‘The soul is of longing, but the spirt is of fulfilment’. In other words, while Sehnsucht is the expression of a soulical longing or desire for fulfilment, it can never be truly fulfilled without the spirit.
Category Archives: Art
A TALE OF THREE CITIES: Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen by Rail
I have just returned from a whirlwind, seven-day tour by rail (mostly) of these three great Scandinavian capitals – Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen – with Great Rail Journeys. Now that I am relatively recovered from all the extensive walking and sightseeing tours and the challenges of hauling my too-heavy bags from one place to theContinue reading “A TALE OF THREE CITIES: Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen by Rail”
From Tulips to Tolerance: Exploring the Dutch Cultural Journey
As my recent trip to the Netherlands revealed, there is so much to discover and admire about this small yet mighty country, notwithstanding the darker elements of its colonial past. These are some key highlights and takeaways. When you think of the Netherlands – or ‘Holland’ as it is often mistakenly called (Holland proper isContinue reading “From Tulips to Tolerance: Exploring the Dutch Cultural Journey”
FIVE FILMS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
While most big-screen movies offer only a few hours of momentarily rhapsodic but ultimately time-wasting escapism, there are some rare films that make you see the world differently, changing you in both subtle and profound ways that linger long past the end credits. So what is it that makes a film truly great?
Samurai, Sakura and Onsen Satori: 18 Days in Japan
Japan is a fascinating country; even when you get lost and end up wandering through some residential district as I often did, noticing little details outside people’s houses or seeing one of its many species of swallowtail butterflies or huge ‘bear bees’ grants moments of pure rapture.
Storycraft Analysis: Margaret Atwood’s “Isis in Darkness”
The final reference to light (knowledge) in the midst of darkness leaves the reader lingering with him in the place of shadows, tasting with Richard the full bittersweet remorse of sacrificing one’s own art to a shadow occupation (in his case, as a literary academic).
Questions for my readers: I need your help!
As this post-new year time of coming out of winter and heading into spring is usually a process of reflection and refining, I’d love some feedback from you on which topic(s) interest you most.
Porto-ohohoh!: Reflections on my recent salsa travels #2
Something about this arty, intriguing and deeply romantic city, with its air of failed colonial grandeur, has well and truly got into my veins
Un-Earthing meaning: Colin Caffell’s ‘Reflections on the Feminine – a visual essay’ at Penwith Gallery, Cornwall
It seems strangely fitting that artist Colin Caffell, who typically works with earthy materials (clay, bronze, wax, resin, wood) as a potter and sculptor (see his beautifully multi-hued seascape-theme ceramics below), should have chosen to highlight the very fragility of Mother Earth in his solo exhibition, ‘Reflections on the Feminine – a visual essay’ atContinue reading “Un-Earthing meaning: Colin Caffell’s ‘Reflections on the Feminine – a visual essay’ at Penwith Gallery, Cornwall”
Taking a Pulse on Climate: The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2022
In view of imminent annihilation if we continue our current trajectory towards 3°C of warming, what can art say? Considering 18th century romantic artists were already mourning the loss of an innocent, agrarian lifestyle by invoking classical pastoralism in their landscapes, is any time left for discussion as the Earth burns and everything in it dies?
Small Writer at Large 