What is Art?

There is an exhibit in the "Museum of Modern Art" in Klagenfurt.
Its title "White Cube Jesus" intrigued me, so I drove the 60 km in order to view this work.
This Museum is beautifully situated in a former Palace which includes a Christian Chapel.
This is what I found:
In the chapel, which contains no benches or other furnishings, there is a large "white cube", with the front wall missing, brilliantly lit from the inside.
The Artist is one Ms. Sonja Gangl. Her work is described in an accompanying brochure as "concentrated, focused, reductive and minimal."
I find it difficult to become enthusiastically moved, although it is suggested that this "puristic white cuboid may be interpreted at once as a sculpture, stage set, and theatrical framework..... "
indeed, within this "cuboid" a theatre piece was performed, called: "Nipple Jesus".
Unfortunately, not having seen it,  I have no idea what this drama was all about.

The question raises itself: Is this a "work of art?"
It certainly is a white cuboid, placed almost as a challenge into the baroque-style, ecclesiastical surrounding and thusly urges the viewer to contemplate specifically this work and generally the question of Art.
Maybe the concept of "Art" can only be found, as I said in an earlier piece, in the discussion about the fundamental question: "What is Art?"
Compare Albrecht Dürer's  "Young Hare" or L.d.V's. "Last Supper" with Sonja Gangls "White Cube Jesus."
Can it be said that these are just different kinds of Art?
Maybe?

"White Cube Jesus"

an Installation by Sonja Gangl"

in the "Burgkapelle"

at the Museum of Modern Art in Klagenfurt.

... taken from the Choir Loft of the Chapel.

( unfortunately a somewhat less than perfect exposure does not show

details, such as where the joints of the inside of this cube appear.

there is, of course, a floor, side walls and a back wall 

which appear here as a single white surface.)

The Melodies - 1949/50

This Septett was known as "The Melodies"

They played in various locations in "Upper Austria" and "Bavaria"

The Melodies cropped.

Long long ago

47 years ago, in 1969,  a Soccer Team of players under the age of 16 won the North York, East Division, League Championship.
Many games of hard work, dedication and the will to win brought these boys to this illustrious point.

Had I not found my old jacket with this emblem affixed to it, I would not have remembered this thrilling day.  I had the unbridled honour and pleasure of coaching these lads to this final victory.

We, Willowdale United, Bantam Team, were in first place, but only by one point. Had we not won this game and second place "Lansing S.C." had won theirs, we would have had the dubious pleasure of being the runner-up, or, as we said in those times, we would have been "the first loser".
So now, Let's hear it for "Willowdale United"...

                                                              the Winners of the 

        1969 North York, East Division, Bantam Championship!

Sounds mighty impressive... doesn't it ?

gratefully yours

Bert Reitter

Coach

Advent Singers

The mixed Choir of Bleiburg

sings Songs of Advent

in the "Peter and Paul Church"

Modest Christmas decoration

on the 10. Oktoberplatz,

Bleiburg's main street.

Santa in Disguise

Since he did not wish to be recognized, Santa shaved his beard and dressed much like a way-out-in-the-country farmer near Bleiburg would. He got rid of his silly red outfit. He also exchanged his Reindeer- pulled sleigh for a 1952 green "Volkswagen."
Thusly attired, Santa Claus came to Bleiburg, looking just like farmer Radocher, and everybody who saw him on that day, fell for this clever camouflage.
I found one thing a little strange: Santa "sold" his Christmas trees for 10 Euros per foot.

Art, Art and Art again

I decided that my "terrific work of Art" needs a little more colour. So I dipped into the pail which had "Red" written on it. I dabbed some of that on my "terrific work of Art" in the hope that my admiring public will appreciate even more "my terrific work of Art." One of my Gallery owners wrote some words, typically applied to "terrific works of Art" as follows:
" Once again we stand in Awe, with a capital A, in front of Bert's unbelievably expressive "terrific work of Art". We can only be astonished at the depth of the deep expressions given to this "terrific work of Art" by the sensitivity of the brush stroke, particularly of the brush stroke leading the viewers eye from the left to the right side of this "terrific work of Art". The subtle change from the yellow element to the brilliant red constituency soothes the eye and the soul of the viewer in a manner which can only be achieved by an accomplished artist, such as Bert, the creator of this and many other "terrific works of Art". 

signed: Gallery Owner ( who hopes to split the proceeds of the Sale of this "terrific work of Art" on a 50/50 basis. )

Art for Art's Sake

As you can see, I have joined the ranks of the "modern artist."

I have taken a piece of fabric

and have spilled some coloured material upon it.

Once it dries, I will put it in a frame and hang it onto a wall.

As soon as I can think of a fancy name for it,

I will also think of a fancy price.

If you can think of a fancy name for it

I will go 50/50 with you.

More Black Wire

Here are some more of Esther's creations

It's hard to believe how a long piece of black wire can change into three dogs.

or into two spiders...

or, would you believe it, into a Kangaroo.

In Esther's hands, anything is possible.

Religion: Truth or Fiction ?

There is a heated debate going on in the educational field about Religious Instructions in Austrian schools. The debate ranges particularly about lower grade schools. Public schools, dealing with children from 5 or 6 years and upward.

Older children, so it is claimed, are capable of making their own decisions whether they wish to have religious instructions or not.

This, however, seems to be a lame argument, since, if a child has had “Reli” from Grade 1 and up, he/she will be so thoroughly indoctrinated, not to say “brainwashed” that this decision no longer is their own. Conversely, if there has not been any Religious Instruction, from childhood on, it is unlikely that as a teenager or older he/she will choose it.

In my opinion, the question is not about the age at which Religion is to be taught, but whether it should be taught at all, and how it should be taught.

Schools, after all, are here to teach firstly about “real” issues, such as Math, Physics, Chemistry, History, Geography, Languages, Computer Sciences and so on.

Schools should also speak of less tangible issues, such as Psychology, Philosophy, Ethics and, yes, also about Religion. In no way should these subjects be taught as “Facts” or “Truth”, because they simply are neither. The Philosophies of Lock, Kant, Schopenhauer or Nietzsche are neither “Facts” nor are they “Truths.” They are “Opinions”, expressed by men, open to be rejected, accepted or interpreted by other men. Religion falls into this same category of “Opinion.”

None of it is “Fact” or “Truth”.

The followers of several Preachers were clever enough to give their Teachings the mantle of “Truths” and “Facts”, without offering so much as a smidgen of evidence.

What evidence has ever been offered for the existence of a “Concerned God”? None!

In fact there is more evidence regarding the non-existence of a “Concerned God” as there is to the opposite. Why do so many “believe” without the smallest proof, in a Life after Death ?

What evidence is there regarding the existence of Heaven and Hell? None.! Absolutely “None”.

And yet, the majority of adherents to all the major Religions follow these absurd opinions, because they have been presented to the followers again and again.

Since Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and all the others, are not based on Facts, but on Opinion, neither should be taught in Schools as “Fact.”

A course in “Comparative Religion” as in “Comparative Philosophies” should be taught in schools, but it should never be presented as Facts.

A teacher of such C.R. Might start his lesson in the following way:

Approximately 2000 years ago, a man seems to have preached a set of Ethics to his followers. Unfortunately, none of it was actually recorded until years later and we will discuss his Principles in this light.

Approach the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Koran and all other such books as a collection of Opinions and not as Truths or Facts. On close reading of the two “Testaments” ( which are the only ones I know a little about ) it is totally impossible to present those as “Truth.” and yet, they are introduced to a non-suspecting public as “truthful in every word.”

So, by all means, teach a course of Comparative Religion, but do not teach it with the same certainty as you teach other, demonstrable subjects....

Wire Art

For some, this is a length of wire, while for others it is the material to fashion a piece of Art.
Esther, a friend of ours, belongs to this second group.
Just look at it and think that all of them started out as a piece of black wire:

The Big Rock

I think this is a legitimate question:

How did this rock get there, in the middle of flat, mountainless, bushland?

Don't talk to me about the ice age!

This is Gottfried, the Sugarbaker!

This is Gottfried, our neighbour !

Sugarbaker and Candlemaker.

Last week he invited a group of us to see him produce

some of his delicacies.

.

I gather, one needs strong hands for this job

 as well as the patience of Job

for all the detail work.

With St. Nikolaus-day  having arrived 

and the Christmas Season being in full swing,

Gottfried is busier than a one-armed paperhanger.

His wonderful sweets are popular around the countryside.

Very popular around this time is

one of Gottfried's specialties: "Ginger bread"

which he fashiones not only into hearts, 

but also into the image of Santa Claus,

or at least the  Austrian equivalent ,

Sankt Nikolaus.

I wish you a Happy Holiday.

It was a hot day in the Masai Mara

It was a hot day in the Masai Mara

and the vultures and Maribu Storks,

which had come to the crossing of the Mara River 

by thousands of Wildebeests,

spread their wings to catch what little breeze there was.

In Kariba

On one of the Seven Hills of Kariba

Gladys can't decide which, so she bought one of each.

accompanied by Christopher Weare.

A cowardly attack.

Pearl Harbor

It was the morning of the 7^th day of December 1941, when the Japanese, emboldened by their conquest of large parts of South East Asia, and in preparation of their intended capture of overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the United States, launched the infamous attack against the U.S. Navy, stationed at Pearl Harbor.

At dawn of that day, six aircraft carriers positioned themselves and over 350 fighter planes, bombers and torpedo planes attacked and sank or severely damaged almost the entire Pacific fleet of the American naval forces.

The Japanese celebrated this successful sneak attack as a great victory over the Americans.

In hindsight even the most fanatical Japanese admirers of Emperor Hirohito and his Generals must admit that sinking American ships, killing 2400 Americans, wounding another 1200 was a gigantic mistake:

It caused the Americans to declare war on Japan, a war which started on the 8^th day of December 1941 and ended after two atomic bombs were used by the Americans, in September of 1945.

There are, even today, so I am told, Japanese visitors to Pearl Harbor, having their photographs taken, smiling broadly and showing with spread fingers, the V for victory sign.

It matters not where you go, you will find people who deny historical facts.

The Pacific Theater of War cost a total of 36 Million lives, about half of the total number of victims of World War 2.

May all of them rest in peace.

Bertstravels

Sigi, one of the Best

The wonderful world of

Sigi Kulterer.

An artist even I like.

His colours are strong, partially aggressive,

warning of a damaged world.

Even though he could not be called a "realist",

you can read the message in his work. 

sometimes there is something threatening.

A warning:

Smarten up, or else!

I see a blood red sky, the remains of a burnt forest,

and ice covering what used to be a meadow.

De mortuis nil nisi bonum

To follow the above suggestion is not always easy.

On November 25, 2016 Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz died in Santiago de Cuba, at the ripe age of 90.
Fidel Castro, as he was known to the world, ruled his country with an iron communist fist for 47 years from 1959 to 2006.
He and his rag-tag group of revolutionaries, after a long struggle, defeated Cuba's dictator,
Fulgenico Batista in 1959.
Here was Fidel's chance to change the fortune of his country for the better.
Unfortunately, for his people, he blew it, setting up another, this time a communist dictatorship.

His supporters, including current Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, will tell you what a great man he was, bringing health services and education to his country.
What they will not tell you is that, in order to achieve this the country and his people paid a heavy price.
In his earliest days as the head of Cuba he called himself a Marxist and a Leninist and set himself squarely against his close neighbor, the United States of America.
Within Cuba he established a repressive system of Government, depriving its citizens of basic human rights, incarcerating tens of thousands and executing thousands.
This is his real legacy: over 7000 dissenters killed, 9 billion dollars worth of property confiscated, and causing over 1.5 million Cubans fleeing to Florida, and sending his troops far afield to assist fomenting revolutions.

So what is it with Mr Trudeau, when he calls Fidel Castro a great leader and friend of the Cuban people? He brought the misery of Communism to a country which deserved to be freed from a brutal and corrupt dictator Batista, but then should have been led to the prosperity of a democracy.
President Obama showed his diplomacy when he said:  ... history will judge him.

Bertstravels
always a bit hasty
makes his judgement today.

The Immaculate Conception

In Catholic Austria, and I am certain also in many other countries, this happening is celebrated on the 8th day of December.

What exactly is it, the believers are celebrating ?

A surprising number of people will tell you that it is the day when the Holy Ghost impregnated the Virgin Mary, causing this “Immaculate Conception”, resulting in the birth of Jesus Christ.

Even the mathematically handicapped should be able to count almost on their fingers that this would have given Mary a pregnancy period of 17 days.

So, this one is out. It cannot be it and, of course, it is not the cause of this celebration.

This day is celebrated because, allegedly, Mary's parents, Joachim and Anna, were told that they could expect the birth of a baby. (There is no reference made to Joachim and/or Anna in the Bible so somebody must have dreamed up these names.)

Since, 9 month later, on the 8^th September, Mary was borne without Original Sin, her mother, so it is claimed by some, also must have been borne without this infliction.... and her mother... and her mother... until back to Eve ?

Throughout the Middle Ages, the arguments raged back and forth about this issue:

Was Mary, conceived in the normal physical way by her parents and was she freed from O.S. by God's intervention even prior to her birth, or was it this or was it that... or was it an altogether other thing ?

In any event, it was not until 1854 that Pope Pius IX issued the Papal Proclamation (Bull) declaring the Immaculate Conception of Mary a fact revealed by God and therefore beyond doubt or question.

It became Dogma.

It is really wonderful, how the Catholic Church can decide upon something 1854 years after the fact, something about which there is no mention in their “book of books” and claim that all of it has been revealed by God himself and therefore must be the absolute truth.

Very convenient, isn't it?

Bertstravels

just shakes his head.

English is not difficult !

Off of.....

It does not exactly drive me crazy, but it causes a slight annoyance when people, who should know better, misuse the English language.

You may read it in Newspaper columns, in Books, and in Magazines. The living shall remain nameless, since I want to spare them this degrading embarrassment.

This is what you may read: “With his right hand he brushed the snow flakes off of her hair.”

or this: “She took the book off of the table.”

If they ever bothered to look up the word “off” in a dictionary, or just go to Google and ask: define:off, they would be able to read : “away from the place in question.”

In other words: “off” already means: away from, so there is no need, in fact it is inaccurate, to add the word “of”.

It would suffice if “he brushed the snow flakes off her hair.” or if she “took the book off the table.

When famous writers, like the late Thomas Wolf, as well as current Journalists, use the words “off of” it does not “drive me off of my mind,” but it gently annoys me.

There is another common, all too common, mistake made in the respective use of the words:

“waiting on” and “waiting for”. Particularly in conversational English, but also in the written form, people will say and write:  "Where were you? We've been waiting on you for hours.”

Of course they have not done such a thing! They have “been waiting for you.

The difference is quite simple to remember:

A waiter stands at the entrance of the restaurant, waiting for his guests.

Once they have arrived, taken their seats, then the waiter can start “waiting on his guests.”

Yeah, I know, why worry about little things like that?

Because it's the English Language which gets maltreated in a way it does not deserve.

That's what annoys me.

Bertstravels

Nobody Home

I knocked and I knocked.

There was no answer.

Maybe there is nobody at home.

Sailing Regatta

Spent a month in Toronto last summer 

and was lucky to catch a sailing regatta

in Lake Ontario, between Toronto's shore line and Center Island. 

It was one of those perfect days: 

Not a cloud in the sky

and great wind conditions.

and now, with Winter approaching in giant steps

I thought it was a good time to remember

the great days.

Misericordia et misera

Hallo! Hallo! Did you read that? Did you hear it on the News?

A new wrinkle out of the magic bag of the Catholic Church.

The holy year of “Compassion” has come to an end and the Pope himself closed the “Holy Gate” of

St. Peter's Cathedral.

Before he did that, however, he issued an “Apostolic Letter”, titled: Misericordia et miseria” with which he extended the right to forgive the sin of abortion from Bishops to regular Priests.

Think about that for a moment!

A woman, for whatever reason, decides not to carry a child in her womb to full fruition, birth.

This, under the rules of the Catholic church, in itself is a grave sin, forgivable only by her confession to a Bishop.

Should she be unable to make this connection, she will, so preaches the Church, be condemned to Hell. ( where- or whatever this is. )

Hell must be pretty crowded with suffering women, since only very few, who committed this sin of abortion, would have, or could have sought forgiveness from a Bishop or from certain specially appointed “confessional priests”.

What about the “ever forgiving, compassionate” God, through whose compassion every sin, however serious, can be forgiven.?

Well, dear God, you are just out of luck.

Even though in the “Misericordia et misera” Pope Franciscus states:

“God, who is capable of looking into the heart of each person, sees the deepest desire hidden there.”

and later: “God's love must take primacy over all else”

Where does this leave us now?

The Church teaches: A person who has committed a mortal sin, and abortion surely is one of those, then dies without having confessed this sin, will be condemned to spending an eternity in Hell.

Then the Pope tells us that “God's Love must take Primacy over all else.”

So what is he ( God ) to do ? His Church talks about the punishment as an eternity in Hell, but his number 1 representative allows for His love to “take Primacy over all else”.

None of this, of course, should puzzle us. The Catholic church is involved in so many contradictions, so many irrational statements that it absolutely boggles the mind, and we cannot expect that they, in this very controversial issue, should be able to come up with a cohesive, sensible statement.

When you read this Apostolic Letter you may also come to the conclusion that Franciscus is trying hard to make a little sense of it all. He is, however, confronted with 2000 years of utter gobbledygook and finds it difficult, if not impossible to make his rational way through the jungle of nonsense.

Bertstravels

could lend him a machete.

A Teasel and a Bee

A Teasel standing alone at the edge of the meadow.

Alone no more! 

A Bee came to visit...

... to draw the last drops of nectar

out of the trumpets

More useless apologies!

Over 300 victims of sexual transgressions, no, crimes, assembled in the Austrian Parliament to speak of their ordeals suffered in Catholic and State-run institutions.

The reasons why particularly in Catholic youth homes such sexual abuse was rampant is really hardly debatable.

If men and women, to whom normal sexual activity is prohibited, are placed in charge of young, vulnerable, defenseless people, such crimes are almost programmed and must happen.

Pope Benedict XVI, issued a directive that such criminal activities, when discovered, are not to be reported to the civilian authorities    ( Police ) but are to be dealt with within the administration of the Church.

Fortunately the current Pope, Franciscus, seems to have reversed these instructions.

The Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schönborn was present at this gathering and said: “I stand here as the representative of an Institution with which you connect the worst memories.”

What Priests and Nuns have perpetrated is almost impossible for him to imagine, and, “instead of dismissing them from their positions of power over the innocent and powerless, we simply transferred them.” ( to other similar institutions where they continued their nefarious criminal activities. ) Bracketed are my additional comments.

The Cardinal after listening to to the stories of many of the assembled victims offered his apologies and those of his Church.

Apologies are cheap.

They are also totally useless, when nothing has changed fundamentally in this organization and sexually frustrated individuals, men and women, are given free reign to satisfy their pedophillic bent.

One of the world's richest institutions, the Catholic Church, should have to pay considerable sums to all victims of this abuse.

Bertstravels

suggests: 10 Millions each.

The Island of Lamu

Backyard in Lamu

Three young ladies on a shopping spree

A shy lass

Late Butterfly

The nights have been cold. Nearing the freezing point on some days.
In front of my ground floor studio there is a pot of fall flowers (NN)
They are in bright sunlight from morn to eve.
They still are in full bloom and, lo and behold, yesterday I found a butterfly resting atop. How it survived this long is a puzzle to me.

The King is dead! Long live the King !

I listen to the newscasts on radio and tv, I read the newspapers and, yes, I even read the entries on facebook. What do i read and hear ? Nothing but bellyaching, whining and complaining about the outcome of the US election. There are those who now protest vigorously and shout slogans directed against the President-elect of their country. Do they understand even the most fundamental aspects of Democracy? Under this system the population at large elect a person to a position of leadership. Whether this is for mayor of Joetown (population 350) or for the Presidency of the entire country (population 330 million). Once he/she is elected it's game closed. The belated screams of protest are not only useless but also highly unproductive. Yes, you have the right to demonstrate your dissatisfaction in an orderly, non-destructive way, but it really gets you nowhere for at least another four years.
So, stop bellyaching, stop your whining, get involved in something constructive and get on with your life.
The USA will survive Donald Trump.
It has survived much worse. It has survived the practice of slavery, it has survived a devastating War of Independence, as well as an even more destructive Civil War. It has survived the Great Depression, Pearl Harbour could not defeat it, and goodness knows what else this Country of the United States of America has had to deal with and has, in fact, not only survived but has come out ever stronger.
I get a kick out of those Americans who swore that "If Trump gets elected I will leave the country and move to Canada."
Does Canada really need or want this bunch of whiners ?
And, if they dislike the current or the next Prime Minister of Canada, where will they move to then ? To Mexico?
It is said that the man grows with the job.
Let's hope that Donald Trump will experience such growth.

Bertstravels
is no Trump fan either.

The Vulture and the Sun

A Vulture atop a dead tree

looks at the distant sun.

The sun has moved a little closer

and the angle of the Vulture's head seems to have changed.

and finally, the sun is below the bird and check out where he is looking.

It was in the mid 80s that I spent a month on Safari in Zimbabwe.

At about 5 PM on a misty afternoon

the above is what I saw.