Pictures I like

[Taxes-]

This painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder was on the cover of the edition of Céline's Voyage au bout de la nuit which I finished reading not too long ago. Great painting, and a fabulous book, but I'm not too sure just how well the two match together. I found the Voyage much darker, and way more depressing than anything that I get from this painting.  I guess I could see how one could relate the absurdity of the scene with the equally grotesque imagery used in the book though.

Here's another edition of the same book for comparison sake:



much darker this time, but the madness' gone =/. I'm not sure which I prefer.

but anyway, a few other interesting paintings from Bruegel:

Mad meg


The Triumph of Death


Tower of Babel


Landscape with the Parable of the Sower

[The Six]

[greg]

[Lilas Pastia]

Taxes, these Brueghel paintings are among my favourites ever. Dulle Griet in particular has a sense of erratic movement and incoherence that is unique (AFAIK). As a teenager I bought many books on painting and painters, but I think the first ever was one on Brueghel.  It has always made me want to visit Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum. I just found out that Griet is in Antwerp, a city I have gone through many years ago. I will make a point of paying an extended visit next time I go to Belgium.

[Lethevich]

I usually dislike those 17th/18th century caricature posters which have the whole joke explained in minute detail in smallprint next to the image, but this one is quite fun (and camp):


(Click for annoyingly huge image.)

[The Six]

[Scarpia]

I usually dislike those 17th/18th century caricature posters which have the whole joke explained in minute detail in smallprint next to the image, but this one is quite fun (and camp):


(Click for annoyingly huge image.)

I'll be damned if I can figure out the joke, even with the minute detail explanation.

[MishaK]

I cannot copy the picture to the page, but here is one of the greatest shots I have seen in years:

Nepalese Musicians outside the house of King Gyanendra!  (See the Wall Street Journal today, p. A8)


http://www.daylife.com/photo/0dEr5Nd0L38W9

Dude, that is awesome! Note the guy on the left with the western tenor tuba (?). I bet he's having some serious horn envy. 

[Szykneij]

Dude, that is awesome! Note the guy on the left with the western tenor tuba (?). I bet he's having some serious horn envy. 

Also, the guy with the white beard is wearing a pair of new balance trainers with his outfit. Awesome picture for sure!

[CD]

Found this in a book on the Musee D'Orsay:

Andre Derain - Charing Cross (1906)

[SonicMan46]

Above - pic of a beautiful Black Bear from the animal habitat on Grandfather's Mtn (taken by me recently) - woke up Monday morning to our local NPR station w/ the news that a bear was sited in my neighborhood of western Winston-Salem, NC! 

The bear was tracked down near an intersection a couple miles from my house - the police seemed to have no other alternative but to killed the bear (i.e. did not have dart guns & could not really chase it off in a heavily populated area) - bears have become an issue in many states and certainly in western NC and the mountains; walking trails have been closed because of potential dangers. 

Below is a short quote from a news flash - now thinking back to the new 'Meat Thread' - maybe I'll be seeing some 'bear' on the local menus?  But, the cubs are so DAMM cute!   

WINSTON-SALEM — Officers shot and killed a bear they perceived as a threat Monday night after finding it going through trash cans in someone's back yard, police said.

Officers responded to 225 Kramer Court on a report of a bear going through trash cans.  The officers perceived the bear as a threat and shot it, police said in a statement. Police did not elaborate.  City sanitation workers removed the bear.  N.C. Wildlife workers were also notified.  There were no injuries or property damage, police said.

The shooting comes amid recent reports by residents of bear sightings throughout the Triad.

The bear population in North Carolina has also increased significantly in the past several years, climbing from about 4,000 bears living on 2.5 million acres in 1971 to about 11,000 living on almost 10 million acres in 2004.

[The Six]

[MishaK]

The bear was tracked down near an intersection a couple miles from my house - the police seemed to have no other alternative but to killed the bear (i.e. did not have dart guns & could not really chase it off in a heavily populated area) - bears have become an issue in many states and certainly in western NC and the mountains; walking trails have been closed because of potential dangers. 

That's really infuriating. Here in Chicago, they shot and killed a Cougar last year.

[SonicMan46]

That's really infuriating. Here in Chicago, they shot and killed a Cougar last year.

Hi O Mensch - yes, this desire to 'save' these animals & re-introduce them into older habitats (e.g. we now have an expanding elk population in North Carolina) seem to become conflicting issues (and problems) - I'm surprised that no one else has responded to that story - assume that many in the USA (and likely elsewhere) have or will confront this controversial problem.  Dave 

[Lethevich]

I found a nice photo on the Czech Wikipedia of a quite successful attempt at making Communist towerblocks look slightly less hellish:



I wonder why it's not done more often. It doesn't look great, but it's a substantial improvement.

[MishaK]

I found a nice photo on the Czech Wikipedia of a quite successful attempt at making Communist towerblocks look slightly less hellish:



I wonder why it's not done more often. It doesn't look great, but it's a substantial improvement.

Hell - now available in Technicolor.

[Drasko]

I wonder why it's not done more often.

Try googling for Tirana+painted, or colored or something.   

[Lethevich]

Try googling for Tirana+painted, or colored or something.   

Oh, indeedie, thanks!



It does look a little post-apocalyptic, to be honest

[Lilas Pastia]

Oh, indeedie, thanks!



It does look a little post-apocalyptic, to be honest

Yikes !! Hitting the + to enlarge the pics was a very sobering experience, thank you !

[Brünnhilde ewig]

Hello GMG Ladies! For you only.