJzNaBA78sCjAWk1XBobOOQ3ssZCGlWT14AnkVTiQHsBw0I4Kp-JjJSgTpv6eGnKSzWTkmBdnS2CN7rCtCKSBeM8bSRDHJ-rhiXrVX87RfMNLtTEaGR_rJ6b7_6Xqd2KphPWXIA0xu9Wv7facxvWoiEH8FLDaDvW3SOd_cGFysX0KyeGyY1ttXg/w640-h480/%5E20220519_162645.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Midtown Tunnel Brooklyn entrance.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwr7DgdTdRQwQfXbhZ4F_v1N9HsISU5TdXcreALUqkv2_xg9Kfkpi10Axeq3VLwvfTDqEqbMaG8SzR-B-ZB2CBzXPmkSQUnsJ2lZSrF_WInyALcjdGlU4i02mFgEH31zcN9Ikaj9-Kd3o9hHwVS87SlYFT7EV1Mr3Gh-0MpEfuDCVApMnW2E-ylrVz4Q/s3264/%5E20220519_163033.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwr7DgdTdRQwQfXbhZ4F_v1N9HsISU5TdXcreALUqkv2_xg9Kfkpi10Axeq3VLwvfTDqEqbMaG8SzR-B-ZB2CBzXPmkSQUnsJ2lZSrF_WInyALcjdGlU4i02mFgEH31zcN9Ikaj9-Kd3o9hHwVS87SlYFT7EV1Mr3Gh-0MpEfuDCVApMnW2E-ylrVz4Q/w480-h640/%5E20220519_163033.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Empire State Building from the Pulaski Bridge.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjr7WfOmiM8qz5xk7_4w0ltFc23lENy-Gpfe1WZPIWQsMQ24IVoTGGylhgeaIYcsvR2OKU1MrFtWSIyLp3lVwB8QugutznWiE3DSu0CdR9Kkg8JIIUCaYtsBmW5E3IdVKxz8QgLxVnS76nuW1Nox8QvnjVND-BCfXPayOvBKXL5k7QQNG0JOC2kj61Q/s3264/%5E20220528_194855.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjr7WfOmiM8qz5xk7_4w0ltFc23lENy-Gpfe1WZPIWQsMQ24IVoTGGylhgeaIYcsvR2OKU1MrFtWSIyLp3lVwB8QugutznWiE3DSu0CdR9Kkg8JIIUCaYtsBmW5E3IdVKxz8QgLxVnS76nuW1Nox8QvnjVND-BCfXPayOvBKXL5k7QQNG0JOC2kj61Q/w640-h480/%5E20220528_194855.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The setting sun over Manhattan and colossal riverfront new construction from the roof of our new building.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxTlv2QTIsdZR9HpIGbELV3RHTOSnzoATt_u-yAnVTZBgxMSJrY0wlBLL7FO8_yP4TOVvLqRRQoUDokXiMSKpgic84sSDA5J_D9mcK-aJvpPE3u0taDbYbnLrob7WXIA920NDi3DzSXLHLaOFmvMm3MemdmbOspjX5RMoh_pWKX46p0YA5Vm1gWqGJw/s3264/%5E20220528_195537.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxTlv2QTIsdZR9HpIGbELV3RHTOSnzoATt_u-yAnVTZBgxMSJrY0wlBLL7FO8_yP4TOVvLqRRQoUDokXiMSKpgic84sSDA5J_D9mcK-aJvpPE3u0taDbYbnLrob7WXIA920NDi3DzSXLHLaOFmvMm3MemdmbOspjX5RMoh_pWKX46p0YA5Vm1gWqGJw/w640-h480/%5E20220528_195537.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Long Island City in Queens. Except for the building third from the left, everything is construction from the past 2 years. All of it is mixed housing and mixed use.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1oz38PfQofZvH_BkoUQqtI8f0Rt7WNbW_HegoDjOpMiCxk6iJPjFOSh0gS4upACW22M1cTWz_7eTczdUMGSgQUsjAROwXXDFI4V2VUCVUuY63uqaYJRiLC8WGe2Ky-DzbI87o0c2jMdKNWNyzqeW3NyW15166AsFh5jPc1-na6uW2Bgor05usS0d8Gw/s3264/%5E20220528_195655.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1oz38PfQofZvH_BkoUQqtI8f0Rt7WNbW_HegoDjOpMiCxk6iJPjFOSh0gS4upACW22M1cTWz_7eTczdUMGSgQUsjAROwXXDFI4V2VUCVUuY63uqaYJRiLC8WGe2Ky-DzbI87o0c2jMdKNWNyzqeW3NyW15166AsFh5jPc1-na6uW2Bgor05usS0d8Gw/w480-h640/%5E20220528_195655.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Empire State Building with evening sun from the roof.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM99Am7QfaqJznqovNQqwFjfABAE9LXLn__UoL8KFqVitWn6qAc8o7qwtXFkGsUDM67sFyeQ8ZWT6AfGX08ZMkFxKVgjmqMI7pnsia8y9Pb5r8hSvIg_HVpBll8AaWRo_mCjyTOYL0546u70hnFmaChx1eB1mKP6tXns2qZ-aj0CR1Qy8mSg-okShePQ/s3264/%5E20220627_145441.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM99Am7QfaqJznqovNQqwFjfABAE9LXLn__UoL8KFqVitWn6qAc8o7qwtXFkGsUDM67sFyeQ8ZWT6AfGX08ZMkFxKVgjmqMI7pnsia8y9Pb5r8hSvIg_HVpBll8AaWRo_mCjyTOYL0546u70hnFmaChx1eB1mKP6tXns2qZ-aj0CR1Qy8mSg-okShePQ/w640-h480/%5E20220627_145441.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>What follows is a series of photos from two spectacular storms from the roof. The Climate Crisis brings to New York City the kind of spectacular weather you'd normally expect to see in the Midwest.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Q6yCr5HSrTLKCvGWuXDmzw1TDo6fss4wqncSSiQMi8nzsyjgmTJA6Ttze3sarN0lVr9yp2dmR1_HpOp6DqdavmRpw_7uTzp9h_gI7-9XlWF36tWa9MqMGk6q-BiWfPy2AdgyWRPxHm5WVDe4g-poPKvirvqclmjAxtFVNdcTp5g_kz3zLsCBhS-_KQ/s3264/%5E20220718_154122.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Q6yCr5HSrTLKCvGWuXDmzw1TDo6fss4wqncSSiQMi8nzsyjgmTJA6Ttze3sarN0lVr9yp2dmR1_HpOp6DqdavmRpw_7uTzp9h_gI7-9XlWF36tWa9MqMGk6q-BiWfPy2AdgyWRPxHm5WVDe4g-poPKvirvqclmjAxtFVNdcTp5g_kz3zLsCBhS-_KQ/w640-h480/%5E20220718_154122.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS74LyJ0M5zVlhUly2FpG7c9eCgGSu1SLkNPHZfbovvsZ8xRoEWbYo2THwhwDv17fU-aMjv2F0FCyGnTA_WbRQHX6a0qLHNvl0iCtghGnClpKA43nAu7kyXnCg9qF6rT4F9EybmB8NyXnLYb2YtQrNSEybY_JqhDUPrKkrWxWgsBJewcPI2MygIyrEgg/s3264/%5E20220718_154217.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS74LyJ0M5zVlhUly2FpG7c9eCgGSu1SLkNPHZfbovvsZ8xRoEWbYo2THwhwDv17fU-aMjv2F0FCyGnTA_WbRQHX6a0qLHNvl0iCtghGnClpKA43nAu7kyXnCg9qF6rT4F9EybmB8NyXnLYb2YtQrNSEybY_JqhDUPrKkrWxWgsBJewcPI2MygIyrEgg/w640-h480/%5E20220718_154217.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLp0nt_Nnl28I1LAAX6mFxAtNiH5jO1eWvW0wBoJibobx2RR1uL3NCjLbtvga4iWhJnDt_WwdcgSG_PtGthrP2LI5bcmBkeF5kB34zvir0wTv8MpMKXP7iimALZDnPL6GY2e0rZ73Y6vldktr1RfZ0r2nxzYzd-WoXpmk6i5TtY3SE8kCyFh44p3cBg/s3264/%5E20220718_154635.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLp0nt_Nnl28I1LAAX6mFxAtNiH5jO1eWvW0wBoJibobx2RR1uL3NCjLbtvga4iWhJnDt_WwdcgSG_PtGthrP2LI5bcmBkeF5kB34zvir0wTv8MpMKXP7iimALZDnPL6GY2e0rZ73Y6vldktr1RfZ0r2nxzYzd-WoXpmk6i5TtY3SE8kCyFh44p3cBg/w640-h480/%5E20220718_154635.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-P_nikfN4_a2t_8RiVcCGzWdW2flWb3-1rOebvHJZz-Vw4ogFGvkUAgTqKpPrvPjlncP1PCYaRe7bUXoS0DxR6oWw0Hh4IDaAsTaHBF5-1ZoJ63httwWB07eJgKrKVVqJRqieyRW-4QpPddC84kENqMWCJykIKfNMEYpPvOsx9-pRADoWbNQfnWWig/s3264/%5E20220718_154644.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-P_nikfN4_a2t_8RiVcCGzWdW2flWb3-1rOebvHJZz-Vw4ogFGvkUAgTqKpPrvPjlncP1PCYaRe7bUXoS0DxR6oWw0Hh4IDaAsTaHBF5-1ZoJ63httwWB07eJgKrKVVqJRqieyRW-4QpPddC84kENqMWCJykIKfNMEYpPvOsx9-pRADoWbNQfnWWig/w480-h640/%5E20220718_154644.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1MkGsY5L4ebfSTz-5QAJH7fg7EjnxC8uYp14xkk0VItaJCHUAHQd-M7QSYD91ELgvSf5CVRZsFLuegkeUnPgzvG84neNer0S68lm36HIniou6Lk-7z5jEVOwpF1AERipbiubCLQvasML6KI8gT9054uBXwBV_56uVQWlUYGo9F5naXx2PGBGIzTlfA/s3264/%5E20220718_154852.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1MkGsY5L4ebfSTz-5QAJH7fg7EjnxC8uYp14xkk0VItaJCHUAHQd-M7QSYD91ELgvSf5CVRZsFLuegkeUnPgzvG84neNer0S68lm36HIniou6Lk-7z5jEVOwpF1AERipbiubCLQvasML6KI8gT9054uBXwBV_56uVQWlUYGo9F5naXx2PGBGIzTlfA/w640-h480/%5E20220718_154852.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzzXNWYedzNrGoPuw3WknCV6MCpjglKRUR0-I2MSaLUbk5lO3Y8FMHvyF2aHkh25BG_9pVRSZYFlLQB2QjHzvIpvTEcnol6PaOnM5LGX1ZNJ1hzrz_LLFTh8V5en1DSVu8UE2rnTH0IvmfuZonRFWCwpfwSSM9QaQlYb0rlTPNYCzJNfVfem7TGRMqw/s3264/%5E20220718_154927.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzzXNWYedzNrGoPuw3WknCV6MCpjglKRUR0-I2MSaLUbk5lO3Y8FMHvyF2aHkh25BG_9pVRSZYFlLQB2QjHzvIpvTEcnol6PaOnM5LGX1ZNJ1hzrz_LLFTh8V5en1DSVu8UE2rnTH0IvmfuZonRFWCwpfwSSM9QaQlYb0rlTPNYCzJNfVfem7TGRMqw/w640-h480/%5E20220718_154927.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhir6IufizHVNMRTprNgzjEeyclCX7OGqsoOXFIgxPzBN3gtKH8p6jPTjC3eqSq1w57fLJ1-JkmelxiOV19FoD5BcU9dez34OxnOxc4Fw8FJ-mwjOOjWas6djtf9zZilmQhK8UyW1_J381K_DkS9V2rTuSuZHOK4pAcW4vAFDpm05klXSMXVHf-ZPPXzQ/s2048/%5E284463321_10159738176383654_4016796295690684485_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhir6IufizHVNMRTprNgzjEeyclCX7OGqsoOXFIgxPzBN3gtKH8p6jPTjC3eqSq1w57fLJ1-JkmelxiOV19FoD5BcU9dez34OxnOxc4Fw8FJ-mwjOOjWas6djtf9zZilmQhK8UyW1_J381K_DkS9V2rTuSuZHOK4pAcW4vAFDpm05klXSMXVHf-ZPPXzQ/w640-h480/%5E284463321_10159738176383654_4016796295690684485_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Twilight with the lights coming on is really wonderful from our roof, but my cheap phone camera can't do it justice. This is one of the very few decent attempts at night photography from the roof.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYKOSxWCHo20n50dyKLrqXTnsn7cuFZCQ9-tjVwq_keq3yujMc82ZqomjVIyg_HOUaUn8Lu9rBjWuzyY0vaqdOP9Qx-Rxf_ra7l8V_Xao--3fI86fLx4c3bHf8zD12DHU99jZZNLWp8v72jTkJUQksQXt19-hId_ANenIIgG8ZY4cPI8vz_QDIocq1g/s2048/%5E306347611_125145853612572_1754644869674948035_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYKOSxWCHo20n50dyKLrqXTnsn7cuFZCQ9-tjVwq_keq3yujMc82ZqomjVIyg_HOUaUn8Lu9rBjWuzyY0vaqdOP9Qx-Rxf_ra7l8V_Xao--3fI86fLx4c3bHf8zD12DHU99jZZNLWp8v72jTkJUQksQXt19-hId_ANenIIgG8ZY4cPI8vz_QDIocq1g/w640-h480/%5E306347611_125145853612572_1754644869674948035_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Sunset over Newtown Creek from the Pulaski Bridge.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBk7gjy5rgRfRH9SD74O4ErgCsCkJZh25ZTPJS7QdXIwVEGZTn4UKmaNN1FIUPLX2LH9f5VDqFk7f30VzzUHTEEStmInIijmZBOMRDN06xnUgnMKYg_RCJur4bs_W0-6qmzBsMSbLKlFHB39GPLiZsa2Ry0l7vyvCJS0tS9VHYnbm_kQA9tGCZlXhBg/s2048/%5E306144999_125145883612569_555307186690603133_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBk7gjy5rgRfRH9SD74O4ErgCsCkJZh25ZTPJS7QdXIwVEGZTn4UKmaNN1FIUPLX2LH9f5VDqFk7f30VzzUHTEEStmInIijmZBOMRDN06xnUgnMKYg_RCJur4bs_W0-6qmzBsMSbLKlFHB39GPLiZsa2Ry0l7vyvCJS0tS9VHYnbm_kQA9tGCZlXhBg/w640-h480/%5E306144999_125145883612569_555307186690603133_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The waters of Newtown Creek at sunset, from the Pulaski Bridge photographed on my way home from work.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWibZjflqmvENKgYZ5M1kXaUNZputBpHdqohCDSPcgmCQv743ynd-zY7s9YA5onPYxlhw4W3CWDTnwh9rXv5JZk_LfR33oO0XqIZK4L0A36--qQdHQRdc8OCMnc63Umw6sKZ-Ee70J7VWtz4NDFWosJBpGg2wz3AAvNHgajCofyl1E2r-K2hzw-0eeXg/s2048/%5E306272248_125146163612541_7967694929310316331_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWibZjflqmvENKgYZ5M1kXaUNZputBpHdqohCDSPcgmCQv743ynd-zY7s9YA5onPYxlhw4W3CWDTnwh9rXv5JZk_LfR33oO0XqIZK4L0A36--qQdHQRdc8OCMnc63Umw6sKZ-Ee70J7VWtz4NDFWosJBpGg2wz3AAvNHgajCofyl1E2r-K2hzw-0eeXg/w640-h480/%5E306272248_125146163612541_7967694929310316331_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Sunset at the Midtown Tunnel from the Pulaski Bridge.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GUhFMmB7ZIrgNg7frnahJOiITfZn_1AIYpHH7ravlnD8auSKF6VJ2CEWC2onjyO7ZLP9nndNU_vmXttBqlJMhLmukib5ZaWggw1ATWOtOntN5tX2iFbdaGkRFiX8BpgNPHz8TEj4YprLCMe2rPtbIw6OILrXBsSXeIbZ_Jc2JBKyVSQMxk09L2mkrA/s3264/20220509_190507.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GUhFMmB7ZIrgNg7frnahJOiITfZn_1AIYpHH7ravlnD8auSKF6VJ2CEWC2onjyO7ZLP9nndNU_vmXttBqlJMhLmukib5ZaWggw1ATWOtOntN5tX2iFbdaGkRFiX8BpgNPHz8TEj4YprLCMe2rPtbIw6OILrXBsSXeIbZ_Jc2JBKyVSQMxk09L2mkrA/w640-h480/20220509_190507.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Looking south over Greenpoint from the roof.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpr9-8TJIITTdgncVdaPYuyilOC3WaZJ0BUXeD1UnnsTWNyI2IT8BF7xlne2fb1hVOue0xSTkcG4sWjqhcotg1FM2I_lzYBTjueOpfFOJd6CSQ7Dw8fF_yQOtZKvsyULtCVTjQRvyOVXXjcZcickrVtKny4fS4ocuY9t8tUX-zaprn0QotgNdT9ddktg/s3264/20220509_190544.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpr9-8TJIITTdgncVdaPYuyilOC3WaZJ0BUXeD1UnnsTWNyI2IT8BF7xlne2fb1hVOue0xSTkcG4sWjqhcotg1FM2I_lzYBTjueOpfFOJd6CSQ7Dw8fF_yQOtZKvsyULtCVTjQRvyOVXXjcZcickrVtKny4fS4ocuY9t8tUX-zaprn0QotgNdT9ddktg/w640-h480/20220509_190544.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The old neighborhood from our new home. In the center are the trees of McGolrick Park. On the far right are the spires of St. Stanislaus Kostka, the big Polish church.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-54146460414378668062022-08-08T14:11:00.003-04:002022-08-08T20:50:52.734-04:00The Domes of Rome 3<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOciM84ac4qcLVSyX0i6eHb-ikcXsfashHPg5ValuZ-DeVKPMQA6LOuQ63flxYYt3wGIJ1pU63HzCQxznpd8mUJWqjNd-1Zas8T8wKI4Md-IwKshGp0IoPlewx-o5HtlUQKbcpnKM6h0U94bx6NltiFSq2vjGPa9cisKSs4eADzXOZRO8PwvJ6MRjbmQ/s3036/Pietro_Perugino_-_Entrega_de_las_llaves_a_San_Pedro_(Capilla_Sixtina,_Roma,_1481-82).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1892" data-original-width="3036" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOciM84ac4qcLVSyX0i6eHb-ikcXsfashHPg5ValuZ-DeVKPMQA6LOuQ63flxYYt3wGIJ1pU63HzCQxznpd8mUJWqjNd-1Zas8T8wKI4Md-IwKshGp0IoPlewx-o5HtlUQKbcpnKM6h0U94bx6NltiFSq2vjGPa9cisKSs4eADzXOZRO8PwvJ6MRjbmQ/w640-h398/Pietro_Perugino_-_Entrega_de_las_llaves_a_San_Pedro_(Capilla_Sixtina,_Roma,_1481-82).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Perugino, Christ Giving the Keys of Heaven to St. Peter, a fresco in the Sistine Chapel</p><p>You can see The Domes of Rome 1 <a href="https://counterlightsrantsandblather1.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-domes-of-rome-1.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>You can see The Domes of Rome 2 <a href="https://counterlightsrantsandblather1.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-domes-of-rome-2.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>At the end of the 15th century, Rome was a wilderness of ruins. The city long ago contracted to less than a quarter of its original size. The remains of the ancient city of more than a million people formed a tangled maze of broken masonry and stone covered in wild vegetation. Crime and banditry thrived in the ruins and farmers herded cattle and sheep where senators once walked. Rome was a poor city despite its sanctity and the presence of the Pope. Most of the enormous ancient churches that generations of pilgrims traveled far and at great risk to see were crumbling and badly in need of repair. The south wall of St. Peter's faced imminent collapse. Last minute buttressing and temporary repairs prevented the worst from happening but didn't solve the problem. </p><p>The great city states of northern Italy, especially newly rich Florence, over-awed the crumbling splendors of a mostly ruined and uninhabited city with their new and magnificent cathedrals and palazzi publici. Those cities all boasted links to ancient Rome. The revival of Classical culture in the Renaissance gradually inspired the ambition to rebuild Rome as a world capital once again, but this time of an empire of souls in the Church. That ambition would expand as a succession of popes, artists, and architects engaged in two century long effort to build Rome anew.</p><p>In that ambitious rebuilding of Rome, the dome returned to the city that made such structures great and inspiring. The city of Florence topped their cathedral with a dome that surpassed in height and width the ancient Roman Pantheon. By the end of the 15th century, there was a determination to return such ambitious construction to the very city that inspired all of it.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECcNAl2l2JJBjvhsDT8z7-TpqC083tbdf7tDUDbCuLqEAT4Iew3Kavoyc5N4-vByCPLgGHLthV9aLxjHEFhns02FIAFlwln26x84_pEo_xjRYVdSXfqwzijxCmm0WUzGlT0nJBpAQOmcd8BZxncg8ZKWCxMp5fCeWNxMTqL3fj0o8qyEeaWIg77tYVQ/s2032/Raffaello_-_Spozalizio_-_Web_Gallery_of_Art.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2032" data-original-width="1417" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECcNAl2l2JJBjvhsDT8z7-TpqC083tbdf7tDUDbCuLqEAT4Iew3Kavoyc5N4-vByCPLgGHLthV9aLxjHEFhns02FIAFlwln26x84_pEo_xjRYVdSXfqwzijxCmm0WUzGlT0nJBpAQOmcd8BZxncg8ZKWCxMp5fCeWNxMTqL3fj0o8qyEeaWIg77tYVQ/w446-h640/Raffaello_-_Spozalizio_-_Web_Gallery_of_Art.jpeg" width="446" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Toward the end of the 15th century, Italian architects from Alberti to Leonardo da Vinci dreamed of domed centralized churches, taking their inspiration from the writings of Vitruvius whose books on architecture are the only writings of their kind to survive from Antiquity. Because of this association with Vitruvius, historians for a long time associated this shared vision of the church as a centralized domed building occupying the center of a broad open plaza as a kind of pagan revival. As Peter Murray points out in his book on Italian Renaissance architecture, this notion is mistaken. Most Roman temples were four square buildings occupying one end of a columned forum. There were some round temples, usually built for goddesses, especially Vesta. There are ancient Christian precedents for round churches, such Santo Stefano and especially Santa Costanza in Rome. Both of those buildings were martyria, built not for congregational worship, but for rituals of circumambulation around the tombs of martyr saints or other holy places. </p><p>These architectural visions of domed churches in central plazas for a long time appeared only in paintings such as the famous examples by Perugino and Raphael above. At the beginning of the 16th century, the architect Bramante finally built one, though small in size, in Rome. Bramante arrived in Rome from Milan in 1499, part of the exodus from Milan following the fall of its ruler Lodovico Sforza to the invading French. In 1502, he completed the Tempietto in a cloister of San Pietro in Montorio in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome on a site revered by some as the site of St. Peter's crucifixion (the current consensus places the location of that event on the spina of the Circus of Nero on the south side of St, Peter's Basilica). This beautiful small building announced the advent of High Renaissance architecture and created a lasting influence on later generations of architects down to the present day.</p><p>The Tempietto was the gift of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain to the monks of San Pietro in Montorio and to Rome.</p><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVT2UizeAiUyMMKI4DEoaHz7Ktgs2PSdBNg4rjayoC_yOLxqjF6OnU-wc1jphwdUUBnqeSQmZTJDmzx0p6ltMN9ktUK5aWByqKc83M12iSpRAA9cqVJmtyktWib1R_fbdPjpECNJ4uXrhMwW3dHQC4Bxt-Lv1XP8iXoPXK0CCXIbmqWYrt_pBYwtXoQ/s3449/Tempietto,_Haupteingang.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3449" data-original-width="2308" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVT2UizeAiUyMMKI4DEoaHz7Ktgs2PSdBNg4rjayoC_yOLxqjF6OnU-wc1jphwdUUBnqeSQmZTJDmzx0p6ltMN9ktUK5aWByqKc83M12iSpRAA9cqVJmtyktWib1R_fbdPjpECNJ4uXrhMwW3dHQC4Bxt-Lv1XP8iXoPXK0CCXIbmqWYrt_pBYwtXoQ/w428-h640/Tempietto,_Haupteingang.jpeg" width="428" /></a></div><p>The Tempietto in San Pietro in Montorio in Rome.</p><p>The architects of the Renaissance were indeed out to revive Classical culture and Classical art and design, but not necessarily to imitate it literally. They wanted to adapt it to the purposes of a new religion and a new era. Brunelleschi revived classical forms and proportions, adapting them to medieval design and construction methods. Alberti advocated a closer study of design and proportion emphasizing the monumental scale and volumetric aspect of ancient Roman architecture. Bramante in the Tempietto looking at the ruins of Roman monuments through through eyes instructed by Brunelleschi and Alberti revived that central idea in Classical design of completion. The building is whole and complete in the same way that our bodies are whole and complete. Nothing more may be added without distorting the design, and nothing large or small may be removed without mutilating it. Like us, it is whole and complete with all of its parts relating to each other in function and proportion resolving all into something as splendid and healthy as an athlete's body.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2UJP_ZRgSrmKbWJSl4ekcDuRm1BanGQfw4Az2wYjH-mXtBmFyUb5sMB6iVPM_vGTXFEHX3y-_of-2sPDAVy6uMQNOYpP-YlWpxhNJyQjKFDuutji1WYU_pNfkS4jdZrH5nA7BgBS-_xaMIWPmqpy-sYqa91jG7VJcT67C2ml1TOI1tWn3idvJY8Tag/s1200/10-03%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1050" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2UJP_ZRgSrmKbWJSl4ekcDuRm1BanGQfw4Az2wYjH-mXtBmFyUb5sMB6iVPM_vGTXFEHX3y-_of-2sPDAVy6uMQNOYpP-YlWpxhNJyQjKFDuutji1WYU_pNfkS4jdZrH5nA7BgBS-_xaMIWPmqpy-sYqa91jG7VJcT67C2ml1TOI1tWn3idvJY8Tag/w560-h640/10-03%20copy.jpg" width="560" /></a></div><br /><p>Temple of the Sibyl, Tivoli, 1st century BCE, possibly a temple to Vesta.</p><p>Bramante modeled the Tempietto after Roman round temples such as the Temple of the Sybil in nearby Tivoli. Like those temples, it is a masonry cylinder surrounded by a circular peristyle.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3sprfjX2KLKugeNaxX5ZtOBuB7t416YrLz8gn2YPix9nr_bx2CMKRYg7Upj0d0uLOlI6KLh6_lx0ljUraf3BSkUVOlEXdlOhL0NTJpdf1RgQ6_8MpOR7gpkNamo_C_uO4AEKPW7NJeI3B8TmY_9sOdphMPsq08cWd2ReHz3veFY5ti87G4h_4jgvYQ/s1102/interior_of_santa_costanza_(looking_southwest)__rome__italy__ca_337-3511361846597261.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="895" data-original-width="1102" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3sprfjX2KLKugeNaxX5ZtOBuB7t416YrLz8gn2YPix9nr_bx2CMKRYg7Upj0d0uLOlI6KLh6_lx0ljUraf3BSkUVOlEXdlOhL0NTJpdf1RgQ6_8MpOR7gpkNamo_C_uO4AEKPW7NJeI3B8TmY_9sOdphMPsq08cWd2ReHz3veFY5ti87G4h_4jgvYQ/w640-h520/interior_of_santa_costanza_(looking_southwest)__rome__italy__ca_337-3511361846597261.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div>Santa Constanza, Rome, 4th century.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bramante also found inspiration in early Christian martyrium churches, especially Santa Costanza in Rome, built for the rite of circumambulation with the addition of clerestory windows to a second story above the columned ambulatories.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bramante combined and beautifully harmonized these two influences in his design, a first story surrounded by a circular peristyle, and a second story recalling the second story clerestory of an ancient martyrium church.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiaOXJ7zMuFxBnSujgj-HoRATuPF_luNIwcGVBcFS_TCjuntQlHJRwbwRGrZ6CUDOM5mPUup17TAoEq49wzwKaHlOibEhtkeE5VmNyMWPvG4lV81LxxR-groU5hYlYNF7mZQDf8foha_6CDtr1HVb__LY_dhCdYg5vZ8mOiCWarlzdfB5qwvTz8XFV5g/s6599/Tempietto_und_Glockenturm_von_San_Pietro_in_Montorio.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6599" data-original-width="4887" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiaOXJ7zMuFxBnSujgj-HoRATuPF_luNIwcGVBcFS_TCjuntQlHJRwbwRGrZ6CUDOM5mPUup17TAoEq49wzwKaHlOibEhtkeE5VmNyMWPvG4lV81LxxR-groU5hYlYNF7mZQDf8foha_6CDtr1HVb__LY_dhCdYg5vZ8mOiCWarlzdfB5qwvTz8XFV5g/w474-h640/Tempietto_und_Glockenturm_von_San_Pietro_in_Montorio.jpeg" width="474" /></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Even in the details, Bramante takes ancient Classical precedents and adapts them to the needs of the Christian religion.</p><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsLv9NKvp0X-SPN2llj98R03kYvp7WpzkSSZUpPotvgGOArO8nX7zBDVGAGsY9-9pY-3CFD8FA8y2njxMrnbODYyq0xCCWZIXK5BIXc7FJwEITYxNNLmHKAh9IbIh-Xe7C9HYq0lY7K38J2hkiXESg-Pm1QeQO57ST2MUVNx_nJX5yl3SbgV9kAm31g/s1500/Temple_of_Vespasianus_1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsLv9NKvp0X-SPN2llj98R03kYvp7WpzkSSZUpPotvgGOArO8nX7zBDVGAGsY9-9pY-3CFD8FA8y2njxMrnbODYyq0xCCWZIXK5BIXc7FJwEITYxNNLmHKAh9IbIh-Xe7C9HYq0lY7K38J2hkiXESg-Pm1QeQO57ST2MUVNx_nJX5yl3SbgV9kAm31g/w640-h426/Temple_of_Vespasianus_1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The entablature of the Temple of Vespasian in Rome with carved reliefs of sacrificial implements. Completed in 87 CE.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQEcwcWEzkj-T3H1gpDSOc5DcYd8-ckCz-B3p7qD9ToGcL2WOIg4NRyY0-z72PPEBNtf9pdEwieNKJblxmEvkxnV35G_gVRJBJ24KNmb9oMOYT48zMCQn9sQpfiE-_Ql96IRXo19ffvJAQl7VcfhfJw3KboCcRCVdddP-dIJPPaWSmEvYsypGH1O9Fg/s3392/Tempietto_di_Bramante_Detail.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2092" data-original-width="3392" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQEcwcWEzkj-T3H1gpDSOc5DcYd8-ckCz-B3p7qD9ToGcL2WOIg4NRyY0-z72PPEBNtf9pdEwieNKJblxmEvkxnV35G_gVRJBJ24KNmb9oMOYT48zMCQn9sQpfiE-_Ql96IRXo19ffvJAQl7VcfhfJw3KboCcRCVdddP-dIJPPaWSmEvYsypGH1O9Fg/w640-h394/Tempietto_di_Bramante_Detail.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The entablature of the peristyle of the Tempietto showing implements of the Christian Mass, inspired by the frieze on Vespasian's temple among other sources.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2mPB5E5lVAhE0dmCWo7FRC7iIV8fm3tPEcCfmBUvgF3gwJmAOHgxBEVzKtClcXwWJJjz8vpFLsq-TpGfpiW94tn4a0OMJXLJqrZzlAKZwnZt9FwHZwbxrH36Ytj2CWOs6P8UtADDM3VsxXVDs8fE3FRlgCBmeiyV8hpw6wckeywZtpI5U_dt-n1IIg/s859/study%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="701" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2mPB5E5lVAhE0dmCWo7FRC7iIV8fm3tPEcCfmBUvgF3gwJmAOHgxBEVzKtClcXwWJJjz8vpFLsq-TpGfpiW94tn4a0OMJXLJqrZzlAKZwnZt9FwHZwbxrH36Ytj2CWOs6P8UtADDM3VsxXVDs8fE3FRlgCBmeiyV8hpw6wckeywZtpI5U_dt-n1IIg/w522-h640/study%20copy.jpg" width="522" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Tempietto today is not quite what Bramante intended. The dome was modified in the 18th century. The drawing above from Bramante's workshop shows us the more hemispherical dome he intended and actually built.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkSmxszbHJkCFPdYC7feSO71UOBTq10NC-ADMsouXL55xdgRxtCLZRgibQhATH20CHLgnpAwO0vnEJ1vPSq8RFenNNPQG_UgYhZ0m7M6IlrbeRFrMqtJl6-vZGIQLmwt1sjSitlmpuXzS2Hd1JmVQoqSgoB5R-eM0-b6ceGRI8601ZQY_zVML_I0kcA/s1394/Tempietto_-_Plattegrond_Serlio.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1394" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkSmxszbHJkCFPdYC7feSO71UOBTq10NC-ADMsouXL55xdgRxtCLZRgibQhATH20CHLgnpAwO0vnEJ1vPSq8RFenNNPQG_UgYhZ0m7M6IlrbeRFrMqtJl6-vZGIQLmwt1sjSitlmpuXzS2Hd1JmVQoqSgoB5R-eM0-b6ceGRI8601ZQY_zVML_I0kcA/w460-h640/Tempietto_-_Plattegrond_Serlio.jpeg" width="460" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This print from Serlio's Architecture shows something else Bramante intended but was never built. The Tempietto sits a little awkwardly in a narrow cloister yard. Bramante wanted to put the Tempietto in the center of a spacious circular and columned courtyard. Our experience of it would have been so different had that courtyard been built.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32c-0kGsV4cD6hFNnjPP4b0d-oI9TecWOnAz7BKgHuOdkUHbwt6dmQbmrB9WdDA0w8b5stFA9oj5gwCRhV_OgUch-NzqTtAd0Gd707UODMxRgLDs8fOb4CIOdDz2A-12XPk4a1qDB9Bx9SOcjTg3Bx5APDPI31qickKgYpy56-AGTh3dB70labFAO-w/s8320/Tempietto,_Cella,_Altar_und_Mattha%CC%88us-_und_Markus-Statuen.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="8320" data-original-width="4182" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32c-0kGsV4cD6hFNnjPP4b0d-oI9TecWOnAz7BKgHuOdkUHbwt6dmQbmrB9WdDA0w8b5stFA9oj5gwCRhV_OgUch-NzqTtAd0Gd707UODMxRgLDs8fOb4CIOdDz2A-12XPk4a1qDB9Bx9SOcjTg3Bx5APDPI31qickKgYpy56-AGTh3dB70labFAO-w/w322-h640/Tempietto,_Cella,_Altar_und_Mattha%CC%88us-_und_Markus-Statuen.jpeg" width="322" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Some pictures of the very small interior of the Tempietto.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcm3DaXlQl5OS3mU1oW-CM4UTKLdaugOa8Lpm3YEeliNqwwRhS4I7hVEniSGR8NHFzBqdFqko0IHiaS5fsFPwPO0Q7GVKRrcSTQ6TjZ_lTkvoMSWYElOUArDdmj9IdN6SwTgPAc_BC7wGSQylNkuBNQ_VVyjjtZPYMngZLRr-Dz-gQ_cjW_D3SBvrOxQ/s900/011Tempietto-San-Pietro-in-Montorio-Rome.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcm3DaXlQl5OS3mU1oW-CM4UTKLdaugOa8Lpm3YEeliNqwwRhS4I7hVEniSGR8NHFzBqdFqko0IHiaS5fsFPwPO0Q7GVKRrcSTQ6TjZ_lTkvoMSWYElOUArDdmj9IdN6SwTgPAc_BC7wGSQylNkuBNQ_VVyjjtZPYMngZLRr-Dz-gQ_cjW_D3SBvrOxQ/w426-h640/011Tempietto-San-Pietro-in-Montorio-Rome.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Tempietto was the first domed structure built in Rome since the completion of Santa Costanza about a thousand years earlier. Its appearance announces the beginning of the long project to rebuild Rome as a world capital once again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Chigi Chapel</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPV6DmOZOM0rl5W7MavZ-TaBKvaNE5kngDym_brOCjUfA4dpcpona5PYL0jWGo04dax1WVBOwMS44fURp98MxEsIwSjB2eGaFoX95ujrsuPLTf7CXzzcx4U_OqMS_jMAT8HX9U98uLFqCNzEXJbJO2YTZPP1DVlZP-BAk2R3_YL0ZDIrc00jBw6pwwfw/s4444/Piazza_del_Popolo_Porta_Flaminia.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2814" data-original-width="4444" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPV6DmOZOM0rl5W7MavZ-TaBKvaNE5kngDym_brOCjUfA4dpcpona5PYL0jWGo04dax1WVBOwMS44fURp98MxEsIwSjB2eGaFoX95ujrsuPLTf7CXzzcx4U_OqMS_jMAT8HX9U98uLFqCNzEXJbJO2YTZPP1DVlZP-BAk2R3_YL0ZDIrc00jBw6pwwfw/w640-h406/Piazza_del_Popolo_Porta_Flaminia.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Another important domed building in Rome adjoins the Augustinian monastery church of Santa Maria del Popolo right next to the Porta del Popolo facing the Piazza del Popolo, for many centuries the main entrance to the city for religious pilgrims traveling south down the Via Flaminia. One such pilgrim was the young Martin Luther in 1510, then a young Augustinian monk who stayed as a guest in the monastery still attached to Santa Maria del Popolo.</div><div><br /></div><div>In 1507, Pope Julius II granted Agostino Chigi, the chief banker and financier of the Vatican Curia, rights to build a burial chapel for himself and his family attached to Santa Maria del Popolo. The Chigis were a very wealthy and powerful banking family from Siena in Tuscany. In about 1512, Agostino Chigi hired the artist Raphael to design and build this chapel. Construction began on it in 1520 shortly before Raphael's death the same year. Construction continued in fits and starts under many subsequent artists until it was finally finished in 1670 under the direction of the great Baroque sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnYRjMM0R_hwgeho_0jjOTJxJxvJ9mhP8SBvVcxllrwKznPKfgRjpJBPAdg_R-_6AaccbQTus5KMxcGtu1I0J-gNUZsnTtz6DwItmI7ocLokp3BFQfIyUYeSMhWjz7B9iYPhRIH9dAZrsYGD-k-MAKJ2AjQIR2GOxF0yBoSdbEiLAH1Prh0MnSscC_g/s4046/Chigi_outside_01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3819" data-original-width="4046" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnYRjMM0R_hwgeho_0jjOTJxJxvJ9mhP8SBvVcxllrwKznPKfgRjpJBPAdg_R-_6AaccbQTus5KMxcGtu1I0J-gNUZsnTtz6DwItmI7ocLokp3BFQfIyUYeSMhWjz7B9iYPhRIH9dAZrsYGD-k-MAKJ2AjQIR2GOxF0yBoSdbEiLAH1Prh0MnSscC_g/w640-h604/Chigi_outside_01.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The exterior of the dome of the chapel from the north side of the church across the Aurelian Wall.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qCydrLvn3SjWSpkeis00w3V9HhROHQm9KC65sKOnmvu_YvNKv3NnIubRtZmrOxCba1lgtLf3yO1P7xmCY50FDgbIvYXe4iP1PwMMeqTDoKKVc9B11ae-fOGlHyKsX7nth-I889FDH3m7ljFtnU6aBwgXh6T9wcjZ5BEJZ172jhv3cAivlJ5iOL1vXw/s5930/Chigi_chapel_outside_view.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5930" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qCydrLvn3SjWSpkeis00w3V9HhROHQm9KC65sKOnmvu_YvNKv3NnIubRtZmrOxCba1lgtLf3yO1P7xmCY50FDgbIvYXe4iP1PwMMeqTDoKKVc9B11ae-fOGlHyKsX7nth-I889FDH3m7ljFtnU6aBwgXh6T9wcjZ5BEJZ172jhv3cAivlJ5iOL1vXw/w432-h640/Chigi_chapel_outside_view.jpeg" width="432" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The entrance to the chapel from the interior of the church.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyI58OPksPoEDgJpSzTcAFUnb-HPZOS4JXpKZRVl72VI2c5JaM-yG1e2Rk7db9bywjXrResPJYhva68Lu41tYtlu4mg6mujiOiXnsImZrqzdINzAta8RNKwyn9I2zAiwan5AzA0aXoUfsARa_86WDcT0R5ZT11-1xD_g0lVYQWtC5AkR6tP59npTjwQ/s5196/Santa_Maria_del_Popolo_Capella_Chigi_Panorama.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3562" data-original-width="5196" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyI58OPksPoEDgJpSzTcAFUnb-HPZOS4JXpKZRVl72VI2c5JaM-yG1e2Rk7db9bywjXrResPJYhva68Lu41tYtlu4mg6mujiOiXnsImZrqzdINzAta8RNKwyn9I2zAiwan5AzA0aXoUfsARa_86WDcT0R5ZT11-1xD_g0lVYQWtC5AkR6tP59npTjwQ/w640-h438/Santa_Maria_del_Popolo_Capella_Chigi_Panorama.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The sumptuous interior of the chapel with paintings by Sebastiano del Piombo over the altar and on the walls and vaults by Francesco Salviati. The sculptures in the niches are Jonah by Lorenzetto who was Raphael's reliable in house sculptor, and Habakuk and the Angel by Bernini from about a century later. <br />The pyramidal tomb monuments to Agostino and Sigismondo Chigi were designed by Raphael and completed with modifications by Bernini.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgzQ21RAWG3VPtaVpokZdXDH-ce2F23mSU1FaY2bzQX_ZcrwKuBxRCA6pr4G-g9_Uz_Mnyhjn27v9BNGQcd13GZ6eoIPopUipBBU1n53n9fq2JSLMioIyRtKakk2JqSADS6KD9Y4R2_JodN1MupN_zt_2MYwCFLDCKulLJbUK8VwIkXEHu4RaxJt0Ng/s3791/Tomba_di_agostino_chigi_su_dis._di_raffaello_poi_ritoccata_dal_bernini.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3791" data-original-width="2044" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgzQ21RAWG3VPtaVpokZdXDH-ce2F23mSU1FaY2bzQX_ZcrwKuBxRCA6pr4G-g9_Uz_Mnyhjn27v9BNGQcd13GZ6eoIPopUipBBU1n53n9fq2JSLMioIyRtKakk2JqSADS6KD9Y4R2_JodN1MupN_zt_2MYwCFLDCKulLJbUK8VwIkXEHu4RaxJt0Ng/w346-h640/Tomba_di_agostino_chigi_su_dis._di_raffaello_poi_ritoccata_dal_bernini.jpg" width="346" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The pyramidal tomb monument to Agostino Chigi designed by Raphael with modifications by Bernini. Pyramidal tomb monuments were unusual, but not unheard of in Roman churches. It is likely modeled on the ancient <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Cestius#:~:text=The%20pyramid%20of%20Cestius%20(in,of%20the%20Epulones%20religious%20corporation." target="_blank">Pyramid of Cestius</a> near the Porta San Sebastiano in Rome.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32Q-t1_JtjTNAOVWUgvhSH1oYUDGGFFZbavvRMEYM_t8Z0_8xA1pqO0Ss6aNJ7_2KzdPB5SMG584Tlk93-R-ZupbiR4Yc6wcCGVIzQr7XC4fnsM20gACNp5kU9WJVSTNYNYRQjt--qHxucN4zY-4PmvMwRV00eZhcbvLfZFVQe0q17u87lBKWuctCSA/s2101/Capella_Chigi_Bernini_Habakuk.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2101" data-original-width="1134" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32Q-t1_JtjTNAOVWUgvhSH1oYUDGGFFZbavvRMEYM_t8Z0_8xA1pqO0Ss6aNJ7_2KzdPB5SMG584Tlk93-R-ZupbiR4Yc6wcCGVIzQr7XC4fnsM20gACNp5kU9WJVSTNYNYRQjt--qHxucN4zY-4PmvMwRV00eZhcbvLfZFVQe0q17u87lBKWuctCSA/w346-h640/Capella_Chigi_Bernini_Habakuk.jpeg" width="346" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Bernini's superbly dramatic sculpture of Habakuk and the Angel completed in 1661.</div><div><br /></div><div>The sculpture is one of a pair by Bernini based on a relatively obscure story in the Book of Daniel where the Prophet Habakuk made lunch for reapers in a field in Judea. An angel appears to him and orders him to take that lunch to the Prophet Daniel locked up in the lions' den in Babylon. When Habakuk protests that he's never seen Babylon, the angel picks him up by the hair and carries him to Babylon and sets him before the starving Daniel in the lions' den with a fresh lunch. The angel then returns Habakuk to where he came from.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielFYSbj6oszFeVpsircdFYrt4RL-YANbBCnG0mwzryknVN4UXA60np4Ffq4heV-fUDzFp32znVhea8AZ31BHsQrj2HAv3vT1uagCgqLVI1ZtMpJFoolRIADhsQFYxDU_C5GoVyxhFEsBAnxpuTrWUY3X_atWCwaCcUlTqa3w-7UU4lCAvss5rjBcKVQ/s3360/Gianlorenzo_bernini,_Abacuc_e_l'angelo,_1656-1661,_02.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3360" data-original-width="2068" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielFYSbj6oszFeVpsircdFYrt4RL-YANbBCnG0mwzryknVN4UXA60np4Ffq4heV-fUDzFp32znVhea8AZ31BHsQrj2HAv3vT1uagCgqLVI1ZtMpJFoolRIADhsQFYxDU_C5GoVyxhFEsBAnxpuTrWUY3X_atWCwaCcUlTqa3w-7UU4lCAvss5rjBcKVQ/w394-h640/Gianlorenzo_bernini,_Abacuc_e_l'angelo,_1656-1661,_02.jpeg" width="394" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldiGCkA8szGsNf6J2bmxPtQFtNafDPvtghpgDB6wdvFYpkpocZ0Mqyre1B8N3RmGMKkSCgotA_8ZntRVMmS0Nol8axqG7hnZsF39Lolr7vJPRYxy5PKFK2ra1Sz45QPobbO9uV80mzYmtOPbNOGMcA1DIZLfE_e8q-EKr8WXR68l3BuWQ-NUjM9MD3w/s2394/Capella_Chigi_Bernini_Daniel_in_der_Lo%CC%88wengrube_01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2394" data-original-width="1294" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldiGCkA8szGsNf6J2bmxPtQFtNafDPvtghpgDB6wdvFYpkpocZ0Mqyre1B8N3RmGMKkSCgotA_8ZntRVMmS0Nol8axqG7hnZsF39Lolr7vJPRYxy5PKFK2ra1Sz45QPobbO9uV80mzYmtOPbNOGMcA1DIZLfE_e8q-EKr8WXR68l3BuWQ-NUjM9MD3w/w346-h640/Capella_Chigi_Bernini_Daniel_in_der_Lo%CC%88wengrube_01.jpeg" width="346" /></a></div><p>Bernini's sculpture of Daniel waiting in the Lions' Den.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnS298J3S3YjY8c5g0sdb3rnxxfe1IYuejhNAIt4VLGxaEjLwEWgsJEASahalvSTDvMhQOlzbpRcDNVDUZ4XsYy0L7oFF9qws4jsjkIPpXXTDV_-V2Kb72F1HYj2lf-eVwnio2ZeYaL03Q4M54TfG3BR8CB8nD7FrfTkLmlVKvc0DLGAQyjpi1rKxsQ/s4608/Cupola_della_Cappella_Chigi_01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnS298J3S3YjY8c5g0sdb3rnxxfe1IYuejhNAIt4VLGxaEjLwEWgsJEASahalvSTDvMhQOlzbpRcDNVDUZ4XsYy0L7oFF9qws4jsjkIPpXXTDV_-V2Kb72F1HYj2lf-eVwnio2ZeYaL03Q4M54TfG3BR8CB8nD7FrfTkLmlVKvc0DLGAQyjpi1rKxsQ/w640-h480/Cupola_della_Cappella_Chigi_01.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The dome mosaics are based on designs by Raphael and executed by Luigi di Pace in 1516. They show the Seven Planets under the divine influence of God the Father who appears in the oculus at the top of the dome.</p><p>Agostino Chigi took a keen interest in astrology. One of the painted ceilings in the pleasure palace he built for himself across the Tiber from Rome (now known as the Farnesina) may show his star chart as interpreted by the Sienese artist Baldassare Peruzzi. The mosaic cycle in the dome reflects those astrological interests and beliefs. </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoP9n2zGFPnB6ax9cHyNBa2K6ppSOM_KO2uNKl_BsfeLbjwjqPXYWN7Dm7Pnz0jCAKbutDinUGAIMXhdQ6NQKwusN05ywtmGMWajAnDQILksgx-Cz4mTZ6MfT2x_E0lywTWHDd8Hb3MKmoyExcAw6AENOHpWnfDWMxexyXaxNpuQKqb6S7qw8sFmzbGg/s5184/Dome_interior_-_Chigi_Chapel_-_Santa_Maria_del_Popolo_-_Rome_2015.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoP9n2zGFPnB6ax9cHyNBa2K6ppSOM_KO2uNKl_BsfeLbjwjqPXYWN7Dm7Pnz0jCAKbutDinUGAIMXhdQ6NQKwusN05ywtmGMWajAnDQILksgx-Cz4mTZ6MfT2x_E0lywTWHDd8Hb3MKmoyExcAw6AENOHpWnfDWMxexyXaxNpuQKqb6S7qw8sFmzbGg/w640-h426/Dome_interior_-_Chigi_Chapel_-_Santa_Maria_del_Popolo_-_Rome_2015.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBqDn2Pa_kHjugRv9WAbytAkRJwPTLAFjUi4b6i2LXAZ2s4e4RDY1uW5I-iitFI7k7vClttLmpy2urYAm2Tjz0ebwqQAAAcsoEwHWezppDBi8QD3rmM_NRQ4BtfZtVQ2KBH1H8XlzzrPTkTs608jo1zkSaTrGWkOuS4qQbomh8oHbqWrkwT4soQssiw/s3648/Luigi_da_Pace_su_dis._di_raffaello,_moasici_della_cappella_chigi_con_dio_padre_e_i_pianeti,_1516,_02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2432" data-original-width="3648" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBqDn2Pa_kHjugRv9WAbytAkRJwPTLAFjUi4b6i2LXAZ2s4e4RDY1uW5I-iitFI7k7vClttLmpy2urYAm2Tjz0ebwqQAAAcsoEwHWezppDBi8QD3rmM_NRQ4BtfZtVQ2KBH1H8XlzzrPTkTs608jo1zkSaTrGWkOuS4qQbomh8oHbqWrkwT4soQssiw/w640-h426/Luigi_da_Pace_su_dis._di_raffaello,_moasici_della_cappella_chigi_con_dio_padre_e_i_pianeti,_1516,_02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The oculus mosaic of God the Father.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqMJ9kw0WPPgdi2pOlStmsgeHnpoQH67I9bL_I6Rm_6lbqDZaPrbfHL5Fripl0mDCCd3jwnZD95gZGkwBQwaXNsjPmgM0yi-OooFFbZzaZxb2wBtzctUOfaOElPT5u54yWeMHvrX5r0inRWfiCCbnq8nKPDRtd0w2_EokCMICHRqAy3421qDvwN8Lag/s850/Raffaello,_studio_per_la_cupola_della_cappella_chigi.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="840" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqMJ9kw0WPPgdi2pOlStmsgeHnpoQH67I9bL_I6Rm_6lbqDZaPrbfHL5Fripl0mDCCd3jwnZD95gZGkwBQwaXNsjPmgM0yi-OooFFbZzaZxb2wBtzctUOfaOElPT5u54yWeMHvrX5r0inRWfiCCbnq8nKPDRtd0w2_EokCMICHRqAy3421qDvwN8Lag/w632-h640/Raffaello,_studio_per_la_cupola_della_cappella_chigi.jpeg" width="632" /></a></div><p>Raphael's splendid drawing for God the Father, probably based on a model drawn from life in red chalk.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WK8GRCvmkeZgjb3s0h3PaANW4GHsQzdi3OF9LjdWi8gIcz7RIzaOMWRPCdigU-Hzj8XGOVj3KQZixo2NCXqe4niDOGbZiu1QkcMTirHF5cWP-INjOnQ3NLDbKR5MhlsPvhtQHIzx_Fz9R5qtrznKlEvmPEzkRwOe1DNsQ5f39e1bxmlJrHFxoBTwNA/s2929/Luigi_da_Pace_su_dis._di_raffaello,_moasici_della_cappella_chigi_con_dio_padre_e_i_pianeti,_1516,_02_marte.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2017" data-original-width="2929" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WK8GRCvmkeZgjb3s0h3PaANW4GHsQzdi3OF9LjdWi8gIcz7RIzaOMWRPCdigU-Hzj8XGOVj3KQZixo2NCXqe4niDOGbZiu1QkcMTirHF5cWP-INjOnQ3NLDbKR5MhlsPvhtQHIzx_Fz9R5qtrznKlEvmPEzkRwOe1DNsQ5f39e1bxmlJrHFxoBTwNA/w640-h440/Luigi_da_Pace_su_dis._di_raffaello,_moasici_della_cappella_chigi_con_dio_padre_e_i_pianeti,_1516,_02_marte.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The mosaic of the planet Mars with a guiding angel in he dome.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6z8vbHar0mA-8ZglSTcKmlth3e-hEgj9UY3EP0_e5F1OnwAM74pr5Pzl7drHzwcW7xm1mr4DaZQ1ScWPcM8-qang5MJU4EiQ8I7Z8HIuaeFIvDdxYA2pdMJ3Uil-WnE0SCe6T83yEna7iBTGAqfgo5l5wNs_x3D9KP67-l8KW6qWFiGMDlhLzO3XFfQ/s650/Raphae%CC%88l_-_La_plane%CC%80te_Mars_et_un_ange.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="604" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6z8vbHar0mA-8ZglSTcKmlth3e-hEgj9UY3EP0_e5F1OnwAM74pr5Pzl7drHzwcW7xm1mr4DaZQ1ScWPcM8-qang5MJU4EiQ8I7Z8HIuaeFIvDdxYA2pdMJ3Uil-WnE0SCe6T83yEna7iBTGAqfgo5l5wNs_x3D9KP67-l8KW6qWFiGMDlhLzO3XFfQ/w594-h640/Raphae%CC%88l_-_La_plane%CC%80te_Mars_et_un_ange.jpeg" width="594" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Raphael's magnificent drawing for Mars and his Guiding Angel, probably drawn from life from two models.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILXp6TdCfFGk8uvXgRdVH0f5Hav7UrSgNL1NXoxP7SHe21hq7FO9JWqu3PNt_kv1Z-q8mUnxu2cQXwGSgepuclJmGIRBhiRK4wEKVZRuSd67dlSXK4KQ9BTpaNeZ08Exp4OlDF8swMObnlNk6O8EkSuAQ7JJGSOVdeMf2fI0s1XeUac_C9TGqWYdJqA/s3072/Morsadcaelos.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILXp6TdCfFGk8uvXgRdVH0f5Hav7UrSgNL1NXoxP7SHe21hq7FO9JWqu3PNt_kv1Z-q8mUnxu2cQXwGSgepuclJmGIRBhiRK4wEKVZRuSd67dlSXK4KQ9BTpaNeZ08Exp4OlDF8swMObnlNk6O8EkSuAQ7JJGSOVdeMf2fI0s1XeUac_C9TGqWYdJqA/w640-h480/Morsadcaelos.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The pietra dura skeleton designed by Bernini in the floor of the chapel directly under God the Father in the Dome. The inscription in Latin says "Through Death to Heaven." The skeleton holds the the stemma, the coat of arms, of the Chigi family.<br /><div><br /></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">Sant' Eligio degli Orefici</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPQmttQy853UJdVrwaTtefWnnXL3SCG9mTFWdgfqRi0okdfvkErZxKQ70fZLj4RF6GVa5NlNBgH2sOsEae6zUsUMuZg-Oqmxq-jvCDzJRzGgbEwX_n6Bx9ZcOarDVU8TOsLivXjyw2TdkXb_gfAMZ9H23zwD8jM8LDibSeE0qx7mR8RGvdRSXHlbhvw/s800/959RomaSEligioOrefici.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPQmttQy853UJdVrwaTtefWnnXL3SCG9mTFWdgfqRi0okdfvkErZxKQ70fZLj4RF6GVa5NlNBgH2sOsEae6zUsUMuZg-Oqmxq-jvCDzJRzGgbEwX_n6Bx9ZcOarDVU8TOsLivXjyw2TdkXb_gfAMZ9H23zwD8jM8LDibSeE0qx7mR8RGvdRSXHlbhvw/w640-h480/959RomaSEligioOrefici.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Raphael designed and built this church about the same time he was painting the great frescoes in the Stanza della Segnatura and is a sharp contrast to the later sumptuous Chigi Chapel.</p><p>Like the Chigi Chapel, this too was mostly left to others to build and complete such as Baldassare Peruzzi who probably designed the dome. The early 17th century facade was built by Flaminio Ponzio.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CLkZtmWz8sYz5qjFlV9LfVVNolZxHnfy8h49RUbdKVLEOZc6mCOoLQS33W_ZkyqKDXNmzoMZN-RADO95548XFXUCSZvlkKUaCWYDGHiD1g4dNnJyo3psBU_mcEZws6WasvY69iJRN2ZPEyZ_pWu0GfEzBijnoAcsiD7V8oD9AgnTREwIlHHcnfZlxw/s4392/Sant'_Eligio_degli_Orefici_-_Vierungskuppel.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4392" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CLkZtmWz8sYz5qjFlV9LfVVNolZxHnfy8h49RUbdKVLEOZc6mCOoLQS33W_ZkyqKDXNmzoMZN-RADO95548XFXUCSZvlkKUaCWYDGHiD1g4dNnJyo3psBU_mcEZws6WasvY69iJRN2ZPEyZ_pWu0GfEzBijnoAcsiD7V8oD9AgnTREwIlHHcnfZlxw/w640-h504/Sant'_Eligio_degli_Orefici_-_Vierungskuppel.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> </div><div>The splendid but very spare interior is mostly Raphael's own design and contrasts sharply with the elaborate splendor of the Chigi Chapel, even though the plans and sizes of the two domed chapels are very similar.</div><div><br /></div><div>The church was built for the goldsmith's guild in Rome, St. Eligius of the Goldsmiths.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><p></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">San Giovanni dei Fiorentini</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-eKxmynqKE1B1pfvVLS3WjPBlvVB65P9j1kvDlqaWiZCUc2hcbMPomj_TtOrtXtk6smHQJIRgdPObuMUpCEVUmyGAZOdP-dYd5his1htjH3SuJ7FVL51LFF8fdcgfGvokWH6dMtp73_rjySkp6gXzsex8a98fgEdkc10QdeX_YZu2idlMY-qCj8yWA/s4032/E%CC%81glise_San_Giovanni_Fiorentini_-_Rome_(IT62)_-_2021-08-25_-_2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-eKxmynqKE1B1pfvVLS3WjPBlvVB65P9j1kvDlqaWiZCUc2hcbMPomj_TtOrtXtk6smHQJIRgdPObuMUpCEVUmyGAZOdP-dYd5his1htjH3SuJ7FVL51LFF8fdcgfGvokWH6dMtp73_rjySkp6gXzsex8a98fgEdkc10QdeX_YZu2idlMY-qCj8yWA/w640-h480/E%CC%81glise_San_Giovanni_Fiorentini_-_Rome_(IT62)_-_2021-08-25_-_2.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>As the name says, this church was built for the Florentine congregation in Rome. The present church was designed and built by Giacomo della Porta based on an earlier design by Jacopo Sansovino with some later modifications by Alessandro Galilei, a descendent of the great scientist Galileo.</div><div>Pope Leo X, a Florentine and a Medici (Giovanni de Medici) ordered the church built to replace an older church dedicated to Saint Pantaleon. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT76Gb-RPvTTQnBmbjxv-WIOIH8PWnhJZDLoBBPX4VuOsloCdFaA3_UyH_ziYAQiabjnmASjIUJG-_XShm-rNqr49M1g3YfTRSVHuz_qjftBlKZkEnbOT35YNsQG0lkg79KVyUEuqZ_zpP3wrPj2e6FwSOnw-DbU_hUbEIROc9XyzYZZMp07MJugXXSg/s2250/2014-05-10_G.B._dei_Fiorentini_Rome.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1787" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT76Gb-RPvTTQnBmbjxv-WIOIH8PWnhJZDLoBBPX4VuOsloCdFaA3_UyH_ziYAQiabjnmASjIUJG-_XShm-rNqr49M1g3YfTRSVHuz_qjftBlKZkEnbOT35YNsQG0lkg79KVyUEuqZ_zpP3wrPj2e6FwSOnw-DbU_hUbEIROc9XyzYZZMp07MJugXXSg/w508-h640/2014-05-10_G.B._dei_Fiorentini_Rome.jpg" width="508" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The facade by Alessandro Galilei completed in 1734.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSvVy_IufCadNRUFUpbrf9GOrYIoC1npU5JZrSNaA1uwTVdMpwlxDn35CKCoqQu4hkWXpo3UpTz0TnWTqOlXEtflhD14-2LyL0S7PTDsmB3du75qR0ucaa1pVRbGYmmeVcZ6-Dztzc-q2n8iUW8hS_uLH-0eCxHW7GLBizhugywDP4znwgh31Tjvk9Q/s5305/Church_of_San_Giovanni_Battista_dei_Fiorentini_-_interior_HDR.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3586" data-original-width="5305" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSvVy_IufCadNRUFUpbrf9GOrYIoC1npU5JZrSNaA1uwTVdMpwlxDn35CKCoqQu4hkWXpo3UpTz0TnWTqOlXEtflhD14-2LyL0S7PTDsmB3du75qR0ucaa1pVRbGYmmeVcZ6-Dztzc-q2n8iUW8hS_uLH-0eCxHW7GLBizhugywDP4znwgh31Tjvk9Q/w640-h432/Church_of_San_Giovanni_Battista_dei_Fiorentini_-_interior_HDR.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Interior of the church</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ25euYjEuFur0D9QEIs2ykkhC2ov_FLFNlZ_2S96BYk04FvldbjM-wESh6wM-0pQaEfoxtH0gA-yQR8jb_lIPNEjjxi-LBE2kxv_J6rQwWV_W44f4ihWk3p1Fb9b-D1jPEnPd5k67uehzx7fro2RHVTE5HaxRd_kBXJfvkWx6sgTNMib2Sw4wiejlSA/s5351/Dome_of_San_Giovanni_dei_Fiorentini_(Rome)_HDR.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3664" data-original-width="5351" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ25euYjEuFur0D9QEIs2ykkhC2ov_FLFNlZ_2S96BYk04FvldbjM-wESh6wM-0pQaEfoxtH0gA-yQR8jb_lIPNEjjxi-LBE2kxv_J6rQwWV_W44f4ihWk3p1Fb9b-D1jPEnPd5k67uehzx7fro2RHVTE5HaxRd_kBXJfvkWx6sgTNMib2Sw4wiejlSA/w640-h438/Dome_of_San_Giovanni_dei_Fiorentini_(Rome)_HDR.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The dome built by Carlo Maderno, a circular interior with an octagonal exterior recalling the great octagonal dome of Florence Cathedral.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKOgX-9dDr4dyiurDZ5lI-hxfOmQdpym55-Y2mtzoRstgETZHIi-OZUL3WcgMIUy5vN8Pj8IkYNdvX7hSI7x6Si-ZsjMt-z3pcOMKMGymMJ75xLDq0SuQFfvfxP_mSblOZ8xNt4vUMs_jKlnKcFcXdcgVpiEeI6ep16s5Umnhm8pMhdoDjihOYVlhgg/s694/GiovanniFiorentiniPlan.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="425" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKOgX-9dDr4dyiurDZ5lI-hxfOmQdpym55-Y2mtzoRstgETZHIi-OZUL3WcgMIUy5vN8Pj8IkYNdvX7hSI7x6Si-ZsjMt-z3pcOMKMGymMJ75xLDq0SuQFfvfxP_mSblOZ8xNt4vUMs_jKlnKcFcXdcgVpiEeI6ep16s5Umnhm8pMhdoDjihOYVlhgg/w392-h640/GiovanniFiorentiniPlan.jpeg" width="392" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In 1559, Duke Cosimo I de Medici commissioned Michelangelo to submit a design before construction began in earnest upon the church. </div><div>Michelangelo experimented with several centralized designs for a great domed church in a series of magnificent architectural drawings.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5leLpqjIAQ-nuvLMreSE-0r4a_P_dBaKKy4MYDbEh0CxP66VxDvjtlQ5TuY61u3eo4TooIFBYoWozEkQEeJsfaUV_z2JEOGl7sjuroFGUf-4R_kC-NaIUDiGHCIszaM1XDTrOViybxRXS6CplPu57ydqM6F0XfphjEtZolvt5_4kIp9Qt1tA_W453g/s694/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%206.50.28%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="524" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5leLpqjIAQ-nuvLMreSE-0r4a_P_dBaKKy4MYDbEh0CxP66VxDvjtlQ5TuY61u3eo4TooIFBYoWozEkQEeJsfaUV_z2JEOGl7sjuroFGUf-4R_kC-NaIUDiGHCIszaM1XDTrOViybxRXS6CplPu57ydqM6F0XfphjEtZolvt5_4kIp9Qt1tA_W453g/w484-h640/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%206.50.28%20PM.png" width="484" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9Iz94sawtTkrjVCJhUG38w3jprWDcSnRcyl0mYvGUdOp6isea1ZykjZLeIS01YakYVDjcNmm6onpVlAimBOpq8FfVXiXHTv4UK2mWkHz8r2Jnddk6YuNh7FUJdkJxga4V6L00mmkOJv8gecKdE51Gi5XxNaJt_QbOm_f5ZS4S27NUURNk7sMDTh2uA/s1132/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%206.50.09%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9Iz94sawtTkrjVCJhUG38w3jprWDcSnRcyl0mYvGUdOp6isea1ZykjZLeIS01YakYVDjcNmm6onpVlAimBOpq8FfVXiXHTv4UK2mWkHz8r2Jnddk6YuNh7FUJdkJxga4V6L00mmkOJv8gecKdE51Gi5XxNaJt_QbOm_f5ZS4S27NUURNk7sMDTh2uA/w578-h640/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%206.50.09%20PM.png" width="578" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil18eEEvSY_MfmfH8u1-ADbcj_gz7PQcqexR0zTjcmvYOrZmvqzhnauEv5bSYwBRD96I-Bvdy7OvXO4gwkjBHXrZdRQBakYluompJqgaaS0ZkVaKMJSuPufHZADGy5SxiOBL7VSUahBFciYBUo3U-HHnMqYRWoAPa6Jhjmj8_oojjNGwSMUCIHBy3lXg/s544/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%206.51.10%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="378" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil18eEEvSY_MfmfH8u1-ADbcj_gz7PQcqexR0zTjcmvYOrZmvqzhnauEv5bSYwBRD96I-Bvdy7OvXO4gwkjBHXrZdRQBakYluompJqgaaS0ZkVaKMJSuPufHZADGy5SxiOBL7VSUahBFciYBUo3U-HHnMqYRWoAPa6Jhjmj8_oojjNGwSMUCIHBy3lXg/w444-h640/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%206.51.10%20PM.png" width="444" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyzZ0DG6vrZRpnd2FrEc1W4m3Yzi27iQlDlp1eg0_DEbt0Y3dAMP-xIMNibUCCAIFiAvM2ODndESoS1Sf8AQoa_NmWpZLPcajpPOsDF9Rj0zn0_-fvjqr8x1DLwBYWM6LxI65pJdoNpVkr624YYAnLTfMXUBp6MvIq_3jLNJjJQbUTRm-pzU3-baJLw/s2448/View_of_a_model_of_a_project_by_Michelangelo_for_San_Giovanni_dei_Fiorentini,_engraving_by_Jacques_Lemercier_-_Gady_2005_p20.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1699" data-original-width="2448" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyzZ0DG6vrZRpnd2FrEc1W4m3Yzi27iQlDlp1eg0_DEbt0Y3dAMP-xIMNibUCCAIFiAvM2ODndESoS1Sf8AQoa_NmWpZLPcajpPOsDF9Rj0zn0_-fvjqr8x1DLwBYWM6LxI65pJdoNpVkr624YYAnLTfMXUBp6MvIq_3jLNJjJQbUTRm-pzU3-baJLw/w640-h444/View_of_a_model_of_a_project_by_Michelangelo_for_San_Giovanni_dei_Fiorentini,_engraving_by_Jacques_Lemercier_-_Gady_2005_p20.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>An engraving of a wooden model for Michelangelo's final design for San Giovanni dei Fiorentini. It was not used. The congregation continued with the original design by Sansovino.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">St. Peter's</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I've discussed the redesign and rebuilding of St. Peter's before on this blog at length <a href="http://counterlightsrantsandblather1.blogspot.com/2009/11/renaissance-saint-peters-decision-to.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://counterlightsrantsandblather1.blogspot.com/2009/11/renaissance-saint-peters-michelangelo.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The greatest dome in Rome, and among the greatest in history, curiously does not quite dominate the city in the way we would anticipate. It stands off to the side of the city at a distance. If we stand on a hilltop just about anywhere in Rome, we can see it on the horizon looking like a distant mountain, more like Mt. Fuji on a clear day from Tokyo instead of dominating the whole city like the US Capitol dome over the center of Washington DC.</div><div>The Vatican hill was always just outside ancient Rome on the west side across the Tiber. Until the mid 20th century, the territory on the other side of the Vatican was open countryside to the sea coast.</div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcybsgnRXgWMs3TP0jetKXnx6EelsK6WH6L59RgJscjj44KhBf3ilEpOxIO5ZzfLM7Is4NHwIv2pmBs3A03nk9g6Jh8ijggODjd2UT8EwfGd6jMiM9lRP74sfFGYW4_Gxuml_xuC_vR7Yt8tsgxTEwC7AXFuBs5916Gq5eZUwVeQbMDQY6hqhfqKEoA/s4892/The_Setting_Sun_as_Seen_Against_St._Peter's_Basilica_(31007878440).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3254" data-original-width="4892" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcybsgnRXgWMs3TP0jetKXnx6EelsK6WH6L59RgJscjj44KhBf3ilEpOxIO5ZzfLM7Is4NHwIv2pmBs3A03nk9g6Jh8ijggODjd2UT8EwfGd6jMiM9lRP74sfFGYW4_Gxuml_xuC_vR7Yt8tsgxTEwC7AXFuBs5916Gq5eZUwVeQbMDQY6hqhfqKEoA/w640-h426/The_Setting_Sun_as_Seen_Against_St._Peter's_Basilica_(31007878440).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00w_OnniE7IbozpGx0DvboV1l2y6usJ5FcfMab8kCLQZYruaeZiNbIcc2t0JLs6PB10StbD14KVQdaakmPpwVLpZtS-9X3UAL0UVJablD5NzVVNqTRtI-XMD-Lc9Eh28JXEKr1Ory6WD4WG0skK9qsV7TbuHn7yufRlN4sblfDjpGqaAFgipAOPBcog/s1512/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%208.24.05%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1512" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00w_OnniE7IbozpGx0DvboV1l2y6usJ5FcfMab8kCLQZYruaeZiNbIcc2t0JLs6PB10StbD14KVQdaakmPpwVLpZtS-9X3UAL0UVJablD5NzVVNqTRtI-XMD-Lc9Eh28JXEKr1Ory6WD4WG0skK9qsV7TbuHn7yufRlN4sblfDjpGqaAFgipAOPBcog/w640-h480/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%208.24.05%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRsM3Yy16cIHouVl9BAIZjm9NtX8GeQGF9KMHw_25Ycq_HfA2eGqG-rfb-Vk0HiwLkOuT7URfObacbo4GncHsJa71cGfyJvbd9aZ6ALq6hIns7pwSaMBgkyPf_3OfAXXhNWHsmsEhEURQozLj22enyzpcMq35wzaG3-K8Mb-TkQlvVmFM9Ce7R2OCIg/s7360/Dome_of_Saint_Peter's_Basilica_from_the_Vatican_Railway.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4912" data-original-width="7360" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRsM3Yy16cIHouVl9BAIZjm9NtX8GeQGF9KMHw_25Ycq_HfA2eGqG-rfb-Vk0HiwLkOuT7URfObacbo4GncHsJa71cGfyJvbd9aZ6ALq6hIns7pwSaMBgkyPf_3OfAXXhNWHsmsEhEURQozLj22enyzpcMq35wzaG3-K8Mb-TkQlvVmFM9Ce7R2OCIg/w640-h428/Dome_of_Saint_Peter's_Basilica_from_the_Vatican_Railway.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Adding to the unusual aspect of St. Peter's in relation to its city is the fact that it is not built on a hill top, but into a hillside, for centuries a continuing challenge for construction inspiring much structural innovation.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLU33M3a8p2-NOTMez7PP68bILGnrg_p3At7Yf7TXQgkEmXomgox6h-SYjE2PHrQlNMG84K2WOSEBk0OfxBYfDO7xC60cdO7Y9wNVt0FcAJ-rYDW9zqTL9BVtfZpZDfGCpSjlOA9s8s5W47T9tBLvcJkrGKywsRiGV4CScBEH3XP2mUMzgaoBc7Lmaw/s1276/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%208.25.28%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="1276" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLU33M3a8p2-NOTMez7PP68bILGnrg_p3At7Yf7TXQgkEmXomgox6h-SYjE2PHrQlNMG84K2WOSEBk0OfxBYfDO7xC60cdO7Y9wNVt0FcAJ-rYDW9zqTL9BVtfZpZDfGCpSjlOA9s8s5W47T9tBLvcJkrGKywsRiGV4CScBEH3XP2mUMzgaoBc7Lmaw/w640-h458/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%208.25.28%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKPnggfhoybJykJ4y4ef4gYJlZgpIfbI1IrxGqV5sjbdtZ_gAxFB0BxrcinqOzuB6c7zDSwxzfjqlBiLiq35gSRsizyqg2bYyF72bn3T3g65Did7nHxQkFK2aW2uTuQv56ChGFUY8zZgz9fB7MlTQqHlInR1K0HJ6FGD6VpGCvA17NJk964virc1TaQ/s3109/Bazilika_sv._Petra.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2408" data-original-width="3109" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKPnggfhoybJykJ4y4ef4gYJlZgpIfbI1IrxGqV5sjbdtZ_gAxFB0BxrcinqOzuB6c7zDSwxzfjqlBiLiq35gSRsizyqg2bYyF72bn3T3g65Did7nHxQkFK2aW2uTuQv56ChGFUY8zZgz9fB7MlTQqHlInR1K0HJ6FGD6VpGCvA17NJk964virc1TaQ/w640-h496/Bazilika_sv._Petra.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The dome of St. Peter's crowns the largest single building construction project in Rome's long history. Construction on everything we see now took around a century and a half to complete. St. Peter's remains the largest church ever built, even in our age of prodigious construction enabled by new and newer technologies. Its dome is still the tallest in the world, at 447 feet (136 meters). All the other great domes of the world would fit comfortably within its vast interior like nested Russian dolls with room to spare.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBfpTq93fwxFCuIGCJbE5CQVlHut0VuWmnR725TlWp-IEB2GtHze5cbfP2Ghw75zKCFY3QbWcVUHeSRYyZNb1ktVPbs6d1tar2wBY9asI9Cl443cWH99mTPKCfb_NQmuH40WmoPNPWVxLZcqx_8vMAXycdAf3coxb1mV86qIRNkabAlNCZq31t6ibig/s4288/Ceiling_Shots_2_(5694339284).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4288" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBfpTq93fwxFCuIGCJbE5CQVlHut0VuWmnR725TlWp-IEB2GtHze5cbfP2Ghw75zKCFY3QbWcVUHeSRYyZNb1ktVPbs6d1tar2wBY9asI9Cl443cWH99mTPKCfb_NQmuH40WmoPNPWVxLZcqx_8vMAXycdAf3coxb1mV86qIRNkabAlNCZq31t6ibig/w640-h426/Ceiling_Shots_2_(5694339284).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Rising over the historically most important Christian altar in the Western world, the great dome designed by Michelangelo rests on a crossing designed and built by Bramante and contains within its form the entire history of the Western Church to the 16th century. The dome is an architectural form identified with ancient pre-Christian Rome. It recalls the round paintings on the ceilings of cubicula in the catacombs of the third century. The dome calls to mind the round martyrium churches built over the tombs of martyr saints after Christianity was legalized by the Emperor Constantine. The huge dome rests on four great arches, a creation of the Byzantine Empire and Eastern Christianity. The emphatic ribbed verticality of the dome inside and out reminds us of Gothic art with its great cathedrals. </div><div>So much meaning and association concentrated into a clear concentrated form on a great scale that only someone with the intellectual strength and confidence of Michelangelo could bring off. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCjkah7Y4ZMEZNds_jDuOxnSIWVrAMAP0vlnTlrwxsA4Bf8oCcnoskyFSx0HbWBkKbozro0_ac0Mx2e-pdfF5i-4Rf2napSLauyCqVE9_mGJl1rUOVYkqbGrjlmBk7BhO9oWCPF0su1l0fisI4DoSO7eJjHvIu75-XN1takECsgREZwv6HSrTX_3n2A/s800/Rom_Petersdom_Kuppel_innen.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCjkah7Y4ZMEZNds_jDuOxnSIWVrAMAP0vlnTlrwxsA4Bf8oCcnoskyFSx0HbWBkKbozro0_ac0Mx2e-pdfF5i-4Rf2napSLauyCqVE9_mGJl1rUOVYkqbGrjlmBk7BhO9oWCPF0su1l0fisI4DoSO7eJjHvIu75-XN1takECsgREZwv6HSrTX_3n2A/w640-h480/Rom_Petersdom_Kuppel_innen.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLy0xk4qv9mI4h28S_eYSnrGMBQ-cRm75DArbE1GcL9lyAzTnphKUVeVMk2qynamsu0O6zEXPUmNvLJdyTZg14TD6AVHHgNsp7GOzH7aK4irMp_QFWxG8vh7Ate-Rj0dN84YoJbKnAX1I7dufyIAtdz8TRCDq6YUhLfRTC325sXCkVHs4KlSGckomrUQ/s1578/Rome_StPeter_Cupola-02.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1578" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLy0xk4qv9mI4h28S_eYSnrGMBQ-cRm75DArbE1GcL9lyAzTnphKUVeVMk2qynamsu0O6zEXPUmNvLJdyTZg14TD6AVHHgNsp7GOzH7aK4irMp_QFWxG8vh7Ate-Rj0dN84YoJbKnAX1I7dufyIAtdz8TRCDq6YUhLfRTC325sXCkVHs4KlSGckomrUQ/w640-h474/Rome_StPeter_Cupola-02.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4O97bLfd1bZLl901SqTDLoT0McSDTFS_kGkqO1HUtWTBmRqhxkmqr7brPId5-3oK-B_hNTJYVoqBuQpCAHrBxrheN_3dIJ9GZfQQus4Es6XC8EsUagArRfshOYJEds0YtSUKJCQJyA0eaMSypJGHgY9XuRz9JGoqrKdSzGX2yRCPFBpAbyWTWr5euw/s1252/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%208.17.10%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1252" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4O97bLfd1bZLl901SqTDLoT0McSDTFS_kGkqO1HUtWTBmRqhxkmqr7brPId5-3oK-B_hNTJYVoqBuQpCAHrBxrheN_3dIJ9GZfQQus4Es6XC8EsUagArRfshOYJEds0YtSUKJCQJyA0eaMSypJGHgY9XuRz9JGoqrKdSzGX2yRCPFBpAbyWTWr5euw/w640-h430/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%208.17.10%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLQEvMdxWgo6tneIgSh2ITlXPXof__y5vikmcT9tk12ChGzu4TFdqPlLV2BsSIuFgIrqWvkjmAeUAkdSnaEtYckEnEpSoDc4Anyt6Rdm3qt4aDNK8XoS9yPACHcK6dzJqfmEn35TdRj89wTcpVpmmlfkGKylKUgR6RrhZnSHPUOEvdyEWOLoAyLXDrQ/s2902/Basilica_di_San_Pietro,_Vatican_city_(15179826006).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="2902" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLQEvMdxWgo6tneIgSh2ITlXPXof__y5vikmcT9tk12ChGzu4TFdqPlLV2BsSIuFgIrqWvkjmAeUAkdSnaEtYckEnEpSoDc4Anyt6Rdm3qt4aDNK8XoS9yPACHcK6dzJqfmEn35TdRj89wTcpVpmmlfkGKylKUgR6RrhZnSHPUOEvdyEWOLoAyLXDrQ/w640-h572/Basilica_di_San_Pietro,_Vatican_city_(15179826006).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrv7upyzcpTy7O3tyrYVvK5un0Jpk873ny2Td-VUzMPVYtS7P0qi3I4VgJUiEMZeRqFLkCJQ9t_XZJqAlgxtxEonnWr4qHdns3ZaxFUMWS8i0pzoJ3YA5KNEZKORgMcrNQwiVoSz-Xsohi8KlJUg5tG3zeqgLY51C9mwzBqFKdUgFH483AIqPtHFg9g/s1920/Basilica_di_San_Pietro_06_06_2019_14.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrv7upyzcpTy7O3tyrYVvK5un0Jpk873ny2Td-VUzMPVYtS7P0qi3I4VgJUiEMZeRqFLkCJQ9t_XZJqAlgxtxEonnWr4qHdns3ZaxFUMWS8i0pzoJ3YA5KNEZKORgMcrNQwiVoSz-Xsohi8KlJUg5tG3zeqgLY51C9mwzBqFKdUgFH483AIqPtHFg9g/w640-h360/Basilica_di_San_Pietro_06_06_2019_14.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0j7tvqxHGzIgottg5D3sPJaqkYo90GGOCORgpc6nRWrBXM9j_R85aipo0svDYZ8X8ON7kDuneZpyy-oW4b3eemD52n883aWNFUubM3iAdjmMt1_RYEfMeWDNJz6qmUSg1zu3D4z3XxDj8CoQBM7QFRjjDPxXLz0y0gdtW4C_cRMr6BvuKD8nPAoY5aw/s4320/Rom_St.Peter_fd_(8).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0j7tvqxHGzIgottg5D3sPJaqkYo90GGOCORgpc6nRWrBXM9j_R85aipo0svDYZ8X8ON7kDuneZpyy-oW4b3eemD52n883aWNFUubM3iAdjmMt1_RYEfMeWDNJz6qmUSg1zu3D4z3XxDj8CoQBM7QFRjjDPxXLz0y0gdtW4C_cRMr6BvuKD8nPAoY5aw/w640-h480/Rom_St.Peter_fd_(8).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The lantern of St. Peter's crowded with tourists.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OMMdynVNfij_6H3X1vogEecBhs0wyzAyNwx4cywLu8x9IzPYDUEP97r9AoGD3EbhZlO_MLJTZsvym55eeXCO-_JTfPBGf28WSzaXGrctZgpvkQ08yIFyTNjSQmO0Uppnog2_uCDQb6KlBd4A8fWdqYQ5QJO8Fpt9FoQoNS6io48p_MG4Qs-oreQ8Og/s1122/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%208.15.18%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="1122" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OMMdynVNfij_6H3X1vogEecBhs0wyzAyNwx4cywLu8x9IzPYDUEP97r9AoGD3EbhZlO_MLJTZsvym55eeXCO-_JTfPBGf28WSzaXGrctZgpvkQ08yIFyTNjSQmO0Uppnog2_uCDQb6KlBd4A8fWdqYQ5QJO8Fpt9FoQoNS6io48p_MG4Qs-oreQ8Og/w640-h476/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%208.15.18%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>A pope's eye view of the Baldachino over the altar of St. Peter's and the dome beyond.</div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MxvrO3jDJe_c0N-v0AElezClFI8W5cUcEZ8oECy_doWLAnFvJOQRD_8uxm3b41AVXvnUIriGRbCJz5SvMbgSLazfGecthaC2-jHJfepax5Fdc55RXFoi1IjqZy7fZYS69GOx9RE2mF9r9wYxjkxmE2RgvTmV4rSPfwCbWnjcIr0EoSUOguW7tSlFeg/s3901/DP830312.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2781" data-original-width="3901" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MxvrO3jDJe_c0N-v0AElezClFI8W5cUcEZ8oECy_doWLAnFvJOQRD_8uxm3b41AVXvnUIriGRbCJz5SvMbgSLazfGecthaC2-jHJfepax5Fdc55RXFoi1IjqZy7fZYS69GOx9RE2mF9r9wYxjkxmE2RgvTmV4rSPfwCbWnjcIr0EoSUOguW7tSlFeg/w640-h456/DP830312.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Etienne Duperac's engravings of Michelangelo's proposed designs for St. Peter's.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipirHa2JItOGCGfyQK1DJDg55tqh6r0NkwBjBoeGLHLx_bmrZC-ie-6M88BH9PN8K9jBu2K9Zr2AfYgRM_IakvUQubze2935JOF915YkQuz1fwU43dGVd-_0u6H_spJOYb7tn1acaD3t8PlfJky-q52qkf1pRi3grjxpzfRXBCuuIJERDMXfzQYkN7A/s1423/Michelangelo%20St.%20Peter's%20Duperac.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1145" data-original-width="1423" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipirHa2JItOGCGfyQK1DJDg55tqh6r0NkwBjBoeGLHLx_bmrZC-ie-6M88BH9PN8K9jBu2K9Zr2AfYgRM_IakvUQubze2935JOF915YkQuz1fwU43dGVd-_0u6H_spJOYb7tn1acaD3t8PlfJky-q52qkf1pRi3grjxpzfRXBCuuIJERDMXfzQYkN7A/w640-h514/Michelangelo%20St.%20Peter's%20Duperac.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bdGfz41q37JrnKm3yjZrRHInHXH2gzmc2HS8mW8FmeyCsif5l67-ZGXDDmSDhPmMx5rfHUiRhN7wPM5oIOzq3mriHOcyZuJMBgpCTUCTM3087v6WHunZp2-qoN1DCgzPHKNqUYVmBwtfplmrN5vvKMyVDFTKY39lUNtImWm3_oOz1mbYiAeXZ06CQQ/s762/Screen%20Shot%202021-07-13%20at%208.40.43%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="760" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bdGfz41q37JrnKm3yjZrRHInHXH2gzmc2HS8mW8FmeyCsif5l67-ZGXDDmSDhPmMx5rfHUiRhN7wPM5oIOzq3mriHOcyZuJMBgpCTUCTM3087v6WHunZp2-qoN1DCgzPHKNqUYVmBwtfplmrN5vvKMyVDFTKY39lUNtImWm3_oOz1mbYiAeXZ06CQQ/w638-h640/Screen%20Shot%202021-07-13%20at%208.40.43%20PM.png" width="638" /></a></div><div><br /></div>A photo of St. Peter's from the west taken in the 1890s, a view now obscured by a lot of early 20th century construction after the Vatican became an independent state within Italy. As we can see, until recently the countryside came right into what are now the Vatican gardens. <br /><div>I show this photo because this is a view of Michelangelo's best and most ambitious work on the exterior of the church that is no longer possible. Vatican administration buildings from the 1930s now block most of this view. The general public, tourists and all, are not admitted to see this view except for bits and pieces of it from windows and balconies in the Vatican Museums.</div><div>Also, we can see much more clearly in this photo than we can now how St. Peter's is built into a lower slope of the Vatican hill.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-75237926618166265272022-07-30T18:02:00.001-04:002022-07-30T18:03:36.427-04:00The Domes of Rome 2<p><br /></p><p>The first post in this series can be <a href="https://counterlightsrantsandblather1.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-domes-of-rome-1.html" target="_blank">found here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's remarkable to realize that the domed church came late to Rome. The city famous for St. Peter's and it's many domed churches did not see any domed construction after the 5th century until the 16th century. All the major developments in domed church architecture took place in the Greek speaking Eastern Roman Empire, or as we know it, the Byzantine Empire, and didn't find their way to the city of Rome until Bramante built the Tempietto. While major inventions such as the dome resting on four arches and the dome clerestory took place in the Christian East, the city of Rome planted the seeds of those ideas in some of its earliest surviving Christian structures and churches.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhykI8J3JHSUQ_hOx9ZFRAquxNfjpmZ_kuM-ZK5qFPHDRtms89wo28A2_U5ZUDn8i70bYYbOAJcrSrSs3P4MDNbzppbM7HmLES8iwkDnHqwBLi0XwS21ef0w21goOkZ0scebuy22Vbk8VYVn8NcSecfFNKA4IwEmR1R-heRyf7e3NrksoXdLU-YyRMZNA/s5184/w2-catacombs-a-20131122.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhykI8J3JHSUQ_hOx9ZFRAquxNfjpmZ_kuM-ZK5qFPHDRtms89wo28A2_U5ZUDn8i70bYYbOAJcrSrSs3P4MDNbzppbM7HmLES8iwkDnHqwBLi0XwS21ef0w21goOkZ0scebuy22Vbk8VYVn8NcSecfFNKA4IwEmR1R-heRyf7e3NrksoXdLU-YyRMZNA/w640-h426/w2-catacombs-a-20131122.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We get a small preview of things to come when Christianity was still an illegal spiritual movement widely loathed and feared in the Roman Empire, in the ancient Christian catacombs. While Rome in various periods of persecution destroyed churches and burned Christian books, it spared Christian burial places. Roman superstitions about the dead preserved Christian cemeteries. The first identifiably Christian art appears in the 3rd century when large numbers of educated and well to do Romans begin converting to the new religion during the Third Century Crisis. They brought their pre-Christian culture of imagery and reverence for the dead into the new faith. They also brought the Roman institution of the family tomb into the underground Christian cemeteries that once honeycombed the bedrock outside the city walls, the catacombs. We see in these photos a cubiculum, a family tomb chamber in the Catacombs of Priscilla north of the Vatican in Rome. All the burials in this room belonged to a single family. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uMi9o7t582YnXw385HoVI-5UZsOvkNnbHmEJ2VU4Uk6ug_IJ4ugNaE8lb1SsmOT1RKZN6A680D-SNSyXYIQsVlKphccx0J-6qV528UySAXDqgxHrE9BHRwATj_akFtk-oqUYnXhALUIzVX0hqT74Gn9LwODSzMTebA__dzxMKHYPgQlfkGBeOYf0HQ/s1200/Room-of-the-veiled-woman-restored.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uMi9o7t582YnXw385HoVI-5UZsOvkNnbHmEJ2VU4Uk6ug_IJ4ugNaE8lb1SsmOT1RKZN6A680D-SNSyXYIQsVlKphccx0J-6qV528UySAXDqgxHrE9BHRwATj_akFtk-oqUYnXhALUIzVX0hqT74Gn9LwODSzMTebA__dzxMKHYPgQlfkGBeOYf0HQ/w640-h426/Room-of-the-veiled-woman-restored.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Room of the Veiled Lady in the Catacomb of Priscilla.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjst0vmF00rcUsbXnRFCSFXgrSnPobRvCV7ENP6HVTbCLm67iWCXTsJp334wFrjxZVefL9K2fQIp2Z_NpllHPEx2futiN2V5ofKRZK6tdsxiyh7dys1jyGKG0kiteoEKbbNc2z6EyVIyKpLxVJcufupqrmRXdLncGg56NtRJCJaz_nC7iK_5AEHR9-dVg/s749/Orantas_poza,_3.gs.pirms.Kr.,_Priscillas_katakombas,_Roma..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="749" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjst0vmF00rcUsbXnRFCSFXgrSnPobRvCV7ENP6HVTbCLm67iWCXTsJp334wFrjxZVefL9K2fQIp2Z_NpllHPEx2futiN2V5ofKRZK6tdsxiyh7dys1jyGKG0kiteoEKbbNc2z6EyVIyKpLxVJcufupqrmRXdLncGg56NtRJCJaz_nC7iK_5AEHR9-dVg/w640-h388/Orantas_poza,_3.gs.pirms.Kr.,_Priscillas_katakombas,_Roma..jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Veiled Lady, perhaps a personification of prayer. She wears something that looks to me like a tallit.</div><div>She raises her hands in what was once the universal gesture of prayer throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. Today that gesture survives in Islam and in the gesture of priests saying the Eucharistic Prayer in Western liturgy.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcN70aCbG6BM3YuUGThFxUFyed9dd7cnOnpvlYMCmxg-FAdjRJC7YRAm9G3j_ac3z6zWDfPCFFbP9oN8j7512RiD2XXn_vJwgUwZDJg9Z3264-s1aGAcs4xvkat4vgJDlqxccEM4hOMdc4UgAEV5a2ojG5PmX9gEPJmz4esFNDUyarUJMLnXiP0hNFdw/s712/Good_shepherd_01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="492" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcN70aCbG6BM3YuUGThFxUFyed9dd7cnOnpvlYMCmxg-FAdjRJC7YRAm9G3j_ac3z6zWDfPCFFbP9oN8j7512RiD2XXn_vJwgUwZDJg9Z3264-s1aGAcs4xvkat4vgJDlqxccEM4hOMdc4UgAEV5a2ojG5PmX9gEPJmz4esFNDUyarUJMLnXiP0hNFdw/w442-h640/Good_shepherd_01.jpeg" width="442" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Good Shepherd in the ceiling of the Room of the Veiled Lady in the Catacomb of Priscilla. The passage in the Gospel of St. John where Jesus declares himself to be the Good Shepherd of the Sheep almost certainly inspired this image. It is likely a repurposed borrowing from Classical art of Apollo or Mercury as guardian of flocks.</div><div><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIRIyFliP6RLa0jSBkTXpbxssJl8QxUXFJ0R0pEnp1sz1--94TOogmJII8JtTourVqz9KZohklf7RGq92objDpEE-1CaQL-zN-a5gr2UqGeaED5uvj_VuJuffWIfn43MfBjOO_6xkfHhS7kwKJhu7FPl4x1h40erOTVCgvyLafTSBevjFFqctFNXsxg/s2187/Catacomb%20of%20Sts%20Peter%20&%20Marcellinus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1483" data-original-width="2187" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIRIyFliP6RLa0jSBkTXpbxssJl8QxUXFJ0R0pEnp1sz1--94TOogmJII8JtTourVqz9KZohklf7RGq92objDpEE-1CaQL-zN-a5gr2UqGeaED5uvj_VuJuffWIfn43MfBjOO_6xkfHhS7kwKJhu7FPl4x1h40erOTVCgvyLafTSBevjFFqctFNXsxg/w640-h434/Catacomb%20of%20Sts%20Peter%20&%20Marcellinus.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>A family cubiculum in the Catacomb of St. Marcellinus and St. Peter. After of the Great Fire of 64, Christianity became illegal throughout the Empire on the decree of the Emperor Nero who blamed Christians for the catastrophe. Nero declared that the fire was punishment from the gods for tolerating the presence of impious and seditious Jewish heretics. For the first two centuries of its existence, there was no identifiably Christian art. The first generations of Christians were largely from marginal classes; slaves, freedmen, the poor, and women. The Jewish prohibitions on imagery still had force for these first adherents of a religion that came out of Judaism. Among these congregations of poor and marginalized people there were no funds for making art. Christianity in its beginnings was an apocalyptic religion that proclaimed the imminent end of the world. The earliest generations of Christians expected to see the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ in their lifetimes. What was the point of making durable works of art in a doomed world?</div><div>The earliest identifiably Christian art appears in the city of Rome in the third century when large numbers of educated and affluent Romans began converting to the new religion in the course of the Third Century Crisis. Theirs was a culture of the image where ideas and concepts were visualized in stories and personifications. They naturally and inevitably brought that culture into Christianity.</div><div>The Roman Empire during its periodic persecutions of the religion destroyed early church buildings and early Christian books. But, Roman superstitions about the dead protected Christian cemeteries. The earliest surviving Christian art comes from underground cemeteries outside the city walls of ancient Rome called catacombs.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2EP4hIIuVFrpf_QjXCkV8JDoeQtHDUZD4zbiblXJ1-Tv9sZlmkjs9Z26NECprHZL9qT-ytkxPkeWVT20p2jyW64RuJ_BPnyVfOKT7nCgbsKoKBwBxrQlNqFd5kag-fi9eTyl1Ik7-Yt6_RsjMSIFCfHhWgUCtBkdLin-AIZZ7oMiQD2PZ8J-GHUR1w/s1127/jonah-and-shepherd13520879408391365376377726.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1127" height="596" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2EP4hIIuVFrpf_QjXCkV8JDoeQtHDUZD4zbiblXJ1-Tv9sZlmkjs9Z26NECprHZL9qT-ytkxPkeWVT20p2jyW64RuJ_BPnyVfOKT7nCgbsKoKBwBxrQlNqFd5kag-fi9eTyl1Ik7-Yt6_RsjMSIFCfHhWgUCtBkdLin-AIZZ7oMiQD2PZ8J-GHUR1w/w640-h596/jonah-and-shepherd13520879408391365376377726.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>The ceiling of the cubiculum in the Catacombs of St. Marcellinus and St. Peter. </p><p>We hardly recognize this ceiling painting as Christian at all. None of the familiar symbols and images of Christianity appear anywhere, no crosses, no images of Christ, no Virgin Mary, no saints. At first glance, this ceiling painting does not look much different from any other tomb imagery of the period.<br />In the center medallion we see The Good Shepherd, but this would not automatically identify this as a Christian burial. He could be Apollo Protector of Flocks, or Mercury another Protector of Flocks and a Bearer of Souls to the underworld. The story told in four panels between praying figures is the story of Jonah. In the undamaged panels we see Jonah thrown overboard and swallowed by the whale. The whale spits up Jonah on the beach before Nineveh, and finally there is Jonah resting under the gourd vine.</p><p>It's possible that the artists employed in painting these tombs may not have been Christians themselves. They were maybe second or third string house painters hired for a another tomb job for another mystery religion. They borrowed heavily from what they already knew, the stories from Classical mythology. Jonah under the gourd vine looks like Bacchus under a grape vine arbor.</p><p><br /></p><p>Early Christian architecture -- at least what survives -- does not appear until after the Emperor Constantine ended Christian persecution with the Edict of Milan in 313 and afterwords gave the religion state patronage (though Christianity would not become the state religion of the Roman Empire until the Edict of Thessalonica under Emperor Theodosius in 380).<br />Most of the early churches built by Constantine and his successors were adaptations of the Roman basilica, originally secular government buildings with a long center hall lit by clerestory windows and flanked by columned aisles. Much less common were round churches built for the ritual of circumambulation, walking around a holy site, usually a saint's tomb, always keeping it to your right. In ancient times all religious people in the Mediterranean world practiced circumambulation. Today it mostly survives in Islam. Early Christians circumambulated, and round churches were built for that ritual.</p><p>A round church built for circumambulation would seem to be a natural for a domed ceiling. Not necessarily.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdML4JY5CQ1Q_kTEeOxkH1vdiA-q9dxhZDGS31AzPxPr7AZIltQgwO7mpk_VO4QAU6zkTvbWmojsS-JvSALspB03d1VV7DUJWN0f-ikBR-5zm7rgCPMZW66J8oZlSP7E5bLtMsmMUv6Xm04clbmlHufT-t1-7ebgVBffAfq0tYrgFSvDif32SD-3d4cg/s589/santostefanorotondo.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="589" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdML4JY5CQ1Q_kTEeOxkH1vdiA-q9dxhZDGS31AzPxPr7AZIltQgwO7mpk_VO4QAU6zkTvbWmojsS-JvSALspB03d1VV7DUJWN0f-ikBR-5zm7rgCPMZW66J8oZlSP7E5bLtMsmMUv6Xm04clbmlHufT-t1-7ebgVBffAfq0tYrgFSvDif32SD-3d4cg/w640-h434/santostefanorotondo.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Church of Santo Stefano Rotondo in Rome originally built for circumambulation around the tomb of St. Stephen the First Martyr whose remains were brought to Rome from Jerusalem in the 5th century.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAHpFhrFhUSQv0lyK_e2mcLGhM8KsN3Qx5vlvcp8-vtfgF20cKBxODGZsfhxRVjSXGtCbnm_02aEy1LTXRXpfBWy-sB8LLHAX9bXe3bHAoN1DLwZlbp3dUyOfXymu4ocHg_Ee1ru61VUBZwNLzrNa2HJFQAFAnGuuK0TP9wyWQMwksbw_3hg8cUVBxQ/s5152/Santo_Stefano_Rotondo_al_Celio_1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAHpFhrFhUSQv0lyK_e2mcLGhM8KsN3Qx5vlvcp8-vtfgF20cKBxODGZsfhxRVjSXGtCbnm_02aEy1LTXRXpfBWy-sB8LLHAX9bXe3bHAoN1DLwZlbp3dUyOfXymu4ocHg_Ee1ru61VUBZwNLzrNa2HJFQAFAnGuuK0TP9wyWQMwksbw_3hg8cUVBxQ/w640-h480/Santo_Stefano_Rotondo_al_Celio_1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The church has a wide circular aisle for crowds of people circling the tomb of St. Stephen. Originally this wide single aisle was two aisles divided by columns recycled from earlier temples.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ipcw8praVK8ZWbHOGljbS1rgvATllhYXjYp3lUsGXHF3Mlzs_nI7u38NeGDncyY0wk2LHK6VOkdhW6wNgLh4omonFDIxjyalpjyXs9f7h-_k1KnwwodU_kVxG9cCoLwmTs6MJnFOYEAUZd_YsH67sQcjh3WuLU82unJD6RP0HGO8wzRgDwahfvnmXw/s3648/Roma2010_(5001666749).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="2736" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ipcw8praVK8ZWbHOGljbS1rgvATllhYXjYp3lUsGXHF3Mlzs_nI7u38NeGDncyY0wk2LHK6VOkdhW6wNgLh4omonFDIxjyalpjyXs9f7h-_k1KnwwodU_kVxG9cCoLwmTs6MJnFOYEAUZd_YsH67sQcjh3WuLU82unJD6RP0HGO8wzRgDwahfvnmXw/w480-h640/Roma2010_(5001666749).jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Over the center altar, there is not and never was a dome, only a ceiling held up by an arch on a pair of ancient columns.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvi7xxpkGmd-joBmA4ZPXYAP6ag4yI4-0Bbwb8v3pMr-oi166yCGf5Z9DRpkDGxKGs8LIVA_ybg27K71irFKzHkimPK7MY3q6rHAS_OIhSj9fJnTCmj53o0EwClFhvwa4Gyl9W9GSQ2KMk9eMovSZhXfFqz8BBGS1vTPn_JE9WUQm6iWhWiQRkY1TwA/s3648/Roma2010_(5003667952).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="2736" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvi7xxpkGmd-joBmA4ZPXYAP6ag4yI4-0Bbwb8v3pMr-oi166yCGf5Z9DRpkDGxKGs8LIVA_ybg27K71irFKzHkimPK7MY3q6rHAS_OIhSj9fJnTCmj53o0EwClFhvwa4Gyl9W9GSQ2KMk9eMovSZhXfFqz8BBGS1vTPn_JE9WUQm6iWhWiQRkY1TwA/w480-h640/Roma2010_(5003667952).jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilDS3kNgT9qsxpjk9WyfLT8tTIutDo2e7mKWspQ1p3JYJGZttZy4BtDGaZdU9X_bhz_T5B7k1H4rAkUKBk247a1CGE1lr2aney5ByZuFtWwwu4IHcBV9o5evIgBUS5_P76HCtPDJp846-g0dPUiDU0AyU2jRWKU6GJkKg8vDMFfr8fVHj8VmQXprrvw/s3648/Roma2010_(5001676771).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilDS3kNgT9qsxpjk9WyfLT8tTIutDo2e7mKWspQ1p3JYJGZttZy4BtDGaZdU9X_bhz_T5B7k1H4rAkUKBk247a1CGE1lr2aney5ByZuFtWwwu4IHcBV9o5evIgBUS5_P76HCtPDJp846-g0dPUiDU0AyU2jRWKU6GJkKg8vDMFfr8fVHj8VmQXprrvw/w640-h480/Roma2010_(5001676771).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The circular aisle or ambulatory of Santo Stefano.<div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcxtCKRF76OsAHhuhNCVvRL1jzZ7DoIgEY87aGHIYRZP2lqFkgP9LOzF9w_h_uclVkWMskG7NWNbgjEW5-47RZY4oNxxgkEseKVcnaZiPNAEh3PtFVMeuyffhqgLjAT-P46S3xWvZdhCk3qBRHaGsUmfnlZM6DDkJVccxgpDxO29tK7_JFIjnAT3gUQQ/s1536/rome_church_of_santa_costanza.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="1536" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcxtCKRF76OsAHhuhNCVvRL1jzZ7DoIgEY87aGHIYRZP2lqFkgP9LOzF9w_h_uclVkWMskG7NWNbgjEW5-47RZY4oNxxgkEseKVcnaZiPNAEh3PtFVMeuyffhqgLjAT-P46S3xWvZdhCk3qBRHaGsUmfnlZM6DDkJVccxgpDxO29tK7_JFIjnAT3gUQQ/w640-h432/rome_church_of_santa_costanza.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The circular church of Santa Costanza in Rome is the only church that survives intact from Constantine's reign. The Emperor built immense churches in Rome, St. Peter's and the Lateran Church, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Hardly a scrap of those original churches survive. St. Peter's and the Lateran Church were completely rebuilt and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was destroyed and rebuilt many times over.</div><div>The Church of Santa Costanza was originally attached to the larger church of Santa Agnese that is now ruined. This was the only domed church in Early Christian Rome.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbMqWxIE9GF0-dAQnHhKoDndwtY59-QrilySYnrx9MTgvmvJE-XG2e5xdZectMP16LoGScbjxywAOy1-vuw9OnriYbald2u7E-R2aVGV6z09y77uZiSXkuLAlpWIchOrVdV84Pp3gu4Q6a0fgSiuST3odO39zh5Pl5xkd7jB9VmlCmt2fexCGkG6SwQ/s2129/S_Costanza_1160909-10-11.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1402" data-original-width="2129" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbMqWxIE9GF0-dAQnHhKoDndwtY59-QrilySYnrx9MTgvmvJE-XG2e5xdZectMP16LoGScbjxywAOy1-vuw9OnriYbald2u7E-R2aVGV6z09y77uZiSXkuLAlpWIchOrVdV84Pp3gu4Q6a0fgSiuST3odO39zh5Pl5xkd7jB9VmlCmt2fexCGkG6SwQ/w640-h422/S_Costanza_1160909-10-11.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The very beautiful interior of Santa Costanza, built as a burial place for the Emperor's sainted daughter in a great porphyry sarcophagus that now stands in the Vatican Museums. There is a copy in the church. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccgGJdvjOeNUKgPgHOPF1-fN6xXPQ_JpqNj9oIeRWoe-fNEvW3aKl3XAEFwM5A48OkyJCXUrbVnMo9jMnCKPqYG2HhQ-Iv38Ei3obCbZiFQfzFAuk0mvyBJ5EDj9oEz0nsH6y22yU1t4-aVhDp9gnI7f6XzfwyO96UIpTxSM0HpsBgiVwAo5whYFBuA/s3885/0_Sarcofago_di_Costantina_-_Museo_Pio-Clementino_-_Vatican_(1).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2578" data-original-width="3885" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccgGJdvjOeNUKgPgHOPF1-fN6xXPQ_JpqNj9oIeRWoe-fNEvW3aKl3XAEFwM5A48OkyJCXUrbVnMo9jMnCKPqYG2HhQ-Iv38Ei3obCbZiFQfzFAuk0mvyBJ5EDj9oEz0nsH6y22yU1t4-aVhDp9gnI7f6XzfwyO96UIpTxSM0HpsBgiVwAo5whYFBuA/w640-h424/0_Sarcofago_di_Costantina_-_Museo_Pio-Clementino_-_Vatican_(1).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Sarcophagus of St. Constantia or Costanza in the Vatican Museums.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFNjiIFUM0wGtmyV9Ztik_LHXAAY5t25M9QkHnq-iPusSFwPmxdZFhDX5m_J1rEMqDAmNd725eS2cqYSX2-x9sU2-EjaZHlyWk3iSx7D9K6ujW106IiLplrSIHQrzrn1uVB8cas7DQZ-q2XJutPOATRCrX28wByQfoGkdtouOUGNRK5f7YhCuZ7SxYQ/s5184/Constantinian_Basilica_-_Sant'Agnese_fuori_le_mura_-_Rome_2016_(2).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFNjiIFUM0wGtmyV9Ztik_LHXAAY5t25M9QkHnq-iPusSFwPmxdZFhDX5m_J1rEMqDAmNd725eS2cqYSX2-x9sU2-EjaZHlyWk3iSx7D9K6ujW106IiLplrSIHQrzrn1uVB8cas7DQZ-q2XJutPOATRCrX28wByQfoGkdtouOUGNRK5f7YhCuZ7SxYQ/w640-h426/Constantinian_Basilica_-_Sant'Agnese_fuori_le_mura_-_Rome_2016_(2).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The ruins of the Church of Sant' Agnese next to the Church of Santa Costanza.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5nPzc6noOF6uL6Y4_awV_ors7fRI-FYtHdLpElw6cNezFq1tqLtl-Nckhgvp2yu51xnygR8BFwlTjKPnmzSviA_mzAaw5cWfGol9GfrMpji6Mw0VoXf1OjIujlQEk8b8yzxR4x61yMRSFIPofyOhNP05mVfMSLHV0hqTDKHTlayT_fKpgCSdQiLBYg/s957/RomaSCostanzaInterno04.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="957" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5nPzc6noOF6uL6Y4_awV_ors7fRI-FYtHdLpElw6cNezFq1tqLtl-Nckhgvp2yu51xnygR8BFwlTjKPnmzSviA_mzAaw5cWfGol9GfrMpji6Mw0VoXf1OjIujlQEk8b8yzxR4x61yMRSFIPofyOhNP05mVfMSLHV0hqTDKHTlayT_fKpgCSdQiLBYg/w640-h480/RomaSCostanzaInterno04.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A single ambulatory with doubled columns supporting masonry arches circles the center rotunda of the church. The columns are all spolia, columns taken from earlier temple and reused in the church. They appear to come from many different temples. Columns and their capitals don't always fit together and impost blocks assist a few columns that are slightly too short.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMhgTRy-sldksfwtTu863VfRDssV18aKs4FOXIdglqBM7KddZOM0--7QD0rLZxXl929aBMyT4K6_bMMiVkX08XUeoCUC2sgaAotrzNgnyekrCPduZ6hPvFbt2fY_ROK9pRgqLdTpLi2bQugojJBDXnqkg0DT08i5QwfhjdgqrpcQDKpBjJSLoaePnbw/s1440/img_7209.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMhgTRy-sldksfwtTu863VfRDssV18aKs4FOXIdglqBM7KddZOM0--7QD0rLZxXl929aBMyT4K6_bMMiVkX08XUeoCUC2sgaAotrzNgnyekrCPduZ6hPvFbt2fY_ROK9pRgqLdTpLi2bQugojJBDXnqkg0DT08i5QwfhjdgqrpcQDKpBjJSLoaePnbw/w480-h640/img_7209.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>On the vaulted ceiling of the ambulatory is the one and only mosaic to survive from the time of the Emperor Constantine, among the very earliest of Christian mosaics.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfS3JIZdEyUfOvwk_Zx39VxrtJ2MyEJ7-oEtZpWruKuE9YenjrvO2akumm7XuzDmkllSvzV9wzsWE39Is8TmJP1gEFekNI267hWlk42_Hyd42teNaYYGdbvjNmWtbUyhIzwQcQQ88vCndO1yf-tzCyxnN65CwLy7NpOFEex9n0UAcB09XuvYnO41utRg/s957/RomaSCostanzaMosaici03.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="957" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfS3JIZdEyUfOvwk_Zx39VxrtJ2MyEJ7-oEtZpWruKuE9YenjrvO2akumm7XuzDmkllSvzV9wzsWE39Is8TmJP1gEFekNI267hWlk42_Hyd42teNaYYGdbvjNmWtbUyhIzwQcQQ88vCndO1yf-tzCyxnN65CwLy7NpOFEex9n0UAcB09XuvYnO41utRg/w640-h480/RomaSCostanzaMosaici03.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>At first glance, these mosaics don't look particularly Christian. They are part of the syncretic Christianity of the Emperor Constantine that would make later theologians very uncomfortable. Constantine attributed his victory over his rival Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge to Christ the Christian god. He built votive monuments in thanksgiving to that god as would any of his predecessors on the imperial throne.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqTA7D-A0zqwVON0hrZJmVlBAAw613KvJPzU2GNWRGyfQF8Z1YBHkb87U6MdXC69XRwotmokFy3jn8zOXguEumxEKw66Kql28VxwQgjkMYhvQrTWQhSrn7EAQXwhl4XdFqEZ7Lgh4tEuvZuHE1T3-9OLoQNQ7LVtqjK5RDp5SJRFDxZvKULjs1ztfbw/s2560/Santa_Costanza_mosaic%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqTA7D-A0zqwVON0hrZJmVlBAAw613KvJPzU2GNWRGyfQF8Z1YBHkb87U6MdXC69XRwotmokFy3jn8zOXguEumxEKw66Kql28VxwQgjkMYhvQrTWQhSrn7EAQXwhl4XdFqEZ7Lgh4tEuvZuHE1T3-9OLoQNQ7LVtqjK5RDp5SJRFDxZvKULjs1ztfbw/w640-h480/Santa_Costanza_mosaic%202.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I find these ancient Roman floor mosaics now moved to the ceiling to be very beautiful. The Roman household imagery of birds, flowers, fruit, and still life items take on a new religious dimension.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHMniaGS_Xp7jgNzt6zYDzYjLhNdrVxiux2H23qcwNBy8NhnFtUSyegD6a_goJxYFY1hdfGJMawydtkkQi8sG4h7Hobu4LgavHa0Se6WLouPZO44ky3lFpE1F-4_crGKIvun9Dg54CmOwJgmBL_1L1q3NG6W98qZGR8r0NYj3IuQhTvwtPqz_VbOFDg/s700/Santa_costanza_mosaic.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="700" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHMniaGS_Xp7jgNzt6zYDzYjLhNdrVxiux2H23qcwNBy8NhnFtUSyegD6a_goJxYFY1hdfGJMawydtkkQi8sG4h7Hobu4LgavHa0Se6WLouPZO44ky3lFpE1F-4_crGKIvun9Dg54CmOwJgmBL_1L1q3NG6W98qZGR8r0NYj3IuQhTvwtPqz_VbOFDg/w640-h438/Santa_costanza_mosaic.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnzToWx-jMFLc8ywIK5k4vRQXJyxtvSWkaod2V4LidZJzYlRWf1COmV06vlxLVMICM6BVquK1EDaVmMO0P7OntCXx7Q0vmxOEwU7ssLpI3YUWCbRDORSuqoXd-1XTBa18TY9kVZMgmmC2sMSnPxrBiAXc0JCTjf5Vkx7jNNWcdqeO0Q6qnOEIJ1Yhjw/s5184/Ancient_roman_mosaics_-_Santa_Costanza_-_Rome_2016.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnzToWx-jMFLc8ywIK5k4vRQXJyxtvSWkaod2V4LidZJzYlRWf1COmV06vlxLVMICM6BVquK1EDaVmMO0P7OntCXx7Q0vmxOEwU7ssLpI3YUWCbRDORSuqoXd-1XTBa18TY9kVZMgmmC2sMSnPxrBiAXc0JCTjf5Vkx7jNNWcdqeO0Q6qnOEIJ1Yhjw/w640-h426/Ancient_roman_mosaics_-_Santa_Costanza_-_Rome_2016.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>More of these very Roman domestic ceiling mosaics given a whole new dimension of meaning by their presence in a church.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2hhPD9PTiS1l3RmXLm2vtc3vXLkCWJimm8uBtG3ROcdFDDspMLs02VJin_Izeb-pnSlqK6va9yxXFdRQ5LXC9d-ZO_ibQ7K6vxaVUJXicEPzEkbVvbE8dodOa5DqHo4K0JJsKwRjMXgU_KhvUkFnS-HejLtN8DhkWuGXVHI6ChT36rQ3g9fU0HmXgA/s3016/Altar_and_dome_interior_-_Santa_Costanza_-_Rome_2016.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3016" data-original-width="1980" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2hhPD9PTiS1l3RmXLm2vtc3vXLkCWJimm8uBtG3ROcdFDDspMLs02VJin_Izeb-pnSlqK6va9yxXFdRQ5LXC9d-ZO_ibQ7K6vxaVUJXicEPzEkbVvbE8dodOa5DqHo4K0JJsKwRjMXgU_KhvUkFnS-HejLtN8DhkWuGXVHI6ChT36rQ3g9fU0HmXgA/w420-h640/Altar_and_dome_interior_-_Santa_Costanza_-_Rome_2016.jpeg" width="420" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The original dome mosaics, perhaps from the 5th century, do not survive except in a 16th century drawing by Francisco Hollanda. The decayed 16th century fresco on the domed ceiling may be an imaginary reconstruction of that original mosaic cycle.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajArTmHvhsIIHdH2trvi6UE5QhlGkaQfgmwwdo8F92d03k-QcocBiXmNmS-PIJM5sAzP615nQW0D6RTSreNeBLtdjpqglnir-w_kNuRnS74RaGKGpRkFget0frJnKjKIKGQFDqlKAL7pYDilvotANrRsnwCDx_2svueO934FjXMZYOFWWWjinif0flQ/s1785/Wide_angle_view_-_Dome_interior_-_Santa_Costanza_-_Rome_2016.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1779" data-original-width="1785" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajArTmHvhsIIHdH2trvi6UE5QhlGkaQfgmwwdo8F92d03k-QcocBiXmNmS-PIJM5sAzP615nQW0D6RTSreNeBLtdjpqglnir-w_kNuRnS74RaGKGpRkFget0frJnKjKIKGQFDqlKAL7pYDilvotANrRsnwCDx_2svueO934FjXMZYOFWWWjinif0flQ/w640-h638/Wide_angle_view_-_Dome_interior_-_Santa_Costanza_-_Rome_2016.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The Church of Santa Costanza may well be the last dome built in ancient Rome. The city that pioneered domed architecture would not see another dome built within its walls until the 16th century.</p><p>In the meantime, ambitious and inventive domed architecture moved far to the east in the Byzantine Empire and later in Islam.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZUIUfOWYSzv0xEQ1rdVqcRJE2kJ5pn7c559DlyrN4MaT_4v3EL9Q6OmF-UEW1k7Ib_f-xxADcR_Zu0L4ioHChZbrlanxFRTCtcFj7pm7_w1qspPJWI6NmGReY6JpBGRVV-igMwGoafOhr7e8nKpHDLBv0TS6WT1TNV0zntNKo4Sh3tllD1q4Ok_K7w/s3072/HagiaSophiaDomeInside.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZUIUfOWYSzv0xEQ1rdVqcRJE2kJ5pn7c559DlyrN4MaT_4v3EL9Q6OmF-UEW1k7Ib_f-xxADcR_Zu0L4ioHChZbrlanxFRTCtcFj7pm7_w1qspPJWI6NmGReY6JpBGRVV-igMwGoafOhr7e8nKpHDLBv0TS6WT1TNV0zntNKo4Sh3tllD1q4Ok_K7w/w640-h480/HagiaSophiaDomeInside.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The domes of the Church of Hagia Sophia in what is now Istanbul from the 6th century.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The north dome chamber of the Masjid i Jami in Isfahan, Iran, 11th century.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbr3V0tMNyg8WfwhMjfYa5vwB-yHmwxc5ky9ZduWbLWM2JJDN28WIa-_97BJOoBrQ9MJd6_bdiISe5cMDvYpI6DLMAet6iZlOWPPI-uJHoEN2Bmtk4kmdDBOtTII6oZXB5T91kdxCuOnmhRxorDDDoAC2LvM1iCOLb7att3K2OkOBV8_L6kyZUOO7ShA/s5299/Gran_Mezquita_de_Isfaha%CC%81n,_Isfahan,_Ira%CC%81n,_2016-09-19,_DD_43-45_HDR_Alt.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5299" data-original-width="5173" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbr3V0tMNyg8WfwhMjfYa5vwB-yHmwxc5ky9ZduWbLWM2JJDN28WIa-_97BJOoBrQ9MJd6_bdiISe5cMDvYpI6DLMAet6iZlOWPPI-uJHoEN2Bmtk4kmdDBOtTII6oZXB5T91kdxCuOnmhRxorDDDoAC2LvM1iCOLb7att3K2OkOBV8_L6kyZUOO7ShA/w624-h640/Gran_Mezquita_de_Isfaha%CC%81n,_Isfahan,_Ira%CC%81n,_2016-09-19,_DD_43-45_HDR_Alt.jpeg" width="624" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-82976501553135318522022-07-10T20:39:00.002-04:002022-07-10T20:39:21.773-04:00Some Exhibition Success.<p>After 2 years of nothing thanks to the pandemic, I've had a busy year exhibiting, 3 shows so far this year. One is a gallery show and the other 2 are online shows.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dEUjED9J6ebhxxvibSyN-yroH1bvGiGSjd0OIguDK3PYEkiIGJoSl71jJ8Xm-RuA4-zXQXWQnQRmJirBeRKUb40avsNqJv95GYFG9EwonraraMUEXos2U7dK-VKzjCUyAEkNxCTsQPrc_bWcS-EQHUDrcVr8bqb7rYQ7mBq-qXxVqjY6OW_QyGQRcQ/s5328/Blanchard,%20Painting_Fire,%20oil_on_canvas,%2020%22x30%22.jpg_$3000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3583" data-original-width="5328" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dEUjED9J6ebhxxvibSyN-yroH1bvGiGSjd0OIguDK3PYEkiIGJoSl71jJ8Xm-RuA4-zXQXWQnQRmJirBeRKUb40avsNqJv95GYFG9EwonraraMUEXos2U7dK-VKzjCUyAEkNxCTsQPrc_bWcS-EQHUDrcVr8bqb7rYQ7mBq-qXxVqjY6OW_QyGQRcQ/w640-h430/Blanchard,%20Painting_Fire,%20oil_on_canvas,%2020%22x30%22.jpg_$3000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I exhibited these 2 paintings from the David Wojnarowicz series as part of the Queer Perspectives show at the <a href="https://www.upstreamgallery.com/" target="_blank">Upstream Gallery</a>, an artists' cooperative in Hastings on Hudson just north of Yonkers, NY.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYQ5GPgiU6cE192P8nKQjWSW6WT29ExZoomhxvibLRZZxJjWigkk5ODAO3XzHsu45NqM9jBiKQxpvkTFQ7AbhnaWxclUjFUwOSTb6_ULIazPyV6lKVf_rtNUesXJsCbHfJDzbOaKb6i1MZewRWimiDGDumueEJCkOF_V9EuqcLlRJ4TDc9XD4VhWEXQ/s5306/Blanchard_When_I_Put_My_Hands_,oil_on_canvas,_20%22x30%22_$3000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3563" data-original-width="5306" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYQ5GPgiU6cE192P8nKQjWSW6WT29ExZoomhxvibLRZZxJjWigkk5ODAO3XzHsu45NqM9jBiKQxpvkTFQ7AbhnaWxclUjFUwOSTb6_ULIazPyV6lKVf_rtNUesXJsCbHfJDzbOaKb6i1MZewRWimiDGDumueEJCkOF_V9EuqcLlRJ4TDc9XD4VhWEXQ/w640-h430/Blanchard_When_I_Put_My_Hands_,oil_on_canvas,_20%22x30%22_$3000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zHyE6egUNZkLRJZ-a2Idvx08EgiN2VyXsLe6wO21rkeo5MyVbxD7x99eQ-8pWnzG7dXd0bpcrcnokM3gbn33q4slM9vlOY4BD15LOxotR_KWUmwMWhyM9jVKkEFRhTssjrPeEq3y-rIOsZ5RAuIwFRzc6pspgk88qb_PUMEsyF_L3nHkxRYGGfr7tQ/s2048/290460240_10159789279308654_3700320308421338294_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zHyE6egUNZkLRJZ-a2Idvx08EgiN2VyXsLe6wO21rkeo5MyVbxD7x99eQ-8pWnzG7dXd0bpcrcnokM3gbn33q4slM9vlOY4BD15LOxotR_KWUmwMWhyM9jVKkEFRhTssjrPeEq3y-rIOsZ5RAuIwFRzc6pspgk88qb_PUMEsyF_L3nHkxRYGGfr7tQ/w640-h480/290460240_10159789279308654_3700320308421338294_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Your's Truly with my paintings in the gallery.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HoD7O8z_BhV7qIRp9DHXCU65LquHDLt_X_kGdGMqFQ_PWKkz9ywIjeo69ScUpi1L6Yrp-3N5qUrOEopUSPWmZBvxrtK7RbdNk2JcCfcgqd8iJIz0vHd3JpJzc5EbXhM_1XBjYRU584XDImky0ICDPcl6tOXs9n3B1HFe0whkSarE5fAcFtYKz8agHQ/s1200/Queer_Perspectives_evite%20(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1200" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HoD7O8z_BhV7qIRp9DHXCU65LquHDLt_X_kGdGMqFQ_PWKkz9ywIjeo69ScUpi1L6Yrp-3N5qUrOEopUSPWmZBvxrtK7RbdNk2JcCfcgqd8iJIz0vHd3JpJzc5EbXhM_1XBjYRU584XDImky0ICDPcl6tOXs9n3B1HFe0whkSarE5fAcFtYKz8agHQ/w640-h512/Queer_Perspectives_evite%20(1).png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I was delighted to see one of my paintings used on the poster and internet posting for the show.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqluLbyKd0cYd_wp0pLSezDtxdOczzpSuwlp6Vd6qsnYVDxMAjo13Qp6vMVFOXv36R27p3FaJ8hLh0K1VXkSVHFE1cbPW7x0B0SBtukO561rlr7y6bqyb_cq4TqXOcbP7t4oLjwE7wLdJ-A2wqlqPOy8IhjwaCNAHhgTCQHGXoGPgXhY5ju4nPX77Fsw/s2048/290426072_10159789279228654_5008205472600624167_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqluLbyKd0cYd_wp0pLSezDtxdOczzpSuwlp6Vd6qsnYVDxMAjo13Qp6vMVFOXv36R27p3FaJ8hLh0K1VXkSVHFE1cbPW7x0B0SBtukO561rlr7y6bqyb_cq4TqXOcbP7t4oLjwE7wLdJ-A2wqlqPOy8IhjwaCNAHhgTCQHGXoGPgXhY5ju4nPX77Fsw/w640-h480/290426072_10159789279228654_5008205472600624167_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uOCCcKvEMU9knNOCu6JG-SUyKK9Io--9SPyux-oRK8UY0hkwTnPVDHmpgeQpm_piKvc51k-VgAoeMSDO0J58RnJSZfyiVhdZ4QRoOXnQLUuFNySVkGBFXWpx3wYU_Iem7t1BfhD4h2-ronVzKDC92sx1sRfcy0TvxgWHN16DJ_tOwHHSUMYQUJjsUA/s2048/290516522_10159789279598654_749814177643112429_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uOCCcKvEMU9knNOCu6JG-SUyKK9Io--9SPyux-oRK8UY0hkwTnPVDHmpgeQpm_piKvc51k-VgAoeMSDO0J58RnJSZfyiVhdZ4QRoOXnQLUuFNySVkGBFXWpx3wYU_Iem7t1BfhD4h2-ronVzKDC92sx1sRfcy0TvxgWHN16DJ_tOwHHSUMYQUJjsUA/w640-h480/290516522_10159789279598654_749814177643112429_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PWTo_Mj5MQ9gUbXwlnO9gybj7fJDQ2mNaAnAmOjusJHVDxa19x4jKk7beySqJtKGtkF-OGTea21sS07X0uOcWSKyxkFGZU9QIfhwwma27eca8IFQazA-2QuNU-CmLnUX5nwMna4L03SpGuPDeYx3XrS4rgzkCDag17S96SPfXFsMr54pF0sGuHBQsQ/s6396/Texas%20Wildflowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5125" data-original-width="6396" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PWTo_Mj5MQ9gUbXwlnO9gybj7fJDQ2mNaAnAmOjusJHVDxa19x4jKk7beySqJtKGtkF-OGTea21sS07X0uOcWSKyxkFGZU9QIfhwwma27eca8IFQazA-2QuNU-CmLnUX5nwMna4L03SpGuPDeYx3XrS4rgzkCDag17S96SPfXFsMr54pF0sGuHBQsQ/w640-h512/Texas%20Wildflowers.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>This painting in acrylic of Texas Wildflowers from 2019 is now in the online exhibit <a href="https://www.artshowinternational.com/winners-2022-landscape-5" target="_blank">5th Annual Landscape Exhibit, Art Show International Gallery.</a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBeIJQe7lU6rdftpnRqC4XRLuvMm51CgdGZC35v0LjMXxp9HY8GwEW4g0lESXDU_ipmgAB-4Fg9iXwct7WPrzoJQJThQjaGLHzF8Z1BskAwCSBXecj8cVtmytDkkWWDemNVOOIDXpTm4zE1fJsPP4jdPredDfAhl6L2Fmn3E-obzxeuN1j2QM2e6g_AQ/s6306/_DSC0335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5025" data-original-width="6306" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBeIJQe7lU6rdftpnRqC4XRLuvMm51CgdGZC35v0LjMXxp9HY8GwEW4g0lESXDU_ipmgAB-4Fg9iXwct7WPrzoJQJThQjaGLHzF8Z1BskAwCSBXecj8cVtmytDkkWWDemNVOOIDXpTm4zE1fJsPP4jdPredDfAhl6L2Fmn3E-obzxeuN1j2QM2e6g_AQ/w640-h510/_DSC0335.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>The <a href="https://cawct.org/gallery/" target="_blank">Come As You Are exhibit </a>put on by the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut selected this painting of Apollo from 2021.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-76713654592150408932022-07-07T20:38:00.002-04:002022-07-13T23:00:15.423-04:00The End of the Passion Series is in Sight.<p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Still not finished, but a lot of progress on the last panel, The Trinity.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmg2zTuyLObFxFxQuEujcrXPb0mdBTf4dKrT7HvDcOdS81GrxSwOWCHNrzPOPpO6Hpq2bE1nDznR0ctQqY-LNQDmHb27OsJ9L68COxEZFPTWufx5c09SwOTW_h7RcLN2LriBFcsaTlluiv-NRBpaw_n-ql4CbdqnM23TGXiovDv618lINQInce3lJRyw/s1516/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-07%20at%208.37.07%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1466" data-original-width="1516" height="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmg2zTuyLObFxFxQuEujcrXPb0mdBTf4dKrT7HvDcOdS81GrxSwOWCHNrzPOPpO6Hpq2bE1nDznR0ctQqY-LNQDmHb27OsJ9L68COxEZFPTWufx5c09SwOTW_h7RcLN2LriBFcsaTlluiv-NRBpaw_n-ql4CbdqnM23TGXiovDv618lINQInce3lJRyw/w640-h618/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-07%20at%208.37.07%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCJ2K8g0QnUARVmt0FbgAknq_8qPQ3mKU2hYH3Vos3fGBvWaeWtMQbX3tLE5b9aHN6b1fCNPZs0o6XTTi3Pat7YHjTAKPaB8xq5z1w30Du_jmgPiLPWU-NwAtMl6aQRPiDhmo59uVKSyFAGooiaPkdE7LvjETLErykBi76Xhez75zxpluOxssbgpctw/s1446/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-12%20at%207.10.39%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1430" data-original-width="1446" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCJ2K8g0QnUARVmt0FbgAknq_8qPQ3mKU2hYH3Vos3fGBvWaeWtMQbX3tLE5b9aHN6b1fCNPZs0o6XTTi3Pat7YHjTAKPaB8xq5z1w30Du_jmgPiLPWU-NwAtMl6aQRPiDhmo59uVKSyFAGooiaPkdE7LvjETLErykBi76Xhez75zxpluOxssbgpctw/w640-h632/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-12%20at%207.10.39%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The painting as of July 12, 2022.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-69031623254999246432022-07-07T20:29:00.008-04:002022-07-07T20:29:49.724-04:00Demonstration Paintings for My Students.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fW4rFx5AjNTg4PivwsTeTMjzNIq0d24EyEiS_nVJ96zwMXvCjwmQ5llD1cvRNu1-zGO6oPyGji8CtqmzbiieyyNU5dSUjwzJ3KEfVdaUzxzF4mXzXfJeDBbO12n1e_voutCGHeP3WTOzcWS0yyFCffZ2Jl9lLN_EylUXV_kN_PFXeSY4fZQvta68ow/s3264/20220411_175141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fW4rFx5AjNTg4PivwsTeTMjzNIq0d24EyEiS_nVJ96zwMXvCjwmQ5llD1cvRNu1-zGO6oPyGji8CtqmzbiieyyNU5dSUjwzJ3KEfVdaUzxzF4mXzXfJeDBbO12n1e_voutCGHeP3WTOzcWS0yyFCffZ2Jl9lLN_EylUXV_kN_PFXeSY4fZQvta68ow/w640-h480/20220411_175141.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The painting and drawing classroom this past semester, in use again after being vacant for 2 years.<br /><p><br /></p><p>My painting class returned to campus, though a couple of weeks late. I decided to continue the practice I began during online classes of demonstrating each painting assignment for each class. On campus they paint along with me and I can see what they are doing.</p><p>Here are some selected demonstration paintings I made for my students last semester.</p><p>I returned to my old practice of having students sit for portrait demonstrations. The student gets to keep the painting they posed for.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzVnQmycfl40b3bISGshmuWj8WYuF8vajEzUB5MHOzL1Wbh2v8aTgTL0GBjcDJf8e4rs0kb-Kr-AYauwmdkGQ4vmtR8CDYlI-vrJPQqR2d4WeKZw3N9qkjVPl2ITr_I-aagO_dMVBY4ogrANnBTg6SzAkcicWQXjwJdrCY0ZFvSRcTJ-_nu-aD627jA/s2048/277989152_10159646851878654_8758609375690518708_n%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzVnQmycfl40b3bISGshmuWj8WYuF8vajEzUB5MHOzL1Wbh2v8aTgTL0GBjcDJf8e4rs0kb-Kr-AYauwmdkGQ4vmtR8CDYlI-vrJPQqR2d4WeKZw3N9qkjVPl2ITr_I-aagO_dMVBY4ogrANnBTg6SzAkcicWQXjwJdrCY0ZFvSRcTJ-_nu-aD627jA/w480-h640/277989152_10159646851878654_8758609375690518708_n%20copy.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTW9SyGvgrt90sFjssfmkZfgmoIip5LcEB3Ifs5Ep9y0R1pxWnEAtrDGICXNIP6Z2A3rDO_M9piytgaqX_d-asdv-n4AIj0VuLG_q1FEAyJkxoFYeCKjXpqW2nOKvfhxdlVJR6P7Ry40l2SBZhq_5XCZpfcfav5036PNAcXH5jmtMbyXvlfacHTJjvA/s2048/277551082_10159634930748654_7151833973634128584_n%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTW9SyGvgrt90sFjssfmkZfgmoIip5LcEB3Ifs5Ep9y0R1pxWnEAtrDGICXNIP6Z2A3rDO_M9piytgaqX_d-asdv-n4AIj0VuLG_q1FEAyJkxoFYeCKjXpqW2nOKvfhxdlVJR6P7Ry40l2SBZhq_5XCZpfcfav5036PNAcXH5jmtMbyXvlfacHTJjvA/w480-h640/277551082_10159634930748654_7151833973634128584_n%20copy.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgS3IB2wVc02LOJTIs-iG6tjjVsWoS3Cb-uUrD4tNHSwbdIdJnKdYRkMAOaP08UvclDDloqLCiYGx6pLYpcg_270twyNSWadRbFfRHxFbI6AcNXDMYbX4TooBY1_aOxJUsTOKPg1C5IFQCiHk2UmE8-Y3HmiesDEednUSXZ_sL-mcy2z2vfjdOXmlRg/s2048/278048899_10159648178373654_1552361700452466658_n%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgS3IB2wVc02LOJTIs-iG6tjjVsWoS3Cb-uUrD4tNHSwbdIdJnKdYRkMAOaP08UvclDDloqLCiYGx6pLYpcg_270twyNSWadRbFfRHxFbI6AcNXDMYbX4TooBY1_aOxJUsTOKPg1C5IFQCiHk2UmE8-Y3HmiesDEednUSXZ_sL-mcy2z2vfjdOXmlRg/w480-h640/278048899_10159648178373654_1552361700452466658_n%20copy.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gUsNsruKgz3yXlVcLES3qqAsn2e5zBE513fxZn2jZs7adIfpZvImoA_c2lLyq89D21JvSoK8wFLJuTshj8dyBvRyi58rBNPIln7EG1HoIjVRe5aIr_2c7pTWh6qrGJ_Qxq0qOf6BiXN-Ct3qjNrbfymGizJNeyUJ4slG2-0_e3TIUkNfvcCaIuLdvg/s2048/277556767_10159636416878654_6252268736462206354_n%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gUsNsruKgz3yXlVcLES3qqAsn2e5zBE513fxZn2jZs7adIfpZvImoA_c2lLyq89D21JvSoK8wFLJuTshj8dyBvRyi58rBNPIln7EG1HoIjVRe5aIr_2c7pTWh6qrGJ_Qxq0qOf6BiXN-Ct3qjNrbfymGizJNeyUJ4slG2-0_e3TIUkNfvcCaIuLdvg/w480-h640/277556767_10159636416878654_6252268736462206354_n%20copy.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I did landscape demonstration paintings mostly trying to teach them productive ways to use photos and landscape composition. Here are my demo paintings. I did a lot of cityscapes this semester all based on numerous photos that I took myself.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UVud7ZsrJMc7dkfiUkJf7xI022w2xuET4n_OJ5AKqWsJ5bpYUGr1IIN68SWAp6Lmyc8Bs-PSEMHv6AqE-89d09ecRSpv2nI0hJTo6YG1VHwKRD2TjmuIMP8FlKkXr8NEgsevpWNc9IuY9pPWbu0MVUJwkonlie0T25PRoHilCmljsK_1eN6iVVesDQ/s2048/280981721_10159711777473654_9084455037631494696_n%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UVud7ZsrJMc7dkfiUkJf7xI022w2xuET4n_OJ5AKqWsJ5bpYUGr1IIN68SWAp6Lmyc8Bs-PSEMHv6AqE-89d09ecRSpv2nI0hJTo6YG1VHwKRD2TjmuIMP8FlKkXr8NEgsevpWNc9IuY9pPWbu0MVUJwkonlie0T25PRoHilCmljsK_1eN6iVVesDQ/w640-h480/280981721_10159711777473654_9084455037631494696_n%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZhR3VGJ8jOapQAIJZfAvdruesVMEhxBjX_X2ZLjQWusAHHBlIWL7lGQkY0oMMiJTXkpXOAbV1zpfbwO2I7kPTQ7rwt8nk7GKvT0fFI1Fxq2wMAgxSQkaCnwZBdI7_MI36piJ27L5oVEdYSxl2ZcNYLTk5B5JA3kWIsZPtbaaAFXoxCBb7Di9U38Pyg/s2048/281782808_10159719107903654_6635644048060732404_n%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZhR3VGJ8jOapQAIJZfAvdruesVMEhxBjX_X2ZLjQWusAHHBlIWL7lGQkY0oMMiJTXkpXOAbV1zpfbwO2I7kPTQ7rwt8nk7GKvT0fFI1Fxq2wMAgxSQkaCnwZBdI7_MI36piJ27L5oVEdYSxl2ZcNYLTk5B5JA3kWIsZPtbaaAFXoxCBb7Di9U38Pyg/w640-h480/281782808_10159719107903654_6635644048060732404_n%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZkiqa-gf677xMs9jDt1GFpwKpOZiI-BXPfPUstw02gnUVAZ3MJxTZ3Tvgqp0JlR3WakqCubUwasV31FgJPFLpZ9UaBKBrMpiIYcCtKuF93AD5CajIrmuPwTd1Edn4Owci3MypUopjK47Y_xvrvLVu9hisCq-mXxZpGQUFAlxLjQZT7SXCdJul4Zm2A/s2048/282518363_10159720643773654_6056723376289419623_n%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZkiqa-gf677xMs9jDt1GFpwKpOZiI-BXPfPUstw02gnUVAZ3MJxTZ3Tvgqp0JlR3WakqCubUwasV31FgJPFLpZ9UaBKBrMpiIYcCtKuF93AD5CajIrmuPwTd1Edn4Owci3MypUopjK47Y_xvrvLVu9hisCq-mXxZpGQUFAlxLjQZT7SXCdJul4Zm2A/w640-h480/282518363_10159720643773654_6056723376289419623_n%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I'm kinda happy with these and I might make larger and more finished versions of them in oil or acrylic.</p><p>I also made good old Texas bluebonnet pictures for my students based on several photos that a friend of mine there took of a large field full of the blue flowers that he posted on Facebook.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6cDDPa9H3QCixwj-XjBCvjCFoRZlcNLup7WG8-qTKqT0VQm2_76oe46hDSXsijrU6LI-Yd6jlEonxwzGc06ooMav3kcK4KePp-po-XmL_hhvU2AykdAq-8DHOkgJv2QG5ukhn96FHRHqE_Ngyj8gFKXziLc8klB4pw9RYHKrjPHdRPTu8TKPPwnibg/s3264/20220414_171531%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6cDDPa9H3QCixwj-XjBCvjCFoRZlcNLup7WG8-qTKqT0VQm2_76oe46hDSXsijrU6LI-Yd6jlEonxwzGc06ooMav3kcK4KePp-po-XmL_hhvU2AykdAq-8DHOkgJv2QG5ukhn96FHRHqE_Ngyj8gFKXziLc8klB4pw9RYHKrjPHdRPTu8TKPPwnibg/w640-h480/20220414_171531%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienNELAWBxV_x4bYutGKBBrUIJa7hbuh30uuRUhfRj8kVJTz0KMmzepuWY6_kEGGe2DFjNC7AV5thbbs9teYG5j3_NlgpjDnOR80KpCtCyajpMR9Mh9zgMd5xLVHYMwp7j4GmU-GQ3YPCj3kBwE6rmuJCEMWvclOZa6SwEe9RdQEIgFfOleRL6BFYH4w/s3264/20220425_172045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienNELAWBxV_x4bYutGKBBrUIJa7hbuh30uuRUhfRj8kVJTz0KMmzepuWY6_kEGGe2DFjNC7AV5thbbs9teYG5j3_NlgpjDnOR80KpCtCyajpMR9Mh9zgMd5xLVHYMwp7j4GmU-GQ3YPCj3kBwE6rmuJCEMWvclOZa6SwEe9RdQEIgFfOleRL6BFYH4w/w640-h480/20220425_172045.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ijtxhNpLQpjZBdBKtpi55dhQ5-Fsu1eBjTstfm0MChbkpFu2CGEyLZfAiR-yuUuhqfQbanJopGp7mbDw_x1WjwQGOQE2g_8voY7TrdiB-KC1_sKo7rgu6AgH1_JUr6_QrB1GpBdPOeNhfmaHsMCg3Vv5VTKQm3kPWhHULNj-tkocAwpc-0VZQ3RKrA/s3264/20220426_124941%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ijtxhNpLQpjZBdBKtpi55dhQ5-Fsu1eBjTstfm0MChbkpFu2CGEyLZfAiR-yuUuhqfQbanJopGp7mbDw_x1WjwQGOQE2g_8voY7TrdiB-KC1_sKo7rgu6AgH1_JUr6_QrB1GpBdPOeNhfmaHsMCg3Vv5VTKQm3kPWhHULNj-tkocAwpc-0VZQ3RKrA/w640-h480/20220426_124941%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-70285757674241295722022-07-07T06:37:00.005-04:002022-07-07T07:08:30.766-04:00Something Blue<p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LdGsUaOWxtJlaxQ55ybVQs8kqrDAAWsGuVAchP8GKZzS0xRu671inbtin4Xyq4YZkZGorZMeuAlc712bZyT4958hDkBaqyR2-8l0W__9l1HQcksTPPiFuL7Gg5kxXLfdsSI4gsSroWb0wPN6HtR9q5rKyAiGdE-YgVNzGasFMPRGDyziusIBdkOflg/s1536/Bluebonnet.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1536" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LdGsUaOWxtJlaxQ55ybVQs8kqrDAAWsGuVAchP8GKZzS0xRu671inbtin4Xyq4YZkZGorZMeuAlc712bZyT4958hDkBaqyR2-8l0W__9l1HQcksTPPiFuL7Gg5kxXLfdsSI4gsSroWb0wPN6HtR9q5rKyAiGdE-YgVNzGasFMPRGDyziusIBdkOflg/w640-h498/Bluebonnet.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Texas Bluebonnets.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I am trying to figure out a way to respond to the crises of the current moment, if for no other reason than just for catharsis and blowing off steam. I'm trying to figure out a way to do this forcefully but without resort to verbal violence or vulgarity. Unlike Facebook, I can speak freely here, but I prefer to use this blog for lengthier more thoughtful posts without having to put up with FB's capricious censor-bots.</div><div>But I want to do something more than just react, rant, and vent. I don't know what that is yet.</div><div>I'll start with a small protest gesture that may be just a little too precious and not very potent. I will post the color blue from time to time. Blue as in blue states, as in the color of Union military uniforms during the Civil War, as in the blue of the open sky. I won't accept that over half the USA would willingly submit to rule by a resurrected Confederacy. My loyalty is to liberal democracy, to expanding the franchise. I believe in Liberty and Equality best summed up in this 1888 quote from "The Limits of Toleration" by the great anticlerical writer Robert Ingersoll, "Give to every human being every right you claim for yourself". Liberty and Equality together in a single sentence.<br /><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-60872220550033800752022-07-04T15:02:00.002-04:002022-07-04T15:02:57.151-04:00Celebrating the 4th with Human Sacrifice.<p> </p><p>Celebrating the nation's founding with a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/07/04/us/highland-park-shooting-july-4-parade" target="_blank">mass shooting,</a> this time in Highland Park, Illinois. So far six people are dead and dozens are wounded.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-57878459677744275482022-07-04T12:59:00.000-04:002022-07-04T12:59:29.297-04:00The Flag<p> </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZSVoZ0Urei1rBSjq-DtdltDRAMueOrUbBdNgTmYfN8ZchJ2eKcsiPpX_rC6s0VnBbyE-yFxvl7q12sIsUPZ7hUZm7F0Fh1NxQOyAfGI_fMkiicxH3pnMca9xIAXL3mwZun5Esh9ddjGpenDBKuSSdUomFL_RDugPGiIsW1DuhsYNNfoU3nlXQBx15A/s1280/1%20John%20Archibald%20Woodside%201814%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1153" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZSVoZ0Urei1rBSjq-DtdltDRAMueOrUbBdNgTmYfN8ZchJ2eKcsiPpX_rC6s0VnBbyE-yFxvl7q12sIsUPZ7hUZm7F0Fh1NxQOyAfGI_fMkiicxH3pnMca9xIAXL3mwZun5Esh9ddjGpenDBKuSSdUomFL_RDugPGiIsW1DuhsYNNfoU3nlXQBx15A/w576-h640/1%20John%20Archibald%20Woodside%201814%20copy.jpg" width="576" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Painting by John Archibald Woodside, Philadelphia, 1814</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtOypSh_98d9sdzQyfAxZHZgq1oQhve_oQ5WKhxKIUoTl4TVop2sC_1tKPH---CD7icA2kXvVraY5MVWMIdytCXbTzeI6NFQE81Ps_C0-_nY3AXW-bQtq92XE0af3u2sfzwiT1zGlY1uvwU-Uvnz6iI3LuGwlohMqN6J48fjKoZN-08i4ixDdAHL7og/s1431/William_Harvey_Carney_c1864.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1431" data-original-width="891" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtOypSh_98d9sdzQyfAxZHZgq1oQhve_oQ5WKhxKIUoTl4TVop2sC_1tKPH---CD7icA2kXvVraY5MVWMIdytCXbTzeI6NFQE81Ps_C0-_nY3AXW-bQtq92XE0af3u2sfzwiT1zGlY1uvwU-Uvnz6iI3LuGwlohMqN6J48fjKoZN-08i4ixDdAHL7og/w398-h640/William_Harvey_Carney_c1864.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">William Harvey Carney with the flag he saved at the battle of Fort Wagner, 1864. </div><div style="text-align: center;">He won the Medal of Honor</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mKj2kHeiCdMYcZtYPlJqFKwVvobyI6Fp8ShOdV6Zc9nrk7iI8Y-N8zoJ2HnlP5g4pwnoHcIzOjcbgcbmX4zJjfW2VVL5LX0K2256_VgngI4Ul9F2hY19_3nom4kEMsDMZ3qbkfURl6cEsK4SP-2n1ni2eKqu26DVzqqWiwWriLi2aZO5HzcEO10mYw/s1406/Union%20Soldiers%20with%20flag.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="1406" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mKj2kHeiCdMYcZtYPlJqFKwVvobyI6Fp8ShOdV6Zc9nrk7iI8Y-N8zoJ2HnlP5g4pwnoHcIzOjcbgcbmX4zJjfW2VVL5LX0K2256_VgngI4Ul9F2hY19_3nom4kEMsDMZ3qbkfURl6cEsK4SP-2n1ni2eKqu26DVzqqWiwWriLi2aZO5HzcEO10mYw/w640-h506/Union%20Soldiers%20with%20flag.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Union soldiers with a battle-torn American flag</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4KFTTxTk1rd0ZNenh7bEYc190dd_au9apr3uI824hy3_sNbgazDYiuQZqPYwsRxhNhcWm4uP3blzcizTOuLUA1cI0FB6qmHZPoG0K0MY4nxPHSmr2Qzf2CiIy3SaA2PtLOVSCWt5Y_7TMt24GoV0Xk00kjUGmGoFoorARcBS7Die3yLYGKUVGySe4g/s2002/Lawrence%20Textile%20Strike%201912%20copy%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1126" data-original-width="2002" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4KFTTxTk1rd0ZNenh7bEYc190dd_au9apr3uI824hy3_sNbgazDYiuQZqPYwsRxhNhcWm4uP3blzcizTOuLUA1cI0FB6qmHZPoG0K0MY4nxPHSmr2Qzf2CiIy3SaA2PtLOVSCWt5Y_7TMt24GoV0Xk00kjUGmGoFoorARcBS7Die3yLYGKUVGySe4g/w640-h360/Lawrence%20Textile%20Strike%201912%20copy%202.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Lawrence Textile Mill strike, 1912</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoP4k_w34y9T-GlCmAR6YGIdURs0WWj3NScNsUtH2Q14EBFhY6-WLoCox1eFwYqEv3blW5KOMA-w5DOjZP0kpZR102tqLOOcT2xBbWTBfGsHK-kCNW-6sxyo3dgugSCExJtojZkUFIc0g2ysDb6H7QmRi8M2hhXphuQSFO71XPeQz9DFQku7heQHCYAw/s986/Mrs.%20Herbert%20Carpenter%201914%20copy%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="986" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoP4k_w34y9T-GlCmAR6YGIdURs0WWj3NScNsUtH2Q14EBFhY6-WLoCox1eFwYqEv3blW5KOMA-w5DOjZP0kpZR102tqLOOcT2xBbWTBfGsHK-kCNW-6sxyo3dgugSCExJtojZkUFIc0g2ysDb6H7QmRi8M2hhXphuQSFO71XPeQz9DFQku7heQHCYAw/w640-h454/Mrs.%20Herbert%20Carpenter%201914%20copy%202.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mrs. Herbert Carpenter carries the flag in a demonstration for women's suffrage, 1914</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIcbrrj1yOZZEtI2rBvQefCOgWYmuQ_yiT_ood8ty92MD88URabkiX-9RzMdieND95Jia-iAsWvVIc_oCSugxAdjAgZ4pcdhSAdExVCvNCGb1EFhTY3uy3WICiFLum5Sn4AHaPadhGE9kRi3U4KOAq-mCYt9jtdkW81lttcOJNjwSn8m1dl5sltgNBw/s1084/Soldiers%20WWI.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1084" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIcbrrj1yOZZEtI2rBvQefCOgWYmuQ_yiT_ood8ty92MD88URabkiX-9RzMdieND95Jia-iAsWvVIc_oCSugxAdjAgZ4pcdhSAdExVCvNCGb1EFhTY3uy3WICiFLum5Sn4AHaPadhGE9kRi3U4KOAq-mCYt9jtdkW81lttcOJNjwSn8m1dl5sltgNBw/w640-h414/Soldiers%20WWI.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Soldiers in France, World War I, 1918</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncjWHkd6PWkGmt67DJhYLK_tXaDC0_K2WCWTvFVTteATGf6dCx4pgigUIce_9etQMDYvIvRhX1SSpcR8QSK2XUuX1iRvs3gB3GOSQjGu_5I-22I0f8vAouVURE4LZiZW6-BHZHa-GMd7CJSJ14QdyuWVwhKq9Y_87iXsThJtlGjHNvMhR1Cg_FHP-0Q/s1254/Screen%20Shot%202018-06-28%20at%2012.15.20%20AM%20copy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="1254" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncjWHkd6PWkGmt67DJhYLK_tXaDC0_K2WCWTvFVTteATGf6dCx4pgigUIce_9etQMDYvIvRhX1SSpcR8QSK2XUuX1iRvs3gB3GOSQjGu_5I-22I0f8vAouVURE4LZiZW6-BHZHa-GMd7CJSJ14QdyuWVwhKq9Y_87iXsThJtlGjHNvMhR1Cg_FHP-0Q/w640-h356/Screen%20Shot%202018-06-28%20at%2012.15.20%20AM%20copy.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">American soldiers on the rostrum of the Luitpold Arena, Nuremberg, April, 1945</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApbay944Vj3h0f61dwN_SaOPw2z8h5ihZ2BmJPSkfWid98pNkY8hviNxY1k8s_jEVMxCO_Pzd-Xp5tTNUPrZaf-m7CFmvPMVf3-ctmHJ0SvOur4mMfHuVOYkZdPx7Mm_owT1R8ak6212EQXZ94JPD9nySFeUX5bt9eNHCaDzRxYe3MWG3ExnCTEQ89A/s4628/Gordon_Parks_-_American_Gothic%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4628" data-original-width="3272" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApbay944Vj3h0f61dwN_SaOPw2z8h5ihZ2BmJPSkfWid98pNkY8hviNxY1k8s_jEVMxCO_Pzd-Xp5tTNUPrZaf-m7CFmvPMVf3-ctmHJ0SvOur4mMfHuVOYkZdPx7Mm_owT1R8ak6212EQXZ94JPD9nySFeUX5bt9eNHCaDzRxYe3MWG3ExnCTEQ89A/w452-h640/Gordon_Parks_-_American_Gothic%20copy.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Gordon Parks, American Gothic, 1942, </div><div style="text-align: center;">Ella Watson, a janitor in the Farm Security Administration, Washington DC</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzy2xwGVtoXV1vSes8-AeO6yTOkhgHL1kiTPCCOLmntfAzSf3D6GpOW92gI0y2aD45ewUg2heuAaBdAijTSpCS1uX51L9FmvBEjTWmNe2M86a4R0wuRNB8y2-q8v2M4Ykewb0zxcK4GxNf_0BLFT8CgZP_HTv279BfxSdg5Z8tUGpCDouvHcIfywbJA/s1258/Selma%20to%20Montgomery%201965%20copy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1258" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzy2xwGVtoXV1vSes8-AeO6yTOkhgHL1kiTPCCOLmntfAzSf3D6GpOW92gI0y2aD45ewUg2heuAaBdAijTSpCS1uX51L9FmvBEjTWmNe2M86a4R0wuRNB8y2-q8v2M4Ykewb0zxcK4GxNf_0BLFT8CgZP_HTv279BfxSdg5Z8tUGpCDouvHcIfywbJA/w640-h358/Selma%20to%20Montgomery%201965%20copy.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">James Karales, The Selma to Montgomery March, 1965</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIjD23JZx60rxz2JO1yYssAZDi34wUCKo1sP_9oQPp3SUE8DlFu3IiYP87MorN6M8eKVaaUpibWcABNiIRMwWN_0LX5J4sW7HPyiYCB1a1FUFdi7Nyxn0Qb4lwEta0ljN_0pU2GfxR3qr9ilrLUAymbukMEqX_pNv0AUwJXuyCawY2NBGakZQKvbVJw/s1200/50839905156_35d6f665b1_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="1200" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIjD23JZx60rxz2JO1yYssAZDi34wUCKo1sP_9oQPp3SUE8DlFu3IiYP87MorN6M8eKVaaUpibWcABNiIRMwWN_0LX5J4sW7HPyiYCB1a1FUFdi7Nyxn0Qb4lwEta0ljN_0pU2GfxR3qr9ilrLUAymbukMEqX_pNv0AUwJXuyCawY2NBGakZQKvbVJw/w640-h430/50839905156_35d6f665b1_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Soldier in Vietnam, 1968</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipopM8XOfMOXFWTJvLrsPZO6hYLxadBM3ppiYxPqwLEJ5IPamGtWg3z293yyNUwxTmDWJPE5u619xdR-MKBv28gZIwISHrdUF0c2nINTL0cINslzdCzxdjcm1eJVMPNiZiXEZ6N_BU2c4HPOZidkQezi4fFK5TiRdgcD0p6SnsomyrdP4cCqUTUukh5Q/s1198/Antiwar%20Protesters,%201970.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1044" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipopM8XOfMOXFWTJvLrsPZO6hYLxadBM3ppiYxPqwLEJ5IPamGtWg3z293yyNUwxTmDWJPE5u619xdR-MKBv28gZIwISHrdUF0c2nINTL0cINslzdCzxdjcm1eJVMPNiZiXEZ6N_BU2c4HPOZidkQezi4fFK5TiRdgcD0p6SnsomyrdP4cCqUTUukh5Q/w558-h640/Antiwar%20Protesters,%201970.png" width="558" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Antiwar Protest, 1970</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxa_dHRE8Dpr70I5yrXvMbSzTuF6V0pnVJnfl9RhNKUty6Q49XJpckqkBr8ZwC7BKuTpYeF2Ro1WvJdvjUoy83OB6JFLpHN_bDZP3hTYHDp9ODRDB1XDozTsErouZci4C6jStG5xTO7hv1Ia6g1sQUGk8PXjDnRAcqR5zRz1r1LZGcUcXGHLzLHWyEA/s1667/Scan%20copy%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1096" data-original-width="1667" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxa_dHRE8Dpr70I5yrXvMbSzTuF6V0pnVJnfl9RhNKUty6Q49XJpckqkBr8ZwC7BKuTpYeF2Ro1WvJdvjUoy83OB6JFLpHN_bDZP3hTYHDp9ODRDB1XDozTsErouZci4C6jStG5xTO7hv1Ia6g1sQUGk8PXjDnRAcqR5zRz1r1LZGcUcXGHLzLHWyEA/w640-h420/Scan%20copy%202.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Fred McDarrah, The Christopher Street Liberation Day march, the first Gay Pride march, New York, 1970</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsovYDfjizIQWyYKPQt48dkkGd22IkqQbGKRqcvC7JT5R-8zBGoMsDwSvLMTx36O6VzHTaW8gVDZgOaQHfHJURw9tB3OdEDPMIhzQAQvF8ShAX3CMt0ukR1--jEX6w9wtu7AiQM7PRxtW-ykRASXgxbrjOA-MzmcgWotJYthmFCTavBaiLcqOTrYPdqg/s672/ufw-cesar-chavez.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="672" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsovYDfjizIQWyYKPQt48dkkGd22IkqQbGKRqcvC7JT5R-8zBGoMsDwSvLMTx36O6VzHTaW8gVDZgOaQHfHJURw9tB3OdEDPMIhzQAQvF8ShAX3CMt0ukR1--jEX6w9wtu7AiQM7PRxtW-ykRASXgxbrjOA-MzmcgWotJYthmFCTavBaiLcqOTrYPdqg/w640-h354/ufw-cesar-chavez.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cesar Chavez, United Farmworkers' March</div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPoWUH6uMe8krKdQrdWvG7NgiSFY1-ggW_zdJLdxrSuD-K6oVjfmydy8VH4K3q2CYxVsnY8IZdgLHrs1dJLty-xzLEUMZgUiuzpG2UTN8JZ9pQvEYGp-i9Ex-xHnNw5i9tfYkjtr0X-fiqjRbeqCLVNybdyz3huZKvpcZRr5Tii0ecTbdyFtjq6e8VtQ/s1830/Occupy%20Protesters,%20Denver,%202011%20copy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="1830" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPoWUH6uMe8krKdQrdWvG7NgiSFY1-ggW_zdJLdxrSuD-K6oVjfmydy8VH4K3q2CYxVsnY8IZdgLHrs1dJLty-xzLEUMZgUiuzpG2UTN8JZ9pQvEYGp-i9Ex-xHnNw5i9tfYkjtr0X-fiqjRbeqCLVNybdyz3huZKvpcZRr5Tii0ecTbdyFtjq6e8VtQ/w640-h398/Occupy%20Protesters,%20Denver,%202011%20copy.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Occupy Wall Street march, Denver, 2011</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmi-OwepRnVIqhYzNNouJSi93r9EQ36RAv6fEt7xCWjFPTdb0XiEyqwDav6Dzrhzoy6XrZToM3H9oJm2T6NmLwO2PK7BAoG-2A9myldw1LxLMxXMo2NRITEonOTizu6eiUZec4TVbfIVvcLZ-JPzEDpNfhJuId6LG4BPqR11csedQCaHUtr1PlT7HQXA/s1918/BLM%20Protest%20Pittsburgh.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="1918" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmi-OwepRnVIqhYzNNouJSi93r9EQ36RAv6fEt7xCWjFPTdb0XiEyqwDav6Dzrhzoy6XrZToM3H9oJm2T6NmLwO2PK7BAoG-2A9myldw1LxLMxXMo2NRITEonOTizu6eiUZec4TVbfIVvcLZ-JPzEDpNfhJuId6LG4BPqR11csedQCaHUtr1PlT7HQXA/w640-h302/BLM%20Protest%20Pittsburgh.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Black Lives Matter rally, Pittsburgh, 2021</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rDnbFrinPD9vkHv3qCrBzNEv0iwFN_cIfaY0eLGfhkEJnHgf6a-ok249OnRWeicihv6Vu4ZXBk5mtF-nfqpbQiZTbIP4cd-jtv3V0-Q94Vmp2xM8LSGyQyg3sRcTgRpXqNlezDm0AiNnf0AdLNV5Xxb53-e2z871NeIgVpTCHhx0AD381aSj4iLarw/s1322/Megan%20Rapinoe%20copy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1322" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rDnbFrinPD9vkHv3qCrBzNEv0iwFN_cIfaY0eLGfhkEJnHgf6a-ok249OnRWeicihv6Vu4ZXBk5mtF-nfqpbQiZTbIP4cd-jtv3V0-Q94Vmp2xM8LSGyQyg3sRcTgRpXqNlezDm0AiNnf0AdLNV5Xxb53-e2z871NeIgVpTCHhx0AD381aSj4iLarw/w640-h362/Megan%20Rapinoe%20copy.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Megan Rapinoe</div><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-91215010360276920722022-07-04T06:10:00.003-04:002022-07-04T10:48:49.376-04:00Independence Day<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHuz8zNnWQPW13o72GSrGgFQp1KYR-GyJ00Y4KdCeIhhnSzanzWsOu0jAnOVMqg5J8BnizxVdezPOG3E7CF6Zp02HqCi9Nk8v4F4xzD7Fi7cJtw5XotISDU8PEJ6pCNj1i8TU6x0M1Pc_Ztw17EGvPEeaiMuakBFhDe5w0cAoEoq0dAyiuvsQForUZow/s2940/Manzanar_Relocation_Center,_Manzanar,_California._Street_scene_of_barrack_homes..._-_NARA_-_538128_-_restored.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2285" data-original-width="2940" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHuz8zNnWQPW13o72GSrGgFQp1KYR-GyJ00Y4KdCeIhhnSzanzWsOu0jAnOVMqg5J8BnizxVdezPOG3E7CF6Zp02HqCi9Nk8v4F4xzD7Fi7cJtw5XotISDU8PEJ6pCNj1i8TU6x0M1Pc_Ztw17EGvPEeaiMuakBFhDe5w0cAoEoq0dAyiuvsQForUZow/w640-h498/Manzanar_Relocation_Center,_Manzanar,_California._Street_scene_of_barrack_homes..._-_NARA_-_538128_-_restored.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy Birthday to that oligarchy of rich old white men that calls itself a "democracy."<br />May the United States of America someday be a blessing to all who live in it instead of a gated neighborhood for some and jail for others.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">May it be a beacon for the world instead of one more empire lording it over people while stealing their land and resources.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This year <a href="https://edsitement.neh.gov/student-activities/frederick-douglasss-what-slave-fourth-july" target="_blank">Frederick Douglass' speech</a> is more appropriate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And there is this short <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/04/us-patriotism-true-meaning" target="_blank">essay by Robert Reich.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-38858816737078967212022-07-02T20:19:00.004-04:002022-07-12T09:47:10.680-04:00Winslow Homer and The Struggle to Live.<p> </p><p><br /></p><p>I visited the Winslow Homer show twice at the Met Museum and had a great time. It was the biggest Winslow Homer show I'd ever seen, and the biggest one anywhere in twenty five years.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnfu3RXhlwlaJXJ6AP7RSdXzc-B_Zbf31OTj5k3W8q5yFU3uVEUbUpNuaO2xZHY50olHVryOzQ1ibk8FdM1VLlfdlgddB51kCk9vNVSvEOhTuKv_-n1Wb6_-H6PuOuZ-8w8RPAIwVpnyD0xvu95PPLuAE_BeqzZtANkKwQ-8-5Dbj4K74rBnW9XCZSw/s5886/Winslow_Homer_-_The_Gulf_Stream_-_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art%20copy.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3540" data-original-width="5886" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnfu3RXhlwlaJXJ6AP7RSdXzc-B_Zbf31OTj5k3W8q5yFU3uVEUbUpNuaO2xZHY50olHVryOzQ1ibk8FdM1VLlfdlgddB51kCk9vNVSvEOhTuKv_-n1Wb6_-H6PuOuZ-8w8RPAIwVpnyD0xvu95PPLuAE_BeqzZtANkKwQ-8-5Dbj4K74rBnW9XCZSw/w640-h384/Winslow_Homer_-_The_Gulf_Stream_-_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art%20copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The curators did a great job organizing the whole exhibition around this painting, Homer's most famous, The Gulf Stream painted twice in 1899 and then reworked in 1906 four years before his death. Winslow Homer himself considered this to be a pivotal painting in his career, a tying together and summing up of all the thematic and formal threads that move throughout his work. The curators titled the show Winslow Homer; Crosscurrents. </div><div>The painting shows an unimaginably terrible predicament. A lone sailor lies on a boat adrift without a mast or a rudder, presumably lost in a storm. Some sugar cane spills out of the hold on deck. Sharks surround the boat in a frenzy anticipating a meal. The boat tosses about on huge storm swells. In the background, a storm that has just passed or another one coming on complete with a waterspout menaces the lone sailor and a distant ship on the horizon. We have no idea how this is going to turn out, though it looks very bad for the young man.</div><div>And yet, this man for all his peril looks remarkably unperturbed and self-possessed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Below are some detail photos I took from the original with a very low-price phone camera.</div><div>All of these photos are from Wikimedia Commons or museum websites except for those that I took myself.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rUymI_m-fFQklIa1HGitOlTzQd7X7ZV5gNoUF9GGYHQW-ZP0iUl_KNMQ8Mat9VdHYheTZlmrvZgIBxJXcNTmYn89Yb6iHPOoU_X9lsoDKWHxMI1nEyxa457eu2r4bWSz3OImPW6M69a89drI4xtsFUAb4Oq7TOfqoBW9FJVzhC1eMBxACygLeUDwmg/s3264/20220701_164824.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rUymI_m-fFQklIa1HGitOlTzQd7X7ZV5gNoUF9GGYHQW-ZP0iUl_KNMQ8Mat9VdHYheTZlmrvZgIBxJXcNTmYn89Yb6iHPOoU_X9lsoDKWHxMI1nEyxa457eu2r4bWSz3OImPW6M69a89drI4xtsFUAb4Oq7TOfqoBW9FJVzhC1eMBxACygLeUDwmg/w640-h480/20220701_164824.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZe1142_7ZSGoTpCifaVIgRdZEmvv48unH9uF6EY328yWXzXsaM09rfQLw6XIBIF01DUvfzlwAT7THLXqMfeUBP8AjI981iw6AiQX3rwJgCSfX22CtmAh_SYttWkMOxeG0psf7oe79wD-xV4L4DECL11cpNxOFnTp-L9oAfdbdiTkphfrN_9hUi7BL5w/s3264/20220701_164846.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZe1142_7ZSGoTpCifaVIgRdZEmvv48unH9uF6EY328yWXzXsaM09rfQLw6XIBIF01DUvfzlwAT7THLXqMfeUBP8AjI981iw6AiQX3rwJgCSfX22CtmAh_SYttWkMOxeG0psf7oe79wD-xV4L4DECL11cpNxOFnTp-L9oAfdbdiTkphfrN_9hUi7BL5w/w640-h480/20220701_164846.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUD6nuTX-etAJsGtTdsT7czHf1enLabCbl0g3qgKoAN1iCqPQJ678U0NIysZxIxPby71paTIWVwwiFDk_0jU-e6SyoppL5tByNNOvL6djpya72k1CCJw__U6MMQlyUlS80dDYf4_Xu0a7lbO5wBAK66p_xqwWPZSQqj_FfCArwuP_d3XGMwK6pRLLZng/s3264/20220701_164830.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUD6nuTX-etAJsGtTdsT7czHf1enLabCbl0g3qgKoAN1iCqPQJ678U0NIysZxIxPby71paTIWVwwiFDk_0jU-e6SyoppL5tByNNOvL6djpya72k1CCJw__U6MMQlyUlS80dDYf4_Xu0a7lbO5wBAK66p_xqwWPZSQqj_FfCArwuP_d3XGMwK6pRLLZng/w640-h480/20220701_164830.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68KT2PgJm-Mc_ObivY0bSH4PPlhwU_H2NLcQcIHap4qLehVauOgyPqVMZsoHwZ4IAk9IrjtuBB38ihgc0-doax0Jt3dZOzUKQhSbYircH-HiUo3NF_jR3ACrOmhxHFVFMjAAnLAPbFPErLSqTZLYWmUonSA2KFYtfiruehaP9_AIVOKXSDI7KV7eiuQ/s3264/20220701_164836.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68KT2PgJm-Mc_ObivY0bSH4PPlhwU_H2NLcQcIHap4qLehVauOgyPqVMZsoHwZ4IAk9IrjtuBB38ihgc0-doax0Jt3dZOzUKQhSbYircH-HiUo3NF_jR3ACrOmhxHFVFMjAAnLAPbFPErLSqTZLYWmUonSA2KFYtfiruehaP9_AIVOKXSDI7KV7eiuQ/w640-h480/20220701_164836.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This thrilling cliff-hanger of a painting intrigued a lot people who asked about it. Homer gruffly refused all questions about the painting insisting that its whole meaning was in the title, The Gulf Stream. The curators of the show took Homer at his word and throughout the exhibit ask us to think about the Gulf Stream as something more than an ocean current that affects North American and European weather.</div><div>The Gulf Stream played a large role in the history of the Americas. It facilitated transatlantic commerce including the slave trade. The young sailor is a descendant of African slaves forcibly removed and settled in and around the Americas. Even before colonialism and slavery people fished the Gulf Stream waters for centuries and still do. The Gulf Stream plays a central role in creating the uniquely violent weather of North America (hurricanes on the coast and tornadoes inland) and the more temperate climate of western Europe. For millions of years fish and other sea creatures used its currents to migrate (if you look carefully at this painting you can see flying fish). The Gulf Stream as a painting and as a subject contains so many of the themes that pre-occupied Homer throughout his life such as: human life dependent on a vast terrifying nature utterly indifferent to human welfare; the sea as a vehicle of human history placing so many different peoples in unexpected proximity and the conflicts that creates; and the terrible struggle to survive shared by both humans and animals.</div><div><br /></div><div>I thought of Bruegel walking through this show. Like Winslow Homer, making a living from indifferent nature preoccupied the great 16th century artist and drove so much of his innovative composition. Where Homer and Bruegel part company was emotional investment in their subjects. Homer feels real sympathy for his soldiers on the front and their families back home facing high risks and real peril, for the sailors of New England and Cullercoats in England and their families risking their lives to make a living, and for the Black descendants of African slaves in the very different tropical environment of the Bahamas doing the same thing. Homer even feels a certain sympathy for animals in peril either form natural forces or from human predation. Homer feels far more sympathy for all his sailors, soldiers, farmers, and hunters than Bruegel ever did for his peasants. Bruegel views them from mid air, the "angel's eye view." Homer puts us right on the ground or in a boat with his people.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WjPJNv1O9pQQB3imf4MPCad-rA3HsJhCox_Af7bTQG7VnusAtcnPY85tKRqdAONzJTy1xKXRcwyhBz3ZcIGnq4kOVhO5n8KKgLvncm_3WdXRllY3GdGvRxSzLIrAtakJlaqoGh18PmAUpWKHSLLTdE-zIlUtij1LPzchqnm1GDVsVHwCF_helgQxXw/s1462/Homer%20painting%20The%20Gulf%20Stream%20copy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1090" data-original-width="1462" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WjPJNv1O9pQQB3imf4MPCad-rA3HsJhCox_Af7bTQG7VnusAtcnPY85tKRqdAONzJTy1xKXRcwyhBz3ZcIGnq4kOVhO5n8KKgLvncm_3WdXRllY3GdGvRxSzLIrAtakJlaqoGh18PmAUpWKHSLLTdE-zIlUtij1LPzchqnm1GDVsVHwCF_helgQxXw/w640-h478/Homer%20painting%20The%20Gulf%20Stream%20copy.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Winslow Homer photographed in his studio working on The Gulf Stream, about 1899.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjE6xnTguGHZKmjNPVTlPR8dvA0zFF6WXVSZEWvG6Nyw6wSBQ6_cDGxY_ySUKoMk2GTLpNhxfWYYBmPqHxjKGrArX7blpzDy8ojVbRrGrgjyHdXG7bIxT7CfuhBrOKXShIxfnOo6BxerFF6ZUe1XaD1Th53ulBnhSnw3rNhJh_ULLvAA2sz7BuF6Hp9w/s3264/20220701_170736.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjE6xnTguGHZKmjNPVTlPR8dvA0zFF6WXVSZEWvG6Nyw6wSBQ6_cDGxY_ySUKoMk2GTLpNhxfWYYBmPqHxjKGrArX7blpzDy8ojVbRrGrgjyHdXG7bIxT7CfuhBrOKXShIxfnOo6BxerFF6ZUe1XaD1Th53ulBnhSnw3rNhJh_ULLvAA2sz7BuF6Hp9w/w640-h480/20220701_170736.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here are a couple of my photos of the exhibition in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The curators arranged the show so that it always referred back to The Gulf Stream hung in the center with windows in some gallery rooms to take us back to it.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCLHfW5cUDaKA119HvZuvf8J_gCS6FjMpQyYDpI46dc34U8EozThe02Auk7F9P-QNiRw1R9rI4CH3vkgEHcvz_ROc0iwi3knBX9EaxChm4LaXxnh6s99N8r08fEnbpJbtuuNB6Timkh4dZJAU0GHi7gikxBO_iCaY4b_ee2QaBfQp1_YNJfehDpLy6Q/s3264/20220701_170709.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCLHfW5cUDaKA119HvZuvf8J_gCS6FjMpQyYDpI46dc34U8EozThe02Auk7F9P-QNiRw1R9rI4CH3vkgEHcvz_ROc0iwi3knBX9EaxChm4LaXxnh6s99N8r08fEnbpJbtuuNB6Timkh4dZJAU0GHi7gikxBO_iCaY4b_ee2QaBfQp1_YNJfehDpLy6Q/w640-h480/20220701_170709.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCFOxMD4IqX7Ex7Yr2Ii1a0J-7sXXS-wG3qiOv0ZrMIeesQXz6xbX6RY_zbwM0k_XSFo7R3n-W9FBx1YfMBJOm8VeNjRz2x9i-HkvvxV5WPit5_Hh_jarDUJLM-EYlvIwl4fmMtMCMzcpttNzkZ_sLgdMiq4TA8G5y5qf9JLjsY4GnPdYu5Y97OdlfQ/s3577/Winslow_Homer_-_Prisoners_from_the_Front_-_The_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2260" data-original-width="3577" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCFOxMD4IqX7Ex7Yr2Ii1a0J-7sXXS-wG3qiOv0ZrMIeesQXz6xbX6RY_zbwM0k_XSFo7R3n-W9FBx1YfMBJOm8VeNjRz2x9i-HkvvxV5WPit5_Hh_jarDUJLM-EYlvIwl4fmMtMCMzcpttNzkZ_sLgdMiq4TA8G5y5qf9JLjsY4GnPdYu5Y97OdlfQ/w640-h404/Winslow_Homer_-_Prisoners_from_the_Front_-_The_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The label copy and wall text of this exhibition used the word "transformational" a lot. Indeed, Winslow Homer lived through the most transformational period of American history so far, the years of the Civil War and Reconstruction. He had a front seat for both.</div><div>Homer began his artistic career as an illustrator working for the big picture magazines of the day, especially for Frank Leslie's Illustrated News. Unusual for the time, Homer worked freelance, sometimes for two or three magazines at the same time. He was an early version of what we would call a photo-journalist. He toured the front lines of the Civil War, mostly in Virginia. Most of his subject matter was of army camp life. Only rarely did he make scenes of the actual fighting. It was during these tours that Home began nourishing ambitions to become a serious painter, a fine artist. His famous Civil War paintings were his earliest successful efforts as a fine artist. </div><div>Like most of the other Civil War era fine artists of the day, Homer never showed the horrors of the battlefield and its aftermath. That was left to photographers such as Alexander Gardner and Matthew Brady. Unlike many of those artists who addressed the war metaphorically (artists from Daniel Chester French to George Inness), Homer painted the people caught up in the conflict directly. Above is Homer's most famous Civil War painting, Prisoners From the Front, painted in 1866 after the war was over. Homer made the painting out of General Francis Channing Barlow's capture of Confederate prisoners during the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse in 1864.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Below are some details I photographed from the original.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9y2XVIvchTMoOBiyfTyldnyqC7JvSdbLk3HerfxEOl6JTHTj7gd33DmSjZbVuer3b_nnhHjddKnm1up9fdnPVC-XyofqIQCvkkOgKu1cNRG-_5GWwDwxNVjrHzEwoUVbOkSsgFF-WlnTAsvpD4CypM5CuRoOz9VIeRJdOK37KDdqTXyqyXYET9QojQ/s3264/20220701_171212.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9y2XVIvchTMoOBiyfTyldnyqC7JvSdbLk3HerfxEOl6JTHTj7gd33DmSjZbVuer3b_nnhHjddKnm1up9fdnPVC-XyofqIQCvkkOgKu1cNRG-_5GWwDwxNVjrHzEwoUVbOkSsgFF-WlnTAsvpD4CypM5CuRoOz9VIeRJdOK37KDdqTXyqyXYET9QojQ/w480-h640/20220701_171212.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The very young Brigadier General Barlow, better dressed in Homer's painting than he usually was on the battlefield. General Meade scoffed that Barlow looked like a "a very independent mounted newsboy."</div><div>But Barlow was already a decorated war hero with a reputation for aggression in battle and coolness under fire, and rose very fast from the rank of private at the beginning of the war to brigadier general by 1864. He survived the war and went on to have a long political career.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJ-mKXZyEX3HrZS0AlBUq1xKtF-8l_drmkmTbkMQXoEd0YbBJ6UcWzeA_WiRYWBKnyl39ddyUC_U2d74dReou5PxFfGdbOfP9G0IaMiPJKulWA3efEIj8Nos0PeJU3sq-abydbi4pWAHPEfyzj9FMH0XLd1roehZBmfBFHWFeiNb2pKxRkobzGQVfQQ/s754/Francis_C._Barlow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="627" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJ-mKXZyEX3HrZS0AlBUq1xKtF-8l_drmkmTbkMQXoEd0YbBJ6UcWzeA_WiRYWBKnyl39ddyUC_U2d74dReou5PxFfGdbOfP9G0IaMiPJKulWA3efEIj8Nos0PeJU3sq-abydbi4pWAHPEfyzj9FMH0XLd1roehZBmfBFHWFeiNb2pKxRkobzGQVfQQ/s320/Francis_C._Barlow.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div>Winslow Homer who never felt confident about doing portraiture did a fine job with General Barlow according to this photo.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEXDExQe6u7JUeujCCRiyB8jMFfLTdG2lg2eBm_sOIG8mLPglR49YdW4APoJRdFGCXf4C-GKuFFRS-AtRrj4LuiLy13hMXcgFC6j3J6SUPI2GMOC-xyuuewS1wXobeCXUvoDb8syr4BlE-Tq1jsC-l3vqfs5cDEZK2nWYMJByHZ-GvvVhTTL-aLWM0g/s3264/20220701_171224.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEXDExQe6u7JUeujCCRiyB8jMFfLTdG2lg2eBm_sOIG8mLPglR49YdW4APoJRdFGCXf4C-GKuFFRS-AtRrj4LuiLy13hMXcgFC6j3J6SUPI2GMOC-xyuuewS1wXobeCXUvoDb8syr4BlE-Tq1jsC-l3vqfs5cDEZK2nWYMJByHZ-GvvVhTTL-aLWM0g/w480-h640/20220701_171224.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Confederate soldiers taken prisoner in soiled and shabby uniforms looking both defiant and anxious about what will become of them.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The encounter between antagonists is something we will see again in Homer's work. Homer's painting summarizes the Civil War conflict between Southern audacity and Northern industry and resources. It is a confrontation of regional antagonisms and class conflicts.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdNXnxDFxBDQ7OGAuoMEaXz9TyBG77V9IkLK-XIQWSTv5150wd14Kuzwx7l0um9kvhVfTcIQHV3wv2DoY5zPazERJKthMziQPIraT6BxOEWsG2cDIxZOEShh5qlYUIqmM-6x3dwJqtp3JzkLVgLCvZitsZ-8Gom5gNKGwmDAsCULJ3e_07f8ijDRz6w/s5870/Winslow_Homer_-_The_Brush_Harrow_(1865)%20copy.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3704" data-original-width="5870" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdNXnxDFxBDQ7OGAuoMEaXz9TyBG77V9IkLK-XIQWSTv5150wd14Kuzwx7l0um9kvhVfTcIQHV3wv2DoY5zPazERJKthMziQPIraT6BxOEWsG2cDIxZOEShh5qlYUIqmM-6x3dwJqtp3JzkLVgLCvZitsZ-8Gom5gNKGwmDAsCULJ3e_07f8ijDRz6w/w640-h404/Winslow_Homer_-_The_Brush_Harrow_(1865)%20copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Another painting from the Civil War series shows neither the front line nor a military camp. It shows the very real hardships on the home front. A couple of boys set up a primitive harrow made of tree branches to prepare the ground for planting. This was labor usually done by young men with rented tools. All the young men and their fathers are away fighting the war, and it's uncertain if they will return. And if they do return, they might come back maimed and unable to do farm labor.</div><div>The Civil War impoverished millions of people on both sides. Women and even more frequently children did the work of grown men. One boy sits on the harrow to give it more weight while another one gets ready to ride a very thin and underfed horse to pull it. The boy riding the horse looks as exhausted and miserable as his mount. This is a painting full of desperation and sorrow.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBt6xiKIvILVR2ktgH0ueBxOg8Kb1a9JwWdwXTNhmC2wxYku_9Tpji5bbOhkmbu_cOQO-gfGH9twr4xqN6GPjd3DDX6TEi5GJEesqr9WQZJAKhW5FFrrEaihDPriV_HEyOeBgMHh2UZVOHv4KpD64MFLYHrMcJlRsJK0PQrE51qjxTNkPwMFoszsQTug/s3264/20220701_171054.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBt6xiKIvILVR2ktgH0ueBxOg8Kb1a9JwWdwXTNhmC2wxYku_9Tpji5bbOhkmbu_cOQO-gfGH9twr4xqN6GPjd3DDX6TEi5GJEesqr9WQZJAKhW5FFrrEaihDPriV_HEyOeBgMHh2UZVOHv4KpD64MFLYHrMcJlRsJK0PQrE51qjxTNkPwMFoszsQTug/w640-h480/20220701_171054.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I think that there are few figures as sad as this boy, though we never see his face. The disproportion between him and his horse (he's almost too small) and the stoop in his back tell the whole story without ever having to reveal his face.</div><div><br /></div><div>Photos I took from the original.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPWX4k2XFmjLnw4837Nnqk7bwNC1NnZiXKYAe_hRtMwwo_vIlEA0AyobnZi2hYmWpwgw0zm3aPNnJE5u8zvyD9mjRxLVqqCoZ90Z0CzfH7GTZF7qTJwAxl8VxygGA1Sh4Ki-vZpU2PJPeVNfzPjdPocw_kAI8MYLLwBDFvOpg1sUdQzFofm1SGT48hA/s3264/20220701_171058.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPWX4k2XFmjLnw4837Nnqk7bwNC1NnZiXKYAe_hRtMwwo_vIlEA0AyobnZi2hYmWpwgw0zm3aPNnJE5u8zvyD9mjRxLVqqCoZ90Z0CzfH7GTZF7qTJwAxl8VxygGA1Sh4Ki-vZpU2PJPeVNfzPjdPocw_kAI8MYLLwBDFvOpg1sUdQzFofm1SGT48hA/w640-h480/20220701_171058.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The younger boy on the harrow waiting to start.</div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTXnISojsQN9q8SiA5Qzc8rpo_qjQ_8wIp0IDLplNC61dPFycoSSZ1nWsvnvJm0NhMCDSjahIAQGvdArvZQPJAxeguXozXsf5sfroPeQ-Bqf4CotdCy29FuQPVbORJfpM-WsjjPW75FRE7Q81238LxAIrP7fqYyVQ3-3NvRdfQce4Gp1mr2ONxIX0uQ/s4001/Winslow_Homer_-_A_Visit_from_the_Old_Mistress_-_Google_Art_Project%20copy.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2987" data-original-width="4001" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTXnISojsQN9q8SiA5Qzc8rpo_qjQ_8wIp0IDLplNC61dPFycoSSZ1nWsvnvJm0NhMCDSjahIAQGvdArvZQPJAxeguXozXsf5sfroPeQ-Bqf4CotdCy29FuQPVbORJfpM-WsjjPW75FRE7Q81238LxAIrP7fqYyVQ3-3NvRdfQce4Gp1mr2ONxIX0uQ/w640-h478/Winslow_Homer_-_A_Visit_from_the_Old_Mistress_-_Google_Art_Project%20copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Among the most emotionally tense and fraught of Homer's paintings is this scene from Reconstruction, A Visit From the Old Mistress, painted in 1876, the year of the squalid presidential election that would end Reconstruction and reunite North and South at the expense of African Americans.</div><div>The former mistress of the plantation visits her former slaves in their cabin. The formerly enslaved look at her with complex mixed emotions from defiance and resentment to something like pity. She wears black and is likely a widow. She may be telling them that she cannot pay them a salary and is selling the plantation. Or, she may be there to discuss wages with them. </div><div>Winslow Homer refuses to play to the presuppositions we might have about either side in this encounter. As impoverished as they are, the former enslaved women make no appeal for our pity or hers. Homer resists resorting to the usual stereotypes of African Americans that prevailed at the time. He certainly has sympathy for these wronged and brutalized people facing a new future full of hope and peril. But the old mistress is no monster either. She may not only be widowed by the war, but impoverished. </div><div>This is an emotionally fraught painting for us today, and certainly was for audiences in 1876. Homer stubbornly refuses to hint at any outcome in this meeting. Nor does he ever tip his hand where his sympathies ultimately lie in this situation. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some photos I took of details from this striking painting.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rwV0i4eseqZ9mvPuzhzVzJ2DkR1CnLGhTrM-dvgj9EuXVBPXoaxT5DqvtcH_7KoRmkt4qSy6eJdxOTGLGmWHCWe-z-cHxrLVz0Rv_J4M0hDO1sSpLxE8nW3iAAqb5dHjRQU79RPGSf4ICaoIsWaU2-m9tNrC0w_OmQYZqglON798RDnPIIsxBe9-Uw/s3264/20220701_170926.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rwV0i4eseqZ9mvPuzhzVzJ2DkR1CnLGhTrM-dvgj9EuXVBPXoaxT5DqvtcH_7KoRmkt4qSy6eJdxOTGLGmWHCWe-z-cHxrLVz0Rv_J4M0hDO1sSpLxE8nW3iAAqb5dHjRQU79RPGSf4ICaoIsWaU2-m9tNrC0w_OmQYZqglON798RDnPIIsxBe9-Uw/w480-h640/20220701_170926.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The figure group of the formerly enslaved women makes a magnificent composition. The painting of their extensively patched and tattered clothes is also wonderful. My favorite figure sits on the left listening intently, not tipping her hand at all about what she thinks.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXefIWnGB26_-rheAsc3zs-2Ute6CQFV94WLhLG6It0q5IlQ9dhiGkN1qs26KW5uU7vbVoKVAiT-_u41DxcqAvS4_kIcuf_1zMnzL-A1fqJsVNCim1vXimMdwyrcTp1xbHNGtT7tzi-tgibHlUIHTcVqfsViV_UhN-Knt_guFElLjwXS58qqVPm9mNbA/s3264/20220701_170921.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXefIWnGB26_-rheAsc3zs-2Ute6CQFV94WLhLG6It0q5IlQ9dhiGkN1qs26KW5uU7vbVoKVAiT-_u41DxcqAvS4_kIcuf_1zMnzL-A1fqJsVNCim1vXimMdwyrcTp1xbHNGtT7tzi-tgibHlUIHTcVqfsViV_UhN-Knt_guFElLjwXS58qqVPm9mNbA/w480-h640/20220701_170921.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsvQpei5BHLd1ixrekMmjsZkATzq13LFICF87MQG5IqCt-fWJ9qhBAPN5EOhcp0W8IG2Phs-QxL4e9Wxzh6LqpiYIMAgHxEOhRV7wmggjLb9SpBapyPh5SLh-sQwIgJCk-T2mDCQmyuaRRnuk4X2De49Tvu2WziBrXZ9SC8KU8-Y902wi7ZUHymVu8Q/s3264/20220701_170909.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsvQpei5BHLd1ixrekMmjsZkATzq13LFICF87MQG5IqCt-fWJ9qhBAPN5EOhcp0W8IG2Phs-QxL4e9Wxzh6LqpiYIMAgHxEOhRV7wmggjLb9SpBapyPh5SLh-sQwIgJCk-T2mDCQmyuaRRnuk4X2De49Tvu2WziBrXZ9SC8KU8-Y902wi7ZUHymVu8Q/w480-h640/20220701_170909.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho10t9vKVnCRya45CP1flrYQxKQqFnMg9TnxlSyDOFeA6QPUIWd3ThmHVB8v5EgBrXMYltQT5a6a_Hg-2uHjm36_4tzkKkK2W2uFIopq7s69LSIDu6al2JURuMEAS8e4106EaJxqeh42KGJ8-qdsNQ4wql65XEWKJdrpTNsLIS51SGEy9hcUgT7__xow/s5680/Winslow_Homer_-_The_Cotton_Pickers_-_Google_Art_Project%20copy.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3576" data-original-width="5680" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho10t9vKVnCRya45CP1flrYQxKQqFnMg9TnxlSyDOFeA6QPUIWd3ThmHVB8v5EgBrXMYltQT5a6a_Hg-2uHjm36_4tzkKkK2W2uFIopq7s69LSIDu6al2JURuMEAS8e4106EaJxqeh42KGJ8-qdsNQ4wql65XEWKJdrpTNsLIS51SGEy9hcUgT7__xow/w640-h402/Winslow_Homer_-_The_Cotton_Pickers_-_Google_Art_Project%20copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another painting from Reconstruction shows two women working in a beautifully painted cotton field. Unlike most other similar paintings from that era painted by whites, the women have dignity and are sympathetic.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5araXfBwd9SVnr-BzdScfNmJdtxA6583hxA5C3Rza5h97ghMmVjF6EDYKgvyjvwCcv42R0A5qs08olU2anfRRYlW9sktv3GGK1UzyjVSmNMyRUJfoJXOCwnWIMe94qpPxu8BjHkHxOjRCKPDvdiWXz0tt3AADScws1dBYgqGIKjVR40w_JCs2sQ-8w/s700/44898793_1553969334746429_303467992404983808_n%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="700" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5araXfBwd9SVnr-BzdScfNmJdtxA6583hxA5C3Rza5h97ghMmVjF6EDYKgvyjvwCcv42R0A5qs08olU2anfRRYlW9sktv3GGK1UzyjVSmNMyRUJfoJXOCwnWIMe94qpPxu8BjHkHxOjRCKPDvdiWXz0tt3AADScws1dBYgqGIKjVR40w_JCs2sQ-8w/w640-h402/44898793_1553969334746429_303467992404983808_n%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Morning Bell, 1871.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another painting from Reconstruction showing the transformations wrought by the war on the lives of those living in the North. A bell on top of a mill that probably made textiles summons employees to work in the morning. The beautifully illumined woman in the center is likely someone made poor by the war. Her dress and straw hat indicate a class formerly higher than the other women on the right who wear sunbonnets indicating field labor, though she goes to do the same work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The United States industrialized in the course of the Civil War, a process that made some people very rich and impoverished others.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Homer was a wonderful painter and this is one of his best showpieces of composition and lighting painted at the same time Corot and the Barbizon School of landscape painters in France worked to introduce natural daylight into their landscapes painted from life.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTI0yw5bLJ-2ESzrLRq7P35b3Lx5U0Lr1LsKaRjGsLO4UH31TYLoxocRwoExd2O04O7c2FaOkEMTa2kKewKgfEeYgOBHMQqyDKYSKwZB4tOyf4WnCS7KACVLiZcX1Q01LjYQMLEuWXdRu5UMuDgFmXZRH7apqjY-L78Y6NZmaUEPCDEIQZfoxnWwMaHg/s1101/Winslow_Homer_-_Crossing_the_Pasture.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="1101" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTI0yw5bLJ-2ESzrLRq7P35b3Lx5U0Lr1LsKaRjGsLO4UH31TYLoxocRwoExd2O04O7c2FaOkEMTa2kKewKgfEeYgOBHMQqyDKYSKwZB4tOyf4WnCS7KACVLiZcX1Q01LjYQMLEuWXdRu5UMuDgFmXZRH7apqjY-L78Y6NZmaUEPCDEIQZfoxnWwMaHg/w640-h438/Winslow_Homer_-_Crossing_the_Pasture.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Crossing the Pasture, 1872</div><div>Something else the Civil War created was an appetite for nostalgia. After so high a death toll with so many families suffering bereavement, the memory of the years before the war took on more and more of a golden tone for many people. Winslow Homer was no exception as he shows two farm boys, probably brothers (perhaps a memory of his own childhood with his older brother Charles), crossing a pasture that belongs to a bull in the background on the left. The younger boy clearly is anxious and clings to his older brother. Like many other painters, Homer painted a lot of nostalgic subject matter to meet public demand in those years.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxxnTd0LBX3PcoQKMe16VX2a8zV2ukPE0AsX8O2uUnvZvq0zCok3wQLOzl_pDH0fsHyCGvtS5AHXfWbwsv5LW4SbjZADxCNRjqvrBqbWbxxEe98a4nlq7Sb_KywC9ayw6iM97kBWcy8G2D5Vc2jKic61m5y6joDCmBk2ojk3VkXrs-WLcqjIlVRGW_Q/s1536/Winslow_Homer_-_Fisher_Girls_on_the_Beach,_Cullercoats_(1881).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1536" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxxnTd0LBX3PcoQKMe16VX2a8zV2ukPE0AsX8O2uUnvZvq0zCok3wQLOzl_pDH0fsHyCGvtS5AHXfWbwsv5LW4SbjZADxCNRjqvrBqbWbxxEe98a4nlq7Sb_KywC9ayw6iM97kBWcy8G2D5Vc2jKic61m5y6joDCmBk2ojk3VkXrs-WLcqjIlVRGW_Q/w640-h434/Winslow_Homer_-_Fisher_Girls_on_the_Beach,_Cullercoats_(1881).jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Homer spent two years (1881 - 1883) in Cullercoats, a coastal village in the far north of England in Northumberland. The inhabitants made a precarious living fishing the stormy waters of north Atlantic risking their lives. During these years, Homer's palette grew more somber with grays and umbers, and his sense of form gained a new largeness, concentration, and seriousness of purpose that it didn't quite have before. His work gained a certain monumentality. I can't help but think that before he went to Cullercoats, the time spent in the British Museum and the National Gallery was productive for Homer, learning a certain grandeur and clarity of form from the art of the past. He then applied it to paintings of the lives of fisherfolk and their families on both sides of the Atlantic.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSUU9ozFnz4FjshOWfw7vC5Dt0HseBG2Rp9AKynZSEcmh_x3Ri1wapUgmgxESpkyKRv9xXVMhjTvKxUORDheY2k7qHfrNL5eCz1nPEPvDSteDbHCU2UcI_iqoXKwn8XYBTsX20WpxST9tnKnehteS7PjWdoEgaJCtkfpP0Z5sJS91MH1uZ0KhXRqw3A/s2000/Winslow_Homer_-_The_Gale.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1247" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSUU9ozFnz4FjshOWfw7vC5Dt0HseBG2Rp9AKynZSEcmh_x3Ri1wapUgmgxESpkyKRv9xXVMhjTvKxUORDheY2k7qHfrNL5eCz1nPEPvDSteDbHCU2UcI_iqoXKwn8XYBTsX20WpxST9tnKnehteS7PjWdoEgaJCtkfpP0Z5sJS91MH1uZ0KhXRqw3A/w640-h400/Winslow_Homer_-_The_Gale.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Gale, 1883 and reworked sometime before 1893. He made this painting in Tynemouth in England bringing it with him back to the USA where it hung in his studio in Prout's Neck, Maine for many years. It shows an anxious wife with her child braving the gale to see if she can see any sign of her husband. </div><div>Homer makes a much larger and simpler composition than in the past dominated by the large figure of the young woman braving the storm. For the first time as well in his work, the sea plays a major dramatic role dominating the bulk of the canvas. It's churning waves and distances as the waves crash against the rocks on the left make it frightening.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3y58yWAkpdZCaFcJn5KCkt6p0hHf_cXPlAuvylheizEiD7WHfmoMgfo9x18KoWXLhu-xQ7W53-vnFlJFjVDJW2XGOgE-9P0DO4VNUMHuFvBZmXGqkcx2jx4q1RIVbETPBdiF53pd7xw5cXPkmqSnWKaRkLPcjBlIm2bjaSaWDaN8Z4rXgaAgiMHwSg/s5675/Winslow_Homer_-_The_Fog_Warning_-_Google_Art_Project%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3550" data-original-width="5675" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3y58yWAkpdZCaFcJn5KCkt6p0hHf_cXPlAuvylheizEiD7WHfmoMgfo9x18KoWXLhu-xQ7W53-vnFlJFjVDJW2XGOgE-9P0DO4VNUMHuFvBZmXGqkcx2jx4q1RIVbETPBdiF53pd7xw5cXPkmqSnWKaRkLPcjBlIm2bjaSaWDaN8Z4rXgaAgiMHwSg/w640-h400/Winslow_Homer_-_The_Fog_Warning_-_Google_Art_Project%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Fog Warning, 1885</div><div><br /></div><div>A painting that uses very effectively the grandeur of form Homer learned in England. His compositions are much more concentrated and to the point with, in this case, a single figure. </div><div>A lone fisherman with a couple of large halibut in the stern of the boat rows back to his ship. He looks over his shoulder to see an approaching fog bank, the diagonal scuds that echo the angle of the boat make it look more threatening. The fisherman has to cross the heaving swells to get to his ship before the fog rolls in and puts him at risk of getting lost at sea. He can't lose the weight of the halibut or else he won't get paid and all that work will be for nothing.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hwUKKjfXjnlWeMyd7QJundMfQW355MsYukI6hMr6ItMp9mMeRe-UN7XbqAOrBYzveePadj1eYvPDx8Dg90SHd5lN8lyORGYn41y9iw6Kc-gSWEU_vZiE08QMFoGSKKg2V6Tp2DnVNJP783qFfKJP05mhpa32EEefZOypuoQ9SijHHJ29uVOnlNw6RQ/s1112/Lost_on_the_Grand_Banks_by_Winslow_Homer_1885%20copy.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="1112" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hwUKKjfXjnlWeMyd7QJundMfQW355MsYukI6hMr6ItMp9mMeRe-UN7XbqAOrBYzveePadj1eYvPDx8Dg90SHd5lN8lyORGYn41y9iw6Kc-gSWEU_vZiE08QMFoGSKKg2V6Tp2DnVNJP783qFfKJP05mhpa32EEefZOypuoQ9SijHHJ29uVOnlNw6RQ/w640-h374/Lost_on_the_Grand_Banks_by_Winslow_Homer_1885%20copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Lost on the Grand Banks, 1885</div><div>The consequences of getting lost in a fog bank. Two fishermen are lost in a row boat out at sea. We have no idea how this will turn out, it they will survive or perish at sea. Homer gives us no clues. A magnificent painting that contrasts the small boat with the vast distances revealing themselves as the fog clears. A splendidly simple and bare composition.</div><div><br /></div><div>This painting belongs to Bill Gates.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfreU-y2tM-LHSeLKWr-fRvG6UNxaxSJUqMWfUzqu3QIWhzxaOM7WJqIaibutg8Rag69vm19uKkwGYPxUfJlpT4owB2hBOXY2ClhXV7nG12Sjq7HqnIR15mnJQ6xUgVcWHNVHFPDy3ePt_-msIHzI-_NNjobVPWyhbe_U-XP2-1z0sclC6uLaCvrunyg/s5945/Winslow_Homer,_American_-_The_Life_Line_-_Google_Art_Project%20copy.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3758" data-original-width="5945" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfreU-y2tM-LHSeLKWr-fRvG6UNxaxSJUqMWfUzqu3QIWhzxaOM7WJqIaibutg8Rag69vm19uKkwGYPxUfJlpT4owB2hBOXY2ClhXV7nG12Sjq7HqnIR15mnJQ6xUgVcWHNVHFPDy3ePt_-msIHzI-_NNjobVPWyhbe_U-XP2-1z0sclC6uLaCvrunyg/w640-h404/Winslow_Homer,_American_-_The_Life_Line_-_Google_Art_Project%20copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Life Line, 1884</div><div>One of Homer's most famous and dramatic paintings, and his most famous rescue painting.</div><div>A brilliantly simple composition focusing on what was then a new lifesaving technology, the breeches buoy using a cable with a pulley from which hung a lifesaver ring. Crews on either side pulled the cable from a wreck to safety on the shore.</div><div>A painting that focuses on a drenched unconscious woman and her savior who remains anonymous behind her blowing red scarf. The waves brushing their feet are really frightening.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pP-XP6PTgbI9daYpxpNUzthnxEp-bDFqwG-GaET5XNgw-wlnTbKVnK4hCNFdW_3f7ZyvEaYjL6o7HfmIL8Co1GZmGkQF3bVROTm2RGPM4n4WaLobuOdflQIisgrrhr-leZ4Vi9KAe5SWRxGDjvukG1c8zJrvGJ62_KWWRuiTnR1qR8isGPNODv358Q/s3304/Breeches_buoy_during_the_rescue_of_the_SS_Northern_Pacific_(1914)_in_1919.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2539" data-original-width="3304" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pP-XP6PTgbI9daYpxpNUzthnxEp-bDFqwG-GaET5XNgw-wlnTbKVnK4hCNFdW_3f7ZyvEaYjL6o7HfmIL8Co1GZmGkQF3bVROTm2RGPM4n4WaLobuOdflQIisgrrhr-leZ4Vi9KAe5SWRxGDjvukG1c8zJrvGJ62_KWWRuiTnR1qR8isGPNODv358Q/s320/Breeches_buoy_during_the_rescue_of_the_SS_Northern_Pacific_(1914)_in_1919.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>A breeches buoy<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzz4Rpots_wbX-Wcg8DfbHhacUd5PzVizjugGISjUaIB1tQzPQNVi9X4bt2wncUpEqJkZAaS9Jpr7V8LNz8CJsgHLtntjeoLmvG0OO0_gh7iFS3XQFdtf7ubc8tdUsS6_mVrN6tvRzFmcChJpBHA5CSniyt2stVCL05lLGj4RyiSI0qjNqKCDmhLT4tQ/s10186/Winslow_Homer_-_Undertow%20copy.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6339" data-original-width="10186" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzz4Rpots_wbX-Wcg8DfbHhacUd5PzVizjugGISjUaIB1tQzPQNVi9X4bt2wncUpEqJkZAaS9Jpr7V8LNz8CJsgHLtntjeoLmvG0OO0_gh7iFS3XQFdtf7ubc8tdUsS6_mVrN6tvRzFmcChJpBHA5CSniyt2stVCL05lLGj4RyiSI0qjNqKCDmhLT4tQ/w640-h398/Winslow_Homer_-_Undertow%20copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The Undertow, 1886<div><br /></div><div>Homer's best attempt at a classical painting. It's based on an actual rescue that he witnessed in Atlantic City in 1883. Two lifeguards pulled two drowning women out of the undertow currents near shore saving their lives. Homer worked very hard on this composition reworking it several times. The opinions of critics were mixed, but I think he brought it off very well. A lot of critics (including Henry James) had a hard time reconciling such grandeur of form with (in their eyes) so quotidian a subject. This may be a beach rescue, but it has all the elements of a life and death struggle with the mighty forces of nature that threaten to overpower even the rescuers.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqlnh5H96vtNOoX1L8VeAy_n8yFCpNFkUCrLHLupCXqSh_S17XFrSXZY-r2zUCDJiIagt3STwgefbhTsXD4GIW_DZ0b5aX1UCejhi0aQW1wooq0s13nFQ77e7BN47PppqrxEIqw-iFpyhSbj8GFuqXs8jsqKVZ9A-jg3aalSgXIF4OFbdQmTevvB1rg/s3883/DP119114.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2724" data-original-width="3883" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqlnh5H96vtNOoX1L8VeAy_n8yFCpNFkUCrLHLupCXqSh_S17XFrSXZY-r2zUCDJiIagt3STwgefbhTsXD4GIW_DZ0b5aX1UCejhi0aQW1wooq0s13nFQ77e7BN47PppqrxEIqw-iFpyhSbj8GFuqXs8jsqKVZ9A-jg3aalSgXIF4OFbdQmTevvB1rg/w640-h448/DP119114.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Beginning in the winter of 1884 - 1885, Winslow Homer began to spend his winters in warm tropical climates in the Bahamas, Bermuda, and Florida. Instead of the dramatic stormy skies and slate colored ocean of Maine, he found the brilliant sunlight of the tropics and the sea a bright blue color. By the 1880s, the Bahamas was already what it is now, a vacation destination for affluent older white Americans. Unlike other people vacationing in the Bahamas, Homer was at work. Century Magazine commissioned him to make a suite of watercolors of the Bahamas. Instead of vacationers, Homer concentrated on what was to him a very exotic landscape, and on the people who lived in the Bahamas and made a living from its tropical waters.</div><div>Homer was always a great watercolorist, but his Bahamas and Bermuda watercolors have a brilliance and freedom beyond any other American artist of the time, and a lot of European ones too.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gIHZ5sZAlvWz-SVTJep4qSoYCZu5NkPZNKmYgaAkABKFX2i6gcg6iYLNYinYcsBT3P4ZnIqOMMBwaL4TRmFebf6M_qTZKaHMwEORaIdkvSeP-ph8j0L1IU_BBDc7RpdG6Q8wnlTsg9kPVQuwAS1CHOSt-EOsG6joU2sFVfgtvkWj89wUSEVBM8KPBQ/s2556/Winslow_Homer_-_Natural_Bridge,_Bermuda%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1749" data-original-width="2556" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gIHZ5sZAlvWz-SVTJep4qSoYCZu5NkPZNKmYgaAkABKFX2i6gcg6iYLNYinYcsBT3P4ZnIqOMMBwaL4TRmFebf6M_qTZKaHMwEORaIdkvSeP-ph8j0L1IU_BBDc7RpdG6Q8wnlTsg9kPVQuwAS1CHOSt-EOsG6joU2sFVfgtvkWj89wUSEVBM8KPBQ/w640-h438/Winslow_Homer_-_Natural_Bridge,_Bermuda%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Natural Bridge, 1901, a natural formation in Bermuda. The spread of cerulean blue sea is amazing set off by the spot of brilliant red of the soldier's uniform in the lower right corner. Bermuda was a major British military base at the time.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD40ha84eRdhAjqP6rAv9vB1PLPUN9ncdwQEQka2aQwR-xf_bYubU7NOCqFrq1H_QDyokFf8q05yJg2sH0gI_WEJTuIxuGEH-ym6TivgqR0-V_Re-vwUnaNXGyO5kxHv7dg-TntB-eZBH0Nyxuj8SjC26iAmNonX38l4nL_ifSCKGWp_PTjA--IE1xDg/s4000/DP-21449-001.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2779" data-original-width="4000" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD40ha84eRdhAjqP6rAv9vB1PLPUN9ncdwQEQka2aQwR-xf_bYubU7NOCqFrq1H_QDyokFf8q05yJg2sH0gI_WEJTuIxuGEH-ym6TivgqR0-V_Re-vwUnaNXGyO5kxHv7dg-TntB-eZBH0Nyxuj8SjC26iAmNonX38l4nL_ifSCKGWp_PTjA--IE1xDg/w640-h444/DP-21449-001.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div>The Bather, 1899</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Once again Homer shows Black people sympathetically, in this case doing the same line of work as the fisherfolk in Cullercoats and Prout's Neck, only now in a tropical environment. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQ8Umxs7Fll2-rsJLuDoNOYG3GbVLpIKaumOM3yNEsthlR7uX2a0M6soOBkqVZZSjZi6TVKryxihGnp34Ph8JGp3f-Vcbj_HJaZazAJcf7V4_vU8WSQsIUx_CdaoBoq6XBm22ZMdFYbyniH0vC08k7Eg8oGss160tBgKJmgSzkqbi0hgaPeMH806iYw/s1536/23.98_SL3%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1536" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQ8Umxs7Fll2-rsJLuDoNOYG3GbVLpIKaumOM3yNEsthlR7uX2a0M6soOBkqVZZSjZi6TVKryxihGnp34Ph8JGp3f-Vcbj_HJaZazAJcf7V4_vU8WSQsIUx_CdaoBoq6XBm22ZMdFYbyniH0vC08k7Eg8oGss160tBgKJmgSzkqbi0hgaPeMH806iYw/w640-h440/23.98_SL3%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Turtle Pound, 1898</div><div><br /></div><div>While sea turtle was already considered delicacy by the people who lived in the Caribbean, these turtles are probably for the export market to satisfy the growing demand for turtle soup in the affluent white populations of North America and Europe.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76_0RjdUuebbr0WqIZ4eUAYPFUQeoelGm9YtXz1jO3VS6kaCIjHEqufE8vsrGPsSiOZipLW2SZ7rFIpYmyOdLgb_bXdHUWjldqLSJRXPvAGV27ZYAxVpjssIRCuWHK47vjxHasJr7iWK3I3npLQKQibJluhNIxOyvZzhCt8LDo9gfptCQXuZZcJZLZw/s4000/DP-21448-001.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="2800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76_0RjdUuebbr0WqIZ4eUAYPFUQeoelGm9YtXz1jO3VS6kaCIjHEqufE8vsrGPsSiOZipLW2SZ7rFIpYmyOdLgb_bXdHUWjldqLSJRXPvAGV27ZYAxVpjssIRCuWHK47vjxHasJr7iWK3I3npLQKQibJluhNIxOyvZzhCt8LDo9gfptCQXuZZcJZLZw/w448-h640/DP-21448-001.jpeg" width="448" /></a></div><div>Palm Tree, Nassau, 1898 </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYgf3w3Nm3nq021TDZivjuc6bBCwGHBlafqxd3sH6pOmbsv8dPs_wDsgwRihbh3TEiUTxcMPQ1qBDgGal7KTW6_KvbFnKpEbH60a9vz9dj0W7V1iwCJBIbV2JMa5_Xjkjf2krOUQvbRasOPhRTG7QA5xm2NOdR5g1gDkhmQs5GFlZdcpwNlS94SeIbQ/s4000/DP-17779-001.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2763" data-original-width="4000" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYgf3w3Nm3nq021TDZivjuc6bBCwGHBlafqxd3sH6pOmbsv8dPs_wDsgwRihbh3TEiUTxcMPQ1qBDgGal7KTW6_KvbFnKpEbH60a9vz9dj0W7V1iwCJBIbV2JMa5_Xjkjf2krOUQvbRasOPhRTG7QA5xm2NOdR5g1gDkhmQs5GFlZdcpwNlS94SeIbQ/w640-h442/DP-17779-001.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Hurricane, Bahamas, 1898</div><div><br /></div><div>By the 1890s, Homer became interested in the stormy weather that always threatened the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico in the Autumn months. Homer never directly experienced a hurricane, but he marveled at the resilience of tropical communities in the path of such a destructive force of nature.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGsn5F49xDztxfMhOs6U3FVnQjFjeD942mYGqSdJxYR8vc7iIcIwOoPTRIxd2JbKDZB8fcgYOipPl8aYc_V2y1h9MOpKNAcebyddW-PhTlwQfNrwQnnRyRTfCmjcr8eeEqv8TH_iPB-_jIlnCWxIKxfI33I2mgHI-apKNl6n8kyPoptmGbJLFH_IdqA/s4000/DP-21450-001.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2814" data-original-width="4000" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGsn5F49xDztxfMhOs6U3FVnQjFjeD942mYGqSdJxYR8vc7iIcIwOoPTRIxd2JbKDZB8fcgYOipPl8aYc_V2y1h9MOpKNAcebyddW-PhTlwQfNrwQnnRyRTfCmjcr8eeEqv8TH_iPB-_jIlnCWxIKxfI33I2mgHI-apKNl6n8kyPoptmGbJLFH_IdqA/w640-h450/DP-21450-001.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Shore and Surf, Nassau, 1899</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5IWqTm-p8zZK3yTBb-28evQXF3T3ra91YlolBvpX_oADoPoUG3SI3xi6_TGy3RFVezVwNkNW89IPsVmEhbB8Jvp69IfugnWqEKRQPBKefoJC5dkIllNM0E_KfwdiyGQUXVlRQ5zFPQ4iareT0Kxm_vVwYmYgPusSCc8B5g6u_bdYgkmvne6T8MQuFw/s728/46354711_1569618969848132_9044104499966246912_n%20copy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="728" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5IWqTm-p8zZK3yTBb-28evQXF3T3ra91YlolBvpX_oADoPoUG3SI3xi6_TGy3RFVezVwNkNW89IPsVmEhbB8Jvp69IfugnWqEKRQPBKefoJC5dkIllNM0E_KfwdiyGQUXVlRQ5zFPQ4iareT0Kxm_vVwYmYgPusSCc8B5g6u_bdYgkmvne6T8MQuFw/w640-h440/46354711_1569618969848132_9044104499966246912_n%20copy.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Coming Storm, 1901</div><div><br /></div><div>Not in the show, but I think this watercolor in the National Gallery of Art is amazing and so I included it anyway.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEe4U_l7Z0397vOBuujEdJQ9WECmcT7n7oKY-_ycoq31oPIpG7Wi_ydiIAxAPEkawQYIczKB9G7nFoH-8KmpBqQeO8NLzCzz2boJoeOaDLHbQwDrKsEZ9aiyoFEJgTDo3dh-SviodkR9Yg9YC3uj2Oa6Pls9gPXxrCkTUOTlucfnNYbY1RxCrM3dphQ/s3000/1933.1235%20-%20After%20the%20Hurricane,%20Bahamas%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2105" data-original-width="3000" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEe4U_l7Z0397vOBuujEdJQ9WECmcT7n7oKY-_ycoq31oPIpG7Wi_ydiIAxAPEkawQYIczKB9G7nFoH-8KmpBqQeO8NLzCzz2boJoeOaDLHbQwDrKsEZ9aiyoFEJgTDo3dh-SviodkR9Yg9YC3uj2Oa6Pls9gPXxrCkTUOTlucfnNYbY1RxCrM3dphQ/w640-h450/1933.1235%20-%20After%20the%20Hurricane,%20Bahamas%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>After the Hurricane, 1901</div><div><br /></div><div>One of Homer's best watercolors, what could be seen as the aftermath of The Gulf Stream. The young sailor carried by the storm and beached on some desert island. Is he alive? Did he survive? Homer gives us no answers.</div><div><br /></div><div>I always marvel at Homer's ability in his watercolors to capture complex light effects, in this case the sunlight after a passing storm, so simply and with such economy of means.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4MivZ5gnrr8sH19AzvXB_ViZbZVfY2AZNtc6KHDgnfLsP7ScPvBLLAuEUr9cWwwzSf9eHUBHjDWrGbuTGhhmejGRAtoJMXmkQw493skb89x69_yY2I7DNhhS1uO_77f2RR4OhkMOSjNs985xOVUNyvyVPg0b4snuAbUHQYcovaDK4O5UvKCGgZhqqg/s800/40187794_1509493659193997_2717991399537508352_n%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="800" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4MivZ5gnrr8sH19AzvXB_ViZbZVfY2AZNtc6KHDgnfLsP7ScPvBLLAuEUr9cWwwzSf9eHUBHjDWrGbuTGhhmejGRAtoJMXmkQw493skb89x69_yY2I7DNhhS1uO_77f2RR4OhkMOSjNs985xOVUNyvyVPg0b4snuAbUHQYcovaDK4O5UvKCGgZhqqg/w640-h442/40187794_1509493659193997_2717991399537508352_n%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Florida Jungle , 1904</div><div><br /></div><div>A tangled corner of the Everglades full of implied danger from the teeth of the cougar to the spikes of palmettos.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBCrAMRhYB1NNmDbvzVtsVetaR0jlMLzYUWNMcsuLtKqwh7v-DSEjKKGTN_T8cfw3ycmP0IMo7uQA8c56IVE8ns27NEImJEnb8NbIvXyZj7oLgJhvEnpiv8BcGr_KIlLq0kuwns__razlOG7CFBfgrl_zrgez2LAkND3fkPI8bWbbRG__hOo44fp26g/s4096/hound_and_hunter_1947.11.1%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2383" data-original-width="4096" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBCrAMRhYB1NNmDbvzVtsVetaR0jlMLzYUWNMcsuLtKqwh7v-DSEjKKGTN_T8cfw3ycmP0IMo7uQA8c56IVE8ns27NEImJEnb8NbIvXyZj7oLgJhvEnpiv8BcGr_KIlLq0kuwns__razlOG7CFBfgrl_zrgez2LAkND3fkPI8bWbbRG__hOo44fp26g/w640-h372/hound_and_hunter_1947.11.1%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Hound and Hunter 1892</div><div><br /></div><div>A very controversial painting with the public when it was first shown. People assumed that the young hunter in the boat was drowning the deer. An irritated Winslow Homer replied that the deer was already dead, and that if it was not the boat would be capsized and the hunter thrown out.</div><div>But the public had a point. Homer was an enthusiastic hunter, usually traveling with his older brother Charles and a guide deep into the Adirondack Mountains to hunt deer. The Adirondacks at that time was still very much a wilderness and a large one, a remarkable thing to consider because of their proximity to New York City and the densely populated countryside up and down the Hudson River.</div><div>Homer's candor in his hunting scenes struck people then and still does now as cruel.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIN6SIPo5jTE5-dE5pqxQke0i9L_ce9K8GEwXeeZin0C6dnfeRcIWrOpNjDcqI08VDvI3UAXh8x3nU3VIwGrgNw2tRJP4Wrge0NRhyqGE-KJifBqbvqNzBgIZn-Wc68beAAh-CrJMrTQ9OmBge9IjV9pi6x2EjXzyb8az5gvRqlKpkov0R8FneVzGj2w/s3264/20220701_170019.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIN6SIPo5jTE5-dE5pqxQke0i9L_ce9K8GEwXeeZin0C6dnfeRcIWrOpNjDcqI08VDvI3UAXh8x3nU3VIwGrgNw2tRJP4Wrge0NRhyqGE-KJifBqbvqNzBgIZn-Wc68beAAh-CrJMrTQ9OmBge9IjV9pi6x2EjXzyb8az5gvRqlKpkov0R8FneVzGj2w/w640-h480/20220701_170019.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>A detail of the painting that I photographed from the original.</div><div><br /></div><div>Late 19th century literate people saw the world in terms that they referred to as "Darwinian," that all life including human society is a constant battle among creatures and people to survive, that in the words of Herbert Spencer, it's "survival of the fittest." This idea preoccupied a lot of artists and writers. Jack London immediately springs to mind, but he was hardly alone (from Hart Crane to Ernest Hemingway).</div><div>This "Darwinian realism" got trotted out to justify everything from imperialism to segregation to slavery in the 19th century. It's the heart and soul of the emerging eugenics movement supported by nearly everyone from WEB Dubois and Margaret Sanger to Adolf Hitler. Winslow Homer moved and worked through an atmosphere saturated in such ideas that were very conventional at one time.</div><div>And yet, I can't see Winslow Homer enjoying brandy and cigars with Herbert Spencer and his plutocratic friends at Delmonico's as they congratulate themselves for being the summit and center of all nature, the ultimate winners in the struggle to dominate the planet. Homer was resolute in his respect for life's complexity and refused all the facile simplifications of ideology or religious doctrine. He certainly would have found fault with Spencer and company's callous indifference to the struggles of ordinary people.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-L3-I4E0H-eLyIgwPLewcmcoj36-OPgwFA9EYSrxCSi4aQTU20Sc0w2jsm0jO6oHAdahoE4W-iqczHJq26apl1qNNL4-jetWTnlHXboCSKfh9K_1Im2HC6O9IMXLuv2izumHEGD4OTPaAQCuNpOBfdiQJidFamVaEaMPZryqtFGntrgBUUhEa177GgA/s1208/Hunting%20Bear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1208" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-L3-I4E0H-eLyIgwPLewcmcoj36-OPgwFA9EYSrxCSi4aQTU20Sc0w2jsm0jO6oHAdahoE4W-iqczHJq26apl1qNNL4-jetWTnlHXboCSKfh9K_1Im2HC6O9IMXLuv2izumHEGD4OTPaAQCuNpOBfdiQJidFamVaEaMPZryqtFGntrgBUUhEa177GgA/w640-h446/Hunting%20Bear.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Hunting Bear, Prospect Rock, 1892</div><div><br /></div><div>A very anxious looking guide with a hunter hunting the most dangerous quarry of all in the Adirondacks.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqeXTE3N-zSNf4qhhJ19Uzggs_5ALfHsatOqYSebgK2GwFEDbqgGHoca6NuPLCCNtfVI3gjlRmcWbsoZvi5-LvJMC1J58sK2Hbd6ideRjV554rNm3OL3HzWUNtEU5JORNuM9lahr4F0GqLA5APmLWoujHKHizw6FCM8it6VF7jO3kqFYz8qROWLKacNw/s5278/Winslow_Homer_-_Hunter_in_the_Adirondacks_(1892)%20copy.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3663" data-original-width="5278" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqeXTE3N-zSNf4qhhJ19Uzggs_5ALfHsatOqYSebgK2GwFEDbqgGHoca6NuPLCCNtfVI3gjlRmcWbsoZvi5-LvJMC1J58sK2Hbd6ideRjV554rNm3OL3HzWUNtEU5JORNuM9lahr4F0GqLA5APmLWoujHKHizw6FCM8it6VF7jO3kqFYz8qROWLKacNw/w640-h444/Winslow_Homer_-_Hunter_in_the_Adirondacks_(1892)%20copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Hunter in the Adirondacks, 1892</div><div><br /></div><div>This was not in the show, but I include it because it is so marvelous a work of watercolor in composition, technique, color, all of it.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1hbyR1P6Pxf1PRVpBjPpe2EEQBvUunDdfm04JT80GF6lKw6XkbIIGSmSpVA4355jI8fM-szm9fJZCAQix4CmyfMawP9HFfWH8akUSKhf3xbsIm56p7BzORqX33PYLQraNisOsklol3FwtN5N-Hy1i3Fapu-bEnPlSxc-WRqnYBDvzM4lUcJJUl-mLg/s5046/Winslow_Homer_-_Right_and_Left.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2916" data-original-width="5046" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1hbyR1P6Pxf1PRVpBjPpe2EEQBvUunDdfm04JT80GF6lKw6XkbIIGSmSpVA4355jI8fM-szm9fJZCAQix4CmyfMawP9HFfWH8akUSKhf3xbsIm56p7BzORqX33PYLQraNisOsklol3FwtN5N-Hy1i3Fapu-bEnPlSxc-WRqnYBDvzM4lUcJJUl-mLg/w640-h370/Winslow_Homer_-_Right_and_Left.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Right and Left, 1909</div><div><br /></div><div>One of Homer's last paintings. He died in 1910. Toward the end of his life, Homer's thoughts about the struggle to live seemed to lead him to a chaotic view of nature, that survival and death were ultimately matters of chance, that no matter how much we trimmed our sails and adjusted our ballast a big wave would always swamp our boat in the end. This remarkable painting may be Homer's most distilled expression of that idea. An amazingly imaginative composition puts us literally eye to eye with a couple of golden eye ducks as they fly across the sea waves to escape a hunter's bullet. We see the hunter in a boat in the distance behind the duck on the left firing his gun right at us. One duck flees left and survives, the other flies right and dies. Survival ultimately is a matter of luck and chance.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Some details of this painting that I photographed from the original.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6E1GEhy21iOORyposkLyBlwjF6LNAixq3gQRgxWAiENL-wdZ9TDjGLlE91PCo4epAHhWOD7_OW4UvxClkq8o9yJ1ERrjmX9QLOjLcoxp7THQeRpnHGdccG6TqHVrmzcM93Vkk1Bqol8wwoUxwV247QEsHdHYNXXFekPP3gcedcWm3uBDLd2kH0mPnw/s3264/20220701_170114.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6E1GEhy21iOORyposkLyBlwjF6LNAixq3gQRgxWAiENL-wdZ9TDjGLlE91PCo4epAHhWOD7_OW4UvxClkq8o9yJ1ERrjmX9QLOjLcoxp7THQeRpnHGdccG6TqHVrmzcM93Vkk1Bqol8wwoUxwV247QEsHdHYNXXFekPP3gcedcWm3uBDLd2kH0mPnw/w640-h480/20220701_170114.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Here is the hunter in the distance firing his rifle right at us. We are the third duck. Do we make it?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3o5HDl6vo6cs1clpXWkseN4y01PmgiNctDKxg5yAOqDCno19bMN1sh17y4pnBNeFk9LkkeA9KQvShnrvo2OPF_j153jcE6p3ANMbVNRve2e6UlRGlpTJ-EUDevtOydKarUWDf7aH36_e1wdBkL2StQiqVdE_90Dt0IqfXYqw8XSZzdI_3H1hDnr-CQ/s3264/20220701_170153.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3o5HDl6vo6cs1clpXWkseN4y01PmgiNctDKxg5yAOqDCno19bMN1sh17y4pnBNeFk9LkkeA9KQvShnrvo2OPF_j153jcE6p3ANMbVNRve2e6UlRGlpTJ-EUDevtOydKarUWDf7aH36_e1wdBkL2StQiqVdE_90Dt0IqfXYqw8XSZzdI_3H1hDnr-CQ/w640-h480/20220701_170153.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The remarkable head of the duck who survives.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3XgS52kPUW02GQsqK-uNRisP5fsf_Cumpf82o1TacP-t_U6U4uyXxCtn7XyaC0EYjZ6TT6iSOnlQpsKOQLTyYpe8Ut8Zsalze__VbTrMUjC4V0rz_7bmfUD1mU6ZO1azqbpOGdbFXfuBnXMEZ3kOjUXUvCXResR5XpjcWtZcbVLlQdhJ4aQYmvqqcQ/s3264/20220701_170135.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3XgS52kPUW02GQsqK-uNRisP5fsf_Cumpf82o1TacP-t_U6U4uyXxCtn7XyaC0EYjZ6TT6iSOnlQpsKOQLTyYpe8Ut8Zsalze__VbTrMUjC4V0rz_7bmfUD1mU6ZO1azqbpOGdbFXfuBnXMEZ3kOjUXUvCXResR5XpjcWtZcbVLlQdhJ4aQYmvqqcQ/w480-h640/20220701_170135.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div>The luckless duck who perishes and falls from the sky with all the tragic grandeur of Icarus or Phaeton.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00vlok5MDwQdG2H037GME2uEf6kHaAkxRPFKvPjTxCynwfrSJfAzafw3H-kjUip6p5XmbjbgrGeoF5j7Vu3k6QIHaZ0jswYM3o8oQmYgVs-cQRCpgjnIBo5gMrjqxZO6RSHLacJGrKKdSdKaToR989FlRW3ad8k7VHP6MQey2CaqAPjTP47_x7xKqFw/s1107/56870036_1687946671348694_3231065675866832896_o%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="1107" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00vlok5MDwQdG2H037GME2uEf6kHaAkxRPFKvPjTxCynwfrSJfAzafw3H-kjUip6p5XmbjbgrGeoF5j7Vu3k6QIHaZ0jswYM3o8oQmYgVs-cQRCpgjnIBo5gMrjqxZO6RSHLacJGrKKdSdKaToR989FlRW3ad8k7VHP6MQey2CaqAPjTP47_x7xKqFw/w640-h354/56870036_1687946671348694_3231065675866832896_o%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Fox Hunt, 1893</div><div><br /></div><div>Winslow Homer's largest painting, its composition and sharp contrasts inspired by Japanese prints. How sharply different is Homer's use of Japanese influence from someone like Manet or Whistler. Perhaps Homer's most brutal painting. A desperately hungry flock of crows in the dead of winter on Maine's coast decide to make a meal out of a fox caught off guard. The fox tries desperately to run through the thick snow drifts. I think Homer's sympathies are with the fox. He shows the fox looking into a glimpse of the open sea suggesting escape. Does the fox survive? The always reticent Winslow Homer refuses to satisfy us with an answer. And that perhaps is his point. Such certainties and assurances simply are not there.</div><div>It's a hard cruel painting, but as magnificent in its tragic violence as any Death of Hector.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBs2Clv-Ki1jYewyCIVZghQPaAzkby3GeDlTiu9iBUf9lFhBBJ0OA3XwJWmdlBcOR2AMDWYFMs1eWFlH8geYdSEShaN_5XuNguavTK68SArLx4gkFX8wPKSLMRtQ3K2kyJMUjzpRUQsM-LSfjbp2vQfixsWFxQORMTp-r0t_Ydc7nmKr3_GBzoODmWTQ/s1083/46681523_1577298785746817_5878054248024899584_o%20(2)%20copy%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="895" data-original-width="1083" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBs2Clv-Ki1jYewyCIVZghQPaAzkby3GeDlTiu9iBUf9lFhBBJ0OA3XwJWmdlBcOR2AMDWYFMs1eWFlH8geYdSEShaN_5XuNguavTK68SArLx4gkFX8wPKSLMRtQ3K2kyJMUjzpRUQsM-LSfjbp2vQfixsWFxQORMTp-r0t_Ydc7nmKr3_GBzoODmWTQ/w640-h528/46681523_1577298785746817_5878054248024899584_o%20(2)%20copy%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Winslow Homer did not teach much as an artist unlike his contemporary Thomas Eakins who was a very serious lifelong teacher. But he did say to one young artist to save painting rocks for old age because they are the easiest. Homer seems to have taken his own advice. </div><div>His last paintings are of the sea crashing on the rocks below his studio in Prout's Neck, Maine.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJ1dAvHIPFSY6PgyLl1ewPH4hCcdwD0Qhov-nBnywu6vOZrrTqd8BRoW9VLGMfHVjcFLvOaJBXdh6V1lXckmEAEElIrDHwhtSq-duBgTan5p7a0hOPnknOQXUAXQF3VRYZ5vLJxwMeJYgGdYpwhgYjTlx6lG6oG7o4EV3I7D57NKNq08x4rdWqSna3w/s4968/Winslow_Homer_-_Winter_Coast%20copy.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4968" data-original-width="4345" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJ1dAvHIPFSY6PgyLl1ewPH4hCcdwD0Qhov-nBnywu6vOZrrTqd8BRoW9VLGMfHVjcFLvOaJBXdh6V1lXckmEAEElIrDHwhtSq-duBgTan5p7a0hOPnknOQXUAXQF3VRYZ5vLJxwMeJYgGdYpwhgYjTlx6lG6oG7o4EV3I7D57NKNq08x4rdWqSna3w/w560-h640/Winslow_Homer_-_Winter_Coast%20copy.jpeg" width="560" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>These last paintings are amazing tours de force of bold painting long before anyone ever thought of painterly abstraction. But they are not abstract paintings but attempts to capture frightful and fatal power of the sea, the origin of life and the final arbiter of what gets to live around and in it. They are nature not as order, but as primordial chaos never tamed by any deity throwing off life and destruction all at once.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIu3gdiwglR4VFYu9DW39A5nYRQAlNMifySfz88kBNePOycfJOH0-WCgRTl2pv8VjfCUAZYtGXM7WYoMa4KTG7lam7lkyK1dcxMw0aineW9_yglIFuQJlhZj794x63VaF26v2mdbnHmthyf6pDIxEBoCYj7ErukzKWtUXgLS00GD6EIetEG9fKq-1h2Q/s6000/Winslow_Homer_-_Early_Morning_After_a_Storm_at_Sea_-_1924.195_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art%20copy.tiff" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3618" data-original-width="6000" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIu3gdiwglR4VFYu9DW39A5nYRQAlNMifySfz88kBNePOycfJOH0-WCgRTl2pv8VjfCUAZYtGXM7WYoMa4KTG7lam7lkyK1dcxMw0aineW9_yglIFuQJlhZj794x63VaF26v2mdbnHmthyf6pDIxEBoCYj7ErukzKWtUXgLS00GD6EIetEG9fKq-1h2Q/w640-h386/Winslow_Homer_-_Early_Morning_After_a_Storm_at_Sea_-_1924.195_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art%20copy.tiff" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5s75MSD1wqMZb3eTO_McRx3EyLht3gUiucWE-gNlSb8Q1EU35YlIb8iUPGvanXOAoxvUQ421ZgUKHQunzHnaQDz84gxFSFF2WVsTGTG3FNtvARveXkm1E6tuoNK0mLqbnt9szRBtDjOg69fp2he2rOJEsfb_fYgPldZMbIc7_UtFes_-_BnjjSITBg/s3764/Northeaster_by_Winslow_Homer_1895%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2572" data-original-width="3764" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5s75MSD1wqMZb3eTO_McRx3EyLht3gUiucWE-gNlSb8Q1EU35YlIb8iUPGvanXOAoxvUQ421ZgUKHQunzHnaQDz84gxFSFF2WVsTGTG3FNtvARveXkm1E6tuoNK0mLqbnt9szRBtDjOg69fp2he2rOJEsfb_fYgPldZMbIc7_UtFes_-_BnjjSITBg/w640-h438/Northeaster_by_Winslow_Homer_1895%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I must admit that I find these last sea pictures with their glimpses of the stormy distances out over the churning water to be disturbing and even frightening. <br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The exhibition tried very hard to persuade us to see so very 19th century an artist as Winslow Homer as "relevant." Perhaps they succeeded, but that raises the question of whether or not we are seeing Homer's work as it is or as what we want to see it. Are we reading meanings into Homer's work to satisfy ourselves that aren't really there? Works of art accumulate meanings down through time. Great works of art are always discussed from generation to generation, each new one somehow seeing its own experiences reflected in something that maybe thousands of years old. Homer is not quite so distant from us and we are living with the consequences of things done and left undone in his time. We look at him again because he was interested in a lot of the same things that preoccupy us. We too live in a dramatically transformative time, though how it will transform remains a source of terrifying uncertainty. Will we take a giant leap into a whole new future, or back into an imagined past? Are we about to gamble on science fiction or on nostalgia? Winslow Homer has no answers for us, partly because he's not one of us, and also because he didn't believe in such answers.</div><div><br /></div><div>We live in a terrifying time of mass death from plague and massacre, where it seems the darkest crypts of the American 19th century are open and the undead from that era swarm the living. Dead Confederates and Kluxers ride shrieking at mid day across our landscape. Our time holds both so much promise and so much peril. Whatever emerges will be nothing like the world we were born into. Winslow Homer through the eloquent bluntness of his work reminds us that it was ever thus.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-55090728794491718222022-07-01T11:16:00.002-04:002022-07-01T11:16:53.776-04:00SCOTUS<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTWzEFR4_GqQcoFt641IleRpZfuztGPAMAuL8UPNrdd01hihGCtjjzjq7NdfZo-Kj8xjNI5VMfmhoBZTsxQ_nbnEwwWbMiKfUnNenjDngpKuRt4eZG25TpPIuAlegcUaDT0dVWbR6VDlmG8KzhZSH-ZfxiQZx7QmE6LGhjkuqE2TSvpXdQhM0UlgAow/s1690/Supreme%20Court,%20night.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="1690" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTWzEFR4_GqQcoFt641IleRpZfuztGPAMAuL8UPNrdd01hihGCtjjzjq7NdfZo-Kj8xjNI5VMfmhoBZTsxQ_nbnEwwWbMiKfUnNenjDngpKuRt4eZG25TpPIuAlegcUaDT0dVWbR6VDlmG8KzhZSH-ZfxiQZx7QmE6LGhjkuqE2TSvpXdQhM0UlgAow/w400-h264/Supreme%20Court,%20night.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>It's not about life, morality, or law. It's about domination and only domination.</p><p>We are about to be ruled over by arrogant religious fanatics who will lord it over us all with unbridled contempt.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-69342307659766807972022-06-07T15:11:00.000-04:002022-06-07T15:11:07.380-04:00Father Jake<p> Fr. Terry Martin who kept the blog 'Father Jake Stops the World' died unexpectedly yesterday. According to his wife, he died in his sleep during a nap, probably due to a heart attack.</p><p>I began following Fr. Terry's blog almost 20 years ago during all the crises surrounding the consecration of Gene Robinson as diocesan Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003 - 2004. Gene Robinson was the first openly gay partnered Episcopal Bishop. The New Hampshire diocesan convention duly elected him and a majority of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church accepted him. Fr. Terry jumped into the huge controversy that followed as a courageous straight ally of gay causes. At a time when outraged powerful conservatives commanded all the media attention, 'Father Jake Stops the World' provided one of the few forums at the time where those who supported Robinson's consecration and the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people into the full life of the church could meet and talk. I met a lot of people online who I still keep in touch with regularly through his blog. Indeed, Terry Martin was godfather to this blog. It was through my conversations on Father Jake's blog that I decided to start my own blog.</p><p>Terry Martin's life was no bed of roses. He was an alienated and rebellious kid who spent time in reform school on and off. Out of all that, he received a call to be a priest in the Episcopal Church and even more unexpectedly became an enthusiastic and courageous straight champion of LGBTQ+ causes in the church and beyond. </p><p>I never met Terry Martin in person, but like so many others who followed his blog, he had a profound influence on my thinking and my life. I'm so grateful for his work and for bringing so many wonderful people together who became longtime friends on social media.</p><p>May he rest in peace and rise in glory.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoG6e6ExlTXAKyA_mP35Zn1Q_e_jx9cVtIkHVq2I0nb46aqcgo4lkOrdq5v3Alhj9v1RuWbGSkVyodIaUxsP7lZI1INy74_OgCEmMSn02CvE4hSLlp1HWq_5odq-SMmyXBiK2s0ctkfgSNlFYl9q5XeUGFw6YNIz790whq49NNqa9CyeZf9iQuFisRg/s1974/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-07%20at%202.36.15%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="1974" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoG6e6ExlTXAKyA_mP35Zn1Q_e_jx9cVtIkHVq2I0nb46aqcgo4lkOrdq5v3Alhj9v1RuWbGSkVyodIaUxsP7lZI1INy74_OgCEmMSn02CvE4hSLlp1HWq_5odq-SMmyXBiK2s0ctkfgSNlFYl9q5XeUGFw6YNIz790whq49NNqa9CyeZf9iQuFisRg/w640-h106/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-07%20at%202.36.15%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>His masthead.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCge2JI0Hb2QnnpHEgT6saNI-W5JfdHL64smwS0HWOfuPqyAGN1PCvM9YdwO1UbTTRZknqgL722M_PAVQ_XJxFqWy47iKxXAEQyjXJWyONzjD9ruvHK_eA-cINK_lI-2C1BqJduQERu2W7q4R7XWiVUz6kg4ODdBn6uUzoFUailt7Jv2MmyqO3SKP2g/s374/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-07%20at%202.36.01%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpCge2JI0Hb2QnnpHEgT6saNI-W5JfdHL64smwS0HWOfuPqyAGN1PCvM9YdwO1UbTTRZknqgL722M_PAVQ_XJxFqWy47iKxXAEQyjXJWyONzjD9ruvHK_eA-cINK_lI-2C1BqJduQERu2W7q4R7XWiVUz6kg4ODdBn6uUzoFUailt7Jv2MmyqO3SKP2g/w338-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-07%20at%202.36.01%20PM.png" width="338" /></a></div><br /><p>His blog icon.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONWh9U54mnXdleSLPifFGt1Zb7Zx1aRM8NEbcoVLAOemPMXC_--ZqzxS_EeGDU5d0_k5JD53iAdvis0i9Q6eR6S7zIQq7jPDAA5nXs16ZwU-eYXdeznTJ7Ie16e6inLD4d3icZN1CUyuskiqZnL94DFpkE8mp_Ei5QaRfnPv5xDNJLcz8PHkwsQGezw/s1484/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-07%20at%2010.07.31%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1484" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONWh9U54mnXdleSLPifFGt1Zb7Zx1aRM8NEbcoVLAOemPMXC_--ZqzxS_EeGDU5d0_k5JD53iAdvis0i9Q6eR6S7zIQq7jPDAA5nXs16ZwU-eYXdeznTJ7Ie16e6inLD4d3icZN1CUyuskiqZnL94DFpkE8mp_Ei5QaRfnPv5xDNJLcz8PHkwsQGezw/w640-h422/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-07%20at%2010.07.31%20AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>The consecration of Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire, March 7, 2004<div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-49818282163168940122022-05-07T20:16:00.003-04:002022-05-07T20:37:02.001-04:00The Domes of Rome 1<p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifN9HOS38I61eioQ6vg-Qp12ozpTVlVc7R-TUWgrJmvdclbj_HF8tta63XVnffbLoYtOE4ff6EmXf8nm0saYmV4kcOKpQaUeeBCXHmTVt4iu0ND8Qi1wuGxavYo52dH0Nf1WIEzbkx6jHj4uBR8xyp1-FfAwZRinszwtXhp3w_O-uXOZEa8QBnwLO8dw/s1024/Another%20Pantheon%20exterior.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifN9HOS38I61eioQ6vg-Qp12ozpTVlVc7R-TUWgrJmvdclbj_HF8tta63XVnffbLoYtOE4ff6EmXf8nm0saYmV4kcOKpQaUeeBCXHmTVt4iu0ND8Qi1wuGxavYo52dH0Nf1WIEzbkx6jHj4uBR8xyp1-FfAwZRinszwtXhp3w_O-uXOZEa8QBnwLO8dw/w640-h480/Another%20Pantheon%20exterior.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Domes are remarkable spaces whether large or small. There is no experience quite like that of walking through a vast domed space, a shape that conjures up hosts of associations in a way that no other roof form does. The flat beamed ceiling or the arched vaults shelter us from the weather, but the dome makes us imagine a vast extension of ourselves as cosmic creatures under the sky, as beings created from the primordial elements looking up at the sun, moon, and stars. Domed spaces put us in mind of our place in the world both physically and spiritually.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rome did not invent the dome. The history of domed structures reaches far back into prehistory to some of the earliest constructed human dwellings. But no city developed and exploited dome architecture more extensively than Rome throughout its history from its origins to the present day. Many of the forms and engineering of dome construction first appeared in the Eternal City and spread quickly throughout the world.</div><div><br /></div><div>For many centuries the Pantheon in Rome boasted the largest dome in the world. It remained the largest dome from its completion in 125 CE until the construction of the dome of Florence Cathedral in the mid 15th century. It is as high as it is broad, about 142 feet by 142 feet.</div><div>The Emperor Hadrian built the present Pantheon -- the temple to all the gods -- to replace a smaller earlier Pantheon built by Marcus Agrippa, the son-in-law of the Emperor Augustus after the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE. Agrippa likely built a more conventional four square Roman temple with a windowless cella and a portico on a podium. The great fire of 80 CE destroyed that building leaving nothing but the facade. The Emperor Domitian rebuilt that temple only to see it destroyed by fire again in 110 CE. </div><div>Hadrian built the current vastly expanded and altered temple. Exactly who was the architect remains controversial. The current consensus says that Apollodorus of Damascus -- the architect to Hadrian's predecessor, the Emperor Trajan -- probably designed the building. Apollodorus was a Nabatean Arab from what is now Jordan. The Pantheon is consistent with a lot of his work for Trajan. Other scholars argue that the Emperor Hadrian himself designed the building. Hadrian was indeed a very capable architect designing and building much of his extensive villa at Tivoli. He also designed the largest temple in the city of Rome, the Temple of Venus and Roma in the Forum next to the Colosseum.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNoGALqU0_-VKmavU18hmO16ErHOh51Nq068YB94I4whV1vX_di9cy2GuFphlXIX3tIJYOorDRyAGz3hbL_pNd3KlSdXCx94c-6FO4M3fxGhP7wXmz2IY5EMjg9heBUVsumE6NfspDV-XhihsbI1J8U5pJ03RxIvG0FAOss_HQaDJuKSH0L0MukLiZw/s1384/Figure-1%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="1384" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNoGALqU0_-VKmavU18hmO16ErHOh51Nq068YB94I4whV1vX_di9cy2GuFphlXIX3tIJYOorDRyAGz3hbL_pNd3KlSdXCx94c-6FO4M3fxGhP7wXmz2IY5EMjg9heBUVsumE6NfspDV-XhihsbI1J8U5pJ03RxIvG0FAOss_HQaDJuKSH0L0MukLiZw/w640-h532/Figure-1%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>For reasons that remain unknown, the Emperor Hadrian kept the original dedication inscription of the Pantheon. It says in abbreviated Latin in restored bronze letters "Marcus Agrippa three times Consul made this." However, Hadrian stamped all the bricks used in the building with his insignia lest there be any doubt. That inscription stands on top of a row of columns, all single undivided shafts made from Egyptian blue granite from the quarries east of Aswan in the far south of Egypt. Transporting all these columns up the Nile, across the Mediterranean, and through the streets of Rome and set up on the site was itself a marvel of engineering. The bases and capitals of these columns are marble from the quarries of Mt. Pentelikos near Athens, the same quarries that supplied the marble for the Parthenon built almost 6 centuries earlier.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTo12N8UX74_-7yN8nUI3iEKwdOwAT29pao35T-N2mR0H1MXG6FoVqpsCiDm73-za7MHlgWlSeAHtj7cPpJEMnlQD8RaYHmDMPifTfkRJEBBH7MDz_-OVaplIAOGriFWD_2xaM-wF9ofbGEsmLJoYB1mcBW64_3ZwzSIIi5P-XwzncYwjpfOJIavpByQ/s1600/Rome%202011%20674.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTo12N8UX74_-7yN8nUI3iEKwdOwAT29pao35T-N2mR0H1MXG6FoVqpsCiDm73-za7MHlgWlSeAHtj7cPpJEMnlQD8RaYHmDMPifTfkRJEBBH7MDz_-OVaplIAOGriFWD_2xaM-wF9ofbGEsmLJoYB1mcBW64_3ZwzSIIi5P-XwzncYwjpfOJIavpByQ/w640-h428/Rome%202011%20674.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The bronze doors on the Pantheon today are the original doors. They are much restored and modified, but they are the doors Hadrian had installed on the building when it was completed in 125. Walking though the columned portico and through the doors into that immense round room is still one of the most spectacular experiences of any building in the world.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcIovbnJ0vLx4yk5eQlR7Syos9iylA2j4RmtCjzeHrN_A8Z8F3yc0wv0z5irsxOkwaWSxHSGKTvfsdM6KI4s1ft4IwxKxB9s8k6ykjU1-R_qp2NiZeBBlqMV2LkCbEXzMPdnw7gqk8RUTEsKKPUDD7rjDiSbS8Xk7YbQNj2rsUXlMhlUsJRiiHi4AGQ/s1600/top-roman-architecture-dome-and-vaults-were-important-in-roman-architecture-24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcIovbnJ0vLx4yk5eQlR7Syos9iylA2j4RmtCjzeHrN_A8Z8F3yc0wv0z5irsxOkwaWSxHSGKTvfsdM6KI4s1ft4IwxKxB9s8k6ykjU1-R_qp2NiZeBBlqMV2LkCbEXzMPdnw7gqk8RUTEsKKPUDD7rjDiSbS8Xk7YbQNj2rsUXlMhlUsJRiiHi4AGQ/w640-h480/top-roman-architecture-dome-and-vaults-were-important-in-roman-architecture-24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The dome of the Pantheon is an immense hemisphere of structural concrete resting not on a solid wall but upon a concealed series of brick arches and stone piers created to stabilize the dome as each pour of concrete dried and contracted. The Romans invented concrete, a mixture of gravel, pulverized stone, and mortar that could be poured into molds and that would solidify into hard durable shapes. They invented concrete to serve what was at the time was a radical re-conception of building design. Most large ancient buildings were roofs resting on forests of posts or columns, buildings such as Egyptian or Greek temples, or the wooden buildings of posts and brackets holding up heavy ceramic roofs used continuously in China. The Romans imagined buildings as giant shells enclosing great uninterrupted spaces, buildings like the Pantheon.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwm_VQ2ZkeYp04t3Uq4ixxrpx7JgCL72XM_Iegwog-hzA1YyZk-qhi307-Rv998Dggx2qq9-uk6VUBLRPIaj7RZKJosalOUconxP7b9ZLSL5goUb0Onst8bCOPBfq50KLxaoRKC3xbJP-byHpA2i0z-hmHY7Mwaxh8pq-KyuAwnwTHb8JUXTmuqe7bJQ/s1540/Pantheon;%20interior.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1540" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwm_VQ2ZkeYp04t3Uq4ixxrpx7JgCL72XM_Iegwog-hzA1YyZk-qhi307-Rv998Dggx2qq9-uk6VUBLRPIaj7RZKJosalOUconxP7b9ZLSL5goUb0Onst8bCOPBfq50KLxaoRKC3xbJP-byHpA2i0z-hmHY7Mwaxh8pq-KyuAwnwTHb8JUXTmuqe7bJQ/w426-h640/Pantheon;%20interior.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The oculus in the top of the dome measures about 27 feet in diameter and was always open to the sky. Sunlight, rain and snow pour in from the top today as in ancient times. Small channels in the floor keep the flooding to a minimum. The Pantheon is today a church and has been since the 7th century. Today statues of Christian saints now stand where images of the Roman gods once stood. Now as then, the vast concrete dome overwhelms all of the images in the building. The dome in ancient times had a veneer of white marble with blue ceramic tile mosaic filling the inside of the coffers. Inside each coffer a gilded bronze star or rosette sparkled in the reflected sunlight from the marble floor. A sunburst of gilded bronze surrounded the oculus. The outside of the dome was originally covered in gilded copper and visible throughout the city. Today the dome is no longer quite so prominent. The ground level around the Pantheon is 12 feet higher than in ancient times thanks to centuries of river floods after the ancient drainage system collapsed.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5uko8fW3xdVUVn_G3DK8dlGgnA7StbRbwn9oDkD73gzWZi8mhm43Gw7fdf2bUwaZ1taZbc1dY66gIFa-h85PRb3I53uEU2REo_KWcb3esg7zdeZlWSXWxh0kbtZJou3YrsVdO8lyV3TW5FLU6nC5QYd-gXQ_7U7jta1XCUiMgDBxFDMhuvcEqy9F8A/s4752/Rome_-_Pantheon_-_Oculus_0626.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3168" data-original-width="4752" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5uko8fW3xdVUVn_G3DK8dlGgnA7StbRbwn9oDkD73gzWZi8mhm43Gw7fdf2bUwaZ1taZbc1dY66gIFa-h85PRb3I53uEU2REo_KWcb3esg7zdeZlWSXWxh0kbtZJou3YrsVdO8lyV3TW5FLU6nC5QYd-gXQ_7U7jta1XCUiMgDBxFDMhuvcEqy9F8A/w640-h426/Rome_-_Pantheon_-_Oculus_0626.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Pantheon was the temple to all the gods, not only the gods of Rome but of all the gods throughout the Empire. The gods of Egypt, North Africa, Syria, the Greek gods, the Celtic gods, and the Jewish God all had their place in this temple.</div><div>But especially the Pantheon was the temple of the seven Roman planetary gods, Apollo the sun, Diana the moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The Earth would not be considered a planet until Copernicus and Galileo in the 16th century. We still use those names for the planets and continue to name newly discovered planets (such as Uranus and Neptune) after Classical deities.</div><div>The Pantheon formed out of a transition in religion at the time. Educated people of the day such as the Emperor Hadrian no longer believed in the old sacrificial religions, the idea that the gods were invisible powerful beings who controlled all those things we can't control such as the weather and luck, that religion was a straightforward business of keeping those beings happy, trying to divine their will, and seeking to influence them. </div><div>Hadrian and others like him saw the gods as aspects of a larger cosmic and moral order that they believed pervaded everything and that they called Providence. The dome that over-awed the images of the gods in the Pantheon as it dominates the saints now visualizes this universal cosmic order.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh568NIbIV43jsNuGnBuw7_hGcUi4-bHg9wRy2EYy7a9BUgHigRsnSO63H8cLGxnqliCTeXxGHfcBOFSl0lM8bcwkrjTBIUHEiqZvi9AmfAnKLmrkRkPOlke1cRfTBMEhz4HWxjRxD48z7Lsk8z2syATSzW_m3C89FMluySFz2XNrvVP_BxEI7ngis6Qg/s2340/Pantheon;%20Plan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="2290" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh568NIbIV43jsNuGnBuw7_hGcUi4-bHg9wRy2EYy7a9BUgHigRsnSO63H8cLGxnqliCTeXxGHfcBOFSl0lM8bcwkrjTBIUHEiqZvi9AmfAnKLmrkRkPOlke1cRfTBMEhz4HWxjRxD48z7Lsk8z2syATSzW_m3C89FMluySFz2XNrvVP_BxEI7ngis6Qg/w626-h640/Pantheon;%20Plan.jpg" width="626" /></a></div><div>A section and floor plan of the Pantheon.</div><div><br /></div><div>The circle dominates the design of the Pantheon throughout, a shape that ancient peoples including the Romans identified with the sky. But the two other basic geometric shapes, the square and the triangle are also present in the floor plan. Link all the flat-backed niches and you get a square. Link all the round backed niches and you get a triangle. The circle represented the heavens in the mind of the Romans, but the square represented earth and the triangle fire, the element that passed between earth and heaven in the Roman cosmos.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Pantheon carried a lot of political meaning too that was more apparent in the building's original state. The Pantheon was an image of the stated mission of the Roman Empire, to bring peace to the world. The Pantheon shows us the perfect harmonious order of the stars and planets that the Empire seeks to realize upon earth.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lL_XwL7gccR9StPopqSYSExoJUJfVMJMOwidZYmSLX6zvxqh_vAtVbJe3nW3bUPqmQmvawgohJvhcmWSxhWArFGdM_7Xzu5gKetdezrybjucJjKRuQfpscv2g7ooH4rnVs6oJzrEd9-usxElAhxl4PQgR-mxb0G9gghtRteu7CiLq0ctkw7Kz2Fzuw/s2844/Pantheon%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1576" data-original-width="2844" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lL_XwL7gccR9StPopqSYSExoJUJfVMJMOwidZYmSLX6zvxqh_vAtVbJe3nW3bUPqmQmvawgohJvhcmWSxhWArFGdM_7Xzu5gKetdezrybjucJjKRuQfpscv2g7ooH4rnVs6oJzrEd9-usxElAhxl4PQgR-mxb0G9gghtRteu7CiLq0ctkw7Kz2Fzuw/w640-h354/Pantheon%201.png" width="640" /></a></div>A very fine computer reconstruction of the Pantheon in its original form. It stood at the end of its own forum on top of a high podium. All of that is still there, though now buried under twelve feet of accumulated sediment from centuries of flooding from the Tiber, and concealed in relatively recent construction. A large bronze eagle of Jupiter in a wreath of oak and laurel leaves, an emblem of the Empire, adorned the pediment at one time. The outside of the building today is naked brick, but originally was veneered in white marble.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hQKw-g_S-xvBoir4yz0_vbSJhX3SvkEM-obljeuWFEOHdx_VjiI2OU3b9AEHtM4xJPdOAh3VIChVBV0vXxO0B7QOxkBRXB_qXvRj3IbcgjGOhGiaSerMAC9NakiovpnxS-Xkh19EF7LbRGSAvre-GIZumBx85rwFy-E6nUP2RgKZMH34khQkewDZkQ/s594/Pantheon%20restoration%201925.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="442" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hQKw-g_S-xvBoir4yz0_vbSJhX3SvkEM-obljeuWFEOHdx_VjiI2OU3b9AEHtM4xJPdOAh3VIChVBV0vXxO0B7QOxkBRXB_qXvRj3IbcgjGOhGiaSerMAC9NakiovpnxS-Xkh19EF7LbRGSAvre-GIZumBx85rwFy-E6nUP2RgKZMH34khQkewDZkQ/w476-h640/Pantheon%20restoration%201925.jpg" width="476" /></a></div><div>How big is the Pantheon really? This is a photo taken in 1925 during a restoration survey of the dome.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /><div>The Pantheon is now the oldest surviving dome in Rome, but it was far from the first, and while it was the biggest, it was not the only dome in the ancient city.</div><div><br /></div><div>Domes remained exceptional features on otherwise very conservative and tradition bound Roman religious architecture. But domes commonly appeared in those vast pleasure palaces that Roman emperors built to appease public opinion in the city that we call baths.<br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejaLcPnS6NjIC_mLSffwAtKuoRSilIeQ2Jm9rGDX7q5sPkr5SXRgKxSvhqjLBRA5vsyS632CqhyW7Xj5pSMjUGq1YQqfQEtOT_U4YDDfTlcquGlePlL8wFkmOJaHn4y6rR9U8mW5FWP04bAHFMcgHBiowg2QsJV3yeQdZ_mFtXEXCnviuxOmS3DPL8g/s7200/fullcaracallasection.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="7200" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejaLcPnS6NjIC_mLSffwAtKuoRSilIeQ2Jm9rGDX7q5sPkr5SXRgKxSvhqjLBRA5vsyS632CqhyW7Xj5pSMjUGq1YQqfQEtOT_U4YDDfTlcquGlePlL8wFkmOJaHn4y6rR9U8mW5FWP04bAHFMcgHBiowg2QsJV3yeQdZ_mFtXEXCnviuxOmS3DPL8g/w640-h294/fullcaracallasection.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div>A reconstruction of the Baths of Caracalla.</div><div><br /></div><div>People did indeed go to these structures to bathe, and bathing facilities formed the center of these complexes. Three chambers formed the center of every Roman bath, the calidarium or hot bath, the tepdidarium or luke-warm bath, and the frigidarium or the cold bath. In most public baths in the Empire these were usually relatively intimate sized rooms not much different from a modern sauna. The ones in the city of Rome were as vast as the main hall of Grand Central Station in New York.</div><div>The calidarium of the Baths of Caracalla was a domed steam bath the size of a state capitol rotunda. A network of ceramic pipes in the floor and walls carried hot steam throughout the vast room. Slaves worked long hours stoking the furnaces that kept the boilers running, very hard and brutal labor.</div><div>Today only the foundations and two support piers remain of the calidarium of Emperor Caracalla's baths. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9QkmbICMNwS0FVY1WUEv06i9EqooGGhDwId3Cmhh-fbeL7wcAEyTnuH74ksgYsZLyYnBWR7e47_QWF0j7seCR_Gh5HySFRIdm56-tHU4F3ptYy86TU6ifxdjjA75wUk6PRStC-hmS25ZLtzq8PbPa1h9P-6O1Hn0TnpHfXJGyNE0cvA_0uiId73rw9Q/s3888/Rom_Caracalla-Thermen_von_Su%CC%88den.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9QkmbICMNwS0FVY1WUEv06i9EqooGGhDwId3Cmhh-fbeL7wcAEyTnuH74ksgYsZLyYnBWR7e47_QWF0j7seCR_Gh5HySFRIdm56-tHU4F3ptYy86TU6ifxdjjA75wUk6PRStC-hmS25ZLtzq8PbPa1h9P-6O1Hn0TnpHfXJGyNE0cvA_0uiId73rw9Q/w640-h426/Rom_Caracalla-Thermen_von_Su%CC%88den.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The two remaining support piers of the domed calidarium that once dominated the large complex of the Baths of Caracalla. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvAkRIWy0VeWKWaQGbzQucdbvs15WqcblIcEPGC-J5-GnTdc6Tej4Fz_gLCbBu1tnA14XH8eXZDapTuQUQfR8O6msasmjyHLMNeRDxod_ttS2E1Z9Hy1OwFEOVRU_md2I9uWS5-9poff2P5Nfy7gEqTgj2Fh1WaolBJ4MxTTBfgnUzwWQh_k5vVvcdw/s1280/terme-di-caracalla-3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvAkRIWy0VeWKWaQGbzQucdbvs15WqcblIcEPGC-J5-GnTdc6Tej4Fz_gLCbBu1tnA14XH8eXZDapTuQUQfR8O6msasmjyHLMNeRDxod_ttS2E1Z9Hy1OwFEOVRU_md2I9uWS5-9poff2P5Nfy7gEqTgj2Fh1WaolBJ4MxTTBfgnUzwWQh_k5vVvcdw/w640-h426/terme-di-caracalla-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The ruins of the Baths of Caracalla today.</div><div><br /></div><div>These ruins are still strikingly large and grand. The three bathing rooms form the center and most prominent part of this structure, but people came here for more than to just get clean. This complex had gyms and athletic fields. It had a library (probably not so much for scholarly literature, but for popular novels, usually romance or pornography just as popular then as now). And it had public gardens and rooms for meeting friends and soliciting sex.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqy0ZrWzxIICZwkNzZ6nUuTn9rhaUOCo9Ye-1rZcCJOb1ywTQpHl3q3tc8DRUxx5Ks2P-uIthhet0LDuBkEURGQ7z6uxo05bwdZe9NxnNtlr7I6FEWDDxaXrMeab7L_sx7pVv9pNnXnVDCxfSHKAaaZUOxLrhDLYuHP7srWAHqrbGDx4YHnY97fJJ5A/s2592/Villa_Gordiani_-_Park_of_Rome_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqy0ZrWzxIICZwkNzZ6nUuTn9rhaUOCo9Ye-1rZcCJOb1ywTQpHl3q3tc8DRUxx5Ks2P-uIthhet0LDuBkEURGQ7z6uxo05bwdZe9NxnNtlr7I6FEWDDxaXrMeab7L_sx7pVv9pNnXnVDCxfSHKAaaZUOxLrhDLYuHP7srWAHqrbGDx4YHnY97fJJ5A/w640-h480/Villa_Gordiani_-_Park_of_Rome_a.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Villa Gordiani on the outskirts of Rome is a collection of ruins from the 3rd century that may be the remains of the estate of the Gordiani, a short lived imperial dynasty during the time of the Soldier Emperors made up of three emperors in succession all of whom were named Gordian. All of them lasted very briefly and died violently. </div><div>In the midst of the ruins is a small domed temple known by locals as The Mausoleum, though it was likely not a burial monument. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5Orqtvz9S7BT7yDayaWkbUj23yVQnZmg_UbauEqHvg-UYUQzgMXwahKYqrwPtThLMAtqJYK5Q88Z3HpSD_WFcuohpLKRoj05s5o34raYxliEW_LBuDAqyGOlAgGwtQ_Fx7bs01jCndDm4hiXHXupfVV057_4O0y93P32GjsWpN4rWXNClL7kkyIsVw/s798/Mausoleo_di_Villa_Gordiani_5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="798" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5Orqtvz9S7BT7yDayaWkbUj23yVQnZmg_UbauEqHvg-UYUQzgMXwahKYqrwPtThLMAtqJYK5Q88Z3HpSD_WFcuohpLKRoj05s5o34raYxliEW_LBuDAqyGOlAgGwtQ_Fx7bs01jCndDm4hiXHXupfVV057_4O0y93P32GjsWpN4rWXNClL7kkyIsVw/w640-h466/Mausoleo_di_Villa_Gordiani_5.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Mausoleum's brick and concrete domed interior.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6rVXCzmA8KkwAc_rYvu8zwLvW5LbMMgdc_YNuYjHaf4Ut5JQjTRhPtcl5SxI8n7_JZqLnKnzVSRg_tBaYVn60IyNEILKIjBIOFHfCwp36QeY8oCQcbs7sQuJS-V_Fh1HoICafX8xOFmiNm3c5meVFdAnvmlq2X6Z2yptMFTF9RAOYAa7gaO7XPeIJA/s798/Mausoleo_di_Villa_Gordiani_8.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="798" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6rVXCzmA8KkwAc_rYvu8zwLvW5LbMMgdc_YNuYjHaf4Ut5JQjTRhPtcl5SxI8n7_JZqLnKnzVSRg_tBaYVn60IyNEILKIjBIOFHfCwp36QeY8oCQcbs7sQuJS-V_Fh1HoICafX8xOFmiNm3c5meVFdAnvmlq2X6Z2yptMFTF9RAOYAa7gaO7XPeIJA/w640-h466/Mausoleo_di_Villa_Gordiani_8.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFwEHLfT3p_1qTLst79rO_Z_Gjow9-E9gyQsy9Ok4jvDT27A8LAOgqYruQyZ_REPLmXV1OyIPuXvqDZTCMj16PlLosibLx1jo7V6i4DEvYCkuy8dQwPswufdHhzPiNL11OlagpYNmd9yrJ-cTJLK1GF_iV4mXzAW8LyHJ4Pmh5Yr_VdRdG4adSsKYnw/s3872/Mausoleo_Tor_de'_Schiavi_Villa_Gordiani_7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3872" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggFwEHLfT3p_1qTLst79rO_Z_Gjow9-E9gyQsy9Ok4jvDT27A8LAOgqYruQyZ_REPLmXV1OyIPuXvqDZTCMj16PlLosibLx1jo7V6i4DEvYCkuy8dQwPswufdHhzPiNL11OlagpYNmd9yrJ-cTJLK1GF_iV4mXzAW8LyHJ4Pmh5Yr_VdRdG4adSsKYnw/w640-h428/Mausoleo_Tor_de'_Schiavi_Villa_Gordiani_7.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>These first domes of Rome inspired generations of later architects and fired the ambitions of later rulers. The Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire inherited the dome, placed it on top of four large arches and turned it into a central feature of Eastern Christian churches. Islam would inherit the Byzantine dome and modify it further carrying the legacy of Roman architecture east through Central Asia, to the Indian subcontinent, and eventually to the frontiers of China.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the city of Rome itself, these ancient domes were only the beginning of a local fascination with this architectural feature that would last down to the 20th century.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-54043486266044662952022-05-03T20:06:00.000-04:002022-05-03T20:06:01.996-04:00USA<p> </p><p>I don't want to live in a theocracy.<br />I don't want to live in some resurrected version of the old Confederacy.<br />I don't want to be ruled over by a racial and/or plutocratic oligarchy.<br />I don't want to live in "America™".</p><p>I want to live in the United States of America with Liberty and Justice for All.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70ABlZwLFoNz2FqMtHB4l0c58s7fMeQfHI0QF5HC3bcdG7mBW8KAbB3fDPx0X1DU-nXeHZk4UG6abfLomKU-A0NtR4wEsec2Nhxa1BQOTFEaUJbhZeZFXqGaN8eWvgI0NPB41rIWY9Ct35AunpIxS-w-L3UIAOYBlW2s7-hzn2XEluebpbmsXo_kPFw/s4628/Gordon_Parks_-_American_Gothic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4628" data-original-width="3272" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70ABlZwLFoNz2FqMtHB4l0c58s7fMeQfHI0QF5HC3bcdG7mBW8KAbB3fDPx0X1DU-nXeHZk4UG6abfLomKU-A0NtR4wEsec2Nhxa1BQOTFEaUJbhZeZFXqGaN8eWvgI0NPB41rIWY9Ct35AunpIxS-w-L3UIAOYBlW2s7-hzn2XEluebpbmsXo_kPFw/w452-h640/Gordon_Parks_-_American_Gothic.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Gordon Parks, American Gothic, 1942</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The woman is Ella Watson, a janitor in the Farm Services Administration building in Washington DC.<br /><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-2529756684397682212022-04-08T18:13:00.000-04:002022-04-08T18:13:48.210-04:00The New Passion Series: Almost Finished<p>The second Passion series that I began in the fall of 2016 is about to conclude. I am working on the last 2 panels of the series now.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdtjEc48gsEzz6M0jjdSfmtPQ3gSJ9JoGwDWYeSN_tdeI9YZtkuJekS15gnNnN5lBDLEpSTeiMHnnEcK7a3gTMSD_kJEyfeDgvy3tesjdw2ec8VCeSDDj188qImf2BXdRc3gWpXtMerQL8Vei44Dzkx589SJCX0CRsebvAVKQtu4L41_3DQ-dFcHBJg/s3581/aBlanchardD_085%20copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3581" data-original-width="3571" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdtjEc48gsEzz6M0jjdSfmtPQ3gSJ9JoGwDWYeSN_tdeI9YZtkuJekS15gnNnN5lBDLEpSTeiMHnnEcK7a3gTMSD_kJEyfeDgvy3tesjdw2ec8VCeSDDj188qImf2BXdRc3gWpXtMerQL8Vei44Dzkx589SJCX0CRsebvAVKQtu4L41_3DQ-dFcHBJg/w638-h640/aBlanchardD_085%20copy.jpeg" width="638" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Emanuel with Job and Isaiah</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJFUocM1KPDhs3hRufYIeELaQJNlWskmx_qKU9u_inF1GTBdfY5cZG2O1_aEPXFK6aWarztmtonVjG5YqFD-3A6VnNs_oA7D4_DAEKYg4FLa__f77XifFcgB3QzmWxlSK82yQdFrrqyw_t1zOSCxtddIASV4kzMmQVoOWMNS6a3fO6Nu9HdVTesO2bg/s3569/aBlanchardD_086%20copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3567" data-original-width="3569" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJFUocM1KPDhs3hRufYIeELaQJNlWskmx_qKU9u_inF1GTBdfY5cZG2O1_aEPXFK6aWarztmtonVjG5YqFD-3A6VnNs_oA7D4_DAEKYg4FLa__f77XifFcgB3QzmWxlSK82yQdFrrqyw_t1zOSCxtddIASV4kzMmQVoOWMNS6a3fO6Nu9HdVTesO2bg/w640-h640/aBlanchardD_086%20copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus Enters the City</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDRnBzsQ53RrnO7J-el2TmH0TOPeZHK2Fgh8MkZ9LbI2Y1aQMftwbVXlw9JGquduhfRK7mpYsEfudpCvBAICJSvh-oBVCjJP8YnGShJ6VTJLclaUsJLnBzWsPlD6dwVP7jeqkSi2dY1owRTCwubwlQn7x0ESfjeKXNmxcyVslTt7Dtd1swxJ2F_QW3w/s3577/aBlanchardD_084%20copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3555" data-original-width="3577" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDRnBzsQ53RrnO7J-el2TmH0TOPeZHK2Fgh8MkZ9LbI2Y1aQMftwbVXlw9JGquduhfRK7mpYsEfudpCvBAICJSvh-oBVCjJP8YnGShJ6VTJLclaUsJLnBzWsPlD6dwVP7jeqkSi2dY1owRTCwubwlQn7x0ESfjeKXNmxcyVslTt7Dtd1swxJ2F_QW3w/w640-h636/aBlanchardD_084%20copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Last Supper</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbH37RQoV_9OLUhOIvXa-s-c8zEjwE9UP2j5OisRdKBJ6dfX3hA0otlp3A2eFyKNDGqx82cO9gE6cKeZKYcGtPIMhr9OZC7U3s7-_HTNZ4QKCymfXIUWqVBScvIKhrEOZ2_AEYw2ce4qd5cS7nsxVe2wyKbFOIaBoomZIArHgkvVwFuWAVYMfcfPrIA/s3561/aBlanchardD_083%20copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3561" data-original-width="3560" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbH37RQoV_9OLUhOIvXa-s-c8zEjwE9UP2j5OisRdKBJ6dfX3hA0otlp3A2eFyKNDGqx82cO9gE6cKeZKYcGtPIMhr9OZC7U3s7-_HTNZ4QKCymfXIUWqVBScvIKhrEOZ2_AEYw2ce4qd5cS7nsxVe2wyKbFOIaBoomZIArHgkvVwFuWAVYMfcfPrIA/w640-h640/aBlanchardD_083%20copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus Prays Alone</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-271GzTqhLklGjVa4D-Nu2Sxnes_aNS6yf0W0hA9hiQqR-56O4jZSOQ-wcFuiraEmvXO-dns3HIcYsW3MAqB3CupuJHGaxV8klIqKsCBwBB-sAdcatJAOulMNQRJ7ytriRbm_jlNJnvVSg2yURBmyak8Rw1rvMztwqWfI0k_ieP2iyGMn4CHIYDo9sw/s3574/aBlanchardD_082%20copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3541" data-original-width="3574" height="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-271GzTqhLklGjVa4D-Nu2Sxnes_aNS6yf0W0hA9hiQqR-56O4jZSOQ-wcFuiraEmvXO-dns3HIcYsW3MAqB3CupuJHGaxV8klIqKsCBwBB-sAdcatJAOulMNQRJ7ytriRbm_jlNJnvVSg2yURBmyak8Rw1rvMztwqWfI0k_ieP2iyGMn4CHIYDo9sw/w640-h634/aBlanchardD_082%20copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus Is Arrested</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7EsG8uxWPAhxf9AfrSLPReq141J1wwLE8BbfY7YrnbOel6fz5_QfRwvfD_vyh37b5bvuUzH-5s8EpCosqrHQnTcDXY86P5NWGYZYnRTBj5ORobAjBcgjnUlvM5cCdwso-ZAe_oUxcFEBjKJxxY7HuUo4-U5Zp6L0lsgFwS_JXQItIwKus8-5kXmiPw/s5079/_DSC1617%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5066" data-original-width="5079" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7EsG8uxWPAhxf9AfrSLPReq141J1wwLE8BbfY7YrnbOel6fz5_QfRwvfD_vyh37b5bvuUzH-5s8EpCosqrHQnTcDXY86P5NWGYZYnRTBj5ORobAjBcgjnUlvM5cCdwso-ZAe_oUxcFEBjKJxxY7HuUo4-U5Zp6L0lsgFwS_JXQItIwKus8-5kXmiPw/w640-h638/_DSC1617%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus Before the Priests</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8JcynaP8fueBboWQyA5aHTYogrvc731qkwSWhQlxC7AQY97JHkNiFp3TLbgjPKYNt4BZRS0N8Yitu7cBVbLGyQZr5splJYP-SyYQLTuCHJwuw962mNStC1P78rTqLW8wFRXuXLY2TNiNdepAQallR-LS9WbJS7fZ6TDFnUQI2V-qJ31sO9f05ygYj1g/s5031/_DSC5949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4997" data-original-width="5031" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8JcynaP8fueBboWQyA5aHTYogrvc731qkwSWhQlxC7AQY97JHkNiFp3TLbgjPKYNt4BZRS0N8Yitu7cBVbLGyQZr5splJYP-SyYQLTuCHJwuw962mNStC1P78rTqLW8wFRXuXLY2TNiNdepAQallR-LS9WbJS7fZ6TDFnUQI2V-qJ31sO9f05ygYj1g/w640-h636/_DSC5949.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus Before the Magistrate</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDC9rtUCIQ9a3sH32qEMYL5EEgDPXbhlJbpVjFcokOWOSdazrj9CAnvgtM84aVA5dxUU2uq_w0VcNFpUBaUHb0Vdl5h0xk_FQ8QqGveI7qh2CH_2dBs1Z5FD5jh2Vbndo-0yVgCkqSB9bDasqpUNeZh8O88WVSfunqBz5EDAYFx1fH4GwbpKiHyBehhg/s5048/_DSC5954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5048" data-original-width="5031" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDC9rtUCIQ9a3sH32qEMYL5EEgDPXbhlJbpVjFcokOWOSdazrj9CAnvgtM84aVA5dxUU2uq_w0VcNFpUBaUHb0Vdl5h0xk_FQ8QqGveI7qh2CH_2dBs1Z5FD5jh2Vbndo-0yVgCkqSB9bDasqpUNeZh8O88WVSfunqBz5EDAYFx1fH4GwbpKiHyBehhg/w638-h640/_DSC5954.jpg" width="638" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus Before the People</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNRv8kh8XZB3sw0_J8aindCQj300mtnesYgd_jRtTUnoodSRInWzsdbbCDC3F4MrypkaeRs7_sYoWCuPPvugP-bYf4I-srkrtb0DhI5GQ_gXI4Bg3NwKdF2Ba9U9R96AENNeXAmbJvr_vDkmcRfcofAXnl8saywm3cixhJoCgbL5zMF8mMbSJcLg4aA/s5031/_DSC5946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5031" data-original-width="5031" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNRv8kh8XZB3sw0_J8aindCQj300mtnesYgd_jRtTUnoodSRInWzsdbbCDC3F4MrypkaeRs7_sYoWCuPPvugP-bYf4I-srkrtb0DhI5GQ_gXI4Bg3NwKdF2Ba9U9R96AENNeXAmbJvr_vDkmcRfcofAXnl8saywm3cixhJoCgbL5zMF8mMbSJcLg4aA/w640-h640/_DSC5946.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus Before the Soldiers</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKeFCDFwqMr43xrZHKahPIJzWYQZ2gptJG_OEzi0nZGAkBL9YX-slVac5gnvxiquqERvGyws5oNKhTnhydtGX1C1Wygzy_oKIWBiqJ6GXcyyzlznHd2Vijz8iOpvvBzdrrK9eaSlqw2Jp6_3Rw4fP6tlOT4dVLgrO4NAvLlql70k9Nn4IrIuJvUSKbg/s5014/_DSC5945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5014" data-original-width="5014" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKeFCDFwqMr43xrZHKahPIJzWYQZ2gptJG_OEzi0nZGAkBL9YX-slVac5gnvxiquqERvGyws5oNKhTnhydtGX1C1Wygzy_oKIWBiqJ6GXcyyzlznHd2Vijz8iOpvvBzdrrK9eaSlqw2Jp6_3Rw4fP6tlOT4dVLgrO4NAvLlql70k9Nn4IrIuJvUSKbg/w640-h640/_DSC5945.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus Is Beaten</div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49FsZUUTlnFxmXzjVnvLG9eW5IXej6fYGl1W7qJXL9Mncsmjjet-29C6sfU-HHSeX7WtxjA-vNI_oDMdbQNFmSknEmJ4yEqxBxRR876fs8dbZ-mS5iuV_eODPJBm-a_mZKrVaA-Mjc10DwUM690fZiaQppErpyU1LdtwPpmVeYDr3A38o9NRTM8Dzsg/s5174/_DSC6613-Edit%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5171" data-original-width="5174" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49FsZUUTlnFxmXzjVnvLG9eW5IXej6fYGl1W7qJXL9Mncsmjjet-29C6sfU-HHSeX7WtxjA-vNI_oDMdbQNFmSknEmJ4yEqxBxRR876fs8dbZ-mS5iuV_eODPJBm-a_mZKrVaA-Mjc10DwUM690fZiaQppErpyU1LdtwPpmVeYDr3A38o9NRTM8Dzsg/w640-h640/_DSC6613-Edit%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus Goes To His Death</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiE6h3r0yhkh0tZXzLZl8JoZEhiwVoWZo3QXJ3uZ1AUpqOe5rXbUaa7149n1TunyuUQDkJKKmTssgRMJDwDMxIPyvX-OnmMwJkStBviX-4O1QZOwmpCZpyyo_zdyLVUzvojprrLvlFwLNaQLnWKSt7Ga2RTz94Wq66FxTu7bZBmjMttGQmjKewCcuuFg/s5198/_DSC6608-Edit%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5188" data-original-width="5198" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiE6h3r0yhkh0tZXzLZl8JoZEhiwVoWZo3QXJ3uZ1AUpqOe5rXbUaa7149n1TunyuUQDkJKKmTssgRMJDwDMxIPyvX-OnmMwJkStBviX-4O1QZOwmpCZpyyo_zdyLVUzvojprrLvlFwLNaQLnWKSt7Ga2RTz94Wq66FxTu7bZBmjMttGQmjKewCcuuFg/w640-h638/_DSC6608-Edit%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus Dies</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauwcxHYMwPKReChcxoReIfDzSVYskcnr1XN4qiCtw0GkmpgUwGWdWKGRNykScQE-NxW3uPyrk_pkcGaCU-fozdFj8GCul2X6o46TmXNtDyCWqe1ySQUbssq1NA4x27ZAXit-YnwOG2Dgz09yh-1hZwUnc42VXYbAekWuw_skPjs_EoMrGLazNK9E77w/s5178/_DSC6605-Edit%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5167" data-original-width="5178" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauwcxHYMwPKReChcxoReIfDzSVYskcnr1XN4qiCtw0GkmpgUwGWdWKGRNykScQE-NxW3uPyrk_pkcGaCU-fozdFj8GCul2X6o46TmXNtDyCWqe1ySQUbssq1NA4x27ZAXit-YnwOG2Dgz09yh-1hZwUnc42VXYbAekWuw_skPjs_EoMrGLazNK9E77w/w640-h638/_DSC6605-Edit%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus Is Dead (Lamentation)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmPR1mY-bkvIq4iAqIJH2AnNQ4Zm1FSo6yBhJXnbfwuusFokhFZexqgIYUNT0ObWh1qBNUdNoa_yzA_ICf9DM9Nqojo--QlXGqAA_q5sb04wECpGqI6ENuS80Ria4QcPHdMuha8989dmZ_Ia3l1osCo5Pru_BRhskNXQO7H5zFlp_2KQhHVMr16KGLA/s5188/_DSC6620-Edit%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5173" data-original-width="5188" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmPR1mY-bkvIq4iAqIJH2AnNQ4Zm1FSo6yBhJXnbfwuusFokhFZexqgIYUNT0ObWh1qBNUdNoa_yzA_ICf9DM9Nqojo--QlXGqAA_q5sb04wECpGqI6ENuS80Ria4QcPHdMuha8989dmZ_Ia3l1osCo5Pru_BRhskNXQO7H5zFlp_2KQhHVMr16KGLA/w640-h638/_DSC6620-Edit%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus Among The Dead</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPJILhTXeXGK1ZtbvUjRXtOycwDQfNB3sH35inziIR4iem-kCfEn52YFbXMIsSPBh4gRaUWh-QAn-54nnbQBWuIdf4ia8BLZAsI2cZSVOGaFw0pKQwF5hYdv7pNIlcbkFy6qX6T0i_O99STk8BsNxQvBDZTjjMDDjsFD7dr61GajVvMs2dH4nivINjA/s5209/_DSC0348%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5209" data-original-width="5209" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPJILhTXeXGK1ZtbvUjRXtOycwDQfNB3sH35inziIR4iem-kCfEn52YFbXMIsSPBh4gRaUWh-QAn-54nnbQBWuIdf4ia8BLZAsI2cZSVOGaFw0pKQwF5hYdv7pNIlcbkFy6qX6T0i_O99STk8BsNxQvBDZTjjMDDjsFD7dr61GajVvMs2dH4nivINjA/w640-h640/_DSC0348%205.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus Rises</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimByOKMlhgedoBI4PJI9dbgmVx4KIT-YmZFU5G0jcHqlGfqsbGypcKasTGFe4d_sWSf-3yEQv-rf2Yryf9VS-IghxOw4Oc9Jh6c8CmsRNpgIGzhjnajylLSBH4Oh-ti7feJIzrNxcXvtO5AR1dr-GAjApXAJRgeUXZ64O1rvMNcHj_kQN0IY4CAHNWKw/s5149/_DSC0345%2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5149" data-original-width="5130" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimByOKMlhgedoBI4PJI9dbgmVx4KIT-YmZFU5G0jcHqlGfqsbGypcKasTGFe4d_sWSf-3yEQv-rf2Yryf9VS-IghxOw4Oc9Jh6c8CmsRNpgIGzhjnajylLSBH4Oh-ti7feJIzrNxcXvtO5AR1dr-GAjApXAJRgeUXZ64O1rvMNcHj_kQN0IY4CAHNWKw/w638-h640/_DSC0345%2010.jpg" width="638" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-mxXtVQlullDibmwTuO2HVlFgJ5l2wY-L1faFqAhav33TAYdIEuS43Xt_qgk5oj9JiIglXEbAcv10qoixGlSCxlnnp5WlueVPC2kG7CigBQseWIaZRrH-M48zfnlpoOvI2uy0gIdR_kgB31sc_nvXg1m7ebpv28WLn-hdiFxoBikQL7V95d3B7bghw/s1456/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-08%20at%205.57.47%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1446" data-original-width="1456" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-mxXtVQlullDibmwTuO2HVlFgJ5l2wY-L1faFqAhav33TAYdIEuS43Xt_qgk5oj9JiIglXEbAcv10qoixGlSCxlnnp5WlueVPC2kG7CigBQseWIaZRrH-M48zfnlpoOvI2uy0gIdR_kgB31sc_nvXg1m7ebpv28WLn-hdiFxoBikQL7V95d3B7bghw/w640-h636/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-08%20at%205.57.47%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus Appears To His Friends</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(my photo; this has not yet been archivally photographed)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1yZTQOO6MM4ilEzFw7gQgEcWZY3MqPckP5a3NH2_XDLAIyhrG1wKfZJX4PKhmIaNivovaUTO0uteoYaMZaR62cgPBPPPPGq_mKFd9R6FvPsLBOwYEQZeVDglKuizGTvzKxvgygNanWQ71j-_qWFo3SAMeBDAKze7V8JnSUo-zBgWKStfQLnV_Okw7_w/s1472/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-08%20at%205.58.16%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1438" data-original-width="1472" height="626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1yZTQOO6MM4ilEzFw7gQgEcWZY3MqPckP5a3NH2_XDLAIyhrG1wKfZJX4PKhmIaNivovaUTO0uteoYaMZaR62cgPBPPPPGq_mKFd9R6FvPsLBOwYEQZeVDglKuizGTvzKxvgygNanWQ71j-_qWFo3SAMeBDAKze7V8JnSUo-zBgWKStfQLnV_Okw7_w/w640-h626/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-08%20at%205.58.16%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Emmaus</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(my photo; this painting has not yet been archivally photographed)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmQxkmW_gfCw2ymVSMV-c7LzI_g9WBgmYrF3A0GBzif0RsXV6rx6lAcUGYksSGbIdp-P0whehFhgB8moG6hvIJzqLlF92QNMi2JmFV2OkCAGWvurV-WbZRV0sr9Z2l1GlD6GljqRRnXE0J-M-8Q6B2g9e2pJMF1TnsHI6MuTltR9udrwhBf_MkAjhaQ/s1508/Screen%20Shot%202021-11-20%20at%207.01.21%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1474" data-original-width="1508" height="626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmQxkmW_gfCw2ymVSMV-c7LzI_g9WBgmYrF3A0GBzif0RsXV6rx6lAcUGYksSGbIdp-P0whehFhgB8moG6hvIJzqLlF92QNMi2JmFV2OkCAGWvurV-WbZRV0sr9Z2l1GlD6GljqRRnXE0J-M-8Q6B2g9e2pJMF1TnsHI6MuTltR9udrwhBf_MkAjhaQ/w640-h626/Screen%20Shot%202021-11-20%20at%207.01.21%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jesus Returns to God</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(unfinished)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1LfFi3FFh3BIR_t29ABiAC7l9GiGHzYLb-NPhbO7UpFJTOSwwwp80m_IkPDeVaIji11krfnX0Gd4sUii5mBD3vlLC3XZxpvXm9OCe8hJ4ZbpMm5XRzsmZbPYCLYDIH87Y8SSS07qz50vLI7_7n84p28IinyinBr6xZSSxwzVd66MG22Dafk5P_eGtLQ/s1396/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-08%20at%205.59.10%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="1396" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1LfFi3FFh3BIR_t29ABiAC7l9GiGHzYLb-NPhbO7UpFJTOSwwwp80m_IkPDeVaIji11krfnX0Gd4sUii5mBD3vlLC3XZxpvXm9OCe8hJ4ZbpMm5XRzsmZbPYCLYDIH87Y8SSS07qz50vLI7_7n84p28IinyinBr6xZSSxwzVd66MG22Dafk5P_eGtLQ/w640-h638/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-08%20at%205.59.10%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Trinity</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(unfinished)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-74567703281025156682022-04-03T21:12:00.001-04:002022-04-03T21:19:43.114-04:00Remembering Bill Paulsen<p> Bill Paulsen died March 15 after many years of ill health. His funeral took place March 23, the day before his 78th birthday. His passing affected scores -- maybe hundreds -- of people around the world, and it certainly affected me.<br />For much of his life, Bill served as a Lutheran pastor. Though his grandparents were Norwegian immigrants, he was not born into the Lutheran church. He began life as a Methodist and eventually converted to Lutheranism. He brought to his long years of service as a Lutheran pastor the zeal of a convert. He served a congregation in Berlin for a couple of years in the early 1970s, and then for many years until his retirement, he lead a Lutheran congregation in south Brooklyn.</p><p>"Zeal of a convert" are words that give us pause. They evoke the image of a hard dour determined Servant of the Lord. Bill Paulsen may have been determined in his service to the Lord, but he was hardly dour. Many of us who knew him remember his vast collection of jokes of varying quality and taste that nevertheless kept us all laughing. I remember riding with him on a train through Germany howling with laughter as we played one of his favorite games, taking the opening words of famous hymns and adding the phrase "...under the sheets." "Oh for a thousand tongues to sing under the sheets!" Bill could be what I would call "aggressively friendly." He made a point of going up to people no matter where or what and just talking to them. He had a talent for immediately disarming people and making them feel comfortable around him. I watched him use this talent memorably on many occasions. In particular, I remember seeing him disarm famously surly cab drivers in Paris and winning them over. One cab driver got himself lost taking us back to the hotel. The angry and frustrated driver ended up refunding our fare and thanking us profusely for being so understanding after Bill spoke to him. I note that his talent for fearless friendliness served him very well in those years when he was partially disabled and frequently dependent on the kindness of friends and strangers. However, I think that's a talent he had all his life. So many long and durable friendships that he enjoyed began with such active friendliness and lasted over decades and even generations. That active friendliness lead him to summon the courage and inner strength to rescue people in desperate situations on occasion (no, I'm not talking about myself, but about people who really were in seriously dire straits and owe their lives to him).</p><p>There was a serious spiritual purpose behind Bill's charm and bonhomie. He believed very strongly in the "freedom of the Gospel," that the Gospel was emphatically not another calamity piled onto the backs of sinful humanity by an implacably angry deity, but liberty from all that guilt and grief. The necessary work of salvation has already been accomplished for us by Christ, by God Himself. There was nothing we could do to add or subtract from that salvation because Christ is faithful even when we are faithless. Instead of self-indulgently counting our sins on a rosary of thorns, or beating other people over the heads with inventories of their sins, we should enjoy the freedom Christ gives us and share that joy with others. "We're full of glory and full of shit at the same time" Bill always said. The Gospel is the assurance that we will get through the Valley of the Shadow of Death and dwell reunited with all who we love and more in the Risen Christ. And we will get to that other side despite ourselves since God has already done the necessary work on our behalf.<br />Bill Paulsen preached this and he lived it.</p><p>As much joy as he found in the Gospel, Bill's life saw an abundance of suffering beginning with a lonely childhood and the death of his older brother in a car accident. He certainly shared in a lot of pain and grief his parishioners suffered over the years. He spent his last years in constant physical pain from deteriorating knee and hip joints and a growing list of ailments. I remember one African cab driver in Paris helping him get into the cab describe Bill as "the bravest of men" because of the constant pain he endured. Of course as would anyone living in such conditions, the pain caused him grief and despair, but the despair never ruled over him.</p><p>I traveled with Bill twice to Europe to help him with carrying luggage and other things he was too incapacitated to manage on his own. The worst was helping him up and down stairs, and getting him on and off trains. But I count those travels among the greatest and most fortunate blessings of my life. I met so many wonderful and remarkable people through him in Europe and at home, beginning some great friendships. I saw wonderful and sublime things with him on my travels. I would always remember him gratefully for that alone. I will remember him for that and for his great and very generous friendship, and hope to see him again some day among the saints in light.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy663IJO5IIYyH1xHJ6t2-8il4r9JylBul6j8N3vwN1XTRxqDlwAJYEXgqdw9nubkCCZMH56P2n2fg2cA1jo9hf54lodsAkw-JjCNGEcJmU0gkNgBwyO7BgMVjE2F7EgP_s7XQo6fVBTxfAg2vcA_iQvZ9ZPErTmCtIRgXGD0M5iADdey9iUBE6eY71Q/s4320/P1100749%20copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4320" data-original-width="3240" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy663IJO5IIYyH1xHJ6t2-8il4r9JylBul6j8N3vwN1XTRxqDlwAJYEXgqdw9nubkCCZMH56P2n2fg2cA1jo9hf54lodsAkw-JjCNGEcJmU0gkNgBwyO7BgMVjE2F7EgP_s7XQo6fVBTxfAg2vcA_iQvZ9ZPErTmCtIRgXGD0M5iADdey9iUBE6eY71Q/w480-h640/P1100749%20copy.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bill with Peter Meyer at the Christuskirche in Nuremberg, 2016</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguESPhyJsNtXQDOyurZhTwqML6lArFmXXFCPNCA_KYLobrxAmDUs0mR8tu6cV-x0pBwAkWitIGd3ewAHw2yPbj-f4CwyXg4aQyYD-0ItgIVlRIUAbw1Vvpw3m_1mElWnw-Z5m3PlHu5hK2KBs2voq0-Yqi53RItgcZTlmxD6vtYIWlArK7pE-gqQeSgw/s4320/P1110120%20copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguESPhyJsNtXQDOyurZhTwqML6lArFmXXFCPNCA_KYLobrxAmDUs0mR8tu6cV-x0pBwAkWitIGd3ewAHw2yPbj-f4CwyXg4aQyYD-0ItgIVlRIUAbw1Vvpw3m_1mElWnw-Z5m3PlHu5hK2KBs2voq0-Yqi53RItgcZTlmxD6vtYIWlArK7pE-gqQeSgw/w640-h480/P1110120%20copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bill with old friends in Berlin from his days as a pastor there, 2016</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_YPhlU2jrMdUfX06LLu1G6v2hOso99IDocVUnuIwLKmuYD4uN0FSe8UJGWYdTqNx7HuI4ZuJN40Sy-hNihHS-xfkX6-cxKjlTOzrIW8dzjMAVOLtsemM0SGaFThl_ip3Pg1SeltIR56iWoMGGbbVBSI5juH7MODk0xG1mKb4REwQEjILjTCgPRnGJg/s4320/P1100675%20copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_YPhlU2jrMdUfX06LLu1G6v2hOso99IDocVUnuIwLKmuYD4uN0FSe8UJGWYdTqNx7HuI4ZuJN40Sy-hNihHS-xfkX6-cxKjlTOzrIW8dzjMAVOLtsemM0SGaFThl_ip3Pg1SeltIR56iWoMGGbbVBSI5juH7MODk0xG1mKb4REwQEjILjTCgPRnGJg/w640-h480/P1100675%20copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bill with Erika Markgraf, another Lutheran pastor, in Coburg, 2016</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhChlHE5N72z_h-wKHgw5VROfSXEIm7eiiEeLFDUbciNXMDJMKj3eJe422CVsnn1kfkrlFJMRAXC7_ZqYd3nCzAmrc01DO_io8y-KgJ06uS_DHJspBwH6zksyzOruxcg3-GlENBy4WUJxrhQqUukVmPc90bkndexvsqoFq38yZhkVTq6HAfDruDXeyXxA/s4320/P1100520%20copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhChlHE5N72z_h-wKHgw5VROfSXEIm7eiiEeLFDUbciNXMDJMKj3eJe422CVsnn1kfkrlFJMRAXC7_ZqYd3nCzAmrc01DO_io8y-KgJ06uS_DHJspBwH6zksyzOruxcg3-GlENBy4WUJxrhQqUukVmPc90bkndexvsqoFq38yZhkVTq6HAfDruDXeyXxA/w640-h480/P1100520%20copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bill with the late Kristal Tsang in Lübeck, 2016</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuemyJd9zdPaGY7miSgUAww9NlAJaKFQIlDfP-S0JSYxa-6yIKPKCn0-DNkMn596iZ8nZ1UGKn_h-V8xEZm3dVy1YNZ19rkOUdxCExl3E52r0Fojxtkp0WlJ2x1O9MOWTm1KWyu2rLz8qjvcESVolZJ-oyfwLBDvuxB545M_x8A2R3TRzEp3P9rbEWbA/s4320/P1060154%20copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4320" data-original-width="3240" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuemyJd9zdPaGY7miSgUAww9NlAJaKFQIlDfP-S0JSYxa-6yIKPKCn0-DNkMn596iZ8nZ1UGKn_h-V8xEZm3dVy1YNZ19rkOUdxCExl3E52r0Fojxtkp0WlJ2x1O9MOWTm1KWyu2rLz8qjvcESVolZJ-oyfwLBDvuxB545M_x8A2R3TRzEp3P9rbEWbA/w480-h640/P1060154%20copy.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bill with his family in Svelvik, Norway, 2014</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtW4DDMnJ6ga2bTsaxEczVVPygTFuiIn5s_5L3-eQcSJWAcaSXo1zOBJ3jUphy-HXOM8aOCdfCnYwZUrucVqqslJsTVEfWbMWIP5ku-_Ivv4j6j7KQQM0rQJTK08n09Mj_kpiRK1BLgHDdOeItJ1h5FnwGfqZRxsZOTboMX2Cc7_hUdBD-DzUive9Cg/s4320/P1060202%20copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHtW4DDMnJ6ga2bTsaxEczVVPygTFuiIn5s_5L3-eQcSJWAcaSXo1zOBJ3jUphy-HXOM8aOCdfCnYwZUrucVqqslJsTVEfWbMWIP5ku-_Ivv4j6j7KQQM0rQJTK08n09Mj_kpiRK1BLgHDdOeItJ1h5FnwGfqZRxsZOTboMX2Cc7_hUdBD-DzUive9Cg/w640-h480/P1060202%20copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bill in Oslo at the home of Lasse and Erik in 2014</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNaygjS74MjTrcxdrfxM5l4p89AI2ZfC7Jl5VxqVJnd8R-bDYSIXckfQ40pEu33DEVnOlxx1KrDNf44_rZDtaQ8-Jo2jZ38sTdMKb5rfENdL15gOhH0JZkbIDJcHuwUQI4v_tDJoViZOEorc723q0zxmihDwOKs47tAWbH43u5sZEyY2nwPl26PDIwg/s4320/P1060201%20copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNaygjS74MjTrcxdrfxM5l4p89AI2ZfC7Jl5VxqVJnd8R-bDYSIXckfQ40pEu33DEVnOlxx1KrDNf44_rZDtaQ8-Jo2jZ38sTdMKb5rfENdL15gOhH0JZkbIDJcHuwUQI4v_tDJoViZOEorc723q0zxmihDwOKs47tAWbH43u5sZEyY2nwPl26PDIwg/w640-h480/P1060201%20copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Erik and Lasse in 2014 at home with Bill in Oslo</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikLVRC1_0i6MWgmRUcUxoCVcbK6Z_T3YHzyOo1dUrIiy_ncwBfGQLG2_obagEGfp56TjGG9aud_VbJdByzHFgCJ1kl82kIKUGHGiou5UvMopVRyxzlSdOX-gflkZyqs5Xy2V8hLTxXZxkG5O_e08MimtKRVOXiHD_QZSJhHP8_8r_qZRSewZoqaHicw/s4320/P1070550%20copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikLVRC1_0i6MWgmRUcUxoCVcbK6Z_T3YHzyOo1dUrIiy_ncwBfGQLG2_obagEGfp56TjGG9aud_VbJdByzHFgCJ1kl82kIKUGHGiou5UvMopVRyxzlSdOX-gflkZyqs5Xy2V8hLTxXZxkG5O_e08MimtKRVOXiHD_QZSJhHP8_8r_qZRSewZoqaHicw/w640-h480/P1070550%20copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bill in Amsterdam with Knight Hoover, a friend, and Raymonde Oudenrijn in 2014</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpu0Lln9gLrpzvhrdrWqMyVe903iEJQsKaTk4HVIPYqRpcemA74NoLItBMnXiefILVobQ292t_RvJ_rPgqfo5WTSgnLcYV1rV9-dCz6GJrxIVlvVlzGhoYPu39qhqpqZRrHUSwDrL7agccanzliSLi5cyd_ZoN90T6S9c807ZKHVBeicQg5fxigseERw/s4320/P1110540%20copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpu0Lln9gLrpzvhrdrWqMyVe903iEJQsKaTk4HVIPYqRpcemA74NoLItBMnXiefILVobQ292t_RvJ_rPgqfo5WTSgnLcYV1rV9-dCz6GJrxIVlvVlzGhoYPu39qhqpqZRrHUSwDrL7agccanzliSLi5cyd_ZoN90T6S9c807ZKHVBeicQg5fxigseERw/w640-h480/P1110540%20copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bill with Gelli and Kristal Tsang in Wiesbaden, 2016</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tVNvxCAKnqDxJ8x2wojA4FajFY3ZlG_QFVCN7dcwWRk3iGdRHagWB0b17xHfu_Uzo_bZdf58j4NCJgPAWWqGBJxl2CkgK9mDvY_NA-wiwRZDZmvCHWlskMCKz6aGZte5RWhBxzH9jFTAYzqTRCZt_l4wAScLjYRYrkNFF4mEfgyPYM7w-oIS2BiZfw/s4320/P1070477%20copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tVNvxCAKnqDxJ8x2wojA4FajFY3ZlG_QFVCN7dcwWRk3iGdRHagWB0b17xHfu_Uzo_bZdf58j4NCJgPAWWqGBJxl2CkgK9mDvY_NA-wiwRZDZmvCHWlskMCKz6aGZte5RWhBxzH9jFTAYzqTRCZt_l4wAScLjYRYrkNFF4mEfgyPYM7w-oIS2BiZfw/w640-h480/P1070477%20copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bill holds forth with the Hellgermans and friends in Telgte in 2014</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ch045HMuw5GJA0Bg6EwXFwwSX6qSV2wSCT4JnIRdVhJLW35o34FGSS_IPnmJZYOupWg9zJs-ZnrqGgL77dwMLQtXs-ZuTyEVRWdYkDZS8Bu_d8dMAFADBznemZFP8Jr0sS7oJ0JRHI6z-2q0dJN5PYrPvoHRe2ejGDJVRY1WrCXvNYDKzuwjsxQFMQ/s1843/DSC_0006%20copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1229" data-original-width="1843" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ch045HMuw5GJA0Bg6EwXFwwSX6qSV2wSCT4JnIRdVhJLW35o34FGSS_IPnmJZYOupWg9zJs-ZnrqGgL77dwMLQtXs-ZuTyEVRWdYkDZS8Bu_d8dMAFADBznemZFP8Jr0sS7oJ0JRHI6z-2q0dJN5PYrPvoHRe2ejGDJVRY1WrCXvNYDKzuwjsxQFMQ/w640-h426/DSC_0006%20copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bill with Yours Truly at the Hotel Dieu in Beaune, France in 2014, photo by Jean-Yves Bonamour</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimH6HmKnoqngMKNPCZ4UifKDY218mofmXJklQJZShyQdaAcwu46B6sXArijOsipSwiUGRFQQlx1GTZBsmCHEaKrw5mkuJlMOIP6S6Wsv7GzseDczAQpsuV8_hmvVTmTrw9gtJy0Q6HMusstPg6umRNVU6bFOILTv2Lup2nlsUruEBTkVZ1tt9N-OvQmw/s960/5:12:2019;%20Hudson%20Hound%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimH6HmKnoqngMKNPCZ4UifKDY218mofmXJklQJZShyQdaAcwu46B6sXArijOsipSwiUGRFQQlx1GTZBsmCHEaKrw5mkuJlMOIP6S6Wsv7GzseDczAQpsuV8_hmvVTmTrw9gtJy0Q6HMusstPg6umRNVU6bFOILTv2Lup2nlsUruEBTkVZ1tt9N-OvQmw/w640-h480/5:12:2019;%20Hudson%20Hound%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bill and I with friends at the former Dublin 6 in New York in I think 2018.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Left to right, Jon Vinson, Warren Blyden, Jacqui Taylor-Basker and her son, Yours Truly, and Bill Paulsen.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV53mvpkDQPOu7z3DNMdjTgupcX7pPGX5IwvltQcanBBL1sbbbUFXSn5YE6Y2b1BE7HNlLkbz8FD845qr4QlTEf50Fd-l-DFhTi1sSLnwfGgOlf-XJiw21C1lg48szo3Cq-JWnzqRWDgoJTcp5Jxsf8-NM3raLJ2OZUuOL3W5YeXGI1VazRsZbRpYI-Q/s4608/Xmas%20Day%202013%20with%20Bill%20Paulsen%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV53mvpkDQPOu7z3DNMdjTgupcX7pPGX5IwvltQcanBBL1sbbbUFXSn5YE6Y2b1BE7HNlLkbz8FD845qr4QlTEf50Fd-l-DFhTi1sSLnwfGgOlf-XJiw21C1lg48szo3Cq-JWnzqRWDgoJTcp5Jxsf8-NM3raLJ2OZUuOL3W5YeXGI1VazRsZbRpYI-Q/w640-h480/Xmas%20Day%202013%20with%20Bill%20Paulsen%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Christmas Day with Bill and lots of friends in his apartment in Brooklyn Heights in 2013</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-54474627544961943662022-03-16T08:59:00.001-04:002022-03-16T08:59:16.036-04:00Bill Paulsen<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5ITtWHf_2SnPwmiYldnCiIIVuy1N7s-iETM76s4P3O3wci_WMmWjpNCCceg2hoVWNxSoidCAwCQNc6CFJfH6GJPbHP8JyX-8sQ_J_AZN7_h_Gmv9y934czq9ahrYOa_KcjkgGW-fL1rsCCAxgpuyzPDuUi7ymTyQSVptjQLXSIBrQ1k1PL2h6enIRag=s4320" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4320" data-original-width="3240" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5ITtWHf_2SnPwmiYldnCiIIVuy1N7s-iETM76s4P3O3wci_WMmWjpNCCceg2hoVWNxSoidCAwCQNc6CFJfH6GJPbHP8JyX-8sQ_J_AZN7_h_Gmv9y934czq9ahrYOa_KcjkgGW-fL1rsCCAxgpuyzPDuUi7ymTyQSVptjQLXSIBrQ1k1PL2h6enIRag=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Bill Paulsen died yesterday morning. He was a dear friend and traveling companion. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.<div><br /></div><div>Here he is in the chapel of the Hotel Dieu in Beaune in France in 2014.<br /><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2343439372519556254.post-30526622183555087842022-02-26T17:58:00.006-05:002022-03-02T18:36:06.492-05:00The Virgin of Vladimir<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEMDCZr_HuxwLPmv98pkurA2IU7Ucc9uDrlowcSRHKi3XtWD-mhALBwVkswoZB8Sr2_uGWPQLMK_kyV-KqqC7N4t0xYK_M1QN4dgJcpzzlMViKZQzGNey6Kf_0C_JYuudeLtjXuSO7TaBLOEm7_LkI6zC2WXUuzBZZnyPCvYwIDpNJhOXb0h8IqUm1Yw=s2920" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2920" data-original-width="1941" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEMDCZr_HuxwLPmv98pkurA2IU7Ucc9uDrlowcSRHKi3XtWD-mhALBwVkswoZB8Sr2_uGWPQLMK_kyV-KqqC7N4t0xYK_M1QN4dgJcpzzlMViKZQzGNey6Kf_0C_JYuudeLtjXuSO7TaBLOEm7_LkI6zC2WXUuzBZZnyPCvYwIDpNJhOXb0h8IqUm1Yw=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Virgin of Vladimir is the most famous and most revered of Russian icons, described as the "Palladium of Russia" (a protective sacred image), it is also among the oldest of all surviving Russian icons. It is older than Russia itself, made for Kievan Rus, a loose collection of principalities from which Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus would emerge. The Virgin of Vladimir is one of only twenty surviving icons from before the Mongol invasions of the 13th century. All twenty of those surviving icons were made in or for Kyiv in the 11th and 12th centuries.</div><div><br /></div><div>A 12th century Kievan prince commissioned the Virgin of Vladimir for a church he was building from the imperial workshops in Constantinople. When the icon arrived in Kyiv about 1131, it created a sensation. It was celebrated and famous from the start. It was as celebrated for its beauty as much as for its sanctity. It remains a major masterpiece of Byzantine painting with an emotional appeal unusual for Byzantine art in any era. The unknown Greek artist of the Virgin of Vladimir may have invented this type of composition showing a tender contact between mother and child later known as an Eleusa Icon type. No other icon painter since invested that tender cheek to cheek contact with the warmth, depth, and complex range of emotion that this artist created in the Virgin of Vladimir.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMP2zbnxldcK8EEAJ92S7bSfN2E-RhT9dNkAPMwmPfZkWBdRNdoCG8YS4xjluHxz75YLzR3tcU6ed4_qbNfFKN4R6nR_xMft9vyMX0f4V9EC2RpZq_c0ig4--tx4GaEDwye4kBgf0PZGca8toOr4npoNNU08-Z7g0kE6MNlwbAPP_f37kxD7MJJ3cbig=s1425" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1425" data-original-width="966" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMP2zbnxldcK8EEAJ92S7bSfN2E-RhT9dNkAPMwmPfZkWBdRNdoCG8YS4xjluHxz75YLzR3tcU6ed4_qbNfFKN4R6nR_xMft9vyMX0f4V9EC2RpZq_c0ig4--tx4GaEDwye4kBgf0PZGca8toOr4npoNNU08-Z7g0kE6MNlwbAPP_f37kxD7MJJ3cbig=w434-h640" width="434" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This restorer's diagram shows how very little is left of the original icon. Only the two faces remain from the original painting. The rest is the remnant of several re-paintings over many centuries. The great icon painter Andrei Rublev is said to to have had a hand in restoring this painting at one time. Like so many ancient revered sacred images, the Virgin of Vladimir was worshipped almost to death. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrLzSu3y9crItw6uP5314KvB2VXTQP_ep9q-zmWrd53SBEpFEiU_KqD14bbeSduEP4zX_j7SqpYXF1G8o31c7Qt0RoRiyGia2zhGbpy_Gq1w0fKZjRKXCqivQ6fJvfaCwi5QQV_b9E7Nr_5BkmUMmTJ3Td0BX_TD48O-K8tE-LAXueXP1c7FPrJHui7g=s803" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="592" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrLzSu3y9crItw6uP5314KvB2VXTQP_ep9q-zmWrd53SBEpFEiU_KqD14bbeSduEP4zX_j7SqpYXF1G8o31c7Qt0RoRiyGia2zhGbpy_Gq1w0fKZjRKXCqivQ6fJvfaCwi5QQV_b9E7Nr_5BkmUMmTJ3Td0BX_TD48O-K8tE-LAXueXP1c7FPrJHui7g=w472-h640" width="472" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>A detail showing the remaining portions of the original painting from Constantinople.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The icon did not remain in Kyiv for long. In 1167, the Virgin of Vladimir traveled to the city of Vladimir where she resided for about a century. The icon was transferred to Moscow in the 14th century where it remains today. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXbynB8qLrOqMJCboMQJMamgYfwddlrqmkBXUZIQS7k7crhSS9_1gtQiHEdYAfPo5ipXDmVPT0JRJDy8H2YYrNAsVt5zqo19RfyuQixOvGgdVCcwfRt2eLijBDq2nrH_2ayucd2t2xakDnUjJ9Pj89XvR13eTNlkxiw3SJQLma42fD15sCO_bWnhy8oA=s600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="442" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXbynB8qLrOqMJCboMQJMamgYfwddlrqmkBXUZIQS7k7crhSS9_1gtQiHEdYAfPo5ipXDmVPT0JRJDy8H2YYrNAsVt5zqo19RfyuQixOvGgdVCcwfRt2eLijBDq2nrH_2ayucd2t2xakDnUjJ9Pj89XvR13eTNlkxiw3SJQLma42fD15sCO_bWnhy8oA=w472-h640" width="472" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Virgin of Vladimir was so revered that there were icons painted about it. Here is a 16th century icon commemorating its 1167 arrival in the city of Vladimir from which it would take its name. A monastery was later built on the site of the transfer.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgU_QTNNkKbt6QR-sirZ61sWm76Dq89okyaXAKPesb1FRITrQ8BOzgAccGnQ18H-NdDo0Z0f1lDAu8cjwf4R0BrdEqjqAwFxJyV9pn0f48aTiO_xL6V3w9jABm4EmatCYjVvKkuZgscg3p0nF_CxukC2hWgpnw9Ggc_aPjHkd8JrJGH9-XPA3QUXSY2Mw=s1243" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1243" data-original-width="845" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgU_QTNNkKbt6QR-sirZ61sWm76Dq89okyaXAKPesb1FRITrQ8BOzgAccGnQ18H-NdDo0Z0f1lDAu8cjwf4R0BrdEqjqAwFxJyV9pn0f48aTiO_xL6V3w9jABm4EmatCYjVvKkuZgscg3p0nF_CxukC2hWgpnw9Ggc_aPjHkd8JrJGH9-XPA3QUXSY2Mw=w436-h640" width="436" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>One of the reasons for the icon's poor condition is the addition of pious ornamentation over the centuries. All of this was added with the best and most reverential of intentions, but it badly damaged the original painting every time such ornament was added and removed. </div><div><br /></div><div>The riza, or oklad, or as it's known English, the revetment above was made in the 15th century specially for the Virgin of Vladimir, as was the 17th century riza below.</div><div><br /></div><div>These pious ornaments are themselves works of art.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUHjxwRa5oK9qwkvO3Hkd4s83vHkhXp2FQV6HqnM-ikPX7nMTuJHCfUg5FzD13SXsIMmQfyYnvYanp9RKRKy_Sun9NuHQ-Xq967sBFBcILDMVC_LzgsT57-IMRtj7mtuINASRxJteA1rEKDarYrS3ImtrfyzNhj9qpoGyWdCqXSMAN3EEPVgXz0Y3utQ=s1142" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="891" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUHjxwRa5oK9qwkvO3Hkd4s83vHkhXp2FQV6HqnM-ikPX7nMTuJHCfUg5FzD13SXsIMmQfyYnvYanp9RKRKy_Sun9NuHQ-Xq967sBFBcILDMVC_LzgsT57-IMRtj7mtuINASRxJteA1rEKDarYrS3ImtrfyzNhj9qpoGyWdCqXSMAN3EEPVgXz0Y3utQ=w500-h640" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2jPMqNaFTFu7zQ3su3JO1Yv_PhfGyNB5woEax25JuFB0qRFM_cvWVTqTDOcZFG8z7QX5IH5-ADi4ALXX9UuuZqeGKeDhP1iwanNlSecUi48stQY7n-kT9aAc4lnCXFBZc3DhAGuuBOGudPc0w5RzJKWKCzdpy7p2nH5azXbRISLgso4fetwmnAHLCrQ=s4064" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4064" data-original-width="3322" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2jPMqNaFTFu7zQ3su3JO1Yv_PhfGyNB5woEax25JuFB0qRFM_cvWVTqTDOcZFG8z7QX5IH5-ADi4ALXX9UuuZqeGKeDhP1iwanNlSecUi48stQY7n-kT9aAc4lnCXFBZc3DhAGuuBOGudPc0w5RzJKWKCzdpy7p2nH5azXbRISLgso4fetwmnAHLCrQ=w524-h640" width="524" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Here is a copy of the Virgin of Vladimir made in the 16th century for Irina Godunova, sister of Boris. </div><div>It remains fully vested. This is how people would have seen the Virgin of Vladimir for most of its history, vested and surrounded by flowers and candles.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2EWiodPkHmVgTsEd7XpA2udFO5EjiCle5yZCroVrO9_tmHtVrQFBn7jOc6ScLYazYsN6eL9Grpyp7M9TTHErKUurmUCrwyD-GDD6O7zxzdkCQc4i-WT7TbVHHIfK75s2Wz08FQwhQ9TKjwFlHvT54inm1BvkVspPmO8Sm9fdbZ8tmIQ6SMm79j2Ik4g=s1657" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1657" data-original-width="1300" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2EWiodPkHmVgTsEd7XpA2udFO5EjiCle5yZCroVrO9_tmHtVrQFBn7jOc6ScLYazYsN6eL9Grpyp7M9TTHErKUurmUCrwyD-GDD6O7zxzdkCQc4i-WT7TbVHHIfK75s2Wz08FQwhQ9TKjwFlHvT54inm1BvkVspPmO8Sm9fdbZ8tmIQ6SMm79j2Ik4g=w502-h640" width="502" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Virgin of Vladimir inspired innumerable copies and imitations down through the centuries. </div><div>This one is among the most famous, the Donskaya Virgin by Theophanes the Greek (or Feofan Grek in Russian), one of the very few icon painters who was neither ordained nor in religious orders.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Rumor has it (and I don't think a very credible rumor) that Stalin had the icon flown around city in a plane during the Battle of Moscow in 1942 to defend the city from the Nazi armies at its gates. Stalin was many things, but I doubt he was so credulous. But that story points to a significant role played by this icon as a protective image of the city of Moscow and of Russia. </div><div>The icon arrived in Moscow in 1395 to defend the city from the predations of Tamerlane. Tamerlane spared the city and retreated. And so did the Nazis in 1942. They never entered the city. So who knows.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until 1930, the Virgin of Vladimir resided in the Cathedral of the Dormition in the Kremlin in Moscow. After that the icon hung in the Tretyakov Gallery as a work of art and historically significant artifact. </div><div>In 1993, the icon was moved to its present location, The Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi where the Tretyakov Gallery and the Metropolitan Patriarch of Moscow share custody.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVBR4-x7v3RwYdgK-F96DltvN3QSxLdiVrzS6bMSbFm1AnYnq6pwi5RDV-xZ53e4mJIFDO6Nh0X1uyiNgKdUgwpbLBIt1wAAj83FQ3jZ-Qal44iiOD7TEB1wLHuKCdj7e0fYXWKWJjlfNLYm1wv3daHPD1-GW88ZGtv9Pe3TrXxz5CUMtVyCqMY2FEEw=s1273" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1273" data-original-width="954" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVBR4-x7v3RwYdgK-F96DltvN3QSxLdiVrzS6bMSbFm1AnYnq6pwi5RDV-xZ53e4mJIFDO6Nh0X1uyiNgKdUgwpbLBIt1wAAj83FQ3jZ-Qal44iiOD7TEB1wLHuKCdj7e0fYXWKWJjlfNLYm1wv3daHPD1-GW88ZGtv9Pe3TrXxz5CUMtVyCqMY2FEEw=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Church of St. Nicholas Tolmachi</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikxcKnuNqsrHFIDV0z0UlIOGHf158PuMx2kAZJAr_C4vUJI5lSdPFoijQwyt5BEKv1xXPZR7zMPBZ4lZfSKqY8xiM1C1PKhIrVwgtLCCRpvEbVql0wQ2riP89CBC3Frhlp_bfsCZ7m_NWRjwlFD8sNQtJqDrNuL8YwpLf_Xp5gIA6tQkSkhT7e87rSRQ=s540" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="540" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikxcKnuNqsrHFIDV0z0UlIOGHf158PuMx2kAZJAr_C4vUJI5lSdPFoijQwyt5BEKv1xXPZR7zMPBZ4lZfSKqY8xiM1C1PKhIrVwgtLCCRpvEbVql0wQ2riP89CBC3Frhlp_bfsCZ7m_NWRjwlFD8sNQtJqDrNuL8YwpLf_Xp5gIA6tQkSkhT7e87rSRQ=w640-h438" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Interior of the church where you can see the Virgin of Vladimir on display to the left.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6tI2mr9o3hrRIf6vY0gXKO7AYEIkxF_Hsmn6aiA23rDROK6aHFu4PqYJaToo-xH9kns3TgcQCgFFBGFPfA3NsdVCl1NmXu0DF_FrI1C1Xh13tZxbrdYNO4Sw7IqP5ETAtwPYqQFdwoK9bsdsOGwVjyZaFd-iUoKwMvLclcAnx_O2xuoC2lfPz3hEpiQ=s1540" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="1540" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6tI2mr9o3hrRIf6vY0gXKO7AYEIkxF_Hsmn6aiA23rDROK6aHFu4PqYJaToo-xH9kns3TgcQCgFFBGFPfA3NsdVCl1NmXu0DF_FrI1C1Xh13tZxbrdYNO4Sw7IqP5ETAtwPYqQFdwoK9bsdsOGwVjyZaFd-iUoKwMvLclcAnx_O2xuoC2lfPz3hEpiQ=w640-h424" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0