Ya estamos en primavera, y la lucha ha comenzado. Por un lado, el invierno no quiere perder su dominio. Por otro, el calor del verano quiere irrumpir. Y esto se representa en el cielo, las nubes, los relámpagos, los arcos iris, el sol. Y en la tierra hay pequeñas plantas delicadas. Son frágiles. En el último otoño hicieron una apuesta. Pensaron: “Para sobrevivir al invierno, tendremos que despojarnos de nuestras hojas”. Y lo hicieron. La apuesta era: “El verano llegará otra vez, y cuando lo haga podremos echar nuestras hojas y volveremos a estar completas”.

Así que ya están preparadas, y el menor indicio de que llega el verano las ha impulsado a empezar a echar una vez más esas delicadas hojas. Ya están listas para comprometerse a ser completas.

Mi pregunta es: ¿estás preparado para la primavera en tu vida? Si lo estás, tengo una noticia muy buena para ti: la primavera ya ha llegado. ¡Todo florece! Éste no es el momento de razonar o cuestionar o discutir si de verdad ha llegado la primavera o no. No es el momento de lamentarse de que luego habrá que volver a despojarse de las hojas, por tanto, ¿qué sentido tiene?

¿Sabes que cada día que estás vivo llega la primavera? Sí, el dolor también llega. ¿Y qué te dice el dolor? “Hola, ¿no has sido un poco inconsciente últimamente? Despierta”. Cuando aparece el dolor la gente piensa: “Echemos un vistazo a esto, analicémoslo”. El dolor no es para eso. El hecho de que los engranajes chirríen en tu interior se debe a que hay algo que no va bien.

Como ser humano, tienes un ritmo. Y ese ritmo dice: “Muévete. Ponte en marcha. Adelante. Muévete. Ponte en marcha. Adelante”. Muévete. Comprende tu mortalidad y siéntete inspirado para seguir adelante y no pararte. Comprende también que una parte de ti es inmortal.

Eres como un sandwich. Una parte de ti, a la que has dedicado tanta atención, es la rebanada de pan equivocada. Deberías haber prestado atención a la otra rebanada, porque ésta se va a desintegrar. Ésa es su naturaleza. Pero no dejes que eso te asuste. Déjalo que te inspire a concentrarte en la parte que es verdaderamente deliciosa. Y la inspiración para hacer eso reside en tu corazón. Dentro de ti está el tambor que toca el ritmo de conocer, de comprender, de bailar al compás de la danza de la comprensión. “Comprendo el increíble regalo que se me ha dado. Comprendo mis ganas de florecer”.

Lo bueno es que la primavera llegará. Y cuando veo brotar esas diminutas y brillantes hojas verdes, digo para mí: “Adelante. Hacedlo. No os sintáis amenazadas. No os desaniméis porque hoy haga frío. Por muy fuerte que apriete este frío, al final cederá”.

En tu caso, por muy fuerte que apriete la ignorancia, acabará por ceder, porque el buscador que hay dentro de ti es más fuerte que la suma de todas las preguntas y de la confusión que hay en este mundo. Así es el impulso que nace de tu interior. Y es el impulso más bello: buscar. Si una persona busca, le digo: “Bien. Si buscas de verdad, encontrarás a quien hará que esa búsqueda tenga éxito”. Se llama la sed, el sediento y el agua. Debido a que existe la sed, existe el sediento. Y debido a que existe el sediento, se encontrará el agua.

Algunos pasan por muchas penalidades para encontrar el agua. Pero se encontrará, porque el agua que buscas está en tu interior. No tienes que ir a ningún lugar especial. No necesitas buscar un oasis, ni un pozo, ni pájaros, ni nada. Estés donde estés en este desierto, cada respiración bombea el agua más increíble que saciará tu sed, de día y de noche.

Mira dentro de tu corazón y encontrarás la verdadera esencia de tu vida. Mira en tu interior y encontrarás las aguas más hermosas. Mira dentro de ti y encontrarás respuestas para las que ni siquiera tienes preguntas.

Estoy hablando de la pasión y compasión que hay en este universo y más allá, de la increíble energía que, del polvo, creó el Sol, la Luna y la Tierra. Partiendo de la nada, crearlo todo. Crear esta Tierra con techos sin columnas, un alfombrado de texturas maravillosas, vivo, hermoso, siempre cambiante. Crear una luz magnífica, hecha de todos los tonos. Crear luces nocturnas que están más allá de nuestra imaginación, la Luna, las nubes, las estrellas, todo eso. Y para ti, poder contemplarlo, no sólo verlo, sino admirarlo. Hacer cada uno de los días y que nunca haya dos iguales; eso sí que es un trabajo de artesanía. Crear los árboles y los copos de nieve y que nunca haya dos iguales. Y hacer a los seres humanos y que tampoco haya nunca dos iguales.

Cuando llueva sin cesar, recuerda el regalo tan magnífico con el que has sido bendecido. Recuerda cuáles son las posibilidades. Recuerda que tú eres parte de todo eso. No eres algo abstracto, algo que no sirve para nada y que apareció ahí. Cuando el trabajo de artesanía es así de bueno, hay que contemplar y admirar cada una de sus piezas, no hay nada frívolo. Ni un grano de arena, ni una hoja, ni un copo de nieve, ni una gota de lluvia están fuera de lugar. Y si aceptas eso, también debes aceptar que tú tampoco estás fuera de lugar. Observa y comprende la realidad, porque es más bella que cualquier cosa que hayas podido imaginar. Y a medida que la primavera llega cada día de tu vida, sin titubear, florece.

Prem Rawat

Descargue la versión impresa en formato pdf

http://inspira.contactinfo.net/v5_i148/v5_i148_es.pdf

I’ve been researching about the Florentine Renaissance for the past weeks for a comparative lecture on classical and modern movements in western art history. While studying, I remembered writing a paper on the parallelisms and differences between Romanesque and Baroque sculptures for a theory class in art school. For some reason, I’ve always been enamored by Romanesque art and the function that it served in ecclesiastical architecture during the Middle Ages. I found the schematized and fantastical depiction of the human figure to be enigmatic and interesting. The artworks were fitting relics to the zeitgeist of their time. The pursuit for answers to the universal questions of life during the medieval times was a severe shift in focus from the expansionist battle cry of the Roman Empire.

I developed a curiosity over the Renaissance primarily because of the way the artists of the quattrocento contradicted medieval ways of painting and seeing. If Medieval sculptures which depicted nature and humanity without individuality and personality were subordinate to architecture, human representation and spatial depiction during the Renaissance saw a rebirth of naturalistic representation. This stark contrast shows of a kind of movement throughout Europe during those times. Southern Europe reveled in the invention of linear perspective and the emergence of mathematics as a tool to understand nature while Northern Europe saw the development of a technique that unified mathematical observation and human experience - fine examples of which can be seen in the works of Jan van Eyck. In the south, particularly in Florence, humanism took center stage as the common battle cry of artists. Even those who adhered to irreconcilably divergent persuasions, particularly Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli, produced works that celebrated the humanistic ethos of their era.

Speaking of Leonardo and Botticelli, these two masters simply couldn’t get enough of disparaging one another.

Botticelli did not quite share the aesthetic preferences of Leonardo as he chose to conspicuously delineate the outlines and elongate the proportions of his human figures. Adhering to Marsilio Ficino’s neo-Platonist philosophic view about the importance of beauty as an aesthetic objective, he opted to prettify the facial attributes of his mythological subjects. In fact, manifestations of his philosophic and stylistic inclinations can be seen in his seminal works The Birth of Venus and La Primavera.  Botticelli’s partiality to the beautiful explains the highly ornate and colorful character of his frescos. His body of work expressed the humanistic chest-thumping pride of Florentine Renaissance by divorcing itself from the art espoused by the established church. Botticelli departed from the aesthetic norm on two levels: first, he portrayed mythological themes from classical antiquity, and second, he veered away from strict naturalistic representation advocated by painter Cennino Cennini.

Since Leonardo considered painting to be the ‘daughter of nature’, there was no way that he would acknowledge Botticelli’s assertions. For him, artists must not idealize nature nor depart from it given that the world can be scientifically measured and recorded in precise terms. In an obvious attempt to glorify the use of value (light and shade) over line and color, Leonardo slammed Botticelli by saying that the neo-Platonist artist painted ‘very sorry landscapes’. He even cleverly went around Ficino’s emphasis on the beautiful and the ideal by using his famed sfumato technique in painting the ‘soul’ of his subjects. For him, artists who ought to paint the beautiful may do so in accordance to the laws set by nature. The Mona Lisa, his most famous painting, masterfully illustrates the genius of Leonardo in capturing the enigma and transience of human expression.

Being an Asian audience of western art, I always ask myself about the happenings in the Orient during the quattrocento. Southern Europe may boast of a Florentine Renaissance that saw the emergence of the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Raphael and Masaccio among others, but Asia, particularly the Philippines, may boast of a rich cultural heritage that produced the finest golden treasures that predated the quattrocento by at least 400 years. The four-kilogram golden halter made from exquisitely woven golden strands featured in the Crossroads of Civilizations exhibition at the Ayala Museum among hundreds of other golden objects gave me a glimpse of a sophisticated society that produced exquisite works of art that could possibly rival the masterpieces of Europe in terms of craftsmanship and sheer beauty. I may never know the names of the goldsmiths who had woven in their masterpieces a clue about the identity of my precolonial forefathers nor know of the intense rivalries among the master artists and craftsmen of our precolonial history; I am nevertheless immensely proud of our fine precolonial jewelry that could possibly give the Mona Lisa a run for her money. 

~Speck Tackle

Autor: Botticelli
Fecha: 1478
Museo: Galería de los Uffizi
Características: 203 x 314 cm.
Material: Témpera
Estilo: Renacentismo Italiano

Análisis de la obra

Giulio Carlo Argan pone en evidencia cómo esta tabla se pone en contraste con todo el desarrollo del pensamiento artístico del siglo XV a través de la perspectiva. Identifica el arte con la interpretación racional de la realidad, que culmina con la grandiosa construcción teórica de Piero (della Francesca).

Botticelli opta aquí por un formato monumental, con figuras de tamaño natural, y lo compagina con una gran atención al detalle. Esto puede verse en las diversas piezas de orfebrería, representadas minuciosamente, como el casco y la empuñadura de la espada de Mercurio o las cadenas y los broches de las Gracias.

Estudios interesantes son los que se han realizado sobre las relaciones dimensionales de las partes de la escena en referencia a reglas musicales.

Mientras algunas de las figuras estaban inspiradas por esculturas antiguas, estas no eran copias directas sino adaptadas al lenguaje formal propio de Botticelli: figuras de elevada estatura, delgadas, ligeramente alargadas, muy idealizadas, cuyos cuerpos a veces parecen artificiosamente estirados y presagian el estilo elegante y cortés del manierismo del siglo XVI. Como fuente iconográfica para la representación de las tres Gracias Botticelli parece recurrir a la Puerta del Paraíso realizada por Ghiberti en el Baptisterio de Florencia, en particular el grupo de siervas en el relieve de Esaú y Jacob.

Las figuras destacan contra el fondo por la claridad de su piel y sus ropajes, de colores claros e incluso transparentes.

La composición participa del fondo arbolado, con un bosque ordenado y vertical para servir de fondo, casi plano y severo, a la danza y al corro. Los personajes se sitúan en un paisaje de naranjos, árboles tradicionalmente relacionados con la familia Médicis. No obstante, hay quien apunta a que son en realidad mandarinas, cuyo nombre clásico, medica mala, aludiría a los Médici. Detrás de Venus hay un mirto, planta tradicionalmente sagrada para ella. Mientras, la parte derecha está hecha de árboles doblados por el viento o por la fuerza creadora, en concreto laureles, lo que sería una alusión al novio, Lorenzo, en latín Laurentius.

En suelo es una capa de hierba muy oscura en la que están detalladas flores típicamente toscanas que aparecen en el mes de mayo. Son también reconocibles las de Flora: en la cabeza lleva violetas, aciano y una ramita de fresas silvestres; en torno a su cuello, una corona de mirto; en el manto lleva rosas; por último, va esparciendo nomeolvides, jacintos, iris, siemprevivas, clavellinas y anémonas.

Interpretación

La interpretación clásica y más generalizada es la de Adolph Gaspary y Aby Warburg en 1888, describe las figuras del siguiente modo, partiendo de la izquierda:

Mercurio: El dios queda identificado por los calzados con alas y por el caduceo usado para separar serpientes y hacer la paz (Botticelli ha representado las serpientes como dragones alados); con su yelmo y su espada, parece claramente el guardián del jardín de Venus. Estira la mano para tocar las nubes con su caduceo para dispersar la niebla. Mira hacia el cielo, lo cual se interpreta como unión con el más allá. Mercurio sería intermediario entre los hombres y los dioses, pero también el dios de los comerciantes. Viste ligeramente con un manto rojo cubierto de llamas, que cae de forma muy asimétrica, lo cual se consideraba un rasgo típico de la Antigüedad y ya era una indicación de que se estaba representando una escena mítica.

Las tres Gracias: Servidoras de Venus, dedicadas a una graciosa danza, están representadas como tres jóvenes casi desnudas y luciendo peinados elaborados y diversos. El cabello suelto sólo podían llevarlo las jóvenes solteras. Se las ha llamado Gracias porque de esa forma, danzando en corro, se las representó en el arte grecorromano.

Como otros de los personajes del cuadro, las Gracias parecen ser retratos de personas existentes en la época y conocidas del pintor: por ejemplo, la Gracia de la derecha es Caterina Sforza, que Botticelli retrató como Santa Catalina de Alejandría (siempre de perfil), en el cuadro conservado en el Museo Lindenau de Altenburg (Alemania). La del medio debe ser Semiramide Appiani, mujer de Lorenzo il Popolano, el cual a su vez estaría representado como Mercurio, hacia el que mira Semiramide. La de la izquierda sería Simonetta Vespucci, prototipo de belleza botticelliana.

La hipótesis más acreditada referente a estas tres jóvenes es que la de la izquierda, de cabellos rebeldes, representa la Voluptuosidad (Voluptas), la central, de mirada melancólica y de actitud introvertida, la Castidad (Castitas), y la de la derecha, con un collar que sostiene un elegante y precioso colgante y un velo sutil que le cubre los cabellos, la Belleza (Pulchritudo).

Venus: Se encuentra en el centro del cuadro y sirve de eje a la composición, volviendo ligeramente la espalda al resto de figuras. En torno a su cabeza se aclara la arboleda, formando una especie de aureola. Está representada como una Madona, con el cabello cubierto por cofia y velo, como una mujer casada. Viste una camisa larga y, por encima, vestido y manto, que cae de forma asimétrica, como el de Mercurio. El vientre prominente era considerado gracioso, y un signo de elegancia era colocar la mano sobre una tela, para evidenciar su belleza. Es el centro no sólo físico sino también moral de la obra, en sus dos aspectos de Venus Urania y Venus Genitrix, fuerza creadora y ordenadora de la Naturaleza, que hace nacer y crecer a todos los seres vivos;

Cupido: Vuela sobre la cabeza de la figura central se dedica a lanzar dardos hacia una de las Gracias;

Flora: Es la única del grupo que mira directamente al observador y parece que intenta esparcir sus flores por el exterior de la escena. Destaca también por su sonrisa, pues es infrecuente en la pintura renacentista, en particular en Botticelli, cuyas mujeres (y así se ve en sus numerosas Vírgenes con Niño) están siempre serias, abstraídas.

La ninfa Cloris: De su boca salen las flores primaverales que Flora recoge en su vestido transparente;

Céfiro: Dios del viento benigno representado con colores fríos mientras busca el amor de la ninfa. Sopla la dulce brisa que hace posible la primavera.

 web.quattrocento@gmail.com

Si sono concluse le elezioni e da poco si conosce, in modo ufficiale, la coalizione vincitrice.

Mentre su tutti i TG nazionali e meno rimbalzano le stesse immagini, con le stesse bandiere e le stesse facce, io vengo scosso da un "Ma nooo" di tristezza espresso da mia madre verso le immagini in bianco e nero che fanno da sfondo dalla notizia.

La notizia era la scomparsa di Marisa Sannia.

La cosa che più colpisce sentendo la notizia è il fatto che originariamente doveva fare la giocatrice di pallacanestro: giocò anche in nazionale.

Nel 1965 partecipa al concorso voci nuove ad Iglesias arrivando seconda con il brano di Adamo "Perduto Amor", qui nella cover di Franco Battiato

(Nota personale: canzone tristissima)

La svolta decisiva avvenne con la vittoria di un concorso indetto dalla Fonit Cetra che gli valse un contratto di ben 5 anni. Durante un'audizione Sergio Endrigo e Luis Enriquez Bacalov la notano e decidono di produrla. Per lei scrivono la canzone "Tutto o niente".

La prima canzone del video è "Sarai fiero di me", 1967. Grazie a questo brano Marisa si classificò terza nella sezione giovani del Festivalbar di quell'anno. Qui la potete sentire per intero.

(Nota personale: i due presentatori sono Giorgio Gaber e Caterina Caselli, la celebre "casco d'oro". Ehm...il balletto...non vi pare un po' troppo eccessivo per una canzone così dolce amara? L'audio è un po' fuori sync. Il video è tratto dalla trasmissione "Diamoci del tu")

Sempre nel '67, parteciperà al programma "Settevoci", condotto da Baudo: un quiz in cui partecipano 2 cantanti agli inizi, 4 affermati, uno famosissimo e quattro concorrenti vengono abbinati ai 4 cantanti affermati. Molto apprezzata dal pubblico la sua voce e la sua immagine di ragazza "acqua e sapone". Vinse per sette puntate consecutive.

L'anno successivo, 1968, partecipa al festival di Sanremo dove interpreta, in coppia con Ornella Vanoni la canzone di Don Backi "Casa Bianca".

(Nota personale: nel video all'inizio si riconosce il reuccio della canzone italiana Claudio Villa)

Il brano fu anche interpretato dallo stesso Don Backi e da Dalida.
Il successo della canzone, mezzo milione di copie vendute, porta il cinema ad interessarsi di lei. Nel '68 interpreta il film "Stasera mi butto" accanto a Giancarlo Giannini.

Sempre nel '68 incide "Io ti sento", un brano di Armando Trovajoli, che diventa la colonna sonora del film di Dino Risi "Straziami ma di baci saziami".

Nello stesso anno partecipa al Festival internazionale della musica leggera di Venezia con il brano "Non è questo l'addio" e a "Canzonissima" dove arriva in finale con la canzone "Una donna sola".

(Nota personale: introdotta da un grande della nostra tv e del nostro cinema, Walter Chiari)

Nel 1969 incide "La compagnia"

canzone di Mogol e Carlo Donida. Reinterpretata negli anni da Lucio Battisti e, più recentemente, da Vasco Rossi. Sempre nel '69 incide al due successi.

La spagnoleggiante "Una lacrima"

(Nota personale: presentata da Johnny Dorelly. Trasmissione Canzonissima)

e "La finestra illuminata", con cui arriva in semifinale nella Canzonissima del '69-70.

(Nota personale: canzone che parla dell'invidia per una coppia di amanti...chi non l'è stato almeno una volta?)

Nel 1970, ritorna al Festival di Sanremo. Questa volta in coppia con Gianni Nazzaro, ad interpretare il brano "L'amore è una colomba"

Grazie a questo bano, la sua notorietà varcherà i confini nazionali: Spagna, Francia, Giappone, Sud America.

Sempre nel 1970, esce un LP in cui interpreta delle canzoni di Sergio Endrigo, di cui vi propongo la dolcissima "Come stasera mai", qui in un video di un fan.

(Nota personale: com'è bello riscoprire nella persona che si ama qualcosa di nuovo, qualcosa che non avevamo mai notato!)

Con Endrigo si esibirà anche al festiva di Veradeiro a Cuba.

Sempre nel '70 presenta a Canzonissima il pezzo "La primavera". Struggente canzone di Don Backy

(Nota personale: presentata dal grande Corrado Mantoni)

Nel 1971, partecipa al Festiva di Sanremo con il brano "Come è dolce la sera stasera"

Il brano arrivò inaspettatamente al quarto posto e ottenne un buon risultato commerciale, tanto che qualche anno dopo fu incisa da Baglioni per il mercato sud-americano.

Nel 1972 oltre a partecipare al 33 giri "L'arca", una bella raccolta di canzoni per bimbi, esce il il 45 giri "Un'aquilone", un pezzo dalle sonorità country.

nel lato B era presente il brano "Il mio mondo, il mio giardino" a firma Francesco De Gregori, Amedeo Minghi e Edoardo De Angelis.

Negli anni successivi ci fu anche il suo esordio prima in teatro e poi come cantautrice, nel 1976 con l'album "La pasta scotta".

Nel 1984 partecipa ancora al Festiva di Sanremo con il brano "Amore amore"

brano non fortunato.

Dopo anni non molto fortunati, musicalmente parlando, indice del 1993 "Sa oghe de su entu e de su mare" una raccolta di undici brani in lingua sarda su testi del poeta Antioco Casula detto 'Montanaru' (1878-1957) e rielaborate con la collaborazione dello scrittore Francesco Masala.

Il CD è una dichiarazione d'amore alla propria terra e alle proprie radici.

Nel 1997 ripeté l'esperienza con un secondo CD "Melagranada" da cui vi propongo "Ria Ria". Qui in un pezzo di archeologia televisiva.

Questo suo "ritorno alle origini" la porterà a pubblicare altri cd, l'ultimo nel 2008 "Rosa de papel".

Il suo sito internet può essere raggiunto da qui.

Al prossimo venerdì.

Assolutamente vietato fare fotografie.

Ovviamente in tutte le stanze c'era qualcosa di famoso. Un Giotto qua, un Tiziano la, un Leonardo giusto per gradire, Tintoretto, Caravaggio, Masaccio... e poi lei...

Ora io qui vorrei spendere due paroline. Non sul quadro (non conosco abbastanza parole per poterlo descrivere) ma sulla stanza.

Siamo in una delle stanze più grandi della Galleria, una delle più importanti. Ma secondo voi, sarà mai possibile che nessuno dei geni (non lo dico in senso ironico, intento geni davvero) che gravitano attorno alle opere, che studiano come e dove metterle, si sia mai accorto che non si vede la faccia di Venere a causa di un riflesso della luce di una finestra sul vetro di protezione???

Devi star lì a piegarti, girarti, spostarti, acquattarti per poter vedere una delle opere principali del museo. Ma roba da matti.

Per fortuna poi ti giri e ti ritrovi in un bosco incantato...

All'uscita, più di tre ore dopo, c'è l'immancabile negozio di souvenir....e io sono riuscita a fare ben due acquisti inutili in una volta sola. Numero 1 penna con disegno della Venere e numero 1 stampa 70X100 cm della Primavera protetta da un tubo di cartone talmente ingombrante che mi ha fatto pentire per tutto il viaggio di ritorno di averlo comprato!
E adesso ho anche il problema che non trovo una cavolo di cornice abbastanza grande! Due astuzie con un colpo solo! Ciù is mej che uan!

John Pierce passing down "kungfu" to his apparentice:

Some of us are old enough to know it, and if we don't pass it on you younger guys will never know it.

In Cyclingnews there is a piece about Milan San Remo. In the article he refers to that race as the first of the" Monuments" - That is not necessarily correct.

"The 99th Milano-Sanremo is set to be an Easter weekend slugfest along the Ligurian coast thanks to the number of attacking-type riders who are on form. The single-day race – 298 kilometres from Milano to Sanremo on March 22 – is the traditional first of five Monuments of the year, known as La Classicissima."

I know what he means, but he should refer to Milan San Remo as a Classic, as indeed it is.

The Monuments of cycling are indeed, just that Monuments to the fallen soldiers of the first world war. These monument events are listed as being five events.

In my experience, both Paris Roubaix and Liege Bastogne Liege, are indeed war memorials. The roads that are used are protected under local council laws, these are the same roads used by the young soldiers of the first world war.

Roubaix is known as "L'enfer du Nord" which translates to "The Hell of the North" - well, that expression came from the soldiers who were posted there. The rough farm tracks and cobbled lanes that are used, are the ones that were left after the bombing (WW1) .

After the war it was decided to dedicate the race to the fallen soldiers of the Great War. The race starts in Compiegne, 60kms north of Paris where the French made the Germans sign the WW1 Armistice.

In the same Compiegne railway sidings in WW2 Hitler made the French surrender and declared war on the rest of Europe. He then had the same rail carriage taken by road to Berlin and ceromoniously destroyed.

The race traverses the Arenberg forest - itself is a war memorial, dedicated - consecrated ground - it is forbidden to drive through this area on any day - except Paris - Roubaix - and even then only the race can go through the Arenberg.

Liege Bastogne Liege is the same, the race route passes many Tanks or Panzer wagons, the only survivors from WW2 - Houfalize, well, to this day it's very sad what first the Germans did to the town and then what we did to oust the German occupation - It was worse in may ways than Dresden. There is a German Panzer in the town square to this day.

The total German advance was stopped, hundereds of tanks, simply halted by a handful of British and American small tanks - Ther are several small Sherman (USA) and Churchill (GB) tanks set in concrete also as memorials to the struggle that saw the tide of war turn against the Germans.

They forced the Germans to run out of petrol, by attacking the fuel dump. There is a small memorial by the roadside - I'm sure not a single rider has ever noticed.

The Milan San Remo is known as la Primavera which means "the spring", it is not a Monument to anybody - however it is a monumental event.

Nem mondok merészet, ha azt állítom, idén is egy pure sprinter fogja megnyerni a versenyt. Természetesen, az izgalom kedvéért az cél előtt nem sokkal van a Poggio nevű domb, ám nem tartom valószínűnek, hogy bárki is meg tudna lógni. Olyanok fognak itt támadni, mint Hincapie (THR), Rodriguez (CAI), Martinez (EUS), Popovich (SL), Di Luca (LPR), Ballan (LAM), Bettini (QST), Schleck (CSC), Brutt (TKF), a jó formában lévő Rebellin (GST) és Nocentini (AG2), a szökőkirály Gilbert (FDJ) vagy éppen a Cobra, azaz Riccardo Ricco (SDV).

Mindegyik csapat hoz majd sprintert, így elég zsúfolt lesz a vége. 291 km megtétele után nem lesz könnyű koncentrálni, de ottmaradni sem, azaz bírni erővel. A célegyenes 250m, tehát aki kicist is hátra szorul, alig marad esélye, hogy elsüvítsen a többiek mellett.

Nézzük a sprintben esélyeseket:

Oscar Freire, a címvédő (RAB); Cooke, Gasparotto, Hunter (mindhárman Barloworld), Joaquin Rojas (CAI), Nuyens (COF), Hushovd (CA), Richeze (CPN), Hondo (SDA), Sébastien Chavanel (FDJ), Ciolek és Eisel (THR), Napolitano (LAM), Pozzato és Fischer (LIQ), Boonen (QST), McEwen (SL), Dean (SLI), O'Grady (CSC), Petacchi, Zabel és Astarloa (MLM), valamint Loddo (TKF).

Izgalmas lesz tehát, hogy vajon a dombokon erősek el tudnak-e menni, hogy melyik sprinter bírja a távot és az utolsó dombot, valamint, hogy ki a legjobb formában lévő sprinter.

Szerintem:

3. Boonen

Imágenes precipitadas de lo que algún día fue, nos demuestran apariencias que terminan desvaneciéndose.

La continuidad del progreso: rieles de un ferrocarril infinito y sin destino…

La lucha de clases: el motor de la historia…

La temporalidad cíclica: la inadecuada forma de ser de alguien inexistente…

Este mundo descascarado: lo que algún día será...

Imágenes que consuelan los ojos de aquellos que olvidaron lo que la imaginación algún día les pudo haber sugerido; la inexplicable ausencia de cuestionamientos transcendentales en aquellos ¿o en mi misma?

La falta, la nada, el todo…

Caen gotas. (Violetas, rojas, magentas, imágenes, alegorías… fragmentos… tiempos…)
Caen a un suelo. (Sediento, resquebrajado, fértil, sumiso… finito….)

Sugerencias inmediatas que se funden al primer bocado: imágenes se que consumen sin degustar. Que el arte, la publicidad, esta cultura, el diseño, el diario, la revista de la esquina, el cartel, la señal…. tan sólo imágenes que se precipitan antes de ser imaginadas.

La alegoría no es más que un espejo que traslada lo que es con lo que no es. No propongo suprimirla: frente a la alegoría de La Primavera mil historias se despiertan.

Built in the 16th Century under the art-loving de'Medici family, the Uffizi is the crown jewel in Florence's rich visual arts scene, and is one of the largest and oldest museums in the world.  It's here you'll find Botticelli's Birth of Venus (yes, the blonde chick on the half-shell) and La Primavera.  Beyond that are the greatest hits of Caravaggio, Lippi, Raphael, Tizian, and Michelangelo.  Also take some time to appreciate the architecture of this massive palace itself.  Keep an eye out for the Vasarian Corridor, which once connected the Medici offices to the Palazzo Pitti Galleria.  Now it displays paintings from the 600s and 700s along with artist self portraits, not to mention some fantastic natural views of the Medici gardens and the Arno river.

Hannibal Lecter wasn't the only person to recognize the Uffizi for what it is,  so you'll be hard-pressed to get in the traditional way.  The smart way to get in here without queuing up half an hour before opening hours is to book in advance online.  VirtualUffizi.com allows you to get your tickets for whenever, and even allows you to take advantage of the same discounts offered at the museum proper.  That includes free admission for Europeans under-18 and over 65 and anyone under 6 and half-priced tickets for those between 18 and 25 or Italian teachers.  Usually, you can slip in unnoticed with a free or reduced ticket even if you don't fit this bill (knowing a passable amount of Italian helps here).  The big drawback to this, however, are the service fees.  Even a free ticket will cost you 8,70 Euro online.  Camping out may not be a bad option if you like early morning art.  But it's nice to know there's a trade-off option.

Thanks, Tombamast!
Galleria degli Uffizi
Piazzale degli Uffizi 6, Florence
055 238 8651
www.uffizi.com

Alexis (center) at the CCS table during last year's MoCCA convention

This year's festival runs June 23-24 at the Puck Building (293 Lafayette at Houston) in New York City from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.

I will not be there, but most of the Center of Cartoon Studies will be -- and so will some of my new work (see Saturday's post for info).

As the countdown continues, and the majority of the CCS community busts their humps to be ready for the June 23-24th event -- finishing work on in-progress minis, publishing completed work, packaging published work for the con, promotion, prep for setting up the table, etc. -- I'll be doing my part by continuing the interview series here.

Today, we've got a short chat with CCS pioneer class graduate and Xeric Award winner Alexis Frederick-Frost, who has distinguished himself from Day One at CCS. For most of the wider comics community, it was Alexis's Xeric Award winning graphic novel La Primavera (2006) that provided the first peek at what was coming out of the school. Along with classmate Sam Gaskin, Alexis was also among the first CCSers to land distribution of his work in the 'real world' --

-- though he also quickly learned that having a graphic novel out didn't mean one didn't have to immediately engage with "the next project," whatever that might be.

Alexis will be at MoCCA with his new creation, Maria of Montmartre, and I urge you to seek Alexis out and pick up your copy ASAP. This is the first installment of a terrific new serialized work; alas, with Alexis interning at Drawn & Quarterly in Montreal this spring and summer, I wasn't able to get my hands on graphics from Alexis's new work, but don't let that keep you from tracking down a copy.

But let's tune in to Alexis via the following conversation, and we'll see you here tomorrow for another interview or two...

Alexis Frederick-Frost:
Marie of Montmartre

SB: What's your background, Alexis, and when did you first get into comics as a reader?

ALEXIS FREDERICK-FROST: I’m from Atlanta, now a New Hampshire resident. BA at Bates -- Studio art (oil painting), Art History. Maus was my first comic book, then some Image stuff for awhile, then nothing, now lots o'stuff.

SB: What prompted your creating your own comics, and what was your first comic creations or project?

ALEXIS: Comics was something I always did. I loved stories and loved drawing as a kid, so they naturally went together. I used it as a way to process experiences and relate to the world around me. My first real comic (i.e., stapled like a book) was The Pandanator, for my sister, made whenever Terminator came out [1984].

SB: What eventually brought you to CCS, Alexis?

Page from La Primavera (2006)

ALEXIS: I was in the area hooked into the Art scene of White River Junction, working for [puppeteer] Gabriel making Italian-style paper mache masks for Mardi Gras. I heard from Matt Bucy about the school; met James [Sturm] in a sketchy office in the Briggs Opera house and applied after that.

SB: There's been a distinctively European orientation to the comics you've created, based in neither Tintin or the Heavy Metal work most Americans are initially exposed to. When were you first exposed to comics from France, Belgium and Europe?

ALEXIS: When you say "European orientation" are you referring to style or the fact that my two most recent projects are set in Europe?

SB: Well, the setting is part of it, but the aesthetics of your work -- the line, the storytelling, the use of tones and/or colors -- seems very European in sensibility.

ALEXIS: Personally when I look at my own art I see a very strong American influence. The cartoons that I grew up with were not comics but animation: Disney, The Simpsons and the like. So when I would draw I would focus on the dynamic, animated, and graceful outline.

SB: Ah, I see -- animation was a real catalyst. What about comics, per se?

And they're off! Page from La Primavera (2006)

ALEXIS: The graceful outline seems to be a characteristic of many American alternative comics like Seth, James Sturm, Hernandez Bros and also strips like Popeye, Nancy, etc. Preeminence of strong calligraphic outline seems something that is a very American quality. When I think of Europeans in comics, I think of the preeminence of tone: Moebius, Christophe Blain, Sfar, etc.

I guess there are lots of exceptions to these categories -- Crumb is all about tone and fragmented non-elegant line, and Tin Tin and all-line Clare stuff, but even those don't have very calligraphic lines. I wish I could have a more sketchy, vibrating line but I don't so that is what I have to live with.

SB: OK, so, what about the Euro-centric subject matter? That's pretty pervasive thus far, and sets you apart from your peers and instructors here at CCS. Your first graphic novel La Primavera and your new project are both set in Europe; La Primavera in Italy, Maria of Montmartre in France --

One more time: La Primavera (2006)

ALEXIS: I think I have been drawn to European subject matter for a number of reasons. First, comics and drawing has an element of escapism inherit to it. Superheroes, alien planets, adventure form the base of comic history. My escapist fantasies don't involve shooting huge laser cannons, or chopping the heads off strippers; they involve beautiful European cities, bars filled with hedonistic drunk artists, and riding my bike with out a care for bills and jobs.

I have a great interest in history and non-fiction stories too. There are a lot of great American stories, but I'm so familiar with the look of America from the '50's, the 1700's, that I would be constrained by the visual themes of those times. I do really like the look of the 1920's though –- I think it would be fun to do a comic set in that time period. I am more ignorant about Europe and exoticism replaces familiarity in those cases. Also, nostalgia seems to be a major Achilles heal of many things based in history and I guess when it's about international history it can be called exoticism. I prefer the fantasy of the
exotic to the nostalgia.

SB: I’m going to press you a bit further on this, as I feel it’s central to your own work. In terms of your own use of line and tone, what’s going on there? That’s what seems -- to me -- so European in nature, in your work, in Seth’s work, and so on, though this may be a generational issue; American comics, for my generation, were lights years away from what your generation has grown up with.

ALEXIS: What I meant -- it’s sort of rooted in the idea there is a dialectic in art history (painting) between painterly and linear styles. One example is Delecroix and Ingres. I know you can`t break down whole nationalities of cartoonist into these groups, but I guess the European cartoonists I like tend to be more painterly with their line work, while the US cartoonists I like tend to be more calligraphic. Of course I am sitting right now in the Bibliotheque et Archives Nationales [in Montreal] using a public computer next to a wall of comics that are all French and span the gamut of styles and quality, so I guess I don`t have much of a point. I feel my comics are much more closely related to the US comics I admire then the European.

Cover of Alexis's anthology Stochastic (2006)

SB: OK -- the wording of my questions reflect my own biases, clearly; this is a generational issue, then, which is a great sign of the changes in the medium over the past two decades. So, why the gravitation to historic non-fiction for your narrative wellsprings?

ALEXIS: I have always found historical non-fiction stories really interesting. The books I read for pleasure are almost always non-fiction. There are so many strange and amazing stories out there that have actually happened. I feel one key aspect of a story worth telling is -- does it somehow explore what it is to be human? Non-fiction stories automatically have that embedded in them. During the work on my [CCS senior] thesis [project Maria of Montmartre], I realized it is really easy to destroy this aspect while retelling a story based on someone’s life. A list of accomplishments and dates is dry and uninteresting. So even though someone’s life might be amazing, if you don`t figure out a way to make the character empathetic and human, then you`ve done the story a disservice.

I need to work on this aspect of my writing and might turn to non-fiction to explore creating human moments because there isn't a set narrative that I need to wrestle with at the same time.

SB: Once you’ve settled on your subject, how do you approach the story, as a writer and as a cartoonist?

The busy-ness of life: La Primavera (2006)

ALEXIS: Once I find a story I find interesting, I usually want to learn a lot about it, regardless if I want to do a comic about it. Usually if I am really into something, I’ll think about doing a comic just because I use drawing to process what every I’m thinking about at the time. OK, so for Maria of Montmartre I thought she was interesting. I had a basic idea of the place and the spirit of the time she was living in, but I wanted to get a more complete picture of it. So I read a few books on her and a few on Henri Toulouse-Lautrec and looked at a bunch of catalogues. Then my advisor, Jason Lutes, turned me on to a bunch of books on Atget (French photographer of the same time period). All of this was just fleshing out a more complete image in my mind and then I used very little of it in my first chapter. But it’s back there to build upon and make sure whatever narrative choices I make feel right. When I’m trying to access the human part of the stories, I have all the street names and the typical apartment interiors and Toulouse’s orientalism swirling around to draw upon.

SB: Does this also involve adopting the styles of the period -- in art, architecture, fashion and so on -- as your own?

ALEXIS: I don`t really concern my self with emulating a style of a time period. I know that my style probably is more appropriate for the spirit of certain time periods or historical event. I think my style probably isn`t well suited towards something about the Spanish Inquisition, the life of President Kennedy, or the repulsiveness of industrial farming practices. The subjects I want to draw often match up with ones that my style might work with, but I think that makes sense because to some extent your drawing style reflects your personality.

SB: Was La Primavera your first extensive, completed project and/or graphic novel, Alexis?

ALEXIS: Yes –- but not the last. Check out my new book at MoCCA.

Pages 1 and 2, roughs, from the earlier (2006, abandoned) version of Maria of Montmartre.

SB: OK, tell us about Marie of Montmartre --

ALEXIS: Here’s the text, stolen from my diadactic:

“It is a sad fact the artist Suzanne Valadon is not recognized by many fans of French impressionism. Born as Marie-Clementine Valadon, and know as Maria to those she modeled for, she became a well respected painter during a time when women painters were oppressed by a strict social and sexual code. Her art is inextricably linked to the streets of Montmartre, where rebel painters found inspiration, entertainment, and companionship. In Maria of Montmartre I explore her shifting artistic identity as she becomes involved with the likes of Puvis de Chavannes, Toulouse–Lautrec, Edgar Degas, and Maurice Utrillo. Each chapter focuses on one of these relationships. For my thesis project I completed a mini-comic of chapter one which focuses on Maria's relationship with Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. Additional chapters will be released as mini-comic as they are completed.”

SB: Looking forward to it, Alexis, and good luck at Drawn & Quarterly this summer and at MoCCA this weekend. Thanks for making time for this.

Two more pages of roughs from the earlier abandoned 2006 draft of Maria of Montmartre

but,

thinking of the one just ended, THIS song keeps ringing in my head... listen to the saxophone..

Los Hermanos
Primavera

Primavera se foi e com ela meu amor
Quem me dera poder consertar tudo que eu fiz
O perfume que andava com o vento pelo ar
Primavera soprando pra um caminho mais feliz

Mais feliz, pois a rosa que se esconde
No cabelo mais bonito, é um grito
Quase um mito, uma prova de amor
Primavera se foi, e com ela essa dor

Se alojou no peito devagar
A certeza do amor não me deixa nunca mais
Primavera brilhando em seu olhar
E o olhar que eu guardo na lembrança
Ainda traz a esperança
de te ter ao meu ladinho numa proxima estação

Mais feliz Mais feliz (Repete até o fim)

aih, kui hea!!!

--

i bought my birthday present for me.. yes, today.. only 8 months and... some days after my birthday! AFTER, I stress it..
i spent an hour in a bookshop (since my mom gave me this.. voucher for that specific shop.. ).. i couldn't make up my mind.. so i ended up with 2 books of poetry, estonian poetry (i almost chose one Indian from 15th century.. ), but well, Doris Kareva is just too good!!!

Inimene, sa oled inseenese visand-
oma südame ori, oma tegude isand.

Kui on kõnelnud häbi, valu ja hirm,
sõna saab see, millel veel
pole nime. See, mis inimesest teeb
inimese,
selle, kelleks ta sündis.

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