Neil Hollingsworth

Every once in a while there comes an artist with such talent and vision that when you look upon his painting you become speechless. I am always stunned by paintings that have a clean, realistic look to them. This doesn't mean that the idea is realistic just the image itself. I have definitely be rendered speechless a few times when viewing pieces of this caliber. It is why I often find myself turning away from water colors in favor of oil paintings, although there are highly talented artists out there who have mastered the ability to make clear works. Over the past few months I have been watching Neil Hollingsworth tackle various pieces through his blog.

Pool Balls No.6

Neil is a very talented artist, whose work I greatly appreciated and thus wished to mention him here.

The Onassis Cultural Center

The Onassis Cultural Center is located in New York city (645 Fifth Avenue). I visited the Center about two years ago with my Greek Art and Architecture Professor. At the time they had a small, but impressive exhibit of Minoan Art and artifacts. Recently the exhibit has been featured in Archaeology Magazine.

If you are in NY I strongly recommend visiting the Center. It really makes you appreciate this ancient culture centered in Crete. Their coin collection, though not part of the Minoan exhibit, alone is enough to amaze and inspire any visitor. I remember being surprised at how small some of the coins were, and the artists still managed to fit a highly detailed portrait of Alexander the Great, lion head and all!

My Impulse Buy

Yesterday Afternoon I was browsing through eBay looking at the paintings being auctioned. I cam across this three piece and put a bid down for $50. Now I felt that $50 was an under-bid. The time it took to paint this piece must have cost more than $50 (at $10 per hour), never mind when you add the cost for materials. So I put the bid in, thinking I'd either help the artist get a better price or get an original piece of art for a really good price.

It ended up being the latter.

I will make my final decision about whether this was a good impulse buy when it actually arrives. Right now I'm feeling good about it.

p.s. I love this painting! It arrived the other day and looks great!

Sibylline Books

Above: depiction of Sibyl with her Books.

The Sibylline Books were a collection of ancient Greek oracles. The Sibylline Books were written in Greek Hexameters, and kept by the Sibyl untill King Tarquinius Superbus of Rome purchased them. These oracles were believed to hold the secrest of Rome's destiny. A special order of priests were in charge of protecting and interpreting the Books, an important task in a world where a superstitious populous could impart power on a politically inclined individual.

The Books were consulted at various times by Roman politicians until Flavius Stilicho ordered them burnt. Scholars believe that he did this because they were being used in argument against his leadership. A few of the prophacies have survived within the Memorabilia of Phlegon of Tralles.

Sources:
Encyclopedia Britannica
Antiquity by Norman F. Cantor