The Balkan Slavs were inheritors of Byzantium culture, but Oriental and Scandinavian influences are also important in their creations. The cyrillic script (and its antecedents) provides the basic written units for a dozen or more related languages. Even though in modern-day Serbia latin letters are used, in the past cyrillic script was the norm in theContinue reading “Serbian Manuscripts”
Category Archives: Inspiration
The Chemistry of Mystery: Fireworks and Bonfires
Fireworks are today the physical symbol of the concept of celebrating. They are launched on special holidays such as New Year’s Eve or local holidays and have become the international way of marking a holiday. Bright, energetic and colorful, fireworks are a symbolic burst of mystery and joy. They entertain and leave people in awe,Continue reading “The Chemistry of Mystery: Fireworks and Bonfires”
Gustave Caillebotte: Urban Intimacy
Gustave Caillebotte was a French painter and patron of impressionist artists. While he was encouraging impressionists, in his own paintings he had a realistic approach. Caillebotte lived in the second half of the 19th century in France and is considered by many as being part of Neo-Impressionism. Besides painting, Gustave was also very interested in photographyContinue reading “Gustave Caillebotte: Urban Intimacy”
Horses of Nepal Book
The Royal Library of Denmark has a book catalogued as “Illustrated work with horses from Nepal”. The book is mysterious in nature, given that the Library’s website does not feature any background information on it. However, it does seem to be a copy or a derivate work of “A Treatise on the Nature and IllnessesContinue reading “Horses of Nepal Book”
Manuscript of the Triumphant Maximilian I
The Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519, elected Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 1508) commissioned two works of art which had a considerable influence on court festivals generally in the Empire: the set of 192 woodcuts commissioned from Albrecht Dürer in 1515 which together make up the Triumphal Arch and the series of 136 woodcutsContinue reading “Manuscript of the Triumphant Maximilian I”
Representations of Political Power
Constructing power In the course of history, power has always had one of the most important roles in arts and cultural products. The methods of framing and visually constructing power have been carefully created and developed. Even though we might think that the ancient Egyptians and Greeks had more naive ways of representing the ideaContinue reading “Representations of Political Power”
Opening Page
“Great art picks up where nature ends.” – Marc Chagall Musurgia Universalis is an exhaustive compendium of musical knowledge at the transition point between sacred renaissance polyphony and secular Baroque music. Much of Musurgia is dedicated to a survey of contemporary music, including the first published mention of the baroque ‘doctrine of the affections’ in whichContinue reading “Opening Page”