Who Was At The Olympic Games in Ancient Greece

Photo of U.K. stamp commemorating the 1948 London Olympics courtesy 123rf.com

Many famous people from all walks of life participated in the ancient Olympic Games including Plato, Aristotle, Sophocles, Demosthenes, Hippocrates, and other physicians, philosophers, musicians, artists, historians, poets, and more.  Married women were not allowed to attend the games until after Kallipateira the Pherenice taught her son the art of fighting and trained him for the games, where he won and she was discovered in attendance dressed as a man, and thereafter all women were allowed to attend.  For more information click here and click here.  What did you learn today?

Gorillas With Guns!

Photo of Six-Gun Gorilla courtesy simongurr.wordpress.com

Today's topic was requested by Mark Feldthusen from Copenhagen, Denmark, @feldthusen on Twitter.

In the 1930's there was a comic book character called Six-Gun Gorilla.  According to The Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, this silverback gorilla escaped from a circus-train wreck, strapped on guns, and traversed the Old West seeking vengeance.  This character was featured in a British paper of that time, and has been a contemporary subject for artists who update or reinvent fictional characters in a British forum called Whitechapel.  For more information click here.

Thanks Mark Feldthusen from Copenhagen, @feldthusen on Twitter for today's topic!  What did you learn today?

How The Heart Got Its Shape

The shape of the heart symbol, which symbolizes love, bears little resemblance to the human heart, so I wondered about the origin.  There are several different ideas about the origin of this symbol going back to anywhere from the 7th century BC up to the 17th century. 

One idea is the heart shape of the now-extenct silphium plant from North Africa was used for birth control in the 7th century BC, and so became associated with sex and then eventually love.

Another idea proposes that the heart-shaped ivy leaf used to decorate early Christian burial sites eventually evolved to represent human life, which was believed to be driven entirely by the heart.  The human heart was rarely seen due primarily to religious bans on autopsies and the fact that surgery as is known today did not exist.  The heart was believed to be not only the seat of life but also the seat of emotion, so the heart-shaped ivy leaf eventually became associated with the emotions of love.  Blood is red, so the monks who painted illuminations in manuscripts eventually painted the heart symbol red.

Yet another idea proposed is that 17th century Saint Mary Margaret saw the sacred heart in this shape in a dream or vision.

For more information click here and click here.  What did you learn today?

Mona Lisa's Shadows

Photo of people taking photos of the Mona Lisa courtesy 123rf.com

Leonardo da Vinci used 30 layers of paint, about 40 micrometers each, on the Mona Lisa in order to execute a technique called Sfumato, which makes shadows look realistic.  For more information click here.  What did you learn today?

Sandwich Glass...And You Can Eat Off It, Too!

Photo courtesy Sandwich Glass Museum; click here to see this Sandwich Glass Reproduction for sale

I'm an admirer of artisan glass, and have seen it made in Seattle, Washington; Williamsburg, Virginia; and on the island of Murano in Venice, Italy.  I've admired Sandwich glass, but didn't know it was a product of the town of Sandwich, Massachusetts here in the U.S.A.  For more information click here.

What did you learn today?

The Music of Origami

Photo courtesy 123rf.com

I have just seen the best documentary I've ever seen, "Between the Folds:  Exploring Origami."  One of the most interesting parts of this documentary is how the evolution of Western Art Music is compared to the evolution of origami.  Some of the most breathtaking origami I have ever seen is presented.  There are different genres of origami--very much like music--and some even moves!  Another very interesting part of the film is the scientists who do and study origami for practical application in medicine and other fields.  It is a riveting 56 minutes.  On top of all that, I thought the score was genius in that it sounded like what origami looks like!  I hope you will see this documentary, then leave a comment here on this blog. 

For more information click here and click here.  What did you learn today?

Toulouse-Lautrec's Drink: The Earthquake!

Photo of "A Corner in a Dance Hall" painting by Toulouse-Lautrec courtesy AllPaintings.org

One of my favorite artists is Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901).  I especially like his crowd scenes.  Whenever I visit the Art Institute of Chicago, the first thing I always do is go to the Impressionists/Post-Impressionists section to see At the Moulin Rouge.  What I didn't know is that Toulouse-Lautrec is credited with creating a drink that became very popular at the time, called Tremblement de Terre or Earthquake, which is half absinthe & half cognac.  In the early 19th century absinthe was believed to cure digestive disorders, and so some thought the drink he created was almost wholesome!  In time, however, some brewers began using lethal solvents in the production of absinthe, which led to the eventual outlawing of absinthe in most of Europe and the United States.

Who is your favorite artist?