Trash to Treasures

Trash to Treasures is actually a title on today's AIM pages, but I thought it rather fitting as I did indeed find some "treasures" on the curbside. I don't generally pick stuff up from the streets, but when I saw a number of new books sitting in a box labeled "FREE," I couldn't resist going through the titles and ended up taking a few. Better sitting on my shelf than rained on and ruined, right? Among the salvaged novels are a few well-reviewed literary romances (i.e. Falling Angels, a novel by the same author who wrote the acclaimed Girl with a Pearl Earring) and Watership Down, a rather famous epic of a band of rabbits looking for a new home.

Link of the day: www.redbubble.com
What is it: a website for members to share artworks, etc. I have to admit, I've encountered many such sites before (i.e. deviantart.com), but the quality of works at redbubble is just much much higher. Most works look polished and professional, making me conscious enough to only display my favorite pieces.

Artist of the day: El Greco (1541-1614)
Who is he: a painter of Greek origins who is perhaps most well known for his elongated figures and "mannerist" style. Although he was born Doménicos Theotokópoulos in Crete, El Greco actually spent most of his life in Toledo, Spain, where he produced his more mature works. I have always enjoyed El Greco's works because they are haunting in their use of color and form. Like Rodin in sculpture, El Greco went beyond perfection of proportions and other classical ideals to create life and to imbue his works with atmosphere. While I am inspired by the beauty of composition and forms set by Michelangelo and Raphael, I am much more moved by the works of El Greco. When I saw a number of his paintings at the MFA Boston a few months ago, I cannot help but be touched by the spirituality of his pieces. Here indeed is a man who took his subjects seriously, communicating not only their forms but to an extent the states of their souls. No wonder he was grouped with Velasquez, one of my all-time favorite painters and another master of capturing psychology in addition to physical forms.

Fray Hortensio Félix Paravicino, El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos), 1609, oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston