brunosart.com

From:  http://www.brunosart.com/

On Saturday 7th February 2009 the small Australian township of Marysville in the south eastern state of Victoria was ravaged by bushfires and is still in a state of emergency.  Bruno Torfs and his family are safe and well although the family home and gallery have been destroyed.  The sculpture garden has sustained severe damage but hopefully a good portion of the sculptures will be salvaged. 

Here is just a small selection of sculptures.  Please visit Bruno's website and learn of his story and art.

 

Baghdad Art Show

fascinating article about art scene there

The show. titled “Beacons of Humanity,” collected 80 works of art by 39 Iraqi artists and displayed them for three days on the eve of a Shiite holiday commemorating the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein, which culminates in Karbala on Monday.

Some of the works are jarring, challenging fundamentalist interpretations of Islam that forbid depictions of human figures. Others suggest peace, reconciliation and the triumph of good over evil.

Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516)

I was lucky enough to be in Rome when an exhibition (the first of its kind since 1949) of the works of early Renaissance Venetian painter Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516) was held in the Scuderie del Quirinale - restored stables of the old papal palace.  The building itself was something to see and experience.  The paintings, brought in from all over the world, were breathtaking in the extreme.  It's hard to see them and not feel emotional.  This is just a small selection and these are not my photos.  

Just one more pic

Relief from Heat Wave

You may know about the devastating bushfires (death toll 170 and climbing) during our many-year drought and heat wave conditions of temperatures well above 40 degrees celsius and on some days reaching 46 degrees.  This little one found some relief after climbing onto a verandah where a woman placed a dish of water and photographed the results.