Fogging the Looking Glass

I grew up in the fifties and the early sixties. It was actually quite a wonderful time to come of age, and I've always felt a bit sorry for those only a few years younger who had to navigate their way as adolescents through the turmoil and the stupidity of the late sixties and the decade that followed.

From 1962 to 1967 I was a student at Georgetown University for one year and then at the Naval Academy for four more. After graduation I spent almost 18 months as a student Navy pilot in Pensacola. Dear Diane and I were married in late 1968 and I was then assigned to my first squadron in San Diego which I joined in 1969.

It was a busy time. Still in our twenties, we considered ourselves adults and lived adult lives. We were not the spoiled, rebellious children who despised their country while living off the largesse of working parents. Although my involvement in the war in Vietnam was minimal and certainly nothing heroic, I willingly flew into harm's way because it was my duty to do so and because I believed we had an obligation to defend an ally from the predations of totalitarian, atheistic communism. I considered our military involvement in Vietnam to be honorable -- and still do -- but I also believe it was a war foolishly waged by incompetent politicians of both parties who believed they were military strategists and by generals and admirals who acted like politicians. I blame them all for the deaths of so many friends. Throughout it all, or perhaps because of it all, I kept my faith.

It's that faith that keeps me going today by helping me place all the world's happenings in perspective. Even in the midst of rapid societal decline, I find myself laughing at the insanity that so many take so very seriously. For example, every so often I encounter odd stories in the news, particularly stories about religion, that amaze me. I realize I shouldn't be amazed since the world has become very odd indeed, but I can't help myself. I suppose my amazement stems from my upbringing in what can only be described as a fairly stable family environment at a time when it was normal to have faith, when virtue was prized, and when most people accepted that sin was real.

Here's a sampling of some recent stories that caught my eye:

Jesus Mentally Ill? The Church of England continues to surprise. It seems they prepared a suggested sermon for Anglican clerics who want to address mental illness and the stigma sometimes associated with it. The proposed sermon names John the Baptist, St.Francis of Assisi, St. Paul, and even Jesus as people who may well have suffered from mental illness. This just confirms what so many in our society now believe: Christians are obviously crazy. Read more here, if you can stomach it.

President as Crucified Lord and Savior? These two stories absolutely floored me. I realize that those who like the president are somewhat prone to hyperbole, but one can take such rhetorical emphasis to the extreme and beyond. Perhaps the more disturbing of the two stories relates to a painting, "The Truth", by Boston artist Michael D'Antuono and currently on display at Bunker Hill Community College Art Gallery. The painting depicts President Obama standing in front of his presidential seal with his arms outstretched and wearing a crown of thorns. See below...

 You can read more about this remarkable piece of art here.

The second and similar story is almost as disturbing and relates to actor Jamie Foxx, who at the Soul Train Music Awards made a rather curious and blasphemous statement when he said, "First of all, give an honor to God and our lord and savior Barack Obama..." You can read more about it here. I've included a video below...

The Holy Family as an Alternative Lifestyle. MSNBC offers its audience a steady stream of surprising commentary. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving MSNBC weekend anchor Melissa Harris-Perry, in an attempt to provide examples of alternative family lifestyles that should be cherished by our society, used the Holy Family as an example when she stated that “even Jesus was born to an un-wed mom and raised by a doting stepfather.” Wow!

You can check out her comments by viewing the video here.

Islamists Just Love Killing Jews. Hamas...you know, that's the terrorist organization that the Gaza Palestinians voted into power a few years ago. (Way to go, Palestinians!!) Hamas is the same peace-loving group that began the recent conflict by launching hundreds of deadly rockets into Israel because...well, just because they wanted to kill as many Jews as possible.They're also the same terrorist organization that the new Muslim Brotherhood dominated government of Egypt supports 100%. Now, just in case you think I exaggerate, here's what their official TV station had to say on the subject of Israel and its Jewish citizens:

“Bless [Hamas'] Al-Qassam men, guardians of Palestine. Oh pride of Salah Shahada, oh wisdom of Immad [Aqel] (Hamas leaders killed by Israel), [Oh] the explosives of [Yahya] Ayyash, (Hamas bomb maker killed by Israel), Martyrdom, [oh] lovers of the trigger: Killing the occupiers is worship that Allah made into law. (Arabic text: “Killing Jews is worship that draws us close to Allah”). Arise, oh determined men. The color of [the Martyr's] blood protects the land. Oh masked one wearing a keffiyeh (Arab head scarf), terrifying the Jews…call out in Zionism’s face: ‘Muhammad’s army has begun to return.’”

Don't you just love it? Killing Jews becomes an act of worship. And you wonder why so many Muslim leaders were avid allies of Hitler's Nazi Germany during World War Two. See the video below:

I think that's enough for today. Any more and I might have to scream. My neighbors wouldn't understand.

Oh, yes, Dear Diane and I leave soon for a brief vacation -- visiting friends and a Caribbean cruise. I've already packed the books I intend to read while sitting in my deck chair.

Pax et bonum.

Art Restoration

My first visit to the SistineChapel was in the year 2000, several years after the remarkable restoration of Michelangelo's work had been completed. I can recall the moment when Dear Diane and I first stepped through the doorway and tried to take in the overwhelming beauty of that work. It was truly breathtaking. I remember thinking that what we saw, all 5,000 square feet of it, was pretty much was Pope Julius II saw when the frescoes were finally finished after four years of work by the master. The restoration, accomplished by some of the best experts in the field, actually required 12 years to complete, which says much about the poor condition of the frescoes after nearly 500 years.



Unfortunately, all restorations are not handled quite so professionally. The other day I came across an article describing the "unofficial" restoration of a fresco in the church of Santuario de la Misericordia in Borja, Spain. The fresco, "Ecce Homo" (Behold the Man), which depicts Jesus crowned with thorns, had suffered damage over the years due largely to flaking as a result of moisture in the church walls. It seems a local parishioner, an elderly woman, decided to undertake its restoration with less than desirable results. The photos below show the fresco as it originally looked, in it's damaged state, and after its "restoration". One hopes it can be repaired.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A 17-minute Stroll Through Contemporary Art

A bit of a change of pace today...

I tend to be an overly critical and cautious observer when it comes to contemporary art. I'll admit to a partiality toward some abstract art in which the artist's use of color and shape fascinates me. But these are exceptions. I actually find too much of contemporary art to be beyond comprehension -- at least beyond my comprehension -- and some to be so transparently fraudulent that it's hard to believe so many otherwise intelligent people are taken in by the artists' little jokes on the world. And then just when I'm all jaded and yearning for a double shot of realism, I encounter an artist whose work almost knocks me off my feet. For example, this happened decades ago when I first saw a late period Picasso in a museum. As much as I wanted to dislike him and his art, I found Picasso's work remarkable. The same is true of some other early contemporaries, like Dali or Miró or Chagall. And there are certainly many of the more contemporary contemporaries that intrigue me when I stumble across their work in a gallery or museum. But I must admit, I haven't paid much attention to the current scene in contemporary art, although I do take in the occasional museum exhibition just to see the kind of art that's being produced these days. I guess what I'm saying is I'm far from being a competent judge.

And then yesterday a friend sent me a link to a remarkable video presentation by an American artist, Sean Hembrey. I won't spoil it by revealing the details of his stroll through the world of contemporary art, but it's interesting, entertaining, and really pretty funny. One quickly comes to appreciate the genius of this young man from the backwoods of Arkansas. Regardless of your opinion of contemporary art (unless you're a total Philistine), I can promise you'll enjoy the video...17 minutes well spent.

If, after viewing the video, you'd like to see more of Sean Hembrey's work -- his "international biennial" which he has entitled, "Seek" -- click here: Seek by Sean Hembrey.

Dali, Gross, Chagall, Matisse, Raphael, Convents and Miracles

I'm not a great collector of fine art, primarily because I can't afford to be. But I do have several wonderful signed prints that hang on our walls where I can enjoy them every day. 

"Piccarda Donati" by Salvatore Dali

The first is a print from a wood engraving of one of Salvatore Dali's series of 101 water colors depicting events in Dante's Divine Comedy. This particular print is of Piccarda Donati, the sister of one of Dante's friends and the first person he encounters in Paradise. Indeed, she is the only heavenly character Dante recognizes, and even then it takes him a while. The glorified bodies of the saints are so completely different, so much more beautiful than their earthly bodies, that they are difficult to recognize. It is during this encounter that Piccarda teaches Dante a lesson in saintliness. When he asks if she does not long to be at a higher place in heaven, she tells him that she wants only what God wants, that His will is her will, and so she is perfectly content to be where she is. Whenever I pass by this print, I make an effort to remember that lesson myself, and remain content with my place in the world that I trust reflects God's will for me.

I also have a print by the late Jewish artist, Chaim Gross. Born in Austria, Gross emigrated to the US as a teenager in 1921. Known more for his sculpture than for his paintings he became quite famous for his wood sculptures which I'm pretty sure I could never afford. He also taught printmaking and sculpture and, I believe, spent his later years as an artist in Provincetown, Massachusetts on Cape Cod, where he died in 1991 at the age of 87. This large signed and numbered print -- "In Front of the Ark"-- is among my favorites because of the aura of holiness it presents. Whenever I look at it, I can't help but recall that command to Moses as he approached the burning bush, "Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."

"In Front of the Ark" by Chaim Gross

Another print hanging on our walls is a signed print by Marc Chagall. It's a rough sketch of his "Tribe of Joseph", one of twelve windows representing the twelve tribes of Israel that Chagall designed for the Synagogue of the Hadassa at the Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem. I particularly like the description of Joseph that accompanies the print:

Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. The archers fiercely attacked him; they shot at him and pressed him hard. Yet his bow remained taut, and his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, by the God of your father, who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father are stronger than the blessings of the eternal mountains, the bounties of the everlasting hills; may they be on the head of Joseph, on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers. (Gen. 49:22-26)

All of this came to mind this morning when I read two fascinating stories published on EWTN's website on June 23. The first tells of Henri Matisse and his last major work which involved the construction of the Dominican convent at Vence in southeastern France. The second, which immediately follows the first on the linked page, relates the story of the Renaissance artist Raphael's painting memorializing the Eucharistic miracle at Bolsena. Read them both here: Surprise in the Vatican Museums & Church of the Eucharist 

Art and Less Art

And you thought the United States had a monopoly on hateful, amoral, misanthropic artists. Robert Mapplethorpe comes to mind, but he's just one of many whom the critics love. It seems, however, that the once-Catholic nation of Brazil has produced an artist by the name of Gil Vicente who is at the  center of a minor artistic firestorm in Sao Paulo. The College of Lawyers of Brazil are demanding that Vicente's artwork be banned from a 2010 Sao Paulo biennial celebration, a demand strongly resisted by the celebration's organizers.

Vicente, you see, has created a series of nine large charcoal drawings entitled "Enemies." These works of art are apparently self-portraits that depict the artist in the act of assassinating various world leaders including Pope Benedict XVI, George Bush, Brazil's president Lula da Silva, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and others. According to Vicente, these world leaders "kill so many people, killing them would be doing a favor, you see? Why don’t the elite and people in power die?” A pleasant fellow, Mr. Vicente. He is shown below posing in front of several of his assassination drawings.

Vicente posing in front of several of his "Enemies" drawings

As you can see by the above photo, Vicente's artwork, which he certainly intended to be disturbing, is also of only mediocre quality. But in today's art world talent and quality are always trumped by political correctness and leftist politics. I'm pretty sure that Michelangelo, da Vinci, Monet,or any truly talented artist would be ignored by today's politicized art world. And so, instead of the work of the descendants of yesterday's great masters, we get poorly drawn charcoals of an artist killing famous people he dislikes.

Oh, by the way, Vicente is selling the entire set of nine drawings for a mere $250,000. You'll need a lot of wall space though. You can read more about his work here.