The Levity Effect: Why it Pays to Lighten Up by Adrian Gostick + Scott Christopher is an interesting book about humor in the workplace because in the changing workforce/workplace environment fun is a serious business.
I liked the book + I think a fun workplace improves communication and morale + you can achieve anything you want while enjoying what you do by changing you.
Useful links:
www.levityeffect.com
www.greatplacetowork.com
www.ipsos.com
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
The Mazarin Diamond Number 4
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
One more diamond belonging to the French crown was the Mazarin number 4. It originally weighed 24¼ ct. It was Sancy Cut above, but as it was said to have been ‘very thick’ it will have had a pavilion of some sort, possibly very primitively faceted. The Mazarin was refashioned, some time between 1786 and 1788, into a roundish oval Brilliant weighing 13 5/8 ct.
One more diamond belonging to the French crown was the Mazarin number 4. It originally weighed 24¼ ct. It was Sancy Cut above, but as it was said to have been ‘very thick’ it will have had a pavilion of some sort, possibly very primitively faceted. The Mazarin was refashioned, some time between 1786 and 1788, into a roundish oval Brilliant weighing 13 5/8 ct.
Realism And Impressionism In France
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
The nineteenth was a scientific century during which great additions were made to our knowledge of optics. The French scientist Chevreuil wrote a learned book on color, which was studied with avidity by the younger painters. It became clear to them that color was not a simple but a very complex matter. For example, we say that grass is green, and the green is the local color of grass, that is to say, the color of grass at close range, when we look down on it at our feet. But grass-covered hills seen at a great distance do not appear green, but blue. The green of their local color is affected by the veil of atmosphere through which we view it in the distance, and the blue we see is an example of atmospheric color. Again, the local color of snow is white, but everybody who has been to Switzerland is familiar with the ‘Alpine glow’ when the snow-clad peaks of the mountains appear a bright copper color owing to the rays of the setting sun. This ‘Alpine glow’ is an example of illumination color, and since the color of sunlight is changing throughout the day, everything in Nature is affected by the color of the light which falls upon it.
The landscape painter, then, who, wishes to reproduce the actual hues of Nature, has to consider not only ‘local color’ but also ‘atmospheric color’ and ‘illumination color’, and further take into consideration ‘complementary colors.’ One of the most important discoveries made by the later Impressionist painters was that in the shadows there always appears the complementary color of the light. We should ponder on all these things if we wish to realize the full significance of Manet’s saying, ‘The principal person in a picture is the light.’
This new intensive study of color brought about a new palette and a new technique. For centuries all painting had been based on three primary colors, red, blue, and yellow; but science now taught the painters that though these might be primary colors in pigment, they were not primary colors in light. The spectroscope and the new science of spectrum-analysis made them familiar with the fact that white light is composed of all colors of the rainbow, which is the spectrum of sunlight. They learnt that the primary colors of light were green, orange-red, and blue-violet, and that yellow—though a primary in paint—was a secondary in light, because a yellow light can be produced by blending a green light with an orange-red light. On the other hand green, a secondary in paint because it can be produced by mixing yellow with blue pigment, is a primary in light. These discoveries revolutionized their ideas about color, and the Impressionist painters concluded they could only hope to paint the true color of sunlight by employing pigments which matched the colors of which sunlight was composed, that is to say, the tints of the rainbow. They discarded black altogether, for, modified by atmosphere and light, they held that a true black did not exist in Nature: the darkest color was indigo, dark green, or a deep violet. They would not use a brown, but set their palettes with indigo, blue green, yellow, orange, red, and violet, the nearest colors they could obtain to the seven of the solar spectrum.
Further, they used these colors with as little mixing as possible. Every amateur in watercolor knows that the more he mixes his paints, the more they lose in brilliancy. The same is true of oil paints. The Impressionists refrained, therefore, as much as possible from mixing colors on their palettes, and applied them pure in minute touches to the canvas. If they wanted to render secondary or tertiary colors, instead of mixing two or three pigments on the palette, they would secure the desired effect by juxtaposed touches of pure colors which, at a certain distance, fused in the eye of the beholder and produced the effect of the tint desired. This device is known as optical mixture, because the mixing is done in the spectator’s eye. Thus, whereas red and green pigment mixed on a palette will give a dull grey, the Impressionists produced a brilliant luminous grey by speckling a sky, say, with little points of yellow and mauve which at a distance gave the effect of a pearly grey. Similarly the effect of a brilliant brown was given by the juxtaposition of a series of minute touches of green, red and yellow; and this association of minute touches of three pure colors set up a quivering vibration which had greater luminosity than any streak of brown pigment. It was an endeavor to use paints as if they were colored lights.
Realism And Impressionism In France (continued)
The nineteenth was a scientific century during which great additions were made to our knowledge of optics. The French scientist Chevreuil wrote a learned book on color, which was studied with avidity by the younger painters. It became clear to them that color was not a simple but a very complex matter. For example, we say that grass is green, and the green is the local color of grass, that is to say, the color of grass at close range, when we look down on it at our feet. But grass-covered hills seen at a great distance do not appear green, but blue. The green of their local color is affected by the veil of atmosphere through which we view it in the distance, and the blue we see is an example of atmospheric color. Again, the local color of snow is white, but everybody who has been to Switzerland is familiar with the ‘Alpine glow’ when the snow-clad peaks of the mountains appear a bright copper color owing to the rays of the setting sun. This ‘Alpine glow’ is an example of illumination color, and since the color of sunlight is changing throughout the day, everything in Nature is affected by the color of the light which falls upon it.
The landscape painter, then, who, wishes to reproduce the actual hues of Nature, has to consider not only ‘local color’ but also ‘atmospheric color’ and ‘illumination color’, and further take into consideration ‘complementary colors.’ One of the most important discoveries made by the later Impressionist painters was that in the shadows there always appears the complementary color of the light. We should ponder on all these things if we wish to realize the full significance of Manet’s saying, ‘The principal person in a picture is the light.’
This new intensive study of color brought about a new palette and a new technique. For centuries all painting had been based on three primary colors, red, blue, and yellow; but science now taught the painters that though these might be primary colors in pigment, they were not primary colors in light. The spectroscope and the new science of spectrum-analysis made them familiar with the fact that white light is composed of all colors of the rainbow, which is the spectrum of sunlight. They learnt that the primary colors of light were green, orange-red, and blue-violet, and that yellow—though a primary in paint—was a secondary in light, because a yellow light can be produced by blending a green light with an orange-red light. On the other hand green, a secondary in paint because it can be produced by mixing yellow with blue pigment, is a primary in light. These discoveries revolutionized their ideas about color, and the Impressionist painters concluded they could only hope to paint the true color of sunlight by employing pigments which matched the colors of which sunlight was composed, that is to say, the tints of the rainbow. They discarded black altogether, for, modified by atmosphere and light, they held that a true black did not exist in Nature: the darkest color was indigo, dark green, or a deep violet. They would not use a brown, but set their palettes with indigo, blue green, yellow, orange, red, and violet, the nearest colors they could obtain to the seven of the solar spectrum.
Further, they used these colors with as little mixing as possible. Every amateur in watercolor knows that the more he mixes his paints, the more they lose in brilliancy. The same is true of oil paints. The Impressionists refrained, therefore, as much as possible from mixing colors on their palettes, and applied them pure in minute touches to the canvas. If they wanted to render secondary or tertiary colors, instead of mixing two or three pigments on the palette, they would secure the desired effect by juxtaposed touches of pure colors which, at a certain distance, fused in the eye of the beholder and produced the effect of the tint desired. This device is known as optical mixture, because the mixing is done in the spectator’s eye. Thus, whereas red and green pigment mixed on a palette will give a dull grey, the Impressionists produced a brilliant luminous grey by speckling a sky, say, with little points of yellow and mauve which at a distance gave the effect of a pearly grey. Similarly the effect of a brilliant brown was given by the juxtaposition of a series of minute touches of green, red and yellow; and this association of minute touches of three pure colors set up a quivering vibration which had greater luminosity than any streak of brown pigment. It was an endeavor to use paints as if they were colored lights.
Realism And Impressionism In France (continued)
Gem + Jewelry Update
According to the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, India's total gem and jewelry exports provisionally stood at $20.9 billion in the year to March 2008.
Useful link:
www.gjepc.org
Useful link:
www.gjepc.org
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Bernard Magrez
The story of Bernard Magrez, the business-oriented winemaker, with an estimated 30 plus vineyards in seven countries @ http://nz.entertainment.yahoo.com/080413/8/4vl3.html is unique because as an outsider, in terms of the Bordeaux establishment, he is different/self-made + more importantly he knows how to cut down a tree!
I think he is one-of-a-kind person in the wine business + there is something to learn.
Useful link:
www.bernard-magrez.com
I think he is one-of-a-kind person in the wine business + there is something to learn.
Useful link:
www.bernard-magrez.com
Jewelry Collection Of Christina Onassis
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The Sun Halo
The Sun Halo in Ethiopia, which is the ring of light caused by sunlight refracted by ice crystals hung in the sky @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7346133.stm was beautiful + the photograph reminded me of inclusions in Corundum (rubies + sapphires).
A Win-Win Business Model
The article on Specialisterne@ http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5869.html
was interesting because I haven't heard of autism spectrum disorder + the after-effects, but what's intriguing is that someone had found an industry niche, along with a commitment to raising the profile of hidden talents of individuals with ASD.
Brilliant!
Useful link:
www.specialisterne.com
was interesting because I haven't heard of autism spectrum disorder + the after-effects, but what's intriguing is that someone had found an industry niche, along with a commitment to raising the profile of hidden talents of individuals with ASD.
Brilliant!
Useful link:
www.specialisterne.com
Glasgow's Art Festival
Glasgow International (founded in 2004) is now set to become a regular biennial + it has the most developed arts scene outside London + the city supports a number of commercial galleries + the event will run until April 27, 2008.
A must-visit. You will always learn something new.
Useful links:
www.glasgowinternational.org
www.glasgowmuseums.com
www.themoderninstitute.com
www.sorchadallas.com
www.marymarygallery.co.uk
A must-visit. You will always learn something new.
Useful links:
www.glasgowinternational.org
www.glasgowmuseums.com
www.themoderninstitute.com
www.sorchadallas.com
www.marymarygallery.co.uk
Confessions Of A Shopaholic
The book Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella is funny + refreshing because at times you realize that we all have spending habits, a lot of us do + I think that most males / females will find themselves in Rebecca Bloomwood.
Useful links:
www.sophiekinsella.co.uk
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1093908
Useful links:
www.sophiekinsella.co.uk
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1093908
Two Flat-Bottomed Sancy Cut Diamonds
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
Two diamonds from Mazarin’s collection, numbers 17 and 18, are of similar shape and faceting, but differ radically from ordinary Sancy Cuts in being flatbacks. If the two halves were rejoined on their flat sides, they would form a single Sancy Cut diamond. The original crystal, which must have been either a macle or a dodecahedroid stone, was probably cleaved into two halves before being given the same faceting as the Grand Sancy. A close inspection of the gems in their settings revealed that not only were the two stones identical in outline, but also in their slightly brownish tint. There is no question of their not being originally the same stone.
In the 1691 inventory the two diamonds were described as being ‘faceted and heart-shaped’, but in 1791, following contemporary nomenclature, they were called ‘Rose Cuts’, and were said to weigh 21 3/19 ct. At one time they were dress buttons, first for Louis XIV and then for Louis XV. Louis XVIII had them set in a broadsword, later worn by Bapst in 1885 for the Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon I, and are in the Galerie d’Apollon, Musée du Louvre. Between the twin Mazarins, Bapst place two very old lozenge-shaped diamonds, and below them an equally old pentagonal one. All three are trihedrally faceted. The large drop in the center, which is almost a Sancy Cut, could, in fact, be Tavernier’s number 10, very slightly symmetrized. It is larger than the stone depicted in Tavernier’s book but is very similarly fashioned. Under this is an unusual long hexagon with very narrow facets. I believe this to be the cut called, in old French inventories, Tombstone (en façon de tombeau).
Two diamonds from Mazarin’s collection, numbers 17 and 18, are of similar shape and faceting, but differ radically from ordinary Sancy Cuts in being flatbacks. If the two halves were rejoined on their flat sides, they would form a single Sancy Cut diamond. The original crystal, which must have been either a macle or a dodecahedroid stone, was probably cleaved into two halves before being given the same faceting as the Grand Sancy. A close inspection of the gems in their settings revealed that not only were the two stones identical in outline, but also in their slightly brownish tint. There is no question of their not being originally the same stone.
In the 1691 inventory the two diamonds were described as being ‘faceted and heart-shaped’, but in 1791, following contemporary nomenclature, they were called ‘Rose Cuts’, and were said to weigh 21 3/19 ct. At one time they were dress buttons, first for Louis XIV and then for Louis XV. Louis XVIII had them set in a broadsword, later worn by Bapst in 1885 for the Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon I, and are in the Galerie d’Apollon, Musée du Louvre. Between the twin Mazarins, Bapst place two very old lozenge-shaped diamonds, and below them an equally old pentagonal one. All three are trihedrally faceted. The large drop in the center, which is almost a Sancy Cut, could, in fact, be Tavernier’s number 10, very slightly symmetrized. It is larger than the stone depicted in Tavernier’s book but is very similarly fashioned. Under this is an unusual long hexagon with very narrow facets. I believe this to be the cut called, in old French inventories, Tombstone (en façon de tombeau).
Realism And Impressionism In France
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
3
If we look at all the bottles in ‘A Bar at the Folies—Bergère’ we shall notice that the treatment of detail here is totally different from the treatment of detail, say, in Millais’s ‘Ophelia’. In his picture Millais looked at each leaf, flower, and branch separately, and set them down separately on his canvas like a sum in addition. But all the bottles in Manet’s picture are seen simulataneously in relation to each other: it is a synthesis, not an addition. Impressionism, then, in the first place, is the result of simultaenous vision that sees a scene as a whole as opposed to consecutive vision that sees Nature piece by piece. Let us suppose, for a moment, that we are staying at a house on the banks of the Seine opposite the church at Vernon. Let us suppose that, having arrived there in darkness the previous evening, we jump out of bed in the morning, open the window, and put out our head to see the view. Monet’s picture ‘The Church at Vernon’ shows us what we should see at the first glance; the glance, that is to say, when we see the scene as a whole, before any detail in it has riveted our attention and caused us unconsciously to alter the focus of our eye in order to see that detail more sharply. Another way of putting the matter is to say that in an Impressionist picture there is only one focus throughout, while in a Pre-Raphaelite picture there is a different focus for every detail. These two methods of painting represent different ways of looking at the world, and neither way is wrong, only whereas the Pre-Raphaelite looks particularly at a series of objects, the Impressionist looks generally at the whole.
This way of viewing a scene broadly, however, is only a part of Impressionism. It was not a new invention, for Velazquez saw and painted figures and groups in a similar way, therefore Impressionists like Whistler and Manet (in his earlier works), who adopted this broad style, were in this respect developing an existing tradition rather than inventing a new one. But a later development of Impressionism which was a complete innovation, was the new palette they adopted. From the time of Daubigny, who said, ‘We never paint light enough,’ the more progressive painters had striven to make the colors in their pictures closer to the actual hues of Nature. Delacroix was one of the pioneers in the analysis of color. When he was in Morocco he wrote in his Journal about the shadows he had seen on the faces of two peasant boys, remarking that while a sallow, yellow-faced boy had violet shadows, a red-faced boy had green shadows. Again, in the streets of Paris, Delacroix noticed a black and yellow cab, and observed that, beside the greenish-yellow, the black took on a tinge of the complementary color, violet. An advertisement issued by a well-known soap firm will have made many readers familiar with the phenomenon of complementary color. The name of the soap was printed in bright red letters on a white paper, and we were asked, after gazing at this steadfastly for a few moments, to look up at a white ceiling, when we should see the name of the soap in green letters. Every color has its complementary, that is to say, an opposing color is evoked by the action of the human eye after we have been gazing at the said color; consequently all colors act and react on one another. Delacroix discovered that to obtain the full brilliance of any given hue it should be flanked and supported by its complementary color. He did not attain to full knowledge; it was left for a later generation to make nicer complementary for a greenish-yellow, an orange-yellow requires a turquoise blue, and so on.
Realism And Impressionism In France (continued)
3
If we look at all the bottles in ‘A Bar at the Folies—Bergère’ we shall notice that the treatment of detail here is totally different from the treatment of detail, say, in Millais’s ‘Ophelia’. In his picture Millais looked at each leaf, flower, and branch separately, and set them down separately on his canvas like a sum in addition. But all the bottles in Manet’s picture are seen simulataneously in relation to each other: it is a synthesis, not an addition. Impressionism, then, in the first place, is the result of simultaenous vision that sees a scene as a whole as opposed to consecutive vision that sees Nature piece by piece. Let us suppose, for a moment, that we are staying at a house on the banks of the Seine opposite the church at Vernon. Let us suppose that, having arrived there in darkness the previous evening, we jump out of bed in the morning, open the window, and put out our head to see the view. Monet’s picture ‘The Church at Vernon’ shows us what we should see at the first glance; the glance, that is to say, when we see the scene as a whole, before any detail in it has riveted our attention and caused us unconsciously to alter the focus of our eye in order to see that detail more sharply. Another way of putting the matter is to say that in an Impressionist picture there is only one focus throughout, while in a Pre-Raphaelite picture there is a different focus for every detail. These two methods of painting represent different ways of looking at the world, and neither way is wrong, only whereas the Pre-Raphaelite looks particularly at a series of objects, the Impressionist looks generally at the whole.
This way of viewing a scene broadly, however, is only a part of Impressionism. It was not a new invention, for Velazquez saw and painted figures and groups in a similar way, therefore Impressionists like Whistler and Manet (in his earlier works), who adopted this broad style, were in this respect developing an existing tradition rather than inventing a new one. But a later development of Impressionism which was a complete innovation, was the new palette they adopted. From the time of Daubigny, who said, ‘We never paint light enough,’ the more progressive painters had striven to make the colors in their pictures closer to the actual hues of Nature. Delacroix was one of the pioneers in the analysis of color. When he was in Morocco he wrote in his Journal about the shadows he had seen on the faces of two peasant boys, remarking that while a sallow, yellow-faced boy had violet shadows, a red-faced boy had green shadows. Again, in the streets of Paris, Delacroix noticed a black and yellow cab, and observed that, beside the greenish-yellow, the black took on a tinge of the complementary color, violet. An advertisement issued by a well-known soap firm will have made many readers familiar with the phenomenon of complementary color. The name of the soap was printed in bright red letters on a white paper, and we were asked, after gazing at this steadfastly for a few moments, to look up at a white ceiling, when we should see the name of the soap in green letters. Every color has its complementary, that is to say, an opposing color is evoked by the action of the human eye after we have been gazing at the said color; consequently all colors act and react on one another. Delacroix discovered that to obtain the full brilliance of any given hue it should be flanked and supported by its complementary color. He did not attain to full knowledge; it was left for a later generation to make nicer complementary for a greenish-yellow, an orange-yellow requires a turquoise blue, and so on.
Realism And Impressionism In France (continued)
Jewelry Update
According to the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, India's total gem and jewelry exports provisionally stood at $20.9 billion in the year to March 2008
Random Thoughts
'The bright new financial system for all its talented participants, for all its rich rewards, has failed the test of the marketplace.'
- Paul Volcker, the former Fed chairman
I think he was spot on.
- Paul Volcker, the former Fed chairman
I think he was spot on.
Delphine Boël
Delphine Boël is a Belgian artist who specializes in papier maché sculpture + I liked her works because the colors and objects relate to unique concepts that are so subjective yet natural in its own way. That's her otherness.
Useful link:
www.delphineboel.com
Useful link:
www.delphineboel.com
Monday, April 14, 2008
Mona Hauser + XVA Gallery
I found the article about Mona Hauser and her XVA gallery @ http://www.newsweek.com/id/131729 interesting + insightful because to me it's amazing to see the rapid emergence and openness of Dubai (land of surprises + opportunities) becoming the contemporary art center of the Middle East.
Useful link:
www.xvagallery.com
www.cultures.ae
Useful link:
www.xvagallery.com
www.cultures.ae
Michael McDonough
Bamboo + Creativity: I really liked environmentalist-architect Michael McDonough's sustainable housing concepts: e-House + ArcHouse + the designs are beautiful and natural.
Useful link:
www.michaelmcdonough.com
Useful link:
www.michaelmcdonough.com
T Boone Pickens
T Boone Pickens, an American businessman, who made his fortune in oil has turned his attention to wind power + over the next four years he intends to erect 2,700 turbines across 200,000 acres of the Texan panhandle (five times bigger than the world's current record-holding wind farm), a perfect location for wind-generated energy + studies proved him right -- people call it the Wind West.
He is thinking big + going to make a lot of money.
Useful links:
www.boonepickens.com
www.bpcap.net
He is thinking big + going to make a lot of money.
Useful links:
www.boonepickens.com
www.bpcap.net
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