Round Robin Challenge: Theaters

Berkeley Repatory Theater, Berkeley, Ca

"You need three things in the theater... the play, the actors, and the audience. And each must give something."

~Kenneth Haigh

RRC: Theaters.

Theaters. The THEATER is pure magic to me, whether I am attending an amazing play, or a wonderful movie. In any case, a trip to the THEATER is at least 2 hours of relief from the real world. It's a marvelous escape and I love it! I always marvel at the architecture of the buildings, and I enjoy reading about their individual historical presences. There is a lot to appreciate about going to a movie or play, and I always go home smiling after the show has ended because a wonderful new memory has been made, just by going to the THEATER! :)

The Grand Lake
Oakland, California

I was an uncredited extra in the Brad Pitt movie, Moneyball. This is the theater in Oakland where they held the movie premiere. I wasn't able to be there to watch all the movie stars arrive, but I did get to see local coverage on the news. :) Oh my, it looked like fun! The Grand Lake is a gorgeous theater that has inspired me many times over the years.







United Artists
Berkeley, California

I just love the Art Deco styling of this theater!



Regal IMAX
Dublin, Ca (Hacienda Crossing)

One of our favorite theaters to watch a great movie!



I thought it would be fun to add some popcorn to this post, because who doesn't love popcorn at the theater? ;)



Finally...

The Fremont
San Luis Obispo, Ca

The Fremont, in San Luis Obispo, California, is one of the last Streamline Moderne theaters built by architect S. Charles Lee. It is a gorgeous theater day or night, but at nighttime it is particularly lovely. I had some wonderful evening photos that I took of it back in the mid 1990's, but unfortunately they were lost when our storage room was burglarized a while back. That's okay, I will hopefully be able to visit SLO sometime later this year or perhaps next year, and I will do a new series of photos to share! I would love to attend the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival later this year! Doesn't that sound like fun?



Okay, now that you have seen my post about THEATERS, be sure to visit the other Round Robin participants! Just click the link at the beginning of this post to be redirected to the official Round Robin blog. You can find all the information there!

~Me :)

The Butterfly's World

Great Southern White (Ascia monuste)


"I almost wish we were butterflies and liv'd but three summer days... three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain."

~John Keats, Bright Star: Love Letters and Poems of John Keats To Fanny Brawne

Please forgive the photographs from the archives, but Thursday was a long day. Not a bad day mind you, but a busy one. I was engaged in a all the tedious tasks that I had been putting off. It felt good to feel normal. My body has been put through it's paces since the first of the year, and my Fibromyalgia seems to be running my life to a degree, and stress always exacerbates things. But the sun was warm, and the garden is getting off to a slow, but healthy start so it made things easier to take! It also helped to get a little good news from Alan as he was on the way out the door for work. It seems the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park will be opening a new butterfly exhibit in early May! I love photographing butterflies, so I am really looking forward to seeing what my current cameras can do in that setting.

 Indoor shooting has it's pluses and minuses as you probably know. I am really looking forward to that exhibit, but I wish my friend Steven were here to give me some advice. I loved sharing my photos with him, and I know I will be thinking of him when I visit the Conservatory. Still, I can remember his advice sometimes, just as if he were right there... coaching me along. (Smile) He is still my friend, and one day we will meet on the other side, and hopefully there are cameras in Heaven, because I still have a lot of questions for him! LOL.

Here is a favorite photo I took several years ago at the Conservatory of Flowers Butterfly Exhibit several years ago...



Such a delicate Little Yellow ( Pyrisitia lisa) butterfly, not even the size of my thumb. :)

I think after yesterday's gray post, I am looking for color again! :) And how can you not smile in the presence of a Little Yellow butterfly going about it's life, completely unaware of all of the harsh human realities? Lucky her!

:)

Mood: Hopeful

~Me :)

And This To Shall Pass

"Gray skies are just clouds passing by."

~Duke Ellington

Okay, so my mood has been a bit dark this week. Among all the anguish and pain of the happenings in Boston, are the everyday irritations that seem a lot bigger and more powerful than they actually are. I know it's true, and yet... (silence). My problems seem petty compared to what some have gone through this week, and yet as I try to consider they're pain, rather and wallowing in self pity, I only come back to the same answer my dear late friend June would always say in times like this...

"AND THIS TO SHALL PASS"

On a slightly different note, I love gray San Francisco days. There is something quiet about it that allows me to think about things on a different level. It's a good thing I think. Sometimes one has to stop for a moment and just reflect or face falling down from sheer exhaustion. Gray days are good days for me. The quiet mist in the air. The clouds. The fog moving through the Golden Gate. The joy of wearing my favorite brown sweater one more day before summer encroaches on spring.

AND THIS TO SHALL PASS.

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

Fuzzy Blossoms

"The sun was warm but the wind was chill. You know how it is with an April day."

~Robert Frost

The sun was ridiculously cheerful yesterday. My mood not so much. But I appreciated the beauty everywhere all the same. You know how it goes after a tragedy like what happened in Boston, you get up the next day and suddenly the sky has never been so blue, and the pink fuzzy blossoms never so soft and pink, and a little while later in the day you realize it doesn't honor those lost, to take life, and it's simple earthly gifts for granted. Right? The next day in April will come along and it's a blessing, so don't take it for granted, or forget to appreciate it.

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

With Love For Boston

"When one person is missing, the whole world seems empty."

~Pat Schweibert, Tear Soup: A Recipe For Healing After Loss

To The People Of Boston...

I send my love, prayers, and healing light for the days and the weeks ahead. I wish I had something profound to say that would instantly take your grief away, but I can't, all I can do is send you my support and love so you know you always have a friend in me. I grieve with you. I wish I could do more.

((((((((((BOSTON))))))))

With Love...

~Carly

Utility Box Meet Art... Art Meet Utility Box

"Enthusiasm is the electricity of life. How do you get it? You act enthusiastic until you make it a habit."

~Gordon Parks

I love this fairly new art form of communities painting utility boxes. I spotted this one in downtown Hayward. Hayward began painting the utility boxes to fight growing graffiti, and now there are over 30 boxes throughout the city, making it a prettier place! And they aren't just in Hayward, I have been seeing painted boxes throughout the Bay Area in the last few years, and the list of participating cities is only growing! Personally, I love them, I think they add a nice splash of color to the landscape! Cute isn't it? I will have more of these soon, I want to make a whole day of it and see how many I can photograph.

Stay Tuned!

Mood: Hopeful

~Me :)

In Berkeley

"It's been said that men think only about sex and food. And some men, like my uncle Lester, thank about sex with food. Needless to say the church has ordered him to cease bringing his own food to the potlucks."

~Jarod Kintz, This Book Is Not For Sale

I don't know why I don't do more photography in Berkeley, in my opinion it has some of the most beautiful buildings in the Bay Area. And it has a ton of difference churches, as you might expect of a collage town. This church, The First Congregational Church Of Berkeley, is one of my very favorites to photograph. It just has a gentle vibe about it, of course I suppose some might say that's God. LOL. Perhaps. All I know is that I have taken a few photos of it over the years, and I am always happy with the end result of what I was trying to capture. It is especially beautiful in autumn, but then, isn't everything?

Mood: Inspired

~Me :)

Trusting The Guy Next To You To Get It Right

"For years politicians have promised the Moon. I'm the first one to be able to deliver it."

~Richard Nixon

 

Wow... isn't it the truth? President Richard M. Nixon did indeed put a man on the moon, a dream that was bipartisan as it had also been President Kennedy's goal as well! Something went really right when it came to this kind of working together. It was a good example for children of the 60's myself being one of them. It was impressive to me that America could work together on a program that  not only gave us a step up scientifically, but also politically and socially. Socially in that Americans could put at least some of their differences aside, to pursue something that brought us all together on common ground and gave us all common pride.

Pride, is now simply the "P" word. It holds no particular meaning for America any longer.

I am feeling a bit reflective because we in the Bay Area learned this week that pretty much the highlight of our usual Fleet Week festivities, the Blue Angels, will not be attending here, or any other Fleet Week celebrations throughout the county. But hey, maybe all isn't lost, at least we will have the Parade of Tall Ships... um... no, maybe not... well... actually probably not! You see,  as we sit waiting for the next shoe to fall in the mess called Sequestration, it is likely that shoe will be the cancellation of the Parade of Tall Ships... which means full cancellation of the event altogether!

I know, I know... it's just a big military propaganda party... right? Well, it's certainly your right to feel that way if you wish, but I would ask you to consider what it will mean above and beyond any political feelings you might have, like the much needed income an event like Fleet Week brings to a city like San Francisco... an estimated $65 million dollars.

The sequestration is affecting a lot more than the elite flying team, it is affecting the very existence of elderly people. It is affecting the future of our children by cutting the First Start program, it threatens cuts to Social Security and Medicare, which is devastating for the most needy, and  the ironic part is the fact that neither of those programs has anything to do with the federal deficit. It is merely a talking point carrot that apparently both sides of the aisle like to dangle when they can't think of anything else to do. Raise your hand if, like me, you knew he sequester was a stupid idea when you heard about it the first time, and feel free to pat yourself on the back, as I am doing here, for being right!

But for all the I TOLD YOU SO'S...  it's little comfort considering how much damage is being done by our current president, and the republican party. Sometimes it's difficult to remember that President Obama is a democrat. As such, cutting Social Security, hell even bringing it into the debate, is not something any democrat I know would do. Creating a special group of senators to settle the budget because the congress and senate can't work together, was an unusually strange idea. Why, if the two chambers couldn't work together in their usual capacity, would a special committee have a chance in HELL? Did President Obama really think anything would accomplished in a super duper situation? Apparently, but hell if I know what he based that idea on.

Thank goodness we only have 3 more years of this nonsense to deal with and he will be gone. Things will get back to normal and we will once again be able to tell the good guys from the bad guys, or at least the good guys from the well meaning guys, or the straight up liars... right? Sigh... if only. I think sometime during the Bush (W) administration America found it's dark side, and I seriously doubt it will once again see the light of day in my lifetime. But hey, there's HOPE. Right? You know, that old four letter word.HOPE.

Sigh. Here's the thing. When it comes to what programs will be cut, as a result of the sequester, I can understand giving up the Blue Angels, if it meant some elderly person wouldn't have to go without the basic necessities of life, or a child could get a true head start, or a the blind person be able to keep a job that was contracted through the government, or any of a 100 other directions of need that exist, but it doesn't, this mess is hitting everyone but those who need to feel the pain the rest of us go through daily. Federal workers. State workers. Unemployed who want to work, but can't find a job. Collage students who simply want a future. Teachers. Home Health Workers. The Blind. The poor. All those groups could show those in Washington quite a lesson about REAL LIFE! And I suspect that after about a month of dealing with a scary, cold, uncertain futures, the word sequester would no longer exist.

I was looking forward to seeing the Blue Angels next October when they come to San Francisco, but it looks like that isn't going to happen. It's a shame, this type of event is just the kind of thing that gives one a minute or two of diversion from the painful every day truths of life in the greatest country in the world. Isn't that a real shame?

Memories Of Fleet Week 2012...

 

Mood: Quiet

~Me

But Why Does Daddy Have To Go To Work?

"A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not."

~Ernest Hemingway

Work? That's Dumb!

Dylan loves his daddy. He loves him deeply, and to the point that he sometimes cries a deep sorrowful cry when Alan leaves for work in the morning. Dylan's cry reminds me, at times, of an old but terribly loyal bloodhound, one that is beside itself with the thought that he could be of absolute help to his person, but for some strange reason that same person had forgot to bring him along. And clearly that decision was going to be a mistake!

Other times I am concerned that Dylan's cries are because he still remembers his Tabby mommy, and how she left him and didn't come back. You see, Dylan was the last kitten in the nest. His mommy had worked most of one morning moving all her babies to a new location so they could begin their lives as cats about town, but Dylan was special. I believe she knew he had some struggles the other kittens didn't. His poor eyesight for one thing. So, I think there is every possible chance that she would have continued to keep him close to her for at least a while longer, but on that fateful day, she owed it to his siblings to get them off in life the right way and across that busy street she went, unfortunately, never to make it to the other side of the street.

Dylan didn't leave his place under that abandoned house. He remained there all weekend. And when the nice man who saved him, pulled Dylan out, he was slightly muddy from the weekend rains, very hungry, and completely frightened. He didn't stop shaking... not until he and I met... when he asked me without speaking a word, to be his mommy. His relationship with me began in a heartbeat, with Alan it took a little longer, but now he adores his daddy to the point that he cries when Alan leaves in the morning. Cats are complicated creatures. I love everything about them. I love dogs to, but they are rather simple creatures compared to cats. Cats. I understand completely why the ancient Egyptians were so fond of them.

But Alan and I have discussed not naming another one after a singer! LOL. Of course, one doesn't always control these things. Years from now, when a new kitty who is lost and alone adopts me, what can I do if he already has the given name of Michael Jackson, or Steven Tyler? If that's the case, so be it, but I will say this now, I draw the line at Justin Bieber! Given a choice, I would name our next cats after a nice journalist such as Keith Olbermann or Anderson Cooper, but I will leave it up to God, or whoever decides these things! So far, they haven't let me down yet!

:) Meoooowww OooMewwwooooow

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

I Love Tuesdays!

 "Let's just say you may regret that second piece of cake. Oh my God. Regret cake? Whatever is about to happen must be truly evil."

~Rachel Hawkins, Hex Hall

I love cupcakes. Well, actually I LOVE cupcakes a lot, in fact, it might be a passionate obsession, but when you live with... the D word... yes... Type 2 Diabetes... you learn to just not got there. But once in a while, with some planning, I ignore my inner responsible person and go there anyway. With glee! With happiness! With Joy! With NO regrets, I get a little treat, such as a cake pop, or a cupcake, and I enjoy the hell out of it! Life only happens once after all, and if you do it right, once is just about perfect!

 

Tuesday's special at the Tea Cake Bake Shop, in Emeryville, is the Madagascar Vanilla cupcake with Honey Tangerine Buttercream! I LOVE Tuesday!

Mood: Happy :)

~Me :)
 

Tea Cake Bake Shop Emeryville, Ca

Backyard Photography ~ Garden Diary... April 10th 2013

"You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present."

~Jan Glidewell

My lovely Japanese Maple has transitioned from stick figure to crimson beauty! I am a little caught off guard by how early the leaves have appeared, but I am not complaining! I get to watch this beauty move about now through the rest of spring and summer then turn the most magnificent crayola colors of copper and deep purple as autumn comes and goes. Aww... life in the garden... I love my maple tree, and with the roses surrounding it I feel ridiculously happy inside! And the occasional visit by a little bird doesn't hurt either! Now if I could just talk the opossums into coming back around to!

:)



Lesser Goldfinch...





Coming Soon...

New Roses
Lavender
Spearmint
Heirloom Tomatoes
White Strawberries

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

80 West

"It's an odd thing, but anyone who disappears is said to be seen in San Francisco. It must be a delightful city and possess all the attractions of the next world."

~Oscar Wilde

I am a San Francisco Bay Area native, born and raised, and it's really odd, but every time I see San Francisco, be it the downtown, from high in the hills, or from Treasure Island, it is like seeing it for the very first time! I love it here so much, truly I don't think anywhere else can quite compare to it's beauty or to the joy it gives me just looking at t beauty! Last week I discovered a couple new angles I hadn't photographed the city from previously, so this post showcases those new perspectives!

ENJOY!
:)
Starting Off From The East Bay, It's 80 West And Into The City!
(The Cantilever Section Of The Bay Bridge Soon To Be Replaced)


First Stop Treasure Island, And The View From A Very Old Closed Dock!


After Some Miscellanious Photography On The Island It's Time For Some Photography Back Toward The Old Section Of Bridge Which Will Be Replaced With A Brand New Bridge This Autumn! I Will Miss It, I like The Looks Of This Section Very Much And Will Miss It's Old Fashioned Look!


After A Nice Lunch With Alan, It's Time To Head Back Onto The Bay Bridge And Head Into San Francisco!


Not Bad For A Photo Taken Out Of A Moving Car On The Bay Bridge...


And of course you know what comes next... right? Gorgeous, lovely, exciting, infuriating, amazing San Francisco! I could live here a million years and not have enough time to photograph every fascinating nuance of this city! It NEVER stops inspiring me!

"San Francisco itself is art, above all literary art. Every block is a short story, every hill a novel. Every home a poem, every dweller within immortal. That is the whole truth."

 ~William Saroyan

I'm Home! :)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Hauntings

"What we believe spirit visitors to be influences how they affect our lives. What we believe ourselves to be dictates how we react to them."

~S. Kelly Harrell, Real Wyrd - A Modern Shaman's Roots In The Middle World


The Man Upstairs...

I thought it would be fun, since it's been almost a year since the ghost moved in, to give an update on the ghostly happenings next door. Mr. Ghost, as Alan and I call him, is still keeping the same schedule of leaving his apartment at 4:30 AM and returning at 8:00 PM. A brutal schedule for a man half his age, let alone a man of 60-ish! For that reason alone he has my respect, just thinking about his schedule makes me tired! And did I mention he maintains that schedule 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year?! By all practical considerations he is an ideal neighbor. Quiet. Keeps to himself. Respectful of the common areas between the houses... but... there is one other thing curious about the man that h does that gives me pause. Just one thing.

He NEVER seems to produce any garbage!

For a full year now, well, almost a full year, no garbage! Well, wait, that's not all together true now that I think about it. Mr. Ghost did take his garbage down to the street on New Year's eve, and then the next day he brought the can back up to his house, rolled it around the corner of the building, and no one has seen it since! Out of sight... out of mind? Maybe, but a month ago I was up early one morning and I heard him stomp down his upper stairwell, walk around the corner of his house, kinda growl, and then I heard the lid to his garbage can slam... once... loudly. It was like his was personally pissed off at the can!

Otherwise... same old, same old.

Oh, except I did find someone on a message board who has a similar mystery going on. Message Board's neighbor keeps the exact some hours as my Mr. Ghost but instead of leaving the house every day during those hours, his neighbor gets up during those hours but doesn't leave! Otherwise the two men could be exactly the same person! Same hours. Same quiet demeanor. Same aversion to the garbage can! It's a mystery! And with the rainstorm that just started outside, it's easy for my imagination to wander to all kinds of dark places. Places where alien hybrids live. Places where one day a quiet unassuming neighbor just floats away as quietly as they came. Did I mention he moved in so fast no one saw any furniture move in with him?

Newly divorced? Alien Hybrid? Or Ghost? Hmmmm



Hey Dylan, Wanna Tell Ghost Stories?

The Easter Bunny brought Dylan and Hendrix a special gift for Easter this year, a new IKEA tent shaped like a  Big Top circus tent, and some new assorted stuffed animals for under the big top! The boys have been having a blast in the tent, and it also makes a pretty good place for a time out when someone (Hendrix) gets a little to bitey, if you know what I mean! LOL. Anyway, while the boys were playing with their new toy the other night, and while I was considering my own adventures with Mr. Ghost, I saw the boys live out a real spooky moment of their own. They reminded me of two human brothers playing spooky camping trip. Here have a look at the fun...

Hey Dylan, Want To Tell Ghost Stories?


Wait! Did You Hear Something?


Yikes...Hendrix... Could It Be A Real Ghost?
  Yes... Dylan... I think I Is A REAL GHOST! RUN!


Whew Hendrix! It Was Just Donald Trump On A Macy's Commercial!
Yes, WHEW! But Just In Case, Can We Have The Light On Mommy?


My The Boys Went To Bed Without A Fuss Tonight! Hmmm!


Little boy humans, little boy cats... there's not a lot of difference! LOL.

Love is love and fun is fun, and I am happy with my boys! :)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Art About Town: San Francisco "An Injury To One"

"Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone."

~Pablo Picasso

"In memory of Howard Sperry and Nick Bordoise who gave their lives on Bloody Thursday, July 5th, 1934, so that all working people might enjoy a greater measure of dignity and security."
 Inscribed On Memorial Plaque
 Steuart and Mission Streets, San Francisco, Ca

My blog has been filled with more than the usual amount of public art pieces this week, which is wonderful, I just wish I had more time to this kind of photography! I have been doing some research and I plan to visit more communities in the East Bay this spring and summer, so hopefully over the summer I can post more of this kind of photography! Public art is one of my favorite subjects to photograph, because I never stop learning from it. Be it about lighting, or the poignancy of the subject or sometimes, such as with this piece, the history, I always come away a much smarter person!

An Injury To One
By Artists... Miranda Bergman, Tem Drescher, Nicole Emmanuel, Lari Kilolani, James Morgan, Raymond M. Patlan, Eduardo Pineda, James Prigoff, O'Brian Theile and Horace Washington

This piece stands at the corner of Steuart and Mission in San Francisco, and is a memorial to the two men who gave their lives on Thursday, July 5th, 1934 when they were killed by police, who fired shots into a crowd in an effort to breakup a strike by maritime workers and longshoremen. As the day wore on, the violence grew and many strikers and their supporters were injured by police, in an effort to contain the strike on behalf of employers and businesses. The death of Bordois and Sperry only served to empower their fellow strikers, and what had begun as a maritime strike became a general strike (the largest in U.S. history) that included Teamsters and blue collar workers, and resulted in shutting down the Port of San Francisco and Alameda for days!

But there is a lot more to the story! To read more about the events leading up to this tragic day, and the aftermath and it's far reaching consequences and change, see the links at the bottom of the post! There is always something to learn from art, and those who take the time to honor the past and history! If we humans continue to refuse to learn from our pasts, perhaps we can learn from the art it tends to inspire!

Well, there's always hope.

1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike

Longshore Legacy: Dockworkers To Remember 'Bloody Thursday'...
(Los Angeles Times (July 3rd, 1986)

Mood: Reflective

~Me :)

Round Robin Challenge: Threads

"Experience is never limited, and it is never complete; it is an immense sensibility, a kind of huge spider-web of the finest silken threads suspended in the chamber of consciousness, and catching every air-borne particle in its issue."

~Henry James

RRC: Threads



THREADS Of Wire For Hair...

The name of this statue is Bliss Dance. This lovely lady sits behind the security gate at Treasure Island, where she has been since 2009. She is a stunning example of beauty and grace, and at just about 40 feet tall, you can't help but notice her, even with the amazing San Francisco skyline serving as a backdrop behind her!Of course if you didn't notice her right off, I would have to ask..

When was the last time you saw a 40ft dancing naked woman anyway?

Bliss Dance made her first appearance at Burning Man in 2010, and has now found a home, at least for now, on Treasure Island. She has fallen into a bit of disarry of late, but there is an ongoing effort to keep her looking her best, as she reminds us to dance.

She is part one in the artists vision of a three part sisterhood. The second in the series of three statues, Truth Is Beauty, will be finished later this year and the third, R-evolution will follow. I am really looking forward to seeing the three statues, and of course photographing them. I am already hooked!

You can read more about the project by visiting the artist's website look for the link at the bottom of this post.

THREADS Coming Together...



When I am walking around a fabric store, looking at all the possibilities, that's when I begin to fantasize that I would love to be a fashion designer, or interior decorator! I get excited by watching things come together in a visual way! That might also be a bad thing though. My first love is photography, and I would drive myself crazy stopping to photograph everything. There is only so far the human mind can be distracted... right? Well, my human mind anyway. LOL. Here's the thing though...

Never wind me up and turn me loose in a fabric store! LOL. My next example will tell you why!

THREADS Making Statements...



I LOVE this fabric! If I were Rachel Zoe I might say that it is BANANAS, because it is, but I don't know if she would actually agree with me, she is much to elegant in personal style methinks, but if we are just talking funky fun... it's fabulous! I would love to get a Simplicity pattern and make these THREADS into a nice pincil skirt and pair with with a crepe shell and a black leather cropped style or Bolero jacket perhaps! And lots and lots of silver chains and a silver chain belt, and don't forget the closed toe slingbacks! Hmmm...

Too bad I have NO talent for working a sewing machine device. None. Newfangled contraptions!

All These THREADS... All The THREADS Possibilities...



There you have it, my look at THREADS! Okay, now that you have visited here, please go see what the other Round Robin participants have come up with! You can find their links and all the information you need, should you want to join in the fun, at the official Round Robin blog. Simply click here.

Mood: Happy :)

~Me 

Inspired By: Edvard Munch ( A Tale Of Two Screams)

"More than any time in history mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, the other to total extinction. Let us pray that we have the wisdom to choose correctly."

~Woody Allen

 

The other day, while in San Mateo, I spotted a face in a tree. At first I thought it would be a pretty good addition to my series "A Face In The Crowd." If you don't remember that series, it basically consists of faces I have seen in odd or unusual places. There are a few examples on my sidebar, under the My Photography section. Anyway, after I took the photo I had the strange feeling that I had seen this face before. It was definitely familiar beyond the general facial features. After studying it for a while I realized that, at least to me, the face in the tree bore somewhat of a resemblance to Edvard Munch's "The Scream."

Admittedly, The Scream has never really been one of my favorite paintings, however when I have come across it, it has always captured my imagination. Why was the man in the painting in so much turmoil? Had he just witnessed something dreadful? Where was he? What is directly behind him? Why is the sky orange? Is he transitioning between this life and the next? What could possibly bring about the kind of emotion being felt by the man in the painting? I have always wanted to know more!

And isn't that what art is all about?

YES! And it kind of tickled me when I realized the face I was seeing reminded me of  The Scream because it meant that I would probably spend a little while yesterday afternoon, doing some research into the Edvard Munch's masterpiece. And I did! I learned that there are actually 4 versions of The Scream, the original title for this series was Der Schrei der Natur. In his diary, Munch described his inspiration for the image...

"One evening I was walking along a path, the city was on one side and fjord below. I felt tired and ill. I stopped and looked out over the fjord... the sun was setting, and the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The color shrieked. This became The Scream."

E.M.
Nice 22 January 1892

"Whistler's Mother, Wood's American Gothic, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Edvard Munch's The Scream have all achieved something that most paintings... regardless of their historical importance, beauty, or monetary value... have not: they communicate a specific meaning almost immediately to almost every viewer. These few works have successfully made the transition from the elite realm of the museum visitor to the enormous venue of popular culture."

~Martha Tedeschi (Author)

I came across many different theories as to why the figure in the painting seems to be in such despair. One such theory was that Munch was depicting, of all things, the despair of love. Yikes! I have gotten my heart stomped on once, or twice, but I don't think love has ever left me so devastated that this is how I viewed it! LOL. Of course, is there anything more fun than a broken heart? Hell, I heard on a documentary a while back that it is true, a broken heart can indeed actually kill you! Perhaps Edvard Munch knew a little about that, or maybe he was inspired not so much by the pain of romantic love, but rather by the pain of losing anyone you love.

Shrug.

I know I have often felt that love can be a much more painful emotion than hatred.

Shrug again.

 

Anyway, there is a lot to discover about The Scream, so I will save some details back in case you would like to spend a Saturday or Sunday learning about it for yourself. Personally, I can't think of a nicer way to spend a weekend day! Be it this work of art, or a different one you have been wanting to know more about.

So tell me...

What comes to mind when you view Edvard Munch's, The Scream?
Do you have a favorite artwork or artist that you would like to know more about? If so, who?
What is the last artwork you spent time researching?

Tell me what or who inspires you!

Mood: Curious

~Me :)

Reminder: Don't forget to join us tomorrow (Saturday) for our next Round Robin Challenge! This time around we will be tackling... "Threads." You can find out all about it here.