Sunday, April 27, 2003

James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903): Painter, draughtsman, decorator, writer; born in America, raised in Russia; spent his adult life as an artist in Paris, London, and Venice; forged his own aesthetic philosophy, which he articulated through his images (prints, paintings) and writings; he produced over 600 etchings, drypoints, and lithographs (incl. Twelve Etchings from Nature = The French Set (1858), The Thames Set (1859), and First and Second Venice Sets (1879-80)). Book: Whistler wrote "The Gentle Art of Making Enemies". The New York Public Library shows Whistler prints (Poetry of Sight, Jan 24-May 10, 2003).


Whistler Etching




Other Links:
Whistler Prints
Whistler Biography and Paintings
Art Encyclopedia: James McNeill Whistler

Snippets:
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Jazz Vocals / Vocal Improvisation: Kyoko Kitamura: seen at 55 Bar, NYC, March 15, 2003; w/ Khabu and Mike McGinnis, and on April 19, 2003 at The Three Jewels Cafe, NYC, w/ Ras Moshe (on reeds). Very intriguing experimental vocalist.
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Author: Jean Améry. Book: Jenseits von Schuld und Suehne. Bewaeltigungsversuche eines Ueberwaeltigten (in German). Jean Améry Biography.
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CD: Fairground Attraction: Ay Fond Kiss
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Thursday, April 24, 2003

"People who lean on logic and philosophy and rational exposition end by starving the best part of the mind." (W.B. Yeats)

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939): Irish poet, dramatist, and prose writer; one of the outstanding and most influential twentieth-century poets writing in English; received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923; produced a tremendous amount of works; central theme in Yeats's poems is Ireland, its history, folklore and contemporary public life. After 1910, Yeats's dramatic art took a sharp turn toward a highly poetical, static, and esoteric style. His later plays were written for small audiences; they experiment with masks, dance, and music, and were profoundly influenced by the Japanese Noh plays. Yeats is one of the few writers whose greatest works were written after the award of the Nobel Prize. Whereas he received the Prize chiefly for his dramatic works, his significance today rests on his lyric achievement. His recurrent themes are the contrast of art and life, masks, cyclical theories of life (the symbol of the winding stairs), and the ideal of beauty and ceremony contrasting with the hubbub of modern life.

Other Links:
William Butler Yeats: Literature Network
William Butler Yeats: Nobel E-Museum

Snippets:
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Video: The Straight Story (1999); directed by David Lynch; Plot: Alvin Straight, 73, rides for weeks and hundreds of miles on a lawn mower to mend his relationship with his sick brother. Midwestern touch.
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Video: Blue Velvet (1986); directed by David Lynch; w/ Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern. Plot: Young man finds ear --- investigates murder --- meets beautiful and mysterious woman who is involved with a violent and perversely evil man.
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