Jean-Leon Gerome (1824-1904)
You know it wasn't the way he thought the night would end.
Detail, "Duel After a Masked Ball." 1857, L'Hermitage, St. Petersburg.
Like so many of us who think we know better, the French painter Gerome resisted the counter-revolutionary movement of his time. In his case, it was Impressionism, begun by Monet and Manet. In his defense, he brought the French Neo-Classical or "Empire" tradition to its artistic climax.
You bring anything to a climax, you deserve some credit.
And okay, okay, I hear you. What are you driving at, Monsieur 1904? What's with the Mask imagery? What's going on?
Well, an Email arrived yesterday, that's what's going on. And I think, I believe, that except for those of you just tuning in, what follows sums it all up:
Mon ami,
It is so funny things how they work out! Alessandro -- he the one you call the COUNT and she call the Plaintiff? -- mon dieu he is such AMAZING MAN! So fun and smart and not hard in the eyes as you like the saying except Hard everywhere else you know! And his daughter "PAM" -- how can she ever find me and know HOW MUCH her papa Alessandro -- now I call him Sandro -- what Sandro and I have so BIG in common! Merci a vous! You have made us like famille, vraimant. I am feeling so happy parce que maintenant,quand il est entre dans mon corps tous que j'etais cessait d'exister. How do you say? With him now, everything I was does not exist anymore, you know?
Alors, he say my French is "execrable" but his Greek is not better! We are hoping you are well. I do not know when we will be in port again, or how long the cruise it will be, mais PAM doit retourner a l'ecole so we drive to her school in Switzerland after his plane take us to Paris, and then je ne sais pas...
Bisou Bisou,
DIDIER.
As Harold once said to Vita, in the aftermath of an affair gone badly, "How can I think when my heart feels like a peche melba?"
But fear not, Gentle Reader. Upon reflection, I realize it might be just a flesh wound. Read between the lines, my darlings. I don't give up that easy. I tell myself:
Stay strong! Don't die!
Detail, "Duel After a Masked Ball." 1857, L'Hermitage, St. Petersburg.
Like so many of us who think we know better, the French painter Gerome resisted the counter-revolutionary movement of his time. In his case, it was Impressionism, begun by Monet and Manet. In his defense, he brought the French Neo-Classical or "Empire" tradition to its artistic climax.
You bring anything to a climax, you deserve some credit.
And okay, okay, I hear you. What are you driving at, Monsieur 1904? What's with the Mask imagery? What's going on?
Well, an Email arrived yesterday, that's what's going on. And I think, I believe, that except for those of you just tuning in, what follows sums it all up:
Mon ami,
It is so funny things how they work out! Alessandro -- he the one you call the COUNT and she call the Plaintiff? -- mon dieu he is such AMAZING MAN! So fun and smart and not hard in the eyes as you like the saying except Hard everywhere else you know! And his daughter "PAM" -- how can she ever find me and know HOW MUCH her papa Alessandro -- now I call him Sandro -- what Sandro and I have so BIG in common! Merci a vous! You have made us like famille, vraimant. I am feeling so happy parce que maintenant,
Alors, he say my French is "execrable" but his Greek is not better! We are hoping you are well. I do not know when we will be in port again, or how long the cruise it will be, mais PAM doit retourner a l'ecole so we drive to her school in Switzerland after his plane take us to Paris, and then je ne sais pas...
Bisou Bisou,
DIDIER.
As Harold once said to Vita, in the aftermath of an affair gone badly, "How can I think when my heart feels like a peche melba?"
But fear not, Gentle Reader. Upon reflection, I realize it might be just a flesh wound. Read between the lines, my darlings. I don't give up that easy. I tell myself:
Stay strong! Don't die!
Hello George-
T, C and A came down for a visit and told us about your website so I thought I'd drop you a note. Hope all is well for you in LA. We almost moved to Petaluma, but then didn't, after a bit of thought and a case of hives. So we are still here in the big city, albeit in a larger house near the lake, and the neighbors have a pool - hooray!
Oh yes and we have the 2 little kiddos now. Maybe the next time you visit T, C & A we could drive up and visit. Cheers!
Tara
[1904 replies: I love publishing normal comments like this that prove I know people who have kids and neighbors with pools and live near a lake and decide not to move to Petaluma. Love you guys and Cheers back!]