Category Archives: culture
Sprezzatura
Reading Robert Calasso’s “Tiepolo Pink” this week, I was encouraged to give some thought to that very Italian quality, sprezzatura. Calasso uses it as a conceit, or a prism through which to view the entire body of work by the … Continue reading
The ending
One winter night among friends recently the unthinkable was spoken: it is quite possible the last 50 years or so in the West have been an anomaly in the history of humankind, not to be repeated in our or our … Continue reading
Posted in culture
Tagged Collapse, Dimitry Orlov, German Expressionists, Helen Simpson, ozymandias, rubicon, The Road
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Musings on Bloomsday
Today is Bloomsday, the date of Leopold Bloom’s meanderings and musings through Dublin as created by James Joyce in the great 20th century novel, “Ulysses.” I’ve been revisiting some of my youthful passions lately — France, European painting, foreign art … Continue reading
Posted in culture, Travel, Uncategorized
Tagged exile, immigration, James Joyce, Stanislaus Joyce, Trieste, Ulysses
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Ciao Firenze
It’s like an overgrowth of algae, too much of a good thing. An infestation of indestructible pests. A herd of Michelango fans. A party of gelato seekers. A siege of shoppers. What they miss in descending on Florence in droves … Continue reading
Andrei Tarkovsky and Italy
Years ago I saw a film by the unique, mysterious cinema artist Andrei Tarkovsky that included an early scene at an Italian hot springs town. What was immediately arresting about the scene was the film’s image of the town, which … Continue reading
Posted in cinema, culture, film
Tagged flim, Italy, Nostalghia, Nostalgia, Piero della Francesca, Pregnant Madonna, Russian film, Tarkovsky
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