Faith · Art · People
Albrecht Altdorfer. Samson and Delilah and the scissors with which she cut his hair. Note that the severed hair is only hinted at. Early sixteenth century. We see the legendary Samson still asleep or already drained of strength. Without the hair in which his might lay hidden, he cannot even
Art · Museums · People
"...Before whom amid the Chesme deeps The mass of ships blazed up, And Navarino fell for the first time." So Pushkin wrote of the victories in the Russo-Turkish war won by his great-uncle, Ivan Abramovich Gannibal (1735-1801), the eldest of the 11 children of Abram
Art · Humour
Mikhail Belomlinsky, Thank You for Your Purchase! 1975
Archive · Books · Monarchies · People
"The Song of Harald the Bold" is not the only Russian rendering of the French translation of "Harald's Saga". The popularity of this particular text is owed, of course, to its Russian connection: the fragment tells of Harald's unrequited love for Elizaveta
Books · People
We, friends, have flown over stormy seas, Flown far from our dear homeland! On land and on sea we fought fiercely; And sea and land submit to us! O friends! how the hearts of the bold did seethe, When, drawing our ships together like a wall, Like birds we sped
Observations · Science · Humour
What I also like is that French journalists simply stuff their "hard-hitting" pieces with the conditionnel, the conditional mood, though not with the particle "by" as in Russian, but literally with the particle "allegedly" It is a dodge to avoid complaints should the
Museums · Observations · Society · Paris
A letter from the director of the Louvre to France's Minister of Culture has "leaked" to the press, in which the former complains to the latter about leaks of water, excessive visitor numbers, feeble infrastructure and the strain on the museum caused by e. De Carlo,
Art · Moscow · Observations · People · Society Pages
Dmitry Bulnygin was the first contemporary artist in my collection. Known in the 2000s as a punk artist, Bulnygin, who went on to win recognition as a painter, sculptor, digital artist and videographer, seems to have had time to work in every medium. He even organised his own Ultra-Short
NB!
Art · Books · Humour
I had a dog, and I loved her, She ate a piece of meat, and I loved her; She peed on the rug, and I loved her; She chewed up my slippers, and I loved her… And I said to that dog: "You see, I put up with everything!
NB!
Faith · Cinema · Pop Culture · Rome · Humour
In the Universe of "Cars", There Is a Pope. And he has not only a papal mitre but also a popemobile, which is to say that he uses as his means of transport, quite literally, creatures of his own kind.