The Romantic Movement In France

(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:

It was not till the Great Exhibition at Paris in 1867 that Millet came into his own, and his opportunity came then because his friend Théodore Rousseau was President of the Jury. In this exhibition Millet was represented by ‘The Angelus’ ‘The Gleaners’, and seven other important paintings. He was awarded a first class medal for the collection, and in the following year was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. He was now at the height of his fame, but the honors and fortune which followed came too late to be enjoyed. The artist was deeply smitten by the death of Rousseau in December 1867, and his own health began to fail in 1870. During the disasterous Franco-Prussian war he retired to Cherbourg, where his work was interrupted by frequent illnesses. When he returned to Paris, the new Republican Government gave Millet a commission in 1874 to paint a set of decorative panels of ‘The Four Seasons’ for the Panthéon, but though he at once began charcoal sketches for these subjects he was never able to execute the paintings. Throughout the autumn his health declined, and surrounded by his devoted family he died on the 20th January 1875.

Closely associated with Millet, whom he accompanied to Barbizon, was Charles Jacque (1813-94), who, though less poweful than Troyon, was one of the best animal painters of his time. He excelled in painting flocks of sheep in the open or on the edge of a forest. The painting of peasant life, inaugurated by Millet, was continued by Bastien Lepage (1848-84) and the still more popular Jules Breton (1827-1906), who, though weaker in drawing and less rich in color, reaped where Millet had sown. Associated with Diaz, and still more fantastic than this painter in the exotic pictures of his earlier years, was Adolphe Monticelli (1824-86). Born at Marseilles, Monticelli brought the warmth of Southern coloring and imagination to Barbizon: he was the most romantic of the romantic landscape painters, and his canvases loaded with rich pigment, from which radiant fairy-like figures emerge and seem to quiver with life, are magical masterpieces of jewel-like color.

Belonging to a slightly later generation, but encouraged in his youth by Corot, Daubigny, and Millet, the exquisite sea painter Eugene Boudin (1825-98) is a link between the Barbizon School and the Impressionists. Boudin was born at Honfleur, where his father was a sea-captain, and during his early years he assisted Troyon by painting the skies in some of his pictures. This was a department of painting in which Boudin excelled, and his rendering of the clouds and the blue vault of heaven excited the keen admiration of Corot, who hailed his young contemporary as ‘the monarch of the sky.’ Boudin spent the greater part of his life in the neighborhood of his birthplace, and never tired of painting the shipping, shores, and harbor scenes of this part of the Normandy coast. His paintings are pitched in a slightly higher key of color than those of Corot and Daubigny, and the prevalence of luminous pearly greys in his work have caused his paintings—together with similar paintings of similar subjects of his slightly older contemporary, the Dutchman Bartholde Jongkind—to be known as la peinture gris, i.e the ‘grey’ school of painting. ‘The Harbor of Trouville’ in the National Gallery is a beautiful example of Boudin’s delicate realism and of his sensitive feeling for the wind in the sky and the light on the water.

Internet Jewelers

I found the article A Boy's Best Friend via Economist (March 21, 2008) http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10881758 interesting + insightful + I think it's the signs of the time that traditional jewelers will be squeezed, one way or another by the internet jewelers + expect to see more modified business models via internet selling jewelry worldwide.

Useful link:
www.bluenile.com

School Of Design Innovation

I think James Dyson's design school in Bath, U.K will be a unique concept + inspire the next generation of inventors and engineers + with leading industrial giants like Rolls-Royce, Airbus and Williams Formula One as partners in the project, I believe the work experience and mentoring to students by the experts will be priceless.

Useful link:
www.dysonschool.com

Howard Hodgkin

Howard Hodgkin is a British painter + printmaker + his style is spontaneous with bright colors and bold forms, sort of semi-abstract, emotional + natural!

Useful link:
www.howardhodgkin.org.uk

Becoming Self Aware

I found Mark Goulston's How to Deal With Anxious People extremely useful + I liked it.

Useful link:
http://conversationstarter.hbsp.com

Certifigate: Rallying Support For Closure

Total internal reflections of Chaim Even Zohar on Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) complex Certifigate scandal + the ongoing and evolving story + diamond industry concerns + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp

The Pasha Of Egypt

(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:

The Stellar Cut Brilliant, octagonal in outline and with eightfold symmetry, is reported to have weighed 40 ct (about 41 metric ct). In 1848 it was acquired by Ibrahim Pasha, the great Egyptian general and Viceroy of Egypt to the Turkish Sultan.

The Romantic Movement In France

(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:

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The great struggle for liberty and truth in art, begun by the Romantics and landscape painters already mentioned, was carried a stage further by Jean Francois Millet (1814-75), who was the first to paint the peasant, not as a sort of ‘stage property’ in a landscape, but as he truly lived and moved. Millet came of peasant stock, and during his boyhood worked hard in the fields with his father, whose home was in the hamlet of Gruchy, near Cherbourg. When he was eighteen, his father, recognizing the lad’s talent, allowed him to study art in Cherbourg, but as the eldest son he returned to manage the farm on his father’s death in 1835. His heart, however, was still in his art, and seeing this his mother and grandmother heroically determined not to allow him to sacrifice himself, but soon persuaded him to return to Cherbourg. There his talent was recognized by the Municipality, who gave him a grant of forty pounds, and with this he went to Paris in 1836 and entered the studio of historical painter Paul Delaroche (1797-1856). During the next twelve years, spent partly in Paris and partly in Normandy, Millet experienced nothing but trouble, he married in 1841, and his wife died in 1844; at the end of 1845 he married again, and found a devoted and courageous helpmate in his second wife.

At this period of his life Millet chiefly painted portraits and small pictures of classical or mythological subjects, and already his color—in which he was considerably influenced by Correggio—began to attract attention and the admiration of other artists. He became friendly with Diaz, and through Diaz got to know Rousseau and others. In 1847 his picture ‘Œdipus taken from the Tree’ was favorably noticed in the Salon by Théophile Gautier, who prophesied that the painter would become famous, and in the following year Millet’s picture of a peasant woman was given a place of honor in the best room at the Salon. It looked as if the painter was on the point of achieving a popular success, for he had also been finding a ready sale for small pictures of nude figures, which he painted with great skill. But about this time he accidentally overheard somebody speaking of him as ‘Millet, who paints nothing but naked women,’ and this chance remark so upset him that he then and there determined never again to paint the nude. Already town life and town manners were distasteful to him; he longed for country air to breathe and the peasant people whom he knew and loved to paint.

In 1849 he decided to change his manner of life, and with his wife and babies he removed to Barbizon, where Rousseau and Diaz were already settled. In this peaceful village Millet made his home, and found his true vocation in chronicling in a series of noble paintings the dignity of peasant labor. To the Salon of 1850 he sent his unforgettable picture of ‘The Sower’, a work of epic grandeur which seems to symbolize the Present preparing the Future in the guise of an agricultural labourer fulfilling his common task. During the next ten years Millet painted some of his greatest pictures, ‘The Gleaners’ in 1857, ‘The Angelus’ in 1859, but all this time Millet was harassed by money difficulties, and with a growing and increasing family he had a hard struggle for mere existence. His new pictures were not popular; not only did they fail to find purchasers, but they were often attacked because many of them were thought to be ‘socialistic’ and ‘The Gleaners’ was particularly abused on its first appearance as a work expressing subversive political principles. Millet and his family might have starved at this time, but for the good deeds stealthily done by his more fortunate comrades. In 1855 Rousseau secretly bought one of his pictures for £160, and Troyon also bought several of Millet’s works, pretending that he was acting for an American collector who had no real existence. By this tactful generoisity Millet was prevented from ever knowing how much he owed to the devotion of his friends.

The Romantic Movement In France (continued)

New Business Models

I really liked the interactive map of new business start-ups from around the world + it was interesting and useful.

Diamond Market Reflections

It was interesting to note the peculiar contrast between stock markets (low consumer confidence + external factors) and jewelry auction houses (many items were sold for more than their pre-sale estimates because of strong interest + cash) + Is there a link between rise in prices of large size, high quality diamonds and sharp rises in oil prices? Experts believe the two are connected as petro-dollars seek alternative investment opportunities + What's intriguing this time was not the Sheiks from the Gulf region, but rich buyers from China, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Argentina, Greece and Russia + My view is the scarcity of top quality diamonds (5+ carats +), both colorless and colored, is what driving the prices high + De Beers is not finding that many new top-quality stones + it's a new world with new players and a lot of cash!

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais is a triple Golden Globe + double Emmy + seven-time BAFTA award-winning English comedian/writer + I think he is one-of-a-kind-performing artist + The Office is still my favorite.

Useful link:
www.rickygervais.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Gervais

A Unique Diamond Phone

Here is what Case-mate has to say about the unique diamond phone:
The Case-mate Diamond Case is handcrafted with 42 stunning diamonds (3.5 carats) set in 18K gold. These gorgeous diamonds are embedded in a rare gold carbon fiber leather case. With VVS1 clarity and H color, these diamonds are superior in quality. Complete with an 18K gold emblem, the Case-mate Diamond BlackBerry Case is truly a one of a kind.

But that's not all. This Diamond BlackBerry Curve Case is crafted of luxurious Carbon Fiber leather, previously available only in high end aftermarket cars (Techart Porsche) and very high end cell phones (Vertu). Case-mate worked closely with its leather craftsmen to develop this rare gold leather for this very special BlackBerry Curve case.

It's brilliant + adamantine with metallic lustre!

Useful link:
www.case-mate.com

Art Forgery Update

It has been reported that the Spanish police + the FBI have arrested the ring leaders which duped hundreds of customers into buying counterfeit prints of works believed to be by artists including Picasso, Warhol and Dalí.

Useful links:
www.artloss.com
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/arttheft/story/0,,2266679,00.html

Robert Burden

It was really fascinating to see Robert Burden's series of large paintings honoring the action figures he worshipped as a child + in my view they were beautiful + I liked it!

Useful links:
www.robertburden.net
www.roqlarue.com

The Complete TurtleTrader

The Complete TurtleTrader: The Legend, the Lessons, the Results by Michael W. Covel is a fascinating and instructive book + it highlights the inner workings + the real world of trading.

Useful link:
www.michaelcovel.com

The Koh-i-Nur

(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:

It is hard to understand today why the historic Mughal Cut Koh-i-Nur diamond was completely refashioned so soon after it was presented to Queen Victoria. The delivery to the queen took place on 3 July 1850 and the actual refashioning began on 17 July 1852; it took thirty-eight days. If V. Ball, in an appendix to his translation of Tavernier’s Travels in India, was correct in saying that when it arrived in London the gem ‘had been badly mutilated, after cutting, and that it cannot have been left in such an incomplete condition by the jeweler who cut it and polished it,’ this may explain why diamond cutters were consulted about possible ways of restoring the diamond. Ball also quotes James Tennant who, in a lecture entitled Gems and Precious Stones published in London in 1852, describes it as ‘exhibiting, when brought to England, two large cleavage planes, one of which had not even been polished, and had been distinctly produced by fracture.’ Tennant also mentions that it had a flaw near the summit. Quite clearly, the gem did not please the queen. Her advisers must have assured her that it could be refashioned into a splendid Brilliant ‘to develop to a wonderful degree its surpassing clearness, brilliancy and beauty’, to quote the Illustrated London News of 18 September 1852.

Augustus Hamling, writing in 1884, deeply regretted the recutting of the gem, which ‘injured its prestige, and reduced its value incomparably’. He adds: ‘in reality its appearance....was inferior to that of its glass models. It is spread...it is quite one third too large....it is now a badly shaped stone...not much better than common limpid quartz.’ Blakey, in The Diamond (1977) writes: ‘When they had finished, the Koh-i-Nur had been reduced (by 80ct) to a a 108.93 carat oval—and still lacked fire and brilliance. To what extent this was due to the inability of the Dutch cutter....is impossible to say, but no one was pleased with the result.’ Despite such criticisms, in 1853 it was mounted in a magnificent tiara for the queen and five years later she ordered a new regal circlet for the gem. In 1911 it was placed in the crown of Queen Mary. There it remained until 1937, when it was made the central ornament in a new coronation crown for Queen Elizabeth, consort of George VI.

In 1988 the stone was removed from its setting to ascertain its exact weight: 105.602 ct is the correct figure. Its measurements are 36 x 31.9mm. The total depth figure is only 13.04mm—i.e 40.87 per cent of the narrower width. It was further found that there are thirty two crown facets round the table plus eight correction facets, parts of which are on the girdle. There are twenty four pavilion facets plus eight stellar facets and the culet and a further nine correction facets.

The Koh-i-Nur is another plain Stellar Cut Brilliant, the culet facets having been applied in a misguided attempt to improve its light effects. Unfortunately, other aspects of its recutting from the original Mughal Cut were also bungled. It became too flat, and retained merely vitreous luster, a few extra carats of weight having been saved at the expense of its beauty. But even if more competent cutters than those provided by Coster’s had been able to transform this historic gem into an attractive modern cut, the world would still have lost one of the few surviving gems with an original Indian design.

The Romantic Movement In France

(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:

Though much influenced by Corot, who regarded him almost as a son, Charles Francois Daubigny (1817-78) evolved another distinct type of landscape and excelled in his poetic renderings of placid river scenes. His father was a journeyman painter of mediocre ability, and as a boy Daubigny painted decorations on clock-cases, glove-boxes, fans, and other articles of luxury. When he was seventeen he and a friend save up a little over fifty pounds with which they set out on foot for Italy, and there maintained themselves for nearly a year. Returning to Paris, Daubigny gave himself for a time to figure subjects, but about 1840 he turned definitely to landscape, which he discovered to be his true vocation. His favorite sketching-ground was near Valmondois on the Oise, where he had spent happy days in his childhood. Though his landscapes were exhibited regularly in the Salon from 1841 to 1847, Daubigny had a hard struggle during these years, but in 1848 he received a second medal for his five landscapes in the Salon, and thereafter the State began to buy his pictures for provincial museums and his sales generally improved.

‘On the Banks of the Oise’ is a beautiful and characteristic example of the art of Daubigny, and reveals that exquisite calm and repose which is a feature of many of his paintings, though occasionally he painted stormy scenes; for Daubigny was not limited in his subjects, but painted various aspects of Nature. He was one of the pioneers in the truer rendering of Nature’s own coloring, and his famous saying, ‘We never paint light enough,’ became a watchword to the younger generation of artists.

The Romantic Movement In France (continued)

Random Thoughts

When you’re green, you’re growing. When you’re ripe, you rot. Are you green and growing or ripe and rotting?

- Ray Kroc

Javier Bardem

Javier Bardem is an Academy Award winning Spanish actor + his performance as the antagonist Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, who will decide a victim’s fate on the flip of a coin was so vivid, it was brilliant + I think the Coen brothers did the right thing--Javier Bardem was the best choice to play the ruthless killer.

Useful links:
www.javier-bardem.net
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Bardem

Heard On The Street

I feel that I'm more prepared to face the markets than ever before in my life.