"Zorba the Greek" composer Theodorakis dies at 96

Athens, Sept 2. -Reuters - Composer Mikis Theodorakis, whose music crossed international boundaries in his captivating score for the film "“Zorba the Greek", died on Thursday, plunging Greece into three days of mourning.

A towering man with a brooding presence and a shock of wavy hair, Theodorakis's work evoked a progressive, democratic vision of the world, though his political struggles reflected a darker side of Greece rarely seen by visitors.

As news of his death at home in Athens at the age of 96 swept across the country of 11 million, authorities declared three days of mourning and tributes poured in from across the political spectrum. "Today we lost a part of Greece's soul. Mikis Theodorakis, Mikis the teacher, the intellectual, the radical, our Mikis has gone," said Culture Minister Lina Mendoni.

Eric Bowman, 1960 | Jazz music

Eric Bowman è nato a Pasadena ed è cresciuto a Orange County, in California. Essenzialmente un artista autodidatta, ha avuto un talento per il disegno fin da quando riesce a ricordare, sempre l'artista della scuola durante i suoi anni di scuola elementare e superiore.

Per vocazione, però, l'arte non è stata guidata da un percorso ben definito, ed è diventata un esercizio di apertura di porte che implicano opportunità artistiche.

Mentre il freelance a tempo pieno come artista commerciale lo ha tenuto lavoratore autonomo per molti anni, è stato solo un incontro casuale con due importanti pittori californiani alla fine degli anni '90 che Eric ha sperimentato un importante cambiamento nella sua visione del mondo dell'arte che lo ha portato a un nuovo viaggio nella pittura d'arte.

Gulyás László, 1960 | Ballet dancers

Nato a Budapest, il pittore ungherese Laszlo Gulyas si è diplomato all'Accademia di Belle Arti ed Arti Applicate.

Laszlo ha continuato i suoi studi come studente dell'Accademia di Belle Arti tra il 1983-il 1987.

E' membro della Società nazionale degli artisti ungheresi dal 1987.

L'artista ha sviluppato il suo mondo individuale di immagini e ha acquisito le tecniche pittoriche dei primi maestri della pittura sotto l'influenza dell'arte universale di Rembrandt.

Arunas Rutkus, 1961 | VideoArt

Arunas Rutkus (nato a Vilnius, Lituania) è uno di quei rari artisti che, avvertendo il ritmo della globalizzazione, si sono uniti alla scena artistica globale con grande fiducia.

Nel 1987, nell'ambito della gara individuale dell'Unione degli Artisti, ha partecipato al Simposio di arte monumentale sotto la direzione di A. Karnaukhov a Mosca.

L'artista ha esposto le sue opere in più di 50 mostre personali e collettive in tutto il mondo, e le sue opere possono essere trovate in musei, gallerie e collezioni private negli Stati Uniti, Qatar, Monaco, Francia, Emirati Arabi Uniti, Cina, Russia, Regno Unito, Italia, Olanda, Belgio, Austria, Danimarca, Germania, Svezia, Estonia, Ungheria, Spagna, Israele, Nuova Zelanda, Lituania.

Anatoly Metlan, 1964 | Flamenco dancers

Anatoly Metlan’s travels serve as inspiration for his paintings, whether it’s the beauty of Mediterranean landscapes or talented flamenco and tango dancers in Spain. From a young age, Metlan was influenced by the Impressionists, often traveling to southern France to draw the same inspiration as these artists.

More recently, Metlan has focused on depicting dancers, musicians, and gypsies.

In his paintings of dancers, Metlan emphasizes sensual tango poses, forever capturing moments of energy, emotion, and drama.

Full of passion, these paintings draw upon Metlan’s memories of attending flamenco concerts in southern Europe.

"I was captivated by the dramatic suspended tension and the emotional expressiveness of dance moves" Metlan says.

Niccolò Paganini: "La felicità non esiste ma la si canta!" | Quotes / Aforismi

Barney Seale | A head of Niccolo Paganini, 1782-1840

▻ "The violin is my mistress, but the guitar is my master".

▻ "Paganini non ripete!"

▻ "Paganini does not repeat!"

▻ "My secret, if I can call it secret, will indicate the violinists the way to penetrate the instrument much better than what has been done until now and it can demonstrate them, that violin is much more full of opportunities than what is commonly believed.

This discovery is not due to chance, but it is due to a deep study and applying it will no longer be necessary to practice four or five hours a day, it will remove the current scholar method, which studies to make the instrument difficult instead of teaching it".

Franz Liszt | Romantic composer | Quotes / Aforismi

• Music embodies feeling without forcing it to contend and combine with thought, as it is forced in most arts and especially in the art of words.
• I conclude that the Wagnerian operas which are already in the repertoire, and other master works as well, stand in no further need of my services.
• I did not compose my work as one might put on a church vestment… rather it sprung from the truly fervent faith of my heart, such as I have felt it since my childhood.
• I find little in the works of Beethoven, Berlioz, Wagner and others when they are led by a conductor who functions like a windmill.
• I foster a sorrowful conception of affection. Make no sacrifices.
• In Hungary all native music, in its origin, is divided naturally into melody destined for song or melody for the dance.
• Inspiration is enough to give expression to the tone in singing, especially when the song is without words.
• It is impossible to imagine a more complete fusion with nature than that of the Gypsy.
• It is my fervent wish and my greatest ambition to leave a work with a few useful instructions for the pianists after me.

Franz Liszt Fantasizing at the Piano, 1840 (detail)

by Josef Danhauser ▪ Alte Nationalgalerie ▪

Kitty Meijering, 1974 | Ballet dancers

Kitty Meijering studied at the Amsterdam University. At this University she followed a visual arts education, which she completed in 1998.

At this moment dance and specifically ballet is the main theme Kitty dedicates her time to.

This stunning new serie shows paintings of dancers in full movement and emotion. The dancers defined in warm colours seems to dance right of the paintings!