It feels like someone is lying on my chest. He used to do that, but it was warm and comforting and I could run my fingers through his hair. This weight is a rain-soaked coat that refuses to dry, it’s dampness settling into my bones. I can almost visualize her. She looks like me only… Continue reading There must be a German word for this.
Author: Alex
Happy places
Someone recently asked me where my happy place is, where my mind goes when I'm stressed or sad or it's 2 a.m. and I can't sleep. I guess it's something that people have been thinking a lot about lately, to stay optimistic in a time of such uncertainty. We want to think about easier times… Continue reading Happy places
Tintoretto, El Greco, and Sacred Space
Cretan painting was deeply rooted in Byzantine style and iconography, and therefore deeply associated with the Byzantine painted icon tradition. As a celebrated figure of both Cretan painting and subsequently associated with the later Venetian Renaissance, El Greco was familiar with the traditional icon type as well as modernized renditions of Christian themes. Tintoretto was… Continue reading Tintoretto, El Greco, and Sacred Space
Giotto and Veneziano: A Conversation
In 14th century Venice there seemed to be two opposing artistic traditions: the Greek Style, and those who repudiated it. There are some aspects of the Greek Style that Paolo Veneziano appears to embrace in his rendition of Betrayal of Christ from 1345, now in the Berkeley Art Museum, with tight figural positioning and use… Continue reading Giotto and Veneziano: A Conversation
Corpo / Reality
If you had to exist outside of your corporeal self what would you be? If there were no temporal limits-- if your existence as a supple morning dewdrop weren't so ephemeral, what would you choose as your reality? Maybe the line from your favorite book you highlighted the first time you read it, which feels so… Continue reading Corpo / Reality
How to Live Simply
Let yourself be warmed by the sun. Go to the farmer's market and eat fruits and vegetables and appreciate what the earth created for your sustenance (but make sure to eat the bread and cheese too). Take a drive away from the city and listen to music with your windows down. See where the earth… Continue reading How to Live Simply
Be kind.
It's funny to think that everyone you pass on the street has a life just as colorful and messy and complex as yours. Sometimes that's hard to remember. We so easily dismiss others by prioritizing ourselves, not thinking of or knowing anything of their struggles or complications, while also looking past their triumphs. Categorizing and… Continue reading Be kind.
Edvard Munch – Between the Clock and the Bed
As a prominent expressionist artist coming from Norway in the early 20th century, Edvard Munch (1863-1944) painted in a post-impressionistic style, with intense colors and an early abstracted technique. SF MoMA is featuring an incredible show of works by the prolific artist who's tone and palette mimic the fervently changing period in which he worked. … Continue reading Edvard Munch – Between the Clock and the Bed
Muse & Musée 