2018 - Start Escape!

Mona Lisa – Leonardo da Vinci

November 26, 2018/0 Comments/in Art/by Gart the Gnome

Hi Folks!

The Mona Lisa is definitely the most known and possibly the most photographed work of art in the world. About 6 million people admire the painting at the Louvre each year. So, I would guess that each visitor takes four photos of the painting on an average. Every fourth photo is probably a selfie totaling some 6 million selfies of Mona Lisa. There’s been some debate on the subject of the painting. The list of the possible models portrayed in the painting is long. However, it has recently become evident that the painting is a self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. To come to any other conclusion would require ignoring the fact that Leonardo had invented a selfie stick before painting Mona Lisa.

Based on the recently discovered drawings it is clear that Leonardo had experimented with several designs for a selfie stick. Unfortunately none of the prototypes were preserved. The design in the adjacent drawing would probably have been feasible during his lifetime. It is likely that Leonardo has used a similar selfie stick for painting Mona Lisa. Although it is still to some extent unclear to the researchers how the selfie stick functioned.

I guess Leonardo’s idea was that a paint brush would be installed through the loops in the middle as the transverse rails held a mirror glass. The use of a selfie stick affected in a soft blending in the portrait, which is actually the reason why the smile on Leonardo’s face is seen mysterious.

Leonardo da Vinci (and Xzibit) would see some irony in the fact that people are willing to stand hours in line to have an opportunity to take a selfie of a selfie.

– Gart

Leonardo da Vinci [Public domain]

The Eiffel Tower – Paris

September 19, 2018/0 Comments/in Places/by Gart the Gnome

Hi Folks!

It’s hard to beat a picnic underneath the Eiffel Tower (or almost anywhere in Paris to tell the truth). The tower is an iconic tourist spot and quite astonishing. Washington Monument held the title of tallest structure in the world until the Eiffel Tower was erected and thereafter the Eiffel Tower held the title proudly with its peak in 324 meters from 1889 to 1930.

The Americans just could not stand the situation and so the Chrysler Building was built in New York. The height of the Chrysler Building was only 320 meters but a 38 meters long spire with a steel needle was added to the top to claim the title back to USA. Some of you may question whether the Americans could actually be that petty, but look it up yourself. Walter P Chrysler admitted in his autobiography that the needle was added only to increase the height of the Chrysler Building just enough to claim the title of the worlds’ tallest man-made structure.

But who cares which structure is the tallest. It’s the looks that matter in the end. I have not seen any replicas of the Chrysler Building. But the Eiffel Tower has inspired the creation of probably over 20 replicas, many of them also in USA. One of the most known replica is probably in Las Vegas. I’ve heard that the Eiffel Tower is actually a replica too and that the design was copied from the tower located in Lyon. I will have to get to the bottom of the matter and head directly to Lyon. Could it possible that the landmark of Paris is nothing but a knockoff of the original in Lyon.

– Gart

Claude Monet - The Water Lilies: Morning

The Water Lilies: Morning – Claude Monet

September 2, 2018/0 Comments/in Art/by Gart the Gnome

Hi Folks!

Monet created some 250 paintings related by the same subject: water lilies. I admire his dedication. One would think that inspiration stemming from water lilies would have it’s limits. But the same subject kept Monet occupied for three decades until his death in 1926. This piece is a part of the Nymphéas cycle at the Musée de l’Orangeria in Paris, where visitors may admire eight water lily murals in two oval rooms. When Monet needed variation in his life, he painted stacks of harvested wheat. As there are twenty-five pieces in Monet’s Haystacks series, it is clear that variation was needed on average only once a year .

– Gart

Hungarian Parliament Building – Budapest

May 28, 2018/0 Comments/in Places/by Gart the Gnome

Hi Folks!

Nothing new in Hungary. The Danube river flows through Budapest, the Parliament Building serves as a popular tourist attraction and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán leads the (allegedly authoritarian) government. The Danube does not usually suffer major floods but it is said that once it overflows the water cleans the riverbanks of all the waste. The following flood is closer every day.

Fisherman’s Bastion (pic below) is situated on the Buda bank of the Danube, high above the city. There is a zero chance that a flood could be a threat to the bastion. The location of the bastion indicates that the fishermen in Budapest are a bit pessimistic or then they are expecting a tsunami. The next parliament election in Hungary will be held in 2022 or earlier, just so you know.

– Gart