The World at Large

Nocturne Op. 9 No.2 by Chopin

2008-01-20T19:51:00.000-05:00

No great composer as Frédéric Chopin has devoted as exclusively to piano as Chopin. He's my favorite. The piece Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 is so exquisite, delicate yet sophisticated, and yundi Li is such a talented musician that he interprets the piece so brilliantly beautiful.

Tree of Life

2008-01-14T12:10:00.000-05:00

"The affinities of all the beings of the same class have sometimes been represented by a great tree... As buds give rise by growth to fresh buds, and these if vigorous, branch out and overtop on all sides many a feebler branch, so by generation I believe it has been with the great Tree of Life, which fills with its dead and broken branches the crust of the earth, and covers the surface with its ever branching and beautiful ramifications." --Charles Darwin, 1859

It amazes me how romantic and brilliant the painting is. I really like Tree of Life in particular with all the swirls :) Gustav Klimt is one of my all time faves. The artist's masterpiece - the Kiss is breathtaking. It's so romantic and sensitive - the guy kissing the girl's cheek, and you can see a subtle smile on her face.

Self-Portrait (1889) by Vincent van Gogh

2008-01-09T19:27:00.001-05:00

Self-Portrait (1889) by Vincent van Gogh

"How can I be useful, of what service can I be? There is something inside me, what can it be?" --Vincent van Gogh

The great Dutch artist painted his own image at regular intervals throughout his life. They are generally seen as insights into the artist's psychological makeup. This self-portrait was finished in 1889, one year before he passed away. The beautiful blue swirling background that echoes around the bust of the painter reflects his thinking at that time, which I perceive as conflicts inside the artist. Here I compare the swirling background to his famous masterpiece Starry Night, which I perceive as breaking free confines of the perspective fame that dictated a precise and realistic approach to a work's perspective.

"There is no blue without yellow and without orange. " -- Vincent van Gogh

Although the painting is almost monochromatic with an abundance of blues, the artist's yellow-brown hair and beard are built up in forceful colors and contract the blues and purples of the backgrounds and the clothes worn by the artist.

I was attracted to this self-portrait at the first sight. Looking at this picture rests my eyes. The background is crystal-blue. The hair and beard are yellow-brown. And the collar - as there is no white in the picture, is white.

Paris

2008-01-06T01:34:00.000-05:00

here to Paris.