The blog
Writing & notes
Essays, notes and reflections on technology, law and life.
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84 Charing Cross Road
A captivating adaptation of the 1970 book by Helene Hanff detailing an international correspondence between her and a rare bookshop on Charing Cross Road, London, England. Moving in parts and a little slow in others, the film presents an insightful if unhurried picture of international correspondence in the 1950s, and highlights some of the cultural… Read more →
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Preferred way to sound in the new year?
As another year draws to a close, many take the opportunity to reflect upon resolutions kept, promises broken, achievements, happenings and other suchlike. The day, of course, represents only another revolution of the sun — a relative, abstract point in space at which the earth rests at a particular angle vis-a-vis the sun (in fact,… Read more →
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Dora Maar au Chat
Pablo Picasso, oil on canvas, 1941 This painting depicts Picasso’s partner and muse, Dora Maar. In 2006, the painting was sold at auction for USD$95.2m to an anonymous Russian bidder. Read more →
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Hut of the Douaniers with Varengeville
Claude Monet, oil on canvas, 1882 This master work of light and texture now hangs in the Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam, where I was able to view the work in June 2007. Read more →
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Velazquez: The Technique of Genius
In this beautiful and engaging book, an art historian and a conservation scientist discuss the techniques Vel‡zquez created in order to realize his artistic vision. Examining thirty works by Vel‡zquez that span his entire career, the authors show how his technical achievement developed over time. Read more →
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The Harvest
Vincent van Gogh, oil on canvas, 1888 The fields during harvest season, Arles, 1888. I viewed this work in The Netherlands during March 2007. Read more →
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Starry Night
Vincent van Gogh, oil on canvas, 1889 A late Van Gogh rendition of the night sky over a village in Auvers-sur-Oise (Paris), France. Read more →
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Vincent Van Gogh: A Self-Portrait in Art and Letters
Throughout his life, Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) wrote hundreds of letters, many to his brother Theo. Theo acted as patron, agent, and sounding board to the artist whose life was fraught with poverty, a struggle for recognition, and alternating fits of madness and lucidity. Van Gogh also corresponded with other family members and fellow artists,… Read more →
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Van Gogh Paintings: The Masterpieces
The best of van Gogh’s eternally popular paintings, gathered together in one magnificently produced volume. Nearly 120 years after his death, Vincent van Gogh and his work continue to exert a powerful fascination. This book offers the reader a selection of the artist’s most unforgettable canvases as well as some lesser-known examples, many drawn from… Read more →