The timelessness of Beauty is the big one. In the abstract it is one with the True and the Good, and doesn't change. In the material it is fuzzier, but it remains instantly recognizable if you have eyes to see. We've notices that response to beauty - the visible, material kind with the lower-case b - is something of a litmus test for psycho-spiritual health. The hollow seem to have no appreciation and the inverted and the wicked hate it. A lover of beauty isn't necessarily a good person, but someone unmoved deserves a closer look.
William-Adolphe Bouguereau, À la fontaine, 1897
On the other hand, the Band surrounds itself with beautiful things as a tonic for the endless degeneracy and despair of a fallen world. Art, music, people, stories - it's a direction that counters the darkness with pleasing echoes of Logos. And that's a sound the darkness has no answer for.
Here are a few examples from the European collection.
European
As usual the incredible variety of the European traditions shines through in this selection. Scenes of all kinds, and a glimpse at the Academic tradition. David and Ingres epitomized Academic classicism, while Gérôme and Bouguereau are it's final flowering. What to do with the Scandinavians remains an issue - for now, they'll stay in the larger group. This isn't really a scholarship-type project. A logos-facing history of 19th century art clearly is needed, but we aren't ready to do that yet. Lack of information is why it's needed, and we're just gathering the buried legacy. These are a way to share what we're finding while adding beauty and appreciation of heritage to lives of readers.
Martin Rico Ortega, Rio San Trovaso, 19th century
Venice has always appealed to painters for the light quality, water & great buildings.
This Spanish painter captures the colors & energy of the stimulating environment.
Franz Richard Unterberger, Amalfi Golfe de Salerne, 19th century
A pale hazy look can simulate distance or bright hot sunlight. Or both.
Landscape painters always like cliffs & water, but this adds what the day felt like.
Sunday morning picture with a contemplative mood.
The contrast between the hazy light in the distance & sharp foreground reflection hints at the glory beyond the material world.
Happy Father’s Day 1/2
Millet’s allegory in crayon on paper: A baby depends on his mother for life. But his father shapes what he will be when his steps carry him outside the fence.
Jacques-Louis David, The Oath of the Horatii, 1785
Happy Father’s Day 2/2
If you want moral societies:
The values of society reflect the worth of its fathers because the worth of the fathers shines in the values of the children.
Sunday night with a challenge - how to show the spiritual significance of the encounter?
Here, a Dutch artist uses Jesus’ radiance over cloth to hint at Holy Face icons.
Light seems to shine from inside this Norwegian painter’s scene.
It’s remarkable how different textures in sky, water & land make each react differently to the light.
William-Adolphe Bouguereau, À la fontaine, 1897
The master of classical technique sets incredibly real girls against a rough background like an old photo.
And that technique. Look at the foot & sleeve of the younger one.
Zoomed in on a Bouguereau to show his brushwork for a blog post & thought people interested in painting might want to see.
The smooth, blended finish defies description. It has to be seen.
Danish painter with the fresh turquoise sea off the coast of France.
Mønsted fills his work with brightness & lively energy. You can almost smell the ocean air.
Ferdinand Knab, The Palace Gate, 1881
This German artist isn’t strictly realistic, but the liberties he takes add enchantment.
The parts that are realistic - like the rough stone & reflective water - add to the appeal.
French artist captures the contrasts of bright summer lighting.
Things up close are shadowed, the are cliffs washed out in the glare & the water sparkles.
Airy Dutch landscape with big sky, fluffy clouds & the difference between meaning & stuff.
Cultures don’t grow around glowing screens & dopamine hits.
Atmospheric picture uses light and shade to set a contemplative mood.
The glittering effect comes from blending color tones & using thick paint to create a 3D surface texture.
Italian painter with a bright day & unique style.
Buildings are sharp & detailed, but the sea is patchy. The contrast creates the shimmer.
Sunday morning picture standing resolute against darkness & rising into the light.
The allegory: faith, strength & courage don’t just save you - they’re a beacon to all.
Jean-Léon Gérôme, Flight into Egypt, 19th century
Sunday with an academic master. Gerome captures the strange bleakness of the alien land.
It’s flight, not a “new life”. That came when Jesus went home & changed everything.
Sunday night with an original take on an old theme. The austerity is still, not threatening.
Jesus is cradled by an ancient world that awaits the new day he brings.
Moving towards midsummer with work that captures the feel of the season.
Like a Swedish artist’s yellows & greens of a rustic setting on a hot day.
Spanish painter is very good at the effects of summer light and heat.
He gets the hazy effect while keeping detail by using tiny brushstrokes to create a shimmer.
Francesco Lojacono, Fishermen before the Monte Pellegrino in Sicily, 19th century
Remarkable Italian seascape where ocean & mountains look almost real.
Soft colors & still water create a calm that’s pleasant to look at.
Norwegian painter with a bright fjord landscape - another great setting for art.
Thick, heavy textures suit the rugged location & make the water seem more still.
Petrus van Schendel, The Night Market, 19th century
Dutch chiaroscuro painter with a unique style specialized in flame-lit night markets.
Note how well ordered it is. Night is a lot less scary in an organic culture.
Classical detail & tense drama.
Augustus’ wife Livia faints at mention of her dead son Marcellus. His sister Octavia - who had him killed - looks sideways as his statue looms.
The West filters Christianity & Classical heritage through national identities.
Centralized monoculture is antithetical to the fundamental nature of the West
Peder Mørk Mønsted, Sunset with Fishermen, 1897
Danish painter brings a glorious end to a summer day.
The sharply detailed reeds & plants at the front fool your eye into thinking the whole is more realistic than it is.
More summer heat with a German in Italy. The hazy glare washes things out - it’s why hot cultures favor bright colors.
And organic culture remains people + place.
Sunday morning painting is a reminder that land, faith & nation are connected.
The wood centers on the person & screens the chapel - divine truth shining through material reality.
Summer sun by a French painter who missed the Modernism memo.
Landscapes often frame views with trees & things. Here, the shade makes the light seem brighter.
Dutch painter with the start of a journey. See how low he sets the horizon? Dutch landscapes are known for huge airy skies.
Makes a small land seem grander
Before mechanization, fields were much smaller. What men & animals can manage for the local area.
Alpine setting & well-ordered land shape & reflect Swiss identities. It’s symbiotic.
Andreas Schelfhout, Moored Ships on the Beach at Sunset, 1844
Running a bit late so here’s a nice nautical sunset. The play of the light on the clouds is brilliant.
Fishing is another worthy task when tied to communities.
Peter the Great - a Fabergé egg made for Tsar Nicholas II in 1903 - drives home the ugliness of the globalist left.
The most repugnant are their heroes & their memorials are crude & atavistic.
No Peter the Greats or Fabergé eggs.
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