Far away , there lies a land

where the sunshine never fades.

A land beyond the chains of time

and the bindings of reality.

Into this land

Here comes a man

exhausted by his long journey,

He is a great figure,

His shoulders are broad

and his strength is indefatigable.

As his destination draws near,

The man sees a great golden gate

Shimmering in the sun.

He enters the gates

Where he sees a figure

in the near distance

A figure in a white robe

who beckons to him

“Come my son”

As Jesus wraps him in a robe of purple

With a beautiful voice he says,

“Well done My good and faithful servant!”

He leads the man to a great golden city,

There he meets all his fallen comrades

Friends and Family that have arrived before him are there.

And They embrace him

and he is filled with great joy.

The man hears a voice like unto a great wind

As he looks up the wind rushes past him

And he sees all his life, from his birth to his untimely death,

played back to him on the backdrop of blue sky.

10000 years then begins

and His reward is great.

Those the man has left behind,

His family and his many friends,

Have tears in their eyes,

But deep in their hearts is a great joy.

For the man has left a legacy

of love and faith, kindness, courage, strength and beauty.

And the knowledge

That the day will come when we

shall meet him again

in the clouds

up in heaven.

What is Art? Where does creativity come from? What is beauty? Such difficult questions. These questions have been debated for centuries. Everyone wants to weigh in on the activity of Art but it is very difficult to define Art. In my own mind, I believe that Art is a function of expression and a representation of beauty. The great literary artist Leo Tolstoy was a well-known proponent of the expression theory. He supposed that an artist feels an emotion; then after recreating the feeling or emotion in himself, he attempts to create a work that conveys that emotion or feeling to others who are observing the work. If the feeling is not conveyed or transferred then the artwork fails. Looking at Art from this perspective seems to reduce Art to merely a means of communication. This perspective is limited and narrow in scope, but it is also much too all encompassing. The main argument against this theory is that it would include things not traditionally regarded as art, and excludes things that have been considered great works of art for centuries.
Surely Art IS a means of communication, but Art communicates somethingdeeper than just feelings. It conveys, without words, comprehension of the artist’s state of mind. His inner state of being is revealed through the artwork. This, I believe, is the true aim of Art. It must be intentional. It is an intentional act designed to transfer emotional content and to elicit a emotional response from the observer.

Strange movie. The last of humanity? Not quite. This film revolved around the end of mankind because of infertility. A journey through a war torn London

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn: The Blinding of Samson

This is one of my favorite works by Rembrandt. It is a great piece because it has everything! The story depicted from the bible is the story of Samson and Delilah. Delilah deceives Samson and has him subjected to much torture, is at one point blinded by Delilahs henchmen the Philistines.. The mastery of paint here displayed by Rembrandt is astounding. His use of chiaroscuro is unparalleled!

Raphael: Ezekiel’s Vision

I’m wondering about Raphael’s vision in this painting. If you look at the scripture that this is referencing, Ezekiel 1:25  

Ezekial was having a vision from god and he saw something that Raphael captures to a degree but not quite exactly. The wheel within a wheel is not obvious here. The mystery surrounding this passage is tantalizing. What could this mean? Ezekiel is describing a great creature that has faces and bodies of men and animals with wings being all one. A bizarre image for the mind to comprehend.  But the artist puts his mind to his brush and comprehends the great vision

Caravaggio: David with the Head of Goliath

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was a Italian painter who created some of the finest examples of Baroque style painting. This painting was done quite near his death and may indicate Carraveggios own guilt as he had murdered one over a gambling debt. The head of Goliath is said to be a self portrait of the artist. Caravaggio was a master of the chiaroscuro technique which contrasts the dark and light areas of a painting to create tension and texture.