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Nepal – Kathmandu – Durbar Square – Temple Shrine – 357

Kathmandu is the capital and largest municipality of Nepal. It is the only city of Nepal with the administrative status of Mahanagar (Metropolitan City), as compared to Upa-Mahanagar (Sub-Metropolitan City) or Nagar (City). Kathmandu is the core of Nepal’s largest urban agglomeration located in the Kathmandu Valley consisting of Lalitpur, Kirtipur, Madhyapur Thimi, Bhaktapur and a number of smaller communities. Kathmandu is also known informally as "KTM" or the "tri-city". According to the 2011 census, Kathmandu Metropolitan City has a population of 975,453 and measures 49.45 square kilometres.

The city stands at an elevation of approximately 1,400 metres in the bowl-shaped Kathmandu Valley of central Nepal. It is surrounded by four major hills: Shivapuri, Phulchoki, Nagarjun, and Chandragiri. Kathmandu Valley is part of three districts (Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur), has the highest population density in the country, and is home to about a twelfth of Nepal’s population.

Historically, the Kathmandu Valley and adjoining areas were known as Nepal Mandala. Until the 15th century, Bhaktapur was its capital when two other capitals, Kathmandu and Lalitpur, were established. During the Rana and Shah eras, British historians called the valley itself "Nepal Proper". Today, Kathmandu is not only the capital of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, but also the headquarters of the Bagmati Zone and the Central Development Region of Nepal.

Kathmandu is the gateway to tourism in Nepal. It is also the hub of the country’s economy. It has the most advanced infrastructure of any urban area in Nepal, and its economy is focused on tourism, which accounted for 3.8% of Nepal’s GDP in 1995–96. Tourism in Kathmandu declined thereafter during a period of political unrest, but since then has improved. In 2013, Kathmandu was ranked third among the top 10 travel destinations on the rise in the world by TripAdvisor, and ranked first in Asia.

The city has a rich history, spanning nearly 2000 years, as inferred from inscriptions found in the valley. Religious and cultural festivities form a major part of the lives of people residing in Kathmandu. Most of Kathmandu’s people follow Hinduism and many others follow Buddhism. There are people of other religious beliefs as well, giving Kathmandu a cosmopolitan culture. Nepali is the most commonly spoken language in the city. English is understood by Kathmandu’s educated residents. Kathmandu was devastated by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 25, 2015.

ETYMOLOGY The city of Kathmandu is named after Kasthamandap temple, that stood in Durbar Square. In Sanskrit, Kastha (काष्ठ) means "wood" and Mandap (/मण्डप) means "covered shelter". This temple, also known as Maru Satal (in ″Newar language″), was built in 1596 by King Laxmi Narsingh Malla. The two-storey structure was made entirely of wood, and used no iron nails nor supports. According to legend, all the timber used to build the pagoda was obtained from a single tree. The structure unfortunately collapsed during the major earthquake in April 2015.

The colophons of ancient manuscripts, dated as late as the 20th century, refer to Kathmandu as Kasthamandap Mahanagar in Nepal Mandala. Mahanagar means "great city". The city is called "Kasthamandap" in a vow that Buddhist priests still recite to this day. Thus, Kathmandu is also known as Kasthamandap. During medieval times, the city was sometimes called Kantipur (कान्तिपुर). This name is derived from two Sanskrit words – Kanti and pur. "Kanti" is one of the names of the Goddess Lakshmi, and "pur" means place.

Among the indigenous Newar people, Kathmandu is known as Yen Desa (येँ देश), and Patan and Bhaktapur are known as Yala Desa (यल देश) and Khwopa Desa (ख्वप देश). "Yen" is the shorter form of Yambu (यम्बु), which originally referred to the northern half of Kathmandu.

HISTORY Archaeological excavations in parts of Kathmandu have found evidence of ancient civilizations. The oldest of these findings is a statue, found in Maligaon, that was dated at 185 AD. The excavation of Dhando Chaitya uncovered a brick with an inscription in Brahmi script. Archaeologists believe it is two thousand years old. Stone inscriptions are an ubiquitous element at heritage sites and are key sources for the history of Nepal

The earliest Western reference to Kathmandu appears in an account of Jesuit Fathers Johann Grueber and Albert d’Orville. In 1661, they passed through Nepal on their way from Tibet to India, and reported that they reached "Cadmendu, the capital of the Kingdom of Necbal".

ANCIENT HISTORY The ancient history of Kathmandu is described in its traditional myths and legends. According to Swayambhu Purana, the present day Kathmandu was once a lake called Nagdaha. The lake was drained by Manjusri, who established a city called Manjupattan and made Dharmakar the ruler of the land.

Kotirudra Samhita of Shiva Purana, Chapter 11, shloka 18 refers to the place as Nayapala city famous for its Pashupati Shivalinga. The name Nepal probably originates from this city Nayapala.

Very few historical records exist of the period before the medieval Licchavis rulers. According to Gopalraj Vansawali, a genealogy of Nepali monarchs, the rulers of Kathmandu Valley before the Licchavis were Gopalas, Mahispalas, Aabhirs, Kirants, and Somavanshi. The Kirata dynasty was established by Yalamber. During the Kirata era, a settlement called Yambu existed in the northern half of old Kathmandu. In some of the Sino-Tibetan languages, Kathmandu is still called Yambu. Another smaller settlement called Yengal was present in the southern half of old Kathmandu, near Manjupattan. During the reign of the seventh Kirata ruler, Jitedasti, Buddhist monks entered Kathmandu valley and established a forest monastery at Sankhu.

MEDIEVAL HISTORY LICCHAVI ERA The Licchavis from the Indo-Gangetic plain migrated north and defeated the Kiratas, establishing the Licchavi dynasty. During this era, following the genocide of Shakyas in Lumbini by Virudhaka, the survivors migrated north and entered the forest monastery in Sankhu masquerading as Koliyas. From Sankhu, they migrated to Yambu and Yengal (Lanjagwal and Manjupattan) and established the first permanent Buddhist monasteries of Kathmandu. This created the basis of Newar Buddhism, which is the only surviving Sanskrit-based Buddhist tradition in the world. With their migration, Yambu was called Koligram and Yengal was called Dakshin Koligram during most of the Licchavi era.Eventually, the Licchavi ruler Gunakamadeva merged Koligram and Dakshin Koligram, founding the city of Kathmandu. The city was designed in the shape of Chandrahrasa, the sword of Manjushri. The city was surrounded by eight barracks guarded by Ajimas. One of these barracks is still in use at Bhadrakali (in front of Singha Durbar). The city served as an important transit point in the trade between India and Tibet, leading to tremendous growth in architecture. Descriptions of buildings such as Managriha, Kailaskut Bhawan, and Bhadradiwas Bhawan have been found in the surviving journals of travelers and monks who lived during this era. For example, the famous 7th-century Chinese traveller Xuanzang described Kailaskut Bhawan, the palace of the Licchavi king Amshuverma. The trade route also led to cultural exchange as well. The artistry of the Newar people – the indigenous inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley – became highly sought after during this era, both within the Valley and throughout the greater Himalayas. Newar artists travelled extensively throughout Asia, creating religious art for their neighbors. For example, Araniko led a group of his compatriot artists through Tibet and China. Bhrikuti, the princess of Nepal who married Tibetan monarch Songtsän Gampo, was instrumental in introducing Buddhism to Tibet.

MALLA ERA The Licchavi era was followed by the Malla era. Rulers from Tirhut, upon being attacked by Muslims, fled north to the Kathmandu valley. They intermarried with Nepali royalty, and this led to the Malla era. The early years of the Malla era were turbulent, with raids and attacks from Khas and Turk Muslims. There was also a devastating earthquake which claimed the lives of a third of Kathmandu’s population, including the king Abhaya Malla. These disasters led to the destruction of most of the architecture of the Licchavi era (such as Mangriha and Kailashkut Bhawan), and the loss of literature collected in various monasteries within the city. Despite the initial hardships, Kathmandu rose to prominence again and, during most of the Malla era, dominated the trade between India and Tibet. Nepali currency became the standard currency in trans-Himalayan trade.

During the later part of the Malla era, Kathmandu Valley comprised four fortified cities: Kantipur, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, and Kirtipur. These served as the capitals of the Malla confederation of Nepal. These states competed with each other in the arts, architecture, aesthetics, and trade, resulting in tremendous development. The kings of this period directly influenced or involved themselves in the construction of public buildings, squares, and temples, as well as the development of water spouts, the institutionalization of trusts (called guthis), the codification of laws, the writing of dramas, and the performance of plays in city squares. Evidence of an influx of ideas from India, Tibet, China, Persia, and Europe among other places can be found in a stone inscription from the time of king Pratap Malla. Books have been found from this era that describe their tantric tradition (e.g. Tantrakhyan), medicine (e.g. Haramekhala), religion (e.g. Mooldevshashidev), law, morals, and history. Amarkosh, a Sanskrit-Nepal Bhasa dictionary from 1381 AD, was also found. Architecturally notable buildings from this era include Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, the former durbar of Kirtipur, Nyatapola, Kumbheshwar, the Krishna temple, and others.

MODERN ERA EARLY SHAH RULE The Gorkha Kingdom ended the Malla confederation after the Battle of Kathmandu in 1768. This marked the beginning of the modern era in Kathmandu. The Battle of Kirtipur was the start of the Gorkha conquest of the Kathmandu Valley. Kathmandu was adopted as the capital of the Gorkha empire, and the empire itself was dubbed Nepal. During the early part of this era, Kathmandu maintained its distinctive culture. Buildings with characteristic Nepali architecture, such as the nine-story tower of Basantapur, were built during this era. However, trade declined because of continual war with neighboring nations. Bhimsen Thapa supported France against Great Britain; this led to the development of modern military structures, such as modern barracks in Kathmandu. The nine-storey tower Dharahara was originally built during this era.

RANA RULE Rana rule over Nepal started with the Kot Massacre, which occurred near Hanuman Dhoka Durbar. During this massacre, most of Nepal’s high-ranking officials were massacred by Jang Bahadur Rana and his supporters. Another massacre, the Bhandarkhal Massacre, was also conducted by Kunwar and his supporters in Kathmandu. During the Rana regime, Kathmandu’s alliance shifted from anti-British to pro-British; this led to the construction of the first buildings in the style of Western European architecture. The most well-known of these buildings include Singha Durbar, Garden of Dreams, Shital Niwas, and the old Narayanhiti palace. The first modern commercial road in the Kathmandu Valley, the New Road, was also built during this era. Trichandra College (the first college of Nepal), Durbar School (the first modern school of Nepal), and Bir Hospital (the first hospital of Nepal) were built in Kathmandu during this era. Rana rule was marked by tyranny, debauchery, economic exploitation and religious persecution.

GEOGRAPHY Kathmandu is located in the northwestern part of Kathmandu Valley to the north of the Bagmati River and covers an area of 50.67 square kilometres. The average elevation is 1,400 metres above sea level. The city is directly bounded by several other municipalities of the Kathmandu valley: south of the Bagmati by Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City (Patan) with which it today forms one urban area surrounded by a ring road, to the southwest by Kirtipur Municipality and to the east by Madyapur Thimi Municipality. To the north the urban area extends into several Village Development Committees. However, the urban agglomeration extends well beyond the neighboring municipalities, e. g. to Bhaktapur and just about covers the entire Kathmandu valley.

Kathmandu is dissected by eight rivers, the main river of the valley, the Bagmati and its tributaries, of which the Bishnumati, Dhobi Khola, Manohara Khola, Hanumant Khola, and Tukucha Khola are predominant. The mountains from where these rivers originate are in the elevation range of 1,500–3,000 metres, and have passes which provide access to and from Kathmandu and its valley. An ancient canal once flowed from Nagarjuna hill through Balaju to Kathmandu; this canal is now extinct.

Kathmandu and its valley are in the Deciduous Monsoon Forest Zone (altitude range of 1,200–2,100 metres), one of five vegetation zones defined for Nepal. The dominant tree species in this zone are oak, elm, beech, maple and others, with coniferous trees at higher altitude.

TOURISM Tourism is considered another important industry in Nepal. This industry started around 1950, as the country’s political makeup changed and ended the country’s isolation from the rest of the world. In 1956, air transportation was established and the Tribhuvan Highway, between Kathmandu and Raxaul (at India’s border), was started. Separate organizations were created in Kathmandu to promote this activity; some of these include the Tourism Development Board, the Department of Tourism and the Civil Aviation Department. Furthermore, Nepal became a member of several international tourist associations. Establishing diplomatic relations with other nations further accentuated this activity. The hotel industry, travel agencies, training of tourist guides, and targeted publicity campaigns are the chief reasons for the remarkable growth of this industry in Nepal, and in Kathmandu in particular.

Since then, tourism in Nepal has thrived; it is sometimes called the "third religion" of Nepal. It is the country’s most important industry. Tourism is a major source of income for most of the people in the city, with several hundred thousand visitors annually. Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world visit Kathmandu’s religious sites such as Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath and Budhanilkantha. From a mere 6,179 tourists in 1961–62, the number jumped to 491,504 in 1999-2000. With the end of Maoist insuregency period in 2009 there was a significant rise of 509,956 tourist arrivals. Since then, tourism has improved as the country turned into a Democratic Republic. In economic terms, the foreign exchange registered 3.8% of the GDP in 1995–96 but then started declining[why?]. The high level of tourism is attributed to the natural grandeur of the Himalayas and the rich cultural heritage of the country.

The neighborhood of Thamel is Kathmandu’s primary "traveler’s ghetto", packed with guest houses, restaurants, shops, and bookstores, catering to tourists. Another neighborhood of growing popularity is Jhamel, a name for Jhamsikhel coined to rhyme with Thamel. Jhochhen Tol, also known as Freak Street, is Kathmandu’s original traveler’s haunt, made popular by the hippies of the 1960s and 1970s; it remains a popular alternative to Thamel. Asan is a bazaar and ceremonial square on the old trade route to Tibet, and provides a fine example of a traditional neighborhood. With the opening of the tourist industry after the change in the political scenario of Nepal in 1950, the hotel industry drastically improved. Now Kathmandu boasts several five-star hotels like Hyatt Regency, Hotel Yak & Yeti, The Everest Hotel, Hotel Radisson, Hotel De L’Annapurna, The Malla Hotel, Shangri-La Hotel (which is not operated by the Shangri-La Hotel Group) and The Shanker Hotel. There are several four-star hotels such as Hotel Vaishali, Hotel Narayani, The Blue Star and Grand Hotel. The Garden Hotel, Hotel Ambassador, and Aloha Inn are among the three-star hotels in Kathmandu. Hotels like Hyatt Regency, De L’Annapurna and Hotel Yak & Yeti are among the five-star hotels providing casinos as well.

DEMOGRAPHICS Kathmandu’s urban cosmopolitan character has made it the most populous city in Nepal, recording a population of 671,846 residents living in 235,387 households in the metropolitan area, according to the 2001 census. According to the National Population Census of 2011, the total population of Kathmandu city was 975,543 with an annual growth rate of 6.12% with respect to the population figure of 2001. 70% of the total population residing in Kathmandu are aged between 15 and 59.

Over the years the city has been home to people of various ethnicities, resulting in a range of different traditions and cultural practices. In one decade, the population increased from 427,045 in 1991 to 671,805 in 2001. The population was projected to reach 915,071 in 2011 and 1,319,597 by 2021. To keep up this population growth, the KMC-controlled area of 5,076.6 hectares has expanded to 8,214 hectares in 2001. With this new area, the population density which was 85 in 1991 is still 85 in 2001; it is likely to jump to 111 in 2011 and 161 in 2021.

ETHNIC GROUPS The largest ethnic groups are Newar (29.6%), Matwali (25.1% Sunuwar, Gurung, Magars, Tamang etc.), Khas Brahmins (20.51%) and Chettris (18.5%) .[47] Tamangs originating from surrounding hill districts can be seen in Kathmandu. More recently, other hill ethnic groups and Caste groups from Terai have become present as well in vast majority. The major languages are Nepali, Nepal Bhasa and English is understood by about 30% of the people. The major religions are Hinduism and Buddhism.

The linguistic profile of Kathmandu underwent drastic changes during the Shah dynasty’s rule because of its strong bias towards the Brahminic culture. Sanskrit language therefore was preferred and people were encouraged to learn it even by attending Sanskrit learning centers in Terai. Sanskrit schools were specially set up in Kathmandu and in the Terai region to inculcate traditional Hindu culture and practices originated from Nepal. Architecture and cityscape The ancient trade route between India and Tibet that passed through Kathmandu enabled a fusion of artistic and architectural traditions from other cultures to be amalgamated with local art and architecture. The monuments of Kathmandu City have been influenced over the centuries by Hindu and Buddhist religious practices. The architectural treasure of the Kathmandu valley has been categorized under the well-known seven groups of heritage monuments and buildings. In 2006 UNESCO declared these seven groups of monuments as a World Heritage Site (WHS). The seven monuments zones cover an area of 188.95 hectares, with the buffer zone extending to 239.34 hectares. The Seven Monument Zones (Mzs) inscribed originally in 1979 and with a minor modification in 2006 are Durbar squares of Hanuman Dhoka, Patan and Bhaktapur, Hindu temples of Pashupatinath and Changunarayan, the Buddhist stupas of Swayambhu and Boudhanath.

DURBAR SQUARES The literal meaning of Durbar Square is a "place of palaces". There are three preserved Durbar Squares in Kathmandu valley and one unpreserved in Kirtipur. The Durbar Square of Kathmandu is located in the old city and has heritage buildings representing four kingdoms (Kantipur, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kirtipur); the earliest is the Licchavi dynasty. The complex has 50 temples and is distributed in two quadrangles of the Durbar Square. The outer quadrangle has the Kasthamandap, Kumari Ghar, and Shiva-Parvati Temple; the inner quadrangle has the Hanuman Dhoka palace. The squares were severely damaged in the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.

Hanuman Dhoka is a complex of structures with the Royal Palace of the Malla kings and of the Shah dynasty. It is spread over five acres. The eastern wing, with ten courtyards, is the oldest part, dating to the mid-16th century. It was expanded by King Pratap Malla in the 17th century with many temples. The royal family lived in this palace until 1886 when they moved to Narayanhiti Palace. The stone inscription outside is in fifteen languages.

Kumari Ghar is a palace in the center of the Kathmandu city, next to the Durbar square where a Royal Kumari selected from several Kumaris resides. Kumari, or Kumari Devi, is the tradition of worshipping young pre-pubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy or devi in South Asian countries. In Nepal the selection process is very rigorous. Kumari is believed to be the bodily incarnation of the goddess Taleju (the Nepali name for Durga) until she menstruates, after which it is believed that the goddess vacates her body. Serious illness or a major loss of blood from an injury are also causes for her to revert to common status. The current Royal Kumari, Matina Shakya, age four, was installed in October 2008 by the Maoist government that replaced the monarchy.

Kasthamandap is a three-storeyed temple enshrining an image of Gorakhnath. It was built in the 16th century in pagoda style. The name of Kathmandu is a derivative of the word Kasthamandap. It was built under the reign of King Laxmi Narsingha Malla. Kasthamandap stands at the intersection of two ancient trade routes linking India and Tibet at Maru square. It was originally built as a rest house for travelers.

PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE The Pashupatinath Temple is a famous 5th century Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva (Pashupati). Located on the banks of the Bagmati River in the eastern part of Kathmandu, Pashupatinath Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu. It served as the seat of national deity, Lord Pashupatinath, until Nepal was secularized. However, a significant part of the temple was destroyed by Mughal invaders in the 14th century and little or nothing remains of the original 5th-century temple exterior. The temple as it stands today was built in the 19th century, although the image of the bull and the black four-headed image of Pashupati are at least 300 years old. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Shivaratri, or the night of Lord Shiva, is the most important festival that takes place here, attracting thousands of devotees and sadhus.

Believers in Pashupatinath (mainly Hindus) are allowed to enter the temple premises, but non-Hindu visitors are allowed to view the temple only from the across the Bagmati River. The priests who perform the services at this temple have been Brahmins from Karnataka, South India since the time of Malla king Yaksha Malla. This tradition is believed to have been started at the request of Adi Shankaracharya who sought to unify the states of Bharatam (Unified India) by encouraging cultural exchange. This procedure is followed in other temples around India, which were sanctified by Adi Shankaracharya.

The temple is built in the pagoda style of architecture, with cubic constructions, carved wooden rafters (tundal) on which they rest, and two-level roofs made of copper and gold.

BOUDHANATH The Boudhanath, (also written Bouddhanath, Bodhnath, Baudhanath or the Khāsa Chaitya), is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal, along with Swayambhu. It is a very popular tourist site. Boudhanath is known as Khāsti by Newars and as Bauddha or Bodhnāth by speakers of Nepali. Located about 11 km from the center and northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu, the stupa’s massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal. Boudhanath became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.The base of the stupa has 108 small depictions of the Dhyani Buddha Amitabha. It is surrounded with a brick wall with 147 niches, each with four or five prayer wheels engraved with the mantra, om mani padme hum. At the northern entrance where visitors must pass is a shrine dedicated to Ajima, the goddess of smallpox. Every year the stupa attracts many Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims who perform full body prostrations in the inner lower enclosure, walk around the stupa with prayer wheels, chant, and pray. Thousands of prayer flags are hoisted up from the top of the stupa downwards and dot the perimeter of the complex. The influx of many Tibetan refugees from China has seen the construction of over 50 Tibetan gompas (monasteries) around Boudhanath.

SWAYAMBHU Swayambhu is a Buddhist stupa atop a hillock at the northwestern part of the city. This is among the oldest religious sites in Nepal. Although the site is considered Buddhist, it is revered by both Buddhists and Hindus. The stupa consists of a dome at the base; above the dome, there is a cubic structure with the eyes of Buddha looking in all four directions.[clarification needed] There are pentagonal Toran above each of the four sides, with statues engraved on them. Behind and above the torana there are thirteen tiers. Above all the tiers, there is a small space above which lies a gajur.

CULTURE ARTS Kathmandu valley is described as "an enormous treasure house of art and sculptures", which are made of wood, stone, metal, and terracotta, and found in profusion in temples, shrines, stupas, gompas, chaityasm and palaces. The art objects are also seen in street corners, lanes, private courtyards, and in open ground. Most art is in the form of icons of gods and goddesses. Kathmandu valley has had this art treasure very long, but received worldwide recognition only after the country opened its doors to the outside world in 1950.

The religious art of Nepal and Kathmandu in particular consists of an iconic symbolism of the Mother Goddesses such as: Bhavani, Durga, Gaja-Lakshmi, Hariti-Sitala, Mahsishamardini, Saptamatrika (seven mother goddesses), and Sri-Lakshmi(wealth-goddess). From the 3rd century BC, apart from the Hindu gods and goddesses, Buddhist monuments from the Ashokan period (it is said that Ashoka visited Nepal in 250 BC) have embellished Nepal in general and the valley in particular. These art and architectural edifices encompass three major periods of evolution: the Licchavi or classical period (500 to 900 AD), the post-classical period (1000 to 1400 AD), with strong influence of the Palla art form; the Malla period (1400 onwards) that exhibited explicitly tantric influences coupled with the art of Tibetan Demonology.

A broad typology has been ascribed to the decorative designs and carvings created by the people of Nepal. These artists have maintained a blend of Hinduism and Buddhism. The typology, based on the type of material used are: Stone Art, Metal Art, Wood Art, Terracotta Art, and Painting.

MUSEUMS Kathmandu is home to a number of museums and art galleries, including the National Museum of Nepal and the Natural History Museum of Nepal. Nepal’s art and architecture is an amalgamation of two ancient religions, Hinduism and Buddhhism. These are amply reflected in the many temples, shrines, stupas, monasteries, and palaces in the seven well-defined Monument Zones of the Kathmandu valley recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This amalgamation is also reflected in the planning and exhibitions in museums and art galleries throughout Kathmandu and its sister cities of Patan and Bhaktapur. The museums display unique artifacts and paintings from the 5th century CE to the present day, including archeological exportation.

KATHMANDU MUSEUMS ABD ART GALLERIES INCLUDE: The National Museum The Natural History Museum Hanumandhoka Palace Complex The Kaiser Library The National Art Gallery The NEF-ART (Nepal Fine Art) Gallery The Nepal Art Council Gallery Narayanhity Palace Museum The Taragaon Museum

The National Museum is located in the western part of Kathmandu, near the Swayambhunath stupa in an historical building. This building was constructed in the early 19th century by General Bhimsen Thapa. It is the most important museum in the country, housing an extensive collection of weapons, art and antiquities of historic and cultural importance. The museum was established in 1928 as a collection house of war trophies and weapons, and the initial name of this museum was Chhauni Silkhana, meaning "the stone house of arms and ammunition". Given its focus, the museum contains an extensive quantity of weapons, including locally made firearms used in wars, leather cannons from the 18th–19th century, and medieval and modern works in wood, bronze, stone and paintings.

The Natural History Museum is located in the southern foothills of Swayambhunath hill and has a sizeable collection of different species of animals, butterflies, and plants. The museum is noted for its display of species, from prehistoric shells to stuffed animals.

The Tribhuvan Museum contains artifacts related to the King Tribhuvan (1906–1955). It has a variety of pieces including his personal belongings, letters and papers, memorabilia related to events he was involved in and a rare collection of photos and paintings of Royal family members. The Mahendra Museum is dedicated to king Mahendra of Nepal (1920–1972). Like the Tribhuvan Museum, it includes his personal belongings such as decorations, stamps, coins and personal notes and manuscripts, but it also has structural reconstructions of his cabinet room and office chamber. The Hanumandhoka Palace, a lavish medieval palace complex in the Durbar, contains three separate museums of historic importance. These museums include the Birendra museum, which contains items related to the second-last monarch, Birendra of Nepal.

The enclosed compound of the Narayanhity Palace Museum is in the north-central part of Kathmandu. "Narayanhity" comes from Narayana, a form of the Hindu god Lord Vishnu, and Hiti, meaning "water spout" (Vishnu’s temple is located opposite the palace, and the water spout is located east of the main entrance to the precinct). Narayanhity was a new palace, in front of the old palace built in 1915, and was built in 1970 in the form of a contemporary Pagoda. It was built on the occasion of the marriage of King Birenda Bir Bikram Shah, then heir apparent to the throne. The southern gate of the palace is at the crossing of Prithvipath and Darbar Marg roads. The palace area covers (30 hectares) and is fully secured with gates on all sides. This palace was the scene of the Nepali royal massacre. After the fall of the monarchy, it was converted to a museum.The Taragaon Museum presents the modern history of the Kathmandu Valley. It seeks to document 50 years of research and cultural heritage conservation of the Kathmandu Valley, documenting what artists photographers architects anthropologists from abroad had contributed in the second half of the 20th century. The actual structure of the Museum showcases restoration and rehabilitation efforts to preserve the built heritage of Kathmandu. It was designed by Carl Pruscha (master-planner of the Kathmandy Valley [69]) in 1970 and constructed in 1971. Restoration works began in 2010 to rehabilitate the Taragaon hostel into the Taragaon Museum. The design uses local brick along with modern architectural design elements, as well as the use of circle, triangles and squares. The Museum is within a short walk from the Boudhnath stupa, which itself can be seen from the Museum tower.

ART GALLERIES Kathmandu is a center for art in Nepal, displaying the work of contemporary artists in the country and also collections of historical artists. Patan in particular is an ancient city noted for its fine arts and crafts. Art in Kathmandu is vibrant, demonstrating a fusion of traditionalism and modern art, derived from a great number of national, Asian, and global influences. Nepali art is commonly divided into two areas: the idealistic traditional painting known as Paubhas in Nepal and perhaps more commonly known as Thangkas in Tibet, closely linked to the country’s religious history and on the other hand the contemporary western-style painting, including nature-based compositions or abstract artwork based on Tantric elements and social themes of which painters in Nepal are well noted for. Internationally, the British-based charity, the Kathmandu Contemporary Art Centre is involved with promoting arts in Kathmandu.

Kathmandu contains many notable art galleries. The NAFA Gallery, operated by the Arts and crafts Department of the Nepal Academy is housed in Sita Bhavan, a neo-classical old Rana palace.

The Srijana Contemporary Art Gallery, located inside the Bhrikutimandap Exhibition grounds, hosts the work of contemporary painters and sculptors, and regularly organizes exhibitions. It also runs morning and evening classes in the schools of art. Also of note is the Moti Azima Gallery, located in a three storied building in Bhimsenthan which contains an impressive collection of traditional utensils and handmade dolls and items typical of a medieval Newar house, giving an important insight into Nepali history. The J Art Gallery is also located in Kathmandu, near the Royal Palace in Durbarmarg, Kathmandu and displays the artwork of eminent, established Nepali painters. The Nepal Art Council Gallery, located in the Babar Mahal, on the way to Tribhuvan International Airport contains artwork of both national and international artists and extensive halls regularly used for art exhibitions.

CUISINE The staple food of most of Kathmanduites is dal bhat. It consists of rice and lentil soup, generally served with vegetable curries, achar and sometimes Chutney. Momo, a type of Nepali version of Tibetan dumpling, has become prominent in Nepal with many street vendors selling it. It is one of the most popular fast foods in Kathmandu. Various Nepali variants of momo including buff (i.e. buffalo) momo, chicken momo, and vegetarian momo are famous in Kathmandu. Dal Bhaat is the local cuisine of Kathmandu.

Most of the cuisines found in Kathmandu are non-vegetarian. However, the practice of vegetarianism is not uncommon, and vegetarian cuisines can be found throughout the city. Consumption of beef is very uncommon and considered taboo in many places. Buff (meat of water buffalo) is very common. There is a strong tradition of buff consumption in Kathmandu, especially among Newars, which is not found in other parts of Nepal. Consumption of pork was considered taboo until a few decades ago. Due to the intermixing with Kirat cuisine from eastern Nepal, pork has found a place in Kathmandu dishes. A fringe population of devout Hindus and Muslims consider it taboo. The Muslims forbid eating buff as from Quran while Hindus eat all varieties except Cow’s meat as the consider Cow to be a goddess and symbol of purity. The chief breakfast for locals and visitors is mostly Momo or Chowmein.

Kathmandu had only one restaurant in 1955.[73] A large number of restaurants in Kathmandu have since opened, catering Nepali cuisine, Tibetan cuisine, Chinese cuisine and Indian cuisine in particular. Many other restaurants have opened to accommodate locals, expatriates, and tourists. The growth of tourism in Kathmandu has led to culinary creativity and the development of hybrid foods to accommodate for tourists such as American chop suey, which is a sweet-and-sour sauce with crispy noodles with a fried egg commonly added on top and other westernized adaptations of traditional cuisine. Continental cuisine can be found in selected places. International chain restaurants are rare, but some outlets of Pizza Hut and KFC have recently opened there. It also has several outlets of the international ice-cream chain Baskin-Robbins

Kathmandu has a larger proportion of tea drinkers than coffee drinkers. Tea is widely served but is extremely weak by western standards. It is richer and contains tea leaves boiled with milk, sugar and spices. Alcohol is widely drunk, and there are numerous local variants of alcoholic beverages. But its use has been now reduced.refnational survey. Drinking and driving is illegal, and authorities have a zero tolerance policy. Ailaa and thwon (alcohol made from rice) are the alcoholic beverages of Kathmandu, found in all the local bhattis (alcohol serving eateries). Chhyaang, tongba (fermented millet or barley) and rakshi are alcohols from other parts of Nepal which are found in Kathmandu. However, shops and bars in Kathmandu widely sell western and Nepali beers. Shops are forbidden to sell alcohol on the first two days and last two days of the Nepali month (Nepal Sambat).

FESTIVALS Most of the fairs and festivals in Kathmandu originated in the Malla period or earlier. Traditionally, these festivals were celebrated by Newars. In recent years, these festivals have found wider participation from other Kathmanduites as well. As the capital of the Republic of Nepal, various national festivals are celebrated in Kathmandu. With mass migration to the city, the cultures of Khas from the west, Kirats from the east, Bon/Tibetan from the north, and Mithila from the south meet in the capital and mingle harmoniously. The festivities such as the Ghode (horse) Jatra, Indra Jatra, Dashain Durga Puja festivals, Shivratri and many more are observed by all Hindu and Buddhist communities of Kathmandu with devotional fervor and enthusiasm. Social regulation in the codes enacted incorporate Hindu traditions and ethics. These were followed by the Shah kings and previous kings, as devout Hindus and protectors of Buddhist religion.

Cultural continuity has been maintained for centuries in the exclusive worship of goddesses and deities in Kathmandu and the rest of the country. These deities include the Ajima, Taleju (or Tulja Bhavani), Digu taleju, and Kumari (the living goddess).[citation needed] The artistic edifices have now become places of worship in the everyday life of the people, therefore a roster is maintained to observe annual festivals. There are 133 festivals held in the year.

Some of the traditional festivals observed in Kathmandu, apart from those previously mentioned, are Bada Dashain, Tihar, Chhath, Maghe Sankranti, Naga Panchami, Janai Poornima, Pancha Dan, Teej/Rishi Panchami, Pahan Charhe, Jana Baha Dyah Jatra (White Machchhendranath Jatra), and Matatirtha Aunsi.

HINDUISM Assumedly, together with the kingdom of Licchhavi (c. 400 to 750), Hinduism and the endogam social stratification of the Caste was established in Kathmandu Valley. The Pashupatinath Temple, Changu Narayan temple (the oldest), and the Kasthamandap are of particular importance to Hindus. Other notable Hindu temples in Kathmandu and the surrounding valley include Bajrayogini Temple, Dakshinkali Temple, Guhyeshwari Temple, and the Sobha Bhagwati shrine.

The Bagmati River which flows through Kathmandu is considered a holy river both by Hindus and Buddhists, and many Hindu temples are located on the banks of this river. The importance of the Bagmati also lies in the fact that Hindus are cremated on its banks, and Kirants are buried in the hills by its side. According to the Nepali Hindu tradition, the dead body must be dipped three times into the Bagmati before cremation. The chief mourner (usually the first son) who lights the funeral pyre must take a holy riverwater bath immediately after cremation. Many relatives who join the funeral procession also take bath in the Bagmati River or sprinkle the holy water on their bodies at the end of cremation as the Bagmati is believed to purify people spiritually.

BUDDHISM Buddhism started in Kathmandu with the arrival of Buddhist monks during the time of Buddha (c. 563 – 483 BC). They started a forest monastery in Sankhu. This monastery was renovated by Shakyas after they fled genocide from Virudhaka (rule: 491-461 BC).

During the Hindu Lichchavi era (c. 400 to 750), various monasteries and orders were created which successively led to the formation of Newar Buddhism, which is still practiced in the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Sanskrit.

WIKIPEDIA

Posted by asienman on 2018-12-12 05:33:36

Tagged: , Nepal , Kathmandu , Streetlife , asienman-photography

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oneent-blog · 5 years ago

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Roma_Via Giulia_Italia

Via Giulia is a street in the historic centre of Rome, Italy, mostly in rione Regola, although its northern part belongs to rione Ponte. It was one of the first important urban planning projects in Renaissance Rome.

History The Via Giulia was designed circa 1508 by Pope Julius II but the original plan was only partially carried out. This was the first attempt since Antiquity to pierce a new thoroughfare through the heart of Rome and a very early example of urban renewal. Via Giulia runs from the Ponte Sisto to the church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, following the tight curve of the Tiber. In the 16th-century, housing facing the street was favored by borghesi, and specially by the Florentine community in Rome. Today its modest structures provide one of Rome’s elite shopping streets, noted for its antique shops.

The Via Giulia runs in a straight line for a full kilometer, an innovation easily taken for granted today. The via was one aspect of Julius’ wide-reaching program for the refurbishment of a resurgent Rome and Papal state. His financial reforms, undertaken from the first year of his pontificate, aimed to free the Papacy from its dependence on the great Roman families such as the Orsini and Colonna, and instead relying on Tuscan bankers, notably to Agostino Chigi, member of a banking family of Siena. A part of Julius’ overall plan was the reorganization of the medieval city of Rome, whose unrealized assets were becoming apparent as the renewed city grew in economic importance, recovering from the sleepy backwater it had become during the fourteenth century.

The new street was intended as an artery connecting all the governmental institutions, which were crowded in the single section: the Palazzo della Cancelleria, being completed at that very moment, the papal mint and the projected Palazzo dei Tribunali.

The laying-out of the street was placed in the hands of Donato Bramante, who was in charge of the works at the new Basilica of Saint Peter, taking shape on the other side of the river. Vasari states, "The pope was determined to place in Strada Giulia, which was under Bramante’s direction, all the offices and administrative seats of power of Rome in one place, for the convenience of those who had business to do there, having been until then constantly much inconvenienced.

At the same time the new artery linked the river port of the Ripa Grande with the new Via della Lungara, and by the Via Giulia to the Ponte Sisto, in order to bring merchandise securely and conveniently to the heart of the marketing and banking zone.

Work was halted on Bramante’s majestic Palazzo dei Tribunali, which was to have assembled under one roof all the judicature of Rome. It remained half-built for a generation, to the regret of artists like Vasari. With this an essential element in Julius’ urbanistic project was lost.

The street developed as a line of modest houses with gardens behind them, built for private owners or confraternities, sometimes on speculation, broken by more ambitious palazzi. This is the urban context of the "houses of Raphael", with their ground floor street-front shops.

The grand palazzi turned their backs to Via Giulia. In the 1540s Michelangelo had a plan for the constricted gardens of Palazzo Farnese to be connected by a bridge to the Farnese villa in Trastevere on the right bank, Villa Farnesina. The elegant arch still spanning Via Giulia belongs to this other grand unrealized scheme.

/Wikipedia/

Posted by ferdahejl on 2019-08-23 03:01:20

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The Caban – Bangor University

Heading into Bangor once again on a rainy afternoon, I noticed this unusual looking sculpture at Bangor University.

It is called The Caban. Seems like the locals don’t really like it.

Unveiled in 2016. It was sculpted by Joep van Lieshout.

Something to do with Quarrymen.

This view from near Storiel.

Main Building of Bangor University.

Grade I Listed Building

Road University College of North Wales Main Building (Original Courtyard Ranges only)

History

The University was founded in 1884 after the city of Bangor was chosen as the University’s North Wales site. First established of the former Penrhyn Arms Hotel; the present Penrallt site was donated in 1902.

Built 1907-11 by Henry T Hare, architect of London; chosen following a competition assessed by Sir Aston Webb and with other entrants including W D Caroe. The designs were modified by the University (Isambard Owen in particular) to take full advantage of the site. Contractors were Messrs Thornton and Sons of Liverpool; cost ca £175,000. Foundation stone laid by Edward VII on 9 July 1907; opened 14 June 1911.

"Collegiate Tudor" style with Arts and Crafts influences; Hare also carried it "generally of late Renaissance character". Designed around two courtyards, the larger of which was never completed (later enclosed with ranges by Sir Percy Thomas 1966-1970). The entire scheme is linked and focused upon the cathedral like central tower. Buff coloured Cefn stone in snecked courses with freestone dressings and flat buttresses; slate roofs with parapet and stone chimney stacks. Mullioned and transomed windows with leaded lights. Tudor style down-pipes etc dated 1909. Metalwork by William Bainbridge Reynolds of London. The building was described in his obituary as Hare’s finest work.

Exterior

Starting at the NW Hall range facing College Road. 2-storey, 6-window front with advanced end pavilions; altered to right by addition of modern entrance block closing the NW side of the SW courtyard. Steep roof, crenellated parapet and bellcote with lantern and spirelet. Tall segmental headed hall windows, double-transomed and with panel tracery; projecting flat roof ground floor with entrances to either end, deeply recessed doors. Left hand end pavilion had central stepped buttress flanked to 2nd floor by 2 segmental headed windows with unusual tear-drop oculi; right hand pavilion is lower with dentil cornice over 3-light window.

The original main entrances if on the SW gable end of this range. Broad gable with Tudor octagonal end turrets and Baroque niches containing statue of Lewis Morris to apex. Central segmental headed 4-light double-transomed and panel traceried window with flanking buttresses. Advanced below is a triple arched porch with panelled pilasters, coasts of arms and Latin inscription dated 1911. Enriched spandrels over recessed entrances with double doors and lugged architraves to each. Shaped gables at right angles to either side, to the advanced end bays of the adjoining ranges; commemorative tablets with garlanded borders below each gable. At the top of the steps up to the entrance are cast-iron square, tapered lamp standards with bracketed octagonal lamps and openwork ornament.

The spinal/administrative range, together with the Library, forms an :-plan group to the E side of the SW courtyard. The former has an 8-bay, 2-storey front, the advanced left hand bay as above, parapet is balustraded over cross frame windows with architraves to 1st floor and semicircular pediments to ground floor. Baroque entrance to centre with small-pane circular window over door.

The 2-stage tower to right has crenellated parapet and taller stair turret to SE side; splayed corners. 2 segmental-headed double-transomed windows flanking ogee niche to each face; niches contain statues of Welsh historical characters over coats of arms.

The Library at right angles has a 9-window front with central royal coat of arms; 2 bays are advanced with tall 1st floor oriel windows. Crenellated parapet and gabled and panelled buttress pilasters. Arched headed lights, square headed 1st floor windows and segmental headed ground floor windows and entrance which has open pedimented doorcase, lugged architrave and double doors. Plaque with Latin inscription.

Gable end to Penrallt Road has full height buttresses, extruded corners and small attic windows. Central 2-storey splayed bay with horseshoe shaped high arch above containing recessed 3-light window – no leaded glass to this elevation.

The 3-storey SE side of the Library overlooking the city had 1 9 bay front, (stylistically foreshadowing Sir Edwin Lutyens at Castle Drogo). Attic to the advanced and gabled end bay with Baroque scrolls over stepped buttresses; 2nd floor has statute flanked by cross frame windows under overall label. Symmetrical to right with a repeat of the courtyard elevation as above with the addition of a slightly swept out ground floor with single light windows and entrances below the oriels; 1st floor windows set in splayed recesses. Forward to right beyond the tower is the SE range of the NE courtyard. This has a gabled SW end with slate hung attic to left and chimney breast to right, the latter with open-pedimented tablet. 2-storey porch facing Penrallt road entrance with part balustraded parapet, tapered buttresses on chamfered corners and round arched entry with multipane fanlight – swaged shield over.

The main 3-storey and attic SE elevation is symmetrical with an especially collegiate feel to it. Tapered cross range gable ends advanced at the end advanced at the end of 10-bay range, the ground floor of which is arcaded and the central 4 bays open, forming a loggia; storey chimney stacks and flat roof attics over parapet. 2nd floor cornice extend to edges of end pavilions over shield; splayed broad buttresses. Lintels over 1st floor windows and broad ground floor windows, bowed to centre and with high parapets containing UCNW monogram, 1st floor double transomed windows between have lugged architraves and open pediments. Stilted arch arcade windows and part glazed doors to ends of loggia.

The NE end of this range is a repeat of the SW gable end. Advanced to its right is a 3-window bay with boldly tapered end pilasters; double transomed 1st floor windows. 9-bay tall roofed range beyond set into the hillside; largely 2-storey and attic with higher attic to south-eastern 3 bays, also with double transomed ground floor windows. Dividing pilasters to remaining bays. Segmental headed entrance to NW end bay and a smaller one lower down. Octagonal bellcote. The gabled NW return elevation is partly screened by the broader gable end of the hall range. This has a stronger Arts and Crafts feel to it – 4-light gable window, crenellated broad end pilasters with narrow lights (?stair projection) and grills to lower windows.

The enclosed NE courtyard is terraced with similar detail to that on the exterior of each range. The Hall range is at the top and has an ivy clad ground floor projection. The inner side of the SE range is symmetrical; lower gabled projection with polygonal corner turrets, lateral chimney breasts and frontis-piece with 3-light transomed window over scrolled inscription and round arched entrance. Six 2nd floor and three 1st floor segmental headed windows to either side; projecting ground floor. To SW the range is dominated by the tower’s 6-storey NE face; including splayed oriel with crenellated parapet and recessed plain Venetian window; lowest stage splayed out. Twin gabled 3-storey block projects to right of the tower matching similar projection opposite (NE range).

The 4-tier terrace has rubble walls, freestone copings and ball finials.

Main doors open onto a part groin vaulted entrance hall with original 3-lamp light fittings and brass War Memorial tablets by F Osborne and Co Ltd of London. Straight ahead is the 150 ft long Pritchard Jones Hall. 9-bay arches coffered ceiling with panelled ribs and strapwork ornamented ceiling panels, apsidal dais end; coats of arms over windows, panelled dado and other fine woodwork detail etc. Gallery raked over the entrance hall with panelled screen front and segmental open-pediments to the 3 doorways, Original brass light fittings (octagonal). Main staircase lies to SE in groin vaulted stairwell – marble topped ‘closed’ stone balustrade; stained glass window. Open pedimented and carved doorcase at top leads to hall gallery. To SE run 2 tiers of groin vaulted corridors with panelled ribs (not glazed until after 2nd Work War). 1st floor has various bronze oval plaques, panelled doors and cornices and similar pedimented doorcase at SE end leading to back stairs; plainer ground floor corridor. Stained glass windows at SE end by Dudley Forsyth of London 1910, the classical subject and signed "Architectus Dedit" with the monogram of a hare. Short arms of the passages lead off to the Library, that to the 1st floor contained a porcelain museum. The finest single room is the Council Chamber on 1st floor – segmental vaulted ceiling with panelled Jacobean plasterwork and coats of arms of the Welsh Princes full height wainscoting, segmental pedimented doorcases and ashlar fireplaces and overmantels with panelled and fireplaces. Also contains 2 busts by W Goscombe John, one of William Cadwallader Davies and another of Sir Isambard Owen.

NE range has smaller hall with coved ceiling ridges. SE range has metal staircase with barley twist uprights to courtyard side. Library range contains the ground floor Lloyd Reading Room which Hare had intended to be a museum and the 1st floor Shankland Library with segmental vaulted roof with square panel-lining and 36 heraldic shielded in oak frames. Two bays are screened off (corresponding to those with external oriels) and have broken Baroque pedimented openings – 1 bay also has wooden gates. Splayed oriel over entrance with similar doorcase.

Reasons for Listing

Architecturally, one of the most significant public buildings of the period in Britain and historically, the foremost institution in Wales to pioneer the academic development of the Welsh language.

Posted by ell brown on 2018-08-25 18:35:09

Tagged: , Bangor , Wales , United Kingdom , Great Britain , Gwynedd , Bangor, Gwynedd , Caernarfonshire , tree , trees , Waterloo St, Bangor , Waterloo St , Stryd Waterloo , Bangor University , Grade I Listed Building , Grade I Listed , Road University College of North Wales Main Building (Original Courtyard Ranges only) , former Penrhyn Arms Hotel , Henry T Hare , Edward VII , Collegiate Tudor style , Arts and Crafts influences , late Renaissance character , College Rd , College Rd, Bangor , Penrallt Rd , rain , raining , sculpture , The Caban , Joep van Lieshout , Quarrymen , Storiel , Ffordd Deiniol

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oneent-blog · 5 years ago

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Squacco heron (Ardeola ralloides)-4024

The threatened Squacco Heron is identified by its tawny buff brown color, streaked head in nonbreeding and its crest during breeding. It flies rapidly with rapid wing beats, its white wings contrasting with dark body forming an important field character, especially upon take off. When feeding, it appears as a small solitary brown buff heron.

Juvenile and nonbreeding birds are difficult to tell from other pond herons, as is the juvenile. It is distinguished from the Indian Pond Heron by its head streaking (vs. no streaking). In breeding it is distinguished from the Malagasy Pond Heron by its tawny not white plumage. It is distinguished from the juvenile Malagasy Pond Heron by being more slight, tawny (not dark) plumage, lighter streaking, slighter bill, and narrower wing tips. It is distinguished from the Cattle Egret by its slender build, darker back, white wings, darker (not yellow, orange or red bill) and streaked head.

Populations in Europe have fluctuated markedly (Marion et al. 2000). By the end of the 19th century populations had decreased due to plume hunting. They recovered but then declined again, attributed largely, often indirectly, to habitat destruction. For example between 1940 –1960, the Western Palearctic population increased by 30%; but, between 1970 and 1990, two/thirds of the European breeding populations decreased by 20% or more (Marion et al. 2000). A more specific example is the history in the Volga Delta, where 7000 pairs bred in 1970 decreased to an annual maximum of 300 in the 1990’s.

In recent years, the species has again shown population increases in south Europe – in Spain, Italy and south France. In the latter area, the increase has been extraordinary increasing from 105 nests in 1999, which was a number typical of the 1990’s, to 200 in 2001 (Hafner and Kaiser pers. comm.). The total European population is presently estimated to be 14,300 – 26,800 pairs, with the main concentrations being in Russia (35% of the European population), Turkey (32%), Bulgaria and Romania (Marion et al. 2000). Nesting sites are widely scattered in Europe and around the Mediterranean. Nesting numbers are in the low thousands at the most important sites, such as the Danube Delta, but nesting in west Europe is in the low to mid hundreds (Hafner 2000).

For more information, please visit www.heronconservation.org/herons-of-the-world/squacco-heron/

Posted by George Vittman on 2018-12-09 20:57:39

Tagged: , Bird , Items , Water , egret , heron , marsh , squacco heron , tree , Fantastic Nature

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oneent-blog · 5 years ago

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Forget Something?

Not sure whose gear this is but it’s been sitting in this same spot for at least a week.

I’m sure with all the people who’ve walked by or worked near this stuff left behind someone surely would have looked into it. It was covered by the green tarp to the right at some point.. Note the three cigarette butts under the bench. They left themselves there.

********* News from Kentucky:

Massive gas explosion rocks central Kentucky town, 1 killed – www.wlky.com/article/massive-gas-explosion-rocks-central-…

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New law brings changes for child marriage in Kentucky – www.wave3.com/news/local/spencer-county/

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POLICE: Man pulled gun, zip-tied Louisville child and raped her – www.wdrb.com/story/38985328/police-man-pulled-gun-zip-tie…

Man shot and killed near University of Louisville campus – www.wdrb.com/story/38960968/man-shot-and-killed-near-univ…

1 dead, 1 seriously injured after vehicle strikes pol – www.wlky.com/article/1-dead-1-seriously-injured-after-veh…

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Tow truck driver hit on the job now fighting for his life – www.wave3.com/story/38952108/tow-truck-driver-hit-on-the-…

Amish Man Killed In Lincoln Co. Crash; Woman Charged With DUI – www.lex18.com/story/38939234/amish-man-killed-in-buggy-cr…

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One dead in crash on eastbound I-264 near Bardstown Road – www.wdrb.com/story/38947534/one-dead-in-crash-on-eastboun…

Police tip leads to gruesome discovery behind Kentucky home – www.cbsnews.com/news/police-tip-leads-to-gruesome-discove…

Paducah City Commission Seeks Security of Neighborhood Following Inmate Escape – www.wkms.org/post/paducah-city-commission-seeks-security-…

Families torn despite charge in 2017 double murder – www.wave3.com/story/38939665/man-charged-in-murder-of-man…

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Southbound lanes of I-71 open after fatal crash – www.whas11.com/article/news/local/southbound-lanes-of-i-7…

Joyride ends with crash into Louisville church – www.whas11.com/video/news/joyride-ends-with-crash-into-lo…

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Man killed in fiery Gene Snyder crash identified – www.wave3.com/story/38602806/man-killed-in-fiery-gene-sny…

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Sewer line cave-in closes portion of East Broadway in downtown Louisville – www.wdrb.com/story/38701966/sewer-line-cave-in-closes-por…

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Belski’s Blog – Worst hailstorm in Louisville since 2012 – www.wave3.com/story/38699957/storm-impact-is-one-of-the-b…

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Storm impact is one of the biggest LG&E has worked, PRP neighbors “stranded” for most of the day – www.wave3.com/story/38699957/storm-impact-is-one-of-the-b…

Ford recalls 550,000 vehicles, including some Louisville-made Escapes – www.whas11.com/article/news/local/ford-recalls-550000-veh…

Louisville mother found passed out in car with baby in the backseat – www.wave3.com/story/38688793/louisville-mother-found-pass…

LMPD investigating stolen Jeep and vehicle break-ins at Louisville hospital – www.wdrb.com/story/38687472/lmpd-investigating-stolen-jee…

Motorcyclist hit and killed on Preston Highway – www.wdrb.com/story/38689264/motorcyclist-hit-and-killed-o…

Commercial building catches fire in east Louisville – www.wave3.com/story/38676866/commercial-building-catches-…

Arrest made in connection to deadly hit-and-run off Shelbyville Road – www.wave3.com/story/38676293/arrest-made-in-connection-to…

Louisville mom arrested after child found in car ‘soaking wet’ and crying – www.wdrb.com/story/38673145/louisville-mom-arrested-after…

Police: Woman found in wooded area off Shelbyville Road killed in hit and run – www.wave3.com/story/38612156/womans-body-found-in-wooded-…

Police investigating fatal shooting near Fern Creek – www.wdrb.com/story/38602367/police-investigating-shooting…

Crews respond to deadly crash on Gene Snyder – www.wave3.com/story/38602806/crews-respond-to-deadly-cras…

Louisville’s ‘gnome bandit’ arrested at Georgia campground – www.wdrb.com/story/38605353/louisvilles-gnome-bandit-arre…

So. Indiana man arrested in Mother’s Day crash that killed Louisville man – www.wave3.com/story/38602708/so-indiana-man-arrested-in-m…

Louisville woman nearly drowns while swimming at southern Indiana lake – www.wdrb.com/story/38591006/louisville-woman-nearly-drown…

Man Arrested After Texting Former Sheriff About Meeting For Drug Deal – wkms.org/post/man-arrested-after-texting-former-sheriff-a…

Bevin Administration Ordered To Pay For Withholding Records – wkms.org/post/bevin-administration-ordered-pay-withholdin…

Former WWE superstar from Louisville dies after second battle with brain cancer – www.wdrb.com/story/38544798/former-wwe-superstar-from-lou…

LMDC inmate found unresponsive, dies – www.wave3.com/story/38542372/lmdc-inmate-found-unresponsi…

Bomb threat reported at Louisville Free Public Library – www.wave3.com/story/38542018/bomb-threat-reported-at-loui…

Louisville man arrested after child found in home with drugs, animal feces – www.wdrb.com/story/38510518/louisville-man-arrested-after…

Jesse Schott: Bullitt County teen loses courageous battle with brain cancer – www.wave3.com/story/38512404/jesse-schott-bullitt-county-…

Teacher snorting drugs in class, coach’s arrest, student suicides prompt petition – www.kentucky.com/news/local/education/article212727454.html

Attorney sues to stay in judge race rocked by death of Danny Alvarez – www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2018/05/31/da…

JCPS principal reassigned following independent review – www.wave3.com/story/38691681/jcps-principal-reassigned-fo…

Facing an Uncomfortable Truth: Documentary uncovers the history of African-American Catholics – www.wave3.com/story/38495332/facing-an-uncomfortable-trut…

Level 4 sex offender accused of killing Blytheville woman – www.wave3.com/story/38488935/level-4-sex-offender-accused…

Kentucky leads nation in child abuse & neglect death rates – www.wave3.com/story/11356703/kentucky-leads-nation-in-chi…

Shantel Lanerie, wife of jockey Corey Lanerie, dies at 42 – www.wave3.com/story/38490658/shantel-lanerie-wife-of-jock…

Officers find toddler, infant in car after 100-mph chase with suspect – www.wave3.com/story/38482435/triple-murder-suspect-causes…

Fern Creek man wonders if remains found this month could be his missing sister – www.wdrb.com/story/38480766/fern-creek-man-wonders-if-rem…

Body found behind shopping center identified – www.wave3.com/story/38458686/body-found-behind-shopping-c…

12 treated after two vehicle crash in Russell neighborhood – www.wave3.com/story/38486354/12-treated-after-two-vehicle…

Building collapse reported at Bardstown distillery – www.wave3.com/story/38487053/building-collapse-reported-a…

Triple murder suspect causes Louisville courtroom scuffle – www.wave3.com/story/38482435/triple-murder-suspect-causes…

Body discovered behind shopping center near Shively – www.wdrb.com/story/38458632/body-discovered-behind-shoppi…

Rescuers save 13 people from Louisville river, now investigating circumstances – www.whas11.com/article/news/local/rescuers-save-13-people…

OSHA fines city of Louisville following accidental death of Public Works employee – www.wave3.com/story/38462819/osha-fines-city-of-louisvill…

WKU golf coach dies after being hit by vehicle while riding bike – www.wdrb.com/story/38446856/wku-golf-coach-dies-after-bei…

Police say Louisville pharmacist created fake profiles to obtain drugs – www.wdrb.com/story/38456651/police-say-louisville-pharmac…

Mayor’s office withholding key details of LMPD sex abuse investigation – www.wdrb.com/story/38451758/mayors-office-conceals-detail…

Ohio man facing more than a dozen charges of seeking sex with a minor in Kentucky – www.wdrb.com/story/38351119/ohio-man-facing-more-than-a-d…

Homicide investigation underway in south Louisville – www.wdrb.com/story/38349869/homicide-investigation-underw…

Jail overflow highlights LMPD headquarters problems – www.wave3.com/story/38407693/jail-overflow-highlights-lmp…

Mom, Grandmother Charged After Child Found Wandering In Laurel Co. www.lex18.com/story/38416815/mom-grandmother-charged-afte…

Henry County residents involved in fatal Shelbyville crash – www.hclocal.com/content/henry-county-residents-involved-f…

Louisville woman arrested in deadly DUI – www.wave3.com/story/38436252/norton-commons-woman-arreste…

Man shot in south Louisville park identified – www.wave3.com/story/38429440/man-shot-in-south-louisville…

LMPD investigating shooting scene at 13th & Broadway – www.wave3.com/story/38437262/lmpd-investigating-shooting-…

Kentucky high court: Death penalty IQ law unconstitutional – www.wave3.com/story/38436798/kentucky-high-court-death-pe…

Person found shot to death near Farnsley Moreman-Landing – www.whas11.com/article/news/crime/person-found-shot-to-de…

Agencies search for suspect who fled into Ohio River – www.lex18.com/story/38418410/agencies-search-for-suspect-…

Michigan Man Killed In Lexington Crash – www.lex18.com/story/38416997/lex-18-traffic-tracker-cru-c…

1 dead after crash at Iron Works Pike near Kentucky Horse Park – www.wkyt.com/content/news/Coroner-on-scene-of-serious-col…

Ex-Kentucky Official Testifies in Lobbyist’s Bribery Trial – www.usnews.com/news/best-states/kentucky/articles/2018-06…

Kentucky dance academy owners accused of having sex with employee, 17 – www.wkyt.com/content/news/Kentucky-dance-academy-owners-a…

Kentucky Man Sentenced To 30 Days For Sen. Rand Paul attack – By Associated Press – wfpl.org/kentucky-man-sentenced-to-30-days-for-sen-rand-p…

Mayor Fischer’s Derby Party Bill: $109K. The Guest List? Secret – wfpl.org/kycir-louisville-mayor-fischers-derby-party-bill…

Second Sexual Assault Investigahttp://wfpl.org/kycir-louisville-police-close-sexual-assault-investigation-rep-dan-johnson/tion Of Rep. Dan Johnson Brought Few New Details –

Tractor-trailer fire causes delays on eastbound Interstate 64 – www.wkyt.com/content/news/Tractor-trailer-fire-causes-del…

Car crashes into front yard, barely misses Lexington house – www.wkyt.com/content/news/Car-crashes-into-front-yard-bar…

2-Year Old Girl Found Alive After 2-Day Search Of Rural Bullitt County: www.wdrb.com/story/38383015/2-year-old-girl-found-alive-a…

Police say drunk Louisville dad arrested after child found in tipped-over car seat – www.wdrb.com/story/38395129/police-say-drunk-louisville-d…

Vacant home burns frustrating neighbors, first responders – www.wave3.com/story/38431741/vacant-home-burns-frustratin…

Man Shot To Death In Parking Lot On Saint Andrews Church Road: www.wdrb.com/story/38382670/man-shot-to-death-in-parking-…

Trial begins for lobbyist charged in Kentucky bribery case – www.wkyt.com/content/news/Trial-begins-for-lobbyist-charg…

Court records: Neighbor upset over Rand Paul’s yard debris – www.wkyt.com/content/news/Court-records-Neighbor-upset-ov…

Lexington business evacuated for chemical leak – www.wkyt.com/content/news/Lexington-business-evacuated-fo…

Bus driver accused of sexually abusing a student in Bell County – www.wkyt.com/content/news/Bus-driver-accused-of-sexually-…

Girl, 17, dead in Pulaski County single-vehicle wreck – www.wkyt.com/content/news/Girl-17-dead-in-Pulaski-County-…

Former V.P. Joe Biden discusses his book in Louisville – www.courier-journal.com/picture-gallery/news/politics/201…

Inmates flush cloth, flood police chief’s office with sewage – www.heraldcourier.com/news/inmates-flush-cloth-flood-poli…

Kentucky man charged with murdering his wife on Christmas Day – www.wkyt.com/content/news/Kentucky-man-charged-with-murde…

Former EMS worker serving sentence for incest, sodomy sentenced for child porn – www.wave3.com/story/38385758/former-ems-worker-serving-se…

LIST: WAVE Country businesses affected by hepatitis A – www.wave3.com/story/38065019/list-wave-country-businesses…

Suspect arrested in connection to murder of Louisville man on 39th Street – www.wlky.com/article/suspect-arrested-in-connection-to-mu…

Woman convicted in deadly 2006 DUI back in court – www.wave3.com/story/38385226/woman-convicted-in-deadly-20…

Washington Post study ranks Louisville above average in homicide arrests – www.wave3.com/story/38377631/washington-post-study-ranks-…

Trooper accused of stealing ‘two trucks worth’ of ammo, guns – www.wave3.com/story/38373230/trooper-accused-of-stealing-…

Police: Fire set on purpose that caused deadly Kentucky house explosion – www.wave3.com/story/38367509/police-fire-set-on-purpose-t…

Three pedestrians struck near Churchill Downs – www.wave3.com/story/38384658/three-pedestrians-struck-nea…

UPDATE: 85-year-old woman dies after being hit by a car on Goldsmith Lane – www.wdrb.com/story/38361703/update-85-year-old-woman-dies…

Woman and 2 children hit by car in south Louisville – www.wdrb.com/story/38384482/woman-and-2-children-hit-by-c…

Police say Louisville man stabbed 2 people during argument about loud music – www.wdrb.com/story/38341537/police-say-louisville-man-sta…

Woman charged for lying about human remains found under trailer in Carroll County – www.wdrb.com/story/38360885/woman-charged-for-lying-about…

Former assistant principal accused of voyeurism expected to plead guilty in court – www.wdrb.com/story/38335534/former-assistant-principal-ac…

Driver says ‘sneezing fit’ caused her to roll tanker truck in northern Indiana – www.wdrb.com/story/38344302/driver-says-a-sneezing-fit-ca…

Kentucky explores putting armed marshals in classes in wake of latest school shooting – globalnews.ca/news/3989321/kentucky-armed-marshals-school…

Louisville man allegedly stabs 2 people under I-65 overpass – www.wave3.com/story/38387074/louisville-man-allegedly-sta…

JCPS quietly paying pricey bullying settlements with taxpayer money – www.wdrb.com/story/38321570/jcps-quietly-paying-pricey-bu…

Habitual felon Rebecca Johnson avoids prison again – www.wdrb.com/story/38380530/habitual-felon-rebecca-johnso…

KSP offering brand new Dodge Chargers to prospective recruits – www.wdrb.com/story/38382832/ksp-offering-brand-new-dodge-…

In 13 years at helm, Paul Varga led Brown-Forman back to its roots – www.wdrb.com/story/38383659/in-13-years-at-helm-paul-varg…

Boy with terminal brain cancer has his Best Day Ever – www.wave3.com/story/38385491/boy-with-terminal-brain-canc…

Okolona Speedway employee diagnosed with hepatitis A – www.wave3.com/story/38383854/okolona-speedway-employee-di…

Weekend closures and detours for I-65 in Louisville – www.whas11.com/article/news/local/weekend-closures-and-de…

Louisville man found; Golden Alert canceled – www.wave3.com/story/38382572/louisville-man-found-golden-…

Fund for the Arts on track to hit biggest fundraising goal in a decade – www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2018/06/08/fund-for-t…

Family to donate organs of Louisville teen gravely injured in Florida car crash – www.wdrb.com/story/38372386/family-to-donate-organs-of-lo…

Top of The List: These are Louisville’s largest chambers of commerce and business associations – www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2018/06/08/top-of-the…

TRAFFIC ALERT: Snyder Freeway at Taylorsville Road back open after single vehicle crash – www.wave3.com/story/38380046/traffic-alert-snyder-freeway…

5 Things To Do This Weekend In Louisville (6/8) – www.leoweekly.com/2018/06/5-things-weekend-louisville-6-8/

Pair charged with murdering 17-month-old boy in 2009 – www.wdrb.com/story/38370980/pair-charged-with-murdering-1…

Tru by Hilton’s Louisville presence grows with $9M hotel – www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2018/06/08/tru-by-hil…

"Donut Boy’ Delivers Donuts To Louisville Officers – www.lex18.com/story/38378699/donut-boy-delivers-donuts-to…

Downtown restaurant closes, leaving high-profile vacancy – www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2018/06/07/downtown-r…

Louisville is littered with abandoned cars, and residents aren’t happy – www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/metro-governm…

Louisville man arrested after allegedly pointing loaded shotgun at neighbor – www.wave3.com/story/38371140/louisville-man-arrested-afte…

Group needs help to continue giving the Louisville’s homeless free haircuts – www.whas11.com/article/news/group-needs-help-to-continue-…

Cyclist killed, KY-61 S closed following collision in Shepherdsville – www.wave3.com/story/38383569/cyclist-killed-ky-61-s-close…

Free electric fans for seniors and the disabled in Louisville } – www.lanereport.com/102058/2018/06/free-electric-fans-for-…

Two years as a Chinese company: GE Appliances leaders remain committed to Louisville – insiderlouisville.com/business/two-years-as-a-chinese-com…

Posted by EX22218 – ON/OFF on 2018-06-09 09:34:44

Tagged: , gear , fishing , camping , tent , poles , rods , bench , grass , wood , flickriver , businessfirst , leo , #letsguide , southeast christian church , orange , blue , yellow , white , gray , brown , silver , bobbers , garcia , abu , lures , bass , bluegill , turtles , insider louisville , louisville , kentucky , fish , organized religion , the bluegrass state , crime , jefferson county , abuse of authority , drug abuse , alcohol dependent , addicts , police brutality , corruption , government , apathy , racial profiling , EEOC , civil rights , human rights , elder abuse , child abuse , domestic violence , parental alienation , license plate covers , target , tinted windows , crash , accident , fatalities , traffic , auto , truck , HBM , organ harvesting , #waveofaction , rand paul , #possibilitycity , mayor greg fischer , #wearekentucky , #mayormcbikelane , flooding , proactive , explosion

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New Mexico wilderness rocks in 3d

Traveling into the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness today, one descends from tawny sand and sage desert, into a world of gray, black, red and purple sands and rock. The Wilderness badlands result from the erosion of the sandy layers of the Ojo Alamo formation, which has left bare the thick deposit of volcanic ash and below that the Fruitland Formation and the Kirtland Shale. The western side of the Wilderness, formerly called the Bisti Wilderness, is primarily Fruitland Formation. The eastern side of the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, formerly called the De-Na-Zin Wilderness, exposes the Kirtland Shale. The ash covers much of these features. When the Wilderness area was still deep underground, water often and easily found its way into the ashy layers. The water left behind deposits of lime that eventually built up and became limestone tubes. As the softer layers wore away, the tubes became exposed. The caps of many of the all-gray hoodoos in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin wilderness are limestone.

Ash erodes very quickly and does not hold water long. These two qualities make for poor growing conditions and explains the general lack of plant life. The lignite beds, left by swamps 70 million years ago, now lie exposed on the broad wash that forms the floor of the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness badlands. Those lignite mounds coincide with most of the petrified wood and fossils found in the Wilderness. Generally, the organic remains are harder than lignite, so they weather out as the lignite erodes.The fossils in the Wilderness preserve a record of freshwater life in and on the edge of the great delta at that time.

Coal was present in the Wilderness, and much of that coal burned in an ancient fire that lasted centuries. The clay over the coal layer was metamorphosed by the heat into red "clinkers" that look today like tiny pottery sherds or perhaps chunks of brick, depending on size. They vary from pale to bright red and can even take on a crimson hue. Their name, "clinker," derives from the characteristic sound these stones make when walked on. The ash, lignite beds and clinkers account for the characteristic gray, black, and red colors of the Wilderness.

On the De-Na-Zin (eastern) side of the Wilderness, the exposed layers of shale coincide with the K/T boundary layer. It is one of the few pieces of public land in the world where the boundary layer is visibly exposed. De-Na-Zin is less ashy and more sandy than Bisti, making for fewer hoodoos and higher hills.

Erosion is the process that shaped the characteristic features of the modern landscape of the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness. The high plains around the Wilderness are about 6,500 feet above sea level today. The badlands lie 200 to 400 feet below those surrounding plains. The highest points in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness are always grassy. From them, you seem to be looking across a grass plain. This is because all the high points are mesas that stand even with each other, and the clay and lignite surface is hidden as a result of lying below the high points. The impression strengthens one’s understanding that everything below the grass has been carved away by wind and water. Anywhere that hard materials sit atop a layer of ash, hoodoos have eroded out of the matrix. While igneous protrusions might be a more common source of stone pillars and pedestals, in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, pillars and hoodoos exist solely because everything around and below them has been removed by wind and water, over time.

Humans have occupied the area almost continuously since 10,000 BC. The area contains numerous Chacoan sites and part of the prehistoric Great North Road, used to connect major Chacoan Anasazi sites in the San Juan Basin.

With very few exceptions, these badlands are in northwestern New Mexico, in a roughly circular corner of the Colorado Plateau called the San Juan Basin. From the Jurassic period onward, layer upon layer of sandstones and shales were deposited, and then exposed dozens of millions of years later by uplift, volcanism and erosion. The geologic history is better told elsewhere, by someone who knows what he’s talking about. but let’s just say that where dinosaurs once criss-crossed ancient swamps and lakes, the land is now criss-crossed by oil and gas company roads. Coal, oil and gas extraction dominate the modern San Juan Basin, yet in those remote roadless areas which remain are the actual treasures: the badlands.

Use red/blue glasses for best effect.

Anaglyph 3D is the name given to the stereoscopic 3D effect achieved by means of encoding each eye’s image using filters of different (usually chromatically opposite) colors,

typically red and cyan. Anaglyph 3D images contain two differently filtered colored images, one for each eye. When viewed through the "color-coded" "anaglyph glasses", each

of the two images reaches one eye, revealing an integrated stereoscopic image.

Images captured with twin EOS-M3 Cameras and combined in software from a trip to badlands of New Mexico on 3-30-18

Posted by CaptDanger on 2018-04-05 03:01:48

Tagged: , 3D , 3dimensional , 3d glasses , 3d images , 3d Image , 3d picture , 3d Photography , New Mexico , New Mexico Landscapes , Anaglyph 3D , Anaglyph , anaglyph glasses , Analglyph

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History – Aviation – The Famous Mustang Aeroplane.

History – Aviation – The Famous Mustang Aeroplane. The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission. The Purchasing Commission approached North American Aviation to build Curtiss P-40 fighters under license for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Rather than build an old design from another company, North American Aviation proposed the design and production of a more modern fighter. The prototype NA-73X airframe was rolled out on 9 September 1940, 102 days after the contract was signed, and first flew on 26 October.

Posted by Bill E2011 on 2018-08-04 23:56:56

Tagged: , history. , aeroplane. , USA. , World War 11. , Korean War. , aviation. , stang.

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Funeral: Battle of Yorktown Battle: The Reynolds Pamphlet Victory: What’d I Mi…

Funeral: Battle of Yorktown Battle: The Reynolds Pamphlet Victory: What’d I Miss Wedding: Say No To This

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History of the World – Part XXVII

Down there by that single mast signal the tracks originally went to the right. From there through a rock tunnel then to the left across a bridge over the Levisa Fork. A road now goes through the rock tunnel and the bridge is now a single lane bridge for road traffic. Beginning in 1880 the Chatteroi Railway Company set out to construct a rail road from Ashland, KY to Elkhorn City, KY and eventually farther on to other points south. Things became difficult from cash flow problems and, especially, difficulty in obtaining rights of way. Eventually it wound up as part of the C&O. And here, at RB Cabin, freight still rolls. Louisa, KY

Posted by ~Fred Wolfe~ on 2018-01-29 23:57:11

Tagged: , Trains , CSX

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Caroline Sadgwar Manly at 91 years in 1961 – related to G. Luther Sadgwar?

This is a found photo. I was attracted to it because of the unusual last name. G. Luther Sadgwar died in the 1920s leaving a widow and 2 children. This could be his widow or sister. I don’t have a date on the photo. I love and hate these threads of history…

Update: Another antebellum builder was David Sadgwar, the founder of a Wilmington dynasty. He and his son Frederick Sadgwar built a family home in 1872 at 15 N. Eighth St. Frederick Sadgwar, who graduated from Lincoln University, founded a Freedmen’s School at Whiteville, then returned to Wilmington, where he operated a number of businesses and worked as a contractor.

Frederick Sadgwar’s daughter Caroline attended Fisk University in Nashville, where she was a member of the celebrated Fisk Jubilee Singers. She married Alexander Manly, the editor-publisher of the Wilmington Record. His newspaper office, on South Seventh Street between Nun and Church, was burned during the Wilmington riot of 1898.

The Manlys were forced to flee the city, however Caroline’s sister Felice remained in the city as a longtime teacher at Williston School. She and her father later converted to the Baha’i faith, which teaches universal brotherhood and the essential truth of all world religions. The Sadgwar house now serves as Wilmington’s Baha’i Center.

Taken from www.uga.edu/bahai/2003/030213.html

Manly, Alexander L [Manley] Manly was born near Raleigh in 1866. Family tradition held that his father was Governor Charles Manly. There is some confusion about Manly’s father and he may have been Governor’s Manly’s grandson or nephew instead. Manly’s legal father, Trim, was a slave on the Governor’s plantation. Family tradition also held that Alex’s mother Corrine was an enslaved maid in the household. Manly and his brothers were well educated and attended Hampton Institute. Alexander was listed in the 1880 census living in his father’s household in Selma. Family tradition has held that Manly resented his heritage and that hatred may have driven him to react so strongly to Felton. Manly was the target of the Democratic campaign in 1898 and his printing office was destroyed by the mob led by Alfred Moore Waddell in 1898. Soon after the publication of his contentious article in August, 1898, the owner of the building, M. J. Heyer evicted the business. At the same time, a group of black men surrounded the press to protect it from impending destruction by a white group of men. Manly then retaliated by proposing that blacks boycott white businesses. On the night prior to the riot, a Red Shirt mob searched for him but was unsuccessful in finding him. Manly would have been lynched or shot by the mob on the 10th had he been found but, because he was informed of the threat to his life, Manly and his brother Frank escaped the city. Some accounts record that he left prior to the violence but others indicate he left on the day of the riot. Tradition holds that he was given the passcode and money to leave town by Thomas Clawson and that he and Frank were light-skinned enough to pass as white through thecheckpoints armed by white men. Other, contradicting, evidence indicates that he may have left the city much earlier. Another report indicated that he was notified of the approach of the mob by his youngest brother, Thomas, age 11. Thomas was reportedly as light-skinned as Alex and, because of this fact, he was able to learn about the impending danger to his brother from Red Shirts while they were marching toward the press. Recently, it was published in a history of St. James Church that Robert Strange personally escorted Manly out of the city in his carriage. Manly relocated to Washington, DC by 1900 and rented a home at 1607 11th Street. Family tradition holds that he was first given asylum by Congressman George White. According to the 1900 census, Manly lived in Washington, DC with his brother Frank (born 1869), brother Henry (born 1879), boarder John P. Meyers (born in South Carolina in 1877), and boarder John Goins (born in South Carolina in 1869). Manly listed his occupation as a journalist. His brother Henry listed his occupation as commercial printer along with the Meyers and Goins. Manly had another younger brother, Thomas, who was approximately 11 at the time of the violence and who apparently lived in Wilmington also. Thomas later married Mabel Sadgwar, daughter of Frederick Sadgwar and sister to Caroline, Alex Manly’s fiancé in 1898. Mabel said that Thomas passed as white most of his life. Mabel and Thomas moved to Pennsylvania after their marriage and he worked as an electrical engineer. Mabel and Caroline were the daughters of prominent community leader and Wilmington native Frederick Sadgwar, Sr. (See Sadgwar’s entry for more information on that family) Manly was involved in Wilmington civic life as an active member of Chestnut Street Presbyterian Church and was engaged to Caroline Sadgwar at the time of the violence. Caroline was educated at Gregory Normal School and attended Fisk University in Tenneesse. A talented singer, Caroline toured the world with the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Caroline was performing in England at the time of the violence and, as soon as she returned to the United States, she married Alex Manly while he lived in Washington, D.C. soon after the violence in the home of Congressman George White. They later moved to Philadelphia where they had one son, Milo and Alex worked as a painter. While in Wilmington, Manly lived at 514 McRae Street with his brother Frank. Manly and Caroline were able to return to the city for visits with her family many years after the violence although he may have traveled under disguise. He definitely returned to the city in 1925 for Frederick Sadgwar’s funeral. Manly and his son Milo maintained that property he owned in Wilmington was seized for non-payment of taxes. No confirmation of this activity has been found. Manly became active in many activities after leaving Wilmington. He was a leader in the Afro-American Newspaper Council and most likely knew Timothy T. Fortune, prominent African American editor in New York. Manly also knew Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. DuBois. He helped to establish the Armstrong Association, a forebear of the Urban League.

Posted by vieilles_annonces on 2010-07-04 02:58:47

Tagged: , Sadgwar , Caroline Sadgwar Manly , found photo , ephemera , Black woman , David Sadgwar , Wilmington , Frederick Sadgwar , 15 N. Eighth St , Lincoln University , Freedman’s School in Whiteville , Fisk University , Nashville , Fisk Jubilee Singers , Alexander Manly , Wilmington Record , Felice Sadgwar , Williston School , Baha’i , Caroline Sadgwar , Charles Manly , Thomas Manly , Mabel Manly , Milo Manly , 1961 , Black History , 1920s

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IMG_2385FA THE WOMAN IN INSTITUTIONNAL CONTEMPORARY ART

Erik A; Frandsen. 1957 The Jalta séries I 1989 Aalborg. Museum of Modern Art Denmark

LA FEMME DANS L’ART CONTEMPORAIN INSTITUTIONNEL

L’art en général, et la peinture en particulier, témoignent de l’importance accordée à la femme dans la civilisation européenne. Mais l’image de la femme a évolué selon le contexte idéologique, les croyances en vigueur à telle ou telle époque de l’histoire européenne. En faisant commencer l’histoire européenne vers 500 c’est à dire avec le christianisme, le sujet de la femme dans la peinture de l’Europe sera évoqué au travers de cinq dossiers : 1° La femme dans la peinture de l’Europe catholique. De 500 à 1500 environ. 2° La femme dans la peinture de l’Europe Catholique et Humaniste. De 1500 à 1800 environ 3° La femme dans la peinture des Pays Bas protestants au 17è siècle 4° La femme dans peinture de l’Europe idéologiquement plurielle du 19è siècle 1800-1950 environ L’Art Moderne. 5° La femme dans l’Art Contemporain Officiel 1950…

L’Art Contemporain Officiel ce n’est pas tout l’Art Contemporain. L’Art Contemporain Officiel (ACO) c’est en Europe essentiellement l’art qui est exposé dans les collections permanentes des Musées d’Etat. C’est un mixte d’Art d’Etat et d’Art Financier International. C’est l’art des élites idéologiques et politiques de l’Occident et l’Art de l’Argent. C’est un Art Institutionnel et de ce fait représentatif des tendances idéologiques et politiques, des valeurs réelles, sous-jacentes des puissances qui gouvernent le destin de l’Occident contemporain. Dans les villes moyennes ce sont souvent les dernières salles des Musées des Beaux Arts, des Kunsthalle ou des Pinakothek. Dans les grandes villes l’Art Contemporain Officiel bénéficie de Musées ultra-modernes, dessinés par des architectes de réputation internationale, et qui lui sont spécialement consacrés. L’Art Contemporain, en peinture, se divise en plusieurs domaines différents, dont les commanditaires, les acteurs et les publics ne sont pas identiques : l’art des musées d’état et des grandes fondations internationales, l’art commercial privé mondialiste, l’art commercial privé régional et local, l’art des rues. Et un art visuel voisin, l’art photographique. L’ACO est très intéressant parce qu’il est l’art idéologiquement et politiquement imposé par les gouvernants, apparents ou occultes, dans tout l’Occident. Il est donc révélateur de l’ idéologie et de la politique qui inspire ces gouvernants. C’est en cela seulement qu’il est intéressant, car artistiquement il est rien. Il s’affiche d’ailleurs, se proclame lui même, comme une anti-esthétique, un anti-art, un art de la fin du Beau dans l’art et donc une fin de l’art. Donc tout le monde est d’accord, ceux qui sont pour, et ceux qui sont contre. Du haut en bas de l’échelle sociale et aussi de l’échelle des "Intelligences", y compris celle les plus "éclairées" : Ce n’est pas de l’art. Et pourtant ses inspirateurs et ses acteurs tiennent quand même à l’appellation d’Art, bien que dans tous leurs discours ils contestent toute légitimité à l’impératif esthétique. Il faut admettre qu’ils ont raison en pratique politique et économique. Difficile d’inscrire sur le fronton d’un musée " Musée du Non-Art Contemporain" ou "Musée du Laid,de l’Absurde et de la Provocation". "Musée de la Fin de l’Art". "Musée de l’Anti-Esthétique". L’étiquette "Art" est doublement nécessaire, conceptuellement et idéologiquement, pour être pris au sérieux, et commercialement pour vendre. C’est une désignation, une appellation, une marque prestigieuse dont il est impossible de se passer. C’est pourquoi la dernière tendance dans les appellations des Musées européens, dans toutes les langues, c’est de supprimer l’appellation "Musée des Beaux Arts" qui était la plus courante il y a encore un demi-siècle, pour la remplacer par celle de "Musée d’Art" ou "Musée des Arts". Double constat d’une réalité : L’art contemporain officiel ne prend plus le prétexte de la Beauté pour prétendre exister. Mais la référence au Beau était gênante, donc il fallait la supprimer.

Thématiquement l’image de la femme dans la peinture européenne a évolué au cours des siècles. 1° Pendant toute l’époque gothique la femme est triplement symbolique. – Symbole de la chute de l’homme (Eve ) Puis symbole de sa rédemption (Marie). Première symbolique dialectique, subtilement évocatrice des rapports homme-femme. – Symbole de l’Amour Sacré, mystique, avec la Vierge Marie et les saintes. Symbole aussi de l’amour de l’enfant et de la famille. – Symbole plus global de l’amour des êtres et de leur protection, notamment des pauvres et des faibles contre les riches et les violents. Ce symbole est évoqué par l’iconographie des Vierges de Protection ou de Miséricorde. 2° Au 16è siècle, l’image de la femme s’inspire aussi, en parallèle à cette première symbolique catholique et orthodoxe, qui ne disparaît pas, des représentations de l’Antiquité Grecque. Une Civilisation antique pour laquelle la femme est doublement symbolique de l’Amour et du Beau. – La femme est symbolique d’une forme d’ Amour Sacré. Amour Sacré qui au travers de la déesse de l’Amour, et aussi d’autres Déesses majeures ou mineures, est le rappel du lien créateur, centripète, qui est à la source de la Vie primordiale; et qui la perpétue dans tous les êtres depuis l’origine des Mondes. La femme est alors le symbole de l’Eros, qui dans la cosmogonie grecque, telle qu’évoquée par Hésiode dans sa Théogonie, est une des forces primordiales, liante, agrégeante, qui a présidé à la formation du monde. Cet Éros ne doit pas être confondu avec Éros (Cupidon) le compagnon d’Aphrodite (Vénus). C’est une Force Primordiale qui est à l’origine du Monde, une évocation intuitive, sous forme mythique, de l’attraction universelle de Isaac Newton. – La femme belle, nue ou habillée, est en outre pour les Grecs le reflet et le symbole de la Beauté de l’Univers. Comme d’ailleurs la beauté masculine, tout autant célébrée. L’être humain doit être beau parce qu’il doit être à l’image de l’Harmonie du Monde et que le Beau est une invitation au Bien et au Vrai et donc un élément essentiel de l’Ordre du Monde 3° A partir du 17è siècle, progressivement l’image de la femme perd dans la peinture européenne beaucoup de son caractère symbolique. La femme s’installe dans le quotidien des hommes. C’est la femme pour tous les jours, dans une société qui se désacralise. La femme-symbole tend à disparaître, ou se fait beaucoup plus rare, au profit d’une vision réaliste et matérialiste de la société et de la femme. Ce sont les peintres protestants des Pays Bas qui dès le 17è siècle font triompher cette vision de la femme. Dans les autres pays d’Europe cette évolution est beaucoup plus lente. Elle ne devient manifeste qu’au cours du 19è siècle: La femme amour sacré, de moins en moins, amour profane de plus en plus. La femme symbole ? oui encore, de l’érotisme. De l’amour familial et maternel toujours aussi un peu.

Techniquement l’image de la femme européenne a varié au cours des temps. – La femme en deux dimensions de l’époque paléochrétienne, byzantine, romane et du premier gothique. La femme de "la peinture plate". – La femme en trois dimensions du 15è siècle gothique et de la Renaissance qui se perpétue jusqu’à l’Art Moderne compris. C’est le temps de "la peinture pleine", qui imite parfaitement le réel. – La femme, est de nouveau en plus ou moins deux ou trois dimensions avec certains post-impressionnistes, ou pré-abstraits, comme Matisse, Maurice Denis, Amédeo Modigliani, Fernand Léger…. – La femme en plus ou moins trois, quatre, cinq ou X dimensions des cubistes, des surréalistes, de Picasso… – Avec l’Art Abstrait la femme se dilue, son image se brouille, elle se géométrise, devient Euclidienne. Autant dire qu’elle n’a plus qu’une lointaine ressemblance avec la femme. Même quand son image inventée n’est pas laide, ni absurde. Elle perd beaucoup et parfois même toute sa signification. La femme abstraite n’est plus ni réelle ni symbolique. C’est une conséquence inévitable de l’abstraction : l’art non figuratif européen, à son terme, ne représente plus la femme, pas plus que le reste du monde. C’est "la femme sans titre". L’art abstrait à son aboutissement c’est inévitablement la fin de la représentation de la femme dans la peinture européenne. Seule la Chine a pu aboutir à un art abstrait qui ait un sens grâce à toute une culture de l’abstraction symbolique conséquence de son écriture idéographique indépendante du langage, qui a contraint les chinois à apprendre à signifier par des symboles de plus en plus abstraits. Mais cela demande des siècles d’expérience.

L’Art Contemporain Officiel ?

Il prend sa source dans l’Art Moderne finissant : Cubisme, futurisme, surréalisme, suprématisme, constructivisme, abstraction….Dès les tous débuts du 20è siècle la recherche de nouvelles esthétiques qui déconstruisent toutes de plus en plus le monde environnant, aboutissent à la disparition progressive de l’image du monde réel et donc de la femme. L’aboutissement de ce cheminement c’est l’abstraction, la peinture non figurative qui ne représente plus rien d’identifiable. Juan Gris, Georges Braque, Kasimir Malevitch, Richard Mortensen, Gino Severini, Umberto Boccioni, Pablo Picasso illustrent bien cette période de l’art. La perte de signification se fait de plus en plus évidente, le non sens commence à s’installer, la femme et le monde finissent par disparaître totalement. Mais l’absurde et le laid ne sont encore, à cette époque, que des "accidents", des conséquences ponctuelles, inévitables d’une obsession du renouvellement qui manifestement commence à conduire à des impasses esthétiques. Ces impasses il sera interdit de les admettre bien sûr. La Déesse Progrès s’y oppose. Le stade d’après l’Art Moderne c’est le Non-Art Contemporain Officiel qui : 1° Prend acte de l’impasse esthétique qui est devenue évidente, mais au lieu de choisir un autre chemin, qui serait un retour en arrière inacceptable idéologiquement, décide que le Beau et le Sens ne seront plus des buts de l’art et que le Laid et l’Absurde sont des disciplines obligatoires, cathartiques. 2° Remplace donc l’art par la conceptualisation de l’art, le discours sur l’art. Puisqu’il n’est plus possible de se conformer aux principes obscurantistes de l’esthétique, la nouvelle pensée correcte discourra à l’infini sur la mort nécessaire de l’esthétique, et encore plus sur sa prétendue sublimation par la révolution du regard et la libération des intelligences.

Pour revoir la femme il fallait quitter les carrés blancs et noirs et les cercles rouges de l’Art Abstrait, pour revenir à la figuration, ou tout au moins à une certaine forme de figuration. C’est ainsi qu’apparaît la femme du Non-Art Contemporain : "la femme sans dimension", "la femme massacrée", "la femme laide et absurde". "La femme absente" ou "la femme cauchemar". Le parti pris des idéologues concepteurs de l’art contemporain officiel étant le Laid, l’Absurde et la Provocation a cette conséquence que la femme dans l’ACO est laide et/ou absurde. C’est "la femme cauchemar". Le parti pris fondateur de l’ACO étant la négation de tout ce qui l’a précédé, la femme de l’ACO est une "femme absente". La femme est en effet très rare dans l’ACO en comparaison de sa quasi omni-présence pendant les périodes antérieures de l’histoire de la peinture et de la sculpture européenne. L’esprit de "la Table Rase" l’exigeait : la femme avait été trop omniprésente dans l’art du passé européen pour qu’elles soit autorisée à jouer un rôle dans les représentations "artistiques" contemporaines. Il est vrai que le femme est très bien représentée comme "artiste", elle intervient beaucoup en tant que "peintre" "sculpteur" ou "’installatrice". Mais elle est presque totalement absente en tant que thème des "peintures", "sculptures" et des "installations" qui occupent les musées d’art contemporain. Avec l’Art Contemporain Institutionnel le nu féminin, tel qu’on l’a peint en Europe depuis le 16è siècle, c’est à dire généralement beau, disparaît de l’art. Le Nu féminin n’est plus une source de beauté gratuite. Giorgione, Titien, Rubens sont de vieux souvenirs. L’art contemporain officiel est très loin de la femme, et de l’homme, symboles de la beauté et de l’harmonie du Monde. Très loin de l’Humanisme antique et de sa synthèse avec le Catholicisme qui a duré de 1500 à 1800 La femme belle, habillée ou nue, se réfugie essentiellement dans la Publicité et la Photographie de mode et de moeurs de qualité. Elle apparaît aussi occasionnellement dans l’art local, régional, national des rues.

L’image de la femme comme thème de l’art contemporain officiel se résume à ce constat global : sa rareté, sa laideur, son absurdité. Il est d’ailleurs nécessaire d’élargir ce constat à l’image de l’homme, l’homme en tant que mâle ou à l’homme générique, l’être humain et encore à l’univers. L’ACO c’est "l’art cauchemar universel", il s’applique à tous les êtres comme à toutes les choses, par principe, par doctrine. Une accumulation de toiles unies, colorées ou pas, des lignes, des points, des traits et des cercles, des carrés ou rectangles diversement colorés, et bien sûr des taches, surtout des taches. Des gravats, des tuyaux, des balais, des serpillières, des échelles, des lits, des chaises et tables bancales, des entassements de choses diverses : charbon, pierre, cartons, papiers, plastiques. Des poutrelles rouillées, tordues, cassées, des cartons assemblés, des vêtements et chiffons entassés, des boites ouvertes ou fermées, des machineries cassées ou concassées, des tubulures, poutres de ciment, moellons, parpaings, tuiles, briques entières ou pulvérisées, des tubes de néon, des sacs vides ou des sacs pleins, toutes les sortes de tuyaux (fer, ciment, plastiques), du caoutchouc, des seaux, brocs, pots, des palissades, des téléphones, des machines à écrire emballées ou pas, des éviers, des urinoirs, des vélos, des fruits et légumes….et des portraits féminins ou masculins presque systématiquement hideux. Un Musée des Horreurs est tout à fait admissible, il n’est pas interdit à l’art d’être réaliste. Il est bien certain qu’un musée sur le thème des camps de concentration, communistes ou nazis, ne peut guère cultiver le beau et l’harmonie. Et ce n’est pas le seule domaine où l’art peut rendre compte avec réalisme des horreurs du monde, en tout cas du monde humain. Il faut aussi admettre qu’en tous temps le laid, le mal, le mensonge et l’absurde ont séduit certaines personnes. Mais il y a manifestement un problème de société quand "l’Art cauchemar" occupe les trois quart des musées d’art contemporain, au point que bien souvent la seule beauté que l’on puisse apercevoir est dans le contenant, le bâtiment qui abrite les "oeuvres". Mais si le bâtiment est beau ce n’est pas un choix, c’est par obligation ( voir "Peinture et architecture une leçon de vie réelle") En réalité l’Art Contemporain Officiel est une "Hystérie du Non-Art" qui s’est emparée des élites de l’Occident. Ce titre est emprunté aux Docteurs Gérard et Nicole Delépine qui ont fait paraître en 2018 aux Editions Fauve un livre intitulé "Hystérie vaccinale". C’est exactement le même phénomène de mode délirant, idéologiquement politiquement et financièrement parfaitement organisé au niveau de toute une société, dans des domaines évidemment tout à fait différents. On retrouve dans les deux cas les mêmes combinaisons d’un discours idéologiquement conditionné, artificiel et mensonger, de gros intérêts économiques et financiers et d’interventionnisme étatique et supra-étatique. Avec dans les deux cas des incidences à la base de la pyramide, sur les peuples. Car les hystéries qui sévissent au sommet de la pyramide ont nécessairement des répercussions dommageables pour les populations. Il faut bien admettre que le non art officiel, son culte du laid et de l’absurde, son esprit de provocation systématique, tout ceci est contagieux, par exemple au niveau de l’art des rues. Il est nécessaire en effet de démentir un mythe totalement fabriqué : L’Art Contemporain Officiel n’est aucunement, un art révolutionnaire ou contestataire. Contrairement à ce qu’ il veut faire croire et contrairement à ce qu’il ne cesse de proclamer, notamment dans les notices explicatives des musées, en application d’un principe d’action politique simple : Plus un mensonge est gros, plus il faut le répéter, il finira par passer pour vrai. L’ACO est dérangeant parce que c’est un des principes clés de sa doctrine. Cet art dérange sur ordre. Il est faussement révolutionnaire. Il est la révolution confisquée, institutionnalisée et obligatoire. Une ingénieuse technique inventée par certaines grandes influences pour contrôler les révoltes populaires. Fabriquer de fausses révolutions, totalement manipulées et contrôlées, c’est la base absolument essentielle de l’action politique, idéologique, économique et financière. Et ce principe a été tout simplement appliqué à l’art, car l’art est idéologique et politique. L’Art Contemporain Officiel n’a donc absolument rien à voir avec l’art impressionniste, ou postimpressionniste, ou avec "l’art dégénéré" selon Hitler ou selon Staline. Les mouvements artistiques novateurs de l’Art Moderne étaient le fait d’artistes peignant spontanément et librement en dehors de toutes directives étatiques ou privées. L’ACO est clairement un art politique, idéologique, commandé et dirigé d’en haut, un art d’Etat et de grandes sociétés privées. Un art hautement financier, et hautement financé, y compris par les contribuables. Un art auquel les artistes doivent se soumettre s’ils veulent être reconnus à ce niveau. La création artistique spontanée peut exister ailleurs en Occident, mais dans le secteur de l’ACO, l’artiste n’est libre qu’à la condition de remplir un certain cahier des charges, celui de l’anti-art, laid, absurde, provocant et dérangeant. L’histoire de l’art européen montre que les artistes ne sont responsables que de leur art personnel, pas de l’idéologie qui les inspire, où à laquelle ils se soumettent de plus ou moins bon gré. L’art Contemporain est un Art Officiel, Institutionnel, Obligatoire. Contemporain, c’est une appellation qui ne peut pas durer. Et c’est la raison pour laquelle cette appellation tend à être remplacée par celle d’Art Moderne. Ou tout simplement d’Art ou d’Arts. Officiel, par contre cela peut durer longtemps. Surtout quand les totalitarismes sont subtiles et prennent les apparences de la Démocratie plurielle. Il reste un constat sociologiquement et politiquement intéressant : l’ACO est en plus de 2000 ans d’histoire de l’Europe le premier Art Laid et Absurde. Le premier Non-Art Officiel.

THE WOMAN IN INSTITUTIONNAL CONTEMPORARY ART

Art in general, and painting in particular, bear witness to the importance accorded to women in European civilization. But the image of women has evolved according to the ideological context, the beliefs in force at this or that time in European history. By starting the European art history around 500, ie with Christianity, the subject of women in the painting of Europe will be evoked through five dossiers : 1 ° The woman in the painting of Catholic Europe. From 500 to 1500 approximately. However easel painting began only around 1300. Previously painting is manifested through the frescoes, mosaics, stained glass and in books: the illuminations. 2 ° The woman in the painting of Catholic and Humanist Europe. From 1500 to 1800 approximately 3 ° The woman in the painting of the Protestant Netherlands in the 17th century 4 ° The woman in the painting of the ideologically plural Europe of the 19th century. 1800-1950 approximately: Modern Art. 5 ° The woman in the Official Contemporary Art. 1950 …

Official Contemporary Art is not all Contemporary Art. The Official Contemporary Art (OCA) it is in Europe, essentially the art that is exhibited in the permanent collections of State Museums. It is a mix of State Art, and International Financial Art. It is the art of the ideological and political elites of the West and the Art of Money. It is an Institutional Art and therefore representative of ideological and political tendencies, real values, underlying the powers that govern the destiny of the contemporary West. In the medium-sized cities it are often the last halls of the Museums of Fine Arts, Kunsthalle or Pinakothek. In the big cities the Official Contemporary Art benefits from ultra-modern Museums, designed by architects of international reputation, and which are specially dedicated to it. Contemporary Art, in painting, is divided into several different fields, whose sponsors, actors and audiences are not identical: the art of state museums and major international foundations, the globalist private commercial art, regional and local private commercial art, street art. And a neighboring visual art, photographic art. The OCA is very interesting because it is the art ideologically and politically imposed by the rulers, apparent or occult, throughout the West. He is therefore indicative of the ideology and politics that inspire these rulers. It is only in this that he is interesting, because artistically he is nothing. Official contemporary art also appears himself and proclaims itself, as an anti-aesthetic, an anti-art, an art of the end of beauty in art and therefore an end of art. So everyone agrees, those who are for, and those who are against. From top to bottom of the social ladder and also from the "Intelligences" ladder, including the most "enlightened" : This is not art. And yet his inspirers and actors still want him to be called Art, although in all their speeches they dispute all legitimacy to the aesthetic imperative. It must be admitted that they are right in political and economic practice. Difficult to inscribe on the pediment of a museum "Museum of Contemporary Non- Art" or "Museum of the Ugly, the Absurd and the Provocation". "Museum of the End of Art". "Museum of Anti-Aesthetic". The label "Art" is doubly necessary, conceptually and ideologically, to be taken seriously, and commercially to be taken to sell. It is a designation, a name, a prestigious brand that is impossible to do without. This is why the latest trend in the names of the European Museums, in all languages, is to remove the name "Museum of Fine Arts" which was the most common half a century ago, to replace it by that of "Museum of Art" or "Museum of Arts". Double acknowledgment of a reality: Official contemporary art no longer takes the pretext of beauty to claim to exist. But the reference to the Beauty was annoying, so it had to be removed.

Thematically the image of women in European painting has evolved over the centuries. 1° Throughout the Gothic period the woman is triply symbolic. – Symbol of the fall of man (Eve) Then symbol of his redemption (Mary). First dialectical symbolic, subtly evocative of the relations between man and woman. – Symbol of sacred, mystical love, with the Virgin Mary and the saints. Symbol also of the love of the child and the family. – More global symbol of the love of beings and their protection, especially the poor and the weak against the rich and the violent. This symbol is evoked by the iconography of Virgins of Protection or Mercy.

2° In the 16th century, the image of the woman is also inspired, parallel to this first symbolic Catholic and Orthodox, which does not disappear, representations of Greek Antiquity. An ancient Civilization for which the woman is doubly symbolic of Love and Beauty. – The woman is symbolic of a form of Sacred Love. Sacred Love which through the goddess of Love, and also other major or minor Goddesses, is the reminder of the creative, centripetal link which is at the source of the primordial Life; and who perpetuates it in all beings since the origin of the worlds. The woman is then the symbol of Eros, which in Greek cosmogony, as evoked by Hesiod in his Theogony, is one of the primordial forces, binding, aggregating, which presided over the formation of the world. This Eros should not be confused with Eros (Cupid) the companion of Aphrodite (Venus). It is a Primordial Force that is at the origin of the World, an intuitive evocation, in mythical form, of the universal attraction of Isaac Newton. – The beautiful woman, naked or dressed, is also for the Greeks the reflection and the symbol of the Beauty of the Universe. As also the male beauty, equally celebrated. The human being must be beautiful because he must be in the image of the Harmony of the World and that the Beautiful is an invitation to the Good and the True and thus an essential element of the Order of the World

3° From the 17th century, gradually the image of the woman loses much of its symbolic character in European painting. The woman settles in the daily life of men. It is the woman for every day, in a society that is becoming desacralized. The symbol tends to disappear in favor of a realistic and materialistic vision of society and of women. The symbol-woman tends to disappear, or is much rarer, in favor of a realistic and materialistic vision of society and woman. It is the Protestant painters of the Netherlands who from the 17th century make this vision of women triumph. In other European countries this evolution is much slower. She becomes manifest only during the 19th century The woman a symbol of the sacred love ? less and less, but more and more of the profane love. The symbol woman? yes again, of the eroticism. Family and maternal love always a little bit.

Technically the image of the European woman has varied over time. – The two-dimensional woman of the Paleochretian, Byzantine, Romanesque and early Gothic period. The woman of the "flat paint". – The three-dimensional woman of the 15th century Gothic and Renaissance that continues until the Modern Art included. This is the time of the "full paint", which perfectly imitates the real. – The woman, is again in more or less two or three dimensions with some post-impressionist, or pre-abstract, like Matisse, Maurice Denis, Amédeo Modigliani, Fernand Léger …. – The woman in plus or minus three, four, five or X dimensions of cubists, surrealists, Picasso … – With Abstract Art, the woman is diluted, her image becomes confused, she becomes geometrical, becomes Euclidean. In other words, she has only a distant resemblance to the woman. Even when his invented image is not ugly or absurd. She loses a lot and sometimes even all its meaning. The abstract woman is no longer real or symbolic. It is an inevitable consequence of abstraction: European non-figurative art, at its end, no longer represents the woman, any more than the rest of the world. It’s "the untitled woman". The Abstract art, at its culmination, is inevitably the end of the representation of women in European painting. Only China has been able to achieve an abstract art that makes sense through a whole culture of symbolic abstraction as a result of its ideographic writing independent of language, which has forced the Chinese to learn to signify by symbols more and more abstract . But it takes centuries of experience.

The Official Contemporary Anti-Art?

Cubism, futurism, surrealism, suprematism, constructivism, abstraction ….From the very beginning of the 20th century the search for new aesthetics that deconstruct more and more all the surrounding world, lead to the gradual disappearance of the image of the real world, and therefore of women. The culmination of this journey is abstraction, non-figurative painting that no longer represents anything identifiable. Juan Gris, Georges Braque, Kasimir Malevich, Richard Mortensen, Gino Severini, Umberto Boccioni and Pablo Picasso illustrate this period of art. The loss of meaning becomes more and more obvious, the nonsense begins to settle, the woman and the world end up completely disappear. But the absurd and the ugly are still, at this time, only "accidents", punctual, inevitable consequences of an obsession with renewal, which manifestly begins to lead to aesthetic impasses. These deadlocks it will be forbidden to admit them of course. The Goddess Progress opposes it. The next stage after the Modern Art is the Official Contemporary Non-Art which: 1 ° Takes note of the aesthetic impasse that has become obvious, but instead of choosing another path, which would be an ideologically unacceptable retreat, decides that the Beau et la Sens will no longer be goals of art and that the Ugly and the Absurd are obligatory, cathartic disciplines. 2 ° Thus replaces art by the conceptualization of art, by the Discourse on art. Since it is no longer possible to conform to the obscurantist principles of aesthetics, the new correct thought will argue ad infinitum about the necessary death of aesthetics, and even more about its purported sublimation by the revolution of the gaze and the Liberation of Intelligences.

To see again the woman one had to leave the white and black squares and the red circles of the Abstract Art, to return to the figuration, or at least to some form of figuration. This is how the woman of Contemporary Non-Art appears: "the dimensionless woman", "the slain woman", "the ugly and absurd woman". "The absent woman" or "the nightmare woman ". The ideological bias of official contemporary art being the ugly, absurd and provocation has the consequence that the woman in the OCA is ugly and / or absurd. It’s "the nightmare woman". The founding bias of the OCA being the negation of all that preceded it, the woman of the OCA is a "absent woman". The woman is indeed very rare in the OCA compared to its almost omnipresence during the previous periods of the history of painting and European sculpture. The spirit of "Table Rase" required it: the woman had been too ubiquitous in the art of the European past to be allowed to play a role in contemporary "artistic" representations. It is true that the woman is very well represented as "artist", she intervenes a lot as a "painter" "sculptor" or "installer". But she is almost totally absent as a theme of "paintings", "sculptures" and "installations" that occupy museums of contemporary art. With the Insitutional Contemporary Art the feminine nude, as it has been painted in Europe since the 16th century, ie generally beautiful, disappears from art. The feminine nude is no longer a source of free beauty. Giorgione, Titian, Rubens are old memories. Official contemporary art is very far from women, and from men, symbols of the beauty and harmony of the world. Very far from ancient Humanism and its synthesis with Catholicism that lasted from 1500 to 1800 The beautiful woman, dressed or naked, takes refuge essentially in Advertising and Photography of fashion and quality morals. She also appears occasionally in local, regional, national street art.

The image of women as the theme of official contemporary art boils down to this global observation: its rarity, its ugliness, its absurdity. It is also necessary to extend this observation to the image of man, man as a male or the generic man, the human being and still to the universe. The OCA is "the universal nightmare art", it applies to all beings and to all things, by principle, by doctrine. An accumulation of united canvases, coloured or not, lines, dots, strokes and circles, squares or rectangles differingly colorful, and of course stains, especially stains. Rubble, pipes, brooms, mops, ladders, beds, wobbly chairs and tables, heaps of various things: coal, stone, cardboard, paper, plastics. Rusty beams, twisted, broken, cartons assembled, clothes and rags piled up, open or closed boxes, broken or crushed machinery, tubing, cement beams, rubble, blocks, tiles, whole bricks or Sprayed, neon tubes, empty bags or full bags, all kinds of pipes (iron, cement, plastics), rubber, buckets, jugs, pots, palisades, telephones, typewriters packed or not, sinks, urinals, Bicycles, fruits and vegetables…. …. and female or male portraits almost always hideous. A Museum of Horrors is quite permissible, it is not forbidden to the art of being realistic. It is quite certain that a museum on the theme of concentration camps, Communist or Nazi, can hardly cultivate beauty and harmony. And this is not the only area where art can realistically account for the horrors of the world, at least of the human world. It must also be admitted that in all times, the ugly, the bad, the lie and the absurd have seduced some people. But there is clearly a societal problem when "Nightmare art" occupies three-quarters of contemporary art museums, to the point that often the only beauty that can be seen is in the container, the building that houses the " Works ". But if the building is beautiful it is not a choice, it is by obligation. (see "Painting and architecture a lesson of real life") In fact, Official Contemporary Art is a "Hysteria of Non-Art" that has hit the elites of the West. This title is borrowed from Doctors Gérard and Nicole Delépine who published in 2018 to Editions Fauve a book entitled "The Hysteria of vaccines". It is exactly the same phenomenon of delusional fashion, ideologically politically and financially perfectly organized at the level of a whole society, in obviously different fields. In both cases, we find the same combinations of an ideologically conditioned, artificial and deceitful discourse, large economic and financial interests, and state and supra-state interventionism. With in both cases incidences at the base of the pyramid, on the peoples. Because the hysteria at the top of the pyramid necessarily have damaging repercussions for the populations. It must be admitted that the Official non art, its cult of the ugly and of the absurd, its spirit of systematic provocation, all this is contagious, for example at the level of street art.

It is necessary to deny a totally fabricated myth: Official Contemporary Art is by no means a revolutionary or protest art. Contrary to what he wants to make believe and contrary to what he constantly proclaims, especially in the explanatory notes of the museums, in application of a principle of simple political action: The more a lie is big, the more it is necessary repeat it, it will end up being true. OCA is disturbing because it is one of the key principles of its doctrine. This art disturbs on order. He is falsely revolutionary. It is the confiscated, institutionalized and obligatory revolution. An ingenious technique invented by some great influences to control popular revolts. Making false revolutions, totally manipulated and controlled, is the absolutely essential basis of political, ideological, economic and financial action. And this principle has simply been applied to art because art is ideological and political. Official Contemporary Art therefore has absolutely nothing to do with Impressionist or Post-Impressionist art, or with "degenerate art" according to Hitler or Stalin. The innovative artistic movements of Modern Art were the work of artists painting spontaneously and freely outside any state or private guidelines. The OCA is clearly a political, ideological, commanded and directed art from above, a state-owned art and of large private corporations. A highly financial, highly funded art, including by taxpayers. An art to which artists must submit if they want to be recognized at this level. Spontaneous artistic creation can exist elsewhere in the West, but in the OCA sector, the artist is free only on the condition of fulfilling certain specifications, that of the anti-art, ugly, absurd provocative and disturbing. The history of European art shows that artists are only responsible for their personal art, not for the ideology that inspires them, or to which they submit more or less willingly. Contemporary art is an Official, Institutional, Mandatory Art. Contemporary it’s an appellation that can not last. And this is the reason why this appellation tends to be replaced by that of Modern Art. Or simply Art or Arts. Official, however it can last a long time. Especially when totalitarianisms are subtle and take on the appearance of plural democracy. There remains a sociologically and politically interesting observation: the ACO is in more than 2000 years of history of Europe the first Art ugly and absurd. The first Official Non-Art.

Posted by jean louis mazieres on 2019-10-31 11:03:04

Tagged: , Peintres , Peintures , Painting , Musée , Museum , Museo , Danemark , Denmark , Jutland , Aalborg , Museum of Modern Art

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