The Budweiser commercial that aired during the Super Bowl seems to be a hit with almost everyone. It was a follow up to last year’s entry and again it featured a puppy and the beer maker’s famous Clydesdale horses. Even those who called it sappy, clichéd, and overly sentimental, admitContinue Reading
The Phoenix, from The Book of Beasts: The phoenix is a bird of Arabia and is unique in all the world. It lives for more than 500 years, acquiring knowledge of all things. When it feels its age coming upon it, the phoenix builds a nest for itself of frankincenseContinue Reading
“A couple of weeks ago Helen and Kenneth Felumlee passed away after 70 years of marriage. They met as teenagers and felt an instant attraction towards each other. What we may flippantly call love at first sight is actually a realization that God has brought together two people who areContinue Reading
Read part one here. In 1733 Augustus II, the Elector of Saxony, died. A period of mourning followed which forbid all forms of music making. Johann Sebastian Bach used this time to compose the first parts of what would become the Mass in B Minor, a complete setting for theContinue Reading
The Kingdom of God may be likened to a statue of pagan antiquity. Carved by an unknown Roman artisan at the behest of a wealthy patron, when the empire was at the height of its power. The statue depicts an athlete, idealized in form and feature. It is greatly prized byContinue Reading
Prophets in the ancient world spoke for God. They also served as a reminder to the people of their relationship with the Almighty, particularly when the people turned away from Him. We have amazingly short attention spans. We need constant reminders of our relationship with God and our ultimate destination.Continue Reading
Throughout his life, Fabio Chigi, known better to the world as Pope Alexander VII, lived with the specter of death. As a child he suffered from apoplexy so severe that at one point arrangements were made for his funeral. As Pope Alexander, it fell to him to suppress a pestilenceContinue Reading
“You are the light of the world.” “You are the salt of the Earth.” Salt does not exist for itself, it serves to season food. Light also exists for a purpose, to drive back the darkness. We have been given a specific combination of talents, gifts and abilities, a lightContinue Reading
It is not uncommon, even today, for an art historian or museum docent to attribute the use of heavy shadow in Baroque art to the “melancholy” mood of the artist. But this misses the point entirely. Baroque art was all about light, the light of Christ bringing truth to aContinue Reading
When I was a younger man, and an art student, I spent a great deal of time at the many museums of the city, learning from the artists of the past. When our studies turned to landscapes I often found myself at a singular museum known for its collection ofContinue Reading