Observations · Science · Humour

French verb form for unconfirmed facts, illustrated by the Snowden asylum report

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

Louvre director Des Cars's letter to Minister Dati on museum repairs and objections to it

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

Exhibition of Recent Works by Dmitry Bulnygin Opens at Syntax Gallery in Cube Moscow

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! · Observations · Pop Culture · Humour

Do confess: is anyone else, in this sort of weather, hearing Paulina Andreyeva start up Konstantin Meladze's song "Ottepel" ("Thaw") in their head, or did the broadcasts of Channel One make such an indelible impression on me alone?

A gravel path between chain-linked posts leads through a park of bare trees. Patches of snow remain on the grass under a clear blue sky.

NB! · Observations

Gravel path in a park in early spring, with patches of snow along the edges

Architecture · Moscow · Observations

One of my favourite buildings in Moscow: the seventeenth-century water-lifting tower at Kolomenskoye

I have always been drawn to its elegance, achieved with rather modest decoration and a simple form. The brick tower is 40 metres high. In its day it served as a gateway in the enclosure wall and supplied water to the Sovereign's Court.

Art · Books · Observations · Humour

The heroine of Pushkin’s “Winter Morning” in poems by Zhukovsky, Lvov and Kornilov

One is tempted to write: time to wake, beauty, wake! Let us try to wake my terracotta Venus together. Frost and sunshine; a glorious day! You are still slumbering, lovely friend: Time to wake, beauty, wake! Open your eyes, closed in languor, To meet the northern Aurora, Appear as the

NB! · Observations

Good morning, and have a lovely day!

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

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!