Bruges – Page 2 – { feuilleton }

The art of Gustav Adolf Mossa, 1883–1971

Self-portrait.

A French artist and another late Symbolist painter whose idiosyncracies point to Surrealism but whose obsession with femmes fatales looks back to the preoccupations of the fin de siècle. If you don’t mind the implicit misogyny there’s a lot more to be seen here and here.

Elle (1906).

Le baiser d’Hélène (1905).

Bruges-la-morte (1911).

Previously on { feuilleton }
• Le Sphinx Mystérieux
• La belle sans nom
• The Feminine Sphinx
• Le Monstre
• Carlos Schwabe’s Fleurs du Mal
• Empusa
• Bruges-la-Morte

Arcades panoramas

Norwich Royal Arcade.

More arcades and more panoramas from that favourite haunt of mine, 360 Cities. The Norwich Royal Arcade is an Art Nouveau-styled affair by George Skipper which features the inevitable coffee shop among its offerings. The Milan Galleria, meanwhile, is probably the most ostentatious arcade in the world but its expensive fashion houses have to deal with a McDonald’s in their midst. 360 Cities regularly updates its views so this may become an ongoing series.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan.

Galerie de la Reine/Koninginnegallerij, Brussels.

Elsewhere on { feuilleton }
• The panoramas archive

Previously on { feuilleton }
• Arcades

The art of Carel Willink, 1900–1983

Townscape (1934).

Carel Willink was a Dutch painter whose self-described brand of “imaginary realism” conjured in its early years a collection of views of desolate plazas, empty lanes and abandoned ruins over which smoke or cloud hangs like an ominous portent. The works of Giorgio de Chirico and Paul Delvaux come to mind when looking at these pictures although Willink’s work has enough unique qualities to stand apart from his more famous contemporaries. I’m also reminded a little of Spanish artist Arnau Alemany who has a similar predilection for isolated architecture.

Chateau in Spain (1939).

There’s an official Willink website here, while further paintings can be seen at this Flickr set and also at Ten Dreams.

Elsewhere on { feuilleton }
• The fantastic art archive

Previously on { feuilleton }
• Bruges-la-Morte
• Taxandria, or Raoul Servais meets Paul Delvaux
• The art of Arnau Alemany

Stonehenge panorama

I would have posted this for the Solstice yesterday had it not been for the Chronophage. The panorama is at a BBC page since the corporation is one of the few organisations with the weight to gain permission to photograph the stones up close. Unless you’re an archaeologist or an English Heritage official your view is restricted to the path which surrounds the monument, something you can experience via Google Maps. There did used to be exceptions to this. I was fortunate to be at the Stonehenge Festival in 1982 which took place for a few days over Midsummer in one of the fields a short distance away. On Solstice Day the people from English Heritage let everyone—festival-goers and bemused tourists alike—wander inside the circle where a couple of pagan weddings took place. A couple of years later further festivals were prevented with heavy police action so I feel privileged to have been there on that day.

There was more Stonehenge recently at Bldg Blog with a post about Harold Egerton’s stunning photograph of the stones at night. And while we’re on the subject, let’s not forget Woodhenge, Seahenge , Timisoara’s Stonehedge, and the Ballardesque Carhenge.

Elsewhere on { feuilleton }
• The panoramas archive

The panoramic towers of Prague

The Tower at Charles Bridge, Old Town.

More panoramas of Prague from 360 Cities by Jeffrey Martin, a photographer who’s made a speciality of capturing the city in 360º views. Among his collection are a number of photos taken from Prague’s many towers and steeples including a few where he’s managed to remove the supporting building, as in the view from the Charles Bridge above. This gives the effect of floating in weightless suspension above the city and may well induce alarm in vertigo sufferers. Needless to say, all these are best viewed on the full screen setting.

The Powder Tower (Prasna Brana).

Mikulas Tower.

Prague TV Tower Babies 1; one of David Cerný’s crawling baby sculptures looks over the city. See also the 18 gigapixel view from the tower.

Elsewhere on { feuilleton }
• The panoramas archive

Previously on { feuilleton }
• Karel Plicka’s views of Prague