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One of the most significant American poets of the 20th century, Wallace Stevens was not widely recognized until after the publication of his Collected Poems (1954). His poetry explores the tension between reality and the human imagination. Continue reading Winter daydreams

In 1827 Franz Schubert held a candle during Beethoven’s funeral. Distressed by the death of the composer he revered above all others, Schubert’s thoughts turned to his own poor health and growing sense of mortality. He died the following year in a cold, dark Vienna garret, but not before completing one last masterpiece. Continue reading Schubert’s black-winged demon of sorrow

More than 20 bronze casts of French artist Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker (Le Penseur) can be found in museums around the world. It may be the most famous sculpture ever after Michelangelo’s David. First conceived as a depiction of the poet Dante, it has come to symbolise humanity’s striving after knowledge. Continue reading Rodin’s Thinker

Bronze figurines have a significant history in France, up to and including the famous dancers and horses by Edgar Degas, which, strangely, were only cast in bronze after his death. The French artist Robert Rigot follows that noble tradition. Continue reading Robert Rigot’s bronze mother and child

St Catherine’s Church in Nuremberg was dedicated in 1297 and formed part of a Dominican convent. It became a centre for illuminating manuscripts and weaving tapestry. After the Reformation, the church was put to profane uses and between 1620 and 1778 it was the home of the Mastersingers of Nuremberg. Continue reading The Mastersingers of Nuremberg and St Catherine’s Church

The script of the Etruscan people who dominated northern Italy before Roman times seems easy to read: it’s written in Greek characters. But mysteriously no clear relationship between Etruscan and any other language has yet been found. Continue reading A vanished people, a lost language

There is no escaping the bitter irony of celebrating a child born in Bethlehem – north-east of the Gaza Strip – and the sickening deaths of more than 6,600 children in Gaza itself since 7 October 2023. Thousands more are missing under the rubble. Continue reading Untitled

Opals are commonly pictured as translucent, pale, grey-green stones flecked with ghostly colours. In fact, they come in several bright colours and are especially prized by Librans. Continue reading Untitled

Is anything more beautiful than the symphonies of Sibelius? Well, of course – from time to time. Two of these uplifting works are just over 100 years old, but they sound as fresh and bracing as the landscapes from which they were hewn. Continue reading Untitled

The Oude Kerk (Old Church) in Amsterdam dates back to 1250. In later years it was enlarged and dedicated to Saint Nicholas, patron saint of seamen and – oddly – of bakers. It is one of a few places in Amsterdam where one can trace the footsteps of the great painter Rembrandt van Rijn. (more…) “”

A draft manuscript of Victorian poet Gerard Manley Hopkins’ celebrated work “Binsey Poplars” has been bought at auction by Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries. Written in 1879, the poem was first published in 1918. (more…) “”

A sign of hope. (more…)

When Rodin met Mahler

In 1909 the great French artist Auguste Rodin sculpted the head of the famous Austrian composer Gustav Mahler. (more…)

Abraham Lincoln – the man responsible for the United States of America

“Four score and seven years ago” – actually, seven score and ten – Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Long held to be America’s greatest president, he was also a gifted speechwriter. (more…)

“All the world’s a stage”

Imagine a film about Earth from its birth to the present. Aeons of seeming inactivity interspersed with dramatic outbursts would eventually come to the exits and entrances of dinosaurs and “men and women merely players”. (more…)

Antediluvian Glenn Beck tries to sink Noah

Isn’t it strange what some people get fired up about? If it were severe drought, or famine, or plague, or armed violence, or forcibly seizing part of another country, it would be understandable. But a film? In this day and age. A film about Noah’s Ark? (more…)

It’s been a funny old year! (more…)