Archive · Faith · Books

The Image of God’s Arm and Muscle as a Sign of Power in Biblical Texts

Archbishop Platon, in his Easter sermon of 1780, speaks of God's strong hand and high arm. The hand and the arm are an image of power in the biblical texts. God's arm is usually stretched out and high when He delivers Israel, or strong when, in

NB! · Observations

Good morning, and have a lovely day!

Under a coffered museum ceiling, a mirrored disc and an angular metal form hang on thin wires; their shadows fall on the grey wall.

NB!

Suspended metal constructions in an exhibition hall

Architecture · Art · Moscow · Museums · Observations

A Masterly Exhibition of Francisco Infante Opens at the New Tretyakov

A masterly exhibition of Francisco Infante has opened at the New Tretyakov. "Metaphors of Infinity" is a colossal retrospective of Infante's entire oeuvre, from the earliest works to the newest series. What strikes one first is the extraordinary architecture: no walls at all, every work hovers

NB! · Observations

Let Us Sit and Be Silent

Archive · Art · Society

Poster for the Blue Bird, one of the best-known Russian cabaret theatres in Europe, by Ivan Bilibin

The Russian theatre was founded in Paris in 1921 and run by Yakov Yuzhny, at one time celebrated as a compère and teller of Jewish stories. Yuzhny toured extensively with the Blue Bird, which was enormously popular in Germany, but by the 1930s something had to be decided: to practise

Observations · Pop Culture · Humour

Beach outfit of wool and silk and a hat with Egyptian motifs

Next in line: a double daiquiri with ice. The beach ensemble: loose blue trousers of fine wool and a silk top. In the original hat of palm fibre you will notice Egyptian motifs. Come now, have you noticed? And what if it were to come into fashion, and at the

Oil portrait of a dark-haired bearded man seated on a chair in a black coat and white jabot, with a red flower on his lapel.

Art · Observations · People

Painted portrait of a bearded man in a black frock coat with a red flower

Ivan Bilibin at twenty-five, portrait by Boris Kustodiev. Admit it: you never pictured him like this either!

NB! · Art · Museums

A Visit to the Museum, Edgar Degas

Architecture · Faith · Cinema · Moscow · Heritage · Education

School No. 36 in the Zachatievsky Convent on Ostozhenka: built in 1936, demolished after closing in 2002

A Grave Beside the School Walls? It was an interesting spot in Moscow, and surely some of my subscribers remember the building of School No. 36, which operated until 2002 inside the Conception Convent on Ostozhenka. The school building went up in 1936 on the site of a demolished church,

Faith · Science · Society · Rome

Key provisions of the Vatican document on the use of artificial intelligence on its territory

The Governorate of Vatican City, the executive body of the city-state, has established certain rules governing the use of AI on Vatican territory and set up a special Commission on Artificial Intelligence. The main provisions of the document speak of the need to respect human dignity, to ensure the

Architecture · Faith · Art

Mosaic of the Baptism of Christ in the Arian Baptistery in Ravenna, 6th century

To the right of Christ is depicted the personification of the River Jordan

Latest