You're viewing everything posted on May 9, 2009
Several activists have their birthday on May 9… We begin with John Brown (1800 - 1859), a radical abolitionist who was not content with talk and passive resistance in the face of violence perpetrated by Southern pro-slavers. Lincoln considered Brown a fanatic and condemned his methods, and Brown for his part certainly did not have much use for the federal government or its methods. “In 1859 he led a raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (in modern-day West Virginia). During the raid, he seized the armory; seven people (including a free black) were killed, and ten or more were injured. He intended to arm slaves with weapons from the arsenal, but the attack failed. Within 36 hours, Brown’s men had fled or been killed or captured by local farmers, militiamen, and U.S. Marines led by Robert E. Lee. Brown’s subsequent capture by federal forces, his trial for treason to the state of Virginia, and his execution by hanging in Charles Town, Virginia were an important part of the origins of the American Civil War, which followed sixteen months later.” (Wiki) A stanza from one of the many versions of the Union marching and rallying song inspired by Brown, “John Brown’s Body”: Old John Brown’s body lies moldering in the grave, While weep the sons of bondage whom he ventured all to save; But tho he lost his life while struggling for the slave, His soul is marching on. Click for high-res photo

Several activists have their birthday on May 9…

We begin with John Brown (1800 - 1859), a radical abolitionist who was not content with talk and passive resistance in the face of violence perpetrated by Southern pro-slavers. Lincoln considered Brown a fanatic and condemned his methods, and Brown for his part certainly did not have much use for the federal government or its methods.

“In 1859 he led a raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (in modern-day West Virginia). During the raid, he seized the armory; seven people (including a free black) were killed, and ten or more were injured. He intended to arm slaves with weapons from the arsenal, but the attack failed. Within 36 hours, Brown’s men had fled or been killed or captured by local farmers, militiamen, and U.S. Marines led by Robert E. Lee. Brown’s subsequent capture by federal forces, his trial for treason to the state of Virginia, and his execution by hanging in Charles Town, Virginia were an important part of the origins of the American Civil War, which followed sixteen months later.” (Wiki)

A stanza from one of the many versions of the Union marching and rallying song inspired by Brown, “John Brown’s Body”:

Old John Brown’s body lies moldering in the grave,
While weep the sons of bondage whom he ventured all to save;
But tho he lost his life while struggling for the slave,
His soul is marching on.
In any war there have always been a few brave folks who have chosen to be freedom fighters or members of the resistance - even in Nazi Germany this was the case. Today we celebrate the heroine of The White Rose resistance group, Sophie Scholl (May 9, 1921 - 1943, execution by guillotine), who along with other members of the group, including her brother Hans urged Germans to passive resistance against the Nazi regime. Sophie helped distribute pamphlets and sermon expressing anti-Nazi sentiments and arguments. In February 1943 the group was caught pamphleteering at the University of Munich and rapidly sentenced to death and executed. Sophie said in court: “Somebody, after all, had to make a start. What we wrote and said is also believed by many others. They just do not dare express themselves as we did.” Her last words were: “How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause. Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go, but what does my death matter, if through us thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action.” (Photo of The White Rose group core members: Hans, Sophie and Christoph Probst)   Click for high-res photo

In any war there have always been a few brave folks who have chosen to be freedom fighters or members of the resistance - even in Nazi Germany this was the case.

Today we celebrate the heroine of The White Rose resistance group, Sophie Scholl (May 9, 1921 - 1943, execution by guillotine), who along with other members of the group, including her brother Hans urged Germans to passive resistance against the Nazi regime. Sophie helped distribute pamphlets and sermon expressing anti-Nazi sentiments and arguments. In February 1943 the group was caught pamphleteering at the University of Munich and rapidly sentenced to death and executed.

Sophie said in court: “Somebody, after all, had to make a start. What we wrote and said is also believed by many others. They just do not dare express themselves as we did.” Her last words were: “How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause. Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go, but what does my death matter, if through us thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action.”

(Photo of The White Rose group core members: Hans, Sophie and Christoph Probst)  

And back to the US - Daniel Berrigan (b. May 9, 1921) is a writer, priest and peace activist, who on May 17, 1968 - together with his brother Phillip and 7 others - entered a draft board office and burned their draft files, using homemade napalm… The group became known as the Catonsville Nine. In Federal Court they were found guilty of destruction of U.S. property, destruction of Selective Service files, and interference with the Selective Service Act of 1967. They were also sentenced to a total of 18 years jail time and a fine of $22,000. Daniel received a three years prison sentence, but went into hiding with the help of fellow radicals prior to imprisonment. While on the run, Berrigan was interviewed for Lee Lockwood’s documentary The Holy Outlaw. Soon thereafter the FBI apprehended him at the home of William Stringfellow and sent him to prison. He was released in 1972… Daniel Berrigan wrote a “Meditation” before burning the draft files at Local Board No. 33 which was entered as evidence in the trial of the Catonsville Nine: “Our apologies, good friends, for the fracture of good order, the burning of paper instead of children, the angering of the orderlies in the front parlor of the charnel house. We could not, so help us God, do otherwise…. The time is past when good men can remain silent, when obedience can segregate men from public risk, when the poor can die without defense.” (See also my Lumpy Pudding post featuring the poem Adrienne Rich wrote, inspired by Berrigan’s words: 1)

And back to the US - Daniel Berrigan (b. May 9, 1921) is a writer, priest and peace activist, who on May 17, 1968 - together with his brother Phillip and 7 others - entered a draft board office and burned their draft files, using homemade napalm…

The group became known as the Catonsville Nine. In Federal Court they were found guilty of destruction of U.S. property, destruction of Selective Service files, and interference with the Selective Service Act of 1967. They were also sentenced to a total of 18 years jail time and a fine of $22,000. Daniel received a three years prison sentence, but went into hiding with the help of fellow radicals prior to imprisonment. While on the run, Berrigan was interviewed for Lee Lockwood’s documentary The Holy Outlaw. Soon thereafter the FBI apprehended him at the home of William Stringfellow and sent him to prison. He was released in 1972…

Daniel Berrigan wrote a “Meditation” before burning the draft files at Local Board No. 33 which was entered as evidence in the trial of the Catonsville Nine:

“Our apologies, good friends, for the fracture of good order, the burning of paper instead of children, the angering of the orderlies in the front parlor of the charnel house. We could not, so help us God, do otherwise…. The time is past when good men can remain silent, when obedience can segregate men from public risk, when the poor can die without defense.”

(See also my Lumpy Pudding post featuring the poem Adrienne Rich wrote, inspired by Berrigan’s words: 1)

Today is the birthday of the great Romanian poet of light, Lucian Blaga (May 9, 1895 - 1961). From his 1919 debut volume of poetry Poemele luminii - the ‘title’ poem: The Light . The light I feel streaming in my breast when I see  you, is that not a drop of the light created on the first day, that light which thirsts for life? . Nothingness lay dying, as the impenetrable one, hovering alone in the dark, gave a sign: Let there be light! . An ocean and a raging storm of light arose in an instant: a thirst for sins, desires, longings, passions a thirst for light and sun. . But where did it go, that blinding first light – who knows? The light I feel streaming in my breast when I see you – wondrous one, may be the last drop of the light made on that first day. (my translation - original here…)(Visit Lumpy Pudding for another Blaga poem, Quietude)

Today is the birthday of the great Romanian poet of light, Lucian Blaga (May 9, 1895 - 1961). From his 1919 debut volume of poetry Poemele luminii - the ‘title’ poem:

The Light

.

The light I feel

streaming in my breast when I see  you,

is that not a drop of the light

created on the first day,

that light which thirsts for life?

.

Nothingness lay dying,

as the impenetrable one, hovering alone in the dark,

gave a sign:

Let there be light!

.

An ocean

and a raging storm of light

arose in an instant:

a thirst for sins, desires, longings, passions

a thirst for light and sun.

.

But where did it go, that blinding

first light – who knows?

The light I feel

streaming in my breast when I see you – wondrous one,

may be the last drop

of the light made on that first day.

(my translation - original here…)(Visit Lumpy Pudding for another Blaga poem, Quietude)

In 1954 Charles Simic (b. May 9, 1938) came to the United States, using the passport depicted above. He taught himself English, mainly by hanging out in public libraries, working odd jobs to survive… In 1990 he won the Pulitzer for his prose poems The World Doesn’t End and in 2007 he was appointed the Poet Laureate of the US… A poem from Hotel Insomnia, 1991: Country Fair by Charles Simic If you didn’t see the six-legged dog,It doesn’t matter.We did, and he mostly lay in the corner.As for the extra legs,One got used to them quicklyAnd thought of other things.Like, what a cold, dark nightTo be out at the fair.Then the keeper threw a stickAnd the dog went after itOn four legs, the other two flapping behind,Which made one girl shriek with laughter.She was drunk and so was the manWho kept kissing her neck.The dog got the stick and looked back at us.And that was the whole show. Hop on over to Lumpy Pudding to read another Simic poem…

In 1954 Charles Simic (b. May 9, 1938) came to the United States, using the passport depicted above. He taught himself English, mainly by hanging out in public libraries, working odd jobs to survive…

In 1990 he won the Pulitzer for his prose poems The World Doesn’t End and in 2007 he was appointed the Poet Laureate of the US…

A poem from Hotel Insomnia, 1991:

Country Fair by Charles Simic

If you didn’t see the six-legged dog,
It doesn’t matter.
We did, and he mostly lay in the corner.
As for the extra legs,

One got used to them quickly
And thought of other things.
Like, what a cold, dark night
To be out at the fair.

Then the keeper threw a stick
And the dog went after it
On four legs, the other two flapping behind,
Which made one girl shriek with laughter.

She was drunk and so was the man
Who kept kissing her neck.
The dog got the stick and looked back at us.
And that was the whole show.

Hop on over to Lumpy Pudding to read another Simic poem…

One of the previous Poet Laureates of the US, who sank virtually without a trace (not least because President Clinton preferred to use Maya Angelou at his inauguration…) is Mona Van Duyn (May 9, 1921 - 2004)… It is worth reading Andrea Carter Brown’s remembrance and appraisal of Van Duyn’s quiet poetical practice from Poetry Quarterly: “Coming on the heels of her 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Near Changes, though, and having won every other major poetry prize, including the National Book Award, the Bollingen Prize, and the Ruth Lilly Award, the appointment was warranted and, some would argue, overdue. Yet it was not to be a happy match, as anyone familiar with her Midwestern shyness and the complex, sometimes brutal, honesty of her poetry might have anticipated. Unlike most of the more recent Poet Laureates, who seem to take easily to their position as “the nation’s official lightening rod for the poetic impulse of Americans” (taken from the official job description on the Library’s website), Van Duyn was extremely uncomfortable in this, as in any public role. In fact, it is difficult to find any mention of Van Duyn’s activities as Poet Laureate.” A poem: Earth Tremors Felt in Missouri by Mona Van Duyn The quake last night was nothing personal,you told me this morning. I think one always wonders,unless, of course, something is visible: tremorsthat take us, private and willy-nilly, are usual.But the earth said last night that what I feel, you feel; what secretly moves you, moves me.One small, sensuous catastrophemakes inklings letters, spelled in a worldly tremble.The earth, with others on it, turns in its courseas we turn toward each other, less than ourselves, gross,mindless, more than we were. Pebbles, we swellto planets, nearing the universal roll,in our conceit even comprehending the sun,whose bright ordeal leaves cool men woebegone.

One of the previous Poet Laureates of the US, who sank virtually without a trace (not least because President Clinton preferred to use Maya Angelou at his inauguration…) is Mona Van Duyn (May 9, 1921 - 2004)…

It is worth reading Andrea Carter Brown’s remembrance and appraisal of Van Duyn’s quiet poetical practice from Poetry Quarterly:

“Coming on the heels of her 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Near Changes, though, and having won every other major poetry prize, including the National Book Award, the Bollingen Prize, and the Ruth Lilly Award, the appointment was warranted and, some would argue, overdue. Yet it was not to be a happy match, as anyone familiar with her Midwestern shyness and the complex, sometimes brutal, honesty of her poetry might have anticipated. Unlike most of the more recent Poet Laureates, who seem to take easily to their position as “the nation’s official lightening rod for the poetic impulse of Americans” (taken from the official job description on the Library’s website), Van Duyn was extremely uncomfortable in this, as in any public role. In fact, it is difficult to find any mention of Van Duyn’s activities as Poet Laureate.”

A poem:

Earth Tremors Felt in Missouri by Mona Van Duyn

The quake last night was nothing personal,
you told me this morning. I think one always wonders,
unless, of course, something is visible: tremors
that take us, private and willy-nilly, are usual.

But the earth said last night that what I feel,
you feel; what secretly moves you, moves me.
One small, sensuous catastrophe
makes inklings letters, spelled in a worldly tremble.

The earth, with others on it, turns in its course
as we turn toward each other, less than ourselves, gross,
mindless, more than we were. Pebbles, we swell
to planets, nearing the universal roll,
in our conceit even comprehending the sun,
whose bright ordeal leaves cool men woebegone.

Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset was born May 9, 1883 (d. 1955). He is perhaps the most influential and widely read Spanish philosopher of the 20th Century, having influenced other European existentialists, including Heidegger… “With a philosophical system that centered around life, Ortega y Gasset also stepped out of Descartes’ cogito ergo sum and asserted “I live therefore I think”. This stood at the root of his Nietzsche-inspired perspectivism, which he developed by adding a non-relativistic character in which absolute truth does exist and would be obtained by the sum of all perspectives of all lives, since for each human being life takes a concrete form and life itself is a true radical reality from which any philosophical system must derive. In this sense, Ortega coined the terms “razón vital” (“vital reason” or “reason with life as its foundation”) to refer to a new type of reason that constantly defends the life from which it has surged and “raciovitalismo”, a theory that based knowledge in the radical reality of life, one of whose essential components is reason itself. This system of thought, which he introduces in History as System, escaped from Nietzsche’s vitalism in which life responded to impulses; for Ortega, reason is crucial to create and develop the above-mentioned project of life.” (Wiki) “Biography - a system in which the contradictions of a human life are unified.” “I am I plus my circumstances.” “Life is a series of collisions with the future; it is not the sum of what we have been, but what we yearn to be.” “Love is that splendid triggering of human vitality the supreme activity which nature affords anyone for going out of himself toward someone else.”

Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset was born May 9, 1883 (d. 1955). He is perhaps the most influential and widely read Spanish philosopher of the 20th Century, having influenced other European existentialists, including Heidegger…

“With a philosophical system that centered around life, Ortega y Gasset also stepped out of Descartes’ cogito ergo sum and asserted “I live therefore I think”. This stood at the root of his Nietzsche-inspired perspectivism, which he developed by adding a non-relativistic character in which absolute truth does exist and would be obtained by the sum of all perspectives of all lives, since for each human being life takes a concrete form and life itself is a true radical reality from which any philosophical system must derive. In this sense, Ortega coined the terms “razón vital” (“vital reason” or “reason with life as its foundation”) to refer to a new type of reason that constantly defends the life from which it has surged and “raciovitalismo”, a theory that based knowledge in the radical reality of life, one of whose essential components is reason itself. This system of thought, which he introduces in History as System, escaped from Nietzsche’s vitalism in which life responded to impulses; for Ortega, reason is crucial to create and develop the above-mentioned project of life.” (Wiki)

“Biography - a system in which the contradictions of a human life are unified.”

“I am I plus my circumstances.”

“Life is a series of collisions with the future; it is not the sum of what we have been, but what we yearn to be.”

“Love is that splendid triggering of human vitality the supreme activity which nature affords anyone for going out of himself toward someone else.”

We close the literary stream for today with two British fantasists… J.M. Barrie was a Scottish dramatist and prose writer, b. May 9, 1860 - d. 1937… His fame rests almost solely on the story and characters he invented to please the Llewellyn Davies children with whom he was very friendly (and informally adopted when they became orphans): “Peter Pan: or, The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy are the stage play and novel (respectively) which tell the story of Peter Pan, a mischievous little boy who can fly, and his adventures on the island of Neverland with Wendy Darling and her brothers, the fairy Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys, the Indian princess Tiger Lily, and the pirate Captain Hook.” (Wiki) Photo of Barrie and his St. Bernard, Porthos, 1904

We close the literary stream for today with two British fantasists…

J.M. Barrie was a Scottish dramatist and prose writer, b. May 9, 1860 - d. 1937… His fame rests almost solely on the story and characters he invented to please the Llewellyn Davies children with whom he was very friendly (and informally adopted when they became orphans):

“Peter Pan: or, The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and Peter and Wendy are the stage play and novel (respectively) which tell the story of Peter Pan, a mischievous little boy who can fly, and his adventures on the island of Neverland with Wendy Darling and her brothers, the fairy Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys, the Indian princess Tiger Lily, and the pirate Captain Hook.” (Wiki)

Photo of Barrie and his St. Bernard, Porthos, 1904

Richard Adams, who turns 89 today, became extremely popular among children, animal lovers and other fantasy aficionados when he published Watership Down (a story of life, love and epic power struggles among talking, thinking rabbits) in 1972. Again the story originated as a tale told to children, in this case Adams’ two daughters. He followed that one up with Shardik (bears) and The Plague Dogs (you guessed it…) within the next five years…

Richard Adams, who turns 89 today, became extremely popular among children, animal lovers and other fantasy aficionados when he published Watership Down (a story of life, love and epic power struggles among talking, thinking rabbits) in 1972. Again the story originated as a tale told to children, in this case Adams’ two daughters. He followed that one up with Shardik (bears) and The Plague Dogs (you guessed it…) within the next five years…

In music, it is the birthday of Swedish mezzo, Anne-Sofie Von Otter (54 today!), who performs a fiery orchestrated version of Schubert’s Lied, Der Erlkönig (Claudio Abbado conducts the Chamber Orchestra of Europe) below… Click for high-res photo

In music, it is the birthday of Swedish mezzo, Anne-Sofie Von Otter (54 today!), who performs a fiery orchestrated version of Schubert’s Lied, Der Erlkönig (Claudio Abbado conducts the Chamber Orchestra of Europe) below…

Dave Prater sure was a Soul Man… The deeper half of R&B and Stax soul legends Sam & Dave, Prater (May 9, 1937 - 1988, car accident) provided the anchorage for Sam Moore’s wild intensity. The duo was among the most energetic music acts of the 1960s, and their hits such as Soul Man, “Hold On, I’m Coming”, “I Thank You”, a.m.o. are among the most durable soul classics… Above: Sam on the left, Dave on the right Below: Vintage live TV - Soothe Me… Click for high-res photo

Dave Prater sure was a Soul Man…

The deeper half of R&B and Stax soul legends Sam & Dave, Prater (May 9, 1937 - 1988, car accident) provided the anchorage for Sam Moore’s wild intensity. The duo was among the most energetic music acts of the 1960s, and their hits such as Soul Man, “Hold On, I’m Coming”, “I Thank You”, a.m.o. are among the most durable soul classics…

Above: Sam on the left, Dave on the right

Below: Vintage live TV - Soothe Me…

Sacha Kolin (May 9, 1911 - 1981): Untitled, 1955 - watercolor on paper (Smithsonian) “Sacha was born in Paris May 9, 1911 to Malwina Slobodianiuk and Julius Kolin, a mechanical engineering student at Vienna’s Technische Universität. Julius was in Paris at the time to test his airplane propeller designs at the Laboratoire du Champ-de-Mars under Gustave Eiffel’s supervision. Sacha grew up in Vienna and studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule (Innenarchitektur with Oskar Strnad) and the Academy of Fine Arts (sculpture and drawing). She was one of few women to exhibit in the annuals of the Secession and the Künstlerhaus.In 1933, Sacha returned to Paris to study in the atelier of Naum Aronson, formerly a stonecarver for Auguste Rodin. Her sculptures were then traditional expressive busts of men, women, and children, and likened to those of Charles Despiau. In her drawings, she endeavored to apply Rodin’s method of preserving spontaneity, the first impression, with well-formed figuration. This facility for spare yet full gestural drawing, saying the most with the least, is a hallmark of Kolin’s graphic work. She exhibited at several annual Paris Salons and in 1935, was elected Societaire, the youngest full member, of the Nationale Societe des Beaux Arts.In December 1936, Sacha, age 25, and her parents immigrated to the United States and settled in New York City. Three months later, the artist held her first one-person exhibition “Modern Sculptures and Sketches” at Rockefeller Center’s P.E.D.A.C. Galleries. At the 1940 New York World’s Fair, she was one of 42 émigré artists among Josef Albers, Werner Drewes, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and Amédée Ozenfant, represented in “New Americans of Friendship House.”From the 1940s, Sacha was inspired by American Indian lore and iconography. She began to incorporate native dance imagery and create flat-plane abstract compositions in a native palette. In the 1950s, she hosted a color workshop in her New York studio with Bauhaus-trained Hannes Beckmann and developed further in a non-objective style.” - from an essay by Lisa Thaler © LISA THALER 2008 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (info@sachakolin.com) (read more at the Sacha Kolin artist web site) Click for high-res photo

Sacha Kolin (May 9, 1911 - 1981): Untitled, 1955 - watercolor on paper (Smithsonian)

“Sacha was born in Paris May 9, 1911 to Malwina Slobodianiuk and Julius Kolin, a mechanical engineering student at Vienna’s Technische Universität. Julius was in Paris at the time to test his airplane propeller designs at the Laboratoire du Champ-de-Mars under Gustave Eiffel’s supervision. Sacha grew up in Vienna and studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule (Innenarchitektur with Oskar Strnad) and the Academy of Fine Arts (sculpture and drawing). She was one of few women to exhibit in the annuals of the Secession and the Künstlerhaus.

In 1933, Sacha returned to Paris to study in the atelier of Naum Aronson, formerly a stonecarver for Auguste Rodin. Her sculptures were then traditional expressive busts of men, women, and children, and likened to those of Charles Despiau. In her drawings, she endeavored to apply Rodin’s method of preserving spontaneity, the first impression, with well-formed figuration. This facility for spare yet full gestural drawing, saying the most with the least, is a hallmark of Kolin’s graphic work. She exhibited at several annual Paris Salons and in 1935, was elected Societaire, the youngest full member, of the Nationale Societe des Beaux Arts.

In December 1936, Sacha, age 25, and her parents immigrated to the United States and settled in New York City. Three months later, the artist held her first one-person exhibition “Modern Sculptures and Sketches” at Rockefeller Center’s P.E.D.A.C. Galleries. At the 1940 New York World’s Fair, she was one of 42 émigré artists among Josef Albers, Werner Drewes, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and Amédée Ozenfant, represented in “New Americans of Friendship House.”

From the 1940s, Sacha was inspired by American Indian lore and iconography. She began to incorporate native dance imagery and create flat-plane abstract compositions in a native palette. In the 1950s, she hosted a color workshop in her New York studio with Bauhaus-trained Hannes Beckmann and developed further in a non-objective style.” - from an essay by Lisa Thaler

© LISA THALER 2008 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (info@sachakolin.com) (read more at the Sacha Kolin artist web site)

Gregorio Marzan (1906 - 1997): Statue of Liberty, 1989 - mixed media: plaster, fabric, glue, light bulb, Elmer’s Glue caps, and wig (Smithsonian) “Like many immigrants to the United States, Gregorio Marzan considered the Statue of Liberty an important symbol of freedom. He created many versions of the statue and in this piece portrayed Lady Liberty in heavy make-up and gaudy clothing. Marzan’s use of found objects, including the glue caps in the crown, relates to the Latin American tradition of creating personal shrines and totems from everyday objects.” (Exhibition label) Click for high-res photo

Gregorio Marzan (1906 - 1997): Statue of Liberty, 1989 - mixed media: plaster, fabric, glue, light bulb, Elmer’s Glue caps, and wig (Smithsonian)

“Like many immigrants to the United States, Gregorio Marzan considered the Statue of Liberty an important symbol of freedom. He created many versions of the statue and in this piece portrayed Lady Liberty in heavy make-up and gaudy clothing. Marzan’s use of found objects, including the glue caps in the crown, relates to the Latin American tradition of creating personal shrines and totems from everyday objects.” (Exhibition label)

Ralph Goings (b. May 9, 1928): Alex in the Sun, 1968 - oil on canvas Bio: “Ralph Goings is a realist painter who has exhibited in this country, Europe and Japan and is represented in museums and private collections here and abroad. He is recognized as one of the original members of the Hyper-Realist or Photo-Realist group of the late 1960’s. This website is an overview of Goings work of the last forty years. It offers a sampling of early work from the 1960’s and then, beginning with the pickup series, surveys the fast-food eateries, diner interiors and counter-top still life paintings of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.He has drawn our attention to the ordinary everyday experience of American life… showing that there is beauty in the mundane. All works shown are in private collections or collection of the artist.” Artist’s statement: “My paintings are about light, about the way things look in their environment and especially about how things look painted. Form, color and space are at the whim of reality, their discovery and organization is the assignment of the realist painter.” - Ralph Goings, 1978 (Source - artist’s website) Click for high-res photo

Ralph Goings (b. May 9, 1928): Alex in the Sun, 1968 - oil on canvas

Bio: “Ralph Goings is a realist painter who has exhibited in this country, Europe and Japan and is represented in museums and private collections here and abroad. He is recognized as one of the original members of the Hyper-Realist or Photo-Realist group of the late 1960’s.

This website is an overview of Goings work of the last forty years. It offers a sampling of early work from the 1960’s and then, beginning with the pickup series, surveys the fast-food eateries, diner interiors and counter-top still life paintings of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.
He has drawn our attention to the ordinary everyday experience of American life… showing that there is beauty in the mundane.

All works shown are in private collections or collection of the artist.”

Artist’s statement: “My paintings are about light, about the way things look in their environment and especially about how things look painted.
Form, color and space are at the whim of reality, their discovery and organization is the assignment of the realist painter.” - Ralph Goings, 1978

(Source - artist’s website)

George Davidson (May 9, 1825 - 1911): Coast and Geodetic Survey Station on Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland, n.d - albumen print on paper mounted on paperboard (Smithsonian) Bio: “Davidson was a pioneer scientist and surveyor on the west coast, who spent most of the 61 years from 1850 to 1911, in service to the citizens of California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. He was born in Nottingham, England, May 9, 1825, and emigrated with his parents to the United States in 1832. In 1846 Davidson served on the Gulf Coast as an aid in the company of Assistant Robert Fauntleroy. Fauntleroy befriended Davidson and taught him the techniques of geodesy in the field. During the winter months, he took him to his home in New Harmony, Indiana, a colony of intellectuals and social experimenters seeking a utopian society. Here Davidson met his future wife, Ellinor Fauntleroy, although they did not marry until 1858. George Davidson’s greatest works were on the Pacific Coast where he began work in 1850. His early work was concerned with the establishment of accurate latitude and longitude for the prominent points along the coast. He began with Point Conception, thence Point Pinos near Monterey, down to San Diego, and then up to Cape Disappointment at the mouth of the Columbia River. In July 1851, Davidson and his crew proceeded to Neah Bay at the entrance to the Straits of Juan de Fuca.” (More…) Click for high-res photo

George Davidson (May 9, 1825 - 1911): Coast and Geodetic Survey Station on Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland, n.d - albumen print on paper mounted on paperboard (Smithsonian)

Bio: “Davidson was a pioneer scientist and surveyor on the west coast, who spent most of the 61 years from 1850 to 1911, in service to the citizens of California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. He was born in Nottingham, England, May 9, 1825, and emigrated with his parents to the United States in 1832.

In 1846 Davidson served on the Gulf Coast as an aid in the company of Assistant Robert Fauntleroy. Fauntleroy befriended Davidson and taught him the techniques of geodesy in the field. During the winter months, he took him to his home in New Harmony, Indiana, a colony of intellectuals and social experimenters seeking a utopian society. Here Davidson met his future wife, Ellinor Fauntleroy, although they did not marry until 1858.

George Davidson’s greatest works were on the Pacific Coast where he began work in 1850. His early work was concerned with the establishment of accurate latitude and longitude for the prominent points along the coast. He began with Point Conception, thence Point Pinos near Monterey, down to San Diego, and then up to Cape Disappointment at the mouth of the Columbia River. In July 1851, Davidson and his crew proceeded to Neah Bay at the entrance to the Straits of Juan de Fuca.” (More…)