CultureCommentary

  Hello, lovelies. Yes, you’re absolutely right.  Docendo discimus  (by teaching others, I learn). So… The artist by the name of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, apart from being a master painter, an expert at fashion, customs and general history of the ancient world, is someone the majority of art lovers or even scholars only mildly curious about fine art, adore or, at the very least, are familiar with. For art historians, Sir Alma-Tadema has always been an ancient world advocate, giving his contemporaries and future viewers a reminder that the world of Ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt was once vibrant and beautiful and filled with indulgences, art and tradition. The artist honored historical accuracy: he kept up to date with archaeological discoveries, read books on the subject, collected photographs of classical sites, made frequent visits to British Museum, and traveled to Italy.  The combination of his unique talent and profound knowledge of the subject had brought Alma-...

Hello, lovelies. Now. How do I direct your attention to the domain of fine arts? If I declare that Art and Culture, in a specific sense, are of utmost importance in our society, the number of individuals in agreement with me will, most likely, be so small, I’ll feel I am entirely detached from the Outside World. But, as it’s been acknowledged by many of us, it’s all relative.   There is an opinion, shared by one group of curious minds, that the voice of our needs and tastes does not favor Art. They believe they see the impact of the circumstances of our living clearly enough, and that the spirit of Art, in its classical form, is so remote from the spirit of our Age, that, every time, it has to elevate itself above our basic need. In a way, it has to fight the constant fight against our Utilitarian side: as a child of freedom, Art is believed to never responding to “the demands of matter”, but always acknowledging “the necessity of our minds”. “ The great idol of our age”, Utility i...