Art · Observations · People · Society Pages
Madly glad was I to see the dearest Francisco Infante and Nonna Goryunova in good health today. Charming people, artists who outran their time, and such old-world good souls. It was said that only friends would attend the opening of the legendary pair's new exhibition at the
Architecture · Faith · Art · Observations · Heritage
At one time I was surprised by the large number of abandoned churches in the Czech Republic. One fourteenth-century church, 200 km from Prague, had stood empty since 1968, when its roof collapsed and people were injured. That lasted until a young artist from the capital, Jakub Hadrava, took
NB! · Observations · People · Society Pages
On 17 February Lyudmila Petrushevskaya received the Golden Mask, and everyone probably knows it by now. But just look how marvellous this 82-year-old girl looks 💞
Art · Observations · People
There is much talk about this portrait of Alexei Tolstoy by Pyotr Konchalovsky: about the accents the artist has placed, about the subtext, about Tolstoy's reaction to the still life that had sprung up around him, whether it is mockery and derision or reverence, whether it is proper
Cinema · Observations · Humour
Remember that scene in "Gentlemen of Fortune" where Yevgeny Leonov, as the kindergarten head Troshkin, tells the children: "Today breakfast is cancelled! We are flying to Mars in a space rocket. Igorek is appointed commander. Take up your space spoons. Fortify yourselves thoroughly. The rocket will not
Art · Moscow · Observations · Pop Culture · Society Pages
I went to Pavel Pepperstein's exhibition "Visions of Stars" at the Ekaterina Foundation. I must say it has been a long time since an exhibition project pleased me so thoroughly from beginning to end. One would think that Pepperstein is always highly recognisable and even somewhat
NB! · Monarchies · Observations · Mores
Prince Philip and Elizabeth, after all, lived a wonderfully beautiful life in marriage from 1947. Let us hope that he will manage to recover, and that Philip will remain a while longer beside his Cabbage
Archaeology · Observations · Heritage · Science
A post of pride in our archaeologists! Scholars of the Centre for Palaeoart at the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences have launched the long-awaited project “Petroglyphs of the Lower Amur and Ussuri”, which has been in preparation since 2015 jointly with the Remote Sensing and
Art · Observations · Humour
Self-Portrait of an Unknown French Artist of the Nineteenth Century, also known as Man in Yellow, was long attributed to the brush of Eugène Delacroix, it being believed that it depicted his friend Baron Schwiter. There is indeed a certain resemblance between this man and the full-length portrait
NB! · Archive · Art · Observations · Mores
What are the advantages of having a celebrated Impressionist for a father? Besides money and fame, there is, for instance, beauty in every detail of one's surroundings. Here is tiny Jean Monet, the first son of Claude Monet, in a cradle amid quite extraordinary toys and flowers.
NB! · London · Monarchies · Observations · People
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, aged 99, has been admitted to King Edward VII's Hospital in London. Buckingham Palace reports that Prince Philip felt unwell and is to remain in hospital for a few days for observation. One can only hope that all will be well with him
NB! · Architecture · Observations · Nature
The Parthenon in snow is very beautiful. Though I cannot quite make out which myth we have ended up in, if global climate change, to all appearances, is no myth at all