Francesco Guardi Painting

Painting from the Church dell'Agnello Raffaele in Venice for the story of Tobias.  
Scene: Tobias while fishing with the archangel Raphael.

The Vigilia di San Pietro by Canaletto

Canaletto was one of the greatest painters ever, he was born in Venice and painted numerous works of his beautiful hometown. This superb work of art is of the Church of San Pietro di Castello in Venice.

 

 

Waiting for Guests by Lamplight by Ma Lin

Painted circa 1250 during the Song Dynasty with ink and colors on silk.

Literature Pick #6

The Ivy Cottage Mystery 

by Arthur Morrison from Chronicles of Martin Hewitt

This is a brilliantly written detective story in the style of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.

Aert van der Neer painting

 

View by Moonlight by Aert van der Neer (1645)

Favorite Actress Showcase #1: Christine Lakin

 I've been a fan of Lakin since I was 12 years old watching her on Step by Step, her talent and beauty were abundant. Since her masterful work as the tomboyish Al Lambert on the aforementioned sitcom she's been busy acting in many other roles, including guest spots on 3rd Rock from the Sun, Touched by an Angel, CSI: Miami, Bones, NCIS, Melissa & Joey, and she has a recurring role as Joyce Kinney on Family Guy. Plus she's been in a couple movies that star the legendary Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and every movie The Rock makes is good. From the pictures in this post it's obvious to all that she also happens to be one of the world's best gorgeous woman.

 

 

 

Quotable

"Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible; but if a thing is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach." - Marcus Aurelius

Winter in Switzerland

Winter in Switzerland by Jasper Francis Cropsey (1823–1900)

A beautiful painting from the brilliant Hudson River School artist, this is a powerful awe-inspiring work of art.

Thomas Moran Painting

Thomas Moran - my absolute favorite artist - here painted a wondrous, awe-invoking painting of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. 

Ghost by Ingrid Michaelson

I absolutely love the music of Ingrid Michaelson, I've been moved by every song of hers I've ever heard. Her music evokes emotion from both the beautiful melodies and her honest, personal lyrics. Ingrid's latest video is for the song Ghost, a song that is truly wonderful, with a video that is superbly done and really underscores the openhearted meaning of the lyrics.

Literature Pick #5

The Great Dome on Mercury
by Arthur Leo Zagat
From the April 1932 issue of Astounding Stories, this is a classic and exciting science fiction story from a prolific pulp fiction author.

Étretat by George Inness (1875)

George Inness is one of the true masters of American art and of the Tonalism style. Étretat, painted in 1875, shows off the sheer beauty of his artistic genius.

Literature Pick #4

Mystery of the Yellow Room

 by Gaston Leroux (1907)

 A brilliant detective novel by the author of The Phantom of the Opera. This book truly demonstrates why Leroux should be known as one of the premier authors of the mystery genre.

Konrad Witz Painting

  
  

King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba by Konrad Witz (1435)

Quotable

"If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore, and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile." - Ralph Waldo Emerson - Nature

Literature pick #3

Out of the Fog by C. K. Ober
The true story of a man's adventures at sea, his childhood in a 19th century New England fishing town, and his discovery of his faith.

Jan Goraj Painting

Support to impoverished merchant. by Jan Goraj (circa 1502-1504, Poland)

  Notes From Wikimedia Commons

Painting from the Polyptych of St. John the Merciful, painted for the St. Catherine's Church in Kraków. Founded by Mikołaj of Brzezie Lanckoroński.

Literature Pick #2

The Haunted Sentry Box of Porto Rico by Lewis Miller - a fantastic short story published in 1916.

The Book of Hunting

The Book of Hunting by Gaston Phoebus - 15^th century artwork.

Quotable

"They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea." - Francis Bacon

Literature Pick #1

In the Orbit of Saturn by Roman Frederick Starzl

Published in the October 1931 issue of Astounding Stories. This is pure, exciting science fiction from the era of pulp fiction.

The Course of Empire - Destruction by Thomas Cole (1836)

The Hudson River School, an American variant of Romanticism, is perhaps my favorite style of painting. Thomas Cole was the father of the art form and The Course of Empire series is some of Cole's finest work.