Flowing Water
Dog Slaughter Creek – Daniel Boone National Forest, Corbin, Kentucky
Ohio River – Louisville, Kentucky
Cumberland River -Kentucky
Cumberland Falls – Kentucky
Maid of the Mist – Niagara Falls
Tuesday’s Photo Challenge
Travel
Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art
Museum Exhibition
On a recent trip to Houston, Texas my step daughter Kim and I had occasion to visit the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. This is something I always do when in Houston as the museum here is world class and they always have great exhibitions. This time was no exception. On exhibit, much to our delight, were the paintings of Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).
Vincent van Gogh, Self Portrait
This exhibit highlights the artist’s early years in the Netherlands; his luminous period in Paris; his search for light and color in the South of France; and his exploration of nature as a source of enduring inspiration in Saint-Rémy and Auvers.
Street Scene in Montmartre Le Mpulin a Poivre, Feb.-March 1887
The exhibition showcases portraits, landscapes, and still lifes drawn primarily from the collections of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, the Netherlands.
In the Cafe: Agostina Segatori in Le Tambourin, January-March 1887
Basket of Lemons and Bottle, May 1888
The color yellow held a particular fascination for Vincent van Gogh. Experiencing the intense sunlight of the South he once wrote his brother Theo, in Paris, “Sunshine, a light which, for want of a better word I can only call yellow – pale sulfur yellow, pale lemon, gold.”
Portrait of a Prostitute, December 1885
Van Gogh, who lived with a former prostitute for years in the Hague, was particularly sympathetic to these women cast out by society.
The Langlois Bridge at Arles, 1888
Still Life with a Plate of Onions, January 1889
This picture was painted the day after Van Gogh was released from the hospital where he was being treated for the self inflicted injury to his ear. The book in the painting is a handbook of homeopathic medicine and the envelope belongs to a letter he had received from from his bother Theo.
Tarascon Stagecoach (La Diligence de Tarascon), October 1888
The Sheaf Binder (after Millet), September 1889
Peasant Woman Binding Sheaves (after Millet), September 1889
The Good Samaritan (after Delacroix), May 1890
Portrait of a Peasant Woman in a Straw Hat, June 1890
Women Crossing the Fields, 1890
Van Gogh had seen these women walking and described them in a letter to his brother Theo just a month before he died. It was in one of these Auvers wheat fields that he shot himself with a revolver on July 27, 1890.
Farmhouse with Two Figures, 1890
Irises, May 1980
A Pair of Leather Clogs, autumn 1889
Tree Trunks with Ivy, July 1889
Feeling to weak to live Van Gogh checked himself into The Saint-Paul-de-Mausole mental hospital at St. Remy. in May 1889. He was allowed to paint out of doors, but was confined to the garden of the hospital where he painted several versions of this sous-bois of tree trunks and undergrowth.
The Garden of the Asylum at Saint-Remy, May 1889
There is little doubt that Vincent was a talented genius and a tortured soul. These magnificent master works are on display for all to see at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts through June 27.
Tarascon Stagecoach
Tarascon Stagecoach (La Diligence de Tarascon)
Vincent van Gogh, Dutch. 1853-1888
October 1888. Oil on Canvas. On long-term loan from The Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation, to the Princeton University Art Museum. Currently on exhibit at the Museum of Fine Art, Houston Texas.
In a letter to Theo on October 13, 1888, Vincent refers to one of his favorite books, Tartarin de Tarascon by Alphonse Daudet, with “the old Tarascon diligence….Well, I’ve just painted that red and green carriage in the yard of the inn.” The stagecoach stopped at Arles, midway along its route from Nimes.
Here is a life size sculpture reproduction in the yard at the Grounds for Sculpture at Hamilton New Jersey.
Taracson Stagecoach – Hamiton New Jersey
SERVICE DE TARASCON
LOVE
Happy Valentine’s Day to all my fabulous Word Press friends!
Love from Louisville
Goddess of Love
Amour From Philadelphia
City of Brotherly Love
Love from Big Lou
Love from the Big Apple
THE COLORS OF FALL
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
-Albert Camus
So, I decided to take a walk in the park, This is what I saw:
Cherokee Park, Louisville, Kentucky
Cherokee Park
Cherokee Park, Louisville, Kentucky
Cherokee Park, Louisville, Kentucky
Pavilion at the Top of Dog Hill
Cherokee park, Louisville, Kentucky
10 Things to do in Philly When Your Dead
Because when you’re in Philly it’s almost like being in heaven…
- Go to South Street
- The Continental Martini Bar
- Sabrina’s
- Germantown
- Mt. Airy
- Valley Green
- Chestnut Hill
- Silk City Diner
- The Italian Market
- Glenside
St. Martin’s in the Field – Chestnut Hill
In the midst of Summer I found a glorious Winter
Philadelphia Cricket Club
Philadelphia Cricket Club- Founded 1854
Continental Martini Lounge
Inside the Continental
The Continental Interior
Sabrina’s
Huevos Rancheros – Sabrina’s
Sabrin’a’s
Italian Market
Mural of Mayor Rizzo – Italian Market
Molly’s Books and Records in the Italian Market
The Italian Market
Anthony’s in the Italian Market
South Street
South Street
Dance Macabre on South Street
South Street
Lorenzo and Sons Pizza On South Street
South Street Where You Can Always Get a Piece
Manny Browns on South Street
Silk City Diner
Silk City Diner
Silk City Diner
The Comet in Glenside
The Comet in Glenside
Telling Stories at Keswick Coffee Shop in Glenside
Chestnut Hill
Hanging Out in Mt. Airy
Having a Beer at a local brewery in Mt. Airy
VALLEY GREEN
Having Lunch with Winter at Valley Green
Valley Green
My Baby’s Crib in Germantown
Home From the Hill
Home is the sailor home from the sea
Home is the hunter home from the hill
But for the sailor who fell from grace with the sea there is no home
He is destined to roam endlessly
And wherever he lays his head is where his home will be.
PICASSO
Genius Loves Company
Picasso Exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris
Picasso Mania
The Studio, Currently on display at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky
Untitled Picasso Sculpture in Daley Plaza in Chicago
Woman, Chicago Art Institute
Photo: Benn Bell Sculpture: Picasso Model: Ginger Bell
All Photos by Benn Bell
PINK HOUSE!
The Story of a Victorian Mansion
On one fine day in May I was strolling through one of old Louisville’s beautiful “walking courts” with my good friend and trusted side-kick Victoria Mansion. When much to our surprise we came upon a phenomenon down toward the end of the block for which neither of us was fully prepared. A Pink House! Now this wasn’t any ordinary sort of pink house it was an extra fancy with raisins sort of pink house. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t a house at all but a palace.
What caught our interest was a small gathering on the porch. Everyone had a drink in their hand and seemed to be having a good time. Come on in, they beckoned. Well it was just too hard to resist. Turns out it was an open house put on by a local real estate agency. The old Pink House was for sale!
Now let me tell you what they had to offer for refreshments: beer, whiskey, two kids of wine, cheese and crackers, and sushi. Well, we came right on in and helped ourselves. We were invited to explore the house which we did.
A little of the history of the place. The “Pink Palace”, circa 1896, features beautiful period architectural details and a massive turret. The entry foyer and elaborate and ornate staircase are impressive to see as you enter the front door. You will see quarter-sawn “Tiger Oak” floors and woodwork throughout and magnificent stained and leaded glass windows. The “turret” rooms are located on each level of the house are as you might imagine round and filled with light. Great for sitting or reading.
This glorious mansion began its history as a Gentleman’s Club and Casino for the male residents of St. James Court and Belgravia Court to relax and unwind. They enjoyed a good cigar, brandy, stimulating conversation and cards, as well as other past times including the services of ladies of the evening.
The Gentleman’s Club was in existence for only a few years before it was sold to the local chapter of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union who bought the mansion for their headquarters and promptly painted the red brick structure pink. Hence the “Pink Palace.”
It is said the Pink House is haunted by a friendly ghost named Aviary.
He only appears at times of danger to warn the residents…
You can see Aviary in the mirror above the fireplace.
It was on a very merry day in May…..
THE ROAD TO WIGAN PIER
I went to Wigan Pier
To see what I could see
Only to discover
The pier was no longer there
It had been demolished sometime in the past
And where it stood exactly
No one could be sure.
Ghost Dog 