Suspense and mystique in the art world is alive and well, thanks to new details about the potential identity of the mysterious model, who famously became the Mona Lisa.
The dig is on-literally- to discover the identity of the Mona Lisa. In Florence, Italian scientists will dig up the bones, using modern science methodology that hopefully will help identify the lady.
The mystery shrouding the identity of the small portrait, has had scholars and writers debating the possibilities for centuries.
Myths have long claimed that Lisa Gherardini, the wife of wealthy silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo, posed for the portrait. Hence the Italian name of the masterpiece, La Giaconda.
According to the EarthLink article, the marvels of modern science ala CSI will play a major part in the research. The dig will center at the Convent of St. Ursula in Florence, Italy. The merchant had a relationship with the convent, and it is said his wife is buried there.
Ground-penetrating radar will be used to locate the tomb, and if one is discovered, they will try to match the bones and the age of the skeleton, since it is known that she died in her sixties.
If skeletal remains can be identified, then the next process will be carbon dating and DNA extraction to see if it is a match to her children, some of whom were buried in the vicinity.
If skull fragments are found and are usable, there is a possibility of facial reconstruction.
That would certainly prove she was the model. Or would it?
Silvano Vinceti, art historian and project leader claims to have found "symbols" within the portrait that suggest it could have been a longtime male companion of Leonardo's who was the "main influence for the Mona Lisa."
Dan Brown found "symbols" within La Giaconda as well, and had a terrific unbelievable run as a bestselling author.
What wonderful sources of suspense and intrigue can be found in the art world...the possibilities are endless.
Till next time,
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Goals by Margot Justes
Goals are set and meant to be accomplished, at least that is my understanding. I looked up the word in the dictionary. A goal is 'the result or achievement toward which effort is directed'
Simple enough, set the goal and achieve it-assuming the goal is realistic, it is all well and good, until life intervenes and set goals go out the window faster than hot air in winter.
Last week, I set goals to edit 50 pages of Blood Art, send out 3 query letters, and make a tiny dent in A Hotel in Venice. Not exceptionally difficult tasks and easily accomplished, or so I thought.
I did none of those things, and more to the point I have no idea where the time went.
One reason, I thought might because I'm on the CN RWA board, I get so many more e-mails, but then so do the other board members, and I won't even mention the Spring Fling committee, who are working incredibly long hours so that we can have a terrific 2012 conference. Well, maybe I will mention them after all, their efforts are amazing.
So where did the time go? I have no idea, but I thought about the catastrophe and incredible destruction in Japan, how many lives were lost? Will be lost, how many sacrifices will be made to secure the safety of the Japanese people? How many people will work in certain death to make sure that happens? How dare I complain I didn't meet a few writing goals.
That on-going tragedy in Japan really put things in perspective. Just what am I complaining about? I feel blessed and grateful for what I have.
Till next time.
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris
Simple enough, set the goal and achieve it-assuming the goal is realistic, it is all well and good, until life intervenes and set goals go out the window faster than hot air in winter.
Last week, I set goals to edit 50 pages of Blood Art, send out 3 query letters, and make a tiny dent in A Hotel in Venice. Not exceptionally difficult tasks and easily accomplished, or so I thought.
I did none of those things, and more to the point I have no idea where the time went.
One reason, I thought might because I'm on the CN RWA board, I get so many more e-mails, but then so do the other board members, and I won't even mention the Spring Fling committee, who are working incredibly long hours so that we can have a terrific 2012 conference. Well, maybe I will mention them after all, their efforts are amazing.
So where did the time go? I have no idea, but I thought about the catastrophe and incredible destruction in Japan, how many lives were lost? Will be lost, how many sacrifices will be made to secure the safety of the Japanese people? How many people will work in certain death to make sure that happens? How dare I complain I didn't meet a few writing goals.
That on-going tragedy in Japan really put things in perspective. Just what am I complaining about? I feel blessed and grateful for what I have.
Till next time.
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Traveling by Margot Justes
Celebrity Cruises altered the itinerary for my cruise in October. Alexandria, Egypt was cancelled. I suspect not because of the peaceful overthrow of the government, but the cancellation occurred after the religious conflict between Christians and Muslims broke out.
No one from the cruise line announced that was the reason, it's my own supposition about the timing of the cancellation, and of course there is the unrest in the Middle East as a whole.
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. The Pyramids are still on my bucket list. The closest I've come is reading Elizabeth Peters' books and that just made the desire that much greater. Her descriptions are so vivid that you're right there along with Amelia Peabody and her celebrated spouse Emerson solving a mystery, amidst the archeological digs.
I cancelled the Celebrity cruise and went back to my old stand-by Royal Caribbean. Ashdod (Jerusalem) and Haifa, Israel are still part of the itinerary but now I'll also visit Kusadasi, Turkey, as well as Rhodes and Crete, Greece.
Egypt has been postponed until 2012. I sincerely hope that a solid democratic government will flourish, since that is what the general populace wanted when they peacefully toppled the old regime.
One can only hope for a peaceful resolution however tenuous the thread.
Till next time.
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris
No one from the cruise line announced that was the reason, it's my own supposition about the timing of the cancellation, and of course there is the unrest in the Middle East as a whole.
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. The Pyramids are still on my bucket list. The closest I've come is reading Elizabeth Peters' books and that just made the desire that much greater. Her descriptions are so vivid that you're right there along with Amelia Peabody and her celebrated spouse Emerson solving a mystery, amidst the archeological digs.
I cancelled the Celebrity cruise and went back to my old stand-by Royal Caribbean. Ashdod (Jerusalem) and Haifa, Israel are still part of the itinerary but now I'll also visit Kusadasi, Turkey, as well as Rhodes and Crete, Greece.
Egypt has been postponed until 2012. I sincerely hope that a solid democratic government will flourish, since that is what the general populace wanted when they peacefully toppled the old regime.
One can only hope for a peaceful resolution however tenuous the thread.
Till next time.
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Another Art Theft by Margot Justes
A Rodin sculpture was creatively acquired, in other words stolen, from the Israel Museum, now mind you this was bronze; heavy stuff, that bronze.
Yet, it was removed from the premises, granted this was not a huge piece by Rodin, the estimated weight was about 140 pounds and it was approximately 50 lbs but hardly something you can put in your pocket or under your clothes and walk out without someone noticing an odd appendage lurking about on your person.
How does a statue weighing 140 pounds disappear from a museum? It appears the Israel Museum was undergoing substantial renovations and probably sometime during the construction the statue disappeared. Pooh, it was moved and apparently kept on moving.
Some art experts fear that it might be sold for scrap. What a horrendous thought, an irreplaceable work of art, sculpted by a master and cast in bronze would be sold for scrap.
I hope the piece found a loving home somewhere, that is a much better alternative than reducing a glorious piece to scrap.
The only reason I say it was cast in bronze is purely for clarification, because I have been asked how difficult is it to sculpt bronze? Very difficult. In fact it is impossible. Bronze is always cast from the molding of the original work of art.
Till next time.
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris
Yet, it was removed from the premises, granted this was not a huge piece by Rodin, the estimated weight was about 140 pounds and it was approximately 50 lbs but hardly something you can put in your pocket or under your clothes and walk out without someone noticing an odd appendage lurking about on your person.
How does a statue weighing 140 pounds disappear from a museum? It appears the Israel Museum was undergoing substantial renovations and probably sometime during the construction the statue disappeared. Pooh, it was moved and apparently kept on moving.
Some art experts fear that it might be sold for scrap. What a horrendous thought, an irreplaceable work of art, sculpted by a master and cast in bronze would be sold for scrap.
I hope the piece found a loving home somewhere, that is a much better alternative than reducing a glorious piece to scrap.
The only reason I say it was cast in bronze is purely for clarification, because I have been asked how difficult is it to sculpt bronze? Very difficult. In fact it is impossible. Bronze is always cast from the molding of the original work of art.
Till next time.
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Social Networks by Margot Justes
I will be the first to admit the social networks are a mystery to me.
They are the way to get your name out there, wherever out there happens to be. That magical special entity that will get your book noticed, name recognition established, word of mouth will travel in that magical land of space and suddenly you've gone viral. Sort of like a virus but in a good way.
Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter are the primary sources of sharing quick bits of your life, activities, and whatever else you want to share with the world at large.
I belong to all three, it is time consuming but rewarding, not in the magic of going viral and suddenly becoming a best seller, but in building a community, meeting some terrific and interesting people. You pop in for a visit, say hello and pop out again and in the process you develop relationships.
It takes time, but I've noticed I'm getting more comments on FB, more friends, more people following me on Twitter, my blog readership is steadily growing and Amazon is showing movement in sales. Progress is slow but consistent, and in the process I'm learning how to become more active, more social and that is not a bad thing.
In part my involvement in the social networks allowed me to grow, and become more open to sharing details of my life I never would have dreamed I'd ever do.
Next is tackling query letters and pestering agents. Sounds like fun
Till next time,
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris
They are the way to get your name out there, wherever out there happens to be. That magical special entity that will get your book noticed, name recognition established, word of mouth will travel in that magical land of space and suddenly you've gone viral. Sort of like a virus but in a good way.
Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter are the primary sources of sharing quick bits of your life, activities, and whatever else you want to share with the world at large.
I belong to all three, it is time consuming but rewarding, not in the magic of going viral and suddenly becoming a best seller, but in building a community, meeting some terrific and interesting people. You pop in for a visit, say hello and pop out again and in the process you develop relationships.
It takes time, but I've noticed I'm getting more comments on FB, more friends, more people following me on Twitter, my blog readership is steadily growing and Amazon is showing movement in sales. Progress is slow but consistent, and in the process I'm learning how to become more active, more social and that is not a bad thing.
In part my involvement in the social networks allowed me to grow, and become more open to sharing details of my life I never would have dreamed I'd ever do.
Next is tackling query letters and pestering agents. Sounds like fun
Till next time,
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris
Saturday, February 19, 2011
A Revolution by Margot Justes
Recently we witnessed a revolution in Egypt, what made it historically so remarkable is that it was relatively bloodless.
We watched it happen right in front of our eyes; the assembly of the masses in Tahrir Square, the essential communication role the social networks played in the organization of the revolt, and the ingenuity of the masses when that network was shut down.
It was fundamentally a demand for freedom and a right to be heard, and heard they were.
The government stepped down, the military took over and the people are awaiting their democratic right to vote and select new leadership. It almost sounds too simplistic, the events unfolded in a public square in Cairo.
I heard someone say that it was a non-event, because little blood was spilled, the military didn't fire on its own people and the leadership did step down.
A non-event? It was a huge event. The power of the people brought down a government.
The power of the people demanded democracy, and they were willing to take that unknown step forward and demand it. It certainly was a gargantuan event.
I found it absolutely engrossing, watching the events unfold, the willingness of the Egyptian people to stand firm and fight for what they believed. That was history in the making.
We're so used to seeing blood and gore everywhere, that when we see a remarkable event without bodies strewn everywhere, some of us think it's not important. Why is that?
Till next time,
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris
We watched it happen right in front of our eyes; the assembly of the masses in Tahrir Square, the essential communication role the social networks played in the organization of the revolt, and the ingenuity of the masses when that network was shut down.
It was fundamentally a demand for freedom and a right to be heard, and heard they were.
The government stepped down, the military took over and the people are awaiting their democratic right to vote and select new leadership. It almost sounds too simplistic, the events unfolded in a public square in Cairo.
I heard someone say that it was a non-event, because little blood was spilled, the military didn't fire on its own people and the leadership did step down.
A non-event? It was a huge event. The power of the people brought down a government.
The power of the people demanded democracy, and they were willing to take that unknown step forward and demand it. It certainly was a gargantuan event.
I found it absolutely engrossing, watching the events unfold, the willingness of the Egyptian people to stand firm and fight for what they believed. That was history in the making.
We're so used to seeing blood and gore everywhere, that when we see a remarkable event without bodies strewn everywhere, some of us think it's not important. Why is that?
Till next time,
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Roman Ruins in Rome by Margot Justes
Isn't alliteration wonderful.
According to an article written in Yahoo News, the third-century Roman sculptures were found in Rome. While excavating a public site, the archeologists discovered six marble statues. The five heads were found in an ancient fountain in what was a lavish Roman villa.
The belief is that the villa belonged to a high-ranking official to the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, dating back to 193-211 A.D.
I find it amazing that almost two thousand years later give or take a century or two, we're still finding such incredible treasures.
What makes this find so wonderful, other than the busts of course, is that the dig was financed by private entrepreneurs.
I'm sure more information will become available as the sculptures are restored and more information is gained from the archaeological site.
If I'm lucky and the site is open to the public, I hope to pay a visit in October.
Till next time,
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris
According to an article written in Yahoo News, the third-century Roman sculptures were found in Rome. While excavating a public site, the archeologists discovered six marble statues. The five heads were found in an ancient fountain in what was a lavish Roman villa.
The belief is that the villa belonged to a high-ranking official to the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, dating back to 193-211 A.D.
I find it amazing that almost two thousand years later give or take a century or two, we're still finding such incredible treasures.
What makes this find so wonderful, other than the busts of course, is that the dig was financed by private entrepreneurs.
I'm sure more information will become available as the sculptures are restored and more information is gained from the archaeological site.
If I'm lucky and the site is open to the public, I hope to pay a visit in October.
Till next time,
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
