Something Beautiful

St Matthew

In the olden days, when the Internet was much less complete than it is now, the Indianapolis Museum of Art had only a few small, stingy images on its site.   Move forward a few years and that has changed for the better.

Here, for example, is St Matthew, ca. 1610, by El Greco.

A great place to find more works by this artist is at the Artcyclopedia. 

Josef Albers

I discovered Josef Albers in my early days on the Web. Today I discovered there is a foundation named after Albers and his wife Anni.    The foundation site has a gallery, and the gallery has an entire page devoted to a selection of Albers' squares.

Actually, as I look over the foundation's site, I see that it is very well-designed and appealing. 

 

Someone whose actions are unkind . . .

Someone in my life has been causing me a lot of pain for the last week or so.  There is no real reason for his cruelty.  I have acted kindly, and even generously, toward him on scores of occasions.  I know that I have done nothing to deserve the mean way in which he presently behaves.   It has seemed to me that he acts as he does now just for the sake of causing pain.   In a world in which he controls little, perhaps it makes him feel more powerful to know he can act cruelly.   

Last night I found this quotation at the Blue Cliff Monastery site --

Someone whose actions are unkind, whose thoughts are unwholesome, whose speech is unwholesome, is certainly suffering a lot. When you look deeply and see this suffering, your heart will open and the key of understanding will reveal itself.

-- Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

So, as I deal with the pain he is causing me, I try to remember that his actions are prompted by his own pain.   (If only I could interrupt this cycle.   But he is determined that he shall continue on his present course, no matter how destructive it is to himself (and it is), and no matter how unfair to me.)

The Life of Riley (blog)

Here's something a little different from our usual StB fare -- The Life of Riley. It's the site of, reputedly, the world's oldest blogger, who recently passed away at the age of 104. .       

Writing poetry is like . . .

From Poetry Ireland -- "Writing poetry is like trying to catch a black cat in a dark room."  -- Robert Greacan

Illuminated calendar (part 2)

Here are the remaining pages for the illuminated calendar of a while back --

July, f. 8v -  Saint Paul addressing the Colossians; Leo; Saint Bartholomew and the prophet Micah

August, f. 9v -  Saint Paul addressing the Thessalonians; Virgo; Saint Matthew and the prophet Joel

September, f. 10v -  Saint Paul and Saint Timothy; Libra; Saint James the Less and the prophet Haggai

October, f. 11v -  Saint Paul and Saint Titus; Scorpio; Saint Simon and the prophet Ezekiel

November, f. 12v -  Saint Paul and Saint Philemon; Sagittarius; Saint Jude and the prophet Malachi

December, f. 13v -  Saint Paul addressing the Hebrews; Capricorn; Saint Mathias and the prophet Zechariah

Solar eclipse

This is so moving -- solar eclipse, as seen in Turkey, 2006. (Note: Two-minute video is from the Exploratorium; the good stuff is mostly in the second minute.)

Illuminated calendar

The National Library of France has brought back its popular web exhibit, The Age of Charles V. 

Portions of several excellent illuminated manuscripts are presented, among them the Breviary of Martin of Aragon, illuminated in 15th century Spain. 

Here are the illustrations that accompany the first six months of the liturgical calendar in that Breviary.  Each has three parts: St. Paul (as the Church personified); the relevant sign of the zodiac; and two figures, one from the Old Testament and one from the New. 

January, f. 2v -  Conversion of Saint Paul; Aquarius; Saint Peter and the prophet Jeremiah

February, f. 3v -  Saint Paul addressing the Romans; Pisces; Saint John the Evangelist and King David

March, f. 4v -  Saint Paul addressing the Corinthians; Aries; Saint James the Great and the prophet Isaiah

April, f. 5v -  Saint Paul addressing the Galatians; Taurus; Saint Andrew and the prophet Daniel

May, f. 6v -  Saint Paul addressing the Ephesians; Gemini; Saint Philip and the prophet Hosea

June, f. 7v -  Saint Paul addressing the Philippians; Cancer; Saint Thomas and the prophet Zephaniah

Lake Lucerne

How about another Albert Bierstadt? Here's another one from the Northeast -- Lake Lucerne, 1858.

Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902)

Albert Bierstadt at Artcyclopedia - lots of excellent paintings, mostly landscapes, mostly the American West.

Here's just one -- Mount Corcoran, ca. 1876.  If you use the MFAH's zoom feature, you'll see that this work is to die for. 

The Matterhorn

The Matterhorn, the most famous mountain in the Alps.

The Shirt

The Shirt, a poem by Robert Pinsky. Quite moving.

Steven's Showcase

I do love me a nice Irish cemetery.   

That photo comes from a set dubbed Steven's Showcase which has several other pictures I liked.   Like this this one.

Dorothy Day

Any essay by Robert J. Ellsberg is likely to be a gem.  An essay by him about Dorothy Day is a can't miss - Five Years With Dorothy Day.

I was especially taken with this last paragraph --

Dorothy was a great believer in what de Caussade called 'the sacrament of the present moment.' In each situation, in each encounter, in each task before us, she believed, there is a path to God. We do not need to be in a monastery or a chapel. We do not need to become different people first. We can start today, this moment, where we are, to add to the balance of love in the world, to add to the balance of peace. 

   

Churches in the Faroe Islands

Be prepared to be impressed - Churches in the Faroe Islands.   

This page drew my attention to these islands, and then I searched out the page with the churches.  The Faroes are closer to Scotland and Norway, but they belong to Denmark. 

Be yourself (really)

I'm going to put this here because it is something I need to remember --

Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of a whole life's cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another you have only an extemporaneous half possession. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Owl

I've mentioned that I love owls.  Here's one at the St Vallier Station, in Quebec, Canada.

For good measure, here's another pic by the same photographer. 

Pixdaus (God Gave Us Pics)

This site seems worth a trial - Pixdaus, subtitled God Gave Us Pics!.

Madonna and Child

You need to look at these close-up to appreciate them - Madonna and Child , c. 1500, by Pietro Perugino. Pretty extraordinary - 

Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome

Not sure where the best page is on Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome's only Gothic church.  But these two make a good beginning --

Paradox Place

Sacred Destinations .