Poem: A Cottage of a Thousand Years

A cheesy painting I did. 
I know...its not that good!💁

Even though each of us are unique we are part of a larger collective of people. Our perception is limited when looking from inside a generation but when we stand back and get a wide angle view we can see a moving, living, breathing organism made of all the people within a society. Even though some generations are more successful than others all live within a chain.

Generation after generation is born and transfers information from one to the next creating collective knowledge. Newer generations build off of the knowledge of the old to develop a better world for themselves. It is the same with each generation and it will continue as long as we adapt and grow. Decisions at one time and in one area have an influence on the entire organism.

People may believe they are different and the values and characteristics they hold make them better than each other. In the end we are only one generation on a path of generations. In the collective nature of our lives we are all the same. Only our thoughts, hopes, and dreams make us unique. Together they push our species forward indifferent of our petty arguments. Abundance is waiting to be drawn when we work together to solve problems.

A Cottage of a Thousand Years

Fields of green blankets,
the smell of cut grass.

A cottage of history old,
spanning the time of our lives.

A place of multiple generations,
Solid stones of time make its walls.

A warm fire glows inside,
A pot of soup in hearth.

Kitchen conversation fills the room,
like a symphony of dreams.

Fish swim in the pond,
waiting to be drawn.

Nothing changes in his land,
An hour and a thousand years are the same.

Art Review: The Kiss by Gustav Klimt

The Kiss is Gustav Klimt’s most famous and well known painting. Produced in 1908 in Vienna, Austria and incorporated oil and gold life on the canvas (1). This was unique for his time and represents both tile works with Asiatic influence. The painting and the romance it brings forward is still wonderment to onlookers. The picture depicts a passionate relationship between a man and woman in a sort of perfect place. 

The couple is embracing, bodies entwined, wearing robes of wealth and decadence. It provides linear constructs of the Art Nouveau style and the movement of arts with crafts (2). The male is square and masculine while the woman painted is in curves to represent femininity. The couple is a pair with the woman and man equal in stature. They are in a field of flowers and appear to rise above it. 

To many this painting represents the concept that love has no bounds. Social position or worldly wealth cannot hide what goes on under the fancy clothes and standard manner of living. Love is something that has existed since the beginning of time and no matter how many layers of other stuff we pile on it the essentials are always the same. 

No one knows for sure who the female is within the picture. Some believe it is Klimt’s life-long partner Emilie Floge or Adele Bloch-Bauer (3). Her facial features are so generic that it would be difficult for a person to actually discriminate between Klimt’s many lovers and the actual subject of his painting. Whoever it was there is little doubt there was great passion in the relationship. 

Klimt was a rare artist who achieved both wealth and notoriety in his life (4). He traveled little but painted everyday from morning until night. His father was a metal engraver and he seemed to pick up the trait in his formal and informal schooling to make the works by which he is now famous. His life was prosperous until he died in 1918.

Art: The Concert by Johannes Vermeer

The Concert was painted by Johannes Vermeer in 1664 and was stolen in 1990. The painting features a harpsichord, singing and other pictures. Items are thrown around in the foreground in a haphazard manner. These items include jugs, carpet, mirrors and other items. The impression appears to be a casual meeting within a manor or home familiar to the author. 

The meaning seems obscure and many don’t understand what message the painter is trying to portray. There are some hints with the paintings on the wall. Many have come to the conclusion that the author is trying to discuss harmony but hinting at something improper by nature. A special time and a special place with each member focused squarely on the process of music production. 

It is also possible to see a lute and violin by the table indicating that this room may be one for music only. The people within the painting are completely unaware they are being observed indicating that they are true musical lovers. The room appears to be a blend of the real and the imagined indicating that Vermeer used both real objects as well as his memory. 

The painter Johannes Vermeer was born around 1632 and died in 1675. He was seen as a middle class painter that appeared to complete much of his work out of local scenes as well as his home. Most of his paintings were with women. He did not complete many paintings and appeared to take considerable amount of time with each one which is apparent in their depth.  His death left his family in debt.

Other Reading: 

http://www.gardnermuseum.org/collection/browse?filter=artist:3284

http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/concert.html

http://www.essentialvermeer.com/cat_about/concert.html

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2013/march/reward-offered-for-return-of-stolen-gardner-museum-artwork/psa-video

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/03/18/feds-reveal-investigative-developments-publicity-campaign-gardner-heist-probe/fdplwk1vSL1SPtaTdAZVIJ/story.html

Art: Peaceable Kingdom by Edward Hicks

Edward Hicks (1780-1849) painted over sixty different versions of his popular Peaceable Kingdom. As an American painter in folk art, he worked in a style that was uniquely his. At times, a lack of formal training can be a benefit as styles vary from those offered by some of the masters. His unique work and individualized style led to his great art mastery.  His fame as an artist grew by the passion he put within his work.

The Peaceable Kingdom is a rendition of the biblical passage of Isaiah 61: 6-9. As a Quaker, he saw his world through this particular lens and seemed to recreate those concepts on canvas. The passage states, “The Leopard shall lied down with the kid,; and a calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” It was this concept that led to a peace treaty in Pennsylvania with the Natives that became an ideal model for others. The land was purchased and equitably owned as the Quaker mindset was to view all people as human with rights to their own land.

The picture is one of plush looking figures living in harmony and European and Natives talking together. The children are living with the beasts in pure harmony.  What you find is that the forefront creates an ideal perfection that is applied to the political issues of the time as expressed in the background (i.e. Natives and Europeans).

Peace is a homeostasis where want and need does not force unfair actions on others. The problem with this ideal is that people within the world will always have needs just like the lions and the children. If the lions are hungry, the children cannot feel safe. This is an ideal on earth that should be something we strive for even if it may never be realized.

As you can tell from the painting, it is dreamlike with oddly stuffed and soft animals. The children are in white indicating purity. The sun is setting meaning that night is coming. The natives and the Europeans are both wearing hats and feathers.  One European and one Native have their hands outstretched as though they are explaining something to their colleagues. Are they not the same? 

The Painting Man With a Donkey by Horace Moore-Jones

The painting was dedicated to “our hero comrade Murphy (Simpson)”. The work took a number of different names such as “Murphy and his donkey”, “Simpson and his donkey”, “Henderson and his donkey” or “Man with a donkey”. The origins of the painting have been somewhat of a debate among scholars. However, what is known is that the painter was shown a picture of a man carrying wounded soldiers from Shrapnel Gully to Anzac and used this as the basis of his painting. 

The object of the painting is John Simpson who was a stretcher bearer with the Austrian-New Zealand Army. John was a deserter of the merchant navy but eventually became part of the army as a way of getting back to England. The day after landing at Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April 1915 he noticed a wounded comrade. Having experience with donkeys from boyhood work, he loaded his friend on a nearby donkey and brought him to safety.

Apparently, John Simpson was a brave fellow who earned a reputation from his military friends. Day in and day out he went into the battlefield and loaded injured comrades bringing them to safety. While the bullets were flying, he was relatively indifferent to the risks whistling and singing throughout all of the destruction. He was a selfless contributor to the saving of many people and his regiment appreciated him for that. On On 19 May 1915, he was struck by machine gun fire and eventually died to the sadness of everyone who knew him.

The battle and campaign did not turn out that well. The Anzac Cove landing was the first major battle for the new Austrian-New Zealand forces during WWI. The goal was to retake the Ottoman forts that influenced the Dardanelles straits passageway.  After the commanders were injured and removed from the battlefield the attack resulted in many months of 20,000 troops stuck within three quarters of a mile of the beachhead. 

The Ottomans were not going to give up the land as it had important strategic communication implications. As multiple allied waves became stalemated, the Ottomans continue to reinforce their ranks. The famous Ottoman commander Mustafa Kemal said his noteworthy words, "I do not order you to attack, I order you to die! In the time which passes until we die, other troops and commanders can take our place!" The campaign for the allies was considered an overall failure based on a host of factors from poor leadership to difficult terrain. Of course the allies did end up winning WWI.

The Author of the painting was known as Horace Moore-Jones who was born in 1868 in Malvern Wells, Worcestershire, England. He moved with father to New Zealand after the family experienced bankruptcy and financial difficulty. Horace’s father David was an engineer and his wife Sarah was a teacher. She eventually became the principle at Remuera Ladies College and lived in a mansion where educational endeavors were taking place. 

Feeling confined in New Zealand and aware of his painting abilities he moved to Sydney with his wife. His success became well known and he eventually exhibited his art at the Art Society of New South Wales 1892-1905. Tragedy struck the family and his wife and two of his three children passed away. He remarried, worked as a teacher, and landed a job as a staff painter at Pearson’s Magazine.

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali

The Persistence of Memory 1931

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali in 1931 represents a surrealist perspective of deep understandings of the nature of the universe. The painting is more than meets the eye and much deeper than its first impression. Even though the work was started from watching melting cheese it is also a deeply moving unconscious experience. The painter and his work were part of a movement that delved beneath the human psyche and tried to project that understanding for others to ponder the complex nature of human experience. 

The melting watches were representations of the continuum of space and time and the melting cosmic order. Time is relative to activity in the environment. If everything within the environment is moving fast while the object is moving slow, time will seeming slower than if an object speeds up and the environment lags in speed, then time is condensed. The creature in the picture represents the fading of images in dreams that we have a hard time formulating an understanding of and the ants represent the eventual death of time. Wow! I bet you didn’t expect all that!

It is possible to see the picture as an impression of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. All things in the universe are relative to everything else thereby creating a cosmic order. Even though we may have thought of riding the moonbeam as pure fantasy we soon learn in history that Einstein was correct. The universe is a machine of order with subsequent rules and laws that govern its existence. It is possible to move faster than the moonbeam. As with all genius, others have a hard time following their train of thought and simply consider such inventions and works as irrational only because they are unable to learn all of the pieces that make such far reaching constructions possible. As Louis Aragon stated, “We know that the nature of genius is to provide idiots with ideas twenty years later.”

The Persistence of Memory painting is part of the surrealism era of deeper human thought. Surrealism is a revolutionary movement springing from WWI and the 1920’s. It origin was out of Paris France and spread throughout Europe and the United States Accordingly. The art is expected to be shocking and represent the philosophical, social theory, and science of the era. Freud’s work of dream interpretation and free association became a cornerstone of the movement. The works of art were representations of realities that are perceived both collectively and individually. Many famous artists met in coffee shops and joined the movement because of its rich and vivid impressions.

Salvador Dali was born in 1904 and died in 1989. His surrealist works were attributed to an influence of the Renaissance masters. Dali was of Arab Moorish background but loved things of Western excess and luxury. He was born in Empordà region in Spain, which is near France, accepting both Eastern and Western traditions. He had an interest in mathematics, natural science and infractions of light which he incorporated into his works.

Ethical Decision Making and H&R Block

Dancer Making Points-Edgar Degas

The concept of ethical decision making applies to all fields from sports management to higher education to general business.  Even day-to-day decisions require an element of ethical decision making.  When driving home, one must decide whether to drive the speed limit or exceed it, endangering those on the road.  In the world of fine art, decisions are made all the time.  Here is a story about a decision that was made regarding Degas' Ballerina painting, "a $10 million dollar painting by Degas" (Dedman, 2010).

Safe to say that everyone in America has heard of  H & R Block, the tax company.  This pretty ballerina ended up on Mr. Henry Bloch's wall, owner of the H & R Block (Dedman, 2010).  Bloch had purchased this painting in 2005.  Although he purchased it, the Degas painting was actually stolen property. 

Christopher A. Marinello, executive director and general counsel for the Art Loss Register in London, said in an interview that buyers should do their own checks on the authenticity and good title of art."It costs less than $100 to check the ownership of a $5 million painting. People will buy a used car and they'll take it around the corner and put it up on a lift and check it out, and they'll get a Carfax report. They'll spend millions on art, and do nothing. (Dedham, 2010)

Through a bit of smoke and mirrors (an art museum in Kansas City) and an elderly former owner of the art who despised depositions (Dedham, 2010), Mr. H. Bolch ended up with Degas' painting on his wall.

Where did the decision go awry?  Read more NBC's Article 

Author: Dr. Andree Swanson

Dedman, B. (2010). The $10 million Degas ballerina, heiress Huguette Clark and the tax man. NBC News. Retrieved from http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/03/15/10693680-the-10-million-degas-ballerina-heiress-huguette-clark-and-the-tax-man?lite