Lady of the Camellias

A solitary pink flower in bloom at Dads, but plenty of buds showing that will be in flower soon. Heralds of Spring, with plenty of colour from the snowdrops, crocuses and daffs too. Took Dad to visit Mum this afternoon, called in to see C in the ward downstairs too.

Arranged to meet friends for an afternoon at the cinema tomorrow. Change of scenery will be good. The plan is to see Monuments Men. One quote I heard which I particularly like is "You can wipe out an entire generation, you can burn their homes to the ground, and somehow they’ll still find their way back. But if you destroy their history, you destroy their achievements, then it’s as if they never existed."

I read something similar in a psychology book not so long ago and it struck me as being particularly poignant and "true" where art is concerned - and of course I include photography in this. There is something from the collective unconscious that surfaces in "art" that gives insight into the deepest part of the psyche.

Even at school I was struck by the incredible attention to detail and sensitivity to the human form in Michaelangelos sculptures and sketches. I'd spend hours in the school library poring over these enormous "coffee table" books, hardback of course, with enormous "plates" of the works. It was almost like three-dimensional Life Drawing, but the subtle detail Michaelangelo achieved in stone was as fine as anything I could images with the finest of pencil tips. I suppose I find some truth in that quote; by seeing their art, reading their literature and hearing their music the creators of the past live on and inspire me centuries after their deaths.