n.c. wyeth

bonus:
while still on the subject of artworks, a painting by NC Wyeth called "the giant":

click on image to view giant giantly

winslow homer

i am not a big fan of winslow homer. his paintings (mostly watercolor) and techniques seem the same to me, the same contrast between light and dark, the same landscape/marine theme, as if once you've examined one painting, you've examine them all. there aren't a lot of narratives in them, and i think his paintings fit better when the subject matter sits still and moody and introspective, instead of a pause in the action.

homer is also imperfect in his works. in "the wall at nassau" for instance, he changed his mind mid-painting and scrapped a significant portion of the canvass to eliminate two other boys sitting on the wall. but he did the scrapping-out so casually that you can still clearly notice the painted-over portion. it wasn't until after i saw his few other paintings that i realized homer was ACTUALLY trying to paint imperfectly, that his focus was to draw our attention to some little details of that particular work, and not the bigger picture.

with that as your background info, i present you some of winslow homer's works that i liked best:

the first, finished in 1877, is called "the new novel." it's watercolor on BIG canvass. include, also, is a closer view of the painting.



notice how soft her hands were, how flushed her face, how rapt her attention. notice also the use of contrasting deep red color against the lighter red, employed very sparingly, on her coat on her book on her lips especially, as if luring our eyes there. (the red on lips is the "little things" i mention before.) now, if i were in 18th century, being myself big dork and sappy nerd, seeing a girl relishing a quiet moment immersed in a book, - i'd totally be in love with her...

next is called "the andirondak guide."


as you can see, it's very pretty. hehe. (i dunno how else to comment on it.)

there's also another painting, called "the fisherman" (i think... - coz i can't find an image of the painting anywhere on the internet.) it's oil on medium-size canvass, of a semi-closeup of a old fisherman in his little boat on a little lake, looking back at us. the most fascinating about that particular piece, its "little detail", is the glint in the fisherman's eye. homer painted the whole thing on bright white canvass, and then later used a sharp knife to poke a very very tiny yet noticeable enough hole on the fisherman's eye (he reportedly spent a lot of time on this tiny detail, fussing about the right sharpness of the knife, and what enough pressure to place on it), revealing a startlingly bright glint.

i remember standing in front of the painting for a long time, just looking at the eyes, mesmerized by the glint.

i came back home that night, exhausted from my five-hour excursion of the arts institute, but feeling awed, inspired, fulfilled.

if only i can convince a girl to tag along with me...

(i went to Paradise and touched the face of angels, but i hold no one's hands to share the joy with...)

edward hopper

finally went to see the hopper&homer exhibition last weekend at the arts institute. five hours of divine bliss...

i won't pretend to be an art critic - i can't draw chickenscratch to save my own life, so sad - but here i submit some of the featured works of edward hopper and winslow homer, the few paintings that caught my awe, with a little commentary of my own:

(i must also inform you that these images do not do the paintings justice; for seeing the paintings naked on their own canvasses, your eyes tracing the brushstrokes, noticing the subtle shades and play of light, and your mind swimming in the narrative within; - to stand in front of these paintings themselves is a delight pure and true.)

ok, first off: edward hopper's most well-known work, his most celebrated, called "The Nighthawks":

The Nighthawks (1942) - click to view larger image

Critical studies of the painting often point to the typical observation: the contrast between the eerie bright (newly introduced, in 1942) flourescent light and the dark evening, the quietness in the characters, the sense of entrapment, the feeling of emptiness, the somber mood. hopper himself said that "unconsciously, probably, I was painting the loneliness of a large city." a better understanding of the painting might be helped by knowing this fact (which, curiously, wasn't mentioned at the exhibit): hopper painted this after the bombing at pearl harbor when lights-out law was in effect. hence a diner spilled with light suggested a sense of defiant hope, even if manifested by few, and in grim silence.

Next, "A New York Movie":

New York Movie (1939) - click to view larger image

My fascination with this painting is how hopper did it off-center, with the movie screen scarcely visible, and in a plush decorated velvety brass-polished theater stands the usher - aloof, alone, in a world of her own.


And finally, "A Room In New York":

A Room In New York (1932) - click to view larger image

it is night, we notice, us passers-by, as we glance into their window in this captured time. she is in her evening gown, perhaps to a dinner party. but he just sits, in his work clothes yet, skimming the headlines (or pretending to?), paying her no heed. she seems resign to wait for him to say something, anything!, as she pauses atop a piano note, wanting to break the uncomfortable silence. or perhaps she already did. is he annoyed? can you hear her, restless, touching the same note, again and again?

fascinating, yes? *smileee*
(gee-whiz i'm such a dork...)

for samples of hopper's other works, click here.
enjoy!

the boot anecdote

Did you hear about the Texas teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put on his cowboy boots?

He asked for help and she could see why. Even with her pulling and him pushing, the little boots still didn’t want to go on.

Finally, when the second boot was on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost cried when the little boy said, “Teacher, they’re on the wrong feet.” She looked and sure enough, they were. It wasn’t any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on.

She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on - this time on the right feet. He then announced, “These aren’t my boots.”

She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, “why didn’t you say so?” like she wanted to. And, once again she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off his little feet. No sooner had they got the boots off when he said, “They’re my brother’s boots. My Mom made me wear ‘em.”

Now she didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. But she mustered up the grace and courage she had left to wrestle the boots on his feet again.

Helping him into his coat, she asked, “Now, where are your mittens?”

He said, “I stuffed ‘em in the toes of my boots.”

Her trial starts next month.

Promise, Guys!

Promises Guys Must Keep
By Jennifer Benjamin, from MSN Lifestyle

When you tell her you'll do something, she assumes you mean it. And slacking won't just piss her off, it may make her doubt your word in the future. So do both of you a big favor and follow through on the phrases below.



"I'll call you right back.
We know how it is: You're talking to your girlfriend when you get hungry. You tell her you're going to make a sandwich but reassure her that you'll phone once you're done eating. Flash forward two hours: The sandwich is long gone, and you're engaged in a bloodbath on your PS2. Meanwhile, she's wondering where the hell you are. "When you tell her you'll call right back, assume she's thinking it'll be about five minutes," says psychotherapist Robert Mark Alter, author of It's (Mostly) His Fault. If you know it'll be two hours, say, "I have to deal with a few things; can I call you later?"

"I'll take care of it."
You're a busy guy, and you may have more important stuff to do than fix a leaky faucet in your beloved's bathroom. But when she asks for help and you agree, she's counting on you to get the job done. "Women these days are independent and don't like having to ask for anything," says Bobbie Reid, author of Clueless. "When you don't take care of it, she has to keep bugging you, which makes her feel like a nag."

So the next time she makes a request that you can't get to right away, Reid suggests telling her that you'll totally be able to take a look at it, but not until a specific day the next week. That way, she won't keep asking, and you won't be the ass who never did what he said.

"We should go there."
Making plans tends to be more of a woman's forte, which is why it means so much when you come up with a cool date idea of your own. That's also why it can be a major letdown when you don't follow through. "By suggesting it, she assumes you're now going to make all the arrangements, and that makes her feel special," says Alter. So the next time you mention trying that new Moroccan restaurant, make a reservation or tack on the addendum "...just remind me."

"I'll be there at seven."
Okay, admittedly women aren't always ready when they say they'll be. Still, there's an expectation that if you tell a girl you'll be showing up at a certain time, you'll be there. "Being late is inconsiderate and makes her feel like you don't care about seeing her," says Reid. So if you're going to be tardy for a legit reason (like your boss has you chained to your desk), call! She's a lot less likely to bitch if you give her a heads-up.

V-Day Sins

The Biggest V-Day Sins Guys Commit
from Cosmopolitan

Ahhh, February 14. Hearts and roses, reservations and red lingerie. Sounds romantic, but let's get real here, ladies: V-Day can be anything but victorious. And who do we have to thank for that? M-E-N. Okay, besides the three guys on earth who come up with creative dinner ideas and adorable trips in advance (and honey, if you have one, hold on like a glove to a ski tow), most of the male species disappoints.

From terrible gifts to a sudden case of amnesia (wait, wasn't today, uh, Lincoln's birthday or something?), many of us are left hanging … even those of us who think Valentine's is the cheesiest day of the year. Read on for more cringeworthy moves.

1. Saying he doesn't believe in hokey commercial holidays two seconds after you've given him a cute card.

2. Telling you, "God, we're never going to be able to get a dinner reservation tonight because it's stupid Valentine's Day."

3. Giving you supermarket flowers.

4. Confiding to you at a Valentine's singles party that the only thing he finds appetizing are the free red martinis.

5. E-mailing you the morning of the 14th to say, "Hey, so what are you up to tonight?" He's not asking you out, just wondering if you'll be out with someone else.

6. Taking you to a fast-food drive-through, then renting Basic Instinct and inviting you back to his shady apartment to watch it with his roommate.

7. Handing you a rose cast in gold because "This flower won't die. Just like my feelings for you will never die, baby."

8. Making you a lame heart-shaped card cut from notebook paper with "IOU one gift" written on it.

9. Insisting on treating you to a lavish dinner and ordering tons of appetizers, the priciest entrée and two bottles of wine (most of which he drinks). Then when the bill comes, Loverboy asks if you can throw in, say, 80 bucks or so.

10. Setting tentative plans but not telling you exactly what time he's picking you up or where you're going. Then — surprise! — at 9:45, he tells you he's stuck at work, then says, "You're not mad, are you?"

11. Then telling you before he hangs up, "Look, I really wanna make it up to you," but not bothering to nail down a date.

12. Dumping you the day before because he didn't want to torment you by going through the motions. (At least you could've gotten one last fancy meal out of the deal.)

13. Buying you chocolates the day after V-Day because the prices were slashed.

14. Giving you ghastly mall-rat jewelry that you saw on his sister the week before.

15. Having sex with you, then crying afterward because his ex-girlfriend Mandy broke up with him last Valentine's Day.

16. Waiting until February 13 to make plans with you because, hey, you're his girlfriend and he knows he's getting lucky either way.

17. Taking you anywhere that serves two-for-one meals.

18. Sending you carnations with baby's breath and plastic freestanding heart ornaments that are so ugly, you have to do an Edward Scissorhands on them before you can put them on your desk at work.

19. Wearing a Cupid costume.

20. Inviting you out for an evening with him … and his mother.

and the kids say...

Children's Thoughts on Love

"I think you're supposed to get shot with an arrow or something,
but the rest of it isn't supposed to be so painful."
... Manuel, age 8

"Love is the most important thing in the world,
but baseball is pretty good too."
...Greg, age 8

"No one is sure why it happens, but I heard it has something to do
with how you smell...that's why perfume and deodorant is so popular."
...Mae, age 9

"One way is to take the girl out to eat. Make sure it's something
she likes to eat. French fries usually works for me."
... Bart, age 9

"Don't do things like have smelly, green sneakers. You might
get attention, but attention ain't the same thing as love."
... Alonzo, age 9 "

When a person gets kissed for the first time, they fall down
and they don't get up for at least an hour."
... Wendy, age 8

"If you want to be loved by somebody who isn't
already in your family, it doesn't hurt to be beautiful."
...Anita, age 8

"I look at kissing like this: Kissing is fine if you like it,
but it's a free country and nobody should be forced to do it."
...Michael, age 8

"Don't say you love somebody and then change your mind ...
Love isn't like picking what movie you want to watch."
... Natalie, age 9

"I'm not rushing into being in love.
I'm finding fourth grade hard enough."
...Regina, age 10

love & valentine

The Time I've lost in wooing,
In watching and pursuing
The light that lies
In women's eyes
Has been my heart's undoing.
~ Thomas Moore



I can't be with you
So all I will do is sleep.
Please don't wake me up from this dream
For it's all of you that I can keep...
~ unknown



"When I saw you I fell in love. And you smiled because you knew."
- Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet



"If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If however your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you, you have bewitched me body and soul and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on."
~ Pride and Prejudice



Valentine, O, Valentine,
I'll be your love and you'll be mine.
We'll care for each other, rain or fine,
and in 90 years we'll be 99.
~ Ian Serraillier



... here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)...
~ e.e. cummings



Do you love me because I am beautiful,
or am I beautiful because you love me?
~ Cinderella, by Oscar Hammerstein II



"LOVE: The irresistable desire to be irresistibly desired."
~ Robert Frost



I love you not only for what you are,
but for what I am, when I am with you
~ Elizabeth Barret Browning



Pains of love be sweeter far
Than any other pleasures are.
~ John Dryden



Love is a wild bird that no one can tame
It's useless to chase it
If it won't play the game
~ From the opera Carmen



"Because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have."
~ Unknown



"That thing, that moment, when you kiss someone and everything around you becomes hazy and the only thing in focus is you and that person. And you realize that person is the only person you're supposed to kiss for the rest of your life. And for one moment you get this amazing gift and you want to laugh and you want to cry, because you feel so lucky that you found it and so scared that it will go away all at the same time."
- from Never Been Kissed



The mark of a true crush
Is that you fall in love first
And grope for reasons afterward
- Shana Alexander



"I've realized why I hate you. It's not because of what you did or did not do. That's actually only a very little part of it. It's the fact that I could be sitting here, thinking of nothing and you pop into my head. There's so many memories involving you. We shared so much. And I guess, ever since that has been over, ever since we stopped sharing it, I've been hurt. It's not the bad memories, either, that hurt me. It's the good ones, that happy ones. The ones that remind me that there was something between us. That at one point I truly DID love you. That between the two of us, we ruined something great..."
~ Unknown



The night has a thousand eyes, And the day but one;
Yet the light of the bright world dies, With the dying sun.
The mind has a thousand eyes, And the heart but one;
Yet the light of a whole life dies, When love is done.
~ Francis W. Bourdillon



"...and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes."
~ James Joyce, Molly Bloom's Soliloquy, Final Chapter

Let's take a vacation
From the sordid ramifications
On the television Station.
I`ll treat you royal
My passions boil.
We'll be mysterious.
I yearn delirious!
I`ll make good food to eat.
And for dessert
A special treat.
Loving Kisses,
Hot and Sweet.
We'll play awhile and smile.
~ unknown

"The decision to kiss for the first time is the most crucial in any love story. It changes the relationship of two people much more strongly than even the final surrender; because this kiss already has within it that surrender."
~Emil Ludwig



I ran up the door and closed the stairs,
said my pajamas and put on my prayer,
turned off the bed and jumped into the light
...all because you kissed me goodnight.
~ Unknown



To one I truly adore -
Never else, never less,
Never so much more.
~ valentine note, to ms pujaan hati