Beauty & Aesthetics

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Admont Library

Gorgeous Libraries of the World

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Gorgeous and awe-inspiring libraries of the world inspire and give one a sense of wonder over their architecture, beauty and beckoning knowledge held within.  I have two large-format books about most of these libraries: The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World by Jacques Bosser & Guillaume de Laubier The Library, A World History by James W.P. Campbell & Will Pryce Yet, even they don’t include all the ones in the video below. Incredible!     […]

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Unrequited Love . . .

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Through most of my adult life I’ve been obsessed with unrequited love. Ask me not why or how, for I know not.  I simply, and continually, engage in repetitive fantasies of potential love ‘lost’ to my utter lack of confidence and prowess. Potential life partners, soul mates, lovers . . . . lost to hope and stupid, naive dreams. In my early- to mid-adulthood at some point I realized that my “love” was more adolescent

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Princess Arch, KY image with Steve & Amanda

Claude Debussy – Reverie

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And . . . as an immediate and natural follow-up to Clair de Lune, I must also mention Claude Debussy’s “Reverie” as another incredible piece of musical genius. It was wonderfully used in the Westworld series, which I greatly enjoyed!I  Love, Love , Love it! Live in absolute beauty. Live an aesthetic life. Absorb yourself in satiating joy! Carpe diem my friends! Featured image by the author, James L. Patterson (Princess Arch, Red River Gorge, Kentucky)

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Adventure card image

My Wife Is Wonderful!

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My wife is incredible! We always celebrate our anniversary with a nice card and perhaps something nice regarding a gift and/or event.  It seems that our ongoing theme is one of “adventure.”  Take note of the beautiful card she gifted me this year!  What do we mean by “adventure?” We don’t climb mountains. We don’t sail in a yacht around the world. We don’t skydive. We don’t kayak. We don’t submarine to the bottom of

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Colors image

Emma Hewitt – Colours

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While listening to a few of my chill/trance/dream-pop Pandora stations recently an artist started appearing that I hadn’t previously heard before: Emma Hewitt. I’m not sure why her songs weren’t included in those genre playlists years ago (her “Burn the Sky Down” album was released in 2012). Her music and heavenly vocals exude a wonderful haunting beauty.  I recently purchased her CD (yes, I’m old school) but had to resort to ordering one from Australia

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Portrait of Edgar Allen Poe in 1848 by Oscar Halling

Edgar Allan Poe

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After watching the movie “The Pale Blue Eye” this evening, I’m reminded of my long time admiration (and sometimes obsession) with Edgar Allan Poe. Unusual as it may be, my initial exposure to E. A. Poe was long ago when I was a lad of only 17 years of age. At that magical time I was made aware of an album by Alan Parsons titled “Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Edgar Allan Poe” – Parson’s

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Porter Garden Telescope

Porter Garden Telescope – The Perfect Blend of Art and Science

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In July 2015 while perusing the gorgeous entries of exquisite cars in the Keeneland Concours d’Elegance in Lexington, Kentucky, I came across a vendor’s booth that housed a phenomenal piece of scientific and artistic apparatus called the “Porter Garden Telescope.” I was smitten! I spoke with Russ Schleipman who was tied to the formal business venture called Telescopes of Vermont.  He explained to me that several decades ago his father Fred discovered the Porter Garden

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Beautiful Clouds Image

Beauty – Music from the movie A.I. (Artificial Intellegence)

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I have a tendency to re-watch movies that resonate with me – those that seem to speak to my soul, whether due to its storytelling, music, theme/subject, philosophy, cinematography, or all of it rolled into one. Recently I watched A.I. – Artificial Intelligence again (for an unknown _th viewing), and of course, was moved by the story and it’s wonderful film score by John Williams. And in this current time of unfolding AI the movie

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Mural: Inspiration is Everywhere

Dispatches From Elsewhere

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A fascinating limited television series launched at the beginning of March 2020 titled Dispatches From Elsewhere. It consisted of ten episodes and aired on AMC weekly on Mondays until the end of April. The show was produced by Jason Segel and featured four primary characters who all lead lives of various levels of mundaneness, fears, challenges, distractions and lack of direction. Sounds a bit like most of the population, doesn’t it?  These individuals – Peter,

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Energy in the forest

Live an Aesthetic Life

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Aesthetics “Officially” speaking, Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty and artistic taste. But you don’t have to be a philosopher to bask in the benefits of living an aesthetic life. Simply having a sensitivity and appreciation for beauty is a good start.  Slow down; pause; observe.  Note and appreciate those things that give you pleasure and inner satisfaction when you experience them with your senses (sight, sound, smell, touch,

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Linderhof Palace, Bavaria

Romanticism

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What is Romanticism? Ask anyone on the street what “Romanticism” is and you’re likely to get replies that include:  beautiful flowers, surprise gifts, elegant date nights, heartfelt love letters, tender gestures, etc. – – essentially, anything that generates romance between two people in a relationship. While that concept is nice (and important) it isn’t the same definition of “Romanticism” as my focus in this article. Specifically, I speak of Romanticism as a state of mind;

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Man Carving His Own Destiny by Albin Polasek (sculpture)

Man Carving His Own Destiny – by Albin Polášek

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Man Carving His Own Destiny Albin Polášek Indiana Limestone, 1961 Brookgreen Gardens – Murrells Inlet, SC I very much like the description on the placard sign about the artist’s vision of “man chiseling himself, struggling to hack out his own character, carving his future by the effort of his will.”   This aligns in my mind with an individual’s effort to create the best person they can be during their short sojourn on this Earth –

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Triumphant image

Two Steps From Hell – Heart of Courage

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Powerful. Inspiring. Epic. Invincible! I was surprised to hear this being played in the opening video montage at recent University of Louisville football games.  I had heard it numerous times previously on my Pandora shuffle of Delerium, Blue Stone, Sleepthief & Conjure One.  It’s composed by Thomas J. Bergerson and has  been used in numerous film trailers, television shows and advertisements.  This song gives me chills; moves me; envelopes me.  It makes me feel like

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Cycle of Life by Paul Howard Manship (sculpture)

Cycle of Life – by Paul Howard Manship

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I share here two versions of the same beautiful sculpture – each with their own unique finish.  The Brookgreen Gardens version is a natural bronze whereas the Speed Art Museum example has a gold finish.  Both are gorgeous!  Paul Manship is one of my favorites.  The theme, particularly with the use of an armillary, is appealing to me!  My garden armillary pales by comparison.  🙂 Cycle of Life Paul Howard Manship Bronze, 1924 Brookgreen Gardens

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