June 1, 2011

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF OLD LYME, CONNECTICUT Charles Ebert (American, 1873-1959)

THE WETTERHORN

THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND--CAPTURE OF REBEL RIFLE-PITS IN LOOKOUT VALLEY BY THE THIRTY-THIRD MASSACHUSETTS AND SEVENTY-THIRD OHIO VOLUNTEERS, ON OCT. 28, 1863

The American Civil War came to Lookout Valley (Tennessee) for the first time in 1862 with a minor skirmish on Patten Chapel Road or Smith Hill as it was called in those days.  However, the major battle that was fought in Lookout Valley was in the fall of 1863. The major battle that took place in Lookout Valley was after the Union defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga; many Union Regiments went into the surrounding areas of Chattanooga and engaged many Confederate Regiments.  These skirmishes also occurred in the areas around the Lookout Valley Community.  They include the areas of the Wauhatchie Railroad Tunnel, Wauhatchie Station, and Browns Ferry.

THE EYE OF THE STORM

PART FIVE

BRACHYCALYX-X-COTYLEDON HYBRIDS

Maisons au bord d'une route (Houses Along a Road)

Cézanne immortalized the Provençal countryside with his broad, panoramic views. Often these are framed in branches, sometimes with architectural elements, but seldom with human activity. These too are still lifes. Cézanne's landscapes were not painted in the open air, as were those of the Impressionists, nor were they captured first with a camera. He composed the pictures the way he wanted them -- arranging the trees and the houses, probably gleaned from his sketchbooks, on the canvas in the configurations he decided upon.

ONE HUNDRED FAMOUS VIEWS OF EDO (TOKYO) NUMBER FIFTY-EIGHT

SUDDEN SHOWER OVER SHIN-OHASHI BRIDGE AND ATAKE

We can almost hear the crack of thunder as the rolling black clouds burst into sheets of heavy rain, scattering the huddled shapes on the bridge below. On the blue-gray expanse of the Sumida, a solitary boatman poles his log raft downstream, impervious to the storm. This is a yudachi (an "evening descent" of the thunder god, as one etymology has it), a summer rain in which the heavens suddenly darken late in the day, releasing torrents of rain in large drops, and then quickly clear. This print is the undisputed masterpiece of the One Hundred Famous View of Edo.  It bears comparison in its universal appeal with another of Hiroshige's most famous landscapes, "Shono" in The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido, with which it shares the theme of escape from a sudden rain.  Together with the view of the Kameido plum tree, it was also accorded the honor of a copy in oil by Vincent van Gogh. Although the particular place is relatively unimportant to the appeal of this print, it is as usual a very specific site, looking northeast over Shin-Ohashi, or New Great Bridge--named on its completion in 1693 with reference to the existing Ohashi (later Ryogoku Bridge) to the north.  The Atake of the title was an informal place name for the area shown on the far bank, which was named after a gigantic bakufu ship, the 1,500-ton Atake-maru, which was moored in front of the shogunal boathouses here from the 1630s until it was dismantled in 1682.  The boathouses themselves remained, barely visible here to the far left.

WEDGWOOD QUEEN COMMEMORATIVE

THE SPIRIT OF WAR

FIGHTER JETS

SYLVAN ANGLEWING

Yarrow is a perennial herb also known as milfoil and old man's pepper. It is a relative of chamomile, and was once popular in salads (17th century). Yarrow has a very strong flavor and aroma, and is used sparingly in salads, soups and also to brew a medicinal herb tea. In classic herbals, yarrow has also been associated with divination, and was said to be potent against fairies.

God made the world round so we would never be able to see too far down the road. - - - Isak Dinesen, Danish author (1885-1962)

SAILING AT SUNSET Warren Sheppard

Warren Sheppard was born in Greenwich, New Jersey and studied in New York under MFH de Haas. He also studied naval architecture in the area of yacht designing. By the time he was in his mid-thirties, he had established himself as a successful illustrator and painter. The yachts he painted were the most lavish of his day, owned by the wealthiest of men. He was an expert in the design and rigging of ships of present and earlier times. His work was highly regarded for its authenticity as well as its artistic merit. Sheppard was also a navigator of racing yachts and sailed widely along the New England coast. He won the famous New York-to-Bermuda race and published an authoritative book titled "Practical Navigation". He was also known for his canal scenes of Venice. In this beautiful luminous painting, Sheppard captures the warm glow of the sunset and the rays of light reflecting on the translucent waves of the ocean.

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