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The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina

Church of the Beheading of St. John, Arbore Monastery Tucked away in the northeastern corner of Romania lies the enchanting region of Bucovina, home to a treasure trove of stunning monasteries. The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina, collectively a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are a testament to the region's rich history, spirituality and artistic genius. One of the most visited monasteries in Bucovina is Voronet. It was commissioned by Stefan the Great, Voivode of Moldova and one of its most admired rulers. Moldova was  a medieval state that once encompassed parts of present-day Romania, Ukraine, and Moldova. Voronet  was built in 1488 to commemorate his victory over the Ottoman Turks in the Battle of Vaslui and it was miraculously completed in three months time. Succeeding  princes of Moldova continued the construction of more magnificent monasteries. The exterior walls of these structures were adorned with intricate frescoes, depicting biblical scenes, saints, and...

Timbulan ng Laya at Diwang Dakila

Timbulan ng Laya at Diwang Dakila, Carlos Botong Francisco, 1968, oil on canvas In 1963,  Mayor Antonio Villegas wrote a report, Building a Better Manila, where he indicated in detail his accomplishments on his first year as Mayor of Manila and his vision for the future of the city. Villegas aspired for a prosperous Manila by providing its residents access to health, family and housing services, opportunities for education and employment and improved infrastructure for water and road systems. *Notice the hands at the top of the painting. These hands symbolize the protective reach of God over the city of Manila. Central Panel On either side of the seal of Manila are the former mayors of the city. At the bottom are the city’s old seals. Seal of Manila adopted in 1965 under Mayor Antonio Villegas Timbulan ng Laya (Beacon of Freedom) at Diwang Dakila (Noble Spirit) are written on the seal. A sunburst with 15 rays cast light across the canvas. Below the sun, in red, is the Baybayin let...

KUMU Museum Tallinn

Seagull/Talking Heads, Villu Jaanisoo, 2006 It was certainly an eye opener for me to see the permanent collection of the KUMU. As if that wasn’t enough, I was also treated to the Latin American Art temporary exhibition with works by Diego Rivera and Fernando Botero. On this post, I’ll show images from the permanent collection only as there was quite a lot of Latin art on display that merits a separate post. Come back to read all about it. Villu Jaanisoo is a sculpture graduate of the Estonian Academy of Arts where he also served as the head of the Department of Sculpture in the 2000s. He uses non traditional materials for his sculptural pieces like rubber, plywood, sound and others. In the Seagull installation, he took 86 busts of children, heroes, Stalin from the Museum collection to create a roomful of “heads” backed by an archive of interviews conducted with these subjects playing on repeat and creating a cacophony of sounds in the exhibition room, hence the moniker Talking Heads. ...