A new colleague, Alaka Oluwatobi, shared his decolonial essay with me. I share this interest, so I read it and wrote a blog post. The essay is linked there as well as in the first comment if you'd like to read it without my opinions.

👉 https://philosophics.blog/2026/05/07/the-masters-concepts-decolonising-the-house-without-keeping-the-furniture/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

#philosophy #politics #society #culture #humancondition #language #morality #colonialism #liberalism #imperialism #hegemony #sovereignty #agency #autonomy #assey #blog #podcast #metaethics #metaphysics #fanon #hegel #history #critique

Been dumped but not over your ex? There's an app for that! @MikeElgan reports on "ex.skill," which allows you to upload photos, social posts and chat logs to create a chatbot that sounds like your lost love, and remembers the times you've spent together. Here's more from his Machine Society newsletter.

https://flip.it/.M-Len

#Technology #Tech #AI #Relationships #Culture

The Ignorant Art Historian: View of Notre Dame

By Hal Foster

https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2026/04/28/the-ignorant-art-historian-view-of-notre-dame/

Notre-Dame de Paris at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/12945

#Books #Art_criticism #Culture

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Vue de Notre-Dame, par Henri Matisse, 1914. A semi-abstract view dominated by blue, with bold black outlines suggesting a window and the cathedral beyond. A single green form — likely a treetop — anchors the spare composition. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vue_de_Notre-Dame,_par_Henri_Matisse.jpg

The Magic of Mucha

This Czech artist’s lush, irresistible designs helped define art nouveau.

https://lcm.loc.gov/issue/march-april-2026/the-magic-of-mucha/

Illustrations made by Mucha at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/44270

#Books #Art #Culture

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Mucha's The Slav Epic cycle No.2: The Celebration of Svantovít (1912). A vast, mystical scene of Slavic pagan ritual — priests and spirits swirl above a vast earthly crowd gathered in ceremonial worship beneath sacred trees. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonse_Mucha#/media/File:Slavnost_svatovitova_na_rujane.jpg

Fires in Berlin Destroyed Hundreds of Paintings During World War II. Now, a Museum Will Publish Photo Archives of the Lost Artworks Online

by Christian Thorsberg

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fires-in-berlin-destroyed-hundreds-of-paintings-during-world-war-ii-now-a-museum-will-publish-photo-archives-of-the-lost-artworks-online-180988621/

About Gemäldegalerie at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59097
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60502
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55740
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59275

#Books #Art #Culture #DigitalArt

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The eastern hall in the south wing of the Picture Gallery, featuring works from the 17th-century Dutch and Flemish schools. 19th-century engraving of a crowded museum gallery, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. Elegantly dressed visitors browse floor-to-ceiling paintings while others study prints at a central table. Lively, salon-style hanging. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gem%C3%A4ldegalerie_(Berlin)#/media/Datei:Gg_altesmuseum2.jpg

Discover the Story Behind Rodin’s Monumental ‘Thinker’ Sculpture at the Legion of Honor Museum

By Emma Taggart

https://mymodernmet.com/the-thinker-legion-of-honor/

August Rodin at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/25054

#Art #Culture

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The Thinker by August Rodin. A bronze sculpture of a muscular nude man seated on a rock, chin resting on fist in deep contemplation. In: AUGUSTE RODIN THE MAN—HIS IDEAS—HIS WORKS BY CAMILLE MAUCLAIR https://www.gutenberg.org/files/50665/50665-h/50665-h.htm

What a Geisha Really Is and How Her Role Has Changed

What is a geisha? More than skilled entertainers in dance, singing, and refined conversation, they are custodians of traditional Japanese arts and culture.

https://www.thecollector.com/what-is-geisha/

Books about geishas at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=Geisha

#history #japanesehistory #culture

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Geisha of the Tachibana Street by Torii Kiyonaga 1786. Three geisha are walking together. Each of them wears a different pattern Kimono. The one on the left has a light colored one, the middle has a red and tan checkered one, and the last one has a black one with flowers. The one in the middle and the last one are carrying a parasol.

Previously: “We needed to capture this moment in history. It was really important to document it [so that] no one can say this didn’t happen … and really just for people to understand the human toll that these state laws and now the federal government is having on these families, that they have become political refugees in their own country.” https://www.texasobserver.org/fathers-trans-nonbinary-kids/

#documentary #film #movies #culture #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #trans #transgender

How Georges Méliès Brought Magic to the Movies

Georges Méliès created worlds of magic and adventure that revolutionized filmmaking when filmmaking itself was still a novelty.

by Kat Bello (from the archives)

https://www.thecollector.com/georges-melies-magic-movies/

Movie books at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/bookshelf/49

#books #movies #culture

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Screenshot from Le Voyage dans la lune (A Trip to the Moon) (1902) by Roger-Viollet One of cinema's most iconic images: the Man in the Moon with a rocket capsule lodged in his eye, from Georges Méliès's "Le Voyage dans la Lune" (A Trip to the Moon, 1902). The moon is rendered as a grimacing human face, the capsule embedded like an arrow. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_M%C3%A9li%C3%A8s#/media/Fichier:Le_Voyage_dans_la_lune.jpg/2

This week I have mainly been reading, no. 297.

Nicola Barker's social satire TonyInterruptor (2025) is a short but sweet tale of the impact (via social media & the social interactions of its various protagonists) of a heckle at a free jazz concert. It's knowing & razor sharp, skewering various contemporary cultural tropes & behaviours. I often find such satires fail to satisfy, but this is completely different; powerfully caustic & hilarious. A joy to read.

#books #culture #jazz @books

Denishawn Dance Film (ca. 1916).

Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn founded Denishawn, a visionary dance school in Los Angeles, filmed in rare silent footage (1915–17) showing early activities at two sites: the Parkinson Estate and the Westlake School for Girls. via @publicdomainrev

https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/denishawn-dance-film/?fbclid=IwdGRleARQWv5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeJidZR8oqtckKTtYJ61ErdTM3vX3gxBp3iBjWjJGqf3opjzuLWFth2xXrDMw_aem_s9u8oNSM7e6G_7MCxfQx7g

#dance #silent_movie #culture #publicdomain

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Title: Denishawn dancers A black-and-white photograph of four barefoot dancers in light tunics performing outdoors on a lawn, lifting a billowing sheet of fabric high into the air above them. Trees and a house are visible in the background. A lone spectator sits watching in the distance. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2014715250/

Not just a meme, but a masterpiece – why the Mona Lisa earns its exalted place in art

Ceaselessly flocked by tourists at the Louvre Museum in Paris, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (1503-17) is perhaps the world’s most recognisable work of art.

by James Payne

https://aeon.co/videos/not-just-a-meme-but-a-masterpiece-why-the-mona-lisa-earns-its-exalted-place-in-art?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=262f4f59e7-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_04_16&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4ef8a26106-72664972

Monsa Lisa at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/25659

#books #art #culture #aesthetics

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Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci La Gioconda sits in a three-quarter pose, hands folded calmly in her lap, wearing a dark green-black dress with golden-brown sleeves and a translucent veil. Her expression is neither fully smiling nor neutral. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa#/media/File:Mona_Lisa,_by_Leonardo_da_Vinci,_from_C2RMF_retouched.jpg

I've shared my thoughts on Alasdair MacIntyre before, but a follower asked me to comment on a Philosophize This! segment on a couple of books he published after After Virtue, and so I did.

https://philosophics.blog/2026/04/15/rival-moral-approaches-of-the-modern-world-alasdair-macintyre/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

I share a link to the video content as well as a NotebookLM podcast summary.

#pilodsophy #psychology #critique #blog #video #podcast #society #culture #normativeethics #morality #ethics #MacIntyre #books #greece #aristotle #virtue #liberalism #modernity #commentary #reaction

6 Inspirational Women Who Redefined Art History

Patrons, muses, and artists—take a look at six inspirational women in the history of art.

by Anastasiia Kirpalov

https://www.thecollector.com/inspirational-women-redefined-art-history/

Art history at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/5621

#womeninart #culture #history

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Regina Cordium, by Dante Gabriele Rossetti, 1860. A pale, auburn-haired woman holds a purple pansy, wearing red coral necklaces with a heart pendant. The ornate gold background features repeating heart and cross motifs, and the title is inscribed on a wooden plaque below. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dante_Gabriel_Rossetti_-_Regina_Cordium_(1860).jpg

A colleague shared a post today that inspired this, let's say, 'response'. Do #LLMs ruin everything?

https://philosophics.blog/2026/04/12/the-environment-always-wins-the-myth-of-pure-voice/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

This is always in the back of my head anyway, so it wasn't particularly difficult to write a #blog post and ask #NotebookLM to summarise it for a #podcast.

#philosophy #language #artificialintelligence #virtuesignalling #culture #gatekeeping art #creativity #innovation #psychology #society ##games #books #reading #writing #absorbtion #influence #literature #homeschool

The Controversial Story of Olympias, Alexander the Great’s Powerful Mother

Olympias, wife of Philip II of Macedon and mother of Alexander the Great, stands out as one of the few women in Hellenistic politics.

by Neil Middleton (from the archives)

https://www.thecollector.com/olympias-mother-alexander-the-great/

Greek history at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=greek+history

#art #history #culture

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Olympias presenting the young Alexander the Great to Aristotle, by Gerard Hoet, 1733. At centre of the painting, Olympias stands in white and pink drapery, gesturing with outstretched hand to present her young son to his future tutor. The small boy in green, curly-haired and eager, reaches back toward his mother while turning to face the bearded philosopher. Aristotle stands opposite in a blue-grey hooded robe, holding what appears to be a scroll or document, receiving the child with grave attention. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympias#/media/File:Olympias_presenting_the_young_Alexander_the_Great_to_Aristotle_by_Gerard_Hoet_before_1733_MH.jpg

'Faithful wife', virgin or tragic martyr?: Why this 16th-Century masterpiece is not what it seems

Overpainted images found hidden inside Raphael's Portrait of a Young Woman with a Unicorn help unlock the mystery behind it. They also show the ways that the image of the ideal woman has been carefully controlled by men through the centuries.

By Kelly Grovier

https://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20260408-why-this-16th-century-painting-isnt-what-it-seems

Raphael at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/3022

#art #culture

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How the painting appeared before the first 20th century restoration, with the sitter as St. Catherine of Alexandria with wheel and palm frond. A young woman of idealised beauty sits in three-quarter pose before an open loggia, two columns framing a soft landscape with mountains in the distance. Her face is serene and direct, with large eyes meeting the viewer's gaze with calm self-possession. Her wavy hair is loosely dressed with a small ornament. She wears a gown with a broad dark horizontal band, a white shawl draped over her shoulders, a jewelled pendant necklace with a pearl drop, and a decorated belt. In her hands she holds what appears to be a disc or circular object — along with what may be a palm frond. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Woman_with_Unicorn#/media/File:Sublimebeauty03-1.jpg

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Raffaello Sanzio - Lady with unicorn The sitter's golden-auburn hair, pale complexion and remarkable green eyes are rendered with luminous delicacy. Her gown is a warm gold-yellow with a deep crimson-burgundy overdress and white sleeves. The ruby and pearl pendant glows against her décolletage. The small unicorn nestles in her lap. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Woman_with_Unicorn#/media/File:Raffaello_Sanzio_-_Lady_with_unicorn.jpg

The Symptomatic Surreal: Leonora Carrington exhibition explores her complex relationship with death

by Ailsa Peate

The Freud Museum is a perfect fit for the story of Carrington’s confinement and the creativity which ensued.

https://theconversation.com/the-symptomatic-surreal-leonora-carrington-exhibition-explores-her-complex-relationship-with-death-279278?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20March%2030%202026%20-%203721238065&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20March%2030%202026%20-%203721238065+CID_95be2275727aea5e9b43eb03a05e4262&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=The%20Symptomatic%20Surreal%20Leonora%20Carrington%20exhibition%20explores%20her%20complex%20relationship%20with%20death

#books #art #culture

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Leonora Carrington by Lee Miller. Leonora sits against a rough, bare wall, knees drawn up, wearing a white lace blouse and dark skirt. Her dark hair falls loosely around a striking face, gazing slightly away from the camera. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonora_Carrington#/media/File:Leonora_Carrington.jpg

The Face, resurrected in 2019, to close again

https://lucire.com/insider/20260328/the-face-resurrected-in-2019-to-close-again/ #TheFace #magazine #UK #publishing #WastedTalent #culture #living

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The Face masthead, with bold capital sans serif lettering on a red background.

"My painting is what I have to give back to the world for what the world gives to me."

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Unveils Digital Archive of the Artist’s Entire Body of Work

You can now browse over 2,000 of Georgia O’Keeffe’s works by theme, timeframe, or medium.

By Emma Taggart

https://mymodernmet.com/georgia-okeeffe-museum-digital-archive/

Georgia O'Keeffe Museum:
https://access-ok.okeeffemuseum.org/

#art #culture #womenhistoryMonth

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Photograph of painting Red Canna (1923) by Georgia O'Keeffe on display at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Photo taken February 2023. The canvas is consumed almost entirely by cascading waves of deep crimson and scarlet. Broad, voluptuous petals curve and overlap in smooth, sensuous arcs. Flashes of deep orange glow at the centre where the stamens emerge, and small scrolls of dark green leaf curl at the corners, providing the only relief from the overwhelming warmth of the reds. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_O%27Keeffe#/media/File:Red_Canna_(1923)_by_Georgia_O'Keeffe.png

Watch "Why 'Metropolis', Fritz Lang's Silent Movie, Still Defines Sci‑Fi 100 Years Later"

Before 'Star Wars'. Before 'Blade Runner'. Before every futuristic city, rogue android, or AI uprising you’ve ever seen, there was 'Metropolis' (1927). This video dives deep into how Fritz Lang’s silent-era masterpiece built the visual language of modern sci-fi, shaped pop culture for a century, and predicted the world we live in today.

https://youtu.be/lFdvbf9bomM?is=8pP5WZ5rnqLwEYO6

#publicdomain #movies #history #culture

The #Trump admin has opened investigations into #admissions policies at 3 major #MedicalSchools, expanding the #federal govt’s pressure campaign beyond campus #culture & taking aim at the heart of #ScientificAuthority in the #US.

The #DOJ on Wednesday informed #Stanford, #OhioState & #UCSD, about the investigations & demanded that the schools turn over extensive lists of #data by April 24 or risk interruptions to essential federal #funding….

#law #AcademicFreedom #education #privacy #medicine

Michaelina Wautier review – an astounding lost artist steps out of her male contemporaries’ shadows

Wautier’s mighty paintings have been misattributed to her male peers for 300 years, but now UK audiences can enjoy their first encounter with a 17th-century trailblazer

by Olivia McEwan

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/mar/24/michaelina-wautier-review-royal-academy-london

#art #culture #womenhistoryMonth

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The Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne Michaelina Wautier - Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna Based on classical texts, the picture shows a procession with the drunken god Bacchus at its centre, surrounded by other humans, satyrs, and animals. It is notable for its large number of nude male figures, something uncommon from a woman artist in this period. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_of_Bacchus_(Wautier)#/media/File:Triumph_of_Bacchus,_by_Michaelina_Woutiers.jpg

The deeper I get into thinking about this essay, the more I realise my perspective as an outsider drew me to it and shapes it.

https://philosophics.blog/2026/03/23/whom-do-you-serve-wip/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

As a management consultant, I was often cautioned not to ask 'that' question, or at least not to 'that' executive. Stop telling them they have no strategy when they say they have one.

#philosophy #management #power #silence #language #permission #blog #podcast #writing #essay #reading #classics #psychology #culture #society #filters #anecdotes

Is Math Art? Werner Herzog Says Yes

The German filmmaker spoke about math and the sublime at Brooklyn Public Library's Pi Day celebration.

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/werner-herzog-brooklyn-public-library-pi-day-2754957

Art + Mathematics at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=art+%2B+mathematics

#art #culture #mathematics

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Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (1818), Kunsthalle Hamburg Caspar David Friedrich - The photographic reproduction was done by Cybershot800i. (Diff) The hiker stands as a back figure in the center of the composition. He looks down on an almost impenetrable sea of ​​fog in the midst of a rocky landscape - a metaphor for life as an ominous journey into the unknown. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/Caspar_David_Friedrich_-_Wanderer_above_the_sea_of_fog.jpg/960px-Caspar_David_Friedrich_-_Wanderer_above_the_sea_of_fog.jpg

I was typing, and my editor flagged it as a ‘Strong resemblance to AI text’. Kinda bollox. And, so I rant on my blog – 1984, Minority Report. Even Handmaid's Tale. Handmade, a tale.

https://philosophics.blog/2026/03/19/i-am-a-language-model/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

#philosophy #psychology #writing #ai #policing #ethicalAI #intrusion #culture #blog #podcast #language #critique #languagedetection #bollocks #culture #conformity #obey

Climate change to identity: The vital lessons in Metamorphoses, Ovid's 2,000-year-old poem

You might think that Ovid's Metamorphoses, an ancient compendium of the greatest Greek myths, would hold little relevance today. But its tales of desire and deceit reveal surprising parallels with contemporary concerns, from climate change and the refugee crisis to gender-based violence and identity.

by Cath Pound

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20260317-metamorphoses-ovids-2000-year-old-poem-says-a-lot-about-2026

At PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21765

#books #literature #culture

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Lycian farmers changed into frogs: Latona changes Lycian farmers into frogs, because while they were weeding a marsh, they prevented her and her children from quenching their thirst (Ovid, Metamorphoses VI 369) Claude Du Bosc / After Jean Jouvenet - Leto verandert de boeren in kikkers, Claude DuBosc, after Jean Baptiste Jouvenet, 1714 - Rijksmuseum The scene depicts the goddess Leto — mother of Apollo and Artemis by Zeus — fleeing the wrath of Hera after giving birth. Exhausted and thirsty, she stops at a pond in Lycia to drink, but local peasants cruelly prevent her and her infant children from reaching the water, stirring up the mud to make it undrinkable. In fury, she calls upon Jupiter and transforms the peasants into frogs. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Metamorphoses_(Ovid)#/media/File:Claude_Du_Bosc_after_Jean-Baptiste_Jouvenet,_Leto_and_the_Lycian_Peasants,_1714,_Rijksmuseum_RP-P-1905-2842.jpg

Why Lacan Loved Harpo Marx

A surprising encounter between high theory and Hollywood farce reshapes how we think about laughter and desire.

By: Angelica Frey

https://daily.jstor.org/why-lacan-loved-harpo-marx/

Humor & Comedy at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/bookshelf/44
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=comedy

#books #literature #art #culture

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Lobby card for Monkey Business (1931) with Chico (left) and Harpo (right) The card shows Chico on the left in his trademark shabby suit and felt hat, and Harpo on the right in his iconic curly red wig, battered top hat, and characteristically mismatched, oversized clothing. The man in the middle is one of the supporting cast members. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpo_Marx#/media/File:Monkey_Business_lobby_card_1931.JPG

Capitalism’s defenders like to boast that it rewards talent. What capitalism actually rewards is saleability, compliance, stamina, inheritance, and the ability to endure long periods of spiritual self-betrayal without becoming visibly troublesome.

https://philosophics.blog/2026/03/08/capitalism-doesnt-merely-exploit-labour/?utm_source=masto

#philosophy #capitalism #labour #art #employment #artists #culture #Kafka #modernity, #exploitation #creativity #patronage #work #society #politics #enlightenment #civilisation #potential #opportunitycosts #parasites #blog

Dear French-speaking Fedi friends,

I have a favor to ask you:

Could you please complete this survey by @cercle - the test fediverse instance set up by the French Ministry of Culture?

🔗 : https://framaforms.org/mastodonfediverse-la-culture-et-vous-1771542693

It would help them understand what are your wishes and expectations when it comes to fediverse accounts run by cultural institutions.

The survey is totally anonymous and takes a few minutes to fill out.

Thanks!

And please boost 🚀

#FR #Francophone #francais #culture #art

Rijksmuseum researchers discover new painting by Rembrandt van Rijn

They examined the work with the same advanced techniques used in Operation Night Watch, and closely compared it with other paintings by Rembrandt from the same period.

https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/press/press-releases/rijksmuseum-researchers-discover-new-painting-by-rembrandt-van-rijn

Rembrandt at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7232

#art #culture

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Vision of Zacharias in the Temple, 1633 by Rembrandt. A dark Baroque oil painting dominated by deep browns and blacks, with a single luminous figure at centre-left. An elderly bearded man in magnificent gold-embroidered priestly robes and a jewelled veil or mitre stands reading from an open book on a lectern, his bare feet visible beneath his vestments. A shaft of pale light descends from the upper right into the surrounding darkness. To the right, a richly draped table holds a golden ewer and a staff. Heavy red drapery fills the left background. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vision_of_Zacharias_in_the_Temple#/media/File:Rembrandt_-_Zacharius-vis-high-res-sRGB.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JIZalHmLvR8

announcing When Language Fails, my latest book.

#book #philosophy #announcement #language #promotion #writing #reading #psychology #communication #short #youtube #author #ontology #difference #society #culture

Psychology is an administrative vocabulary masquerading as a natural science, and the most damning evidence is that the discipline best equipped to rescue it is quietly declining to speak its language. Thoughts?

https://brywillis634737.substack.com/p/the-zombie-factory?r=pvxh5

#philosophy #psychology #zombies #ethics #blog #substack #writing #critique #news #language #society #culture #power #instrumentation #evidence #podcast #thoughts

Found: The 19th century silent film that first captured a robot attack

The Library of Congress has found and restored a long-lost silent film by Georges Méliès.

by Chloe Veltman

https://www.npr.org/2026/02/28/nx-s1-5730373/georges-melies-robot-film-1897-library-of-congress-gugusse-automate

#art #culture #silent_movie

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Screenshot from Le Voyage dans la lune (A Trip to the Moon) (1902). Georges Méliès — Roger-Viollet A black-and-white film still showing the Moon depicted as a large human face with expressive features — eyes, a nose, and an open mouth — occupying most of the frame. A cylindrical rocket or projectile is embedded directly in the Moon's right eye. A dark starry sky forms the background. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_M%C3%A9li%C3%A8s#/media/Fichier:Le_Voyage_dans_la_lune.jpg

17th-Century Painter Michaelina Wautier Was Almost Lost to History. Will Blockbuster Shows Juice Her Market?

Details of her life remain in doubt, but her canvases evince a trailblazer. Buying one is not easy.

by Eileen Kinsella

https://news.artnet.com/market/michaelina-wautier-market-appraisal-2742009

More about Wautier:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michaelina_Wautier

#art #culture

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Genre painting by Michaelina Wautier (Dutch title: Elk zijn meug), The Phoebus Foundation. An oil painting depicting two children against a dark, neutral background. The foreground figure is a fair-skinned child with loose, curly auburn hair, wearing a voluminous white draped garment. The child holds a partially eaten boiled egg with a small spoon in one hand, and turns their head slightly to the left with a wide-eyed, slightly queasy or reluctant expression. Behind and to the right stands a second child with darker, dishevelled hair and a dark jacket with a white collar, leaning in and looking down attentively at the first child. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michaelina_Wautier#/media/File:Elk_zijn_meug.jpg

A mysterious YouTube video gave thousands of people a place to breathe. Then it vanished. Find out what happened next in this moving essay from Bijan Stephen https://longreads.com/2026/02/26/internet-checkpoint-taia777-donkey-kong/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social #internet #culture #essay #longreads

The Bennett Collection: The Rising Glory of Women Painters

From 16th-century nuns to modern masters, this collection’s focus on female figurative realists drives a $50,000 biennial boost for the next generation of icons

Michael Pearce

https://www.mutualart.com/Article/The-Bennett-Collection--The-Rising-Glory/45A7C277840FAFCA

Women painters at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=Women+Painters

#art #culture #womeninart

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Self-portrait as the Allegory of Painting (La Pittura) - Artemisia Gentileschi A woman is shown from roughly three-quarter length, her body twisting dynamically as she reaches upward with her right arm, paintbrush in hand, toward a large dark canvas that fills most of the left side of the composition. Her face is seen in profile, turned upward with an expression of focused concentration. Her dark hair is loosely gathered into a low bun, with loose strands escaping around her face. She wears a lustrous green and brown satin dress with iridescent sheen, a white lace-trimmed chemise visible at the neckline and sleeve. A gold chain necklace with a pendant hangs at her chest. In her lower hand she holds a painter's palette with several brushes, barely visible in the shadowed lower portion of the canvas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_Gentileschi#/media/File:Self-portrait_as_the_Allegory_of_Painting_(La_Pittura)_-_Artemisia_Gentileschi.jpg

The Madrid Codices: Leonardo da Vinci's treasure trove digitised by Spain's National Library

On 13 February 1967, the Spanish National Library announced the discovery of the Madrid I and II codices, two manuscripts by Leonardo da Vinci that had remained poorly catalogued for more than a century. But they are being digitised to make them accessible to the public.

By Lucia Blasco

https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/02/20/the-madrid-codices-leonardo-da-vincis-treasure-trove-digitised-by-spains-national-library

Leonardo da Vinci at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1629

#books #culture #library #history

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Leonardo da vinci, Double manuscript page on the Sforza monument. The left page is devoted to mechanical studies — five carefully rendered technical drawings arranged vertically, each showing wooden joining or clamping mechanisms in three-quarter perspective. They appear to depict interlocking beams, bolt fastenings, and timber joints of increasing complexity, with short annotating notes flanking each drawing on both sides. The right page is dominated by a large, commanding drawing of what appears to be the lower torso and hindquarters of a horse rendered as a structural armature — a grid of horizontal and vertical ribs forming a curved, basket-like framework that captures the swelling volume of the animal's form. The gridded surface suggests a mold or internal scaffolding for casting, with the waist cinching inward before flaring out again at the haunches. Dense blocks of mirror-script text surround the drawing on the left and bottom, and a folio number — 157 — is visible in the upper right corner. A faint institutional stamp appears near the bottom center. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Madrid_(Leonardo)#/media/File:Leonardo_da_vinci,_Double_manuscript_page_on_the_Sforza_monument.jpg

"The 2026 Color of the Year supposedly represents a 'fresh start,' but it looks a lot like accepting the status quo."

Lida Zeitlin-Wu for The Los Angeles Review of Books: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/pantone-color-year-cloud-dancer-whiteness-fascism-eugenics/

#Longreads #Essay #Color #White #Pantone #Culture

6 Women Artists Overshadowed by Their Husbands

Pollock, Rivera, Ernst, Kandinsky, and Hopper—these artists are well-known and celebrated. But did you know that they had wives who were equally-talented artists?

by Lea Stanković (from the archives)

https://www.thecollector.com/women-artists-overshadowed-by-husbands/

#art #culture #womeninart

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Frida Kahlo (gelatin silver print, 15.2 by 10.8 cm) by Guillermo Kahlo The black and white photograph shows the young Mexican artist with her arms crossed, wearing a textured shawl, ornate drop earrings, and a multi-strand beaded necklace. Her dark hair is pulled back with a decorative ornament, and she gazes directly and intensely at the camera with her characteristic uncompromising expression. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frida_Kahlo#/media/File:Frida_Kahlo,_by_Guillermo_Kahlo.jpg

Advantagement is an experimental sub-3,500-word short story.

https://ridleypark.blog/2026/02/16/advantagement-behind-the-story/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

The experiment is language, but I don't stop there. I share the story on my blog, and here is a piece that discusses the inspiration.

#philosophy #managementtheory #writing #shortstory #language #victorianlondon #detectives #missing #promotions #mentorship #competency #genderroles #society #culture #satire #adsurdism #clues

These Emily Carr Paintings Will Make You Experience the Beauty of British Columbia’s Landscapes in a Completely New Way

An exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery examines the artist’s attempts to capture nature’s true essence, which she described as “the green idea or ideal”

by Sonja Anderson

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-emily-carr-paintings-will-make-you-experience-the-beauty-of-british-columbias-landscapes-in-a-completely-new-way-180988177/

About Emily Carr:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Carr

Canadian art at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=canadian+art

#art #culture

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Odds and Ends, 1939. The painting depicts a British Columbia coastal landscape with characteristic Carr elements: towering, stylized evergreen trees with distinctive peaked tops rising against a vibrant blue sky rendered with vertical brushstrokes suggesting rain or atmospheric movement. In the foreground, scattered tree stumps and a small structure occupy a clearing of vivid yellow-green grass, with dark forested mountains in the background. The "odds and ends" of the title refers to the remnants of logging—the stumps and cleared land—showing the impact of human activity on the pristine wilderness Carr spent her career documenting. Oil on canvas painting by Canadian artist Emily Carr, formerly in the collection of the Greater Victoria Public Library, now in the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Painting measures 67.4 x 109.5 cm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Carr#/media/File:Emily_Carr_(1939)_Odds_and_Ends.jpg

I continue my discussion with Claude about the Two Valleys parable to talk about the economy of moral control.
Comrade Claude (6) – Nietzsche https://philosophics.blog/2026/02/13/comrade-claude-6-nietzsche/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social
#philosophy #blog #politics #morality #energy #parable #Nietzsche #psychology #society #culture #critique #perception