Once in a while I’ll have an idea to put together something to post on Facebook, then change my mind. Partly for fear of further polluting the environment, partly (hard to believe…) by modesty. Could be interesting exhibitions I’ve seen, something that’s on my mind, reminisces from the past, or a great picture I wanted to share. During the next few days I’ll be posting some of those curiosities which are still on file, so to speak. If it’s interesting, click Like. Or, dear reader, you have my permission to just move on.
Today’s dip into the drawer :
« Qu’est-ce donc le goût ? Une facilité acquise par des expériences réitérés, à saisir le vrai ou le bon, avec la circonstance qui le rend beau et d’en être promptement et vivement touché »
Denis Diderot (1713-1784)
For some reason I had decided to cut this paragraph from my post about visiting the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition, which is still on at the Louvre:
“After the hour or two spent there, all the clocks had stopped. I had nothing to say. Strange, because anyone who knows me would be surprised to see me speechless! I felt a powerful force telling me the next day to buy the wonderful catalog put together by the curators for this unique show. I felt compelled to reflect and isolate myself from the world, silently comparing images on the Internet, and reading. I started to interrogate myself how did I first hear about Leonardo da Vinci, finally recalling being a small child at home in Pavilion, alone in front of a black and white TV. They were talking about this Tuscan artist who was supremely gifted in so many ways, even as a youth, and he was left-handed like myself. I also returned in time to the exact day my father (a naturally talented draftsman) taught me at the dining room table to hold a pencil and draw, even before I could write. I reflected back to my first trips abroad, the many lectures and slide presentations of Italian Renaissance art at Harvard; back to my very first trip to the Metropolitan Museum, my first trip to London, St Petersburg, Berlin, Dresden and Munich, Rome, Florence and Venice, Madrid, Oslo and Sao Paulo, all thanks to performing, trips which always obligatorily included visits to view the best artwork offered.”