The National Gallery of London has without question some of the most stunning and beautiful artworks I have ever seen and experienced. This large institute contains the finest art in the world and currently houses the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit. Each room was a magical presentation of great works, some by unknown artists, others by painters widely regarded as the finest of their time period. As I walked and looked and studied and experienced the art, I realized...
We walked into Hard Rock Cafe and immediately heard the BeeGees on the amazing stereo system. In the corner wall, we could see Stuart Sutcliffe's guitar. Now you may ask who is Stuart Sutcliffe? He is sometimes known as the Fifth Beatle. Part of the original group and an excellent bass player, he left to pursue a career in art but died at the age of 22. High on the wall we see Eric Clapton's guitar he gave to Hard Rock Cafe in London. In the basement is an Elton John costume and nearby is a display of the great Jimi Hendrix and his all black costume he often wore. As we ate a delicious meal, we...
that art is one of the greatest of emotional expressions of creativity. In an oil painting, the artist represents not just the natural world but also includes his/her response to the event or the setting. This causes a deeper level of emotional ownership with the work for both the artist as well as the viewer. In the eyes we see the soul, and in the body we see the heart, and in the light we see the thoughts, and in the motion we see both the future and the past. I was shaken to walk into a room and see...
heard some hard-rocking music You Give Love A Bad Name--Bon Jovi, Over My Head--Lit, Caught Up In You, .38 Special, and Crushcrushcrush, Paramore. All of it hard and heavy (maybe more than makes me comfortable, but certainly muscular rock). All around us were Gold records of Queen, Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and David Bowie. When we finished eating we went across the street to the shop and The Vault where we saw an original song by John Lennon, touched Jimmie Page's guitar, looked at Gene Simmons' Bass, grimly stared at Kurt Cobain's guitar, looked daringly (briefly--no pun intended) at Madonna's corset and undergarments, smiled at Les Paul's guitar, saw John Lennon's jacket, and wondered about Pete Townshend's guitar (famous as The Who for smashing his guitar) being intact. We left with thoughts...
art by Van Gogh, Degas, Seurat, Rousseau, and Cezanne. But it was the room of Peter Paul Rubens that nearly engulfed me in beauty. Piece after piece of incredible strength, color, line, and emotion. Each one a story of its own and each evoking strange thoughts of a world that lives in our dreams and our subconscious. A world of shocking beauty, in some cases showing innocence destroyed, yet respecting individuality, and constantly communicating powerful emotions which are so strong as to threaten to absorb the people. The absolutely flawless oil paintings capture forever an artist's craft and ability to see beyond the obvious and into the...
of Rock and Roll's vast influence on culture. At first relegated to teenagers jumping and dancing and screaming, now Rock and Roll has permeated the lives of adults of all ages. Those who loved Rock in the 50s are now mature and often retired, but still finding meaning in the music from their day and forward. We may be getting older, but we can still Rock out in joyful expression of music that is burrowed within us. And I must say that Eric Clapton is truly an impressive figure in Rock's history with a talent for altering his sound while retaining his quality and creativity. And I must admit to liking Sting, Bon Jovi, and yes Aerosmith. Tonight we go to a Queen show called, We Will Rock You. It promises to be non-stop entertainment!
depths of life with its beauty, its fears, and its hopefulness for a better world. The National Gallery is a visual treat in all respects and I consider myself blessed for my time there. And thousands visit the Gallery for more Rubens and more Raphael and more opportunity to obviate any stress by sharing with the artists the wordless thoughts that reside deep within the scope of the human soul.
1 comment:
Awesome writing!
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