View allAll Photos Tagged synthesizing
Born: February 20, 1988
Rihanna established her dance-pop credentials in summer 2005 with her debut smash hit, "Pon de Replay," and continued to demonstrate hit potential in subsequent years (e.g., "S.O.S." in 2006; "Umbrella" in 2007; "Disturbia" in 2008). However, it was the singer's third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, that made her a full-fledged international pop star with a regular presence atop the charts. Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados, she exhibited a certain star quality as a young child, often winning beauty and talent contests. Because she lived on the fairly remote island of Barbados in the West Indies, however, she never foresaw the sort of stardom that would later befall her.
That stardom came courtesy of a fateful meeting with Evan Rogers. The New Yorker was vacationing in Barbados with his wife, a native of the island, when he was introduced to Rihanna. Rogers had spent years producing pop hits for such superstars as *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Kelly Clarkson, Laura Pausini, and Rod Stewart, and he offered the talented Rihanna a chance to record. Along with Rogers' production partner, Carl Sturken (the other half of Syndicated Rhythm Productions), Rihanna recorded several demos that sparked the interest of the Carter Administration -- that is, the newly appointed Def Jam president Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. This led to an audition, and Rihanna both received and accepted an on-the-spot offer to sign with Def Jam.
Come summer 2005, Def Jam rolled out "Pon de Replay," the lively leadoff single from Music of the Sun. Produced almost entirely by Rogers and Sturken, the song synthesized Caribbean rhythms with urban-pop songwriting. "Pon de Replay" caught fire almost immediately, climbing all the way to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and contesting the half-summer reign of Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" atop the chart. The debut album spawned one other hit, "If It's Lovin' That You Want," which also broke the Top 40. Rihanna's follow-up effort, A Girl Like Me, saw even greater success and spawned three sizable singles: a chart-topper ("S.O.S.") and two Top Ten hits ("Unfaithful," "Break It Off").
Rihanna's third album, 2007's Good Girl Gone Bad, continued her success while signaling a change of direction. Whereas her past two albums had been imbalanced -- often weighed down by faceless balladry and canned Caribbean-isms -- Good Girl Gone Bad was a first-rate dance-pop album, stacked with several chart-topping singles and boasting collaborations with Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Timbaland, and StarGate. The lead single, "Umbrella," shot to number one, as did "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia." Its success turned Rihanna into one of the planet's biggest pop stars.
Rated R was released in 2009 during the wake of a physical altercation with romantic interest Chris Brown, who pleaded guilty to felony assault. The album's lead single, "Russian Roulette" -- written with Ne-Yo -- was one of the year's most controversial singles, and it set the tone for the singer's new, dark direction. Rated R peaked within the Top Five of the Billboard 200, while another one of its singles, "Rude Boy," topped the Hot 100. Rated R: Remixed was released in the spring of 2010 and featured ten tracks from the album revamped for the dancefloor by Chew Fu. Loud, Rihanna's fifth studio album, followed in November and was led by the StarGate-produced "Only Girl (In the World)." Jason Birchmeier, Rovi
Bauhaus: a school of design noted especially for a program that synthesized technology, craftsmanship, and design aesthetics
OM
Auṃ or Oṃ, Sanskrit: ॐ) is a sacred sound and a spiritual icon in Indian religions.[1][2] It is also a mantra in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.[3][4]
Om is part of the iconography found in ancient and medieval era manuscripts, temples, monasteries and spiritual retreats in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.[5][6] The symbol has a spiritual meaning in all Indian dharmas, but the meaning and connotations of Om vary between the diverse schools within and across the various traditions.
In Hinduism, Om is one of the most important spiritual symbols (pratima).[7][8] It refers to Atman (soul, self within) andBrahman (ultimate reality, entirety of the universe, truth, divine, supreme spirit, cosmic principles, knowledge).[9][10][11] The syllable is often found at the beginning and the end of chapters in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and other Hindu texts. It is a sacred spiritual incantation made before and during the recitation of spiritual texts, during puja and private prayers, in ceremonies of rites of passages (sanskara) such as weddings, and sometimes during meditative and spiritual activities such as Yoga.
Vedic literature
The syllable "Om" is described with various meanings in the Vedas and different early Upanishads.[19] The meanings include "the sacred sound, the Yes!, the Vedas, the Udgitha (song of the universe), the infinite, the all encompassing, the whole world, the truth, the ultimate reality, the finest essence, the cause of the Universe, the essence of life, theBrahman, the Atman, the vehicle of deepest knowledge, and Self-knowledge".
Vedas
The chapters in Vedas, and numerous hymns, chants and benedictions therein use the syllable Om. The Gayatri mantra from the Rig Veda, for example, begins with Om. The mantra is extracted from the 10th verse of Hymn 62 in Book III of the Rig Veda.These recitations continue to be in use, and major incantations and ceremonial functions begin and end with Om.
ॐ भूर्भुवस्व: |
तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यम् |
भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि |
धियो यो न: प्रचोदयात् ||
Om. Earth, atmosphere, heaven.
Let us think on that desirable splendour
of Savitr, the Inspirer. May he stimulate
us to insightful thoughts.
Om is a common symbol found in the ancient texts of Hinduism, such as in the first line of Rig veda (top), as well as a icon in temples and spiritual retreats.
The Chandogya Upanishad is one of the oldest Upanishads of Hinduism. It opens with the recommendation that "let a man meditate on Om".[26] It calls the syllable Om as udgitha (उद्गीथ, song, chant), and asserts that the significance of the syllable is thus: the essence of all beings is earth, the essence of earth is water, the essence of water are the plants, the essence of plants is man, the essence of man is speech, the essence of speech is the Rig Veda, the essence of the Rig Veda is the Sama Veda, and the essence of Sama Veda is the udgitha (song, Om).[27]
Rik (ऋच्, Ṛc) is speech, states the text, and Sāman (सामन्) is breath; they are pairs, and because they have love and desire for each other, speech and breath find themselves together and mate to produce song.[26][27] The highest song is Om, asserts section 1.1 of Chandogya Upanishad. It is the symbol of awe, of reverence, of threefold knowledge because Adhvaryu invokes it, the Hotr recites it, and Udgatr sings it.[27][28]
The second volume of the first chapter continues its discussion of syllable Om, explaining its use as a struggle between Devas (gods) and Asuras (demons).[29] Max Muller states that this struggle between gods and demons is considered allegorical by ancient Indian scholars, as good and evil inclinations within man, respectively.[30] The legend in section 1.2 of Chandogya Upanishad states that gods took the Udgitha (song of Om) unto themselves, thinking, "with this [song] we shall overcome the demons".[31] The syllable Om is thus implied as that which inspires the good inclinations within each person.[30][31]
Chandogya Upanishad's exposition of syllable Om in its opening chapter combines etymological speculations, symbolism, metric structure and philosophical themes.[28][32] In the second chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad, the meaning and significance of Om evolves into a philosophical discourse, such as in section 2.10 where Om is linked to the Highest Self,[33] and section 2.23 where the text asserts Om is the essence of three forms of knowledge, Om is Brahman and "Om is all this [observed world]".[34]
Katha Upanishad
The Katha Upanishad is the legendary story of a little boy, Nachiketa – the son of sage Vajasravasa, who meetsYama – the Indian deity of death. Their conversation evolves to a discussion of the nature of man, knowledge,Atman (Soul, Self) and moksha (liberation).[35] In section 1.2, Katha Upanishad characterizes Knowledge/Wisdom as the pursuit of good, and Ignorance/Delusion as the pursuit of pleasant,[36] that the essence of Veda is make man liberated and free, look past what has happened and what has not happened, free from the past and the future, beyond good and evil, and one word for this essence is the word Om.[37]
The word which all the Vedas proclaim,
That which is expressed in every Tapas (penance, austerity, meditation),
That for which they live the life of a Brahmacharin,
Understand that word in its essence: Om! that is the word.
Yes, this syllable is Brahman,
This syllable is the highest.
He who knows that syllable,
Whatever he desires, is his.
— Katha Upanishad,
Maitri Upanishad
The Maitrayaniya Upanishad in sixth Prapathakas (lesson) discusses the meaning and significance of Om. The text asserts that Om represents Brahman-Atman. The three roots of the syllable, states the Maitri Upanishad, are A + U + M.[39] The sound is the body of Soul, and it repeatedly manifests in three: as gender-endowed body - feminine, masculine, neuter; as light-endowed body - Agni, Vayu and Aditya; as deity-endowed body - Brahma, Rudra[40] and Vishnu; as mouth-endowed body - Garhapatya, Dakshinagni and Ahavaniya;[41] as knowledge-endowed body - Rig, Saman and Yajur;[42] as world-endowed body - Bhūr, Bhuvaḥ and Svaḥ; as time-endowed body - Past, Present and Future; as heat-endowed body - Breath, Fire and Sun; as growth-endowed body - Food, Water and Moon; as thought-endowed body - intellect, mind and pysche.[39][43] Brahman exists in two forms - the material form, and the immaterial formless.[44] The material form is changing, unreal. The immaterial formless isn't changing, real. The immortal formless is truth, the truth is the Brahman, the Brahman is the light, the light is the Sun which is the syllable Om as the Self.[45][46]
The world is Om, its light is Sun, and the Sun is also the light of the syllable Om, asserts the Upanishad. Meditating on Om, is acknowledging and meditating on the Brahman-Atman (Soul, Self).[39]
Mundaka Upanishad[edit source]
The Mundaka Upanishad in the second Mundakam (part), suggests the means to knowing the Self and the Brahman to be meditation, self-reflection and introspection, that can be aided by the symbol Om.[47][48]
That which is flaming, which is subtler than the subtle,
on which the worlds are set, and their inhabitants –
That is the indestructible Brahman.[49]
It is life, it is speech, it is mind. That is the real. It is immortal.
It is a mark to be penetrated. Penetrate It, my friend.
Taking as a bow the great weapon of the Upanishad,
one should put upon it an arrow sharpened by meditation,
Stretching it with a thought directed to the essence of That,
Penetrate[50] that Imperishable as the mark, my friend.
Om is the bow, the arrow is the Soul, Brahman the mark,
By the undistracted man is It to be penetrated,
One should come to be in It,
as the arrow becomes one with the mark.
— Mundaka Upanishad, 2.2.2 - 2.2.4[51][52]
Adi Shankara, in his review of the Mundaka Upanishad, states Om as a symbolism for Atman (soul, self).[53]
Mandukya Upanishad
The Mandukya Upanishad opens by declaring, "Om!, this syllable is this whole world".[54] Thereafter it presents various explanations and theories on what it means and signifies.[55] This discussion is built on a structure of "four fourths" or "fourfold", derived from A + U + M + "silence" (or without an element).[54][55]
Aum as all states of time
In verse 1, the Upanishad states that time is threefold: the past, the present and the future, that these three are "Aum". The four fourth of time is that which transcends time, that too is "Aum" expressed.[55]
Aum as all states of Atman
In verse 2, states the Upanishad, everything is Brahman, but Brahman is Atman (the Soul, Self), and that the Atman is fourfold.[54] Johnston summarizes these four states of Self, respectively, as seeking the physical, seeking inner thought, seeking the causes and spiritual consciousness, and the fourth state is realizing oneness with the Self, the Eternal.[56]
Aum as all states of consciousness
In verses 3 to 6, the Mandukya Upanishad enumerates four states of consciousness: wakeful, dream, deep sleep and the state of ekatma (being one with Self, the oneness of Self).[55] These four are A + U + M + "without an element" respectively.[55]
Aum as all of knowledge
In verses 9 to 12, the Mandukya Upanishad enumerates fourfold etymological roots of the syllable "Aum". It states that the first element of "Aum" is A, which is from Apti (obtaining, reaching) or from Adimatva (being first).[54] The second element is U, which is from Utkarsa (exaltation) or from Ubhayatva(intermediateness).[55] The third element is M, from Miti (erecting, constructing) or from Mi Minati, or apīti (annihilation).[54] The fourth is without an element, without development, beyond the expanse of universe. In this way, states the Upanishad, the syllable Om is indeed the Atman (the self).[54][55]
Shvetashvatara Upanishad
The Shvetashvatara Upanishad, in verses 1.14 to 1.16, suggests meditating with the help of syllable Om, where one's perishable body is like one fuel-stick and the syllable Om is the second fuel-stick, which with discipline and diligent rubbing of the sticks unleashes the concealed fire of thought and awareness within. Such knowledge, asserts the Upanishad, is the goal of Upanishads.[57][58] The text asserts that Om is a tool of meditation empowering one to know the God within oneself, to realize one's Atman (Soul, Self).[59]
Epics[edit source]
The Bhagavad Gita, in the Epic Mahabharata, mentions the meaning and significance of Om in several verses. For example, Fowler notes that verse 9.17 of the Bhagavad Gita synthesizes the competing dualistic and monist streams of thought in Hinduism, by using "Om which is the symbol for the indescribable, impersonal Brahman".[60]
I am the Father of this world, Mother, Ordainer, Grandfather, the Thing to be known, the Purifier, the syllable Om, Rik, Saman and also Yajus.
— Krishna to Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita 9.17, [60]
The significance of the sacred syllable in the Hindu traditions, is similarly highlighted in various of its verses, such as verse 17.24 where the importance of Omduring prayers, charity and meditative practices is explained as follows,[61]
Therefore, uttering Om, the acts of yajna (fire ritual), dāna (charity) and tapas (austerity) as enjoined in the scriptures, are always begun by those who study the Brahman.
— Bhagavad Gita
Yoga Sutra
The aphoristic verse 1.27 of Pantanjali's Yogasutra links Om to Yoga practice, as follows,
तस्य वाचकः प्रणवः ॥२७॥
His word is Om.
— Yogasutra 1.27,
Johnston states this verse highlights the importance of Om in the meditative practice of Yoga, where it symbolizes three worlds in the Soul; the three times – past, present and future eternity, the three divine powers – creation, preservation and transformation in one Being; and three essences in one Spirit – immortality, omniscience and joy. It is, asserts Johnston, a symbol for the perfected Spiritual Man (his emphasis).
Body Painting At the Feb 18th Talking Fountain Galleries Attach Exponentially art show opening.
Lloyd-Thrap-Creative-Photography
Model: Briteny King.
Body Paint: Kayla Mansfield.
© 2011 Lloyd Thrap Photography for Halo Media Group
All works subject to applicable copyright laws. This intellectual property MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED except by normal viewing process of the browser. The intellectual property may not be copied to another computer, transmitted , published, reproduced, stored, manipulated, projected, or altered in any way, including without limitation any digitization or synthesizing of the images, alone or with any other material, by use of computer or other electronic means or any other method or means now or hereafter known, without the written permission of Lloyd Thrap and payment of a fee or arrangement thereof.
No images are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.
Park County, WY.
Synthesized IRG-->RGB cross-sampled image from a single exposure. Converted camera, Tiffen #12 filter. Worked up in Pixelbender and Photoshop.
Green Man (better known as Vertuminus).
"After seven months and nine sessions, He is fully alive and laughing merrily. I am amazed and blown away by how beautiful He is. I am so happy and so proud to bear this beautiful, beautiful piece on my body.....I feel like a walking work of art! I sing the praises of Jespah's talent and amazingness. I just can't believe how it looks. Never in my wildest imaginings could I have thought it would look like this. He is so alive, you can almost hear His deep rumbling laughter and the sound of His leaves rustling in the breeze."
~Jaimie
Ink by: Jespah
© 2007 Photo's by Lloyd Thrap for Halo Media Group
www.flickr.com/groups/790123@N20/
© 2010 2018 Lloyd Thrap Photography for Halo Media Group
All works subject to applicable copyright laws. This intellectual property MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED except by normal viewing process of the browser. The intellectual property may not be copied to another computer, transmitted , published, reproduced, stored, manipulated, projected, or altered in any way, including without limitation any digitization or synthesizing of the images, alone or with any other material, by use of computer or other electronic means or any other method or means now or hereafter known, without the written permission of Lloyd Thrap and payment of a fee or arrangement thereof.
No images are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.
Oil on canvas; 131 × 162 cm.
Roger de La Fresnaye was a French painter who synthesized lyrical color with the geometric simplifications of Cubism. From 1903 to 1909 he studied at the Académie Julian, the École des Beaux-Arts, and the Ranson Academy in Paris. In his early work he was influenced by the Symbolist paintings of Maurice Denis (who was his teacher at the Ranson Academy), but about 1910 he developed an interest in Cubism. From 1912 to 1914 he was a member of the Section d’Or, a Cubist association that met regularly at the studio of the painter Jacques Villon.
Although La Fresnaye incorporated Cubist techniques into his paintings, he retained a naturalistic style, never fully embracing the radical analysis of form employed by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. La Fresnaye’s sensitivity to color gave his Cubism an unorthodox sensuousness. He was influenced by the French painter Robert Delaunay’s Orphist style, a strain of Cubism that emphasized lyricism and color. La Fresnaye employed colorful prismatic shapes reminiscent of Orphism in works such as The Conquest of the Air (1913), but unlike Delaunay’s abstract compositions, La Fresnaye’s images are representational.
After being discharged from the French army in 1918 because he had contracted tuberculosis, La Fresnaye went to the south of France to recover. There he continued to draw and paint in watercolor; he still worked with Cubist techniques, but he increasingly emphasized color and emotion. Although his paintings did much to popularize Cubism and to broaden its influence just before World War I, he later abandoned avant-garde art and became one of France’s most influential advocates of traditional realism. During the last years of his life, he began to paint realistic works such as Portrait of Guynemer (1921–23).
Mostly Ha exposure (assigned to Red..)...moon was out
Trying to show the energetic central area,as seen here;
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101219.html
which is rich in Ha signal...
Some brief Lum?B exposures were used to produce a color image,after a fashion,of the main cigar shaped nebula.
It needs at least 1000-1500mm at f/5-6 to show the details better
Alycia Bell (photo) with Veronica Rinaldi, Kelly Fernandez, Godiva Bleu, Ruben Vail, Rachael Genero and Megan Martyn. THE PARIS A GOGO BURLESQUE VIP SHOW!!! Dec 30th 2011 Photo: Lloyd Thrap Creative Photography.
Lloyd-Thrap-Creative-Photography
© 2012 2018 Lloyd Thrap Photography for Halo Media Group
All works subject to applicable copyright laws. This intellectual property MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED except by normal viewing process of the browser. The intellectual property may not be copied to another computer, transmitted , published, reproduced, stored, manipulated, projected, or altered in any way, including without limitation any digitization or synthesizing of the images, alone or with any other material, by use of computer or other electronic means or any other method or means now or hereafter known, without the written permission of Lloyd Thrap and payment of a fee or arrangement thereof.
No images are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.
Oil on canvas; 60 x 73 cm.
Spanish painter. based in madrid from 1909, he was self-taught and began by copying pictures by diego velázquez and el greco in the prado. he received support from the poet juan ramón jiménez and established links with such young poets and artists as federico garcía lorca, rafael alberti, salvador dalí and luis buñuel. in 1925, when he participated in the artistas ibéricos exhibition (madrid, casón buen retiro), his work consisted of mildly abstracted landscapes and cubist still-lifes. after several lengthy spells in paris between 1926 and 1928, where he met picasso, he held a one-man exhibition at the palacio de bibliotecas y museos in madrid (1928), his unconventional choice of material—including combinations of oils, soil and sand—scandalizing both critics and visitors. his work developed towards abstraction under the influence of joan miró and was marked also by surrealism in an effort to synthesize the iberian spirit with the avant-garde.
Oil on canvas; 140 x 180 cm.
Chen Wenji’s works are synthesized to a very high degree, a formal language of realism and concepts of abstraction have been integrated into one space. The synthesis he demonstrates manifests itself on multiple levels: a synthesis of people and objects, history and symbols, materials and their implications; it also takes as its foundation what Lee Ambrozy calls “duality.” Significantly, Chen Wenji’s works simultaneously display the synthesis of presence and absence.
Taken from “Chen Wenji’s Art and Synthesis” written by Yin Jinan
Off Stage shots of performers at the recent Show & Tell Burlesque Show.
Created By Kelly Fernandez
Performer (photo) Miss Ginger Lee AKA, Kirsten Landeau, Sweetie/Model/Street Team at Duke City Darlins.
Lloyd-Thrap-Creative-Photography
© 2011 2012 Lloyd Thrap Photography for Halo Media Group
All works subject to applicable copyright laws. This intellectual property MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED except by normal viewing process of the browser. The intellectual property may not be copied to another computer, transmitted , published, reproduced, stored, manipulated, projected, or altered in any way, including without limitation any digitization or synthesizing of the images, alone or with any other material, by use of computer or other electronic means or any other method or means now or hereafter known, without the written permission of Lloyd Thrap and payment of a fee or arrangement thereof.
No images are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.
Model: Aliice.
Location: Black Market Goods Gallery. Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
© 2010 2018 Lloyd Thrap Photography for Halo Media Group
All works subject to applicable copyright laws. This intellectual property MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED except by normal viewing process of the browser. The intellectual property may not be copied to another computer, transmitted , published, reproduced, stored, manipulated, projected, or altered in any way, including without limitation any digitization or synthesizing of the images, alone or with any other material, by use of computer or other electronic means or any other method or means now or hereafter known, without the written permission of Lloyd Thrap and payment of a fee or arrangement thereof.
No images are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.
FOV: 7" wide.
This demonstrates the use of Plaster of Paris as a base for synthesizing various phosphors. The Plaster of Paris served to hold the mixtures in place as they were being heated by a MAPP torch.
Contains:
Zinc Silicate (FL Green >UVabc)
Jackolite = CaS in salt (FL Orange >UVabc)
Bolognastonite = BaS:Cu (FL Yellow orange >UVabc)
BaO (?) (FL Blue >UVabc)
ZnS:Cu,Mn (FL Yellow green >UVabc)
Copperlite = NaCl:Cu+ (FL Orange >UVabc)
Unknowns....
Shown under blue LED light, filtered by magenta laser protection goggles.
Key:
WL = White light (halogen + LED)
FL = Fluoresces
PHOS = Phosphorescent
Blue = 450nm,
UVa = 368nm (LW), UVb = 311nm (MW), UVc = 254nm (SW)
'>' = "stimulated by:", '!' = "bright", '~' = "dim"
Series best viewed in Light Box mode using Right and Left arrows to navigate.
Photostream best viewed in Lightbox mode (in the dark).
18 Watt Triple Output UV lamp from Polman Minerals - Way Too Cool UV lamps
This image was synthesized from three RAW files with the HDR processing. The original RAW photos were taken with my SIGMA DP2 Merrill. Please see this image in "View All Sizes", and you will be really surprised by the super resolution of this image.
Leaving the orbit of Altair 4 not everyone is smiling. Based loosely on Shakespeare's The Tempest, this classic sci-fi thriller explores the power of the mind. Creatures from the Id attack a party of spacemen who've come to check up on a reclusive scientist and his daughter. Forbidden Planet was influential on a wide variety of media, and particularly on the subsequent Star Trek TV series, which cribbed a lot of details from the film.
Opening scene
It is late in the 22nd Century. United Planet cruiser C57D a year out from Earth base on the way to Altair for a special mission. Commander J.J Adams (Leslie Neilsen) orders the crew to the deceleration booths as the ship drops from light speed to normal space.
Adams orders pilot Jerry Farman (Jack Kelly) to lay in a course for the fourth planet. The captain then briefs the crew that they are at their destination, and that they are to look for survivors from the Bellerophon expedition 20 years earlier.
As they orbit the planet looking for signs of life, the ship is scanned by a radar facility some 20 square miles in area. Morbius (Walter Pigeon) contacts the ship from the planet asking why the ship is here. Morbius goes on to explain he requires nothing, no rescue is required and he can't guarantee the safety of the ship or its crew.
Adams confirms that Morbius was a member of the original crew, but is puzzled at the cryptic warning Morbius realizes the ship is going to land regardless, and gives the pilot coordinates in a desert region of the planet. The ship lands and security details deploy. Within minutes a high speed dust cloud approaches the ship. Adams realizes it is a vehicle, and as it arrives the driver is discovered to be a robot (Robby). Robby welcomes the crew to Altair 4 and invites members of the crew to Morbious residence.
Adams, Farman and Doc Ostrow (Warren Stevens) arrive at the residence and are greeted by Morbius. They sit down to a meal prepared by Robbys food synthesizer and Morbius shows the visitors Robbys other abilities, including his unwavering obedience. Morbius then gives Robby a blaster with orders to shoot Adams. Robby refuses and goes into a mechanical mind lock, disabling him till the order is changed.
Morbius then shows the men the defense system of the house (A series of steel shutters). When questioned, Morbius admits that the Belleraphon crew is dead, Morbius and his wife being the only original survivors. Morbius's wife has also died, but months after the others and from natural causes. Morbius goes on to explain many of the crew were torn limb from limb by a strange creature or force living on the planet. The Belleraphon herself was destroyed when the final three surviving members tried to take off for Earth.
Adams wonders why this force has remained dormant all these years and never attacked Morbius. As discussions continue, a young woman Altaira (Anne Francis) introduces herself as Morbius daughter. Farman takes an immediate interest in Altaira, and begins to flirt with her . Altaira then shows the men her ability to control wild animals by petting a wild tiger. During this display the ship checks in on the safety of the away party. Adams explains he will need to check in with Earth for further orders and begins preparations for sending a signal. Because of the power needed the ship will be disabled for up to 10 days. Morbius is mortified by this extended period and offers Robby's services in building the communication facility
The next day Robby arrives at ship as the crew unloads the engine to power the transmitter. To lighten the tense moment the commander instructs the crane driver to pick up Cookie (Earl Holliman) and move him out of the way. Quinn interrupts the practical joke to report that the assembly is complete and they can transmit in the morning.
Meanwhile Cookie goes looking for Robby and organizes for the robot to synthesize some bourbon. Robby takes a sample and tells Cookie he can have 60 gallons ready the next morning for him.
Farman continues to court Altair by teaching her how to kiss, and the health benefits of kissing. Adams interrupts the exercise, and is clearly annoyed with a mix of jealous. He then explains to Altair that the clothes she wears are inappropriate around his crew. Altair tries to argue till Adams looses patience and order Altair to leave the area.
That night, Altair, still furious, explains to her father what occurred. Altair takes Adams advice to heart and orders Robby to run up a less revealing dress. Meanwhile back at the ship two security guards think they hear breathing in the darkness but see nothing.
Inside the ship, one of the crew half asleep sees the inner hatch opened and some material moved around. Next morning the Captain holds court on the events of the night before. Quinn advises the captain that most of the missing and damaged equipment can be replaced except for the Clystron monitor. Angry the Capt and Doc go back to Morbius to confront him about what has occurred.
Morbius is unavailable, so the two men settle in to wait. Outside Adams sees Altair swimming and goes to speak to her. Thinking she is naked, Adams becomes flustered and unsettled till he realizes she wants him to see her new dress. Altair asks why Adams wont kiss her like everyone else has. He gives in and plants one on her. Behind them a tiger emerges from the forest and attacks Altair, Adams reacts by shooting it. Altair is badly troubled by the incident, the tiger had been her friend, but she can't understand why acted as if she was an enemy.
Returning to the house, Doc and Adams accidently open Morbius office. They find a series of strange drawings but no sign of Morbius. He appears through a secret door and is outraged at the intrusion. Adams explains the damage done to the ship the previous night and his concern that Morbius was behind the attack.
Morbius admits it is time for explanations. He goes on to tell them about a race of creatures that lived on the planet called the Krell. In the past they had visited Earth, which explains why there are Earth animals on the planet. Morbius believes the Krell civilization collapsed in a single night, right on the verge of their greatest discovery. Today 2000 centuries later, nothing of their cities exists above ground.
Morbius then takes them on a tour of the Krell underground installation. Morbius first shows them a device for projecting their knowledge; he explains how he began to piece together information. Then an education device that projects images formed in the mind. Finally he explains what the Krell were expected to do, and how much lower human intelligence is in comparison.
Doc tries the intelligence tester but is confused when it does not register as high as Morbius. Morbius then explains it can also boost intelligence, and that the captain of the Belleraphon died using it. Morbius himself was badly injured but when he recovered his IQ had doubled.
Adams questions why all the equipment looks brand new. It is explained that all the machines left on the planet are self repairing and Morbius takes them on a tour of the rest of the installation. First they inspect a giant air vent that leads to the core of the planet. There are 400 other such shafts in the area and 9200 thermal reactors spread through the facilities 8000 cubic miles.
Later that night the crew has completed the security arrangements and tests the force field fence. Cookie asks permission to go outside the fence. He meets Robby who gives him the 60 gallons of bourbon. Outside, something hits the fence and shorts it out. The security team checks the breach but finds nothing. A series of foot like depressions begin forming leading to the ship. Something unseen enters the ship. A scream echos through the compound.
Back at the Morbius residence he argues that only he should be allowed to control the flow of Krell technology back to Earth. In the middle of the discussion, Adams is paged and told that the Chief Quinn has been murdered. Adams breaks of his discussions and heads back to the ship.
Later that night Doc finds the footprints and makes a cast. The foot makes no evolutionary sense. It seems to have elements of a four footed and biped creature; also it seems a predator and herbivore. Adams questions Cookie who was with the robot during the test and decides the robot was not responsible.
The next day at the funeral for Chief Morbius again warns him of impending doom facing the ship and crew. Adams considers this a challenge and spends the day fortifying the position around the ship. After testing the weapons and satisfied all that could be done has, the radar station suddenly reports movement in the distance moving slowly towards the ship.
No one sees anything despite the weapons being under radar fire control. The controller confirms a direct hit, but the object is still moving towards the ship. Suddenly something hits the force field fence, and a huge monster appears outlined in the energy flux. The crew open fire, but seem to do little good. A number of men move forward but a quickly killed.
Morbious wakes hearing the screams of Altair. Shes had a dream mimicking the attack that has just occurred. As Morbious is waking the creature in the force field disappears. Doc theories that the creature is made of some sort of energy, renewing itself second by second.
Adams takes Doc in the tractor to visit Morbius intending to evacuate him from the planet. He leaves orders for the ship to be readied for lift off. If he and Doc dont get back, the ship is to leave without them. They also want to try and break into Morbious office and take the brain booster test.
They are met at the door by Robby, who disarms them. Altair appears and countermands the orders given to Robby by her father. Seeing a chance Doc sneaks into the office. Altair argues with Adams about trying to make Morbius return home, she ultimately declares her love for him.
Robby appears carrying the injured Doc. Struggling to speak and heavy pain, Doc explains that the Krell succeeded in their great experiment. However they forgot about the sub conscious monsters they would release. Monsters from the id.
Morbius sees the dead body of Doc, and makes a series of ugly comments. His daughter reminds him that Doc is dead. Morbius lack of care convinces Altair she is better off going with Adams. Morbius tries to talk Adams out of taking Altair.
Adams demands an explanation of the id. Morbius realizes he is the source of the creature killing everyone. The machine the Krell built was able to release his inner beast, the sub conscious monster dwelling deep inside his ancestral mind.
Robby interrupts the debate to report something approaching the house. Morbius triggers the defensive shields of the house, which the creature begins to destroy. Morbius then orders Robby to destroy the creature, however Robby short circuits. Adams explained that it was useless; Robby knew it was Morbius self.
Adams, Altair and Morbius retreat to the Krell lab and sealed themselves in by sealing a special indestructible door. Adams convinces Morbius that he is really the monster, and that Morbius can not actually control his subconscious desires.
The group watch as the creature beings the slow process of burning through the door. Panicked Morbius implores Altair to say it is not so. Suddenly the full realization comes, and he understands that he could endanger or even kill Altair.
As the creature breaks through Morbius rushes forward and denies its existence. Suddenly the creature disappears but Morbius is mortally wounded. With his dying breath he instructs Adams to trigger a self destruct mechanism linked to the reactors of the great machine. The ship and crew have 24 hours to get as far away from the planet as possible
The next day we see the ship deep in space. Robby and Altair are onboard watching as the planet brightens and is destroyed. Adams assures Altair that her fathers memory will shine like a beacon.
Sculpture by Juan Sajid Imao
Unveiled on February 05, 2004
The 40 Foot Brass statue of Lapu-Lapu is gift from Korea Freedom League to the Filipino people.
Standing Guard means Tikas Pahinga
The sword he is holding is called Kampilan.
The Filipino shield is called "Kalasag"
The head piece is called "Putong", a piece of cloth tied around the forehead. Colored red are only worn by Raja / Datu and Warriors who made a kill in the battle.
The colorful embroidered "Putong" are only worn by Datu or Raja.
The Statue of the Sentinel of Freedom walking distance behind Rizal Monument
Brain child project of former Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon
Kwon Jung-dal is the Chairman of Korean Freedom League.
Kwon Jung-dal is a retired Army General
Lapu-Lapu head relief was featured on a obverse side of 1 Centavo Coins of the Philippines that no longer circulated.
No written record for the cause of death of Lapu-lapu
April 27 is Adlaw ni Lapu-Lapu or Philippine National Day of Lapu-Lapu
The wife of Lapu-Lapu is Pricesa Bulaklak (Princcesa Bulakna or Princesa Juana ) daughter of Datu Sabtano
During the Magellan attack on Mactan Island Lapu-Lapu strategically made the center formation the weakest and the two outer wing the strongest.
Lap-Lapu hit Magellan on the leg in the Battle of Mactan.
Photo by ROMMEL T. BANGIT, All rights reserved.
[ ROMMEL T. BANGIT ] I want to see the world countries like Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo, Democratic Republic of the (Zaire) Congo, Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea nEritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe (French) Guam (USA) Guatemala Guinea Guinea Bissau Guyana Haiti Holy See Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Ivory Coast (Cote D`Ivoire) Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique (French) Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia (French) New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Island Poland Polynesia French) Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste (East Timor) Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands Wallis and Futuna Islands Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe to my Front yard.
abandon abandonallhope abandoned abbagliare abby abc abduced abe abelincoln abelnightroad abigail abigfave abilties abitboney abitof abitofastretch abitred abittooabstract abnormal aboard aboretum about above abovenewmexico abovethehorizon abraham abrahamlincoln abrewin abritrary abs abscence absense absolute absolutely absolutelyfree abst abstracción abstract abstractabstract abstractaliscious abstractart abstractartaward abstracted abstractedness abstracting abstractingly abstraction abstractionphilia abstractions abstractiveness abstractivity abstractly abstractor abstracts abstractspace abstrict abstroct abstruct abtractly abusador academic academy academyofmanagement acceptance access accident accidently accomadate accomodations accomplished accordeon accordian accounting acehotel achdulieber acheapplasticcamerathatsnotcheap acheive acheivement ackward aclass aclassphoto acording acoustic acousticguitar acres across act action actionbastard activities actor actress actual actualy acuracy acustom acute ad ada adad adam adams adamsfamily adapt adaptation adapter adaption adaptive add addamsfamily addict additive addres adition adjective adjustable adjustment admire adn adobe adopt adoption adorable adore adquire adrian adrianbelew ads adult adults adultswim adventchildren advertisement advertising advice aerial aerialballet aerialcloud aerialpandemoniumballet aerialshot aero aerodynamic aerodynamical aerodynamics aeroplane aerospace aesop aesthetic aesthetically af afar afarensis affair affairoftheheart afghanistan aflowerajokeand2pintsofale afraidtoask africa african after afterdinner aftermath aftermidnight afternnon afternoon afterthefire agains against age agency agent agents ageofconan agfa aggression aging agnar agreing agricultural agriculture agua ahead ahev aid aim aimhigh aintnomountainhighenough aintnosunshinewhenshesgone air airandspacemuseum airconditioner aircraft airfield airforce airforce1 airforceone airlify airline airlines airmuseum airplane airplanehangar airplanemuseum airplanes airplaneseat airplanewindow airpollution airport airspacemuseum airsupply airwave airwaves airways aisle aizona ajax ajisukitakahikone akasaka akatsuki aktzin alanparsonsproject alanrickman alarming alastor albert alberteinstein albright album albumart albumcover albumcoverart albums alcatraz alcohal alcohol alcoran aldo alege alemichigan alessonbeforedying alex alfredhitchcock algae algore algorithm alhirt alice aliceinwonderland alicelegrow alien alienversuspredator alienvpredator alittletouchofschmilssoninthenight alivekicking all allaboard allabstracted allah allan alledge allen allergic allergy allerton alley allflash allied alligator allineed allmychildren allmymodelsareplastic allmymodelsareplasticstudio allmymodelsareplasticstudios allrightnow alluring allyear allyouneedislove alma almostfocused alone along alot alpacino alphabet alqur’ān already alreadybroken alright alter alteration altered alternate alternative alternativeenergy altgeld altho altitude altocumulous altocumulus alucard aluminium alumni alviso always alwayssomethingtheretoremindme alwyas am amateur amateurphoto amateurphotography amateurs amatuer amature amazement amazing amazingamateur amazingshots amazingtalent amber ambisagrus amenities america american americana americandream americanflag americaninparis americanlegion americans amintiri ammap ammapstudios ammend amount amountain amphibian ampm ampolo ampoule ampul amsterdam amstersm amu amusement amy amylee ana anaheim anaintercontinental anaintercontinentaltokyo analog analogie analogue analysis analytics anawesomeshot ancient andiego rommelstillhyper ndreprevin andrew android andy angel angelinajolie angle angled angles anglesanglesangles anglican anglicanrite angry angrybird angrybirds angrycloud angular anhydrous anicent animal animals animated animation animator anime animeconvention animecosplay anish anishkapoor anita anitabryant anitaday annabelle anniversary annotation annual another anothercloudshot anothersunset ansel answer antenna anthony anticipation antiinaugurationparty antilight antinque antinques antique antiquecandymachine antiquecar antisemitism antithesis antiwar antler antoinette antonia ants anuary anuhwere anxiety any anywhere apache apachejunction apachemuffler apartment ape aperature aperiodic aphotos api aplenty aplu aplusphoto apneamask apocalypse apocatequil apollo apon aporro apostle app apparent appeal appealing appendage apperance appetizer apple applecomputer apples appleseed applestore appliances appreciation approach april apron aqua aquarium arboretum arbus arc arcade arch archduchess arched archetype archetypical archicture archiecture architect architects architectural architecture archive archway arcs arduino area arena arewenotmen areyounowhomefree areyouorange arial arid ariel aril arirt arist arizoan arizona arizonacenter arizonaclouds arizonacomicon arizonaforesthighway39 arizonahighcountry arizonahighway arizonalomo arizonalomography arizonamills arizonaprogress arizonarain arizonasky arizonastate arizonastatefair arizonastateuniversity arizonastateuniversityskysong arizonaufo arkansas arlington arlingtonwest arm armed armless army around aroundthebend aroundthecorner aroundthepeaks arrancar array arrest arrested arrives arrow art artbwblack artcenter artdeco artelligentcity artevokesemotion artic article artifact artificial artinbw artinstitute artinstituteofchicago artisitic artisserious artist artiste artistic artisticvision artistoftheyearlevel2 artistoftheyearlevel3 artistoftheyearlevel4 artistoftheyearlevel5 artistoftheyearlevel6 artists artjack artmuseum arts artsy artwork asadvertisedontv asbtractionphobia ascending ascent ascii asian ask asleep aslo ass assassinscreed assault asseenatcomiccon assemblassembledmultitude assembly assent assistance assistant assocation assumption astarbyanyothername astray asu asuartmuseum asucampus asuskysong asymmetry atagefourteenshewasmarried atget atgofion athirst atlantis atm atmosphere atnight atomic atomiccomics atop atrium attach attack attackoftheclones attainable attedent attempt attendent attention atticus attplaza attractions attractive attractor attribute audience auditorium august auguste aunt aurora auroraborealis australia australopithecus austria austrian austrolipithicus authentic auto autograph automata automobile automotive autor autumn autumnal auxillary ava available ave aveneue avengers avenue avis avision avoid avondale awahtukee await awake awakening awan award awardgroup awards awareness awataukee awatuhkee away awe awesome awesomedude awesomeinformation awful awfulcrap awning axel axelerickson axis axle ayearofholidays az azabudai azakatonnerre azclouds azprogress azsky azstatefair azte azul
accelerated acclimated accompanied accomplished achieved acquired acted activated actuated adapted added addressed adhered adjusted administered admitted adopted advanced advertised advised advocated aided aired affected allocated altered amended amplified analyzed answered anticipated appointed appraised approached approved arbitrated arranged ascertained asked assembled assigned assumed assessed assisted attained attracted audited augmented authored authorized automated awarded avail balanced bargained borrowed bought broadened budgeted built XXX calculated canvassed capitalized captured carried out cast cataloged centralized challenged chaired changed channeled charted checked chose circulated clarified classified cleared closed co-authored cold called collaborated collected combined commissioned committed communicated compared compiled complied completed composed computed conceived conceptualized concluded condensed conducted conferred consolidated constructed consulted contracted contrasted contributed contrived controlled converted convinced coordinated corrected corresponded counseled counted created critiqued cultivated cut XXX debugged decided decentralized decreased deferred defined delegated delivered demonstrated depreciated described designated designed determined developed devised devoted diagrammed directed disclosed discounted discovered dispatched displayed dissembled distinguished distributed diversified divested documented doubled drafted XXX earned eased edited effected elected eliminated employed enabled encouraged endorsed enforced engaged engineered enhanced enlarged enriched entered entertained established estimated evaluated examined exceeded exchanged executed exempted exercised expanded expedited explained exposed extended extracted extrapolated XXX facilitated familiarized fashioned fielded figured financed fit focused forecasted formalized formed formulated fortified found founded framed fulfilled functioned furnished gained gathered gauged gave generated governed graded granted greeted grouped guided handled headed hired hosted XXX identified illustrated illuminated implemented improved improvised inaugurated indoctrinated increased incurred induced influenced informed initiated innovated inquired inspected inspired installed instigated instilled instituted instructed insured interfaced interpreted interviewed introduced invented inventoried invested investigated invited involved isolated issued XXX joined judged launched lectured led lightened liquidated litigated lobbied localized located maintained managed mapped marketed maximized measured mediated merchandised merged met minimized modeled moderated modernized modified monitored motivated moved multiplied XXX named narrated negotiated noticed nurtured observed obtained offered offset opened operated operationalized orchestrated ordered organized oriented originated overhauled oversaw XXX paid participated passed patterned penalized perceived performed permitted persuaded phased out pinpointed pioneered placed planned polled prepared presented preserved presided prevented priced printed prioritized probed processed procured produced profiled programmed projected promoted promoted prompted proposed proved provided publicized published purchased pursued XXX quantified quoted raised ranked rated reacted read received recommended reconciled recorded recovered recruited rectified redesigned reduced referred refined regained regulated rehabilitated reinforced reinstated rejected related remedied remodeled renegotiated reorganized replaced repaired reported represented requested researched resolved responded restored restructured resulted retained retrieved revamped revealed reversed reviewed revised revitalized rewarded routed XXX safeguarded salvaged saved scheduled screened secured segmented selected sent separated served serviced settled shaped shortened showed shrank signed simplified sold solved spearheaded specified speculated spoke spread stabilized staffed staged standardized steered stimulated strategized streamlined strengthened stressed structured studied submitted substantiated substituted suggested summarized superseded supervised supplied supported surpassed surveyed synchronized synthesized systematized XXX tabulated tailored targeted taught terminated tested testified tightened took traced traded trained transacted transferred transformed translated transported traveled treated tripled uncovered undertook unified united updated upgraded used utilized validated valued verified viewed visited weighed welcomed widened witnessed won worked wrote
Oil on canvas; 72 x 60 cm.
Gino Severini was an Italian painter who synthesized the styles of Futurism and Cubism.
Severini began his painting career in 1900 as a student of Giacomo Balla, an Italian pointillist painter who later became a prominent Futurist. Stimulated by Balla’s account of the new painting in France, Severini moved to Paris in 1906 and met leading members of the French avant-garde, such as the Cubist painters Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso and the writer Guillaume Apollinaire. Severini continued to work in the pointillist manner—an approach that entailed applying dots of contrasting colors according to principles of optical science—until 1910, when he signed the Futurist painters’ manifesto.
The Futurists wanted to revitalize Italian art (and, as a consequence, all of Italian culture) by depicting the speed and dynamism of modern life. Severini shared this artistic interest, but his work did not contain the political overtones typical of Futurism. Whereas Futurists typically painted moving cars or machines, Severini usually portrayed the human figure as the source of energetic motion in his paintings. He was especially fond of painting nightclub scenes in which he evoked the sensations of movement and sound by filling the picture with rhythmic forms and cheerful, flickering colors. In Dynamic Hieroglyph of the Bal Tabarin (1912), he retained the nightlife theme but incorporated the Cubist technique of collage (real sequins are fixed to the dancers’ dresses) and such nonsensical elements as a realistic nude riding a pair of scissors.
Only briefly, in wartime works such as Red Cross Train Passing a Village (1914), did Severini paint subjects that conformed to the Futurist glorification of war and mechanized power. Over the next few years, he turned increasingly to an idiosyncratic form of Cubism that retained decorative elements of pointillism and Futurism, as seen in the abstract painting Spherical Expansion of Light (Centrifugal) (1914).
About 1916 Severini embraced a more rigorous and formal approach to composition; instead of deconstructing forms, he wanted to bring geometric order to his paintings. His works from this period were usually still lifes executed in a Synthetic Cubist manner, which entailed constructing a composition out of fragments of objects. In portraits such as Maternity (1916), he also began to experiment with a Neoclassical figurative style, a conservative approach that he embraced more fully in the 1920s. Severini published a book, Du cubisme au classicisme (1921; “From Cubism to Classicism”), in which he discussed his theories about the rules of composition and proportion. Later in his career he created many decorative panels, frescoes, and mosaics, and he became involved in set and costume design for the theater. The artist’s autobiography, Tutta la vita di un pittore (“The Life of a Painter”), was published in 1946.
C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) is a long-period comet discovered on 17 August 2014 by Terry Lovejoy using a 0.2-meter (8 in) Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope. It was discovered at apparent magnitude 15 in the southern constellation of Puppis. Its blue-green glow is the result of organic molecules (mostly Diatomic carbon) and water released by the comet fluorescing under the intense UV and optical light of the Sun as it passes through space. In January 2015, it brightened to roughly magnitude 4 and became one of the brightest comets located high in a dark sky since comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) in 1997. On 7 January 2015, the comet passed 0.469 AU (70,200,000 km; 43,600,000 mi) from Earth. C/2014 Q2 originated from the Oort cloud, but is not a dynamically new comet. Before entering the planetary region (epoch 1950), C/2014 Q2 had an orbital period of about 11,000 years, with an aphelion about 995 AU (1.49×1011 km; 9.25×10^10 mi) from the Sun. After leaving the planetary region (epoch 2050), it will have an orbital period of about 8,000 years, with aphelion of about 800 AU. The comet was observed to release 21 different organic molecules in gas, including ethanol and glycolaldehyde, a simple sugar. The presence of organic molecules suggests that they are preserved materials synthesized in the outskirts of the solar nebula or at earlier stages of the Solar System formation. Text from Wikipedia
Scope: Skywatcher MN190 Camera: QSI683 Mount: Orion Atlas
RGB, 90 minutes total exposure
The Park Güell (Catalan: Parc Güell [ˈparɡ ˈɡweʎ]) is a public park system composed of gardens and architectonic elements located on Carmel Hill, in Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain). Carmel Hill belongs to the mountain range of Collserola — the Parc del Carmel is located on the northern face. Park Güell is located in La Salut, a neighborhood in the Gràcia district of Barcelona. With urbanization in mind, Eusebi Güell assigned the design of the park to Antoni Gaudí, a renowned architect and the face of Catalan modernism. The park was built between 1900 and 1914 and was officially opened as a public park in 1926. In 1984, UNESCO declared the park a World Heritage Site under “Works of Antoni Gaudí”.
Park Güell is the reflection of Gaudí’s artistic plenitude, which belongs to his naturalist phase (first decade of the 20th century). During this period, the architect perfected his personal style through inspiration from organic shapes. He put into practice a series of new structural solutions rooted in the analysis of geometry. To that, the Catalan artist adds creative liberty and an imaginative, ornamental creation. Starting from a sort of baroquism, his works acquire a structural richness of forms and volumes, free of the rational rigidity or any sort of classic premisses. In the design of Park Güell, Gaudí unleashed all his architectonic genius and put to practice much of his innovative structural solutions that would become the symbol of his organic style and that would culminate in the creation of the Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family (Catalan: Sagrada Familia).
Güell and Gaudí conceived this park, situated within a natural park. They imagined an organized grouping of high-quality homes, decked out with all the latest technological advancements to ensure maximum comfort, finished off with an artistic touch. They also envisioned a community strongly influenced by symbolism, since, in the common elements of the park, they were trying to synthesize many of the political and religious ideals shared by patron and architect: therefore there are noticeable concepts originating from political Catalanism - especially in the entrance stairway where the Catalonian countries are represented - and from Catholicism - the Monumento al Calvario, originally designed to be a chapel. The mythological elements are so important: apparently Güell and Gaudí's conception of the park was also inspired by the Temple of Apollo of Delphi.
On the other hand, many experts have tried to link the park to various symbols because of the complex iconography that Gaudí applied to the urban project. Such references go from political vindication to religious exaltation, passing through mythology, history and philosophy. Specifically, many studies claim to see references to Freemasonry, despite the deep religious beliefs of both Gaudí and Count Güell. These references have not been proven in the historiography of the modern architect. The multiplicity of symbols found in the Park Güell is, as previously mentioned, associated to political and religious signs, with a touch of mystery according to the preferences of that time for enigmas and puzzles.
Models: Aliice, Jaclyn.
If you believe that modeling is simply standing around and having your photograph taken, you have misunderstood everything.
Lloyd-Thrap-Creative-Photography
© 2010 2023 Lloyd Thrap Photography for Halo Media Group
All works subject to applicable copyright laws. This intellectual property MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED except by normal viewing process of the browser. The intellectual property may not be copied to another computer, transmitted , published, reproduced, stored, manipulated, projected, or altered in any way, including without limitation any digitization or synthesizing of the images, alone or with any other material, by use of computer or other electronic means or any other method or means now or hereafter known, without the written permission of Lloyd Thrap and payment of a fee or arrangement thereof.
No images are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.
Explore : Jul 11, 2007 #419
After the humiliating Peace of Zsitvatorok and the unfavourable result of the wars with Persia, sultan Ahmed I decided to build a large mosque in Istanbul to placate Allah. This would be the first imperial mosque in more than forty years. Whereas his predecessors had paid for their mosques with their war booty, sultan Ahmed I had to withdraw the funds from the treasury, because he hadn't won any notable victories. This provoked the anger of the ulema, the Muslim legal scholars.
The mosque was to be built on the site of the palace of the Byzantine emperors, facing the Hagia Sophia (at that time the most venerated mosque in Istanbul) and the hippodrome, a site of great symbolic significance. Large parts of the southern side of the mosque rest on the foundations, the vaults and the undercrofts of the Great Palace. Several palaces, already built on the same spot, had to be bought (at considerable price) and pulled down, especially the palace of Sokollu Mehmet Paşa, and large parts of the Sphendone (curved tribune with U-shaped structure of the hippodrome).
Construction of the mosque started in August 1609 when the sultan himself came to break the first sod. It was his intention that this would become the first mosque of his empire. He appointed his royal architect Sedefhar Mehmet Ağa, a pupil and senior assitant of the famous architect Sinan as the architect in charge of the construction. The organization of the work was described in meticulous detail in eight volumes, now in the library of the Topkapı Palace. The opening ceremonies were held in 1617 (although the gate of the mosque records 1616) and the sultan was able to pray in the royal box (hünkâr mahfil). But the building wasn't finished yet in this last year of his reign, as the last accounts were signed by his successor Mustafa I.
The design of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque is the culmination of two centuries of Ottoman mosque development. It is the last great mosque of the classical period. The architect has ably synthesized the ideas of his master Sinan, aiming for overwhelming size, majesty and splendour, but the interior lacks his creative thinking.
Mehmet Paşa used large quantities of materials for the construction, in particular stone and marble, draining away supplies for other important works. The layout of the mosque is irregular, as the architect had to take into account the existing constraints of the site. Its major façade, serving as the entrance, faces the hippodrome. The architect based his plan on the Sehzade Mosque (1543-1548) in Istanbul, the first major large-scale work of Sinan, with the same square-based symmetrical quatrefoil plan and a spacious forecourt. This prayer hall is topped by an ascending system of domes and semi-domes, each supported by three exedrae, culminating in the huge encompassing central dome, which is 23.5 meters in diameter and 43 meters high at its central point. The domes are supported by four massive piers that recall those of the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, another masterpiece of Sinan. It is obvious that Mehmet Paşa was overcautious by taking this inflated margin of safety, damaging the elegant proportions of the dome by their oppressive size. These "elephant feet" consist of multiple convex marble grooves at their base, while the upper half is painted, separated from the base by an inscriptive band with gilded words. Seen from the court, the profile of the mosque becomes a smooth succession of domes and semi-domes. The overall effect of the exterior on the visitor is one of perfect visual harmony, leading the eye up to the peak of the central dome.
The monotony of the interior is broken by the three galleries surrounding the prayer hall. The southern wall (with the mihrab) lacks recesses, because the buttresses are completely situated at the exterior. On each of the three other walls, the two buttresses jut out into the interior, forming three recesses. Each middle recess consists of three exedrae under a semi-dome.
The façade of the spacious forecourt was built in the same manner as the façade of the Süleymaniye Mosque, except for the addition of the turrets on the corner domes. The court is about as large as the mosque itself and is surrounded by a continuous, rather monotonous, vaulted arcade (revak). It has ablution facilities on both sides. The central hexagonal fountain is rather small in contrast with the dimensions of the courtyard. The monumental but narrow gateway to the courtyard stands out architecturally from the arcade. Its semi-dome has a fine stalactite structure, crowned by a rather small ribbed dome on a tall drum.
At its lower levels and at every pier, the interior of the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles, made at Iznik (the ancient Nicaea) in more than fifty different designs. The tiles at lower levels are traditional in design, while at gallery level their design becomes flamboyant with representations of flowers, fruit and cypresses. More than 20,000 tiles were made under the supervision of the Iznik master potter Kaşıcı Hasan. However, the price the builders were able to pay for tiles was fixed by the sultan's decree, while tile prices increased over time. As a result, the tiles used later in building were of lesser quality. Their colours have faded and changed (red turning into brown and green into blue, mottled whites) and the glazes have dulled. The tiles on the back balcony wall are recycled tiles from the harem in the Topkapı Palace, when it was damaged by fire in 1574.
The upper levels of the interior are dominated by blue paint, but is of poor quality. More than 200 stained glass windows with intricate designs admit natural light, today assisted by chandeliers. On the chandeliers, ostrich eggs are found that were meant to avoid cobwebs inside the mosque by repelling spiders. The decorations include verses from the Qur'an, many of them made by Seyyid Kasim Gubari, regarded as the greatest calligrapher of his time. The floors are covered with carpets, which are donated by faithful people and are regularly replaced as they become worn out. The many spacious windows confer a spacious impression. The casements at floor level are decorated with opus sectile. Each exedra has five windows, some of which are blind. Each semi-dome has 14 windows and the central dome 28 (four of which are blind). The coloured glass for the windows was a gift of the Signoria of Venice to the sultan. Most of these coloured windows have by now been replaced by modern versions with little or no artistic merit.
The most important element in the interior of the mosque is the mihrab, which is made of finely carved and sculptured marble, with a stalactite niche and a double inscriptive panel above it. The adjacent walls are sheathed in ceramic tiles. But the many windows around it make it look less spectacular. To the right of the mihrab is the richly decorated minber, or pulpit, where the Imam stands when he is delivering his sermon at the time of noon prayer on Fridays or on holy days. The mosque has been designed so that even when it is at its most crowded, everyone in the mosque can see and hear the Imam.
The royal kiosk is situated at the south-east corner. It comprises a platform, a loggia and two small retiring rooms. It gives access to the royal loge in the south-east upper gallery of the mosque. These retiring rooms became the headquarters of the Grand Vizier during the suppression of the rebellious Janissary Corps in 1826. The royal loge (hünkâr mahfil) is supported by ten marble columns. It has its own mihrab, that used to be decorated with a jade rose and gilt and one hundred Korans on inlaid and gilded lecterns.
The many lamps that light the interior was once covered with gold and gems . Among the glass bowls one could find ostrich eggs and crystal balls. All these decorations have been removed or pillaged for museums.
The great tablets on the walls are inscribed with the names of the caliphs and verses from the Koran, originally by the great 17th-century calligrapher Ametli Kasım Gubarım, but they have frequently been restored.
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is one of the two mosques in Turkey that has six minarets, the other is in Adana. When the number of minarets was revealed, the Sultan was criticized for presumption, since this was, at the time, the same number as at the mosque of the Ka'aba in Mecca. He overcame this problem by paying for a seventh minaret at the Mecca mosque.
Four minarets stand at the corners of the mosque. Each of these fluted, pencil-shaped minarets has three balconies (şerefe) with stalactite corbels, while the two others at the end of the forecourt only have two balconies.
Until recently the muezzin or prayer-caller had to climb a narrow spiral staircase five times a day to announce the call to prayer. Today a public address system is used, and the call can be heard across the old part of the city, echoed by other mosques in the vicinity. Large crowds of both Turks and tourists gather at sunset in the park facing the mosque to hear the call to evening prayers, as the sun sets and the mosque is brilliantly illuminated by coloured floodlights.
Sagrada Família, Barcelona, España.
El Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia, conocido simplemente como la Sagrada Familia, es una basílica católica de Barcelona (España), diseñada por el arquitecto Antoni Gaudí. Iniciada en 1882, todavía está en construcción (noviembre de 2016). Es la obra maestra de Gaudí, y el máximo exponente de la arquitectura modernista catalana.
La Sagrada Familia es un reflejo de la plenitud artística de Gaudí: trabajó en ella durante la mayor parte de su carrera profesional, pero especialmente en los últimos años de su carrera, donde llegó a la culminación de su estilo naturalista, haciendo una síntesis de todas las soluciones y estilos probados hasta aquel entonces. Gaudí logró una perfecta armonía en la interrelación entre los elementos estructurales y los ornamentales, entre plástica y estética, entre función y forma, entre contenido y continente, logrando la integración de todas las artes en un todo estructurado y lógico.
La Sagrada Familia tiene planta de cruz latina, de cinco naves centrales y transepto de tres naves, y ábside con siete capillas. Ostenta tres fachadas dedicadas al Nacimiento, Pasión y Gloria de Jesús y, cuando esté concluida, tendrá 18 torres: cuatro en cada portal haciendo un total de doce por los apóstoles, cuatro sobre el crucero invocando a los evangelistas, una sobre el ábside dedicada a la Virgen y la torre-cimborio central en honor a Jesús, que alcanzará los 172,5 metros de altura. El templo dispondrá de dos sacristías junto al ábside, y de tres grandes capillas: la de la Asunción en el ábside y las del Bautismo y la Penitencia junto a la fachada principal; asimismo, estará rodeado de un claustro pensado para las procesiones y para aislar el templo del exterior. Gaudí aplicó a la Sagrada Familia un alto contenido simbólico, tanto en arquitectura como en escultura, dedicando a cada parte del templo un significado religioso.
The Expiatory Church of the Sagrada Familia, known simply as the Sagrada Familia, is a Roman Catholic basilica in Barcelona, Spain, designed by architect Antoni Gaudí. Begun in 1882, it is still under construction (November 2016). It is Gaudí's masterpiece and the greatest exponent of Catalan modernist architecture.
The Sagrada Familia is a reflection of Gaudí's artistic plenitude: he worked on it for most of his professional career, but especially in his later years, where he reached the culmination of his naturalistic style, synthesizing all the solutions and styles he had tried up to that point. Gaudí achieved perfect harmony in the interrelationship between structural and ornamental elements, between plasticity and aesthetics, between function and form, between content and container, achieving the integration of all the arts into a structured and logical whole. The Sagrada Familia has a Latin cross plan, five central naves, a three-aisled transept, and an apse with seven chapels. It boasts three façades dedicated to the Birth, Passion, and Glory of Jesus. When completed, it will have 18 towers: four at each portal, making a total of twelve for the apostles, four over the transept invoking the evangelists, one over the apse dedicated to the Virgin, and the central dome tower in honor of Jesus, which will reach 172.5 meters in height. The temple will have two sacristies next to the apse and three large chapels: the Assumption Chapel in the apse and the Baptism and Penance Chapels next to the main façade. It will also be surrounded by a cloister designed for processions and to isolate the temple from the exterior. Gaudí applied a highly symbolic content to the Sagrada Familia, both in architecture and sculpture, dedicating each part of the temple to a religious significance.
Hydrothermally synthesized BaFeSi4O10 crystals of varying sizes. We are interested in the hydrothermal chemistry of BaFeSi4O10 both for what insights this method can provide into the geological formation of gillespite, the mineral form of BaFeSi4O1O, and as a potential route for making novel hybrid materials with other metals.
Courtesy of Dr. Eric Formo , UGA
Image Details
Instrument used: Teneo
Fuck you, why are you such a fucking piece of shit? Go fuck yourself and get off my fucking stream. Go suck a hard dildo and shove it up your asshole.
Oh snap, gotcha. I’m just kidding. I like you.
Moving on, if you survived my initial bout of jarring humor, I would like to take this opportunity to let you in on a little bit of music education. Come on, you can’t be a pimp-o-maniac without being a music slut. Not having good music in your life is like a whore not having a dick. And that just ain’t right. It’s kind of left. Huh? (I’m lost too, believe me).
I’m a nice guy, I swear.
So – without further ado, here is a mock pimp mix CD. If you were a girl, I’d probably give this to you to get down your pants. It’s a sneaky sneaky tactic I’ve successfully branded proven tried and true like countless times on dozens of females. MUAHAHA. But you didn’t hear that from me.
Wait I am me. Uh. You have no proof this is me. None. Prank caller. PRANK CALLER!
Anyway, 20 songs with provided youtube links. If you haven’t heard them, no problem! Just get them. Or at least listen to them. Even the pimp might be able to give you a helping hand, send me an FM for MP3s. Just get them, listen, something! If you don’t bother, whether out of laziness or just being a total fuckface, then please re-read the bolded dialogue at the top of the page and stop reading after the first 3 sentences. Thanks.
(I’m making this up ON THE FLY just by random bits selected from my massive album collection, give me a tiny bit of slack)
Pimp Mock Mix CD:
1.Blonde Redhead – Dr Strangeluv: Haunting female lyrics on top of a kind of Radiohead type beat – catchy and beautiful.
2.Girls On Film – Duran Duran: Old school new wave from the 80s, just can’t go wrong here.
3.Don’t Leave – Faithless: Known for the song heard in basketball stadiums around the USA called Insomnia for years, this song I picked is actually a slow very un-techno song that could be mistaken for a … gulp … love song?!
4.Alison – Elvis Costello: A question I ask all potential musicholics – which Elvis? There is no right or wrong answer mind you. This song has twangy guitars on top of a nice steady post-punk beat and is my favorite Costello album “My Aim Is True”, albeit his first.
5.Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms: This is from one of my alltime favorite albums, very 80s feel to it, full of energy and synthesized awesomeness.
6.Death From Above 1979 – Romantic Nights: OKAY time to blast you up with some fucking hardcore listenable madness. Screeching guitars, badass lyrics, in your face get down and FUCK!
7.Sleepyhead – Passion Pit: This song is fucking amazing, one of my alltime favorite songs hands down. When the bass kicks back IN during the middle of the song right before the chorus, I just want to get up and scream YES.
8.Julian Casablancas – 11th Dimension: The lead singer of the Strokes comes out with a solo album that might be the best of 2010? He didn’t reinvent the wheel here people: think NEW WAVE. Yum.
9.The XX – VCR: Don’t be fooled by the fisher price casio introduction here, this simple yet amazing band has taken alternating male/female lyrics to a whole new level: exquisiteness.
10.Girls – Lust For Life: The happiest song you will ever hear. This song makes me think I’m in love, like back in the day and shit.
11.James – Sometimes: I love this song to the death of me. Love. If you love it too, then you love me. Hmm.
12.Kid Cudi – Day N Nite: Underground rapper Kid Cudi will rock your fucking world. Catchy, sexy, good.
13.Changes – David Bowie: Come on sillyhead, no mix-CD is complete without some Bowie. Here’s a popular tune for you just so I don’t get all you un-music fuckers all rattled up and shit.
14.The Commodores – Machine Gun: awww shit bitches and ho’s get um up for a little Commodores! This song was rightfully made popular by Boogie Nights soundtrack. But make no mistake, the Pimp owns a fucking record collection from this amazing 70s R&B/Funk band.
15.Forever – Ben Harper: Back when I was 23 years old, I used to be such a free spirit just driving around state to state in the northeast smoking weed, doing psychedelics, and crazy shit like that. Kind of a Y2K hippie, whatever that is. Anyway this simple singer/songwriter tune off of Ben Harpers first album reminds me of that time.
16. Family Affair – Sly and the Family Stone: Fuck yeah motherfucking shit bitches, funk masters Sly and the Family Stone do NOT fuck around when it comes to FUN!
17. White Lies - To Lose My Life: This band chose the worst fucking name for their name, but if you love the Killers, then you will love this album. Amazing energy!
18. Super Bad - James Brown: The baddest funkiest coke sniffin' coolest muthafucka on the PLANET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
19. I Can Change - LCD Soundsystem: Electronic music at its finest, I love this song off his newest album
20. Shine A Light – The Rolling Stones: This song epitomizes so much about myself, it’s just the perfect end to my mock pimp CD. Enjoy it, love it, eat it up. Not your typical Stones…
Bye!
Hatsune Miku from Vocaloid --------
Hatsune Miku (初音ミク, Hatsune Miku?) is the first installment in the Vocaloid2 Character Vocal Series released on August 31, 2007. The name of the title and the character of the software was chosen by combining Hatsu (初, First?), Ne (音, Sound?), and Miku (未来, Future?).[5] The data for the voice was created by actually sampling the voice of Saki Fujita, a Japanese voice actress. Unlike general purpose speech synthesizers, the software is tuned to create J-pop songs commonly heard in anime, but it is possible to create songs from other genres.
Nico Nico Douga played a fundamental role in the recognition and popularity of the software. Soon after the release of the software, users of Nico Nico Douga started posting videos with songs created by the software. According to Crypton, a popular video with a comically-altered Miku holding a leek, singing Ievan Polkka, presented multifarious possibilities of applying the software in multimedia content creation.[6] As the recognition and popularity of the software grew, Nico Nico Douga became a place for collaborate content creation. Popular original songs written by a user would generate illustrations, animation in 2D and 3D, and remixes by other users. Other creators would show their unfinished work and ask for ideas.[7]
On October 18, 2007, an Internet BBS website reported Hatsune Miku was suspected to be victim of censorship by Google and Yahoo!, since images of Miku did not show up on the image searches.[8] Google and Yahoo denied any censorship on their part, blaming the missing images on a bug that does not only affect "Hatsune Miku" but other search keywords as well. Both companies expressed a willingness to fix the problem as soon as possible.[9] Images of Miku were relisted on Yahoo on October 19.
A Hatsune Miku manga called Maker Hikōshiki Hatsune Mix began serialization in the Japanese manga magazine Comic Rush on November 26, 2007, published by Jive. The manga is drawn by Kei, the original character designer for Hatsune Miku. A second manga called Hachune Miku no Nichijō Roipara! drawn by Ontama began serialization in the manga magazine Comp Ace on December 26, 2007, published by Kadokawa Shoten.
Her first appearance in an anime is in (Zoku) Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei, where she (and various other people and characters) try out to be the voice of Meru Otonashi. For online multi-player games, the Japanese version of PangYa started a campaign with Hatsune Miku on May 22, 2008 in which she is included as one of the characters.[10][11]. Her first appearance in a video game is in 13-sai no Hello Work DS (13歳のハローワークDS, 13-sai no Hello Work DS?) for the Nintendo DS where she is included as one of the characters.[12][13]
Hatsune Miku's color scheme and image was used by a BMW Z4 from Studie (a tuning shop for BMW), which participated in the GT300 class of the 2008 Super GT season. The car was named "Hatsune Miku Studie Glad BMW Z4" and had its debut in round six in the Suzuka Circuit.[14]
Vocaloid is a singing synthesizer application software developed by the Yamaha Corporation that enables users to synthesize singing by just typing in lyrics and melody.
Photo by Lloyd Thrap Photography
for Halo Media Group and modelshopstudio™
All works subject to applicable copyright laws. This intellectual property MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED except by normal viewing process of the browser. The intellectual property may not be copied to another computer, transmitted , published, reproduced, stored, manipulated, projected, or altered in any way, including without limitation any digitization or synthesizing of the images, alone or with any other material, by use of computer or other electronic means or any other method or means now or hereafter known, without the written permission of Lloyd Thrap and payment of a fee or arrangement thereof.
No images are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.
Lloyd Thrap's Public Portfolio
Facebook Lloyd-Thrap-Creative-Photography
Model: Stevie.
Location: GPG studio, Albuquerque, New Mexico. USA
© 2009 2019 Photo by Lloyd Thrap Photography for Halo Media Group
All works subject to applicable copyright laws. This intellectual property MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED except by normal viewing process of the browser. The intellectual property may not be copied to another computer, transmitted , published, reproduced, stored, manipulated, projected, or altered in any way, including without limitation any digitization or synthesizing of the images, alone or with any other material, by use of computer or other electronic means or any other method or means now or hereafter known, without the written permission of Lloyd Thrap and payment of a fee or arrangement thereof.
No images are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.
OM
Auṃ or Oṃ, Sanskrit: ॐ) is a sacred sound and a spiritual icon in Indian religions.[1][2] It is also a mantra in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.[3][4]
Om is part of the iconography found in ancient and medieval era manuscripts, temples, monasteries and spiritual retreats in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.[5][6] The symbol has a spiritual meaning in all Indian dharmas, but the meaning and connotations of Om vary between the diverse schools within and across the various traditions.
In Hinduism, Om is one of the most important spiritual symbols (pratima).[7][8] It refers to Atman (soul, self within) andBrahman (ultimate reality, entirety of the universe, truth, divine, supreme spirit, cosmic principles, knowledge).[9][10][11] The syllable is often found at the beginning and the end of chapters in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and other Hindu texts. It is a sacred spiritual incantation made before and during the recitation of spiritual texts, during puja and private prayers, in ceremonies of rites of passages (sanskara) such as weddings, and sometimes during meditative and spiritual activities such as Yoga.
Vedic literature
The syllable "Om" is described with various meanings in the Vedas and different early Upanishads.[19] The meanings include "the sacred sound, the Yes!, the Vedas, the Udgitha (song of the universe), the infinite, the all encompassing, the whole world, the truth, the ultimate reality, the finest essence, the cause of the Universe, the essence of life, theBrahman, the Atman, the vehicle of deepest knowledge, and Self-knowledge".
Vedas
The chapters in Vedas, and numerous hymns, chants and benedictions therein use the syllable Om. The Gayatri mantra from the Rig Veda, for example, begins with Om. The mantra is extracted from the 10th verse of Hymn 62 in Book III of the Rig Veda.These recitations continue to be in use, and major incantations and ceremonial functions begin and end with Om.
ॐ भूर्भुवस्व: |
तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यम् |
भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि |
धियो यो न: प्रचोदयात् ||
Om. Earth, atmosphere, heaven.
Let us think on that desirable splendour
of Savitr, the Inspirer. May he stimulate
us to insightful thoughts.
Om is a common symbol found in the ancient texts of Hinduism, such as in the first line of Rig veda (top), as well as a icon in temples and spiritual retreats.
The Chandogya Upanishad is one of the oldest Upanishads of Hinduism. It opens with the recommendation that "let a man meditate on Om".[26] It calls the syllable Om as udgitha (उद्गीथ, song, chant), and asserts that the significance of the syllable is thus: the essence of all beings is earth, the essence of earth is water, the essence of water are the plants, the essence of plants is man, the essence of man is speech, the essence of speech is the Rig Veda, the essence of the Rig Veda is the Sama Veda, and the essence of Sama Veda is the udgitha (song, Om).[27]
Rik (ऋच्, Ṛc) is speech, states the text, and Sāman (सामन्) is breath; they are pairs, and because they have love and desire for each other, speech and breath find themselves together and mate to produce song.[26][27] The highest song is Om, asserts section 1.1 of Chandogya Upanishad. It is the symbol of awe, of reverence, of threefold knowledge because Adhvaryu invokes it, the Hotr recites it, and Udgatr sings it.[27][28]
The second volume of the first chapter continues its discussion of syllable Om, explaining its use as a struggle between Devas (gods) and Asuras (demons).[29] Max Muller states that this struggle between gods and demons is considered allegorical by ancient Indian scholars, as good and evil inclinations within man, respectively.[30] The legend in section 1.2 of Chandogya Upanishad states that gods took the Udgitha (song of Om) unto themselves, thinking, "with this [song] we shall overcome the demons".[31] The syllable Om is thus implied as that which inspires the good inclinations within each person.[30][31]
Chandogya Upanishad's exposition of syllable Om in its opening chapter combines etymological speculations, symbolism, metric structure and philosophical themes.[28][32] In the second chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad, the meaning and significance of Om evolves into a philosophical discourse, such as in section 2.10 where Om is linked to the Highest Self,[33] and section 2.23 where the text asserts Om is the essence of three forms of knowledge, Om is Brahman and "Om is all this [observed world]".[34]
Katha Upanishad
The Katha Upanishad is the legendary story of a little boy, Nachiketa – the son of sage Vajasravasa, who meetsYama – the Indian deity of death. Their conversation evolves to a discussion of the nature of man, knowledge,Atman (Soul, Self) and moksha (liberation).[35] In section 1.2, Katha Upanishad characterizes Knowledge/Wisdom as the pursuit of good, and Ignorance/Delusion as the pursuit of pleasant,[36] that the essence of Veda is make man liberated and free, look past what has happened and what has not happened, free from the past and the future, beyond good and evil, and one word for this essence is the word Om.[37]
The word which all the Vedas proclaim,
That which is expressed in every Tapas (penance, austerity, meditation),
That for which they live the life of a Brahmacharin,
Understand that word in its essence: Om! that is the word.
Yes, this syllable is Brahman,
This syllable is the highest.
He who knows that syllable,
Whatever he desires, is his.
— Katha Upanishad,
Maitri Upanishad
The Maitrayaniya Upanishad in sixth Prapathakas (lesson) discusses the meaning and significance of Om. The text asserts that Om represents Brahman-Atman. The three roots of the syllable, states the Maitri Upanishad, are A + U + M.[39] The sound is the body of Soul, and it repeatedly manifests in three: as gender-endowed body - feminine, masculine, neuter; as light-endowed body - Agni, Vayu and Aditya; as deity-endowed body - Brahma, Rudra[40] and Vishnu; as mouth-endowed body - Garhapatya, Dakshinagni and Ahavaniya;[41] as knowledge-endowed body - Rig, Saman and Yajur;[42] as world-endowed body - Bhūr, Bhuvaḥ and Svaḥ; as time-endowed body - Past, Present and Future; as heat-endowed body - Breath, Fire and Sun; as growth-endowed body - Food, Water and Moon; as thought-endowed body - intellect, mind and pysche.[39][43] Brahman exists in two forms - the material form, and the immaterial formless.[44] The material form is changing, unreal. The immaterial formless isn't changing, real. The immortal formless is truth, the truth is the Brahman, the Brahman is the light, the light is the Sun which is the syllable Om as the Self.[45][46]
The world is Om, its light is Sun, and the Sun is also the light of the syllable Om, asserts the Upanishad. Meditating on Om, is acknowledging and meditating on the Brahman-Atman (Soul, Self).[39]
Mundaka Upanishad[edit source]
The Mundaka Upanishad in the second Mundakam (part), suggests the means to knowing the Self and the Brahman to be meditation, self-reflection and introspection, that can be aided by the symbol Om.[47][48]
That which is flaming, which is subtler than the subtle,
on which the worlds are set, and their inhabitants –
That is the indestructible Brahman.[49]
It is life, it is speech, it is mind. That is the real. It is immortal.
It is a mark to be penetrated. Penetrate It, my friend.
Taking as a bow the great weapon of the Upanishad,
one should put upon it an arrow sharpened by meditation,
Stretching it with a thought directed to the essence of That,
Penetrate[50] that Imperishable as the mark, my friend.
Om is the bow, the arrow is the Soul, Brahman the mark,
By the undistracted man is It to be penetrated,
One should come to be in It,
as the arrow becomes one with the mark.
— Mundaka Upanishad, 2.2.2 - 2.2.4[51][52]
Adi Shankara, in his review of the Mundaka Upanishad, states Om as a symbolism for Atman (soul, self).[53]
Mandukya Upanishad
The Mandukya Upanishad opens by declaring, "Om!, this syllable is this whole world".[54] Thereafter it presents various explanations and theories on what it means and signifies.[55] This discussion is built on a structure of "four fourths" or "fourfold", derived from A + U + M + "silence" (or without an element).[54][55]
Aum as all states of time
In verse 1, the Upanishad states that time is threefold: the past, the present and the future, that these three are "Aum". The four fourth of time is that which transcends time, that too is "Aum" expressed.[55]
Aum as all states of Atman
In verse 2, states the Upanishad, everything is Brahman, but Brahman is Atman (the Soul, Self), and that the Atman is fourfold.[54] Johnston summarizes these four states of Self, respectively, as seeking the physical, seeking inner thought, seeking the causes and spiritual consciousness, and the fourth state is realizing oneness with the Self, the Eternal.[56]
Aum as all states of consciousness
In verses 3 to 6, the Mandukya Upanishad enumerates four states of consciousness: wakeful, dream, deep sleep and the state of ekatma (being one with Self, the oneness of Self).[55] These four are A + U + M + "without an element" respectively.[55]
Aum as all of knowledge
In verses 9 to 12, the Mandukya Upanishad enumerates fourfold etymological roots of the syllable "Aum". It states that the first element of "Aum" is A, which is from Apti (obtaining, reaching) or from Adimatva (being first).[54] The second element is U, which is from Utkarsa (exaltation) or from Ubhayatva(intermediateness).[55] The third element is M, from Miti (erecting, constructing) or from Mi Minati, or apīti (annihilation).[54] The fourth is without an element, without development, beyond the expanse of universe. In this way, states the Upanishad, the syllable Om is indeed the Atman (the self).[54][55]
Shvetashvatara Upanishad
The Shvetashvatara Upanishad, in verses 1.14 to 1.16, suggests meditating with the help of syllable Om, where one's perishable body is like one fuel-stick and the syllable Om is the second fuel-stick, which with discipline and diligent rubbing of the sticks unleashes the concealed fire of thought and awareness within. Such knowledge, asserts the Upanishad, is the goal of Upanishads.[57][58] The text asserts that Om is a tool of meditation empowering one to know the God within oneself, to realize one's Atman (Soul, Self).[59]
Epics[edit source]
The Bhagavad Gita, in the Epic Mahabharata, mentions the meaning and significance of Om in several verses. For example, Fowler notes that verse 9.17 of the Bhagavad Gita synthesizes the competing dualistic and monist streams of thought in Hinduism, by using "Om which is the symbol for the indescribable, impersonal Brahman".[60]
I am the Father of this world, Mother, Ordainer, Grandfather, the Thing to be known, the Purifier, the syllable Om, Rik, Saman and also Yajus.
— Krishna to Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita 9.17, [60]
The significance of the sacred syllable in the Hindu traditions, is similarly highlighted in various of its verses, such as verse 17.24 where the importance of Omduring prayers, charity and meditative practices is explained as follows,[61]
Therefore, uttering Om, the acts of yajna (fire ritual), dāna (charity) and tapas (austerity) as enjoined in the scriptures, are always begun by those who study the Brahman.
— Bhagavad Gita
Yoga Sutra
The aphoristic verse 1.27 of Pantanjali's Yogasutra links Om to Yoga practice, as follows,
तस्य वाचकः प्रणवः ॥२७॥
His word is Om.
— Yogasutra 1.27,
Johnston states this verse highlights the importance of Om in the meditative practice of Yoga, where it symbolizes three worlds in the Soul; the three times – past, present and future eternity, the three divine powers – creation, preservation and transformation in one Being; and three essences in one Spirit – immortality, omniscience and joy. It is, asserts Johnston, a symbol for the perfected Spiritual Man (his emphasis).
At 480 km (298 miles) wide Miranda is Uranus' smallest major moon but it has the most interesting surface. It looks like it's been reconstructed from leftover parts! This is a synthesized-color view made from a single image from Voyager 2 on Jan. 24, 1986.
© 2009 2020 Photo by Lloyd Thrap Photography for Halo Media Group
Lloyd-Thrap-Creative-Photography
All works subject to applicable copyright laws. This intellectual property MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED except by normal viewing process of the browser. The intellectual property may not be copied to another computer, transmitted , published, reproduced, stored, manipulated, projected, or altered in any way, including without limitation any digitization or synthesizing of the images, alone or with any other material, by use of computer or other electronic means or any other method or means now or hereafter known, without the written permission of Lloyd Thrap and payment of a fee or arrangement thereof.
No images are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.
“Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself...” ~Miles Davis
Developing a style is no easy task; particularly in this day and time when artists are inundated with more information, more stimulus, more everything than ever before. To say we're living in the information age is to grossly understate the enormity of details that are presented to us on a daily basis. Synthesizing this information is just as difficult, if not more difficult than filtering through it. At times I find myself purposely avoiding flickr and other photo sites out of fear of what I "might see". After all who wants to run into their well thought out "original" concept already realized through the eyes of a seasoned "three-steps-ahead-of-you" photographer? And while I do believe no two photographers will ever photograph any one thing the same, the idea of who thought about it, and/or created it first, still exist among the most evolved adults.
Which brings me back to Miles' quote... In order to truly develop your voice, your style, your individual mojo, one has to do what they do for some time to detect the varied nuances that makes their work, their work. As I grow into my artistry I am beginning to realize my style, my voice...my own je ne sais quoi... but even as I do I realize and even respect the fact that it'll definitely take me some time before I can truly and ultimately shoot like myself and not the varied photographers I know, see and admire. But hey, I'm patient.
____________________________
Photo Info:
Nikon D300s
Nikkor 24-70mm 2.8
Nikon Sb600 shot camera right through 24" softbox
This trick was used as far back as the 19th century to synthesize musical tones. The gears have 24, 27, 30, 32, 36, 40, 45, and 48 teeth, so the notes are all related by simple fractions - that makes this a just intonation scale rather than equal temperament.
There's plans and instructions on thingiverse: www.thingiverse.com/thing:6662
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii) is an historical mosque in Istanbul. The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. It was built from 1609 to 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. While still used as a mosque, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque has also become a popular tourist attraction.
The design of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque is the culmination of two centuries of both Ottoman mosque and Byzantine church development. It incorporates some Byzantine elements of the neighboring Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture and is considered to be the last great mosque of the classical period. The architect has ably synthesized the ideas of his master Sinan, aiming for overwhelming size, majesty and splendour. It has one main dome, six minarets, and other eight secondary domes.
- Wikipedia -
Oil on canvas; 95 x 63.5 cm.
Spanish painter. based in madrid from 1909, he was self-taught and began by copying pictures by diego velázquez and el greco in the prado. he received support from the poet juan ramón jiménez and established links with such young poets and artists as federico garcía lorca, rafael alberti, salvador dalí and luis buñuel. in 1925, when he participated in the artistas ibéricos exhibition (madrid, casón buen retiro), his work consisted of mildly abstracted landscapes and cubist still-lifes. after several lengthy spells in paris between 1926 and 1928, where he met picasso, he held a one-man exhibition at the palacio de bibliotecas y museos in madrid (1928), his unconventional choice of material—including combinations of oils, soil and sand—scandalizing both critics and visitors. his work developed towards abstraction under the influence of joan miró and was marked also by surrealism in an effort to synthesize the iberian spirit with the avant-garde.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 w/Lumix G 14-42mm kit lens
Crossed-eyes 3D (stereoscopic) viewing: View the two photos cross-eyed until a third image appears in the middle, which will be in stereo 3D. The brain nicely synthesizes a composite image with realistic depth and sharpness. Then put your two hands in front of your face to cover the photos on the left and right so only the middle one remains in your sight.
Model: Chelsea at #modelshopstudio™ with Lloyd Thrap Creative Photography
#Photography #Model #ModelMayhem #GetOlympus — with Chelsea Kibbee and Lloyd Thrap at modelshopstudio™.
Tags: Fashion Off Camera Image.
Location: modelshopstudio™
Albuquerque, New Mexico. USA
© 2014 Photo by Lloyd Thrap Photography for modelshopstudio™
Lloyd-Thrap-Creative-Photography
All works subject to applicable copyright laws. This intellectual property MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED except by normal viewing process of the browser. The intellectual property may not be copied to another computer, transmitted , published, reproduced, stored, manipulated, projected, or altered in any way, including without limitation any digitization or synthesizing of the images, alone or with any other material, by use of computer or other electronic means or any other method or means now or hereafter known, without the written permission of Lloyd Thrap and payment of a fee or arrangement thereof.
No images are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.
Lloyd Thrap's Public Portfolio
Model
INTRODUCTION
36 years after his death, the message of Nicola is still alive, or rather is more alive than ever, and lives in the hearts of so many people who know him from the writings and testimony of the witnesses.
In these few pages, the reader will find a concise account of the human and spiritual vicissitudes of a boy resolved to offer his young life with joy to the Lord, in the religious family of St. Camilles de Lellis, at the service of the sick people. With this biography we intend to reach other people, especially the youth, hoping that this will arouse in them the desire to give to their life that special quality, which comes from surrendering completely to the Highest Love.
Special thanks go to the author, Father Felice Ruffini, not only for this book and others written about Nicola D'Onofrio, but also for the accurate and passionate research he has done in these years, which is the basis of this book that we hope will have a wide circulation.
THE FIRST YEARS
Nicola D'Onofrio was born on March 24, 1943, in Villamagna in the diocese of Chieti - Abruzzo. He was baptized in the parish church of St. Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore) on March 27, and was given the name Nicola. His father was called Giovanni, an honest and religious man, a good farmer endowed with the simple and popular wisdom of the old country families of Abruzzo. His mother, Virginia Ferrara was a strong but considerate woman, known for her piety and Christian spirit. She was able to transmit to her son a genuine religious sense of life, sensitiveness, an outstanding kindness and peace of mind.
On the Feast of Corpus Domini, June 8, 1950, he received his first Holy Communion and three years later on October 17, 1953, he was confirmed. He went to the primary school in Villamagna, close to Madonna del Carmine, where according to the teachers and his contemporaries, he distinguished himself for his diligence, kindness and availability for others. He never missed serving Holy Mass at the parish church, where he was constant even in winter, though his home was several kilometers away, at the border with neighboring Bucchianico, the birthplace of St. Camilles de Lellis.
AT THE SEMINARY IN ROME
A priest of the religious order of St. Camilles, a native of his village, invited him to join the Camillian seminary in Rome. Nicola accepted the proposal with joy and he immediately revealed his decision to his parents. But they objected. Because, his mother wanted him to go to the diocesan seminary in the neighboring town of Chieti, and his father did not want to lose the promising strong hands for the fields. Even his two unmarried paternal aunts, who lived with the family, were blandishing him with the promise of making him the sole heir if he could only stay. All the life of little Nicola was simple and genuine.
The opposition from his family lasted for a year. Nicola lived this period in prayer and study, until he finally obtained the permission to join the Seminary of St. Camilles in Rome. It was on October 3, 1955 that he entered, the feast of St. Theresa of Lisieux, of the Child Jesus, who would later become his spiritual guide. Though the Seminary was brimming with students, just like all other centers for vocation to the priesthood at that time, the young Nicola did not escape the notice of those who were supposed to observe the distinguishing signs of a true vocation. They immediately noticed in him the determination to model his total personality, entrusting himself completely to the superiors to guide him spiritually. Two years later, he came to know that his father wanted to withdraw him and take him back home. He then wrote a strong letter about his resolute decision to continue with the formation to the Priesthood in the Order of St. Camilles, whatever that would cost. He gave many motivations in support of his decision, among which was the saying of St. John Bosco: "The most beautiful blessing for a family is to have a son Priest." (1)
NOVICE
On October 6, 1960, he was dressed for the first time in the Habit of the religious order of St. Camilles, which marked the beginning of the novitiate year. At the end of the spiritual exercises, for this important stage in his life, he wrote: "...Jesus, if one day I have to throw the sacred Habit, like many do, please let me die before I receive it for the first time; I am not afraid of dying at this moment, now that I have your grace. What a gracious thing to be able to come and see You together with Your and my mother: Mary." (2)
Throughout the year of the novitiate he wrote in his "Diary" his objectives and small victories, moments of struggle and spiritual dryness. From his writings, one notices a strong will to continue in pursuit of the divine call, entrusting himself to God's help, which is synthesized in this statement: "We can win the evil only by staying close to Jesus and Mary with the Sacraments and prayer." (3) Already at this moment, he intensively lived the spirituality of the Order of St. Camilles. This was observed especially when he had to assist an older brother who was seriously ill from cancer in the throat. It is particularly important to remember what he said to this priest on the feast of Good Friday that year: "Father, unite your pains to those of Christ in agony, today is Good Friday, a blessed day for you who suffers together with Jesus." (4)
THE FIRST RELIGIOUS VOWS
On the morning of October 7, 1961, the feast of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary, after a year of intense training, which his superiors judged excellent, he took the vows of Poverty, Chastity, Obedience and Charity towards the sick even in cases of contagious diseases. These vows were binding for three years. So on that day he started a period of formation as a professed Camillian religious. He was serene and content, available to everyone, observed well the dispositions of community life with humility and simplicity, was assiduous at prayer and diligent in his studies.
His immediate Superiors, -the Provincial and the mentor of the clerics, - were his guide and the witnesses to his slow but continuous advancement on the way to the top of the Holy Mountain of God. He had a deep love for the Eucharistic Jesus, whom he received every day and visited often during the day in the church of the Seminary or in the chapel of the Gregorian University. He even enrolled himself to the "Guard of Honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus," choosing the time from 8.00 am to 9.00 am as his hour of reparation. (5) He had both a filial and tender devotion to the Virgin Mary and a strong devotion to St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, making his own her spirituality of the little way.
He had a profound love for his Father and Founder, St. Camilles, and deeply studied his spirituality while dreaming about future intense days of work and service to the sick, when he would finally become a priest one day. He was not afraid to show to anybody, his enthusiasm for the vocation in the Order of St.Camilles. Being diligent in his studies, he took his scholastic duties seriously and both loved and respected his teachers. He was docile and careful, anxious to receive the knowledge that was being imparted, because he considered it necessary for the good exercise of his Priesthood at the service of the suffering brothers.
During the short period of life as a student of the religious Order of the Camillians, he showed great love and attachment to his new family. He limited his outings, and preferred to stay in the House to dedicate his heart, mind and time to the several necessities and the most urgent needs of the religious community.
THE TIME OF SUFFERING AND ILLNESS
Towards the end of 1962 he started to feel the first symptoms of the illness that would later lead to his death at the age of 21. He obediently accepted the decisions of his Superiors and doctors from the very beginning. On June 31, 1963, he was operated upon in the Urological Ward of St.Camilles Hospital in Rome. (6) The result of the histological analysis made on the removed part gave the indisputable answer of a certain end: cancer. (7)
During his recovery at the Hospital chapliancy after the operation, he revealed himself as a person who is always patient and smiling, careful not to disturb his brothers who were concern for him. Afterwards, on August 19, he was admitted to the Polyclinic Umberto 1st of Rome for the cobalt-therapy, because his doctor had the secret hope of circumscribing the illness. From the 24th of the same month he continued this therapy at the outpatient clinic of the same hospital.
His behavior during this period is a great example to all, both for his patience in tolerating the pain and the willingness to do the will of God. No matter what it was. As to whether he already by this summer knew or at least suspected to be suffering from a serious illness, could be deduced from a note found in his papers, where he wrote: "End of June: in 2-3 days it assumes enormous proportions. Treatment of Penicillin and Strepto dissolved with vitamins B and C," and ahead -besides the dates of admission at the two hospitals in Rome and of the surgical operations - he wrote: "12/8- Beginning of the treatments with gamma-rays and not gamma (200 in a day)...20/8, VIIth application, two X-rays of the lungs, blood tests...23/8, Xth application, 22 X-rays to the digestive apparatus..."
When the Academic Year resumed in autumn, his superiors enrolled him in the first year of philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University, even though he was already seriously affected by the cancer. (8) Even here, his diligence, serenity and kindness were noted by the teachers and the other students. At the beginning of January 1964 another X-ray was perfomed on the thorax. The right lung appeared largely infected by the illness. (9) Even though nobody up to now had talked to him about the gravity of his state, and on the contrary all were trying to hide from him the reality of his now hopeless situation, Nicola definitively realized his actual state of health. This can be deduced from a conversation he had with his brother, Tommaso, in which he alluded to the certainty of his approaching death, but that his only worry was the great suffering his death would cause to their mother. (10)
Towards the end of March that year, he asked for a meeting with the provincial superior, in order to know from him the exact truth about his state of health. With his back against the wall, the superior was unable to hide the truth, which he accompanied with words of great hope especially trust in the goodness and power of God, to whom nothing is impossible, even a great miracle like the one Nicola needed. After knowing the truth about his health, he did not react with desperation, on the contrary, after a moment of intense reflection spent before the Eucharistic Jesus in the church of the Seminary, he recovered his usual smile and intensified his prayers, giving more time to meditation. When he had the occasion to talk with some friends about his approaching death, he neither avoided the topic nor dramatized about it, he spoke with serenity and detachment.
People who lived with him remember that he gave them the impression of a person who was already living the reality of the life to come, as something already present in his existence, which was very prematurely drawing to its end.
They still strongly remember that his conversation about life after death was calm and peaceful, with no strain or fanaticism, and a great spirit of faith enlightened his life, which he continued to conduct normally, sharing in the common life of the Seminary. With a hidden hope of obtaining a great miracle, his Superiors decided to send him on a pilgrimage to Lourdes and Lisieux. Nicola accepted to go, out of obedience, but he went above all with the intention of beseeching the help of the Immaculate Virgin and his little, great Saint Theresa, to do God's will up to the last hour, peacefully united with the Cross of Christ. It was May 10, only 33 days before his meeting with God for the eternity.
TO GOD WITH ALL HIMSELF
With the dispensation "super triennium" Pope Paul VI allowed him to take the Perpetual Vows. On May 28, the feast of Corpus Domini, in the church of the Camillian Seminary, he consecrated himself to God forever; it was the last act of love of a short life, lived fervently through "praying and loving". The morning of June 5, feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in full consciousness, he accepted to receive the Anointing of the Sick as his Provincial Superior had proposed. It was a moment of intense commotion for all his brothers, at the end of the Holy Mass celebrated in the small room on the ground floor where had been placed for some months now, in order to facilitate his movements that were by now only possible in a wheel-chair, and where he received his numerous friends and his mother.
An awful, dramatic and continuous pain marked the last days of his life on earth. The cancer, which advanced and completely invaded his lungs, did not only cause terrific pain, but also moments of suffocation. Nicolino lived this pain heroically, united to the Cross of Christ, invoking help from the Virgin Mary and the Saints Camilles and Theresa of Lisieux, always calm and never abandoning himself to desperation, careful not to inconvenience those assisting him and trying to do his very best to hide the inevitable mask of suffering in order to avoid bringing sorrow to his mother, who stayed close by him. This extraordinary confidence in God's will is a cause for admiration and devotion even for those who knew him from childhood.
A FLOWER IN THE HEART OF GOD
The last day for Nicolino came on June 12, 1964. It was a long agony, which started at 16.00 to close his last evening at 21.15, after a day spent in prayer and manifestation of his deep faith and burning Love for Jesus and Mary, with the help of his two beloved Saints and the comfort of the touching prayers of the brothers and friends. Up till now, his superior remembers his last moments thus: "I would lead the prayers and all the young brothers reunited around him in his small room would answer with hearts full of faith. Sometimes he would ask us to continue, saying: again, again, ....stronger , now and then he would add his own personal invocations to ours, which revealed his deep faith in an ultrasensitive reality that he felt really near."( 11)
This contact with the ultrasensitive world was also noticed by other people who assisted at his death. Heaven opened its doors to him while he, lucid up to the end, continuously repeated the act of offering his life and all his pains, refusing the analgesics and inviting those present to pray with him and for him. A conclusion, very much coherent with the ideals he had chosen to live up to in his life. The strong impression that with his death a Passion was accomplished, can be noticed in the simple words of a country lady, an old family friend: "Having verified his death, the doctor opened the door and said to his mother: Lady, here is your son! Just as if it were the Virgin Mary receiving her crucified Son."(12 ).
A confrère who was a great friend of Nicola wrote during the days immediately after his death: "Now down here with us remains only a cut stem, his stem. The flower is up there, engrossed in the Heart of God. For this reason every time that I think or speak of beloved Nicola I feel I have to look up there as in a dream, bowing. My Hero! I had seen vaguely, I had only dreamed the ideal of holiness, without reaching it, because to touch something you've got to be close to it, and to have an admiration with no obscurity, you've got to be similar to the hero who inspires it. I've touched my hero and then...he seems to vanish. But, like the little Theresa with Celina, I believe that he will always walk at the side of every person who is able to discover him. I loved him, he died in my arms, and he looked at me with his last gaze, waving his hand to me to say "goodbye." I love him, by now he's my great, little Saint together with his, and my little Theresa." (13)
WAITING FOR THE RESURRECTION
At the sacred funeral rites there was a great multitude of confères, friends and acquaintances. His mother's sad and tormented prayers persuaded the superiors to allow the burial of the remains of Nicola D'Onofrio in Villamagna, his birthplace, in the family grave. His last journey back home was on June 15, accompanied by his confrères and superiors. After a solemn Eucharistic celebration he was buried in the Ferrara Chapel, his mother's family. Since October 8, 1979, Nicola D'Onofrio rests near the Crypt of the Sanctuary of St. Camilles in Bucchianico, reunited to his religious family, waiting for the Resurrection of the last day, when Christ who triumphed over death will come again.
...IT COMES FROM AFAR!
The way he touched people who were close to him or those who managed to know him during the well-known period of his rapid end, which he faced with serenity and with a smile on his lips, proves his exceptional behavior. But this was not improvised or even superficial. His ascent to the Holy Mountain of God comes from afar. The pages of his original writings reveal to us that this way started from the first days of his life at the Camillian Seminary. The last period of his existence and his death are only the revealing moment of his spiritual dimension.
THE SPIRITUAL INHERITANCE
The extraordinary wave of affective and religious emotions that accompanied his death, which was rendered more tragic by the terrible suffering caused by the sickness, is to be attributed to the fact that: "In suffering one becomes a completely new person... When this body is seriously sick, completely disabled and the person is almost incapable of living and acting, then ones inner maturity and spiritual greatness become more manifest, thus offering a touching lesson for all the normal and healthy people. ( 14) Except for arbitrary cases of incomprehension, all people felt that God had stimulated extraordinary answers in his soul, and that his journey to the Holy Mountain was really fast. A religious woman, his contemporary and friend since childhood, wrote that on learning of his death she felt the words of Wisdom ringing in her heart: "Having come to perfection so soon, he has lived long; his soul being pleasing to the Lord, he has hurried away from the wickedness around him." (Wis. 4:13-14a)
Such a conclusion to life cannot be improvised. It comes from afar and the moment of death is only the occasion that reveals the interior work done. And he founded it essentially upon the Passion and Cross of the Lord Jesus, with his eyes always fixed on the Glory of the Resurrection. This is clear from his "Writings" and from the testimony of the people who knew him.
FROM HIS WRITINGS
The key to understanding his spiritual journey appears almost immediately at the beginning of his new life in the minor seminary, when listening to a meditation on the love of God the Father for Man, during the annual Spiritual Retreat, he wrote: "We could say that he was not concerned for his only Son, if only he could save us. Jesus died for us and his blood, up to the last drop, washed our soul. How much Jesus loved us!"(16 )
And some few months later, at the end of the monthly retreat, he notes down a dictated meditation in this way: "Jesus has come into the world to glorify the Father who sent him, and to come down here "exinanivit se" he annihilated, humbled himself. The Incarnation, the Crucifixion, the Eucharist, are acts of self-destruction for the love he has for us, and for the glory of the Father. Now it is upon us to follow him, in order to give to the Sacred Heart that due glory as a response to his love."( 17)
...CRUCIFIED JESUS, HIS MODEL
The crucified Christ entered his life and became his daily reference. The religious life that he started with the Novitiate during the Vespers on October 6, 1960, is a good school for the spirit which convinced him of the necessity to control the human faculty necessary for the practice of mysticism: the will. For a whole year, the messages received from his spiritual guides found him well disposed at the eve of the first religious vows consecrating him to God. He writes thus at the end of the first day of spiritual exercises: "The will has to be strong, complete, and heroic in the mystical ascent. One that does not change direction according to the winds, but remains faithful to the principles of the Crucified Christ. A will, which is not caught up in the many fatuities of this world, but stays vibrant and strong in sustaining and facilitating the progress of our journey towards God. Moreover, our ascent requires a heroic will because the goal is difficult. We aim at imitating a crucified Christ, who does not present to us anything else but the Cross, to embrace everyday. Heroic too, because our ascent is not in phases, but continuous and demanding, an ascent which ought to consume us completely. But to reach this point Confession and Spiritual Direction are indispensable. (18 )
"I am glad to have had the opportunity to assist beloved Father Del Greco, during the night between Wednesday and Holy Thursday. During this night there was the adoration of Jesus from eleven to midnight here in the house. I instead, have done it close to the suffering Jesus in the person of Fr. Del Greco. (I have really done it with this intention). Now he seems to feel better, let's hope for the best!" ( 19)
The assisted camillian priest, who had been operated for a cancer in his throat, completed later what D'Onofrio did not write in his Spiritual Notes: "I was almost dying, and the cleric D'Onofrio assisted me and comforted me saying: 'Father, unite your pains to the suffering of Jesus in agony. Today is Good Friday, a beautiful day for you, who are suffering together with Jesus!" I have never forgotten those words suggested to me by our cleric, with so much lovableness and faith."( 20)
...AND FOR IMMACULATE MOTHER MARY
Along with his devotion to Crucified Jesus, Nicolino had a tender and really filial relationship with his Mother, the Immaculate Virgin Mary. In his Writings, and on the death bed, he had sweet and tender expressions for Her, that we must contemplated within the realm of a inner and secret relationship of the soul, deserving of respect and great consideration. Exactly as we do, when contemplating similar relationships of the Saints proposed by the Church as life models. This is an extract from his writings: "I'm tired, I would say almost discouraged...I find life in the novitiate hard...Why?... It is the deadly enemy of my soul who overworks me, it is the Lord who purifies me...When will this place of exile come to end?... Ah, difficult world!... I would like to die soon, if it is pleasing to God, to fly in my Mothers' arms. I want to go to rest in Heaven...yes...sweet Mum...But here, serenity comes back slowly into my soul, so I can aim further...This is God's will... "Tota vita Christi crux fuit et martyrium"...and so, what do I pretend?... To live like a lord? No, no, no. But everything for you, Jesus, Mary!"( 21)
...ON THE "LITTLE WAY" OF ST. THERESA
One of the intermediate life models that guided his way to the Lord was St. Theresa of the Holy Child and of the Holy Face. Her "little way" became the code of behavior for his life. In a letter to his mother, who might have been worried about eventual penances imposed by the religious life, Nicolino, wrote reassuring her about the normality and simplicity of the daily acts: "...All is done for the Lord, for his love. There are no extraordinary things to do, like exceptional penances, or sleeping on the ground...Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, a Carmelite French nun, did nothing special during her life, she did nothing unique, she only did her duty; at the age of 24 she died of tuberculosis and became a saint...." ( 22) We have a Prayer written by Nicolino, which comes from a mystic soul. We are not sure whether it belongs to St. Theresa. We present here a little extract which can largely explain our thesis: "Give me the suffering, give me the martyrdom of love, only and always what is more pleasing to you, to possess you forever completely ...I am in love with Christ Crucified. Far from me every other joy, every other liking that is not for my beloved Crucified Bridegroom. I desperately want to own your torn Heart completely, to be inside it, incarnated into one reality: I want to renounce myself completely, to completely be You, my Love. I want to renounce myself always, even in the most hard way, not me anymore, but You, You, Crucified Love."(23 )
At the foot of the page Nicolino annotated: "I will recite this prayer at least three times every day: if it is possible, in the morning, at midday and in the evening, before going to bed." He collected every published work of St.Theresa, asking directly from the Convent of Lisieux the last editions. He knew very well the French language and started to translate her poems. To complete these few considerations, we would like to quote stanzas from "To Live for Love," which reveal to us his inner tension to conform himself completely to His beloved Crucified Jesus: "...Living for love on this Earth does not mean/ to pitch a tent on the top of Tabor. / It means climbing Calvary together with Jesus. / It means considering the cross as a treasure! / In Heaven, I will live of joy. / Then, the affliction will have disappeared forever, / but here, in suffering, / I want to live for love!--...To die for love is too sweet a martyrdom, / and that's what I'd like to suffer. / Oh Cherubim! light the lyres, / because I feel it, my exile is close to end.../ Arrow of fire consume me restlessly, / tear my heart in this sad sojourn. / Divine Jesus, please realize my dream: to die for love!"( 24)
This is the secret of the great emotion, esteem and enthusiasm caused by his tragic last year of life and by his passage to Heaven. Everyone could basically feel the spiritual dimension in which he was absorbed, and which is faithfully synthesized in the following passage of the last letter he wrote to his parents: "I'm really glad to have the possibility of suffering a little bit now that I'm young, because these are the most beautiful years to offer (something) to the Lord. St. Theresa of Lisieux is the saint that I like most, because she is very similar to me. She too fell sick when she was only about twenty years old, she suffered a lot and died at the age of 24...Dearest parents, you too pray that the Lord may help me to recover the strength, so that I may become a priest and work a lot more for the souls. But if the good Lord wants something different from you and me, may God be blessed, because He knows what he does and what is really good for us. There is no way, we can't know those things...Only God knows..."( 25)
SOME TESTIMONIES
Everyone who was able to read the signs of his behavior during the time of the extreme test of his life understood his Message. The demonstrations of esteem expressed at the moment of his death, which as we said were concretized in an extraordinary wave of affective and religious feelings, went beyond the realm of the Camillian Community and time. We are not going to expound the proof of what Nicolino left to us in writing with our own words, rather we shall use a short selection from what the Testimonies have written for the General Postulation of the Order of St. Camilles.
...MILITIAMAN OF THE IMMACULATE:
With these words the review of the Militia of the Immaculate presented him to the readers: "He has reached the third grade of the M.I.: the one of the total donation: to give himself completely to Mary, accepting every suffering with spirit of faith and generosity in order to conform himself to the Mystery of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, to the point of martyrdom. Nicolino, consumed by pain, offered himself as a victim for so many brothers and sisters in need of hope and spiritual salvation. Even though the circumstances and the mode were different, we can compare his offering to that of Father Kolbe, who found in the Immaculate Mother the strength and love to give himself completely, not only for the father of a family, but for all the human kind. The death of the young camillian and the martyrdom of Father Kolbe find their explanation and message in the eternal Word of the Gospel... Nicolino, so young but yet so wise, understood very well what Father Kolbe says in one of his writing: "There's only one life to live, not two. We have to become saints completely, not half-way, for the greater glory of the Immaculate, and trough her, for the greater glory of God."( 26)
...REDEMPTIVE SUFFERING
"He saw God's plan in everything, directed to Him all his action and accepted with joy the pains and suffering. He used to say to me: "Suffering is the best currency with which we can buy Heaven." His death was peaceful and I had the grace to be present at this moment.
The following months his illness started to become more and more serious and he was evidently suffering, but with great dignity. He intensively prayed for the sinners and considered the Passion of Jesus and the suffering of St Theresa of Lisieux as models to be imitated, almost literally... During his illness he, like Christ, was able to face the stages of the long Calvary, walking with joy towards the Father, in the Kingdom promised to the good and faithful servants.
"During that night I was assisting Nicola D'Onofrio and I was woken up at dawn by his troubled screams. I run into his small room; leaning on his elbows, as the strength permitted him, he asked God in a loud voice to be healed: "I'll become a priest... I will save many souls...I pray You my Lord, heal me...Mother Mary, please intercede...St.Camilles...! Please father; help me...let us pray together, I have to obtain this miracle... I have to get well...!" I raised him and helped him until, shortly after, he became calm, exhausted. Then, speaking softly and full of submissive abandonment, he said: "Well...but if it's not possible...let it be as you will my God!" This is the gist of his words, even though I may not remember them literally. I was very impressed by that submission to God, that extreme acceptance, so much that it was impossible for me not to compare it with that of Christ on the Cross, who asks imploring and ends with a wonderful submission to His Father's Will.The Doctors in charge almost immediately decided for a surgical operation. Always docile and obedient as usual, he accepted in a spirit of deep union with the Suffering Christ, following the example of St.Theresa of Lisieux in the last period of her illness, and accepted to subject himself to such a delicate operation...But he accepted everything without reacting, and submissively let himself be gradually laid and nailed on his Cross...He spent the Easter period in a special, deep recollection and meditation on the Passion of the Lord, endeavoring to conform himself as much as possible to Him. In fact, he had no doubt anymore about the nature of his illness, he felt it stronger everyday, expanding in his body. Even the easiest things were becoming difficult for him, because he increasingly breathed with difficulty. Though every possible means and cure were attempted in order to sustain him and stimulate his appetite, he kept on loosing weight day by day."
"But it was pleasing to Jesus, the Eternal Priest, to shorten his time of waiting, and he took him soon to the top of Calvary, where Nicolino, became an holocaust for everyone, offered himself to God with heroism as a victim of Love, after the example of St.Theresa of Lisieux, who wanted him as her guest in her city, in France, just before his passage from earth to the realm of the blessed, passing through the narrow door indicated by Jesus for the elected few."
"I saw him again on his death-bed. His face impressed me. A gaunt, serious and pallid face. His passage must have been a real martyrdom. His last hour absorbed in darkness. Nicolino had tasted the bitterness of Jesus' Cup. And he still had on his face the sign of disgust for the bitterness. I remember now, the physiognomy of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah: "He has no appearance or beauty / to attract our eyes / no splendor to delight us" (Is. 54, 2). So, like Jesus, Nicolino was "eliminated from the land of the living."(Is 54,8). We conclude with the expression used by his mother's friend, who lived for many years in Rome and assisted the young camillian student throughout all his suffering. Simple soul, who after so many years remembers those moments in this way: "He seemed to me like Jesus Christ on the Cross, so calm and confident, with prayers on his lips, calling Our Lady 'Mum'. Then, he reclined the head on the left, his tongue moved a little, and he died so peacefully. The Doctor verified the fact, then opened the door and called the mother: "Lady, here is your son!" As if she was Our Lady receiving Her Crucified Son. The mother fell on her son, then knelt down crying loudly, loudly..."
...HIS MESSAGE
The title of the small and successful biography written some months after his death, "When Love Prays", (27) was the incipit of one of the reflections that Nicola D'Onofrio used to jot down on paper in order to be able to follow them for along time. It was lost. But his teacher in the major Seminary, who had seen it, attests that: "the concept, expressed in four short verses, was connected to the words of St Augustine: "Love and do what you like." Actually it affirmed that, when love resembles the Love of God, trough prayer and service to Him, then it is possible to walk confidently towards the goal."
When the Lord called him to live like St. Paul: "I complete in my flesh what is missing in the suffering of Christ, for his body, which is the Church."(Col. 1, 24), Nicola D'Onofrio did not draw back.
Strongly united to the Mother of God, he lived with coherence the phrase he wrote on a quiet evening in the Novitiate, "Tota vita Christi crux fuit et martyrium," adhering to it strongly with "All for you, Jesus, Mary".
The "new maternity" that the Virgin Mary received from Her Son dying on the Cross, "spiritual and universal to all the human kind, so that everyone, in the pilgrimage of faith, could remain strongly united to Her up to the Cross, and, for the strength of this Cross, every suffering, regenerated, could from weakness of man become power of God" ( 28), found its complete realization in Nicola D'Onofrio, and remains a wonderful example for ages.
The young camillian student, having gone with joy and serenity through the mystery of human suffering, elevated by Christ to the level of redemption (29 ), was and remains a credible testimony of the fact that the choice to live the Gospel Values reveals "the heavenly treasures already present in this world, shows better the new and eternal life acquired from the Redemption of Christ, and preannounce as well the future Resurrection and the Glory of the Heavenly Kingdom." ( 30)
Young people who get to know his short experience on earth are fascinated by it. Of these, we remember Marie-Louise, a girl who, wanting to follow the invitation of John Paul II, at Compostela: "N'ayez pas peur de devenir saints! - Don't be afraid to become saints!" wrote to us saying that she has decided to take " Nicolas D'Onofrio as a life model...I was looking for a contemporary model of life, and I found in the life of this young boy the plans that I've decided to follow, a few moments ago." ( 31) For years now, Marie-Louise has dedicated her life to one of the new institutes of consecrated life in the world, serving God through the service to the sick and poor brothers and sisters.
The Postcard
A postally unused carte postale bearing no publisher's name. The card has a divided back.
The Gardens of Versailles
The Gardens of Versailles are situated to the west of the palace. They cover some 800 hectares (1,977 acres) of land, much of which is landscaped in the classic French formal garden style perfected here by André Le Nôtre.
Beyond the surrounding belt of woodland, the gardens are bordered by the urban areas of Versailles to the east and Le Chesnay to the north-east, by the National Arboretum de Chèvreloup to the north, the Versailles plain (a protected wildlife preserve) to the west, and by the Satory Forest to the south.
In 1979, the gardens along with the château were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List due to its cultural importance during the 17th. and 18th. centuries.
The gardens are now one of the most visited public sites in France, receiving more than six million visitors a year.
The gardens contain 200,000 trees, 210,000 flowers planted annually, and feature meticulously manicured lawns and parterres, as well as many sculptures.
50 fountains containing 620 water jets, fed by 35 km. of piping, are located throughout the gardens. Dating from the time of Louis XIV and still using much of the same network of hydraulics as was used during the Ancien Régime, the fountains contribute to making the gardens of Versailles unique.
On weekends from late spring to early autumn, there are the Grandes Eaux - spectacles during which all the fountains in the gardens are in full play. Designed by André Le Nôtre, the Grand Canal is the masterpiece of the Gardens of Versailles.
In the Gardens too, the Grand Trianon was built to provide the Sun King with the retreat that he wanted. The Petit Trianon is associated with Marie-Antoinette, who spent time there with her closest relatives and friends.
The Du Bus Plan for the Gardens of Versailles
With Louis XIII's purchase of lands from Jean-François de Gondi in 1632 and his assumption of the seigneurial role of Versailles in the 1630's, formal gardens were laid out west of the château.
Claude Mollet and Hilaire Masson designed the gardens, which remained relatively unchanged until the expansion ordered under Louis XIV in the 1660's. This early layout, which has survived in the so-called Du Bus plan of c.1662, shows an established topography along which lines of the gardens evolved. This is evidenced in the clear definition of the main east–west and north–south axis that anchors the gardens' layout.
Louis XIV
In 1661, after the disgrace of the finance minister Nicolas Fouquet, who was accused by rivals of embezzling crown funds in order to build his luxurious château at Vaux-le-Vicomte, Louis XIV turned his attention to Versailles.
With the aid of Fouquet's architect Louis Le Vau, painter Charles Le Brun, and landscape architect André Le Nôtre, Louis began an embellishment and expansion program at Versailles that would occupy his time and worries for the remainder of his reign.
From this point forward, the expansion of the gardens of Versailles followed the expansions of the château.
(a) The First Building Campaign
In 1662, minor modifications to the château were undertaken; however, greater attention was given to developing the gardens. Existing bosquets (clumps of trees) and parterres were expanded, and new ones created.
Most significant among the creations at this time were the Versailles Orangerie and the "Grotte de Thétys". The Orangery, which was designed by Louis Le Vau, was located south of the château, a situation that took advantage of the natural slope of the hill. It provided a protected area in which orange trees were kept during the winter months.
The "Grotte de Thétys", which was located to the north of the château, formed part of the iconography of the château and of the gardens that aligned Louis XIV with solar imagery. The grotto was completed during the second building campaign.
By 1664, the gardens had evolved to the point that Louis XIV inaugurated the gardens with the fête galante called Les Plaisirs de L'Île Enchantée. The event, was ostensibly to celebrate his mother, Anne d'Autriche, and his consort Marie-Thérèse but in reality celebrated Louise de La Vallière, Louis' mistress.
Guests were regaled with entertainments in the gardens over a period of one week. As a result of this fête - particularly the lack of housing for guests (most of them had to sleep in their carriages), Louis realised the shortcomings of Versailles, and began to expand the château and the gardens once again.
(b) The Second Building Campaign
Between 1664 and 1668, there was a flurry of activity in the gardens - especially with regard to fountains and new bosquets; it was during this time that the imagery of the gardens exploited Apollo and solar imagery as metaphors for Louis XIV.
Le Va's enveloppe of the Louis XIII's château provided a means by which, though the decoration of the garden façade, imagery in the decors of the grands appartements of the king and queen formed a symbiosis with the imagery of the gardens.
With this new phase of construction, the gardens assumed the design vocabulary that remained in force until the 18th. century. Solar and Apollonian themes predominated with projects constructed at this time.
Three additions formed the topological and symbolic nexus of the gardens during this phase of construction: the completion of the "Grotte de Thétys", the "Bassin de Latone", and the "Bassin d'Apollon".
The Grotte de Thétys
Started in 1664 and finished in 1670 with the installation of the statuary, the grotto formed an important symbolic and technical component to the gardens. Symbolically, the "Grotte de Thétys" related to the myth of Apollo - and by association to Louis XIV.
It represented the cave of the sea nymph Thetis, where Apollo rested after driving his chariot to light the sky. The grotto was a freestanding structure located just north of the château.
The interior, which was decorated with shell-work to represent a sea cave, contained the statue group by the Marsy brothers depicting the sun god attended by nereids.
Technically, the "'Grotte de Thétys" played a critical role in the hydraulic system that supplied water to the garden. The roof of the grotto supported a reservoir that stored water pumped from the Clagny pond and which fed the fountains lower in the garden via gravity.
The Bassin de Latone
Located on the east–west axis is the Bassin de Latone. Designed by André Le Nôtre, sculpted by Gaspard and Balthazar Marsy, and constructed between 1668 and 1670, the fountain depicts an episode from Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Altona and her children, Apollo and Diana, being tormented with mud slung by Lycian peasants, who refused to let her and her children drink from their pond, appealed to Jupiter who responded by turning the Lycians into frogs.
This episode from mythology has been seen as a reference to the revolts of the Fronde, which occurred during the minority of Louis XIV. The link between Ovid's story and this episode from French history is emphasised by the reference to "mud slinging" in a political context.
The revolts of the Fronde - the word fronde also means slingshot - have been regarded as the origin of the use of the term "mud slinging" in a political context.
The Bassin d'Apollon
Further along the east–west axis is the Bassin d'Apollon. The Apollo Fountain, which was constructed between 1668 and 1671, depicts the sun god driving his chariot to light the sky. The fountain forms a focal point in the garden, and serves as a transitional element between the gardens of the Petit Parc and the Grand Canal.
The Grand Canal
With a length of 1,500 metres and a width of 62 metres, the Grand Canal, which was built between 1668 and 1671, prolongs the east–west axis to the walls of the Grand Parc. During the Ancien Régime, the Grand Canal served as a venue for boating parties.
In 1674 the king ordered the construction of Petite Venise (Little Venice). Located at the junction of the Grand Canal and the northern transversal branch, Little Venice housed the caravels and yachts that were received from The Netherlands and the gondolas and gondoliers received as gifts from the Doge of Venice.
The Grand Canal also served a practical role. Situated at a low point in the gardens, it collected water that drained from the fountains in the garden above. Water from the Grand Canal was pumped back to the reservoir on the roof of the Grotte de Thétys via a network of windmill- and horse-powered pumps.
The Parterre d'Eau
Situated above the Latona Fountain is the terrace of the château, known as the Parterre d'Eau. Forming a transitional element from the château to the gardens below, the Parterre d'Eau provided a setting in which the symbolism of the grands appartements synthesized with the iconography of the gardens.
In 1664, Louis XIV commissioned a series of statues intended to decorate the water feature of the Parterre d'Eau. The Grande Command, as the commission is known, comprised twenty-four statues of the classic quaternities and four additional statues depicting abductions from the classic past.
Evolution of the Bosquets
One of the distinguishing features of the gardens during the second building campaign was the proliferation of bosquets. Expanding the layout established during the first building campaign, Le Nôtre added or expanded on no fewer that ten bosquets between 1670 and 1678:
-- The Bosquet du Marais
-- The Bosquet du Théâtre d'Eau, Île du Roi
-- The Miroir d'Eau
-- The Salle des Festins (Salle du Conseil)
-- The Bosquet des Trois Fontaines
-- The Labyrinthe
-- The Bosquet de l'Arc de Triomphe
-- The Bosquet de la Renommée (Bosquet des Dômes)
-- The Bosquet de l'Encélade
-- The Bosquet des Sources
In addition to the expansion of existing bosquets and the construction of new ones, there were two additional projects that defined this era, the Bassin des Sapins and the Pièce d'Eau des Suisses.
-- The Bassin des Sapins
In 1676, the Bassin des Sapins, which was located north of the château below the Allée des Marmoset's was designed to form a topological pendant along the north–south axis with the Pièce d'Eau des Suisses located at the base of the Satory hill south of the château.
Later modifications in the gardens transformed this fountain into the Bassin de Neptune.
-- Pièce d'Eau des Suisses
Excavated in 1678, the Pièce d'Eau des Suisses - named after the Swiss Guards who constructed the lake - occupied an area of marshes and ponds, some of which had been used to supply water for the fountains in the garden.
This water feature, with a surface area of more than 15 hectares (37 acres), is the second largest - after the Grand Canal - at Versailles.
(c) The Third Building Campaign
Modifications to the gardens during the third building campaign were distinguished by a stylistic change from the natural aesthetic of André Le Nôtre to the architectonic style of Jules Hardouin Mansart.
The first major modification to the gardens during this phase occurred in 1680 when the Tapis Vert - the expanse of lawn that stretches between the Latona Fountain and the Apollo Fountain - achieved its final size and definition under the direction of André Le Nôtre.
Beginning in 1684, the Parterre d'Eau was remodelled under the direction of Jules Hardouin-Mansart. Statues from the Grande Commande of 1674 were relocated to other parts of the garden; two twin octagonal basins were constructed and decorated with bronze statues representing the four main rivers of France.
In the same year, Le Vau's Orangerie, located to south of the Parterrre d'Eau was demolished to accommodate a larger structure designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart.
In addition to the Orangerie, the Escaliers des Cent Marches, which facilitated access to the gardens from the south, to the Pièce d'Eau des Suisses, and to the Parterre du Midi were constructed at this time, giving the gardens just south of the château their present configuration and decoration.
Additionally, to accommodate the anticipated construction of the Aile des Nobles - the north wing of the château - the Grotte de Thétys was demolished.
With the construction of the Aile des Nobles (1685–1686), the Parterre du Nord was remodelled to respond to the new architecture of this part of the château.
To compensate for the loss of the reservoir on top of the Grotte de Thétys and to meet the increased demand for water, Jules Hardouin-Mansart designed new and larger reservoirs situated north of the Aile des Nobles.
Construction of the ruinously expensive Canal de l'Eure was inaugurated in 1685; designed by Vauban it was intended to bring waters of the Eure over 80 kilometres, including aqueducts of heroic scale, but the works were abandoned in 1690.
Between 1686 and 1687, the Bassin de Latone, under the direction of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, was rebuilt. It is this final version of the fountain that one sees today at Versailles.
During this phase of construction, three of the garden's major bosquets were modified or created. Beginning with the Galerie des Antiques, this bosquet was constructed in 1680 on the site of the earlier and short-lived Galerie d'Eau. This bosquet was conceived as an open-air gallery in which antique statues and copies acquired by the Académie de France in Rome were displayed.
The following year, construction began on the Salle de Bal. Located in a secluded section of the garden west of the Orangerie, this bosquet was designed as an amphitheater that featured a cascade – the only one surviving in the gardens of Versailles. The Salle de Bal was inaugurated in 1685 with a ball hosted by the Grand Dauphin.
Between 1684 and 1685, Jules Hardouin-Mansart built the Colonnade. Located on the site of Le Nôtre's Bosquet des Sources, this bosquet featured a circular peristyle formed from thirty-two arches with twenty-eight fountains, and was Hardouin-Mansart's most architectural of the bosquets built in the gardens of Versailles.
(d) The Fourth Building Campaign
Due to financial constraints arising from the War of the League of Augsburg and the War of the Spanish Succession, no significant work on the gardens was undertaken until 1704.
Between 1704 and 1709, bosquets were modified, some quite radically, with new names suggesting the new austerity that characterised the latter years of Louis XIV's reign.
Louis XV
With the departure of the king and court from Versailles in 1715 following the death of Louis XIV, the palace and gardens entered an era of uncertainty.
In 1722, Louis XV and the court returned to Versailles. Seeming to heed his great-grandfather's admonition not to engage in costly building campaigns, Louis XV did not undertake the costly rebuilding that Louis XIV had.
During the reign of Louis XV, the only significant addition to the gardens was the completion of the Bassin de Neptune (1738–1741).
Rather than expend resources on modifying the gardens at Versailles, Louis XV - an avid botanist - directed his efforts at Trianon. In the area now occupied by the Hameau de la Reine, Louis XV constructed and maintained les Jardins Botaniques.
In 1761, Louis XV commissioned Ange-Jacques Gabriel to build the Petit Trianon as a residence that would allow him to spend more time near the Jardins Botaniques. It was at the Petit Trianon that Louis XV fell fatally ill with smallpox; he died at Versailles on the 10th. May 1774.
Louis XVI
Upon Louis XVI's ascension to the throne, the gardens of Versailles underwent a transformation that recalled the fourth building campaign of Louis XIV. Engendered by a change in outlook as advocated by Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the Philosophes, the winter of 1774–1775 witnessed a complete replanting of the gardens.
Trees and shrubbery dating from the reign of Louis XIV were felled or uprooted with the intent of transforming the French formal garden of Le Nôtre and Hardouin-Mansart into a version of an English landscape garden.
The attempt to convert Le Nôtre's masterpiece into an English-style garden failed to achieve its desired goal. Owing largely to the topology of the land, the English aesthetic was abandoned and the gardens replanted in the French style.
However, with an eye on economy, Louis XVI ordered the Palisades - the labour-intensive clipped hedging that formed walls in the bosquets - to be replaced with rows of lime trees or chestnut trees. Additionally, a number of the bosquets dating from the time of the Sun King were extensively modified or destroyed.
The most significant contribution to the gardens during the reign of Louis XVI was the Grotte des Bains d'Apollon. The rockwork grotto set in an English style bosquet was the masterpiece of Hubert Robert in which the statues from the Grotte de Thétys were placed.
Revolution
In 1792, under order from the National Convention, some of the trees in the gardens were felled, while parts of the Grand Parc were parcelled and dispersed.
Sensing the potential threat to Versailles, Louis Claude Marie Richard (1754–1821) – director of the Jardins Botaniques and grandson of Claude Richard – lobbied the government to save Versailles. He succeeded in preventing further dispersing of the Grand Parc, and threats to destroy the Petit Parc were abolished by suggesting that the parterres could be used to plant vegetable gardens, and that orchards could occupy the open areas of the garden.
These plans were never put into action; however, the gardens were opened to the public - it was not uncommon to see people washing their laundry in the fountains and spreading it on the shrubbery to dry.
Napoléon I
The Napoleonic era largely ignored Versailles. In the château, a suite of rooms was arranged for the use of the empress Marie-Louise, but the gardens were left unchanged, save for the disastrous felling of trees in the Bosquet de l'Arc de Triomphe and the Bosquet des Trois Fontaines. Massive soil erosion necessitated planting of new trees.
Restoration
With the restoration of the Bourbons in 1814, the gardens of Versailles witnessed the first modifications since the Revolution. In 1817, Louis XVIII ordered the conversion of the Île du Roi and the Miroir d'Eau into an English-style garden - the Jardin du Roi.
The July Monarchy; The Second Empire
While much of the château's interior was irreparably altered to accommodate the Museum of the History of France (inaugurated by Louis-Philippe on the 10th. June 1837), the gardens, by contrast, remained untouched.
With the exception of the state visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1855, at which time the gardens were a setting for a gala fête that recalled the fêtes of Louis XIV, Napoléon III ignored the château, preferring instead the château of Compiègne.
Pierre de Nolhac
With the arrival of Pierre de Nolhac as director of the museum in 1892, a new era of historical research began at Versailles. Nolhac, an ardent archivist and scholar, began to piece together the history of Versailles, and subsequently established the criteria for restoration of the château and preservation of the gardens, which are ongoing to this day.
Bosquets of the Gardens
Owing to the many modifications made to the gardens between the 17th. and the 19th. centuries, many of the bosquets have undergone multiple modifications, which were often accompanied by name changes.
Deux Bosquets - Bosquet de la Girondole - Bosquet du Dauphin - Quinconce du Nord - Quinconce du Midi
These two bosquets were first laid out in 1663. They were arranged as a series of paths around four salles de verdure and which converged on a central "room" that contained a fountain.
In 1682, the southern bosquet was remodeled as the Bosquet de la Girondole, thus named due to spoke-like arrangement of the central fountain. The northern bosquet was rebuilt in 1696 as the Bosquet du Dauphin with a fountain that featured a dolphin.
During the replantation of 1774–1775, both the bosquets were destroyed. The areas were replanted with lime trees and were rechristened the Quinconce du Nord and the Quinconce du Midi.
Labyrinthe - Bosquet de la Reine
In 1665, André Le Nôtre planned a hedge maze of unadorned paths in an area south of the Latona Fountain near the Orangerie. In 1669, Charles Perrault - author of the Mother Goose Tales - advised Louis XIV to remodel the Labyrinthe in such a way as to serve the Dauphin's education.
Between 1672 and 1677, Le Nôtre redesigned the Labyrinthe to feature thirty-nine fountains that depicted stories from Aesop's Fables. The sculptors Jean-Baptiste Tuby, Étienne Le Hongre, Pierre Le Gros, and the brothers Gaspard and Balthazard Marsy worked on these thirty-nine fountains, each of which was accompanied by a plaque on which the fable was printed, with verse written by Isaac de Benserade; from these plaques, Louis XIV's son learned to read.
Once completed in 1677, the Labyrinthe contained thirty-nine fountains with 333 painted metal animal sculptures. The water for the elaborate waterworks was conveyed from the Seine by the Machine de Marly.
The Labyrinthe contained fourteen water-wheels driving 253 pumps, some of which worked at a distance of three-quarters of a mile.
Citing repair and maintenance costs, Louis XVI ordered the Labyrinthe demolished in 1778. In its place, an arboretum of exotic trees was planted as an English-styled garden.
Rechristened Bosquet de la Reine, it would be in this part of the garden that an episode of the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, which compromised Marie-Antoinette, transpired in 1785.
Bosquet de la Montagne d'Eau - Bosquet de l'Étoile
Originally designed by André Le Nôtre in 1661 as a salle de verdure, this bosquet contained a path encircling a central pentagonal area. In 1671, the bosquet was enlarged with a more elaborate system of paths that served to enhance the new central water feature, a fountain that resembled a mountain, hence the bosquets new name: Bosquet de la Montagne d'Eau.
The bosquet was completely remodeled in 1704 at which time it was rechristened Bosquet de l'Étoile.
Bosquet du Marais - Bosquet du Chêne Vert - Bosquet des Bains d'Apollon - Grotte des Bains d'Apollon
Created in 1670, this bosquet originally contained a central rectangular pool surrounded by a turf border. Edging the pool were metal reeds that concealed numerous jets for water; a swan that had water jetting from its beak occupied each corner.
The centre of the pool featured an iron tree with painted tin leaves that sprouted water from its branches. Because of this tree, the bosquet was also known as the Bosquet du Chêne Vert.
In 1705, this bosquet was destroyed in order to allow for the creation of the Bosquet des Bains d'Apollon, which was created to house the statues had once stood in the Grotte de Thétys.
During the reign of Louis XVI, Hubert Robert remodeled the bosquet, creating a cave-like setting for the Marsy statues. The bosquet was renamed the Grotte des Bains d'Apollon.
Île du Roi - Miroir d'Eau - Jardin du Roi
Originally designed in 1671 as two separate water features, the larger - Île du Roi - contained an island that formed the focal point of a system of elaborate fountains.
The Île du Roi was separated from the Miroir d'Eau by a causeway that featured twenty-four water jets. In 1684, the island was removed and the total number of water jets in the bosquet was significantly reduced.
The year 1704 witnessed a major renovation of the bosquet, at which time the causeway was remodelled and most of the water jets were removed.
A century later, in 1817, Louis XVIII ordered the Île du Roi and the Miroir d'Eau to be completely remodeled as an English-style garden. At this time, the bosquet was rechristened Jardin du Roi.
Salle des Festins - Salle du Conseil - Bosquet de l'Obélisque
In 1671, André Le Nôtre conceived a bosquet - originally christened Salle des Festins and later called Salle du Conseil - that featured a quatrefoil island surrounded by a channel containing fifty water jets. Access to the island was obtained by two swing bridges.
Beyond the channel and placed at the cardinal points within the bosquet were four additional fountains. Under the direction of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the bosquet was completely remodeled in 1706. The central island was replaced by a large basin raised on five steps, which was surrounded by a canal. The central fountain contained 230 jets that, when in play, formed an obelisk – hence the new name Bosquet de l'Obélisque.
Bosquet du Théâtre d'Eau - Bosquet du Rond-Vert
The central feature of this bosquet, which was designed by Le Nôtre between 1671 and 1674, was an auditorium/theatre sided by three tiers of turf seating that faced a stage decorated with four fountains alternating with three radiating cascades.
Between 1680 and Louis XIV's death in 1715, there was near-constant rearranging of the statues that decorated the bosquet.
In 1709, the bosquet was rearranged with the addition of the Fontaine de l'Île aux Enfants. As part of the replantation of the gardens ordered by Louis XVI during the winter of 1774–1775, the Bosquet du Théâtre d'Eau was destroyed and replaced with the unadorned Bosquet du Rond-Vert. The Bosquet du Théâtre d'Eau was recreated in 2014, with South Korean businessman and photographer Yoo Byung-eun being the sole patron, donating €1.4 million.
Bosquet des Trois Fontaines - Berceau d'Eau
Situated to the west of the Allée des Marmousets and replacing the short-lived Berceau d'Eau (a long and narrow bosquet created in 1671 that featured a water bower made by numerous jets of water), the enlarged bosquet was transformed by Le Nôtre in 1677 into a series of three linked rooms.
Each room contained a number of fountains that played with special effects. The fountains survived the modifications that Louis XIV ordered for other fountains in the gardens in the early 18th. century and were subsequently spared during the 1774–1775 replantation of the gardens.
In 1830, the bosquet was replanted, at which time the fountains were suppressed. Due to storm damage in the park in 1990 and then again in 1999, the Bosquet des Trois Fontaines was restored and re-inaugurated on the 12th. June 2004.
Bosquet de l'Arc de Triomphe
This bosquet was originally planned in 1672 as a simple pavillon d'eau - a round open expanse with a square fountain in the centre. In 1676, this bosquet was enlarged and redecorated along political lines that alluded to French military victories over Spain and Austria, at which time the triumphal arch was added - hence the name.
As with the Bosquet des Trois Fontaines, this bosquet survived the modifications of the 18th. century, but was replanted in 1830, at which time the fountains were removed.
Bosquet de la Renommée - Bosquet des Dômes
Built in 1675, the Bosquet de la Renommée featured a fountain statue of Fame. With the relocation of the statues from the Grotte de Thétys in 1684, the bosquet was remodelled to accommodate the statues, and the Fame fountain was removed.
At this time the bosquet was rechristened Bosquet des Bains d'Apollon. As part of the reorganisation of the garden that was ordered by Louis XIV in the early part of the 18th. century, the Apollo grouping was moved once again to the site of the Bosquet du Marais - located near the Latona Fountain - which was destroyed and was replaced by the new Bosquet des Bains d'Apollon.
The statues were installed on marble plinths from which water issued; and each statue grouping was protected by an intricately carved and gilded baldachin.
The old Bosquet des Bains d'Apollon was renamed Bosquet des Dômes due to two domed pavilions built in the bosquet.
Bosquet de l'Encélade
Created in 1675 at the same time as the Bosquet de la Renommée, the fountain of this bosquet depicts Enceladus, a fallen Giant who was condemned to live below Mount Etna, being consumed by volcanic lava.
From its conception, this fountain was conceived as an allegory of Louis XIV's victory over the Fronde. In 1678, an octagonal ring of turf and eight rocaille fountains surrounding the central fountain were added. These additions were removed in 1708.
When in play, this fountain has the tallest jet of all the fountains in the gardens of Versailles - 25 metres.
Bosquet des Sources - La Colonnade
Designed as a simple unadorned salle de verdure by Le Nôtre in 1678, the landscape architect enhanced and incorporated an existing stream to create a bosquet that featured rivulets that twisted among nine islets.
In 1684, Jules Hardouin-Mansart completely redesigned the bosquet by constructing a circular arched double peristyle. The Colonnade, as it was renamed, originally featured thirty-two arches and thirty-one fountains – a single jet of water splashed into a basin center under the arch.
In 1704, three additional entrances to the Colonnade were added, which reduced the number of fountains from thirty-one to twenty-eight. The statue that currently occupies the centre of the Colonnade - the Abduction of Persephone - (from the Grande Commande of 1664) was set in place in 1696.
Galerie d'Eau - Galerie des Antiques - Salle des Marronniers
Occupying the site of the Galerie d'Eau (1678), the Galerie des Antiques was designed in 1680 to house the collection of antique statues and copies of antique statues acquired by the Académie de France in Rome.
Surrounding a central area paved with colored stone, a channel was decorated with twenty statues on plinths, each separated by three jets of water.
The Galerie was completely remodeled in 1704 when the statues were transferred to Marly and the bosquet was replanted with horse chestnut trees - hence the current name Salle des Marronniers.
Salle de Bal
This bosquet, which was designed by Le Nôtre and built between 1681 and 1683, features a semi-circular cascade that forms the backdrop for a salle de verdure.
Interspersed with gilt lead torchères, which supported candelabra for illumination, the Salle de Bal was inaugurated in 1683 by Louis XIV's son, the Grand Dauphin, with a dance party.
The Salle de Bal was remodeled in 1707 when the central island was removed and an additional entrance was added.
Replantations of the Gardens
Common to any long-lived garden is replantation, and Versailles is no exception. In their history, the gardens of Versailles have undergone no less than five major replantations, which have been executed for practical and aesthetic reasons.
During the winter of 1774–1775, Louis XVI ordered the replanting of the gardens on the grounds that many of the trees were diseased or overgrown, and needed to be replaced.
Also, as the formality of the 17th.-century garden had fallen out of fashion, this replantation sought to establish a new informality in the gardens - that would also be less expensive to maintain.
This, however, was not achieved, as the topology of the gardens favored the Jardin à la Française over an English-style garden.
Then, in 1860, much of the old growth from Louis XVI's replanting was removed and replaced. In 1870, a violent storm struck the area, damaging and uprooting scores of trees, which necessitated a massive replantation program.
However, owing to the Franco-Prussian War, which toppled Napoléon III, and the Commune de Paris, replantation of the garden did not get underway until 1883.
The most recent replantations of the gardens were precipitated by two storms that battered Versailles in 1990 and then again in 1999. The storm damage at Versailles and Trianon amounted to the loss of thousands of trees - the worst such damage in the history of Versailles.
The replantations have allowed museum and governmental authorities to restore and rebuild some of the bosquets that were abandoned during the reign of Louis XVI, such as the Bosquet des Trois Fontaines, which was restored in 2004.
Catherine Pégard, the head of the public establishment which administers Versailles, has stated that the intention is to return the gardens to their appearance under Louis XIV, specifically as he described them in his 1704 description, Manière de Montrer les Jardins de Versailles.
This involves restoring some of the parterres like the Parterre du Midi to their original formal layout, as they appeared under Le Nôtre. This was achieved in the Parterre de Latone in 2013, when the 19th. century lawns and flower beds were torn up and replaced with boxwood-enclosed turf and gravel paths to create a formal arabesque design.
Pruning is also done to keep trees at between 17 and 23 metres (56 to 75 feet), so as not to spoil the carefully designed perspectives of the gardens.
Owing to the natural cycle of replantations that has occurred at Versailles, it is safe to state that no trees dating from the time of Louis XIV are to be found in the gardens.
Problems With Water
The marvel of the gardens of Versailles - then as now - is the fountains. Yet, the very element that animates the gardens, water, has proven to be the affliction of the gardens since the time of Louis XIV.
The gardens of Louis XIII required water, and local ponds provided an adequate supply. However, once Louis XIV began expanding the gardens with more and more fountains, supplying the gardens with water became a critical challenge.
To meet the needs of the early expansions of the gardens under Louis XIV, water was pumped to the gardens from ponds near the château, with the Clagny pond serving as the principal source.
Water from the pond was pumped to the reservoir on top of the Grotte de Thétys, which fed the fountains in the garden by means of gravitational hydraulics. Other sources included a series of reservoirs located on the Satory Plateau south of the château.
The Grand Canal
By 1664, increased demand for water necessitated additional sources. In that year, Louis Le Vau designed the Pompe, a water tower built north of the château. The Pompe drew water from the Clagny pond using a system of windmills and horsepower to a cistern housed in the Pompe's building. The capacity of the Pompe 600 cubic metres per day - alleviated some of the water shortages in the garden.
With the completion of the Grand Canal in 1671, which served as drainage for the fountains of the garden, water, via a system of windmills, was pumped back to the reservoir on top of the Grotte de Thétys.
While this system solved some of the water supply problems, there was never enough water to keep all of the fountains running in the garden in full-play all of the time.
While it was possible to keep the fountains in view from the château running, those concealed in the bosquets and in the farther reaches of the garden were run on an as-needed basis.
In 1672, Jean-Baptiste Colbert devised a system by which the fountaineers in the gardens would signal each other with whistles upon the approach of the king, indicating that their fountain needed to be turned on. Once the king had passed a fountain in play, it would be turned off and the fountaineer would signal that the next fountain could be turned on.
In 1674, the Pompe was enlarged, and subsequently referred to as the Grande Pompe. Pumping capacity was increased via increased power and the number of pistons used for lifting the water. These improvements increased the water capacity to nearly 3,000 cubic metres of water per day; however, the increased capacity of the Grande Pompe often left the Clagny pond dry.
The increasing demand for water and the stress placed on existing systems of water supply necessitated newer measures to increase the water supplied to Versailles. Between 1668 and 1674, a project was undertaken to divert the water of the Bièvre river to Versailles. By damming the river and with a pumping system of five windmills, water was brought to the reservoirs located on the Satory Plateau. This system brought an additional 72,000 cubic metres water to the gardens on a daily basis.
Despite the water from the Bièvre, the gardens needed still more water, which necessitated more projects. In 1681, one of the most ambitious water projects conceived during the reign of Louis XIV was undertaken.
Owing to the proximity of the Seine to Versailles, a project was proposed to raise the water from the river to be delivered to Versailles. Seizing upon the success of a system devised in 1680 that raised water from the Seine to the gardens of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, construction of the Machine de Marly began the following year.
The Machine de Marly was designed to lift water from the Seine in three stages to the Aqueduc de Louveciennes some 100 metres above the level of the river. A series of huge waterwheels was constructed in the river, which raised the water via a system of 64 pumps to a reservoir 48 metres above the river. From this first reservoir, water was raised an additional 56 metres to a second reservoir by a system of 79 pumps. Finally, 78 additional pumps raised the water to the aqueduct, which carried the water to Versailles and Marly.
In 1685, the Machine de Marly came into full operation. However, owing to leakage in the conduits and breakdowns of the mechanism, the machine was only able to deliver 3,200 cubic metres of water per day - approximately one-half the expected output. The machine was nevertheless a must-see for visitors. Despite the fact that the gardens consumed more water per day than the entire city of Paris, the Machine de Marly remained in operation until 1817.
During Louis XIV's reign, water supply systems represented one-third of the building costs of Versailles. Even with the additional output from the Machine de Marly, fountains in the garden could only be run à l'ordinaire - which is to say at half-pressure.
With this measure of economy, the fountains still consumed 12,800 cubic metres of water per day, far above the capacity of the existing supplies. In the case of the Grandes Eaux - when all the fountains played to their maximum - more than 10,000 cubic metres of water was needed for one afternoon's display.
Accordingly, the Grandes Eaux were reserved for special occasions such as the Siamese Embassy visit of 1685–1686.
The Canal de l'Eure
One final attempt to solve water shortage problems was undertaken in 1685. In this year it was proposed to divert the water of the Eure river, located 160 km. south of Versailles and at a level 26 m above the garden reservoirs.
The project called not only for digging a canal and for the construction of an aqueduct, it also necessitated the construction of shipping channels and locks to supply the workers on the main canal.
Between 9,000 to 10,000 troops were pressed into service in 1685; the next year, more than 20,000 soldiers were engaged in construction. Between 1686 and 1689, when the Nine Years' War began, one-tenth of France's military was at work on the Canal de l'Eure project.
However with the outbreak of the war, the project was abandoned, never to be completed. Had the aqueduct been completed, some 50,000 cubic metres of water would have been sent to Versailles - more than enough to solve the water problem of the gardens.
Today, the museum of Versailles is still faced with water problems. During the Grandes Eaux, water is circulated by means of modern pumps from the Grand Canal to the reservoirs. Replenishment of the water lost due to evaporation comes from rainwater, which is collected in cisterns that are located throughout the gardens and diverted to the reservoirs and the Grand Canal.
Assiduous husbanding of this resource by museum officials prevents the need to tap into the supply of potable water of the city of Versailles.
The Versailles Gardens In Popular Culture
The creation of the gardens of Versailles is the context for the film 'A Little Chaos', directed by Alan Rickman and released in 2015, in which Kate Winslet plays a fictional landscape gardener and Rickman plays King Louis XIV.
Oil on canvas; 59.4 x 73 cm.
Spanish painter. based in madrid from 1909, he was self-taught and began by copying pictures by diego velázquez and el greco in the prado. he received support from the poet juan ramón jiménez and established links with such young poets and artists as federico garcía lorca, rafael alberti, salvador dalí and luis buñuel. in 1925, when he participated in the artistas ibéricos exhibition (madrid, casón buen retiro), his work consisted of mildly abstracted landscapes and cubist still-lifes. after several lengthy spells in paris between 1926 and 1928, where he met picasso, he held a one-man exhibition at the palacio de bibliotecas y museos in madrid (1928), his unconventional choice of material—including combinations of oils, soil and sand—scandalizing both critics and visitors. his work developed towards abstraction under the influence of joan miró and was marked also by surrealism in an effort to synthesize the iberian spirit with the avant-garde.
Opening scene
It is late in the 22nd Century. United Planet cruiser C57D a year out from Earth base on the way to Altair for a special mission. Commander J.J Adams (Leslie Neilsen) orders the crew to the deceleration booths as the ship drops from light speed to normal space.
Adams orders pilot Jerry Farman (Jack Kelly) to lay in a course for the fourth planet. The captain then briefs the crew that they are at their destination, and that they are to look for survivors from the Bellerophon expedition 20 years earlier.
As they orbit the planet looking for signs of life, the ship is scanned by a radar facility some 20 square miles in area. Morbius (Walter Pigeon) contacts the ship from the planet asking why the ship is here. Morbius goes on to explain he requires nothing, no rescue is required and he can't guarantee the safety of the ship or its crew.
Adams confirms that Morbius was a member of the original crew, but is puzzled at the cryptic warning Morbius realizes the ship is going to land regardless, and gives the pilot coordinates in a desert region of the planet. The ship lands and security details deploy. Within minutes a high speed dust cloud approaches the ship. Adams realizes it is a vehicle, and as it arrives the driver is discovered to be a robot (Robby). Robby welcomes the crew to Altair 4 and invites members of the crew to Morbious residence.
Adams, Farman and Doc Ostrow (Warren Stevens) arrive at the residence and are greeted by Morbius. They sit down to a meal prepared by Robbys food synthesizer and Morbius shows the visitors Robbys other abilities, including his unwavering obedience. Morbius then gives Robby a blaster with orders to shoot Adams. Robby refuses and goes into a mechanical mind lock, disabling him till the order is changed.
Morbius then shows the men the defense system of the house (A series of steel shutters). When questioned, Morbius admits that the Belleraphon crew is dead, Morbius and his wife being the only original survivors. Morbius's wife has also died, but months after the others and from natural causes. Morbius goes on to explain many of the crew were torn limb from limb by a strange creature or force living on the planet. The Belleraphon herself was destroyed when the final three surviving members tried to take off for Earth.
Adams wonders why this force has remained dormant all these years and never attacked Morbius. As discussions continue, a young woman Altaira (Anne Francis) introduces herself as Morbius daughter. Farman takes an immediate interest in Altaira, and begins to flirt with her . Altaira then shows the men her ability to control wild animals by petting a wild tiger. During this display the ship checks in on the safety of the away party. Adams explains he will need to check in with Earth for further orders and begins preparations for sending a signal. Because of the power needed the ship will be disabled for up to 10 days. Morbius is mortified by this extended period and offers Robby's services in building the communication facility
The next day Robby arrives at ship as the crew unloads the engine to power the transmitter. To lighten the tense moment the commander instructs the crane driver to pick up Cookie (Earl Holliman) and move him out of the way. Quinn interrupts the practical joke to report that the assembly is complete and they can transmit in the morning.
Meanwhile Cookie goes looking for Robby and organizes for the robot to synthesize some bourbon. Robby takes a sample and tells Cookie he can have 60 gallons ready the next morning for him.
Farman continues to court Altair by teaching her how to kiss, and the health benefits of kissing. Adams interrupts the exercise, and is clearly annoyed with a mix of jealous. He then explains to Altair that the clothes she wears are inappropriate around his crew. Altair tries to argue till Adams looses patience and order Altair to leave the area.
That night, Altair, still furious, explains to her father what occurred. Altair takes Adams advice to heart and orders Robby to run up a less revealing dress. Meanwhile back at the ship two security guards think they hear breathing in the darkness but see nothing.
Inside the ship, one of the crew half asleep sees the inner hatch opened and some material moved around. Next morning the Captain holds court on the events of the night before. Quinn advises the captain that most of the missing and damaged equipment can be replaced except for the Clystron monitor. Angry the Capt and Doc go back to Morbius to confront him about what has occurred.
Morbius is unavailable, so the two men settle in to wait. Outside Adams sees Altair swimming and goes to speak to her. Thinking she is naked, Adams becomes flustered and unsettled till he realizes she wants him to see her new dress. Altair asks why Adams wont kiss her like everyone else has. He gives in and plants one on her. Behind them a tiger emerges from the forest and attacks Altair, Adams reacts by shooting it. Altair is badly troubled by the incident, the tiger had been her friend, but she can't understand why acted as if she was an enemy.
Returning to the house, Doc and Adams accidently open Morbius office. They find a series of strange drawings but no sign of Morbius. He appears through a secret door and is outraged at the intrusion. Adams explains the damage done to the ship the previous night and his concern that Morbius was behind the attack.
Morbius admits it is time for explanations. He goes on to tell them about a race of creatures that lived on the planet called the Krell. In the past they had visited Earth, which explains why there are Earth animals on the planet. Morbius believes the Krell civilization collapsed in a single night, right on the verge of their greatest discovery. Today 2000 centuries later, nothing of their cities exists above ground.
Morbius then takes them on a tour of the Krell underground installation. Morbius first shows them a device for projecting their knowledge; he explains how he began to piece together information. Then an education device that projects images formed in the mind. Finally he explains what the Krell were expected to do, and how much lower human intelligence is in comparison.
Doc tries the intelligence tester but is confused when it does not register as high as Morbius. Morbius then explains it can also boost intelligence, and that the captain of the Belleraphon died using it. Morbius himself was badly injured but when he recovered his IQ had doubled.
Adams questions why all the equipment looks brand new. It is explained that all the machines left on the planet are self repairing and Morbius takes them on a tour of the rest of the installation. First they inspect a giant air vent that leads to the core of the planet. There are 400 other such shafts in the area and 9200 thermal reactors spread through the facilities 8000 cubic miles.
Later that night the crew has completed the security arrangements and tests the force field fence. Cookie asks permission to go outside the fence. He meets Robby who gives him the 60 gallons of bourbon. Outside, something hits the fence and shorts it out. The security team checks the breach but finds nothing. A series of foot like depressions begin forming leading to the ship. Something unseen enters the ship. A scream echos through the compound.
Back at the Morbius residence he argues that only he should be allowed to control the flow of Krell technology back to Earth. In the middle of the discussion, Adams is paged and told that the Chief Quinn has been murdered. Adams breaks of his discussions and heads back to the ship.
Later that night Doc finds the footprints and makes a cast. The foot makes no evolutionary sense. It seems to have elements of a four footed and biped creature; also it seems a predator and herbivore. Adams questions Cookie who was with the robot during the test and decides the robot was not responsible.
The next day at the funeral for Chief Morbius again warns him of impending doom facing the ship and crew. Adams considers this a challenge and spends the day fortifying the position around the ship. After testing the weapons and satisfied all that could be done has, the radar station suddenly reports movement in the distance moving slowly towards the ship.
No one sees anything despite the weapons being under radar fire control. The controller confirms a direct hit, but the object is still moving towards the ship. Suddenly something hits the force field fence, and a huge monster appears outlined in the energy flux. The crew open fire, but seem to do little good. A number of men move forward but a quickly killed.
Morbious wakes hearing the screams of Altair. Shes had a dream mimicking the attack that has just occurred. As Morbious is waking the creature in the force field disappears. Doc theories that the creature is made of some sort of energy, renewing itself second by second.
Adams takes Doc in the tractor to visit Morbius intending to evacuate him from the planet. He leaves orders for the ship to be readied for lift off. If he and Doc dont get back, the ship is to leave without them. They also want to try and break into Morbious office and take the brain booster test.
They are met at the door by Robby, who disarms them. Altair appears and countermands the orders given to Robby by her father. Seeing a chance Doc sneaks into the office. Altair argues with Adams about trying to make Morbius return home, she ultimately declares her love for him.
Robby appears carrying the injured Doc. Struggling to speak and heavy pain, Doc explains that the Krell succeeded in their great experiment. However they forgot about the sub conscious monsters they would release. Monsters from the id.
Morbius sees the dead body of Doc, and makes a series of ugly comments. His daughter reminds him that Doc is dead. Morbius lack of care convinces Altair she is better off going with Adams. Morbius tries to talk Adams out of taking Altair.
Adams demands an explanation of the id. Morbius realizes he is the source of the creature killing everyone. The machine the Krell built was able to release his inner beast, the sub conscious monster dwelling deep inside his ancestral mind.
Robby interrupts the debate to report something approaching the house. Morbius triggers the defensive shields of the house, which the creature begins to destroy. Morbius then orders Robby to destroy the creature, however Robby short circuits. Adams explained that it was useless; Robby knew it was Morbius self.
Adams, Altair and Morbius retreat to the Krell lab and sealed themselves in by sealing a special indestructible door. Adams convinces Morbius that he is really the monster, and that Morbius can not actually control his subconscious desires.
The group watch as the creature beings the slow process of burning through the door. Panicked Morbius implores Altair to say it is not so. Suddenly the full realization comes, and he understands that he could endanger or even kill Altair.
As the creature breaks through Morbius rushes forward and denies its existence. Suddenly the creature disappears but Morbius is mortally wounded. With his dying breath he instructs Adams to trigger a self destruct mechanism linked to the reactors of the great machine. The ship and crew have 24 hours to get as far away from the planet as possible
The next day we see the ship deep in space. Robby and Altair are onboard watching as the planet brightens and is destroyed. Adams assures Altair that her fathers memory will shine like a beacon.
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii) is a historical mosque in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire (from 1453 to 1923). The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.
It was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. While still used as a mosque, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque has also become a popular tourist attraction.
The design of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque is the culmination of two centuries of both Ottoman mosque and Byzantine church development. It incorporates some Byzantine elements of the neighboring Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture and is considered to be the last great mosque of the classical period. The architect has ably synthesized the ideas of his master Sinan, aiming for overwhelming size, majesty and splendour.
More info at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_Ahmed_Mosque
© Eddie Chui
Oil on board; 31.7 x 39.3cm.
Roger de La Fresnaye was a French painter who synthesized lyrical color with the geometric simplifications of Cubism. From 1903 to 1909 he studied at the Académie Julian, the École des Beaux-Arts, and the Ranson Academy in Paris. In his early work he was influenced by the Symbolist paintings of Maurice Denis (who was his teacher at the Ranson Academy), but about 1910 he developed an interest in Cubism. From 1912 to 1914 he was a member of the Section d’Or, a Cubist association that met regularly at the studio of the painter Jacques Villon.
Although La Fresnaye incorporated Cubist techniques into his paintings, he retained a naturalistic style, never fully embracing the radical analysis of form employed by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. La Fresnaye’s sensitivity to color gave his Cubism an unorthodox sensuousness. He was influenced by the French painter Robert Delaunay’s Orphist style, a strain of Cubism that emphasized lyricism and color. La Fresnaye employed colorful prismatic shapes reminiscent of Orphism in works such as The Conquest of the Air (1913), but unlike Delaunay’s abstract compositions, La Fresnaye’s images are representational.
After being discharged from the French army in 1918 because he had contracted tuberculosis, La Fresnaye went to the south of France to recover. There he continued to draw and paint in watercolor; he still worked with Cubist techniques, but he increasingly emphasized color and emotion. Although his paintings did much to popularize Cubism and to broaden its influence just before World War I, he later abandoned avant-garde art and became one of France’s most influential advocates of traditional realism. During the last years of his life, he began to paint realistic works such as Portrait of Guynemer (1921–23).
Paintbrush (Castilleja sp.), Colorado Blue Columbine (Aquilegia coerulea), and yellow composites (the bane of my botanizing) intermingle to adorn the hill slopes above Crater Lakes, James Peak Wilderness, Colorado.
The Paintbrush are an interesting group of species, their brightly colored beautiful bracts (not petals) belying a belowground lifestyle that often slips into larceny. Isotope studies have revealed that Paintbrush has no compunctions when it comes to making off with sugars synthesized and stored by its neighbors. Typically a misdemeanor, these plants are prone to repeat offenses and have been particularly hard-hit by mandatory minimum sentences.
Enjoy the weekend everyone!
Rainbow Bridge of night_03
I tried to synthesize a picture of illumination of Tokyo Tower and Rainbow Bridge.
レインボーブリッジ第3弾。
東京タワーのイルミネーションと合成して遊んでみました。
FUJIFILM X-T1
FUJIFILM XF10-24mm
FUJIFILM XF55-200mm
See my set: The Dark side
“Life is a great surprise. I do not see why death should not be an even greater one.”
Vladimir Nabokov
history of event
Dia de los Muertos at Hollywood Forever cemetery was originally envisioned for the purpose of providing an authentic venue, in which this ancient tradition could be genuinely observed, celebrated and preserved. Tyler Cassity and Deisy Marquez conceived this festival of life as a platform which would synthesize creativity for the means of remembering the departed spirits of our lives. This event has provided a gateway for those who wish to re-acquaint themselves with their deeply rooted traditions and profoundly engage with one of the most devotional celebrations for the continuous cycle of life.
At the heart of this sacred event are the meticulously individually crafted altars and spiritual shrines. These dazzling private tributes and offerings which provide a linkage between ancient traditions and modern customs chronicle the perpetual relation between faith, family and history. Representing and understanding the vitality of this ancient custom, Celine Mares conceptualized the necessity of incorporating this enigmatic mystical custom to thrive within the realms of the Forever cemetery.
Interwoven into this effective visionary ensemble lies the creative commitments of dedicated program directors, who have continuously maintained and strengthened the core foundation of this uniquely inspired event through providing a linkage and emerging bond with the many culturally mindful artisans from our diverse community.
In the spirit of the goddess Mictecacihuatl, known as the “Lady of the Dead,” and Samhain, the Celtic day feast of the dead, Hollywood Forever has engrained and developed a much desired and appreciated emotionally driven chord with its surrounding community. On the eve of the 8 th year anniversary of this benevolent observance Tyler, Daisy, Celine and the program directors continue along with countless committed volunteers and artisans to call upon the living to engage and summons the spirits of our lives who shaped, inspired and left their prints engraved in our souls. By providing our community with a genuine setting to learn the importance and significance of this celebration, the original objectives of the founders have been realized and internationally recognized by “tens” of thousands of new and returning faithful visitors who have been continuously welcomed as guests and interactive participants to this annual and growing community based festivity.
For more: See my Set "Sky"
Gunnison County, CO.
Elk Mountains visible in right background.
Synthesized IRG-->RGB cross-sampled image from a single exposure. Converted camera, Tiffen #12 filter. Worked up in Pixelbender and Photoshop.
Green Man (better known as Vertuminus).
"After seven months and nine sessions, He is fully alive and laughing merrily. I am amazed and blown away by how beautiful He is. I am so happy and so proud to bear this beautiful, beautiful piece on my body.....I feel like a walking work of art! I sing the praises of Jespah's talent and amazingness. I just can't believe how it looks. Never in my wildest imaginings could I have thought it would look like this. He is so alive, you can almost hear His deep rumbling laughter and the sound of His leaves rustling in the breeze."
~Jaimie
Ink by: Jespah
© 2007 2018 Photo's by Lloyd Thrap for Halo Media Group
www.flickr.com/groups/790123@N20/
© 2010 2018 Lloyd Thrap Photography for Halo Media Group
All works subject to applicable copyright laws. This intellectual property MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED except by normal viewing process of the browser. The intellectual property may not be copied to another computer, transmitted , published, reproduced, stored, manipulated, projected, or altered in any way, including without limitation any digitization or synthesizing of the images, alone or with any other material, by use of computer or other electronic means or any other method or means now or hereafter known, without the written permission of Lloyd Thrap and payment of a fee or arrangement thereof.
No images are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.
Lloyd Thrap's Public Portfolio
Albuquerque Photographer and Good Guy.