UK & Ireland x OC RR, Group 250, from vjertje
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
UK & Ireland x OC RR, Group 250, from crizle
An area noted for its beauty and Australia's best surfing beaches
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
"Bird" by Natalia Tour
March 2011 Alt RR #1, from TrueS
More of her paintings are here http://natashatour.com
US-1048521
Hope I (1903) by Gustav Klimt
It is the return of the hero to his mother's womb, the end of his journey to a womb he should never have left, the last embrace, signifying also a return to the source, to the cosmos in which woman is the true conqueror. This "imprisonment in the womb" is to be found again in Hope I, in the magnificent belly that dominates everything like "a living vessel in which the hope of mankind is ripening". This intensely lyrical vision of the pregnant woman in Hope I is set in an ambiguous context peopled with masks, death's-heads, and allegorical monsters such as sin, disease, poverty and death, all threatening the incipient life. Assuredly the title of the picture and the shameless body are the epitome of perfect womanhood, a hymn to life and to the flesh. But are not the surrounding elements also images of night and death? Klimt invokes the full range of his erotic vocabulary, from the motifs of penetration in symbolic relation to the protruding belly, to the mildly perverse red hair, suggestive of Hans Baldung Grien. Nothing is there to remind us of the purity of Botticelli's Spring except the little garland of flowers in the hair. Once again, the painting was far too naturalistic and direct to be received by Klimt's contemporaries without causing a shock; inevitably they found it obscene. For a long time it remained in penitential obscurity in the private collection of Fritz Waerndorfer, where it was enclosed by two folding shutters like an altar, which emphasised its sacral character. Not until 1909 was the picture liberated, for an exhibition.
Here is Klimt's erotic vocabulary in its totality, from shameless body, through perverse nuances of red head and red hair at the pubis, to the symbolic motifs of penetration resonating with the protruding belly. Around this picture of consummate femaleness appear elements of night and of death. Information taken from here
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Rondout II Lighthouse, Kingston, New York
Just Viewcards RR, Group 82, from rpc
Rondout II Lighthouse at the mouth of the Rondout Creek. Built in 1913, it replaced the earlier 1867 lighthouse. It was closed in 1954 when the light became automated. Restored by the city of Kingston and The Hudson River Maritime Museum, it reopened as a museum in 1984.
Rondout II Lighthouse at the mouth of the Rondout Creek. Built in 1913, it replaced the earlier 1867 lighthouse. It was closed in 1954 when the light became automated. Restored by the city of Kingston and The Hudson River Maritime Museum, it reopened as a museum in 1984.
Connemara, County Galway, Ireland
Just Viewcards RR, Group 82, from chrissybaby
Connemara (in Irish: Conamara) is a district in the West of Ireland consisting of a broad peninsula between Killary Harbour and Kilkieran Bay in the west of County Galway. "Connemara" derives from the tribal name Conmacne Mara, which designated a branch of the Conmacne, an early tribal grouping that had a number of branches located in different parts of Connacht. Since this particular branch of the Conmacne lived by the sea, they became known as the Conmacne Mara. (Sea in Irish is muir, genitive mara, hence "of the sea".)The main town of Connemara is Clifden. The area around the town is rich with megalithic tombs. The famous "Connemara Green marble" is found outcropping along a line between Streamstown and Lissoughter. It was a trade treasure used by the inhabitants of the prehistoric time. It continues to be of great value today. It is available in large dimensional slabs suitable for buildings as well as for smaller pieces of jewellery. It is used for the pendant for the Scouting Ireland Chief Scout's Award, the highest award in Irish Scouting.
French singer Michel Sardou had an international hit with the song "Les Lacs du Connemara" in 1981.
The Irish drinking song "The Hills of Connemara" has been recorded and performed by a number of Irish and Celtic-themed bands.And there is also a pony breed named Connemara pony - it was first recognised a distinct type there.
And an absolutely new stamp, issued to commemorate St. Patrick's Day, the feast of the Irish national saint. It was issued on 17 February 2011.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries. Both by area and population, the Dominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean nation (after Cuba), with 48,442 square kilometres and an estimated 10 million people.
Map of sea coast of Slovenia
Different countries RR, Group 81, from BubbleGum
The Slovenia coast is only 46 kms long and has no sandy beaches to speak of. Portoroz (Port of Roses) is the largest resort and, although modern in appearance, has a long history. There are plenty of hotels, bars, restaurants and shops that help make this a popular beach resort. Two kilometres north of Portoroz you will find the charming coastal town of Piran, whose medieval centre bears witness to 500 years of Venetian rule with narrow alleyways, tightly packed houses and beautiful churches. The delightful main square, Tartinijev Trg, (named after Giuseppe Tartini, the famous violin virtuoso) is just opposite the harbour. At the tip of the peninsular of Piran you will find the main bathing area (man-made), a handful of restaurants overlooking the sea, and some of the best diving along this coast. To the north of Piran is Koper, Slovenia's largest coastal town, and although uninspiring from a distance, it has a beautifully preserved medieval centre. For the active, there are plenty of opportunities for sailing, swimming, windsurfing and hang-gliding along the Slovenian coast.Pattern for the Stoclet Frieze by Gustav Klimt
North America to the world RR, Group 23, from richardlater
Monday, March 21, 2011
Toulouse-Lautrec
Painting by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is called La Dance au Moulin Rouge (Dance at the Moulin Rouge).
Map of Limburg
March 2011 Alt RR #1, from #3 nathalie71Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, and the Dutch province of North Brabant partly to the west. Its capital is Maastricht.
Limburg's name derives from the fortified castle town known as Limbourg, situated on the river Vesdre near the High Fens, currently in the Belgian province of Liège. It was the seat of the medieval Duchy of Limburg which extended into the Meuse region north of the city of Liège. However, most the area of the current Dutch Limburg was not part of this polity but was divided among several states including the Duchy of Brabant, the Duchy of Jülich, the Duchy of Guelders, and the Bishopric of Liège, as well as the Duchy of Limburg. A result of this division is still evident in the plethora of distinct varieties of the Limburgish language spoken in Limburg municipalities.
For centuries, the strategic location of the current province made it a much-coveted region among Europe's major powers. Romans, Habsburg Spaniards, Prussians, Habsburg Austrians and French have all ruled Limburg. In 1673, Louis XIV personally commanded the siege of Maastricht by French troops. During the siege, one of his brigadiers, Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan, perished. He subsequently became known as a major character in The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père (1802–1870).In December 1991, the European Community (now European Union) held a summit in Maastricht. At that summit, the "Treaty on European Union" or so-called Maastricht treaty was signed by the European Community member states. With that treaty, the European Union came into existence.
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