Crate of Curios part 67

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It is cold-cold-cold this week and the heating hours are the true highlights of the day. My hope for the Halcyon Days last week was obviously premature as ‘Elpida’ as the phenomenon is ironically called is descending upon us with snow instead. Meaning that it’s time to dig deep under the warm blankets, arm oneself with a cup of hot tea and open this week’s Crate without further ado.

  1. According to art critic Roberta Smith “One day Traylor picked up a stub of pencil and a scrap of cardboard and began to draw…. He produced hundreds of drawings and paintings that rank among the greatest works of the twentieth century.” Bill Traylor, born into slavery in about 1853, began his life as an artist in his late 80s when, homeless on the streets of Montgomery Alabama, he produced over 1200 (surviving) drawings and paintings.

2. How fast do we forget? Ebbinghaus forgetting curve says… quite fast.

3. Colors had considerably more colourful name at the times of the Tudors.

4. Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska’s wise words from “Literary Life” advice column. It’s never too late to take up writing.

5. How to get your way according to Mel Brooks – say yes, then do whatever you want.

6. And to finish off for this week – a little comic on contemporary fairy tales by J.A.K.

And that’s it for this time. Happy reading and until next week!
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If you want to receive the Crate to your mailbox, you can subscribe here at Substack.

Crate of Curios part 66

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January is moving along and yesterday the wind was warm, almost promising the arrival of the Halcyon days; but alas, today the freezing feeling is back with a vengeance and the hope needs to be postponed. Sitting in the park yesterday with a freshly-taxed cup of coffee reminded me of the spring of the first lockdown, when walks were more or less the only entertainment possible and the neighbourhood parks had never been busier. Nostalgia born from the strangest epochs. Nevertheless, now it’s time to open this week’s Crate.

  1. Occasionally art seeps into life through our everyday language and Jan Steen‘s paintings are a wonderful example of it. I figured it was just a piece of internet lore when I read that “a chaotic household, where everyone does just as he or she pleases, is still called a ‘Jan Steen household’ in Dutch”, but apparently the expression ‘een huishouden van Jan Steen‘ really does exist.

2. There was a time in 1970’s and 1980’s when… the former Yugoslavia was one of the most popular nudist destinations in the world.

3. Many musicians find their inspiration in nature, but David Rotherberg gets even more specific – his music is inspired by the sounds of bugs.

4. Just how probable is ‘probably’? At least in the U.S. it’s pretty likely.

5. This weeks’ book recommendation takes us to the occupied France during WW2 and plunges us right into the civilian spy network. And just to make it extra appetizing – although not a documentary, the book is based on a real story.

6. And to finish off for this week, a little introspective comic by False Knees.

And that’s it for this time. Happy reading and until next week!
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If you want to receive the Crate to your mailbox, you can subscribe here at Substack.

Crate of Curios part 65

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And just like this, 2022 is here. The weather veers from being as bleak as in Copenhagen to lovely spring-day-in-March kind and the week ahead promises to be both freezing and wet. Covid case numbers are through the roof and it feels as if we should just opt for blow-up protection spacesuits right away and get the in-between stages over with once and for all. Anyhow, people adapt to everything and surely this too shall pass. Until then, let’s get to opening this year’s first Crate.

  1. Pliny the Elder wrote in his “Chapters on the History of Art” – “She was in love with a youth, and when he was leaving the country, she traced the outline of the shadow which his face cast on the wall by lamplight. Her father filled in the outline with clay and made a model; this he dried and baked with the rest of his pottery, and we hear that it was preserved in the temple of the Nymphs until Mummius overthrew Corinth.” – The lady is question here is of course the mythical inventress of painting, the Maid of Corinth, Dibutades.

2. What’s at the bottom of the sea? Keep scrolling and find out…

3. Planning to go to Australia? Prepare yourself with this tongue-in-cheek guide.

4. We hear pretty often how successful entrepreneurs and businesspeople start their days. Let’s see for a change how 10 artists start theirs.

5. The book recommendation for this week “Art & Fear” is absolutely worth your time.

6. And to finish off for this week, a cartoon about drums by Tommy Siegel.

And that’s it for this time. Happy reading and until next week!
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If you want to receive the Crate to your mailbox, you can subscribe here at Substack.

Crate of Curios part 64

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2022 has arrived, it’s cold, case numbers are through the roof, so we’re getting used to frequent self-testing again, stretching our nostrils to escape the unpleasant sensation. Everything comes and goes in waves – the hope that finally everything is getting better, that the coastline of stability is within reach alternates with the chilly realization that the uncertainty of everyday life might just be the normality now. The only stability it seems, is change. However, the only steadiness we can create lies in our own rituals – which brings us to opening this week’s Crate of Curios.

  1. “One of the reasons I paint is to catch life as it goes by, hot off the griddle.” “Painting,” Neel said, “keeps me alive.” Alice Neel’s nudes are difficult to pin down and their stories more than skin deep.

2. How long does chocolate keep? As it shows, up to 120 years.

3. We usually map habitation. What if we turned it around and mapped emptiness instead?

4. Van Gogh rarely had money to pay a model. However, he had a mirror.

5. Mason Currey has spent several years collecting the habits and routines of famous creative people. His first book “Daily Rituals: How Artists Work” is a great read. His second book “Daily Rituals: Women At Work” is a great AND relatable read. I do recommend both.

6. And to finish off for this week, a little task management comic by Worry Lines.

And that’s it for this time. Happy reading and until next week!
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If you want to receive the Crate to your mailbox, you can subscribe here at Substack.

Crate of Curios part 63

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And here we are with the last Crate of 2021 – the next one will already belong to a new year, 2022 – the year we openly hope will be better than the current one and secretly fear it’ll be the same or worse. However, there’s no telling these days when predictable future has sunk to a horizon of the following week – any longer-term plans seem to be a folly – too much can change within a span of a few days. But enough of the pocket philosophy – it’s time to open the last Crate of the year.

  1. “Ladies who would be alluring to men should surround themselves with cats… I never look at men only at women–they have, each one such marvellous possibilities of beauty. But unfortunately most of them have not developed these possibilities because they have not learned the lessons cats can teach…” – Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita, the artist more famous than Picasso in 1920’s Paris, loved both – women and cats.

2. Apparently it’s not that difficult to become great at something. One simply has to be good at it, repeatedly.

3. “What I envy about men, it isn’t what you think—it’s pockets. I want a makeup that you can carry in your pockets”. Way before second-wave feminism was a thing, Isabella Rossellini created a makeup line for it.

4. Christmas has already passed, but Christmas sweets are still around…

5. Here is one and half minutes of joy that you didn’t even know you needed.

6. And to finish off for this week and this year – a little comic by Slaughterkeys.

And that’s it for this time. Happy reading and until next week!
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If you want to receive the Crate to your mailbox, you can subscribe here at Substack.

Crate of Curios part 62

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Winter is here, Christmas markets are here, freezing temperatures are here – at least they feel freezing although on the thermometer the numbers are still well above 0. I’ve had my first warm spiced wine of the season and still… yes, still haven’t heard ‘Last Christmas’ this December. The rumours are in the air about more restrictions post-holidays, but no point in thinking about this now – as now it’s time to open the next-to-last Crate of 2021.

  1. “Men’s roles seem to give them a great deal more freedom, AND I WAS RESOLVED THAT FREEDOM WOULD BE MINE.” Niki de Saint Phalle was a notoriously uncategorizable integral part of postwar art scene in France and the author of the giant Tarot Garden in Tuscany.

2. Photos are little glimpses into history and John Alinder’s portraits show us Sweden from 100 years ago.

3. Austin Kleon compares the spread of ideas to the spread of plague.

4. Think you know British English? Very interesting.

5. How good are you at guessing languages? LingYourLanguage will help you find out.

6. And to finish off for this week – a science cartoon by Rich Tennant.

And that’s it for this time. Happy reading and until next week!
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If you want to receive the Crate to your mailbox, you can subscribe here at Substack.

Crate of Curios part 61

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Today was the glorious day, when I finally caught a glimpse of heating, touching a radiator by chance and noticing that… it was warm! If I also could change roles with my cat for a few days, staying curled up in the warm bed, when she goes to work instead, it would be simply brilliant. Alas, as it’s not likely to happen, tomorrow is a workday again, so let’s get this week’s Crate opened without further ado.

  1. “I found myself, I made myself, I said what I had to say.” – Suzanne Valadon, a model-turned-successful-modernist-artist is finding her way back to art history from years of obscurity.

2. As I already mentioned the desire for winter hibernation, here’s a beautiful meditation on sleep.

3. Like storytelling and Hollywood? In this case ‘You Must Remember This‘ podcast is waiting for you.

4. This…. is a meat loaf.

5. The self-help book from 400 years ago – “The Anatomy of Melancholy” has been decoded.

6. And to finish off for this week – a little procrastination cartoon by Ellis Rosen.

And that’s it for this time. Happy reading and until next week!
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If you want to receive the Crate to your mailbox, you can subscribe here at Substack.

Crate of Curios part 60

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A rainy sleepy weekend is coming to a close, the Christmas lights are on in the city and Christmas is approaching in leaps and bounds. Oddly enough I haven’t heard ‘Last Christmas’ a single time so far. This weekend though there was no need for Christmas playlist yet, as one of my favourite podcasts had a slew of new episodes that I hadn’t heard. That said, let’s get to our usual business of opening this week’s Crate.

  1. “Nobody believes me but it is true. […] What I paint are volumes.… I am interested in volume, the sensuality of form.” Fernando Botero ‘the most Colombian of Colombian artists’ is still a somewhat controversial figure in the art world.

2. How to keep buildings cool in a hot summer? Soon by painting them with this special white paint.

3. Love the food in Studio Ghibli cartoons? Then check out Sylvia Wakana’s TikTok for the recipes.

4. Three stages of a career.

5. Praise is good for self-esteem, right? It depends.

6. And to finish of for this week, a little comic about dressing for success. (by Extrafabulouscomics)

And that’s it for this time. Happy reading and until next week!
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If you want to receive the Crate to your mailbox, you can subscribe here at Substack.

Crate of Curios part 59

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And before I know it, it’s Sunday night again and time to compose another Crate. Luckily, due to my inherent digital magpie tendencies, there is no lack of material at hand, the difficulty lies in making the choice of material. Yet also this task seems to be getting easier with practice. Hence, let us proceed to opening this week’s Crate with no further ado.

  1. “I always wrote stories about things I knew, namely my life, my experience, the places and the people I met. Plots come to me at such odd moments, when I am walking along the street, or examining a hat shop… Suddenly a splendid idea comes into my head”. – The modern murder mystery owes a great debt to Dame Agatha Christie, whose own life includes an episode of unsolved mystery as well.

2. What else do people who read Dostoyevsky read? This rather unusual map will tell you.

3. ‘Serenaded by birds’ sounds very romantic… unless the birds happen to be Australian magpies.

4. Why do they say “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”? Here’s the answer.

5. Is it possible to practice open-mindedness? In one word – yes – and here are 5 ways how to do it.

6. And to finish off for today… let’s appreciate the new deities of the new era (by redpenblackpen)

And that’s it for this time. Happy reading and until next week!
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If you want to receive the Crate to your mailbox, you can subscribe here at Substack.

Crate of Curios part 58

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Still dreaming about heating and dry warm laundry, although the days are still mild for November, the sky is clear and blue and the breeze gentle. Birds sing, leaves fall and eateries are constructing glass or plastic-walled porches for winter visitors, as we, the guests, have gotten used to being outside-inside and want to keep the illusion of dining is fresh air. Anyhow, winter is coming. And until it gets here, let’s amuse ourselves by opening yet another Crate of Curios.

  1. “Hilda is a creation out of my head. I had various models over the years, but some of my best Hilda paintings I’ve ever done were done without a model. When she was much younger I used to use my celebrity daughter to model for Hilda even though she was tiny and skinny. I used her as a model. An arm is an arm and a leg is a leg and all you have to do is add a little fat.” Duane Bryers about creating one of the most iconic pin-up girls that graced the pages of U.S. magazines from 1950’s till early 1980’s.

2. Apparently there is a vaccine against fake news.

3. When nature itself offers underwater dick pics.

4. How do people sneeze around Europe? Find out here.

5. If the Egyptian pyramids were inverted… they’d be Indian stepwells.

6. And to finish off for today… let’s have some poetry spamming by The Bard himself.

And that’s it for this time. Happy reading and until next week!
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If you want to receive the Crate to your mailbox, you can subscribe here at Substack.