Ebook Gallery

Although Valentine’s Day is not in the near future, it appears that love is in the air. Last Saturday, 6 July, the UK celebrated its National Kissing Day.

As an American, can you imagine my surprise to learn that Brits dedicate an entire day to snogging (that’s British for kissing)? For my fellow non-Brits who don’t know how to celebrate this holiday, I browsed the Internet for helpful tips, and I compiled a list of what apparently are the worst kisses:

1. The Chicken Peck: attack of the little pecks, no further action
2. The Washing Machine: tongue rolls around uncontrollably like a spin cycle
3. The Biter: when the other person bites you so much, that you walk away with bloody and pained lips → Read more

Shoowa Artists (Kasai Province)
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Man’s Prestige Cloth, first half of 20th century.
Raffia palm fibre, 66 x 35 cm.
Collection of Michael Mack.
Location: Wieland Skyway, Large Wedge Gallery.
Courtesy of the High Museum of Art, Atlanta.

Africa has long been a source of fascination for people from the West. From Cy Endfield’s 1964 classic film Zulu starring Michael Caine and Stanley Baker, to Disney’s The Lion King, from Elton John crooning The Circle of Life, to Shakira’s foot-tapping World Cup anthem This Time for Africa*, the land of our origins still maintains a deep hold over our thoughts and is firmly embedded into our culture.

When we look at Africa, we see a myriad of possibilities, destinations, languages, cultures, politics, wildlife, levels of wealth and poverty, violence and peace, landscapes, and geography. → Read more

Diego Rivera
Retrato de la Señora Natasha Gelman (Portrait of Mrs Natasha Gelman), 1943.
Oil on canvas, 115 x 153 cm.
The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th Century Mexican Art.
The Vergel Foundation. Conaculta/INBA.
© 2013 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Courtesy of The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City.

Diego Rivera. Frida Kahlo. A new exhibition at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. It feels like old ground, and yet we (and, by we, I mean museums and galleries), keep on putting new exhibitions up, re-showing the same work over and over again. Isn’t this just a curriculum which we are repeating? A monopoly set where we never get to pass ‘GO’? A dream that we never seem to be able to wake up from?

No, actually it isn’t. What we can learn from Frida and Diego, and all other artists who are being exhibited (be it once, twice, or two thousand times), is that their work is important. And we can never truly glean everything we need to know about a painting by studying it once, twice, or even two thousand times. → Read more

Public housing has a rather negative image – initially associated with slums and poverty, these areas were (and still generally are) avoided by middle to upper income citizens. Whether in fear of catching starvation, encountering violence, or simply being disturbed to see how the other half really lives, public housing venues are the last place you would find the “well-to-do”.

Le Corbusier, Shondan House, 1956.
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

However, this sort of housing can actually be quite nice, and some countries are incorporating it into their city schemes for the entire population, not just the poor, huddled masses. → Read more

It’s that time of year again. Adrenaline, excitement, anguish, depression, lethargy, and resignation: these are all common feelings associated with this time. What is so significant about this particular time of year you may ask? Well, now is the time of year when the season finale of the Game of Thrones has come and gone. A whole 9 months to go before we find out who the next unsuspecting victim(s) of George R.R. Martin’s vicious pen will be. And I ask you: how are we supposed to deal with that?

Sure, for the next month, there will be lots of debate about what might happen and who may become the next strongest contender for the Iron Throne (seriously people, don’t keep bandying Daenerys Targaryen’s name about so much… Martin may get angry, and then BAM, there goes one of our favourites!). Some people may even pick up the books for the first time, in an eager bid to get ahead of the TV show (to the person who recently said to me: “why bother reading the books when you have the TV show?”, Shame on you!!!), and yet, as someone who has read the books, and first picked them up nearly ten years ago… they will hook you, and then leave you in a worse state than the TV show. Because believe me, with the televised version, 9 months is nothing. When you wait YEARS for the next book to come out, then you will understand the true meaning of patience. → Read more

Captain Charles A. and Sergeant John M. Hawkins, Company E, “Tom Cobb Infantry,” Thirty-eighth Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry, 1861–62.
Ambrotype, Photograph.
David Wynn Vaughan Collection.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Now, I’m not one to try and court controversy, but it has occurred to me that the act of war is just good business (for the winners anyway).

Let’s take war crimes, death tolls, injuries, post-traumatic stress, and dubious reasons for inciting wars out of the equation for a moment. Instead, look at the opening up of jobs in the military forces. This means that unemployment figures go down, levels of education go up (excellent military and civilian training is provided in all manner of subjects), nationwide happiness is on the up (again, primarily for the winning side), and if we stick to the “to the victor the spoils” philosophy (as a certain nation has recently tried to do with Middle-Eastern oil resources), then wealth can also be a by-product of a successful war campaign. → Read more

Being labelled a genius puts one precariously close to being pigeonholed as insane. Where insanity is recognised as the repetition of the same action over and over, is genius not finally achieving some far-fetched goal, whether it is in science, maths, or art? History is littered with larger than life talents that we still learn about in our studies and discuss with our peers: Einstein, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, etc.

Sandro Botticelli, Study for The Adoration of the Child, c. 1495.
Pen shaded with brown, white heightening, and pink wash, 16.1 x 25.8 cm.
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.

Artists made sketches and drafts of the way the human body works, whether in physical labour or dancing, to better portray the human condition in their paintings. Michelangelo and Degas are not only famous for the Sistine Chapel and Impressionism respectively, but also for the way their images came to life – the strength and beauty of their depictions is only so because of their relentless repetition of drawing the same things over and over again – genius or insane? → Read more

“Going Dutch”: a phrase which is most commonly associated with splitting the bill when going out to dinner.

Personally, I find that this is one of those phrases which we all use, and don’t really think about why we use it. I have merrily used these two simple words for many years – and yet it is only recently that it occurred to me to question where such a notion comes from.

Johan Barthold Jongkind
Windmills in Rotterdam, 1857.
Oil on canvas, 42.5 x 55 cm.
Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Before I started doing some research into this, I have to admit that I did spend more time than I probably should have trying to puzzle this scenario out. I did, however, cross out the possibility that it originally meant going to eat Edam at a windmill, with a dress code of clogs and pearl earrings. → Read more

We might all be able to agree that most of the world is a mess. The Americas and Europe have taken a ginormous step back in terms of production, innovation, and general flourishing. Many of our nations and states are in obscene debt which appears to be stagnant or rising and there is no end in sight.

Sir Peter Blake, Children Reading Comics, 1954.
Oil on hardboard, 36.9 x 47.1 cm.
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle (Cumbria).

So then, what should be next? Vampires and Zombies aren’t getting us anywhere → Read more

Question for the day: What brings us to make particular choices? Choices which range from our music preferences to major life decisions?

Religion is one such important life choice. Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism… the Big 5 (in terms of the most well-known religions).

Kang Ik-Joong
Happy Buddha (2008).
Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Today I shall be looking at Buddhism. What is the draw? Why is it becoming more and more popular in the Western world? Traditionally, Buddhism was found only in Eastern and East Asian countries: think Tibet, China, South Korea, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, parts of India, and even parts of Russia. So, where does the appeal lie for celebrity adherents such as Tina Turner, Orlando Bloom, Kate Bosworth, Richard Gere, and Tiger Woods?

Buddhism entails four stepping stones (also known as truths): The Truth of Suffering, The Truth that there is a Cause of Suffering, The Truth of Stopping Suffering, and The Truth of the Path Leading to the End of Suffering. To sum up: 1.) Everyone has problems. Life is full of complications. 2.) These problems and complications are the result of something. 3.) It is possible to get rid of confusion and lack of understanding – which are the basis for the cause of problems. We need to change our attitudes. 4.) Correct understanding – the understanding that everything is connected, and thinking about everything on a large/universal level – will result in an open and relaxed state of mind. By examining our problems on a universal scale (making everyone is equal) followers of Buddhism are able to find solutions which are realistic and fair to everyone.

Seated Buddha in the lotus position, date unknown.
Bodh Gaya, Bihar state, India.

Along the way, Buddhists develop their levels of maturity, wisdom, and their moral code – not a bad combination of qualities in my opinion. But, looking closely at the steps that Buddhists follow, it is apparent that the truth of universal problems is a key issue at the moment. Financial crises, debt, wars, broken homes, and broken marriages, to name but a few – these are all too common facts of life in this day and age. People need solutions, and don’t know where to go – so Buddhism as a way of life is appearing more and more attractive… after all, who isn’t looking for some peace of mind?

What is very clear to me from looking at these few Western celebrities who also happen to be followers of Buddhism is that, no matter who you are, or how famous you might be, everyone is searching for something. And that folks, is a universal truth!

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is currently holding an exhibition on Divine Depictions – Korean Buddhist Paintings. This is running until the 23^rd June 2013, so to find out a bit more about Buddhism in art and in Korea, why not check this fascinating exhibition out?! To really get to grips with the depiction of Buddhism and Buddha, pick up a copy of T.W. Rhys-Davids’ 1000 Buddhas of Genius.