Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole I thank whatever gods may be, for my unconquerable soul In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance, My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears,…
A relic from the Dutch golden age, “The Night Watch” is Rembrandt’s masterpiece. It’s a painting that illustrates perfectly his mastery over light and shadow. Currently it is the crown jewels of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the most famous painting in all of the Netherlands. The size of this paint…
How do we know the things we see are real? What is the nature of reality, and can we ever hope to see behind the curtains? 2400 years ago, the famous Greek philosopher Plato came up with an interesting allegory to tackle this issue. Imagine a group of prisoners chained up in a cave. They’ve spent t…
Artificial intelligence is a very interesting subject. For many years now, there’s been unanswered questions about whether it is possible for a computer to develop actual intelligence. With the rapidly developing technology of today, I believe it is only a matter of time. Even now, the vast amount…
What do you think an artist is? An imbecile who has only his eyes if he’s a painter, or ears if he’s a musician, or a lyre at every level of his heart if he’s a poet, or even, if he’s a boxer… Just his muscles? On the contrary, he’s at the same time a political being, constantly alive to the heart-…
The most beautiful and deepest experience a man can have is the sense of the mysterious. It is the underlying principle of religion as well as of all serious endeavour in art and science. He who never had this experience seems to me, if not dead, then at least blind. To sense that behind anything t…
Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying…
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud a…
I think it’s terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfil other people’s expectations. I think they produce their worst work when they do that. The other thing I would say is that if you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further than you…
When I was first introduced to art school, everybody was 20, 22, and 25 years old. Many of them had graduated from college. So there I was, and I was about half their height. And I looked at these guys and I thought… “I can’t compete with these birds!” So at the end of the first week I went home, I…
Epicurus was an Ancient Greek philosopher that spent his life studying the concept of happiness. He asks the age old question, what really makes us happy? The consumerism driven world we live in now would say, oh that’s easy! Money, fame, recognition and relationships will make you happy. But does…
I would love to believe; that when I die I will live again. That some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But as much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest it is more than wish…