Tag Archive | Michelangelo
July 2, 2020  

Our Modern Day ‘Sistine Ceiling’ Is Coming Along Swimmingly.

by Anura Guruge

Click to ENLARGE.

June 30, 2020.

June 15, 2020

She is making great strides.

It is blinking beautiful! I feel so privileged to see it … see it every day … & to know that it will be here.

Yes, we are lucky. Thanks. SMILE.

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by Anura Guruge

June 15, 2020  

A Modern Day ‘Sistine Ceiling’ Starts To Take Shape.

by Anura Guruge

Click to ENLARGE.

OK, it is a wall rather than a ceiling, & it is paint as opposed to a fresco. Plus, Michelangelo had at least 35-years on her.

I named ‘her’ (though I did NOT know whether it was a he or she at the time) after the great Titian 6-months BEFORE she was born. True, Titian was not much into large scale works but I am sure he would have approved. I couldn’t go with ‘Michelangelo’ because it had to be BOTH unisex & subtle. Hence, Teischan.

All the walls in her room are painted. They tell a story!

She is now branching out. This is a wall in the family room! It is HER house. I can’t sell it. She wants it the way it is. She moved here when she was 1. Only house she remembers. Only house she has lived in since she was 1. It is hers! So, she can do what she wants. No. No. No. She is not indulged. And heaven forbid, she is definitely not spoilt. SMILE.

I have permission to take pictures of this wall! I can’t post pictures of her other walls. She doesn’t want the world to see them. It is her story, her walls.

I have to buy the paint. So, this is how she is going to pay me: “you can take pictures of the wall“!

So, stay tuned. She is still waiting on 8 colors. 3 came today (Sunday). It will take some time before this is finished.

P.S., I was just thinking as I took this picture. If only Michelangelo had had 1,500W lighting rather than candles.

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by Anura Guruge

September 16, 2018  

“Robert Dorr”, The Concord Embroiderist — A Modern Artistic Master.

by Anura Guruge

NO post-processing whatsoever.

Click pictures to ENLARGE.

Attribution WILL be enforced.





That I named my daughter after the Italian Great ‘Titian’ might be a clue that I am ‘into’ art. I, furthermore, have been lucky enough to know quite a few artists, of varied ilk, from around the world, over my long life — with at least one of them, David Shepherd (1931 – 2017), quite famous (with astounding commercial success to boot).

So, it was a tremendous, serendipitous, joy to meet an undoubted master — deservedly famous and successful — in Concord, New Hampshire yesterday, at the ‘Kimball Jenkins’ School of Art, 20th Birthday, Open House. That Master was Robert Dorr — Master Embroiderist who also does mixed media, pottery and weaving.

Though I have lived with inveterate embroiders, some of whom were quite proficient, until I had the honor of meeting Robert yesterday I had never thought of it as a bona fide PURE ART — up there among the best. I was blown away. Some of his pieces involve thousands (or more) hours of work. Though it crossed my mind that it may be sacrilegious, his talent, labor and dedication reminded me of my idol Michelangelo! Da Vinci never had the patience.

Yes, I was delighted to hear that his work, deservedly, commands good prices from museums – and I also learnt that there are embroidery-specific museums. Wow. Made my week!

Though he was new to us, he is well known and celebrated in New Hampshire — a longstanding member of the ‘NH League of Craftsman‘. You really need to check out his work. He is on Facebook too — with quite a large following.

His Website. Click to access.

Click to access (with luck) IF ‘Pinterest’ so deems.

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by Anura Guruge

 

March 6, 2018  

Today Was The Birthday Of The GREAT Michelangelo — March 6, 1475.

by Anura Guruge

In my opinion, the GREATEST ARTIST EVER.

Excelled in multiple fields.

A sobering and inspiring life.

He really devoted his life to his work. No real family life or love. He suffered.

I think of him in time of adversity.

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by Anura Guruge

August 27, 2017  

Titian, THE GREAT Renaissance Artist, After Whom My ‘Teischan’ Is Named, Died This Day 441-Years Ago; August 27, 1576.

by Anura Guruge

Click to ENLARGE and read. Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titian

Tiziano Vecellio, Titian, suffice to say is one of my all time favorite artists. There are 5 Italian Renaissance artist that I consider DIVINE and beyond compare: Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Sandro Botticelli & Da Vinci.

When I learned in 2005 that we were going to have a baby I wanted the baby to be named after ONE of these five GREATS — albeit with a unisex name since I do not believe in learning about a baby’s gender before they are born. That I picked Titian in the end speaks volume. As far as I am concerned he was the ‘most normal‘ of the five in terms of ‘family values‘ plus I like the range and variety of his work. As I tell people, I, however, faced a problem with the name ‘Titian’. I did NOT want a child whose name began with ‘Tit’. I knew that they would NOT thank me for that. Hence, Teischan — ideally pronounced as close to Titian. Plus, teischan.com was readily available and I had registered it 4-months ahead of her birth. I had the Website up and running, with pictures of her birth, 12-hours after she was born — on the same day.

A framed copy of this Titian classic has hung in Teischan’s room ever since she was born.

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by Anura Guruge

May 17, 2017  

The Unquestionably Divine Sandro Botticelli Died This Day 507 Years Ago — On May 17, 1510.

by Anura Guruge

A good overview IF you are not that familiar with him.

Click to ENLARGE and read here. Wikipedia link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandro_Botticelli

Indubitably one of my favorite artists of all time and across all genres. He was magical. In my book one of five GIANTS of the Renaissance, the other four being: Michelangelo, Titian, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael.

His paintings are so timeless and mesmerizing. What a talent?

What an age that was. All these great artist, all in Italy, more or less at the same time.

Just spare a thought. He died over 500 year ago. 500 years!

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by Anura Guruge

May 2, 2017  

Leonardo da Vinci, The Incomparable, Died This Day 498-Years Ago; May 2, 1519.

by Anura Guruge

A quick 3:40 minute review of SOME of his work.

Two of MY personal favorites.

Click to ENLARGE and read here. Wikipedia link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci

What an incredibly amazing, incredible and COMPLICATED man. This was true genius.

He died too early, 67. His arch nemesis, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, lived to be 88. IF only Leonardo had another 20-years.

He, to be honest, is NOT my favorite Renaissance Great, BUT I have enormous respect and fondness for him.

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by Anura Guruge

March 6, 2017  

Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Greatest Artist EVER, Was Born Today, 542-Years Ago — March 6, 1475.

by Anura Guruge

What an AMAZING man.

Incomparable and unlikely to ever be matched let alone bettered.

I think of him when I seek inspiration and consolation for toil.

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni you were A MAN.

Thank YOU.

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by Anura Guruge

December 12, 2016  

Meditation For The Day — Step Into The Sandals Of The Figure In The Foreground.

by Anura Guruge

athens

Click to ENLARGE, study and ponder.

That thinker in the foreground, meant to be Greek philosopher Heraclitus, is thought to be likeness of fellow, contemporary great, Michelangelo of Sistine Chapel fame.

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by Anura Guruge

July 22, 2013  

Irving Stone’s Monumental ‘Men To Match My Mountains’ Sure Worth Reading To Appreciate The Opening Of The U.S. Far West.

Anura Guruge, June 8, 2013.
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.by Anura Guruge

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To say that I am a slavishly devoted fan of Irving Stone does not still adequately capture my deep emotional connection with this magical author’s writings.

Two of my all time favorite books are by Irving: ‘The Agony and the Ecstasy‘ (Michelangelo) & ‘The Origin‘ (Charles Darwin). Both these books made such an impact on me that I could even claim that they were life influencing.

Ditto with ‘Men to Match My Mountains‘. As with books by John Irving (funny that two of my most favorite authors are both ‘Irving’), James Michener et. al. I pick up any Irving Stone books that I encounter. So I know that I have had this book for over 15 years! I was always waiting for the right time to read it. I had read Michener’s ‘Centennial‘, about Colorado, earlier in the year. Since I did not grow up in the U.S. my knowledge of U.S. history has huge gaping gaps. I really had no idea as to the history of Colorado and was fascinated by Michener’s incomparably related narrative. I wanted to learn more. So I knew that it was getting time to read ‘Men to Match my Mountains’. I started reading it, appropriately, during our April trip to the Grand Canyon (though this book only deals with California, Nevada, Colorado & Utah).

The book is mind blowing. I learnt so much. So many characters. So many well known names, Stanford, Huntington, Fremont etc. that I was not aware of the backgrounds. I never realized the epic adventure of building the ‘Central Pacific Railroad‘. Though I have a fairly good collection of books on trains I was devastated to realize I really didn’t have any decent books on the building of this railway. That has been rectified. I bought two books. I had never heard of Hubert Howe Bancroft. I can sure relate to him.

So this book was, yet again, as with the other two Stone books, life altering for me. I now have an appreciation, tentative as it may be, as to how the Far West came to be — and cowboys really don’t play a big part in that.

If you are interested in the history of the Far West you can’t go far wrong by starting with this book. Obviously, Irving does not need endorsements from me. He is a true legend. I am, yet again, in his debt.

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