I wanted to ground myself into things from the past, I strolled among the Egyptian artifacts and artifacts from Japan and Korea.
The Egyptian area of the Met is my favorite not because just the art but because it is so old and so epic, All these Pharaohs that made great battles and built great pyramids, and all the mummies laying in that museum with all these 21st century people snapping their phones.
It is where history meets today.
I looked at Rubens and Rembrandt and all the great Dutch masters, and I finished reading the Dalai Lama book on the history of Tibet and about how all Tibetans started wearing Mao suits.
I am also currently listening to a small course on ancient civilizations, and Egypt among them.
And today in the library I found really marvelous books and one of the books is about the cooking of all the elements of life in the soup kitchen of the stars.
Thank God for the greatest treasures in the world like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Public Library, I don't think I would live in New York if it wasn't for its great public institutions. I'm really sad that many people in the US are really isolated from culture and especially inexpensive access to great culture and books. A lot of people just sit in there living room staring at televisions and watching ads on YouTube. I think this is bigger problem then global warming it's the isolation and diminishing literacy among people with proliferation of information.
Above the Mao suits Tibetans wear and below is Rubens
Speaking of uniforms I went to see the David show also at the met, there were some really nice drawings there but to be honest David's art was not as interesting to me as the politics when David operated, it was the newly minted French Republic. I think one of his strongest works was inspired by French Republic's proclamations, it must have been pretty exciting to witness the toppling of monarchy, I personally will be really excited to see say British royals become just what they should be - citizens of their state.
Below here is an excerpt from The met and also a picture of one of David's uniform designs. It's so funny all revolutions want to standardize people, That's one thing I'd be totally opposed to. It seems revolutions and terror are quite close.
After the National Convention proclaimed France a republic in 1792, there was a strong impetus to reimagine many aspects of daily life to reflect new egalitarian principles. Clothing, which had been a key means to distinguish social class and privi lege before the revolution, was one area targeted for change.
In 1794 David produced a group of designs for civil, military, and judicial uniforms, a project reflecting his political clout during these years, as well as his training as a history painter. The designs are eclectic in influence, with nods to the styles of antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance.
Below some David drawings.
below is David's drawing of the Head of Marcus Atilius Regulus
Roman general and consul; taken prisoner by the Carthaginians (255 BC) who, according to the legend, sent him to Rome to negociate peace or an exchange of prisoners; he adviced the Senate against both proposals and, true to his parole, returned to Carthage where he was tortured ant executed
The lesson is never trust murderous bastards autocrats dictators and other blood thirsty gangsters, especially in war.
I guess it's a good idea if you want to be the stuff of legends.