Tag: Culture
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Aegina – Paleochora
The old town of Aegina had always been at the coast of the island, next to the harbour where it is situated now again. But in the 9th century the town was shifted inland where it could be defended better against the attacks of the Saracens. In the 18th century there were still 400 houses…
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3-D Devotion
Going through the Herkyna gorge south of Livadia, a town in Boeotia, Greece, one passes the Fountain of Memory and the Fountain of Forgetfulness, the ancient Mnemosyne and Lethe of which Pausanias speaks. For me the water of Mnemosyne has done its work because I remember well first having seen from down the façade of…
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The invitation
Come and join me under my veil … Is that what she wants to tell me with her inviting look? A woman can use her veil to guard herself against the looks of others, but also on the contrary, to secretly make contact. The way she lifts her veil and reveals what should remain concealed…
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One to see, one to touch
Two Infants Jesus, one inside the stable, the other in front. That’s how this church meets the strongly felt need among believers to touch the new-born Infant in his manger. Maybe they think some of his infinite love will thus pour from the plaster figure into their own veins. Touching! Photo of the week: Christmas,…
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Spitting image
That is to say, the spitting image of the pan chewer who embellishes with his creations the pavements, roads, platforms, corridors, staircases, and, if you are lucky enough in passing a chewer at the right moment, your clothes or shoes. Temples and shrines are generally spared. That’s why tiles with images of gods and goddesses…
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Zen sense
Small space turned big. It is primarily a matter of the mind. Japanese Zen masters are masters of small space. Look at this little enclosed garden: a prominent rock, a stone water basin, a raked gravel surface, a few bushes and small trees, a stone lantern … cut across by an elevated passage. Each object…
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Natura Artis Magistra
With this title I am not aiming at the Zoo in Amsterdam, but at the meaning of the words: nature is the teacher of art. Nature as source of inspiration for the arts. I took the photo just outside the wall of Chisaku-in, a temple in Kyoto. It looks like a nice piece of untouched…
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Ruminating art
After having been exposed to a multitude of diverse works of modern art, as I was during my visit to the 2016 Kochi-Muziris Biennale, you need time to digest. Art makes you think. I have said that the beauty of a work of art may not be all-important for its appreciation and for the impression…
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Ambrosia
According to one creation myth of ancient Mesopotamia, the gods created humankind because they were fed up of having to look after their own food. Yes, gods also need food to survive, and they want man to provide it. As we can see here, man, religious man, still acquits himself faithfully of his task. This…
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Living doll
Apart from the phallus shrine that I showed you in last week’s post, I also came across – at the same flea market – this exquisite Geisha doll. The doll almost seems alive, radiating the modesty of a real Geisha. A masterly example of true Japanese craftsmanship! Photo of the week: Geisha doll at the…
καιρός remembered 