The Blog of Beauty
As I've promised to blog daily here's a post for the morning as we are off early to the sculpture park.
20th August 2008
Today’s my birthday, so as a gift I’ve taken Proust’s famous questionnaire for artists and mixed it up with Sei Shonagon’s Pillow Book lists and one of my treasured second hand books the ‘Book of Beauty.’ Proust goes on a little (and as we writing parents know we are always pushed for time), so I’ve cut it down to a top ten. Sei Shonagon famously listed myriad things she loved (cherry blossom, the fold of a sleeve …) and the dog eared lovely old book I found is basically an uncomplicated appreciation of beautiful things printed in the 1950s – books, poems, photographs reproduced with the simple wish to please the reader. Imagine that. No postmodern deconstruction, arguments, no agenda, just 'here's a bunch of really beautiful stuff - enjoy'. As we talk a lot about books and family, there’s a decided bent towards favourite childhood things – and as Proust pointed out the answers could change from day to day. So with a shake of Julie Andrews – (these are a few of my favourite things) here we go ... If you like the idea, see today’s prompt.
FAVOURITE BOOK
20th August 2008
Today’s my birthday, so as a gift I’ve taken Proust’s famous questionnaire for artists and mixed it up with Sei Shonagon’s Pillow Book lists and one of my treasured second hand books the ‘Book of Beauty.’ Proust goes on a little (and as we writing parents know we are always pushed for time), so I’ve cut it down to a top ten. Sei Shonagon famously listed myriad things she loved (cherry blossom, the fold of a sleeve …) and the dog eared lovely old book I found is basically an uncomplicated appreciation of beautiful things printed in the 1950s – books, poems, photographs reproduced with the simple wish to please the reader. Imagine that. No postmodern deconstruction, arguments, no agenda, just 'here's a bunch of really beautiful stuff - enjoy'. As we talk a lot about books and family, there’s a decided bent towards favourite childhood things – and as Proust pointed out the answers could change from day to day. So with a shake of Julie Andrews – (these are a few of my favourite things) here we go ... If you like the idea, see today’s prompt.
FAVOURITE BOOK
The Little Prince – Antoine de St Exupery. A book from the heart – teaches children everything need to know about human frailty and the redemptive power of love.
FAVOURITE POEM
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
ee cummings
FAVOURITE HERO/INE IN FICTION
FAVOURITE PAINTING or WORK OF ART
Yves Kleinhttp://www.centrepompidou.fr/education/ressources/ENS-klein-EN/ENS-klein-EN.htm#bleu
FAVOURITE MUSIC
Arthur Rubenstein’s recording of Chopin’s Nocturnes, esp No 2
http://www.amazon.com/gp/recsradio/radio/B000031WBV/ref=pd_krex_listen_dp_img?ie=UTF8&refTagSuffix=dp_img
FAVOURITE PHOTO
Where it all began.
FAVOURITE PLACE OR BUILDING
Holkham beach – where I'd love to end up
FAVOURITE PLANT, TREE OR FLOWER
Orange trees – also covers several of favourite smells (neroli, woodsmoke, wild herbs)
FAVOURITE FILM
Tampopo (also covers several of my favourite foods!)
FAVOURITE LINE OR MOTTO:
FAVOURITE PLACE OR BUILDING
Holkham beach – where I'd love to end upFAVOURITE PLANT, TREE OR FLOWER
Orange trees – also covers several of favourite smells (neroli, woodsmoke, wild herbs)
FAVOURITE FILM
Tampopo (also covers several of my favourite foods!)
FAVOURITE LINE OR MOTTO:
"...All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well", Julian of Norwich.
TODAY’S PROMPT: What is your Blog of Beauty? Why not post your top ten out there and pass it on? Or just sit down for ten minutes and map it out for yourself, paste it up somewhere you can see it. Make everyday beautiful.
TODAY’S PROMPT: What is your Blog of Beauty? Why not post your top ten out there and pass it on? Or just sit down for ten minutes and map it out for yourself, paste it up somewhere you can see it. Make everyday beautiful.
