ART GALLERY - Ludwig Deutsch

Ludwig Deutsch, Austrian Orientalist artist born 1855 - died 1935 - The Chess Game, 1896, oil on panel 21 5/8 x 16 3/8 in.

John Ernst Steinbeck (1902-1968)

John Ernst Steinbeck nasceu em Salinas, Califórnia, a 27 de Fevereiro de 1902 e morreu em Nova Iorque a 20 de Dezembro de 1968. Steinbeck foi um dos mais representativos autores norte-americanos da “Geração Perdida”. Na época em que o director do FBI era J. Edgar Hoover, sobre o escritor recaíram suspeitas de pertencer ao partido comunista.
Toda a sua obra revela uma grande preocupação social: a injustiça a que são sujeitos os camponeses nos seus movimentos migratórios em busca de trabalho - As Vinhas da Ira, o sacrifício dos melhores valores e homens em função de uma sociedade materialista - O Inverno do Nosso Descontentamento. Steinbeck ganhou o Prémio Pullitzer em 1940 e o Prémio Nobel em 1962. Da sua bibliografia destacam-se: A Um Deus Desconhecido (1933), Ratos e Homens (1937), As Vinhas da Ira (1939), Bairro da Lata (1945), Náufragos do Autocarro (1947), A Leste do Paraíso (1952), O Breve Reinado de Pepino IV (1957), A Pérola (1962), Viagens Com o Charley (1962) e O Inverno do Nosso Descontentamento (1962).

Para os admiradores de John Steinbeck, aqui fica a recomendação para visitar a cidade de Salinas, que serviu de «berço» ao seu nascimento e de cenário à novela «A Leste do Paraíso». Sobre o imaginário telúrico no romance de John Steinbeck "A Um Deus Desconhecido" ler este artigo.

Strike Chess

Crise no Carnaval da Madeira?

Apesar da borla de Sócrates no Carnaval, dando tolerância de ponto no próximo dia 28, terça-feira de Carnaval, aos mais de 700 mil funcionários públicos, e o eventual beneficio para algumas actividades económicas tais como certas zonas turísticas, como é o caso do Algarve e a Serra da Estrela, dizem alguns que o célebre Carnaval da Madeira não terá o sucesso de outros anos por falta de um "Rei" no seu corso (problemas de varizes nas pernas dizem as más linguas no Contenente).

«A etimologia da palavra Carnaval é o latim carne, vale ou "adeus, carne". Por outras palavras, o Carnaval servia originalmente para os cristãos se despedirem da carne, antes da Quaresma. Carne, no sentido lato: da bebida, da comida e do sexo. Não conheço bem a evolução da festa, mas suponho que as pessoas se mascaravam para, pelo menos simbolicamente, não envolver a sua face normal e virtuosa em excessos de que se envergonhavam. A pouco e pouco, primeiro por influência dos Jesuítas (principalmente no sul de Itália) e depois por causa do geral enfraquecimento do ethos cristão, o Carnaval desapareceu ou, perdido o seu sentido original, acabou por se transformar em três dias de grosseria autorizada, supostamente humorística, que só servia para incomodar o público.» Vasco Pulido Valente no Publico.

ART GALLERY - Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper (American, 1882–1967), the best-known American realist of the inter-war period and one of my favourits. Hotel Lobby, 1943, oil on canvas 32 1/2 x 40 3/4 in. Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Three nameless guests and a desk clerk occupy the disquieting, airless space of Edward Hopper's Hotel Lobby. Urban loneliness and the banality of everyday existence are persistent themes in Hopper's paintings. The careful construction of the setting is also characteristic of the artist, who reinforced the strict geometry of his composition with the pattern of the rug and architectural elements.
The cheerlessness of the lobby is heightened by the harsh, raking light and the lack of rapport between the figures. Because of its elevated vantage point, the scene resembles a stage set. Hopper may have been inspired to paint from this point of view while he watched a play, since he frequently attended Broadway plays and preferred to view them from the balcony.

I'm so going to hell for this.

Forgive me, but this is truly, the best blonde joke ever.

Queen takes Pawn

Rainha toma peão. Foi assim que começou a minha derrota no jogo de ontem.

ART GALLERY - Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper (American, 1882–1967), the best-known American realist of the inter-war period and one of my favourits. The House by the Railroad, 1925, oil on canvas24 x 29 in.

"One of the themes of The House by the Railroad is the loneliness of travel, and the Hoppers now began to travel widely within the United States, as well as going on trips to Mexico. Their mobility was made possible by the fact that they were now sufficiently prosperous to buy a car. This became another subject of contention between the artist and his wife, since Hopper, not a good driver himself, resisted Jo's wish to learn to drive too. She did not acquire a driving licence until 1936, and even then her husband was extremely reluctant to allow her control of their automobile.

Liberdade de Expressão - V

Ainda a propósito do tema anestesiante dos cartoons do jornal dinamarquês e das intervenções de Freitas de Amaral, eis um artigo do DN que intitularia: Realpolitik e Sensatez. Na mesma linha, ler outro artigo aqui.

Chess obsession

HAVERHILL, Mass.— The first thing Arthur King thinks about when he wakes up is chess.
Careful not to wake his wife, Karen, the Westford Street resident slips out of bed and spends a few hours indulging his passion. King owns more than 80 chess sets and even a few chess computers, he said.
“When I get up in the morning I let my wife sleep and I study (chess),” the 56-year-old retired Lucent worker said. “I like using my brain, I like the challenge. I like the creativity. Trying to combine the pieces to make things happen takes a lot of study.”It’s part of an obsession that began at age 10, King said, when a family friend taught him the basics of the game. Soon, he said, he was beating the friend every time they played.
Read more here.

Chess Champion

Natalia Zhukova, European Chess Champion 2000 and Woman Grand Master ELO 2432. See her games here and her photos here.

Freedom of Expression - IV

Italian minister puts Mohammad cartoon on T-shirts
ROME (Reuters) - Italy's Reform Minister Roberto Calderoli has had T-shirts made emblazoned with cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in a move that could embarrass Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government.
Calderoli, a member of the anti-immigrant Northern League party, told Ansa news agency on Tuesday that the West had to stand up against Islamist extremists and offered to hand out T-shirts to anyone who wanted them. "I have had T-shirts made with the cartoons that have upset Islam and I will start wearing them today," Ansa quoted Calderoli as saying.
He said the T-shirts were not meant to be a provocation but added that he saw no point trying to appease extremists. "We have to put an end to this story that we can talk to these people. They only want to humiliate people. Full stop. And what are we becoming? The civilization of melted butter?" Calderoli said. "This is only the tip of the iceberg of the religious war Islamist extremists have declared on us," Calderoli told reporters earlier this month. The Italian press reported that Berlusconi last week urged Calderoli to take a more moderate stance over the issue, but the minister said on Tuesday he had no intention of keeping quiet.
"As for Berlusconi, seeing as he has compared himself to Jesus Christ, I would call on him to follow (Christ's) example and think about evangelizing Christian values and not be evangelized by Islam," Calderoli was quoted as saying. Berlusconi caused a storm at the weekend when he said: "I am the Jesus Christ of politics...I sacrifice myself for everyone."
Maintaining a steady stream of anti-foreigner invective, Calderoli earlier this month dismissed a Palestinian journalist on a television chat show, as: "that suntanned lady". He also said he was delighted newcomers to Italy would not benefit from a government scheme to encourage people to have more children. "I am proud of the fact that the baby bonus will only go to Italian citizens. I say to all those Ali Babas that either Allah or their governments will have to think of them."

Liberdade de Expressão - III

Embora o artigo pareça ser fruto de alguma picardia inter-blogues, não deixa de ser um bom exemplo de como alguns jornalistas e comentadores se comportam e mudam de opinião de acordo com os seus interesses políticos do momento. A ler "A relatividade da expressão" na Grande Loja do Queijo Limiano

Throwing petrol on to the flames?

Today, the satirical French weekly Charlie Hebdo printed all 12 of the controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed as well as a new front-page caricature of its own. On Tuesday a French court refused to grant an injunction to Islamic organisations that tried to have the edition banned for inciting racial and religious hatred. The paper bears the headline "Mohammed stressed out by the fundamentalists" and a cartoon of the prophet with head in hands uttering the words "It's hard to be loved by fools."
In consequence, French President Jacques Chirac today accused newspapers printing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed of "provocation".

Freedom of Expression - II

For those with short memory it will be interesting to remember the 'blasphemous' poster, as per Italian publicity watchdog IAP one year ago. "This kind of image cannot be parodied for commercial ends without offending the sensitivity of at least part of the population" said Italian publicity watchdog IAP. They said also "the ad's use of Christian symbols including a dove and a chalice "inevitably recalls the very foundations of the Christian faith". "This kind of image cannot be parodied for commercial ends without offending the sensitivity of at least part of the population," it said. And what is more, "One of the women apostles is kissing the naked torso of a man, which just makes the imitation more offensive."
Credits to "Bichos Carpinteiros" for the opportune article.

Freedom of Expression

This is a very ironic photo. Here is a picture of a Muslim marching in London to protest the Danish cartoons of Muhammad. As he protests and exercises his freedom of expression, his sign reads "Freedom of expression go to hell"?!

Les Caricatures de Mahomet

Les événements heure par heure selon le Nouvel Observateur. Voici heure par heure les événements liés à la parution dans plusieurs journaux européens, dont France Soir, de caricatures du prophète Mahomet.

Samedi 4 Fevrier 11h20 - Lisbonne Le Premier ministre portugais José Socrates estime que la liberté d'expression implique "le respect de la dignité des autres".

ART GALLERY - Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper (American, 1882–1967), the best-known American realist of the inter-war period and one of my favourits. Rooms by the Sea, 1951, Oil on canvas, 29 1/4 x 40 in. (74.3 x 101.6 cm) Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut.

Hopper first began painting the effects of sunlight as a young art student in Paris, and this interest continued throughout his career. As a mature artist, he lived and worked in New York City and spent most of his summers on Cape Cod, Massachusetts where he designed and built a sunny, secluded studio at Truro on the bluff overlooking the ocean.
This painting is based on the view out the back door of the studio. Titled in his record book "Rooms by the Sea. Alias The Jumping Off Place," Hopper noted that the second title was perceived by some to have "malign overtones" and he thus deleted it. While the view from the studio suggested the composition of Rooms by the Sea, the image is more an evocative metaphor of silence and solitude than the transcription of an actual scene.

Muhammad cartoons and domino effect

The protests by imams and their Muslim organizations for the publication of 12 Muhammad cartoons, in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten last September, instead of getting newspaper and government censorship, they contributed unfortunately to a domino effect, being the cartoons published now all over Europe newspapers.

“We want respect for Muhammad restored and we want him to be described as the man he really was in history, and that he gets the respect he deserves,” stressed some Muslim organizations that were deeply opposed to the publication of the cartoons.

The conflict is also exposing different interpretations of freedom of expression, not only between the Islamic world and the West, but between the United States and Europe

"Islam forbids any representation of the Prophet," the France Soir editorial says today. "The question is, are all those who are not Muslims obliged to honour that prohibition? Can you imagine a society that added up all the prohibitions of the different religions? What would remain of the freedom to think, to speak, or even to come and go freely?"

A government official in the United Arab Emirates offered a very different definition of freedom of expression to the Khaleej Times. "Freedom of expression means freedom to express one's views in ways that will not affect social harmony," he said. "Otherwise, you face consequences. That applies to Al Jazeera, or American journals, and even to the Danish media."

"We do value the freedom of expression in Europe, but it shouldn't be abused to provoke hatred and division between communities. Freedom of expression is not a licence to attack a culture or religion". "We believe the governments that allowed these freedoms to be abused should apologise to the Muslim communities" said Dr Yunes Teinaz the spokesman for the London Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre.

With all this, will the twelve cartoons mark the beginning of the clash of civilizations? I hope not... but who knows?

Old New York (5)

(N.Y. Public Library Picture Collection)
New York - Side facade of the Tiffany House, Madison Avenue, 1891.