S W O O N D: east, meet west

7.28.2008

east, meet west

These Buddhist monks couldn't have found a better match for Mrs. Siddons's cinnamon-toasted frock fabric—not even if Tim Gunn had given them the challenge and sent them off to Mood.

(Images will appear larger IF YOU CLICK ON THEM. Presto Change-O!)

Of interest: Sir Joshua Reynolds's portrait of the famous English actress, Sarah Siddons, was hailed at the time of its first exhibition in 1784 as one of the greatest portraits of all time. Analysis of the original work reveals a complex series of changes made to the painting by Reynolds, particularly to the color of Siddons's dress, which was originally blue, but ultimately changed by Reynolds to the warm yellow-brown seen today.

How would YOU describe that luscious color?

:top image alexander antonyuk; sarah siddons as the tragic muse, huntington art gallery, san marino

the world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.

- w. b. yeats

sounds travel through space long after their wave patterns have ceased to be detectable by the human ear: some cut right through the ionosphere and barrel on out into the cosmic heartland, while others bounce around, eventually being absorbed into the vibratory fields of earthly barriers, but in neither case does the energy succumb; it goes on forever - which is why we, each of us, should take pains to make sweet notes.

- tom robbins

the same dream returned each night until i dared not to go to sleep and grew quite ill. i dreamed i had a child, and even in the dream i saw it was my life, and it was an idiot, and i ran away. but it always crept onto my lap again, clutched at my clothes. until i thought, if i could kiss it, whatever in it was my own, perhaps i could sleep. and i bent to its broken face, and it was horrible . . . but i kissed it. i think one must finally take one's life in one's arms.

- arthur miller, after the fall

YIN AND JUNG

who looks outside, dreams;

who looks inside, awakes.

everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves.

when we must deal with problems, we instinctively resist trying the way that leads through obscurity and darkness. we wish to hear only of unequivocal results, and completely forget that these results can only be brought about when we have ventured into and emerged again from the darkness. but to penetrate the darkness we must summon all the powers of enlightenment that consciousness can offer.

- carl jung, the stages of life