Category Archives: Views

Exhibitions: ‘Dia al-Azzawi- Painting Poetry’ At The Ashmolean Museum, UK

Ashmolean Museum (April 26, 2023): ‘The Arab world’s most influential living artist’, Dia al-Azzawi is best known for monumental and colourful canvasses. His work spans many genres, including a type of artist books known in Arabic as ‘dafatir’.

DIA AL-AZZAWI

PAINTING POETRY

Here Francesca Leoni, curator of Dia al-Azzawi: Painting Poetry at the Ashmolean, introduces us to the work of this important contemporary artist and takes us through the exhibition currently on display at the Ashmolean Museum.

Dia Al-Azzawi is an Iraqi painter and sculptor, now living and working in London, and one of the pioneers of modern Arab art. He is noted for incorporating Arabic script into his paintings. 

Dia al-Azzawi: Painting Poetry is open and free to visit until 10 June 2023.

Netherlands Travel: The Tulip Barn And Keukenhof

DW Travel (April 26, 2023) – Where in Europe is the best place to travel in spring? If you love flowers, the Netherlands could be the perfect place.

Thousands of people descend on Amsterdam every spring to see the tulips bloom – and to take colorful photos surrounded by endless blossoms. DW’s Diana Piñeros takes you to the famous Keukenhof and The Tulip Barn, two must-see destinations for flower lovers.

Keukenhof, also known as the Garden of Europe, is one of the world’s largest flower gardens, situated in the municipality of Lisse, in the Netherlands. According to the official website, Keukenhof Park covers an area of 32 hectares and approximately 7 million flower bulbs are planted in the gardens annually.

Front Page: The New York Times — April 26, 2023

Image

Biden Announces Re-election Bid, Defying Trump and History

President Biden is already the oldest president in American history and, if he were to win again, he would be 86 at the end of a second term.
CREDITDOUG MILLS/THE NEW YORK TIMES

While the president once pitched himself as “a bridge” to a new generation of Democratic leaders, he has decided that he is not ready to turn the torch over yet.

Analysis: Biden Faces Headwinds, but Democrats See Reasons for Optimism

President Biden, delivering remarks at the White House last week, announced on Tuesday that he would seek a second term.

President Biden’s poll numbers remain low, but structural advantages have Democrats insisting he is far better positioned than his Republican rivals.

Harry Belafonte, 96, Dies; Barrier-Breaking Singer, Actor and Activist

In the 1950s, when segregation was still widespread, his ascent to the upper echelon of show business was historic. But his primary focus was civil rights.

A Bleak Outlook for Manhattan’s Office Space May Signal a Bigger Problem

Remote work and rising interest rates are dealing a double blow to office landlords, with potentially grave consequences for the city and even national economy.

Travel: A Walking Tour Of Nerja In Southern Spain

April 25, 2023: Nerja is a resort town along southern Spain’s Costa del Sol. Its seafront promenade, Balcón de Europa, tops a promontory with views of the Mediterranean and surrounding mountains.

Below it lie sandy beaches and cliffside coves. Cueva de Nerja, a nearby cavern with unusual stalactites and stalagmites, hosts popular summertime concerts. It’s also known for its paleolithic paintings, viewable by guided tour.

Filmed on April 22, 2023 by: Spain Walking Tour

Architecture: An Insider Tour Of Sheats-Goldstein Residence In Los Angeles

The Local Project – (April 25, 2023) – Overlooking the city of Los Angeles, Sheats-Goldstein Residence by John Lautner and James Goldstein is an iconic and action packed home that ignites the idea that a residence is an expression of its owner.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Inside the Iconic and Action Packed Home 00:49 – A Reflection of Mentality and Personality 01:16 – A 1972 Purchase of Amazing Design and Views 02:14 – The First Step in the 45-year long Renovation Process 03:14 – No Separation between Inside and Outside 03:42 – John Lautner’s Dislike of Box-like Forms 04:09 – A Focus on the Natural Elements 04:43 – The Addition of Tropical Vegetation 05:30 – A James Turrell Skyspace 06:05 – The Continuation of John Lautner’s Legacy 06:45 – Two Rebels Working in Cohesion 07:21 – Preserving History and Hard Work

Built and designed to reflect James’s life and experiences, the house asserts a dominance over the landscape with its frameless glass walls, hidden wonders and angled corners and turns. After buying the residence in 1972, James sought the help of John Lautner to re-model the home after observing the previous owner’s undesirable changes to the original design. Part of James’s wish was to return the structure’s lost character through dramatic improvements.

After John’s passing and having resided in the home for 45 years, James has continuously worked on adding to character of the iconic and action packed home, with respect to John’s original vision. Opposed to building anything that resembled a box or came to a 90-degree angle, John Lautner designed the home with angular walls, built-in furniture and open plan floor spaces. Wanting the residence to feel natural, the use of concrete floors is used to help imbue the feeling of openness, while carpets used within the home are designed to look like small stones and deepen the natural impression.

Additionally, the frameless glass wall that occupies the living room continues to unite the indoor and outdoor spaces and enables views of the tropical foliage and vegetation that surround the building. Spanning across over 1.5 hectares of hillside, the home’s landscape is saturated with thick foliage and vegetation that holds hidden walkways, ponds and open grassy areas. Additionally, the unique character of the iconic and action packed home is further emphasised with the James Turrel skyscraper. Tucked into the lower hillside of the home, the building acts as a form of art, allowing for one to sit back and delve into the appreciation of light and shadow.

Travel Tour: Perhentian Islands In Malaysia (4K)

Uploaded April 24, 2023: The Perhentian Islands are islands in Besut District, Terengganu, Malaysia. The two main islands are Perhentian Besar and Perhentian Kecil. The small, uninhabited islands of Susu Dara, Serengeh and Rawa, lie off Kecil.

Like Besut, people generally speak Kelantanese Malay. However, English is also widely spoken.

Filmed and edited by: Mesmerizing Time

Travel: A Tour Of Angel Island, San Francisco (4K)

April 24, 2023: Angel Island State Park, the largest natural island in the San Francisco Bay, offers some of the best views of the surrounding Bay Area. With great hiking trails and many other recreational opportunities readily available, Angel Island is truly a hidden gem in the midst of the urban Bay Area. 

Beginning with the earliest inhabitants, the Coast Miwok, Angel Island was a seasonal hunting and gathering location for the local native tribes, a safe refuge and supply stop for Spanish explorers like Juan Manuel de Ayala, one of the first to map the San Francisco Bay.

From 1910 to 1940, the U.S. Immigration Station processed hundreds of thousands of immigrants, the majority from China. During World War II, Japanese, and German POWs were detained at the Station before being sent to facilities farther inland.

Filmed on April 22, 2023 by Walk with Preeti

Front Page: The New York Times — April 25, 2023

Image

Ukraine’s Spring Offensive Comes With Immense Stakes for Future of the War

Damage in Izium, Ukraine, last week. A failed counteroffensive could lead to waning Western support in Ukraine.
CREDITMAURICIO LIMA FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Without a decisive victory, Western support for Ukraine could weaken, and Kyiv could come under increasing pressure to enter serious peace talks to end or freeze the conflict.

Tucker Carlson, a Source of Repeated Controversies, Is Out at Fox News

Tucker Carlson’s announcement was made less than a week after Fox settled a defamation suit for $787.5 million.
CREDITREBECCA NOBLE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Mr. Carlson has been one of the network’s top-rated hosts for many years.

What Tucker Carlson Leaves Behind as He Is Shown the Door

The host’s abrupt dismissal upends Fox News’s prime-time lineup — and the carefully honed impression that the ratings star was all but untouchable.

These Countries Lined Up to Help Ukraine. Now Their Farmers Are Angry.

A grain deal that got Ukrainian exports moving and eased a global food crisis is now fueling protests in Romania and among other staunch supporters of Kyiv.

Top Art Auctions: Myers Fine Art Gallery In Florida

View Catalog

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.- After a hiatus of more than three years, Myers Fine Art will return to the auction spotlight on April 30 with a 459-lot gallery auction that bears all the hallmarks of their signature style. Bidders can look forward to seeing a high-quality, estate-fresh selection of scrupulously researched artworks with impeccable provenance.

Each and every item has been personally curated by Myers’ owners Mike Myers and Mary Dowd, whose combined decades of experience in the fine art sector serve as the basis for auction catalogs whose scholarly descriptions are both lauded and trusted throughout the art world.

READ MORE AT ‘ART DAILY’