Reading a new book on the Dutch Golden Age

This is my new book. So exciting.

It’s by Dr Norbert Wolf. It’s about the Dutch Golden Age.

The enlightenment ideals of this period lead to such a wonderful variety of achievements - exploration and trade, economic prosperity, religious freedom and especially art. Also, a period of considerable warfare - the Eighty Years war, the Anglo-Dutch war, Dutch East India Company etc.

The artistic and cultural flourishing in this period is absolutely incredible. The groundbreaking depictions of everyday peasant life and the rustic charm of 17th-century Netherlands is always so meticulous and so very beautifully, such as Jan Steen.

In any gallery I visit, whether it is the flower stills of Dutch painters (e.g., Rachel Ruysch) or the serene and intimate domestic interiors of middle-class life (e.g. Pieter de Hooch) - they are truly phenomenal and show a highly-detailed artistic flourishing.

And of course, we have Vermeer, Rembrandt and Rubens.

So, I will be focusing my future posts on this period, as I go through the book.

:)

The Bathers by Paul Cézanne

A beautiful & complex painting at London’s National Gallery.

Firstly, I love the subject matter - recalling the charm of summer afternoons, friendships, swimming, lounging. The viewer isn’t directly engaged by the painting. We are intruding, almost. (I have already written about this painting in my write-up of the “After Impressionism” exhibition).

Then, there is a wonderful sense of harmony, a “balance”, to the painting - against the obvious verisimilitude. The colours of the ground and skin, the blues of the sky and shade. I like how the ladies resemble plants and flower petals. 

The difference between Cézanne and his fellow Impressionists is that, while they were looking at the immediate effect of light, he was looking at how he/we perceived objects. Every brushstroke is clearly deliberate and economic - clearly the result of some deep thought.

To paint a harmonious picture, he needed to paint the ladies in a way that relates “naturally” to their environment. And for Cezanne, they appear solid while obeying the proper rules of light (the impressionist inheritance) and a broader harmony. 

Cézanne wasn’t interested in imitating the real world. He wanted to reassemble the elements of the three-dimensional world on a flat canvas. In other words, to represent the real spatial relationships between objects without breaking up the flatness of the canvas. Rather like bringing a sheet of paper to a window pane and tracing what you see outside. The cubists took this idea and sought different perspectives.

He challenges the Renaissance perspective about how we have come to understand that third-dimension; and does so in compelling and beautiful way.

Spring Sunshine in the Meadow at Eragny by Camille Pissarro

This painting is exquisite. 

It has a daydream-like quality and filled with the beauty and peacefulness of the countryside.

It is by the impressionist painter Camille Pissarro. I saw it in D’Orsay. 

It was painted later in his life when he settled in the village north of Paris, Eragny.

Pissarro’s brushstrokes are magical. His technique of “broken colour” entails small strokes of different blotches side-by-side as opposed to being mixed on the palette. It’s clearly influenced by Seurat’s pointillism (whom he met in 1885). The sense of warmth is captured in the yellows and oranges bouncing of the surfaces (especially the green grassland). Even the bluey shadows seem to further the shimmering sunshine as a wonderful contrast.

The solitary charming lady - holding her basket - almost melts into the atmosphere of sunshine. She is beautiful because she is connected to the nature itself. She is warmth and peace too.

I think the evocation of sunshine and spring make for a moving uplifting painting.

Hamas chose this war and they could easily end it

Israel has resumed the Gaza strikes targeting mid-level Hamas commanders. Ceasefire over.

This war could be stopped tomorrow if Hamas releases the hostages.

They have refused to do so.

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Hamas have also refused to step down from control over Gaza. As such, the ceasefire simply could not proceed to phase 2. I have argued before that this was the likeliest of contingencies.  Israel supported the extension of phase 1 with the release of hostages, but Hamas refused that as well. 

So what other sensible option are there for Israel?

Every single aspect of this so-called ceasefire has been an insult and a joke.

Permitting Hamas to hold onto the hostages indefinitely (i.e. until “Israel fully withdraws from Gaza and agrees to permanently end the war”) was never any form of guarantee for the safety of the hostages. It was a humiliating arrangement which ceded de facto authority to Hamas with no guarantee for their return in any timely manner. Moreover, Hamas were never going to release their only leverage - the hostages.

And what has happened during the 2-month ceasefire? It seems hundreds of new targets were identified by Israeli military and 20,000 terrorists from Hamas and Islamic Jihad took up positions in Gaza preparing to continue attacks. This is a holy war against Israel. The updated 2017 Charter of Hamas makes clear their intent to never end their war against Israel. The original Hamas Charter of 1988 set out their absolute goal of destroying Israel.

Meanwhile, it is Israel that is expected to completely disarm and withdraw. What a joke! Israel is expected to permit Hamas resume their strategic positions, release hundreds of Jew-murderers while Hamas begin their reconstruction, as if nothing ever happened. The same Hamas which has vowed their destruction. The 24 living Israeli hostages will probably still be held - even after the reconstruction of Gaza is complete.

Israel cannot stop while Hamas is left in power. Hamas will never give up their weapons and leave. There’s no choice here. 

Israel must fight on.

“Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael: Florence c. 1504” exhibition at the Royal Academy

I’ve recently visited this fabulous exhibition at the Royal Academy in London. I left the gallery elated.

The Royal Academy have pit together works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael and focused on the year 1504 – when all three of them briefly crossed paths in Florence and competed for patronage from wealthy patrons. The exhibition focuses on three of the greatest Renaissance works in Britain - The Taddei Tondo, The Bridgewater Madonna and The Burlington House cartoon.

I loved it and was beside myself with excitement in the world of these Renaissance greats. I especially love shows which focus on art history in some depth (such as the possible reason for the Burlington House cartoon).

Overall score: ★★★★★ 5/5

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Gallery 1 - “Michelangelo, Raphael and The Taddei Tondo”

The exhibition is split into three rooms and the first room focuses very much on the Royal Academy’s Michelangelo masterpiece The Taddei Tondo.

This tondo (meaning “round”) is the only significant marble work by Michelangelo in any permanent UK collection and it’s beautifully displayed.

The Virgin and Child with Infant St John the Baptist (The Taddei Tondo)

In this marble, the infant St John presents the baby Christ with a goldfinch (the symbol of his Passion). The baby turns away from the bird in fear. As I said, it’s the only marble sculpture by Michelangelo in Britain and despite being unfinished, it is widely regarded as one of his most important works. 

Michelangelo never completed the relief, which shows different degrees of finish – e.g., the goldfinch is hardly recognisable. 

The painting below gives the visitors something of a sense of Florence in that 1504 period. You get an impression for the relatively small size of the Florence while recognising its bustling metropolis-like environment to which Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael were drawn.

The first drawings we get to see are from Michelangelo. These are some of his earliest surviving drawings – from the early 1490s. They’ve been brought to this exhibition to tingle the spine but also to explore how Michelangelo developed as an artist.

Pen and brown ink on paper.

Then we’re bought forward to the period of around 1504 and we get to see some truly exquisite drawings by Michelangelo (such as the below male nude).

Pen and brown ink and chalk on paper.

Michelangelo then seems to converge artistically closer to the subject matter of The Taddei Tondo – which is the Virgin and Child with the infant St John the Baptist.

 

We can see the process involved in creating this tondo play out in front of our eyes and this is one of the reasons why this exhibition is so powerful. (For example, the studies of the infant (St John the Baptist) by Michelangelo were partly inspired by Leonardo’s practice of producing a variety of quick sketches for inspiration and to develop ideas. These are incredibly detailed (and rare!!) sketches which show Michelangelo’s creative process.)

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It’s also extremely fascinating when we see how Raphael was very much influenced by The Taddei Tondo – even in its unfinished state. We can see the influence in many of Raphael sketches from the time. There is something really magical in looking over their shoulders, as it were, and turning to see the Tondo in situ (and being able to see the influence).

Raphael’s exploration of the motif of the Virgin and the twisting Christ Child.

Eventually these pictures of the Virgin and child with the infant John the Baptist came to be shown in The Bridgewater Madonna and a similar theme in the Esterhazy Madonna (lent from Budapest).

 

The Esterhazy Madonna was unfinished.

The Bridgewater Madonna (wiki) with the twisted baby Christ.

I’m Still Here (2025) - film review

I went to the Odeon cinema in Wimbledon to see “I’m Still Here”.

I loved it.

The film is set in 1970s Brazil during the military dictatorship.

The larger-than-life family-man and affable ex-congressman Rubens Paiva simply “vanishes”. Against the subplot of communist-terrorism against the military-rule, Rubens Paiva is implicated. 

His wife Eunice is played by the spellbinding Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres. She is incredible. I think it’s hard for any actor to capture vulnerability, helplessness and terror. If you have tears, be prepared to shed a few.  Her life is torn-apart. She is devastated and terrified; but, at the same time, she has to be strong for her 5 children.

And, so, how do you raise a family (with some semblance of normality) against the terror of faceless evil-doers in uniform.

The movie is filled with an ominous heavy absence. It also exhibits the psychological toll of not knowing what happened to the “disappeared”.

I can’t recommend it enough.

★★★★★ 5/5

The Nazi-like barbarism of Hamas’s martyrdom ideology

The bodies of an Israeli baby Kfir Bibas (nine months old when kidnapped), his brother Ariel (4 years old when abducted), mother and elderly gentleman (Odad Lifshitz) were paraded in a ghoulish publicity stunt. Black caskets in front of baying crowds beneath an antisemitic poster of Netanyahu as a vampire.

Palestinian children were cheering and dancing in this depraved ceremony.

These images remind me of the Nazis.

The Palestinians are being conditioned never to view Jews as human beings. All Jews & Israelis - whether soldiers or civilians, little babies, ALL - deserve death.

How is any civilised nation supposed to be deal with this kind of savagery? 

What fascinates me is that pro-Israelis (like myself) can admit to the faults on “our side”. Israel and the IDF can say, very loudly, that they don’t want innocent civilians to die. Human life is worth protecting. The pro-Israelis in this conflict feel unease and, even misgivings sometimes, about the toll of devastation inflicted on Gaza.

We condemn prison guards torturing Palestinian prisoners. The IDF has v. recently indicted (and soon to be tried) 5 Israeli soldiers for a horrific beating of a Hamas police officer. He “suffered broken ribs, a punctured lung and a tear to his rectum and subsequently required intestinal surgery.” This makes me proud of Israel. I have misgivings about Bibi and I also don't like the settlements of WB.

But the pro-pallys can never do the same.

They don’t actually ever want peace.

My heart goes out to Israel.

David Lynch died (1946-2025)

Last week, David Lynch passed away. Aged 78.

I don’t know much about this chap other than he directed one of my all-time favourite films: The Elephant Man.

Based on the true story of Joseph Merrick who suffered the most severe deformities. His doctors found it impossible to treat and cure, especially his curved spine enlarged skull.

What is unfathomable was his sweet, gentle and kind soul in the face of such nastiness, cruelty and such backwardness.

A raw and moving film with a stellar cast, it’s a special film which I have reviewed on this blog.

The 80th anniversary liberation of Auschwitz

It’s incredible to think that the liberation was only 80 years ago.

I hope we never forget.

I’m v. glad that King Charles attended the commemoration. 

Unfortunately, there will be detractors and deniers who will argue that the Holocaust remembrance is being overplayed or seek to minimise the uniqueness of Jewish suffering. 

Or, especially nowadays, people will attempt a Nazi comparison vis-a-vis Israel and Palestine. This is to weaponise the Jewish trauma against the Jews to further attack them.

President Trump’s inauguration speech

Trump’s inaugural address was dispiriting.

It sounded like one of his rally speeches. He is now the president of a nation of Republicans and Democrats. He has to work with the narrow majorities in the House and Senate. Rubbing their defeat in their faces is not presidential.

He should have been more statesman-like, such as thanking his predecessor, in preserving the dignity of the office and traditions.

The notion that we should send a mission to Mars is moronic. His insisting on “taking back” the Panama Canal wasn’t appropriate at all. And, the low point came when he seems to have accused his “enemies” of being complicit in the assassination attempt against him. 

At any rate, his critique against the status quo was stinging but also a bit disconcerting. 

It is staggering to recall that things like securing the border, deporting criminals, government policy that there are only two genders, and judging people on their merits rather than their race and gender would have been uncontentious, if not trite, in earlier times.

Some good policies were mentioned (such as free speech) and there’s something infectious in his sure-footed optimism about the future he intends to bring about. 

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A sad spectacle by the outgoing President Biden.

A last-minute wave of “preemptive” pardons issued by Biden to protect his family and some of Mr. Trump’s adversaries. These pardons are all part of partisan gamesmanship now. 

Both parties scrounging for “oligarch” money (which the Democrats got more of than Trump). And yet, strangely, Biden - having pardoned his son for crimes yet to be uncovered - plays a pallid parody of Eisenhower’s warning about the MIC.

History will likely be the best judge of these people.

The Fauci pardon, however, is especially bizarre. The evidence is overwhelming about Fauci’s role in funding the virus creation, lying about its origins, orchestrating a cover-up, lying to Congress (infamous Ron Paul exchanges), then pushing the lies about the efficacy of the vaccines to the public. What reason do Democrats have to “protect” him? He was working on behalf of the Republicans. So, why do Democrats need to protect Fauci from investigation by Republicans?

First three hostages released in ceasefire deal

Some joyous news today!!

So, today Hamas released hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher. 

I am going to be writing about this ceasefire agreement in the next few days. Originally, I felt there was nothing but disadvantage to Israel in the agreement and was perplexed as to why it was agreed to by Israel. The price of this agreement is heavy.

However, I also feel that Israelis and Jews everywhere need some respite from the psychological toll that the hostages situation has had.

I cannot even imagine how these three families, and the friends of these three hostages must be feeling right now. 🙏🫂  

I am especially delighted as Emily Damari is a fellow Brit.

The aftermath of the California wildfires

Mark Abramson. More photos can be seen on the NYT.

My heart goes out to all those who have lost their homes and loved ones. 

And all the people trying to get their lives back together.

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I saw this breathtaking photo a few days ago on the NYT. 

My God. It makes your heart stop.

La bohème at the Royal Opera House

Recently went to see Puccini’s opera in London’s Covent Garden. 

Olga Kulchynska as Mimi, Stefan Pop as Rodolfo.

It was part of Richard Jones’s successful production.

I loved the performance and enjoyed the chemistry. Actors and actresses were excellent. Olga Kulchynska as Mimi, Stefan Pop as Rodolfo, Mikhail Timoshenko as Marcello and Simona Mihai as Musetta.

For me, Act 1 had its most beautiful introductory arias of Rodolfo and Mimi and their love duet.

For days afterwards, I’ve been listening to “Che gelida manina” & “O soave fanciulla” online. 

The passion and beauty goes straight to the heart.

What a blast.

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Rear entrance of the ROH.

Everyone taking their seats.

The main crew.

Sandro Botticelli and Filippino Lippi at the National Gallery

These wonderful paintings were from the National Gallery.

Botticelli was one of the greatest painters of Renaissance. He produced beautiful paintings.

Filippino Lippi was the son of Fra Filippo Lippi and the student of Botticelli. He bridges the divide between the Early and High Renaissance. 

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Venus and Mars by Sandro Botticelli - 1483

Masterpiece.

Venus is the God of love (free-flowing translucent white robes, elegant & graceful, delicate, timeless beauty); Mars is the God of war (strong, muscular).

Amazing contrast between his strength (muscular pose) and the naked and carefree way he’s resting with Venus.

Satyrs with allegorical meaning - they’re holding Mars’ jousting lance and helmet playfully, playing musical pipes into the ears of Mars ... and he seems totally overcome.

It’s interesting that Mars seems to be leaning onto the only armoured satyr. Indicating, again, that love has taken precedence.

Love conquers war?

Venus = classic Botticelli’s girl, pearly glow, slightly distant?

Timeless and idealised - if slightly aloof - beauty?

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About Botticelli

Relegated to the margins of art history, it was only until the beginning of the 20th century that he was properly recognised.

Aged 16, he was apprenticed to Fra Filippo Lippi, one of the leading Florentine painters at that time (and favored by the influential Medici family). This would prove to be critical as Botticelli spent most of his life working for the Medici family. When Botticelli was his pupil, Lippi was famous for his “Madonna and Child with Two Angels”. It proved v. popular because of its uncommonly elegant depiction of the Virgin Mary. It’s easy to see its influence on him - but he later advanced into more complicated compositions, e.g. the Adoration of the Magi. 

These put him on the map and he was invited by the Pope (aged 36) to paint some frescoes on the walls of the Sistine Chapel - increasing his fame and reputation. Returning to Florence, Botticelli received even more valuable commissions from the Medici family and other wealthy Florentines (e.g., “La Primavera” and three years later “The Birth of Venus”). 

A few years after “The Birth of Venus”, Savonarola became very influential in Florence. This maniac was the cause of secular being destroyed. He complained “You have made the Virgin appear dressed as a whore.” Many Florentines - including Botticelli - embraced his ideas. He cut down the secular, mythological works, and the elegant and gracious depictions of the Virgin Mary. 

Botticelli ended up abandoning his work. As an old man, he found himself so poor that if Lorenzo de’ Medici and then his friends had not come to his assistance, he would have died of hunger.

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Portrait of a Young Man by Botticelli

Unknown sitter. Amazing hair locks. Beautiful beretta.

Sandro Botticelli was one of the first Italian artists to abandon the profile format for portraits in favour of a frontal view. 

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Saint Francis of Assisi with Angels by Sandro Botticelli - 1475-80

Very beautiful.

Calm and devotional.

Leaning slightly forward, head lowered, arms crossed with crucifix in between. Seems to be standing on the rocky ground - with no shoes. Ref. to his humility. 

Angels surrounding St Francis. Their wings are gilded symbolising their heavenly nature.

Peaceful and playing hymns, they’re joining him in his moment of mediation. 

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Mystic Nativity by Sandro Botticelli - 1500

Love this one.

Beautifully metaphorical.

The only painting Botticelli signed. It bears several half-legible inscriptions, explaining its creation in 1500 in the aftermath of “the troubles of Italy” - i.e. Savonarola’s religious fundamentalism. 

The traditional nativity scene - the Virgin Mary kneels to adore the Christ baby raising his arm to his mother. 

People joyfully embracing.

 

Sheltering in a cave. 

Shepherds (right) and kings (left) come to pay homage. 

Botticelli’s beautiful angels dancing in the heavens.

Pagan-esque devils flee defeated to the underworld.

There are interesting themes which seem irregular and portentous:

The painting itself is rife with subtle premonitions: The sheet infant Jesus rests on evokes the shroud he would be wrapped in after his crucifixion, the mark of the cross is depicted on the hump of the donkey’s back, and the wooden hut he was born in sits in front of a cave where he would eventually be laid to rest in before his resurrection. Also noteworthy is Botticelli’s decision to include three angels embracing mortal men in the foreground — a motif usually relegated to renditions of the Last Judgment in accordance with the Second Coming of Christ.

Another unusual aspect is that the three kings welcome Jesus empty-handed, rather than with gold, frankincense, and myrrh — perhaps influenced by Savonarola’s sermon, though it could be argued that the ultimate gifts are their prayers and devotion. Throughout the lower half of the painting, seven miniature devils flee into the fissures and crevices in their return to the underworld, with some impaling themselves on their own spears.

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Adoration of the Kings by Botticelli & Filippino Lippi - 1470 

Busy & devotional.

Painted when Filippino was in Botticelli’s studio.

The Virgin and Child, and the king by Filippino.

Background town - no atmospheric perspective.

Botticelli painted the bustling crowds.

I love someone holding handkerchief to his eyes. 

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The Adoration of the Kings by Filippino Lippi - 1480

Interesting. More expressive in colours than Botticelli?

Love the chaos and disorder. There’s a soldier sitting, in the corner, with a bored weary posture.

The shinning star in the middle. 

Three Kings kneel to adore the Christ Child. 

The robes are very colourful.

I love some of the details, such as cracks

in the brickwork, and piles of stones.

Amazing landscape. So much detail.

Saints and armies.

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The Virgin and Child with Saint John by Filippino Lippi - 1480

The colours are incredible.  An early work by Filippino.

I love Saint John’s depiction:

Christ’s slightly older cousin, Saint John the Baptist, looks up in wonder. He wears his traditional camel-hair shirt and holds his reed cross, and clutches at the folds of his red cloak with both hands. 

Christ baby plucking seeds from a pomegranate.

Symbol of his future suffering.

Incredibly delicate halos that seem translucent.

Beautiful white lilies on the ledge.

Symbolising the Virgin Mary's purity.