Wine is now New Zealand's 12th most valuable export + I think the spectacular success could be due to the country's unique climate + hard work + clever marketing + branding + timing + quality = New Zealand wine. I liked it. It's an experience.
Useful links:
www.nzwine.com
www.nzwinegrower.co.nz
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
An Interesting Scientific Study
A scientific study published in the March issue of NeuroReport concludes that viewing erotic pictures increased financial risk taking ..........
It would be interesting to apply magnetic resonance imaging technique (s) on gem/diamond dealers/jewelers/art dealers when doing trading and analyze the neuropsychological mechanism. Just curious.
Useful link:
www.neuroreport.com
It would be interesting to apply magnetic resonance imaging technique (s) on gem/diamond dealers/jewelers/art dealers when doing trading and analyze the neuropsychological mechanism. Just curious.
Useful link:
www.neuroreport.com
How To Map Carbon Footprint
(via Wired) I think the The Vulcan Project/ Hestia Project (NASA+DOE) are brilliant concepts + the results should become a valuable tool for policymakers, demographers and social scientists in developed and developing countries + if the experts are able to create functional models to quantify fossil fuel CO2 emissions at the scale of individual factories, powerplants, roadways and neighborhoods in the U.S, other countries could do the same with similar (modified) technologies at affordable costs and do the right thing. check out the video
Useful links:
The Vulcan Project
Hestia Project
http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov
Useful links:
The Vulcan Project
Hestia Project
http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov
International Colored Gemstone Association Congress
It has been reported that the International Colored Gemstone Association Congress will be held in Panyu, China, May 5-9, 2009.
Useful links:
www.gemstone.org
http://english.ccpit.org
Useful links:
www.gemstone.org
http://english.ccpit.org
A Special Lesson
I found the article on companies that conquered America @ http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5907.html interesting and insightful.
Useful link:
Marketing Know: How
Useful link:
Marketing Know: How
A Small Art Fair In Tokyo
Tokyo's new international art fair--101Tokyo--named after the postal code of the venue, an elementary school turned art school, is a new concept by Agatha Wara + Julia Barnes in the city's fragmented art scene + I think with time 101Tokyo could become a must-visit art show in the coming years.
Useful link:
www.101tokyo.com
Useful link:
www.101tokyo.com
Briolettes
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
A Bead pointed at one end and blunt at the other is known as a Briolette. One also comes across the term brillolette, which may well have been derived from the French briller, to sparkle. The name Briolette is relatively new; old inventories refer to diamonds of this shape only as pendants, so they are not always easy to identify. It is only when we find drawings like those by Tavernier and Clestscher that we can be sure that a gem is Briolette. Some writers have claimed that Briolettes, like Mughal Cuts, are a variety of the Baroque Rose Cut. However, very few Briolettes have the necessary hexagonal grouping of six triangular facets, and even if you occasionally come across one with a rounded bottom which, seen from below, looks like a full Rose Cut, a Rose Cut has a girdle and a flat bottom and a Briolette has neither. In most cases Briolettes are described as briolets or pendeloques, but I have come across a great variety of terms such as demi-briolet, briolette irregulière, carré, rouleau, pointue, amande pointue, olive and even navette (which means boat-shaped, but on this occasion was used to describe a drop!)
Tavernier sold two Briolettes to Louis XIV. Howevever, he does not use any special term for these diamonds; it is possible to determine what they were only from his drawings. A systematic and very detailed catalogue of Henry Philip Hope’s famous collection of pearls and precious stones was compiled by Bram Hertz and published in 1839, the year of Hope’s death. It contains excellent descriptions, as well as sketches, of the diamonds. The uncommonly fine quality of the Hope Briolettes suggests that the collector had many gems of this type to choose from. The following quotations are all from Hertz’s catalogue:
- ‘A very fine diamond from the mines of Golconda, of the purest crystalline water, and cut as a briolet. It differs, however, from the general form of briolets, which are usually of the shape of a pear or drop; but this specimen has a cylindrical form, with a conical termination at both ends; the facets are likewise different from those of the briolets in general, as these latter always present on their surface a number facets which cross each other in an oblique direction: the surface of the present, however, is cut in narrow facets, joining each other, and running in a perpendicular direction. This beautiful and rare gem formerly belonged to the crown jewels of Portugal: it is mounted with a gold enamelled cap, and hangs in a black enamelled ring, set with seven table diamonds, evidently the work of some clever artist of the Cinquecento. Weight 44 grains (appr.11.3 ct).’ This description suggests that it was a Briolette dating from te sixteenth century and therefore an early historical cut.
- ‘A briolet diamond, of a pear shape, it differs in cutting from the brilliant, particularly in its round form and the numerous small facets on it. The Indian diamond-cutters alone are able to cut the briolet. The present specimen is of fine water and beautiful workmanship and deserves well its place in the collection. Weight 26 3/32 (appr. 6.7ct)’.
- ‘A fine briolet diamond, of a pear shape and straw color, and is most beautifully cut: it has a little flaw.....Weight 46 7/8 (appr. 12ct).’
- ‘A very fine briolet drop, of the purest crystalline water, cut all round with elongated lozenge facets, having intermediate acute triangular facets above and below.... Weight 10 ¾ grains (appr. 2.75ct)’.
The Duke of Brunswick had an even larger collection of Briolettes, but they were not of such high quality. He assembled the collection between the years 1843 and 1859; it contains a total of fifty-one Briolettes, each weighing between 8 and 54 ¼ carats. One pair is said to have belonged to Marie Antoinette, but I have not found any evidence to support this assertion. A little later, in 1669, we have Tavernier’s drawing of two Briolettes which he brought to France from India. However, I can find no mention of thtem in the French inventories. Were they, perhaps, sold abroad?
Briolettes (continued)
A Bead pointed at one end and blunt at the other is known as a Briolette. One also comes across the term brillolette, which may well have been derived from the French briller, to sparkle. The name Briolette is relatively new; old inventories refer to diamonds of this shape only as pendants, so they are not always easy to identify. It is only when we find drawings like those by Tavernier and Clestscher that we can be sure that a gem is Briolette. Some writers have claimed that Briolettes, like Mughal Cuts, are a variety of the Baroque Rose Cut. However, very few Briolettes have the necessary hexagonal grouping of six triangular facets, and even if you occasionally come across one with a rounded bottom which, seen from below, looks like a full Rose Cut, a Rose Cut has a girdle and a flat bottom and a Briolette has neither. In most cases Briolettes are described as briolets or pendeloques, but I have come across a great variety of terms such as demi-briolet, briolette irregulière, carré, rouleau, pointue, amande pointue, olive and even navette (which means boat-shaped, but on this occasion was used to describe a drop!)
Tavernier sold two Briolettes to Louis XIV. Howevever, he does not use any special term for these diamonds; it is possible to determine what they were only from his drawings. A systematic and very detailed catalogue of Henry Philip Hope’s famous collection of pearls and precious stones was compiled by Bram Hertz and published in 1839, the year of Hope’s death. It contains excellent descriptions, as well as sketches, of the diamonds. The uncommonly fine quality of the Hope Briolettes suggests that the collector had many gems of this type to choose from. The following quotations are all from Hertz’s catalogue:
- ‘A very fine diamond from the mines of Golconda, of the purest crystalline water, and cut as a briolet. It differs, however, from the general form of briolets, which are usually of the shape of a pear or drop; but this specimen has a cylindrical form, with a conical termination at both ends; the facets are likewise different from those of the briolets in general, as these latter always present on their surface a number facets which cross each other in an oblique direction: the surface of the present, however, is cut in narrow facets, joining each other, and running in a perpendicular direction. This beautiful and rare gem formerly belonged to the crown jewels of Portugal: it is mounted with a gold enamelled cap, and hangs in a black enamelled ring, set with seven table diamonds, evidently the work of some clever artist of the Cinquecento. Weight 44 grains (appr.11.3 ct).’ This description suggests that it was a Briolette dating from te sixteenth century and therefore an early historical cut.
- ‘A briolet diamond, of a pear shape, it differs in cutting from the brilliant, particularly in its round form and the numerous small facets on it. The Indian diamond-cutters alone are able to cut the briolet. The present specimen is of fine water and beautiful workmanship and deserves well its place in the collection. Weight 26 3/32 (appr. 6.7ct)’.
- ‘A fine briolet diamond, of a pear shape and straw color, and is most beautifully cut: it has a little flaw.....Weight 46 7/8 (appr. 12ct).’
- ‘A very fine briolet drop, of the purest crystalline water, cut all round with elongated lozenge facets, having intermediate acute triangular facets above and below.... Weight 10 ¾ grains (appr. 2.75ct)’.
The Duke of Brunswick had an even larger collection of Briolettes, but they were not of such high quality. He assembled the collection between the years 1843 and 1859; it contains a total of fifty-one Briolettes, each weighing between 8 and 54 ¼ carats. One pair is said to have belonged to Marie Antoinette, but I have not found any evidence to support this assertion. A little later, in 1669, we have Tavernier’s drawing of two Briolettes which he brought to France from India. However, I can find no mention of thtem in the French inventories. Were they, perhaps, sold abroad?
Briolettes (continued)
The Influence Of The Far East
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
Another man might have been crushed by the misfortunes which now crowded on him, but fortunately Whistler was an etcher as well as a painter, and at this moment, when his pictures were unsaleable, he again turned to etching. He came to an arrangement with a firm, which advanced him a sum of money on etchings he engaged to execute, and with this he went in 1879 to Venice, where he developed a new and beautiful style in etching. In comparison with his earlier work, these Venice etchings were lighter in handling and more simplified in line; but they palpitated with light and air and were fairylike in their delicacy of decoration. ‘San Giorgio’ shows how spacious and satisfying an effect Whistler was now able to secure with a minimum of means.
These new etchings were not at first popular with the public and the critics any more than the nocturnes, but they were appreciated and purchased by many discriminating print collectors, and when Whistler returned to Chelsea towards the end of 1880 his position gradually improved. In 1883 he held a second and larger exhibition of his Venetian pieces at the Fine Art Society, and prepared an extraordinary catalogue, in which under each numbered exhibit appeared quotations taken from influential journals and well-known writers, all hostile, and beginning with this extract from Truth: ‘Another crop of Mr Whistler’s little jokes.’ The exhibition, which was beautifully arranged and staged, together with this quaint catalogue, caused an immense sensation. Never before had an artist made fun of his critics to this extent. Visitors could not fail to recognize the refinement in works like ‘San Giorgio,’ and when they read a sentence like ‘Whistler’s is eminently vulgar’ the criticism recoiled on the writer, not the artist. The tide began to turn, and a considerable opinion now became definitely favorable to Whistler. He began to paint again, people like Mrs Meux, the wife of the brewer, and Lady Archibald Campbell came to him for portraits, and his position was immensely strengthened when his ‘Portrait of the Artist’s Mother’ obtained a medal and a brilliant success in the Paris Salon of 1883. Later this work was bought by the French Government for the Luxembourg.
For the next few years Whistler made Paris his principal exhibition center. At the Grosvenor Gallery in 1881 his ‘Portrait of Miss Cicely Alexander’ had been dreadfully abused by English critics; in the Paris Salon of 1884 it was singled out for general approbation. For a brief season Whistler exhibited at the Royal Society of British Artists, of which he was elected President in June 1886, and under his presidency this Society held the most brilliant exhibitions in its history. But in 1888 there was a cabal against him by members discontented with his rule; Whistler was compelled to resign, and was followed by a number of talented artists whom he had persuaded to join the Society. When asked to explain what had happened, the ex-President replied, ‘It is quite simple; the artists have left and the British remain.’
The Influence Of The Far East (continued)
Another man might have been crushed by the misfortunes which now crowded on him, but fortunately Whistler was an etcher as well as a painter, and at this moment, when his pictures were unsaleable, he again turned to etching. He came to an arrangement with a firm, which advanced him a sum of money on etchings he engaged to execute, and with this he went in 1879 to Venice, where he developed a new and beautiful style in etching. In comparison with his earlier work, these Venice etchings were lighter in handling and more simplified in line; but they palpitated with light and air and were fairylike in their delicacy of decoration. ‘San Giorgio’ shows how spacious and satisfying an effect Whistler was now able to secure with a minimum of means.
These new etchings were not at first popular with the public and the critics any more than the nocturnes, but they were appreciated and purchased by many discriminating print collectors, and when Whistler returned to Chelsea towards the end of 1880 his position gradually improved. In 1883 he held a second and larger exhibition of his Venetian pieces at the Fine Art Society, and prepared an extraordinary catalogue, in which under each numbered exhibit appeared quotations taken from influential journals and well-known writers, all hostile, and beginning with this extract from Truth: ‘Another crop of Mr Whistler’s little jokes.’ The exhibition, which was beautifully arranged and staged, together with this quaint catalogue, caused an immense sensation. Never before had an artist made fun of his critics to this extent. Visitors could not fail to recognize the refinement in works like ‘San Giorgio,’ and when they read a sentence like ‘Whistler’s is eminently vulgar’ the criticism recoiled on the writer, not the artist. The tide began to turn, and a considerable opinion now became definitely favorable to Whistler. He began to paint again, people like Mrs Meux, the wife of the brewer, and Lady Archibald Campbell came to him for portraits, and his position was immensely strengthened when his ‘Portrait of the Artist’s Mother’ obtained a medal and a brilliant success in the Paris Salon of 1883. Later this work was bought by the French Government for the Luxembourg.
For the next few years Whistler made Paris his principal exhibition center. At the Grosvenor Gallery in 1881 his ‘Portrait of Miss Cicely Alexander’ had been dreadfully abused by English critics; in the Paris Salon of 1884 it was singled out for general approbation. For a brief season Whistler exhibited at the Royal Society of British Artists, of which he was elected President in June 1886, and under his presidency this Society held the most brilliant exhibitions in its history. But in 1888 there was a cabal against him by members discontented with his rule; Whistler was compelled to resign, and was followed by a number of talented artists whom he had persuaded to join the Society. When asked to explain what had happened, the ex-President replied, ‘It is quite simple; the artists have left and the British remain.’
The Influence Of The Far East (continued)
Luc Yen Precious Stone Market, Vietnam
I found the article on Luc Yen Precious Stone Market, Vietnam @
http://www.thanhniennews.com/features/?catid=10&newsid=37443 interesting because I think the market’s golden years have long gone but valuable colored gemstones can still be found, with more synthetic/imitation stones awaiting first-time buyers, especially foreigners.
A good place to test your gem identification + buying skills.
http://www.thanhniennews.com/features/?catid=10&newsid=37443 interesting because I think the market’s golden years have long gone but valuable colored gemstones can still be found, with more synthetic/imitation stones awaiting first-time buyers, especially foreigners.
A good place to test your gem identification + buying skills.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston, an American Academy Award-winning film actor, passed away in Los Angeles, US + I think he was god-like, and his presence in film (s) brought beauty, rarity, phosphorescence, guts, dispersion and that otherness + he will be remembered forever.
Useful link:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000032
Useful link:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000032
Commodities Update
The article on food crisis and market panic @ http://www.newsweek.com/id/130641 was interesting + insightful because as Robert Zeigler, head of the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute, rightly put it, we're paying the price of complacency + global markets are behaving as if a food shock is imminent.
Useful links:
www.wfp.org
www.worldbank.org
www.irri.org
www.earth-policy.org
www.fao.org
Useful links:
www.wfp.org
www.worldbank.org
www.irri.org
www.earth-policy.org
www.fao.org
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is a gallery of Asian art located in Washington, DC, United States, part of the Smithsonian Institution + the Sackler is one of two galleries of the National Museum of Asian Art, the other being the Freer Gallery.
Current exhibitions:
Patterned Feathers, Piercing Eyes: Edo Masters From the Price Collection
November 10, 2007–April 13, 2008
Tales of the Brush Continued: Chinese Paintings With Literary Themes
February 9–July 27, 2008
Perspectives: Y.Z. Kami
March 15–Oct. 13, 2008
Taking Shape: Ceramics in Southeast Asia
April 1, 2007 through 2010
Useful links:
www.asia.si.edu
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/04/arts/melik5.php
Don't miss it!
Current exhibitions:
Patterned Feathers, Piercing Eyes: Edo Masters From the Price Collection
November 10, 2007–April 13, 2008
Tales of the Brush Continued: Chinese Paintings With Literary Themes
February 9–July 27, 2008
Perspectives: Y.Z. Kami
March 15–Oct. 13, 2008
Taking Shape: Ceramics in Southeast Asia
April 1, 2007 through 2010
Useful links:
www.asia.si.edu
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/04/arts/melik5.php
Don't miss it!
The New Paradigm For Financial Markets
As Economist rightly put it, crisis breeds opportunties, and now George Soros in his latest book, 'The New Paradigm for Financial Markets' offers a different sort of reflection on the present financial crisis: fracture-filled financial institutions + synthetic-structured financial products = super financial cleavage cracks + bubble (s).
Useful link:
www.georgesoros.com
I think the gem/jewelry/art industry should read the book for reflexivity because the economic impact for many countries in the world will be hard due to vulnerable dollar and the spectre of inflation + god knows what else. We are living in interesting times.
Useful link:
www.georgesoros.com
I think the gem/jewelry/art industry should read the book for reflexivity because the economic impact for many countries in the world will be hard due to vulnerable dollar and the spectre of inflation + god knows what else. We are living in interesting times.
Ambilight
(via Wikipedia) Ambilight, which is short for Ambient Lighting Technology, is a feature invented by Philips Electronics, generating light effects around the TV that correspond to the video content. The effect, the company claims, is a larger virtual screen and a more immersive viewing experience. In addition, Philips claims that it reduces viewer eye strain.
Useful link:
www.research.philips.com
I wonder if Ambilight technology could be modified for colored stones and jewelry for an immersive viewing experience.
Useful link:
www.research.philips.com
I wonder if Ambilight technology could be modified for colored stones and jewelry for an immersive viewing experience.
Art Sources
I found Mark Hardens artchive + Nicolas Pioch's Webmuseum interesting. I liked it.
Useful links:
www.artchive.com
WebMuseum
Useful links:
www.artchive.com
WebMuseum
Beads
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
Diamond beads, unlike those made from other gems, are seldom completely spherical, but may have any shape from a sphere to a disc, such as a barrel, spindle, cylinder or ellipse. They are covered with small facets on all sides, often in steps. They have no girdle, table or culet. They were apparently always produced from dodecahedroid rough of an intermediate, near-spherical shape. A pair of exceptionally large diamond Beads from the late eighteenth century is in the possession of the Swedish Royal Family as part of the Bernadotte Foundation. They are set in a pair of earrings known as the Wasa Earrings. Fancy Cuts with all-round faceting are usually described as ‘rare’, so it is surprising to find so many of them in the inventories of the Hope and Brunswick Collections and in the Iranian Treasury.
Diamond beads, unlike those made from other gems, are seldom completely spherical, but may have any shape from a sphere to a disc, such as a barrel, spindle, cylinder or ellipse. They are covered with small facets on all sides, often in steps. They have no girdle, table or culet. They were apparently always produced from dodecahedroid rough of an intermediate, near-spherical shape. A pair of exceptionally large diamond Beads from the late eighteenth century is in the possession of the Swedish Royal Family as part of the Bernadotte Foundation. They are set in a pair of earrings known as the Wasa Earrings. Fancy Cuts with all-round faceting are usually described as ‘rare’, so it is surprising to find so many of them in the inventories of the Hope and Brunswick Collections and in the Iranian Treasury.
The Influence Of The Far East
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
Strange that Ruskin did not remember that the selfsame phrase about ‘flinging a pot of paint’ had been used a generation earlier by a critic of one of Turner’s sunsets. Then Ruskin had been on the side of the artist, now he did not understand and stood with the Philistines. Time has avenged the insult to genius uncomprehended, and the ‘Nocturne—Blue and Gold—Old Battersea Bridge,’ which Ruskin in 1877 thought not worth two hundred guineas, was in 1905 eagerly purchased for two thousand guineas and presented to the nation.
Whistler’s exhibits brought him all the publicity any artist could desire—all London was taking of his nocturnes—but the hostility of the critics, and particularly the savage onslaught of Ruskin, scared away purchasers. When he exhibited for the second time at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1878, Whistler found that Ruskin’s denunciation was stopping the sale of his pictures and, after some hesitation, he decided to bring a libel action against him.
The case was heard on the 25th and 26th of November 1878 before Mr Justice Huddlestone and a special jury. It created a great sensation, but Whistler was ill advised to bring the action, because artistic questions can never be satisfactorily settled in a court of law. Popular sympathy was with the critic, who had so often been right in the past, and Whistler’s brilliant repartees in the witness-box did him no good, for they only tended to confirm the opinion that he was an amusing jester who was not to be taken seriously. In cross-examination the opposing counsel elicited the fact the the ‘Nocturne in Black and Gold’ had been painted in two days, and then said, ‘The labor of two days, then, is that for which you ask two hundred guineas?’ ‘No,’ replied Whistler with dignity; ‘I ask it for the knowledge of a lifetime.’
The point at issue really was whether the nocturnes were or were not works of art, and this was a matter obviously over the heads of the jury. Albert Moore, giving evidence for Whistler, praised his pictures highly and declared that they showed not ‘eccentricity’ but ‘originality’. William Rossetti also pronounced the nocturnes to be true works of art, but on the other side Frith declared they were not, and Burne-Jones agreed with him because, though he admitted that the nocturnes had ‘fine color and atmosphere,’ he considered that they lacked ‘complete finish’. Tom Taylor, the art critic of The Times, giving evidence for Ruskin, attempted to explain what Burne-Jones mean by finish, and for this purpose produced a picture of Titian. But when this was handed to the jury, one of them, mistaking it for a picture by Whistler, exclaimed, ‘Oh, come! We’ve had enough of these Whistlers,’ and they all refused to look at it!
In the end Whistler was awarded te contemptuous sum of one farthing damages. This meant that he had to pay his own law costs, and since nobody would buy his pictures now he was soon in money difficulties. He revenged himself by issuing a pamphlet, Art and Art Critics, in which his enemies were neatly and wittily put in their places, but this did not help him to live. To put an end to an untenable situation, early in 1879 he had to abandon his residence, ‘The White House,’ in Chelsea. He became a bankrupt and all his belongings were sold to satisfy his creditors.
The Influence Of The Far East (continued)
Strange that Ruskin did not remember that the selfsame phrase about ‘flinging a pot of paint’ had been used a generation earlier by a critic of one of Turner’s sunsets. Then Ruskin had been on the side of the artist, now he did not understand and stood with the Philistines. Time has avenged the insult to genius uncomprehended, and the ‘Nocturne—Blue and Gold—Old Battersea Bridge,’ which Ruskin in 1877 thought not worth two hundred guineas, was in 1905 eagerly purchased for two thousand guineas and presented to the nation.
Whistler’s exhibits brought him all the publicity any artist could desire—all London was taking of his nocturnes—but the hostility of the critics, and particularly the savage onslaught of Ruskin, scared away purchasers. When he exhibited for the second time at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1878, Whistler found that Ruskin’s denunciation was stopping the sale of his pictures and, after some hesitation, he decided to bring a libel action against him.
The case was heard on the 25th and 26th of November 1878 before Mr Justice Huddlestone and a special jury. It created a great sensation, but Whistler was ill advised to bring the action, because artistic questions can never be satisfactorily settled in a court of law. Popular sympathy was with the critic, who had so often been right in the past, and Whistler’s brilliant repartees in the witness-box did him no good, for they only tended to confirm the opinion that he was an amusing jester who was not to be taken seriously. In cross-examination the opposing counsel elicited the fact the the ‘Nocturne in Black and Gold’ had been painted in two days, and then said, ‘The labor of two days, then, is that for which you ask two hundred guineas?’ ‘No,’ replied Whistler with dignity; ‘I ask it for the knowledge of a lifetime.’
The point at issue really was whether the nocturnes were or were not works of art, and this was a matter obviously over the heads of the jury. Albert Moore, giving evidence for Whistler, praised his pictures highly and declared that they showed not ‘eccentricity’ but ‘originality’. William Rossetti also pronounced the nocturnes to be true works of art, but on the other side Frith declared they were not, and Burne-Jones agreed with him because, though he admitted that the nocturnes had ‘fine color and atmosphere,’ he considered that they lacked ‘complete finish’. Tom Taylor, the art critic of The Times, giving evidence for Ruskin, attempted to explain what Burne-Jones mean by finish, and for this purpose produced a picture of Titian. But when this was handed to the jury, one of them, mistaking it for a picture by Whistler, exclaimed, ‘Oh, come! We’ve had enough of these Whistlers,’ and they all refused to look at it!
In the end Whistler was awarded te contemptuous sum of one farthing damages. This meant that he had to pay his own law costs, and since nobody would buy his pictures now he was soon in money difficulties. He revenged himself by issuing a pamphlet, Art and Art Critics, in which his enemies were neatly and wittily put in their places, but this did not help him to live. To put an end to an untenable situation, early in 1879 he had to abandon his residence, ‘The White House,’ in Chelsea. He became a bankrupt and all his belongings were sold to satisfy his creditors.
The Influence Of The Far East (continued)
Eco-Conscious Jewelry
By reusing precious gems, metal scraps, and recycled packaging in production, designer Elizabeth Moore, has introduced something new from old for the jewelry industry and eco-conscious consumers. I think they look different and eye-catching + beautiful.
Useful link:
www.frootejewelry.com
Useful link:
www.frootejewelry.com
Sunday, April 06, 2008
The First $20 Million Is Always The Hardest
The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest by Po Bronson is an interesting book + it highlights the asymmetrical business landscape and characters when entrepreneurs risk everything to start a company, and take it public + the impact.
I liked it.
Useful links:
www.pobronson.com
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280674
I liked it.
Useful links:
www.pobronson.com
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280674
Expanding Circular Table
I found the William IV Jupe expanding circular mahogany dining table @ http://www.economist.com/daily/columns/artview/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10989634 intriguing because they are beautiful and rare + the table looked very similar to the shape and patterns of fixed trapiche stars in emerald (Colombia) and rubies and sapphires (Burma)-- a collector's delight.
Useful links:
www.oscardelarenta.com
www.theodorealexander.com
www.dbfletcher.com
www.christies.com
Useful links:
www.oscardelarenta.com
www.theodorealexander.com
www.dbfletcher.com
www.christies.com
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