I saw this terrific Moai statue at the British Museum.
This one is known as Hoa Hakananai'a. What is striking is its massive scale. Stoic and powerful.
These are massive human figures carved from volcanic tuff by the Rapa Nui people on Easter Island (Island of Chile) between roughly 1250 and 1500 AD.
This Moai was carved from a dense hard basalt! Incredible.
I saw this lovely painting at the Louvre.
Pesellino was a bridge between the delicate & ornate International Gothic style of the Middle Ages and the more structured Early Renaissance.
Pesellino was, in his day, doing some cutting-edge art for the 1450s.
The halos are still the traditional “gold disks”. By the time we reach the High Renaissance, they’re turned into thin golden hoops or disappeared entirely. The linear perspective is clear, and faces bear a subdued expression (the sacrifice of Christ) as opposed to the earlier distinctly-stylised Gothic faces. There is a somber tone.
St. John the Baptist announces the coming of the Messiah by pointing at the Child and directing the viewer’s attention towards the spiritual meaning of the work. I noticed some faint anatomical signs in the arm (blood vessels) which obviously marks it out as a humanist-renaissance painting.
This is a poignant (and religious) painting by Andy Warhol at the Tate Modern.
Mass production is an old story. For centuries, religious icons were mass-produced (woodcuts etc.) as a “window” to Heaven or towards some spiritual or meaningful connection. Warhol tried to flip this. By treating Marilyn as a religious diptych, he is suggesting, in our modern times, that we have traded spiritual transcendence for the “religion” of the celebrity icon.
I don’t agree with the religious thesis of Warhol, but I think he’s right about the grotesque commercialisation of art in our times.
Warhol wanted his art to be as recognizable as a Coca-Cola bottle. So, if you see a Marilyn, you don’t have to wonder who painted it. The “brand recognition” would be instantaneous. One might argue that The Dutch Golden was the moment in history when art moved away from God and religion into a commodity for the middle class, but the Dutch created “meaningful” art with incredible detail and moral/meaningful overtones and symbols. Warhol took that same “commodity” art concept and stripped away the detail and the meaning.
Why so some many paintings (which were originally painted for ordinary people) fetch enormous sums at auction houses? Last year, an ugly portrait by Gustav Klimt sold for $236 million. Why? Because of the “hype” about him as an artist (i.e. the artist’s persona as a product). Warhol knew that once the artist becomes a “brand”, the art becomes secondary.
BBC headline: “Trump urges UK and other nations to send warships to Strait of Hormuz”.
Iran is a global threat which needs addressing, but US leadership under Trump is a total embarrassment. Complete arrogance and incompetence.
In interviews, Trump has made it clear that he was surprised by Iran attacking the Gulf states, and blocking the Straits of Hormuz. They never thought this through properly. It’s not as it was taken into consideration but they simply made an error: they failed to adequately consider or plan at all. According to the WSJ, “[Trump] believed that Tehran would likely capitulate before it could close the strait or cause significant economic damage. And if it came to it, he told his team, the U.S. military would be able to handle it”. What? Even more disturbing, Trump jettisoned the traditional preparations for war:
Preparations for a major military operation typically involve weeks or months of deliberations, written options papers, dissenting views from officials across different agencies, and meetings with the National Security Council. But according to administration officials, planning for the Iran operation was handled by a much smaller circle. This included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. While this allowed Trump to limit leaks and move quickly as events shifted, it also narrowed the range of advice and dissent that reached the president as he weighed the risks of attacking Iran. Left unanswered were such questions as how to evacuate U.S. citizens in an escalating conflict—or ensure the next Iranian leader was friendly with Washington, U.S. officials said.
They’re the most mediocre bunch to have ever occupied the WH. They genuinely thought this wouldn’t go beyond 48 hours, and now they’re stuck and looking at others for assistance.
All the more embarrassing since Trump disdained involving or consulting broader ally nations. And, even so, why would they help? He is been incredibly rude and condescending, enacted aggressive tariffs against his allies, and announce desires to invade the territory of fellow NATO members, etc.
Last year, I visited the Wallace Collection, and enjoyed The Venus Series by François Boucher, the Rococo master.
The series is a celebrated group of three large-scale vertical paintings. The fourth got added into the mix years afterwards.
I really like Rococo. I think they are wonderful, silly and a pure aesthetic delight. I think today this art is considered rather passe. The colour palettes and forms are a wonderful way to explore ideas about femininity and luxury, even modern ones.
The central panel. Gorgeous.
Rococo was all about lightness, charm, and curves. The cherubs are a decorative tool to better frame the composition. The tree goddesses do look like they could be sisters.
It depicts one of the most famous incidents of Greek mythology, leading to the Trojan War. It follows the story of Paris, a prince of Troy, who is forced to settle a dispute between three goddesses over who is the fairest: Juno, Minerva, and Venus. He picks Venus. In the myth of the judgment, she won the contest by bribing Paris. She promised him the hand of the most beautiful mortal woman in the world: Helen of Sparta.
Love it. So magical.
In this dramatic composition of Boucher’s masterpiece, Vulcan (the Roman name for a Greek god) is the husband of Venus. He plays the role of the “wronged husband” who has just caught his wife in an affair with Mars, the god of war.
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Another beautiful painting.
Venus visiting her husband Vulcan at his forge to request armor for her son, Aeneas.
Venus seems to radiate light.
I love Venus’s wrap around the more rigid, angular, and dark-toned form of Vulcan. Boucher juxtaposes their bodies to create a visual harmony. The sheer number of cherubs with a swirling & upward energy leads the eye across the entire painting.
Wonderful. Based on the popular theme of love disarmed.
