Norman Rockwell, The Painter of the Feeling of American life, at Christmas
Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of the country’s culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life he created for The Saturday Evening Post magazine over nearly […]
Beijing Meets Over Battered Economy, COVID Cases Rise
Chinese GDP has fallen to an estimated 3%, China’s poorest economic performance in over 50 years. The unrest in China complicates expectations of the country’s path to recovery, which, along with prospects of more moderate Federal Reserve interest-rate increases, had directed sentiment toward riskier assets in recent sessions. Traders also assessed the chances that China […]
James Webb Telescope Reveals More Clearly the Structure of the Universe
The James Webb Space Telescope launched on December 25, 2021, begins to reveal more clearly the structure of the universe. Not a universe full of stars but of galaxies forms the relevant part of the information provided. This has been made clear by employing gravitational lensing, to review certain of the universe. […]
From Creation To Auction: The Journey Of A Masterpiece
“Now painting is dead…” a famous French painter said upon the invention of cameras. However, time has proven him wrong. Artworks in the form of paintings have not gone obsolete as he supposed. On the contrary, they have increased in value through the ages. Art has been a powerful force in the world for centuries, […]
Wen Zhengming, Ancient Chinese Painter and Calligrapher
An outstanding painter and calligrapher and an important trendsetter in his time, Wen Zhengming (1470–1559) was the unrivaled leader of the Wu School for much of its heyday during the first sixty years of the sixteenth century. Born to a modestly successful scholar-official family, Wen was a late bloomer in the arts; he was particularly […]
Willem van de Velde the Younger
Willem van de Velde the Younger, who was born in Leiden, Netherlands, on December 18, 1633, was a prominent painter known for his maritime art. He began maritime oil paintings at a very young age and quickly reached the pinnacle of achievement. Willem van de Velde was a descendent of painters. Willem van de Velde […]
Elegant Master Anthony van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck (alternately spelled Vandyke) was an influential Brabantian Flemish painter and Baroque artist of the 17th century. He was born in Belgium in 1599. After a prosperous career in the southern Netherlands and Italy, van Dyck became England’s preeminent court painter. Sir Anthony van Dyck was the seventh child of Frans van […]
The Jack Benny Program – Christmas Shopping (1960)
In the video, Jack Benny goes Christmas shopping with Rochester and runs into all sorts of unexpected surprises in this episode aired December 18, 1960 on CBS. Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit […]
Why Music Should Be Beautiful…
In the video Alma Deutscher explains why music should be based on the forms of early music and not on today’s. Alma Elizabeth Deutscher (born 19 February 2005) is a British composer, pianist and violinist. A child prodigy, Deutscher composed her first piano sonata at the age of five. At seven, she completed the short […]
Origins of Christmas Traditions in America
Have you ever wondered why we have certain Christmas traditions? Several of them date all the way back to the 17th century! Let’s rediscoery some of the Yuletide customs that have endured to the present day. 1. Candy Canes Candy canes are some of those delectable confections that scream Christmas cheer. However, these sweets have […]