Poster Art: Making A Point

Brooke at the NeoCon Command Center, as well as the ever-present Michelle Malkin, has some War Posters. Brooke has posted some of the posters you may recognize from World War Two. These are familiar and they were taken seriously by most Americans.

And why not? One never knew whether we were being listened to by loyal Americans or traitorous spies. Most Americans had a family member in the Armed Forces. At the very least a close friend was serving. The admonition to keep your mouth shut so your loved one would not die as a result of knowledge reaching the Enemy, made sense.

It still does. But judging by the New York Times (Slimes, as Drunken Samurai calls them!) publishing of classified material used by the government to track down terrorists, they are immune to any possible danger, and may expose any information they wish. Treasonous as always, they insist that the revelation of such secret material is not only their right, but their duty.

Endangering the lives of Americans is their duty.

Uh-huh.


Michelle Malkin has a different spin on this. She's gathered some photoshopped posters by bloggers who have a different opinion of things American than the NYTimes. In other words, the Times is taken to task. The posters are entertaining, amusing, and sometimes a tad vulgar. All-in-all they say something important: Keep your mouth shut when you have secret War-related information in your head. It isn't your business to divulge the information; it isn't your right to tell the Press the information; it isn't a matter of opinion or your conscience whether or not the information needs to be revealed to the Public.

Your information could easily get into the hands of some bastard who can contact people with the ear of Al-Qaeda, or some other Muslim Terror Group/Cell. And, hard as this may be to believe, some folks still read the NYTimes, the St. Petersburg Times, the L.A.Times, and so on. Among those are the very people who would cut off a reporter's head for not being a Muslim.

So, maybe our government can start arresting, charging, and trying these ba$tards among us who blithely report secret information, and put them away. And when the MSM whines about the 'Chilling Effect' this has on the Freedom of the Press, perhaps we can remind them that the Freedom of the Press is not the first - or most important - part of the First Amendment. That would be Freedom of Religion. And since the MSM keeps trying to destroy the Christians and Jews in America, we feel quite comfortable chilling the Hell out of the Press!

Shut your Damned mouths, you Press types! We are fighting a War, whether you like it or not! What you are doing is tantamount to spying. And we need to begin hanging spies like we used to!

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blogagog has his own version. Check it out! Also Angel takes her shots at the Slimes, err, I mean the Times! Sister Toldjah deals with this, too, and has lots of stuff to peruse. Gunz has an angry take on this. The Anchoress takes a different tack, explaining that a bit of calm is needed. Always On Watch lets you know how Muslims here at home reacted to the savage murder of two American soldiers.

I Borrow; It's What I Do

Why apologize? I give the links and I spread the word on fine posts! Also, I pad my own blog. And ain't that what it's all about?

No?

Well, poop!

From Morning Glory comes this enjoyable foray into Theorems and Corollaries. No, it's not Geometry, so uncross yer legs, Cupcake!

She calls this, "Laws of the Natural Universe":

"'It's been one of those weeks so I thought this would be an appropriate post.

Being the former Mrs. Murphy, as well as Murphy's Mother, I've always been a believer in MURPHY'S LAWS; Therefore, I have followed up the "Laws of the Natural Universe" with "Murphy's Corrollaries" where applicable.'

Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch or you will have to pee.

Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Law of the Telephone: When you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal.

Law of the Alibi: If you tell your boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will actually have a flat tire.

Variation Law: If youchange lines at the supermarket or change lanes in traffic, the one you were in before will start to move faster than the one you are in now. Murphy's Corrollary: The other line always moves faster.

Bath Theorem: When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone will ring. Murphy's Corrollary: Though the phone won't necessarily ring every time you're on the toilet, every time the phone rings, you'll be on the toilet.

Law of Close Encounters: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

Law of the Result: When you try to prove to someone that a machine doesn't work, it will. Murphy's Corrollary: Any broken appliance or automobile, when demonstrated for the repairman, will work perfectly.

Law of Biomechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

Theater Rule: At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle will arrive last.

Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down with a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

Law of Lockers: If there only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.

Law of Dirty Rugs: The chance of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down is directly proportional to the newness/cost of the carpet.

Law of Location: No matter where you go, there you are.

Bruno Maldi's Law: If the shoe fits, it's ugly.

Gossip's Law: A closed mouth gathers no feet.

Law of Natural Selection: As soon as you find a product you really like, they will stop making it. Murphy's Corrollary: As soon as you find a TV show that you really enjoy, they will cancel it or put it on opposite the only other TV show you really enjoy.

Murphy was an optimist.

A Smith & Wesson beats four Aces.

Don't mess with Mrs. Murphy."

An American Declaration

Sues at "Sues Views" says she was at the gym when she heard the news about the two missing soldiers being found, that they had been killed in a 'horrific way'.

"As I got home from the gym, I got out of my car and walked up to the flag that I have flying (everyday) in front of the house. It was waving in the breeze, looking magnificent as usual. It had wrapped itself around the short pole a couple of times. I walked up and slowly unwrapped it as it brushed up against me in the breeze. I stood there and held the edge of the flag as it waved and flew. I felt calmer. I felt better."

Then she repeated a declaration that came from an earlier post (Sues! You have to put the link to that post in there![and she did!]), a declaration that impressed me, and made me want to put it on a nice image ofparchment. You all know what I mean. And that's the image at the upper right, here.

Sues closed,

"I am truly pissed off right now. And, as my brother Jarhead John can testify to, they have no idea who they are messing with. I will never give up. I will never stop.

Determined, persistent, are words that pale in comparison to my will and drive. We are at war and have been for a long time.

America is filled with patriots that are merely waiting for their call to arms. The terrorists are fools to think we will ever submit to them."


Y'know, the funny part of all this, if there can be any humor at all in such a devastatingly tragic occurence, is how few people around the world understand just how angry the people of the United States can become. They may wish to ask Japan how pissed off we got in 1941, and what we did to them after we recovered from the shock of their attack on us. They might ask the Germans what Nazi Germany reaped as a result of their Declaration of War upon us after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

Up to now our response to 9/11 and to the murders in savage ways of innocent Americans, has been rather muted. If you think I'm wrong about that, imagine an Afghanistan after carpet bombing by the US Air Force, then the entry of troops. That isn't what happened, and it's a good thing, too, for Afghanis.

Still not convinced? Remember "Shock and Awe"? I do. Nice show, and it got the attention of Saddam Hussein and his Evil Regime. But it was a tiny response. Visualize Baghdad after the U.S. Air Force carpet bombs it. Imagine, indeed, the nation of Iraq had we landed even a fraction of the forces we used in Europe in the Second World War.

Hell, just imagine how Iraq would look if we were using the Rules of Engagement we had during the Second World War. No uniform? Ciao, Butthead! Setting roadside bombs? String 'im up! And the rest you can guess.

We Americans remain the most peaceful of people if you just leave us the hell alone. But when you poke a bear with a stick, eventually the bear rises and devours you.

And all you Muslim bastards who think we're gonna take your savagery and slink away? We're gonna hunt you down, stomp you flat, pave over your ugly little land, erect McDonald's and Wal-Marts, and convert your children.

We won't let the spineless politicians and traitorous press stop us, either.

You animals are done.

Okay, So I Get Kinda Addicted To These Things.

You Are Homer Simpson

You're just an ordinary, all-American working Joe... With a special fondness for pork rinds and donuts. You will be remembered for: your little "isms" and philosophies on life Your life philosophy: "Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals ... except the weasel."

The Simpsons Personality Test

You Are a German Shepherd Puppy

Intelligent, quick witted, and a bit aggressive. You've got the jaw power to take a bite out of anyone you choose.

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 90% Conservative, 10% Liberal

Social Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

Ethics: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

You Are 70% "Average American"

You are average because you don't make New Year's resolutions. You are not average since you don't think affirmative action is necessary. [I wear that designation proudly!]

How "Average American" Are You?

You Are 76% Gentleman

You are definitely a gentleman. You're very considerate and you have excellent manners. Occasionally, you slip and do something foolish... but usually no one notices!

Are You A Gentleman?

And finally ...

You're an Passionate Kisser

For you, kissing is about all about following your urges If someone's hot, you'll go in for the kiss - end of story You can keep any relationship hot with your steamy kisses A total spark plug - your kisses are bound to get you in trouble

What Kind of Kisser Are You?

Yep! That's me all over! Heheheheee!

It Was The Brie That Did Me In!

You Are 80% American

You're as American as red meat and shooting ranges. Tough and independent, you think big. You love everything about the US, wrong or right. And anyone who criticizes your home better not do it in front of you!

How American Are You?

I know I should have answered "American Cheese"! But Brie is so damned tasty! Thanks to Jenn at "Say No To P.C.B.S." for this one. Go visit her and say "Howdy!"

A Picture Puzzle! Flash Player Needed

In keeping with recent posts, here is a vey nice picture for you to puzzle out. Many Thanks to Beth at "My Vast RightWing Conspiracy" for this little gem! Go visit her and try her puzzle! LOL

Then see what she has to say.

Female Painters Of The Victorian Age

Anna Lea Merritt - 1844 - 1930 (images # 1,2, & 4)	Elizabeth Bouguereau - 1837 - 1922 (image # 9)
No Artist's Images Available for: Emily Mary Osborne - 1834 - 1913 (images # 3,5,6 & 7)	No Artist's Images Available for: Annie Louisa Swynnerton - 1844 - 1933 (image # 8)

Click On The Small Images Below To See A Larger Image.

As you can see, the art produced by the women of the Victorian Age is the equal of the art produced by the men. The number of paintings may be smaller, but that is no indication of talent or skill. The art is beautiful and transcends the gender of the artist. And that is as it should be, don't you think?

These are a small sampling of the vast body of Art by women in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. As recommended on an earlier post, check ARC or CGFA for more information and some beautiful images!

1)Eve	2)Portrait Of Miss Ethel D'arcy Aged 6	3)War
4)Love Locked Out	5)God's Acre	6)The Escape
7)Nameless and Friendless	8)The Sense Of Sight	9)In The Woods

---

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If that's not enough, take a look at what Laura has to say at the Wide Awake Cafe: "The Art World Is A Joke". Seems the Art World continues to mistake everything in the world for Art. Idiots!

Ann Coulter Made Me Do It!

The Robot Bartender

A man enters a bar and orders a drink. The bar has a robot bartender.

The robot serves him a perfectly prepared cocktail, and then asks him, "What's your IQ?"

The man replies "150" and the robot proceeds to make conversation about global warming factors, quantum physics and spirituality, biomimicry, environmental interconnectedness, string theory, nanotechnology, and sexual proclivities.

The customer is very impressed and thinks, "This is really cool." He decides to test the robot. He walks out of the bar, turns around, and comes back in for another drink. Again, the robot serves him the perfectly prepared drink and asks him, "What's your IQ?"

The man responds, "About a 100."

Immediately the robot starts talking, but this time, about football, NASCAR, baseball, supermodels, favorite fast foods, guns, and women's body parts.

Really impressed, the man leaves the bar and decides to give the robot one more test. He heads out and returns, the robot serves him and asks, "What's your IQ?"

The man replies, "Er, 50, I think."

And the robot says... real slowly, "So............... is your party gonna nominate Hillary for president???

---

This was stolen - verbatim! - from "Say No To P.C.B.S" - Thanks, Jenn!

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Gina Cobb has some funnies at her blog, too.

Kathy at "Oh How I Love Jesus", claims she's a bit 'barn-broke'. Mebbe so!

Angel adds some sweetness to Father's Day with "When God Created Fathers".

The Anchoress does some 'homiletic' teaching-by-proxy in, "Holding Fast, and Having Faith".

Oh, yeah! I completely forgot! blogagog has this gem, "The Long Arm Of The Nightstick". It should make you snort and chuckle. Unless you are a Lefty. *sigh*

When Ron Said It Right!

I remember this. A perfect response to an idiot!

Flag Day 2006

Angel over at Woman Honor Thyself reminded me that today is Flag Day! She has quite a line-up and post about it, so head on over and get educated! And entertained, too. LOL And where are the rest of the Bloggers? Are we too busy to say something regarding Flag Day? Hmmm?

Under the flag of the United States of America serve Men and Women who protect us from harm. They do so for mediocre pay, little thanks, and at risk to their lives. On this Flag Day 2006, why not remember them in your thoughts, thank a veteran or two, and say a prayer for the Americans serving in harm's way at this very moment?

In 1959 the United States added the 49th star to its flag. Not since the admission of New Mexico and Arizona in 1912 had the flag's number of stars been altered. This flag would have one of the shortest lives of any US flag. For only one year later, Hawaii would be admitted to the Union and a 50th star added to the flag. Click on the picture to read the story of the 49th star.

And the Flag is also the shroud we use to honor the brave Men and Women who lose their lives in service to the Nation. Although the US government has tried to keep images such as this one from the public eye, this image is no disgrace. It is a sad fact of life, and a reminder that Freedom - Liberty - is not free. There is a price to pay in blood and the lives of the very best among us.

Though America-haters in our own nation have tried to use images such as this to sap our will, and weaken us from within, they cannot succeed as long as we keep our wits about us. We know that Liberty cannot exist in a vacuum. It must be fought for, defended, taught.

The image of US Flag-draped coffins is not what we Americans want to see. But we will not shrink from the sight as the cowards would have us do. Should the day arrive that sees Americans unwilling or unable to stand in defense of Liberty, then the nation will have already died.

GOD Bless the United States of America! GOD Bless the US Flag!

U.S. Defense Department, U.S. Flag-Draped Coffins Returning from Iraq, 2004, photograph.

A Tad Different: What To Make Of It?

This evening I received an email that sent me on a search. An image I have on my freeservers.com website was referenced in that email. I went looking for the image on Google so I could find the artist. Unfortunately all I could find, using every version of a word - Waxhaws - I could think of, was the image on my own site! The original is no longer up, or is no longer where Google can find it. I emailed back apologizing, saying I could find nothing, and that I didn't know who the artist or copyright holder was. It has, after all, been a few years since I found the image. Mea Culpa!

Then I got to thinking. First, let me put up the email for you to look at.

My name is D----- R---- and I work for the CBS Evening News in NY. I saw a copy of a painting of Battle of Waxhaws on your website and was wondering if you knew who owns the copyright to it. Do you know the name of the painter? Trying to locate info so we may use it for a piece on the CBS Evening News on Wednesday June 14th.
Thanks,
D----- R----

Now, if any of you have taken the time to buy my book - a fascinating and exciting novel that takes place during the American Revolution [hint! hint!] - you will know that the Battle of the Waxhaws involved the slaughter of unarmed men - Americans of the Third Virginia Regiment - by soldiers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton. The veracity of the claim of a massacre has been argued since 1780. To this day no one knows for sure, save that the Battle itself was short, bloody, and frightening!

So, what would someone from CBS News want with an image, an old engraving, actually, of a massacre involving Americans and a hated invader? Any ideas? Why does the name 'Haditha' come to mind?

Look, I'm not saying that that is what Ms. R---- is going after, here. I have no knowledge at all, save what is in her email. In fact I have no way of knowing whether this person works for CBS, is Ms. R----, or is even a female at all. I have only what is in that email, and a certain amount of paranoid ideation. However, the return email addy is her intitials "@cbsnews.com". Me, I think this is a CBS employee. But what do I know?

I plan to watch the CBS Evening News on Wednesday night - a prospect I am not looking forward to - to see if the Waxhaws Massacre is referenced. Partly, this is simple curiosity. It would be nice to see the sad tale acknowledged, and the brave lives lost remembered. But something tells me that this is not what is in store, should the Waxhaws Massacre show up on the CBS News.

Again, this could be absolutely nothing. I could be way off base! Wouldn't be the first time, y'know. But it could be another 'Mary Mapes-ing' of a story. A way to convince Americans that even if the story - The Haditha Massacre - is false, why, we have been massacred in the past, so we must be sensitive to massacres and claims of massacres today.

The Haditha fairy tale is another phony tale that the media created, bought into, and will never relinquish. Just ask Dan Rather and Mary Mapes about letting go of a lie!

How paranoid am I?

Update - 6:30PM Wednesday 6/14: Yep! It was paranoia! Whew! Turns out that Sotheby's was selling a few flags captured during the American Revolution by the forces of Banastre Tarleton. Among them were three flags taken during the Waxhaws Massacre. The Great////Nephew of Tarleton was selling them, remarking that it was time they went home.



The buyer was anonymous, so I have no way to say where they are going. The flags are faded, wrinkled, and sad things to behold. One still bears the blood-stains, so the reporter said, of the flag-bearer. Interesting report. CBS did not mess it up. My fears were unfounded. Hey! I'm glad to be wrong! LOL

As CBS News says: "If flags could talk, these banners would have stories to tell — witnesses to the war that created America.

'They represented the soul of the regiment,' says Dave Redden of Sotheby's auction house. 'They represented the cause for which they were fighting.'

Now, more than two centuries later, the battle flags are up for auction at Sotheby's in New York, reports CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston.

British warrior Banastre Tarleton captured them and sent them to his home in England, where his heirs passed them down.

"They're worth millions," Redden says.

Tarleton's descendants say they are selling the flags now because they can not afford to insure them.

One, which Redden describes as a 'sacred icon,' is estimated to be worth between $1.5 million to $3.5 million.

Tarleton, however, didn't think the flags were sacred. In his signature portrait, he's stepping on America's early flags.

Some historians believe these regimental standards are the beginnings of today's stars and stripes. The one from the Connecticut Dragoons, had 13 red and white stripes. The other, from a southern battle, was among the earliest to use five-pointed stars in a field of blue — a signature of Betsy Ross."

Reason & Quietude On The Left: Heheheheee!

In Communist nations book banning was one of the first things ordered by the leadership. After, of course, the murder of opposition figures. No way the leaders were about to allow thoughts to be published or promulgated that went against the Holy Doctrine of Marx & Engels, and later Lenin, Stalin, & Mao. Or against whichever blood-thirsty Dictator had come to power. So books were banned. By order of the government.

Our own government has, from time to time, advocated the banning of books. Usually these have been books that were seditious in nature, or advocated acts of treason. We all are a little leery of the publishing of books that explain in detail the making of bombs, poisons, and so forth. Yet, the Left in this country has always fought tooth-and-nail to allow such dangerous literature to be published. They have been far less vigorous in their defense of the rights of those who would publish books in support of Conservative voices and ideas. Ever-ready to protest any attempt by anyone to remove a book from any library, no matter how warped the ideas within, the Left is usually silent when the ideas are not sufficiently radical. “Bomb Manuals, Yes! Bibles, No!”

From Newsmax: “Two New Jersey Democrats are pushing to have Ann Coulter's new book "Godless: The Church of Liberalism," banned from all bookstores in their state because she criticized four 9/11 widows known as ‘the Jersey Girls.’

In a joint press release issued Friday, New Jersey Assemblywomen Joan Quigley and Linda Stender say they want New Jersey retailers to ‘ban the sale of [Coulter's] book throughout the state.’

‘Ann Coulter's criticism of 9-11 widows, whose only desire since the attacks have been to repair their shattered lives and protect other families from the horrors they have experienced, is motivated purely by petty greed and hate,’ the two Democrats complained.

‘Coulter's vicious characterizations and remarks are motivated by greed and her desire to sell books . . . She is a leech trying to turn a profit off perverting the suffering of others.’”

Legislative District 32

Legislative District 22

There you have it! Ann Coulter’s ideas go against the wisdom of these two harridans of the Democrat Party, so her book is to be banned in New Jersey! As if New Jersey isn’t a big enough joke throughout the US, we now have elected officials pushing book-banning because they don’t like the ideas contained within.

Idiots! Betcha neither of these deep thinkers have ever complained about Jesse or Al. I would bet they never denounced the hate-filled blitherings of Louis Farrakhan. But Ann Coulter? Well, let’s get her banned! The leadership of the Democratic Party routinely call the Republicans the most vile things, but this isn’t hate-filled speech to these two New Jersey blockheads, is it?

From Newsmax, again: “Quigley and Stender conclude:

‘No one in New Jersey should buy this book and allow Ann Coulter to profit from her hate-mongering. We are asking New Jersey retailers statewide to stand with us and express their outrage by refusing to carry or sell copies of Coulter's book. Her hate-filled attacks on our 9-11 widows has no place on New Jersey bookshelves.’”

Ignorant and foolish, these two witches would advocate silencing the ideas they cannot accept, or even understand. And I’d bet that neither of these Einsteins of the New Jersey Legislature have not even read her book. Betcha they based all of this on the warped maunderings of the MSM. Can I get an ‘Amen’?

Sheesh! What a pair of rubes!
One wonders what they'll say the next time some concerned parent wants a gay-advocacy book removed from their child's second-grade classroom. Will they support the parents? Or will they denounce those parents as hate-mongering, right-wing, religious loonies? Betcha I know! ; )

The Bouguereau Style: Elizabeth & William

When Elizabeth Jane Gardner sailed to France, she probably had no idea that her life was going to become rather complicated, and quite full.

Elizabeth Jane Gardner

William Adolphe Bouguereau

From Lawrence J. Cantor & Co., the following quotations:“While copying old masters in Boston, trying to supplement her ‘polite’ art education, Gardner became convinced that her drawing was inadequate and that she needed thorough European training. In 1864 she sailed for Paris,” and a bright future.

Leaving her native New Hampshire, Elizabeth was traveling to Paris, there to study painting under the influential painter William Bouguereau. It is believed that after her marriage to him, she became a very important influence in his decision to push for the opening of the Academie Julien, and a few years later the École des Beaux Arts, to women for the first time in history. She was his second marriage following the death of his first wife.

“Gardner became an accomplished painter, the first American woman to exhibit in the Paris Salon, in 1866, and the first to win a gold medal (from her painting, Impudence in 1877). Her studio on the Rue Notre Dame des Champs became a mecca for visiting Americans traveling abroad.

“She clearly adopted the style and technique of her mentor and husband, William Bouguereau. In an oft-quoted remark, she frankly revealed, ‘I would rather be known as the best imitator of Bouguereau than be nobody.’ Certainly, her technical skill and draftsmanship are notable.”

About William Bouguereau, one biographer had this to say: “William Bouguereau is unquestionably one of history's greatest artistic geniuses. Yet in the past century, his reputation and unparalleled accomplishments have undergone a libelous, dishonest, relentless and systematic assault of immense proportions. His name was stricken from most history texts and when included it was only to blindly, degrade and disparage him and his work. Yet, as we shall see, it was he who single-handedly opened the French academies to women, and it was he who was arguably the greatest painter of the human figure in all of art history. His figures come to life like no previous artist has ever before or ever since achieved. He wasn’t just the best ever at painting human anatomy, more importantly he captured the tender and subtlest nuances of personality and mood. Bouguereau caught the very souls and spirits of his subjects much like Rembrandt. Rembrandt is said to have captured the soul of age. Bouguereau captured the soul of youth.

“Considering his consummate level of skill and craft, and the fact that the great preponderance of his works are life-size, it is one of the largest bodies of work ever produced by any artist. Add to that the fact that fully half of these paintings are great masterpieces, and we have the picture of an artist who belongs like Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Carravaggio, in the top ranks of only a handful of masters in the entire history of western art.”

I think you may agree with me that his teaching was a large influence on Elizabeth’s painting. Their works are so similar that it’s difficult to pick one over the other. That’s why I am posting them as a pair. Bouguereau, is the name, and the art is magnificent! I hope you’ll find it as beautiful as I do!

Click on the image to enlarge!

E.B. “Garde”	W.B. "Young Gypsies"
E.B. “Bubbles”	Portrait of Gabrielle Cot

Okay, compare right and left, especially the top two. Do you see the similarity? Amazing, isn't it? Also, the portrait of Gabrielle Cot ... let me quote again, this time the ARC Chairman, Fred Ross:

"This magnificent portrait has been judged by a number of top experts and master artists, to be one of the greatest portrait heads ever painted ... by any artist ... ever.

Gabriel Cot was the daughter of Bouguereau’s most famous student, Pierre August Cot. Bouguereau was planning to use her for one of his major paintings, and so he started this as a study for that painting, but, as he worked, he was so captivated by Gabriel’s beauty, including her intense inner beauty, that he finished it as one of his only un-commissioned portraits.

I know of no other work that better exemplifies how this master captured the subtle nuances of personality and mood."

More is coming, Folks! Ohhhh, yes! More of the couple is on its way. Are you enjoying? Hmmm, maybe two more?

OKay!

"The Flagellation Of Our Lord Jesus Christ"

by William Bouguereau

”A Young Girl Holding A Basket Of Grapes”

by Elizabeth Bouguereau

Eleanor Brickdale: Victorian Age Artist 1871 - 1945

Mary For All Generations

OBITUARY. The Times 14th March 1945.

A Versatile Artist. Miss Fortesque Brickdale RWS, painter, modeller, and designer of stained glass, and black and white artist died on March 10th as briefly announced in our columns yesterday. She was the last survivor of the late Pre-Raphaelite painters, who though-or possibly because- they did not come into personal contact with the original Brotherhood, carried some of their principles to extremes. Her nearest affinity was with the late Byam Shaw, in the period of his "Loves Baubles," and she was at the height of her reputation about the same time as he.

It was the allegorical side of Pre-Raphaelitism that Miss Fortesque Brickdale inherited, and her work was distinguished by brilliance of colour and great fidelity to detail. One of her most successful pictures "The Deceitfulness of Riches," is crowded with detail of patterned garment and fruiting trees. As the title suggests there is often a moral or symbolic meaning behind her pictures. Eleanor Fortesque Brickdale, youngest daughter of the late Mr M I Fortesque Brickdale, barrister of Lincoln's Inn was born in 1871. She studied at Crystal Palace School of Art, and at the Royal Academy Schools, where in 1896 she won a £40 prize for her design for the decoration of a public building. Her first appearance in a Royal Academy Summer Exhibition was made the following year. She continued to exhibit there fairly frequently, her contributions including several portraits.



Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale
1871 - 1945

Her pictures were also seen at the Royal Watercolour Society, but the highly wrought nature of her work kept her from being a prolific exhibition artist. Decorative illustration was her natural bent, and typical works of hers were "The Forerunner" in which Leonardo da Vinci was depicted showing his model of a flying machine to the Duke of Milan, and "The First visit of Simonetta." For the first British Empire Exhibition in 1924 she painted the reredos in the Chapel of Remembrance. She is represented in the permanent collections of Liverpool, Leeds, and Birmingham.

As might be expected from the character of her pictures with their brilliant colours and sharp drawing, Miss Fortesque Brickdale was successful as a designer of stained glass, and there is a window by her in Bristol Cathedral. In his "English Pre-Raphaelite Painters, their associates, and successors" in 1910 Percy Bates says that she should do much in the future to exemplify the still living force of Pre-Raphaelitism. Whether or not that prediction was fulfilled, she deserves to be remembered for her consistent fidelity to the tradition.

Today, For Me - 1901

Head Of A Tudor Girl

They Toil Not, Neither Do They Spin - 1903

I can't say why I like Miss Brickdale's paintings, but I do. I don't think they rise to the level of Anna Lea Merritt, but I still enjoy them. And isn't that what Art is about? I remember reading something where a character describes what he thinks is Art to be bought. He syas that if it's a painting you will see, really see, and notice every time you pass it, then it's worth buying. If it seems as though it will become just a piece of the background, then it ain't worth buying. John D. MacDonald, I think. Anyway, I cannot argue with that.

I bought a framed print of a painting by Daniel Ridgway-Knight for my Folks many years ago. And every time I am at thier home I finfd myself looking at that picture. I don't know if they look at it very often - it resides in the guest bedroom - but i do. So, for me, that print is Art.

More Victorian Age women coming. So stay tuned. And enjoy.

John William Waterhouse: Something To Cleanse The Palate!

After recent ugly events, and sad remembrances, I thought it was time to get back to the reason for this blog. Besides getting you all to Buy My Novel! LOL

So, let's cleanse our palates, shall we?

From jwwaterhouse.com ⇒ ...of myth, romance, love, and elegiac beauty comes this snippet of information on John William Waterhouse:

"Although often classified as a Pre-raphaelite for his style and themes, Waterhouse is truly a Neo-Classic painter [I would argue that he was better than that. Perhaps a Romanticist or even a Victorian Classicist). Some of Waterhouse's earlier works were focused on Italian themes and scenery, reflecting his love for his birth place. Later on, his works picked up the styles and classical themes of Pre-raphaelites such as Alma-Tadema and Frederick Leighton. Waterhouse went on to paint well over 200 paintings depicting classical mythogolgy, historical and literary subjects, particularly those of Roman mythology and classic English poets such as Keats and Tennyson. Femme fatale is a common theme in his works, as most are of beautiful elegaic women and of many men are victims.



Waterhouse is one of the rare artists who became popular and relatively well-off financially when he was alive. He continued to paint until his death on the 10th of February, 1917 after a long illness. His style became a major influence on many of the later Pre-raphaelites including Frank Dicksee and Herbert James Draper."



"Penelope & The Suitors"

Okay, so what the heck does that all mean? Well, Anna at A Rose By Any Other Name could tell you, since she likes his works, too! So why not show you what the man could do? How about "The Lady Of Shallot"?

"The Lady Of Shallot"

Here's one that you might like. I did the first time I saw it: A Mermaid.

"A Mermaid"

This is the last painting that Waterhouse finished before his death. Depicts a violent storm, which makes it one of my favorites.

"Miranda - The Tempest"

And here is another one of my favorites of his: Windflowers. Can you feel the heavy breeze? Is this simply the breeze of early spring, or does the wind portend a coming storm? Can you smell the flowers as the petals skitter and dance along the ground?

"Windflowers"

You can find images by John William Waterhause in many places online. May I recommend two of my favorite sites?

First, there's CGFA - A Virtual Art Museum, created and maintained by Carol Gerten-Jackson. Founded in 1996, this was the first online Art Museum I ever found.

And second, here's one I have recently found (HT/Dust My Broom) and have yet to explore sufficiently! It's a Gold Mine for Art Lovers: ARC International - The Art Renewal Center.

This does not mean I won't be posting on more artists. Quite the contrary! But why should I not spread the wealth of information? Go! Check them out! See all the beauty out there!

I think next time I will post about Women Painters of the Victorian Age. Interested? Such artists as Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale, and Annie Louisa Swynnerton make you curious? Well, stay tuned.

Update: For barry, who mentioned that this is his favorite painting by Waterhouse, I give you:

"Boreas" - 1902

Ding! Dong! The Murderous Creep Is Dead!

Al Qaeda terrorist, and all-around cowardly, blood-sucker Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is now taking the Celestial Dirt Nap. He's assumed room temperature. May a thousand camels urinate on his remains. Or something like that!



From the Guardian, comes this:

Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi Killed in Air Raid

Thursday June 8, 2006 10:31 AM


AP Photo NY118

By PATRICK QUINN

Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaida's leader in Iraq who led a bloody campaign of suicide bombings and kidnappings, has been killed in an air strike, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Thursday, adding that his identity was confirmed by fingerprints and a look at his face. It was a major victory in the U.S.-led war in Iraq and the broader war on terror.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said al-Zarqawi was killed along with seven aides Wednesday evening in a remote area 30 miles northeast of Baghdad in the volatile province of Diyala, just east of the provincial capital of Baqouba, al-Maliki said.

Loud applause broke out as al-Maliki, flanked by U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and U.S. Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, told reporters at a news conference that ``al-Zarqawi was eliminated.''

In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said al-Zarqawi's death ``was very good news because a blow against al-Qaida in Iraq was a blow against al-Qaida everywhere.''

The announcement came six days after the Jordanian-born terror leader issued an audiotape on the Internet, railing against Shiites in Iraq and saying militias were raping women and killing Sunnis and the community must fight back.

Al-Maliki said the air strike was the result of intelligence reports provided to Iraqi security forces by residents in the area, and U.S. forces acted on the information.

A Jordanian official said that Jordan also provided the U.S. military with information that helped in tracking al-Zarqawi down. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was addressing intelligence issues, would not elaborate, but Jordan is known to have intelligence agents operating in Iraq to hunt down Islamic militants.

Some of the information came from Jordan's sources inside Iraq and led the U.S. military to the area of Baqouba, the official said.

Baqouba has in recent weeks seen a spike in sectarian violence, including the discovery of 17 severed heads in fruit boxes. It was also near the site of a sectarian atrocity last week in which masked gunmen killed 21 Shiites, including a dozen students, after separating out four Sunni Arabs.

``Those who disrupt the course of life, like al-Zarqawi, will have a tragic end,'' al-Maliki said. He also warned those who would follow the militant's lead that ``whenever there is a new al-Zarqawi, we will kill him.''

``This is a message for all those who embrace violence, killing and destruction to stop and to (retreat) before it's too late,'' he said. ``It is an open battle with all those who incite sectarianism.''

Khalilzad added that ``the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a huge success for Iraq and the international war on terror.'' He also gave a thumbs up and said it was a good day for America.

Casey said the hunt for al-Zarqawi began in the area two weeks ago, and al-Zarqawi's body was identified by fingerprints and facial recognition.

Al-Zarqawi, who is believed to have personally beheaded at least two American hostages, became Iraq's most wanted militant - as notorious as Osama bin Laden, to whom he swore allegiance in 2004. The United States put a $25 million bounty on al-Zarqawi, the same as bin Laden.

U.S. forces in Iraq said the killing was a major victory.

``We killed him, and it's always great when you can remove someone that has caused this much harm,'' said Maj. Frank Garcia, public affairs officer for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. ``We're one step closer to providing stability to the region.''

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Plan on the MSM discounting this. Zarqawi's death will be relegated to secondary importance by the MSM. This murdering, bloody, Evil creature is finally dead, and we thank GOD! Now, let's kill the rest of the Muslim invaders of Iraq and be done with it! (That's right! The so-called insurgents tend to be from other countries, Folks. They aren't Iraqis at all. Thus, no isurgency, no matter how much the Left and the MSM wants it to be so. These are Islamofascist invaders doing the murdering, not Iraqis. Let's kill them all, shall we?)

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Here's a look at this from Laura at The Wide Awake Cafe. Go at once! Visit! Comment! And don't forget Gina Cobb's take on this. Jeanette at Oh, How I Love Jesus blogs, too!

Are we happy at the death of a man? Yes! But remember that this man was not human. This was a man who could saw off the head of a bound, living hostage, and gleefully hold the head up for the video camera.

Betcher sweet a$$ I'm happy!

It's Been Two Years

Two years ago, Ronald Wilson Reagan, suffering from Alzheimers disease, breathed his last, and passed into History. His final years were difficult ones for his wife, the long-suffering Nancy, who ministered to the stricken man throughout the fifteen years of his retirement from Public life, as he slipped deeper into his affliction. The Fortieth President of the United States was ninety-three years of age, having lived through the two World Wars, the Great Depression, the Cold War (which he was instrumental in bringing to a successful conclusion, something earlier Presidents had feared to do), and many other things we take for granted. Reagan, scorned as an actor - his main source of livelihood throughout his adult life - by the elitists of both main political parties, could communicate with the average American in ways that few other politicians ever have.

President Reagan showed a fine sense of humor, laughing at himself when the Left spun jokes at his expense. He could tell stories in a pleasant, folksy way that allowed the listener to 'get' the point, without the usual Politician's trick of beating the listener over the head. People 'got' Reagan, even when they were of the opposite political persuasion.

Democrats wanted to spin Reagan as stupid, and then the electorate as stupid, too, for electing him to the highest office in the Land twice. But Democrats always have, and still do, call Republican office-seekers, and office-holders stupid. It's just their way. Reagan was not stupid. He was a man who believed in calling a beast a beast, not a different-kind-of-person-who-might-be-just-like-us-if-we-just-give-him-money-and-talk-to-him-for-years-on-end. In other words, Ronald Reagan called a spade a spade. We, the people, loved him for it. His opponents hated him for it. So, they called him stupid, and he, in turn, ignored them.



He also ignored the experts who told him that the USA could not defeat the Soviet Union, that we should not even try, that we should just get along with the most powerful, largest, Military Dictatorship on Earth. After all, Democrats and Republicans had done that for Seventy years.
But Ronald Reagan thought that was stupid. He said, "Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose." And that made sense. Earlier he had asked an advisor, "Why can't we just win?" And there was no rational answer to that but 'we can'.

Ronald Reagan was not an original thinker - few of us are. He had an amazing memory, though, and so could quote at length. And his mind allowed him to find the right quote for the right occasion. Stupid? Hah!

He knew that it is better to deal from a position of strength, not weakness. You would think that was an easy truism, wouln't you? But we Americans have had a habit of disarming after every war. And, as Reagan said, "Of the four wars in my lifetime none came about because the U.S. was too strong." And, after winning the Cold War, becoming the only remaining Super Power on Earth, what did Reagan's successors do? Remember the 'Peace Dividend'? Wonder why we were not prepared for the 9/11 attacks? I don't wonder. Reagan would not have allowed us to sink so low. But President number 42 did! And the Congress, which consisted of so-much-more-smart men and women than old, bumbling Ronald Reagan went along with #42. Who was the stupid one, again?

Ronald Reagan was not perfect. Not even close. He was slow off the mark when AIDS became known, and should have been pushing research and common sense. He did not slash government anywhere near as much as he should have and could have. Welfare Reform should have been enacted during his administration, not in Clinton's. But withal, the man was solid, with a vision he shared with his fellow Americans. He had a simple Faith in this nation and its people. Something many politicians lack.



Reagan knew that the best one to decide what's best for you is you. Not some faceless, unelected, unanswerable bureaucrat in Washingtontion, D.C. So he spoke to us, and we listened. And we voted for him.

I never regretted it, and never will, and I won't forget President Reagan. I lived as an adult through his eight years in office. I know how much the MSM has lied about Ronald Reagan. And I won't forget that, either!

GOD Bless Ronald Wilson Reagan, Fortieth President of the United States of America. May GOD watch over his spirit.

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Also: Angel has some information and her own opinion on Two Moms at Woman, Honor Thyself. Always On Watch celebrates Mohammed's Death Day in A Date To Remember. Anna tells us about yet another forgotten service-man. Did you know it wasn't only a reporter's crew who died in that IED blast? Alex brings you up-to-date at A Rose By Any Other Name! Read the linked stories!