“I want to reach that state of condensation of sensations which constitutes a picture.”
Henri Matisse, Notes of a Painter
Archives for 2021
Almanac: Jane Austen on taste
“One half of the world cannot understand the pleasure of the other.”
Jane Austen, Emma
Snapshot: Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington on The Ed Sullivan Show
Louis Armstrong and the All Stars play Duke Ellington’s “In a Mellotone” on The Ed Sullivan Show, with Ellington sitting in on piano. This episode was originally telecast live by CBS on December 17, 1961. The members of the band include Joe Darensbourg on clarinet, Trummy Young on trombone, Billy Cronk on bass, and Danny Barcelona on drums:
(This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related videos that appear in this space each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday)
Almanac: Henry Adams on teachers
“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”
Henry Adams, The Education of Henry Adams
Lookback: George Cukor meets George Patton
From 2011:
Read the whole thing here.This is my all-time favorite George Cukor story. It comes from No Minor Chords, André Previn’s autobiography. I hope it’s true!…
Almanac: Ambrose Bierce on self-esteem
“Self-esteem, n. An erroneous appraisement.”
Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary
Just because: Ravi Shankar performs on The Dick Cavett Show
Ravi Shankar plays sitar on an episode of The Dick Cavett Show, originally telecast by ABC in 1971. He is accompanied by Ustad Alla Rakha on tabla:
(This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related videos that appear in this space each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday)
Almanac: Beaumarchais on facing life with a sense of humor
“I hasten to laugh at everything for fear of being obliged to weep at it.”
Pierre-Augustin Carton de Beaumarchais, The Barber of Seville