How do you imagine Holden Caufield? What do you think Emma Bovary (and her husband's childhood hat) look like? Does Gatsby look more like Leonard diCaprio or Robert Redford? The other day I came across The Composites, a website that uses a sketch software and book descriptions to make mug shots of literary characters. It's funny because the result is very realistic but...
Are modern artists substituting talent for social criticism? It happened again. I saw the painting above, didn’t particularly like it, but then I heard an amazing explanation for it. In the audio guide explanation, the artist himself, Luis Gordillo, said things like: “Man has become an infantilized clown (…), man sits in an alien environment that gives us television and magazines, like that’s...
Don’t let the bawdy miniseries The Tudors fool you. If you are anything like me all the knowledge you have about Henry VIII’s reign comes from the show The Tudors and the movie Elizabeth (perhaps a little from Mark Twain’s “The Prince and the Pauper” too). Of course a better source would be some actual history studying, but may I suggest the...
Dear Mr. C. S. Lewis, I'm writing you to apologize for having caved and watched The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader instead of finishing the book. I hope you don't get upset but I just wanted to get off that boat. But don't worry, I won't do this again. Firstly, because in those two hours of the movie I...
Forest in autumn Original title: Waldweg bei Plankenberg in Herbst Emil Schindler was an Austrian landscape painter from the end of the 19th century. His paintings focus on the change of the weather and its influence on the landscape. This form of Austrian impressionism received the name of "Stimmungsimpressionismus", which means sentimental or mood impressionism. Steamboat station on the Danube Original title: Die Dampfschiffstation...
The movie Night at the Museum wanted to be It might sound strange to hear that Terry Gilliam - member of Monty Python and director of movies like Brazil, Twelve Monkeys and The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus - once made a movie for kids. And here's the beauty of it: it's a great kids movie and it's also a great Terry Gilliam movie. All the...
We all like questionnaires, right? RIGHT? Well, I like both reading and answering them. They remind me of my childhood and it makes me feel like I'm being interviewed. The lovely Devynn from Quicker than a Kiss posted this literature questionnaire, which I really enjoyed reading. It's a good way of learning about a person's tastes and getting to know each other. I...
Chasing the Dragon by Matthew Cusick I've been so suspicious and weary of Modern art that I think I'm a little negligent when it comes to discovering and appreaciating contemporary artists. I recently discovered the amazing work of American artist Matthew Cusick through The Jealous Curator. The Rachel's Wave Many Rivers I love collages and I love maps, so how can I not love this? All...
Granted, nobody wants to be labeled a mutant, but I think we all want to have superpowers. If I could choose among the X-Men, there are two that really appeal to me: Angel and Pyro. Angel has big wings that allow him to fly. That's an invaluable asset for any superhero and it seems to be something very liberating. Pyro can manipulate fire, which...
The Duet by Karl the Elder Schweninger If you liked Pride and Prejudice, Emma is the book for you. For starters, Emma's plot has so much potential. Emma is young, pretty, clever and rich. Oh, and she also likes to play God, which means she is one of those annoying matchmakers. She needs a companion now that her governess got married and left her house....
Jeanne Samary - Auguste RenoirSource A little bit of history Date: 1877 Located in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, Russia. The woman portrayed in the picture is Jeanne Samary, a very famous actress who worked in the Comédie Française. She posed for many paintings and was admired for her beauty. In this painting she is in her 20’s. When hearing about her death...
As promised, here's my follow-up post on Keaton. To check the previous one, click here. Source Buster Keaton was not only a great actor and film-maker from the silent movie era, but also a very interesting person. Here’s some interesting information about him: 1) It was Houdini who gave him the nickname “Buster”. When Keaton was a child he fell from a flight...
Source A couple of weeks ago I shared my tips on how to read more often and tip number 3 was avoid distractions. The biggest distraction source in my life is the internet. If you face the same problem - spending hours and hours just browsing you tube, pinterest and funny websites - here are some organizational tips that I use to stay...
