The city has regular free days at the museums. Before Covid changed everything, I took advantage regularly
Over the years, I have seen 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘵, 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘥 (can't recall the real name) and 𝘖𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺, all at the Art Institute of Chicago...
It is hard to explain just how vibrant, vivid and affecting viewing such work is...
The pitched and passionate discussions with nearly complete strangers the only thing in common is standing in front of a painting are also not to be separated from the experience.
I viewed a display of Magritte's work at the Musée d'Orsay a while back. Individually, his work is interesting. It looses something when seen one after the other though. I felt the same way about Salvador Dalí. I suspect the problem is me. Just too jaded to enjoy abundance. Maintenant, sortez de ma pelouse.
They had a Magritte exhibit at the little Rice Museum in Houston when I lived there thanks almost entirely to Dominique de Menil's patronage. It was mindblowing to be able to get that close up and personal with so many of his works.
They made a sort of maze that you walked through from beginning to end in order to accommodate all the artworks in that space. This was before the Menil Museum was a thing yet.
I heard a story once of Dominique guest lecturing at an art history class and at one point, instead of showing a slide, she pulled a Picasso out of a shopping bag to show to the class.
I have been enthralled by Magritte's work since I first contemplated it in an art history class I took in college. His [EDITED to correct half asleep misgender mistake for which I should be whipped] still life perspectives fascinate me.
Thank you once again, digital artist extraordinaire.
I have been in and out of a light doze all night and am not at all well rested again. Thus I am likely to experience moments of moranacy of most embarrassing depths.
Actually I'm starting to get used to the intermittent stupids.
I wish I'd been being a clever smart ass, but I just had another rough night. At least since paul isn't working tomorrow I can creep in here and actually join the early morning fun. Night before last I came in here and silently did some research and sought to clarify some news reports but I didn't want to be banging on this stupid keyboard while he was sleeping.
Why I worry about this I really don't know, I must just be inordinately polite. The man sleeps the sleep of the DEAD and absolutely nothing seems to stir him. My light tapping of the keyboard probably wouldn't disturb him, but I don't want to take the risk. It seems very inconsiderate.
Lana starts to cut a priceless piece of art from its frame and Sterling Archer freaks out. "This is how you steal art! You quote Steve McQueen in your sleep!"
Hatred and violence are things I eschew from my life to the best of my ability. No violent movies or shows, don't want to see hurting and suffering. Oh that was only an alien or any other deus ex machina that got killed? Fuck you. Killing is killing. It's representative and you're lying to yourself if you think otherwise.
I know several moms in the Central Bucks school district, friends of mine with kids, who are not putting up with this bullshit anymore and will be 86ing a bunch of retrograde board members at the next election in November. You love to see it!
"Russia may have economic or energy problems, but authorities understand what to do — Putin"
After 18 months of pretending the economy's just dandy and everything's under control (since the omniscient Russian leadership obviously anticipated that its 3-day victory stroll would turn into a years-long slog), this sounds like the really bad news are just around the corner.
He confuses me. He's done some really good things, and yet he's killed A LOT of good bills that needed to be passed. I'm not sure what is motivating his actions, but he's not a favorite of mine.
The Tetris thing is interesting to me - in part because while I didn't use it to heal from a car crash, I did for a time retreat to the very Tetris they reference (400x640 resolution, 256 colors, English subtitles over the original Cyrillic text, all floating over a pixelated background depicting onion domes and other Russian landmarks). My then-girlfriend was going through some severe mental health issues, money was fucked up, kid's dad was being a louse, etc. etc. etc.
Sitting in front of that silly game helped. Playing solitaire helped too. In both, there was a welcome rhythm and regularity. And I was sorting things, ordering them out of chaos.
Yes, I dreamed Tetris for weeks - it worked its way into my dreamlife in odd background ways: the arrangement of a town, the background of a scene, occasionally actually playing the game in my sleep. I wondered at times if it was a secret Russian operation to shape our minds, but mostly found it comforting and reassuring.
It certainly helped my dad. When he was in the hospital dying from liver cancer, I gave him a Gameboy with Tetris, and all the Gary Larson Far Side books, he loved that stuff. He really liked playing Tetris.
Is French girls' self care a cigarette and a nap? A croissant, a bottle of wine, and a stroll in the park? Do I have to click on the tab? I DON'T WANT TO CLICK ON THE TAB! Maybe it's coffee, a girthy baguette, and the Louvre. The only French girl I know now lives in San Francisco, so I know fuck-all about French girls.
Currently studying French because languages are a hobby, and I keep running into usage that feels wrong to me. "That's not the way I learned it in high school." So I keep having doubts that the language course is steering me wrong and that's not the way real people talk.
But in online language forums, natives confirm that is indeed how people say it.
It finally dawned on me that my high school French was 50 years ago and that's long enough for a language to actually change. Reason #13792 to feel old.
I have a good friend who spends Augusts in France with a family there helping their kids with their English. She gets a chance to work on her French. She threw a Zoom for her birthday and we all worked out our language skills. I spent time in Duolingo polishing my vocabulary. I had forgotten a lot of my high school French (class of 1979).
Here's the biggest surprise for me. I'm sure we all remember the "ne..." constructions like "ne... pas", "ne... rien", etc. I'm told nobody uses "ne" in conversation. It's still considered the correct form, the language courses will teach it. But nobody actually says it in spoken French.
My mother took French just before the pandemic, taking advantage of the fact that colleges (here, at least) let the oldz take courses for free. Her instructor spoke fluent French. French Canadian. Apparently, his French sounded a bit different from the French she had to listen to for practice.
I was once watching an episode of the French version of the Great British Bake Off ("Le Meilleur Pâtissier") and there was a contestant from Quebec. Occasionally they would subtitle her.
As far as I could tell with my limited French, the subtitles matched what she was saying, so maybe it was a pronunciation thing. Or maybe she was using a couple of dialect words that went by too fast for my ears.
(from the Amanda Marcotte tab about astroturf moms astroturfing school boards)
"Multiple parents said they expected their kids to leave Bucks County for college and professional careers, and were worried that the district's reshaped policies and curriculum would leave them ill-prepared for the outside world."
I can vouch for this valid parental worry. Back in the 60s and 70s I endured school in a redneck hellhole school district in Eastern New Mexico. The town "library", serving a population of 35,000 citizens, was not even as large as a single wide trailer. The high school chapter of the 'Future Farmers of America' had a student president whose family boasted of a long traditional tie to the KKK. (Mind you, by the 70s, this scion of racism did not publicly boast about this during his tenure in FAA leadership. But OUTSIDE of class and school he was boasting plenty.)
Anyway imagine my culture shock when I finally shook the dust of that place from my shoes to speedily enroll at a nice liberal arts college. (sure to get an education but mostly to avoid getting drafted into the meat grinder of Viet Nam) I met my first ever Jewish people; I learned that not every girl was that into me; I learned that BIPOC people had another side of the story I had never heard. Those were real life lessons I had to do serious remedial catch up work to learn.
Oh, BTW, I also learned that my As earned in a terrible redneck school district in Eastern New Mexico did not pass muster with professors whose PhDs were earned at serious schools back East. Not even close.
I can empathize. At the age of 18 I graduated from my shitty high school in a failed coal patch town and attended college in New Orleans. That was, to put it mildly, one hell of a culture shock.
Your header gif artist is René Magritte. I wrote up a little something about him: https://open.substack.com/pub/martiniambassador/p/rene-magritte-was-pretty-neat?r=angu9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I love that I recognize the art of René Magritte. 25 years later, still enjoying the benefits of that modern art and architecture class.
the son of man is one of my favorite paintings ever. :D
Discovered Magritte’s surrealism as a result of the Paul Simon song
I love this song so much and also love that Paul Simon even thought to write a song about René and Georgette Magritte:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lj5RgpgfPE
(I also like so much the idea that they may have named their dog "After the War" that I deliberately haven't checked so as to preserve my illusions)
Oh, my. The man in the orange jumpsuit with a hamberder face! You are inspired by the genius himself!
I'm honored!
American photographer Duane Michaels was strongly influenced by Magritte and did several portraits of him.
https://substack.com/profile/671070-paulomatic/note/c-41662548?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=edsu
Love the image of the artist regarding an egg and painting a bird! I was not familiar with that one; thanks for sharing. :)
Love me some Magritte. Also liked Paul Simon's Hearts and Bones album.
https://youtu.be/0vDAubIlYOs?si=31X3I6Z6_9eTnQin
"René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog after the War" - Paul Simon
The city has regular free days at the museums. Before Covid changed everything, I took advantage regularly
Over the years, I have seen 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘵, 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘥 (can't recall the real name) and 𝘖𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺, all at the Art Institute of Chicago...
It is hard to explain just how vibrant, vivid and affecting viewing such work is...
The pitched and passionate discussions with nearly complete strangers the only thing in common is standing in front of a painting are also not to be separated from the experience.
He intended to be provocative, so I bet he’d be pleased to see those discussions. 😃
He was certainly that.
Likely I've seen a few more, but the three I listed moved me enough to buy prints.
I just watched a video about The Lovers a couple of days ago. Love the orange jumpsuit you threw in!
Thanks. I giggled a lot making that one.
And by the way, that's a great write up that you did, too.
Thank you so much! I do put some work into them so it’s nice that they are appreciated. 😊
I wasn't aware, for instance, of his Vache period. That example you give, crazy!
I viewed a display of Magritte's work at the Musée d'Orsay a while back. Individually, his work is interesting. It looses something when seen one after the other though. I felt the same way about Salvador Dalí. I suspect the problem is me. Just too jaded to enjoy abundance. Maintenant, sortez de ma pelouse.
I went to the Dali museum in Spain 35 years ago . I was far too young to appreciate it
Abstract art is one of my favorite genres and Magritte's work immediately evokes the very best of Dali.
I have a few of Dali's works hanging on our walls but I really should augment that with a Magritte print as well.
They had a Magritte exhibit at the little Rice Museum in Houston when I lived there thanks almost entirely to Dominique de Menil's patronage. It was mindblowing to be able to get that close up and personal with so many of his works.
You know, with as many museums I’ve visited over my lifetime, I think I’ve only ever seen a handful of Magritte’s. What a treat Rice must have been.
They made a sort of maze that you walked through from beginning to end in order to accommodate all the artworks in that space. This was before the Menil Museum was a thing yet.
I heard a story once of Dominique guest lecturing at an art history class and at one point, instead of showing a slide, she pulled a Picasso out of a shopping bag to show to the class.
I have been enthralled by Magritte's work since I first contemplated it in an art history class I took in college. His [EDITED to correct half asleep misgender mistake for which I should be whipped] still life perspectives fascinate me.
Thank you once again, digital artist extraordinaire.
"her"?
ou à la Magritte?
My mistake. I know twere a fella.
I have been in and out of a light doze all night and am not at all well rested again. Thus I am likely to experience moments of moranacy of most embarrassing depths.
Actually I'm starting to get used to the intermittent stupids.
I wondered if you were doing a Skepti "ceci n'est pas une femme" thing because I know you're fucking smart
I wish I'd been being a clever smart ass, but I just had another rough night. At least since paul isn't working tomorrow I can creep in here and actually join the early morning fun. Night before last I came in here and silently did some research and sought to clarify some news reports but I didn't want to be banging on this stupid keyboard while he was sleeping.
Why I worry about this I really don't know, I must just be inordinately polite. The man sleeps the sleep of the DEAD and absolutely nothing seems to stir him. My light tapping of the keyboard probably wouldn't disturb him, but I don't want to take the risk. It seems very inconsiderate.
Mag-a-ritte! Mag-a-ritte!
Mag-a-ritte is really neat!
Mag-a-ritte is filled with meat!
We've been eating Mag-a-ritte!
(I apologize for maiming the French pronunciation, and it means nothing to people who don't know MST3K)
(also I love your writeups)
LOL
Aw, thank you darlin!
You watch MST3K as obsessively as I do. That makes me happy.
My spouse thinks I'm a bit weird.
I always loved the art theft movie The Thomas Crown Affair (both versions) - and the use of Magritte in the second one -
And the first one with one of the greatest theme songs in cinema:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXFh-mYh2dQ
Lana starts to cut a priceless piece of art from its frame and Sterling Archer freaks out. "This is how you steal art! You quote Steve McQueen in your sleep!"
Yes, 100% this!
I’m guessing you liked the one with Steve McQueen, too -
“Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting.”
That Steve McQueen? Yeah, I kinda like that fellow.
"All right, we're going to find this thing, and we're going to make people believe us." - Steve McQueen (as Steve Andrews in "The Blob".....
Steve Andrews, the 28 year old teenager.
French Girls' Self Care is Ignore Every other Woman in the Room.
Hatred and violence are things I eschew from my life to the best of my ability. No violent movies or shows, don't want to see hurting and suffering. Oh that was only an alien or any other deus ex machina that got killed? Fuck you. Killing is killing. It's representative and you're lying to yourself if you think otherwise.
I know several moms in the Central Bucks school district, friends of mine with kids, who are not putting up with this bullshit anymore and will be 86ing a bunch of retrograde board members at the next election in November. You love to see it!
I loved your tantrum the other day, it was great. I love you generally.
"Russia may have economic or energy problems, but authorities understand what to do — Putin"
After 18 months of pretending the economy's just dandy and everything's under control (since the omniscient Russian leadership obviously anticipated that its 3-day victory stroll would turn into a years-long slog), this sounds like the really bad news are just around the corner.
https://tass.com/politics/1688943
Thank you for the J-Street link. I made donations.
thank you, Rebecca for the pinned post.
What Is Going on With California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Veto Spree?
He's not running for reelection in California anymore
https://www.themarysue.com/california-governor-gavin-newsom-vetoes-important-bills-all-at-once/
I had high hopes for him as a presidential contender. I wonder if CAs financial situation is worse, or predicted to be wore, than is generally known,
He confuses me. He's done some really good things, and yet he's killed A LOT of good bills that needed to be passed. I'm not sure what is motivating his actions, but he's not a favorite of mine.
The Tetris thing is interesting to me - in part because while I didn't use it to heal from a car crash, I did for a time retreat to the very Tetris they reference (400x640 resolution, 256 colors, English subtitles over the original Cyrillic text, all floating over a pixelated background depicting onion domes and other Russian landmarks). My then-girlfriend was going through some severe mental health issues, money was fucked up, kid's dad was being a louse, etc. etc. etc.
Sitting in front of that silly game helped. Playing solitaire helped too. In both, there was a welcome rhythm and regularity. And I was sorting things, ordering them out of chaos.
Yes, I dreamed Tetris for weeks - it worked its way into my dreamlife in odd background ways: the arrangement of a town, the background of a scene, occasionally actually playing the game in my sleep. I wondered at times if it was a secret Russian operation to shape our minds, but mostly found it comforting and reassuring.
It certainly helped my dad. When he was in the hospital dying from liver cancer, I gave him a Gameboy with Tetris, and all the Gary Larson Far Side books, he loved that stuff. He really liked playing Tetris.
Is French girls' self care a cigarette and a nap? A croissant, a bottle of wine, and a stroll in the park? Do I have to click on the tab? I DON'T WANT TO CLICK ON THE TAB! Maybe it's coffee, a girthy baguette, and the Louvre. The only French girl I know now lives in San Francisco, so I know fuck-all about French girls.
Sort of triggered by the hed gif:
Currently studying French because languages are a hobby, and I keep running into usage that feels wrong to me. "That's not the way I learned it in high school." So I keep having doubts that the language course is steering me wrong and that's not the way real people talk.
But in online language forums, natives confirm that is indeed how people say it.
It finally dawned on me that my high school French was 50 years ago and that's long enough for a language to actually change. Reason #13792 to feel old.
I have a good friend who spends Augusts in France with a family there helping their kids with their English. She gets a chance to work on her French. She threw a Zoom for her birthday and we all worked out our language skills. I spent time in Duolingo polishing my vocabulary. I had forgotten a lot of my high school French (class of 1979).
Here's the biggest surprise for me. I'm sure we all remember the "ne..." constructions like "ne... pas", "ne... rien", etc. I'm told nobody uses "ne" in conversation. It's still considered the correct form, the language courses will teach it. But nobody actually says it in spoken French.
My mother took French just before the pandemic, taking advantage of the fact that colleges (here, at least) let the oldz take courses for free. Her instructor spoke fluent French. French Canadian. Apparently, his French sounded a bit different from the French she had to listen to for practice.
French in school: Bonjour, mon ami. Comment allez vous?
French in Quebec: Salut, mon chum. Comment?
French in school: Oui
French in Quebec: Ouais
French cowboy in Quebec: Ouaip
French in a Steve Martin set: OMELETTE DU FROMAGE. "Oh my God, somebody help him! He spoke FRENCH!"
I was once watching an episode of the French version of the Great British Bake Off ("Le Meilleur Pâtissier") and there was a contestant from Quebec. Occasionally they would subtitle her.
As far as I could tell with my limited French, the subtitles matched what she was saying, so maybe it was a pronunciation thing. Or maybe she was using a couple of dialect words that went by too fast for my ears.
(from the Amanda Marcotte tab about astroturf moms astroturfing school boards)
"Multiple parents said they expected their kids to leave Bucks County for college and professional careers, and were worried that the district's reshaped policies and curriculum would leave them ill-prepared for the outside world."
I can vouch for this valid parental worry. Back in the 60s and 70s I endured school in a redneck hellhole school district in Eastern New Mexico. The town "library", serving a population of 35,000 citizens, was not even as large as a single wide trailer. The high school chapter of the 'Future Farmers of America' had a student president whose family boasted of a long traditional tie to the KKK. (Mind you, by the 70s, this scion of racism did not publicly boast about this during his tenure in FAA leadership. But OUTSIDE of class and school he was boasting plenty.)
Anyway imagine my culture shock when I finally shook the dust of that place from my shoes to speedily enroll at a nice liberal arts college. (sure to get an education but mostly to avoid getting drafted into the meat grinder of Viet Nam) I met my first ever Jewish people; I learned that not every girl was that into me; I learned that BIPOC people had another side of the story I had never heard. Those were real life lessons I had to do serious remedial catch up work to learn.
Oh, BTW, I also learned that my As earned in a terrible redneck school district in Eastern New Mexico did not pass muster with professors whose PhDs were earned at serious schools back East. Not even close.
I can empathize. At the age of 18 I graduated from my shitty high school in a failed coal patch town and attended college in New Orleans. That was, to put it mildly, one hell of a culture shock.
From the always-perceptive Marina Hyde at the Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/10/horror-israel-hamas-war-elon-musk-x-twitter-not-fit-to-run-it
National curves day?????
Ummkay. Spot quiz.
What is this curve?
((x- x0)/a)^2 + ((y-y0)/b)^2 = 1
I feel like I'm orbiting the correct answer but I can't quite focus...
ISWYDT
It's too early in the morning for meth.
ICWYDT
Wonk Birthday Club 10/11
No wonk birthdays today.
Yesterday's Birthdays: weighmaster
Tomorrow's Birthdays: None
The almanac is on vacation and will return on 10/13.