Books · Observations
If we all valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world
Tolkien. But for the time being, humanity persists in building a world that Smaug, Morgoth and Sauron would appreciate
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Art · Observations · Reportage
The mood at the fair is brisk, the young are pondering love, loneliness, existential questions, feeling nostalgic for the nineties, the noughties and, apparently, the 2010s, seeking new forms, expressing themselves in different media, using unusual techni
The mood at the fair is brisk, the young are pondering love, loneliness, existential questions, feeling nostalgic for the nineties, the noughties and, apparently, the 2010s, seeking new forms, expressing themselves in different media, using unusual techniques such as the metal lace of Artem Lyapin. Embroidery and other kinds of
NB! · Art · Observations
A few more impressions worth sharing
A few more impressions worth sharing. Works that caught my eye
Art · Observations · Society Pages
Design section at Blazar with a shelving unit by Bureau Sknypl and a couch by Bureau Saga
In the design section at Blazar I was glad to see the work of my friends: the insanely cool shelving unit from Bureau Sknypl and the laconic daybed from Bureau Saga. It is pleasant to know that our artists, designers and architects produce such a high-quality, competitive product. A
Art · Moscow · Observations · Reportage
At the Blazar fair, the independent artists section and regional stands have grown
A quick look round Blazar: this year there is a large section of independent artists, with a great many young people and new names. The number of regional stands has noticeably grown, so this is no longer a purely Moscow fair. Among the Moscow galleries I would single out the
NB! · Art · Observations · Reportage · Humour
Penny-pinching, 2024 edition: the Blazar contemporary art fair now charges for carrier bags, though we must be grateful that Sellotape and bubble wrap are still provided free of charge
Art · Observations · Science · Palaeontology
Léon Becker's 1884 painting and the discovery of 30 iguanodon skeletons at Bernissart
How touching that a man was found, namely the nineteenth-century Belgian painter Léon Becker, who wished to record "The Mounting of the First Iguanodon from Bernissart in the Chapel of Saint George in Brussels", for that is what the picture is called. 1884. At that time, 30
NB! · Art · Observations · People · Humour
Frédéric Bazille's Portrait of Renoir as a Reminder That All Our Beloved Old Men Were Once Young, and Perhaps Sat in an Armchair With Their Feet Up
NB! · The East · Art · Museums · Observations
Exhibition of Ancient Sculpture at the Istanbul Airport Museum
A magnificent display of antique sculpture in the Istanbul Airport Museum. Frankly, the material is handled here far better than in most of Istanbul's city museums, which by no means always leave an impression of a high museum culture
NB! · Architecture · Moscow · Observations
The curious numbering of the steps in front of the State Kremlin Palace: have you ever noticed it?
Books · Observations · Education
This year's text for the "Total Dictation" will be written by the author Marina Moskvina
This year's text for the "Total Dictation" will be written by the author Marina Moskvina. I am scarcely acquainted with her work, but I remembered a charming story that contained this sentence: "Every Saturday I hoped that Dad would stay at home, that we would
Cinema · Observations · People
Vasily Stalin in His Youth
It must be said that Gela Meskhi, who played the lead in the film "Son of the Father of Nations", bears a certain resemblance to him