Art & Literature Through Our Ages

A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.  --Robertson Davies

I'm going to tell a little story about art and then I want to ask you a question about books. Both of which flow from the idea expressed in the quote above. Simply put; we see, feel, sense, appreciate art and literature differently at the various stages of our life. We bring different experiences to the works and take away quite different lessons and visions.

In 1968 I was studying in Germany. I spent Easter weekend in Paris with some fellow American students. Late on Sunday afternoon we were to catch our train back to Muenster but I just had to see one more museum. The treasure of impressionist art, now residing in Musee d'Orsay, was in a different space back then and was my last stop in Paris. Fortunately, I took a friend with me because in the final room I visited were five of Monet's Cathedral Rouen paintings. He painted more than thirty of these works done at different times of day and year to catch the cathedral in different lights.

I was transfixed. To get me to leave, it took Steve actually stepping between me and the paintings, literally blocking my view and then moving me out of the room with his hands on my shoulders. We not only would have missed our train, I might still be standing there.

Some art is just that powerful. 


So to my question: What books have you or will you read in your youth, maturity and old age. I myself am not a big re-reader of books and have often times regretted taking up an old favorite that did not age well (or perhaps it is I who was showing the signs of age) but in any case. Which books do you return to?

My own list:

Lord of the Rings (3 times, every 12 years)

Catch-22 (3 times, but long ago)
Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars (2.5 times, reading now)

Burmese Supernaturalism (twice)

The Heart Sutra (five or more, but it's short and available in several translations)


You? The comment section is open.

The Beauty of Crying

Crying is a natural emotional response to certain feelings, usually sadness and hurt. But then people also cry under other circumstances and occasions, for instance, people cry in response to something of beauty. Stephen Sideroff

The place was the Los Angeles County Museum, the time was the fall of 1990. The exhibit was The Masters of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism: The Annenberg Collection. Jimmy, Audrey and I entered together but soon drifted in different directions. Nearly half an hour later I noticed Audrey at the far end of a small display hall, I was at the other end, inevitably we would meet near the group at the center of the room. As we got closer the group dispersed leaving Jimmy standing alone in front of a shimmering Monet. Reaching him at the same time, we noticed his tears. We embraced him, Audrey at his waist, I around his shoulders. "There's a word beyond beauty," he said.

Some time later Jimmy and I met in front of one of the early impressionistic works and were marveling at the techniques that were simply invented by those artists. We walked together into the next room and found Audrey standing alone in front of a huge Renoir. Tears streamed down her cheeks, followed by another embrace.

Late in the day, I was standing in front of a very pointillistic work by Camille Pissarro. I was transfixed by the movement created on flat surface and the shifting of light with just a infinitesimal movement from me. I remember the scene so clearly, the picture was on a short wall section next to the opening to the next gallery. At some point I looked just slightly to the right through that opening to see Jimmy and Audrey coming towards me. I had to blink the tears from my eyes to see their smiles.

Rhinoceros

Salvador Dali & Rhinoceros

The rhino is a homely beast

For human eyes he's not a feast

Farewell, farewell you old rhinoceros

I'll stare at something less prepoceros

--Ogden Nash

Albrecht Durer's Rhino

FreakingArt.com's take on Durer's Rhino

Rhinoceros come in five different species: Black, White, Indian, Javan, Samatran. Two native to Africa and three to Southeast Asia. Indian and Javan varieties have one horn the Black, White and Samatran have two. All are herbivores and even the smallest can reach well over a ton in weight.

William Scheele

Maria Ryan

Xavier Cordata

Saturation Saturday: Chartreuse

the color half way between yellow and green

illustrating an article - 

"Chartreuse plants to make your garden memorable"

name any food that would look good on these?

most often described as "an acquired taste"

but it looks so much like absinthe

a chartreuse creek

Vanessa in a Chartreuse Dress

by Mickey Cunningham

halfway between yellow and green

Saturation Saturday: Red

a Japanese Red Maple

that would be a redhead

Yes you vegans and vagans - Red Meat!

Mmm, red hair.

Amsterdam's famed Red Light District

Red Candles - Valentin Popov

a very red cardinal

a flock of red cardinals

I know, I know!

I can't help it.

probably has red hair too . . .

Saturation Saturday: Rainbow

Today seek no deeper meaning than pretty colors

from the lips of a babe - no deeper meaning

pictures, pretty pictures

they say they do this with food coloring in the water

I get that for blue roses or purple roses

but this?

can you say photoshop...

this one has been in the pic file for a couple of years

this one too

 a rainbow seemed mandatory

this is a diffuse rainbow

also called a fire rainbow

M&M Monday - The End

Today marks the 11th and final installment of M&M Monday. My sugary artistry has run its course and quite frankly I have had enough candy treats to last the year. I have considered the potential for ice cream sculpture but decided instead to turn back to gazing out my window.

I make this decision only after experiencing one rather bizarre delusion the other morning when I sat down to my computer.

You just know that is going to melt in your hand.

I do want to provide you with a factoid of useful information you can take away from my chocolate revelries. How about this: The estimated amount of glucose used by an adult human brain each day, expressed in M&Ms: 250.

--

Art is web unsourced material

M&M Monday - Elections

It's one state, two state; red state, blue state for the 2008 Obama-McCain election above.

For any ardent red-staters, this is the 1984 Reagan-Mondale election. Only Minnesota and Washington D.C. marred your boy's sweep.

And for the blue-state crowd, the 1964 Johnson-Goldwater election map. Back in the days when labeling someone an 'extremist' actually was a bad thing. (Apparently they was a problem with Florida voting back then as well.)

And finally, my personal peering into the future to the 2012 confrontation between horses of an only slightly different color.

--

M&M Election Graphics by me

M&M Monday - Skandhas

In Buddhism, the skandhas are any of five types of phenomena that serve as objects of clinging, grasping and craving. These lead to "attachments" which are the root of "suffering" in the buddhist philosophy. The skandhas are often referred to as the "five heaps" or the "five piles".

Depending on which Buddhist tradition one follows the path of enlightenment is either found by releasing all attachments to the skandhas or in the full and complete exploration of the nature of each of the five aggregates.

The five are:

1) form or matter; "rupa" or the external material world and the internal material body and sense organs;

2) sensation or feeling, including the labels pleasant, unpleasant or neutral;

3) perception or cognition; simply whether or not we recognize a sense object;

4) mental formations; thoughts, ideas, opinions that arise from interaction with objects;

5) consciousness; the condition of mind;

I have been scouring buddhist literature but have yet to find any references to devouring the skandhas.

--

M&M Buddhist Art by me

M&M Monday - Clothing

You know someone is going to say something about "melts in your mouth not in your hands" . .

. . . but that would clearly be wrong;

because that line obviously goes with this picture.

M&M Monday - Art

No, not mine!

I am surprised how little M&M art there is to be found on the internet. There is one artist who has an affection for the hard shelled medium, that's her work above. Here is a link to her work, she lives in a remote area of Alaska.

also not mine

The lips above are actually a metal sculpture and not the real thing. Is nothing sacred? I mean I remember being opposed to the introduction of the first M&M variation. I guess that makes me a chocolate traditionalist. Though I eventually did embrace the change. You know what the second variety of M&Ms was, right?

peanuts were first, almonds later

--

Nuts Art by me

Metal Lips by random unlabeled artist