I like Christopher Hitchens and his brother Peter.
He died today (15th December) 13 years ago - 2011.
I found this excellent talk he gave in Canada on free speech.
He didn’t live long enough to deal with cancel culture, online censorship (The Spectator), and (in England) the rise of “Non-Crime Hate Incidents” involving something like questioning an identity which the police determine is motivated by hate as a quasi crime.
While visiting Paris, I was staying in the Hannah Arendt Square.
This I really appreciated.
I like her a lot, but she was v. much a product of her time.
Her political thought is very important; but her work vis-a-vis the Holocaust and the “banality of evil” (in her exposure to Eichmann’s trial) was more of an accident.
Room 3 — “The Yellow House: An Artist’s Home”
The third theme of the exhibition concerns his time in Arles.
Arles was a tiny little town in Van Gogh’s day. Literally, a few houses and a railway line. The yellow house (below) was rented by van Gogh in early 1888. By September, he had bold plans to turn it into a modest “artist’s home” and commune for his artist friends from Paris. He used his major paintings as decoration for the house.
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Awesome.
Quite possibly, my favorite painting of his.
That’s the constellation of Ursa Major over the River Rhone at Arles.
The canvas overwhelms the senses with its immersive beautiful serene atmosphere.
“And it does me good to do what’s difficult. That doesn’t stop me having a tremendous need for, shall I say the word — for religion — so I go outside at night to paint the stars, and I always dream a painting like that, with a group of lively figures of the pals.”
Terrific.
A sower silhouetted against a colossal radiant sun. We can feel the warmth and tranquility of a summer evening!
Japanese & Byzantine halo motifs.
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An iconic painting of his simple chair.
There is something charming in its unadorned existence - much like van Gogh.
A warped funny flooring perspective. This was painted after Paul Gauguin visited him in Arles.
Both chairs are supposed to act as surrogate portraits — representing their personalities and outlooks.
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Wow! So incredible.
Van Gogh loved his tiny city of Arles.
This is such a beautiful urban view of the town with the steam-train passing by (in the back).
The vibrant palette of colours is just so magical.
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Fascinating.
Evokes a feeling of being homesick.
There are few curious bits of detail — the charming painting by the window, mirror and windows have a more abstracted colour palette. The floor’s teal and neutral maroon.
Love the red blanket too.
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Holding his brush and palette - his emphatic declaration: “I am an artist”.
Apparently, he painted this after recovering from a bout of mental breakdown over July—Aug 1889.
A bit skinny, he is nevertheless quite dashing.
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Delightful.
A pair of lovers taking a promenade against autumnal trees. A sky that deftly highlights and contrasts the trees.
Supposed to be a medieval Roman sarcophagi in the back.
Love the messy fore.
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Bewitching in its fluidity. This has such an amazing atmosphere and charm.
I loved it. It feels like you could walk into the field with your eyes.
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Room 4 - Montmajour: The Series
The fourth theme concern some amazing - and to me, unheard off - large scale paper/pen drawings on paper. This is his famous “Montmajour series” - a collection of large views of the shimmering Provençal countryside.
Van Gogh really loved the landscapes surrounding Arles - especially the grounds around the 12th-century Montmajour Abbey. He made drawings which he later committed to large-scale works on paper. It’s a feat of his punctiliousness and imagination.
It shows the true depths of his fealty to the beauty of country life; and, I think, some quiet soul-searching. Van Gogh wrote:
“... But now I’ve been to Montmajour 50 times to see that view over the plain, if a view can make one forget such small displeasures, then it must have something ...”
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The tree dominate the centre, and the hilltop.
I love his trees’ & plants distinct bodies, the way he creates loops and everything curves.
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Awesome.
Love how the birds flying overhead gives the sky a breeze which animates the trees.
Love his delicate and patterned grass brushstrokes.
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The rocky hillside with a thin footpath.
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Is it the Abbey?
The Japanese prints again with their zooming in on a detail in the foreground.
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Lovely. So beautiful.
So much detail and charm.
Hello bloggers,
After a few years of having an obscure name for my blog & URL; I’ve decided to “upgrade” it to something more catchy and a bit more “me”.
Later today, my blog will be under the new name of:
thegallerymeerkat.blogspot.com
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| Squirrel photobombing a couple 😃 |
Sorry for the inconvenience.
If you could change links and RSS feeds, would appreciate it.
Finally, big thank you for recent feedback and continued interest in the things I write about. 😉
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TwistedArtBlogAngloArtBlogWalkInArt - a bit pretentious?LiamsArtBlogOnceAMonkeyArtVulture - my favourite, short and snappy, and I like the vulture image.MonkeyArtBizOTHER ........
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Yes/No.