The Frailty of Human Life: Labor Vita, Necesse Mori

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Art, death, frailty of human life, life, Memento Mori, Painting, Salvator Rosa, Vanitas

Salvator Rosa, “The Frailty of Human Life”, 1656

On June 20, 1615, Italian Baroque artist Salvator Rosa was born.

The above painting, “The Frailty of Human Life” (1656), was painted soon after the death of his son, Rosalvo.

In the painting, Death (the skeleton) is directing the child to write on a scroll. The scroll reads “Conceptio Culpa, Nasci Pena, Labor Vita, Necesse Mori”, which means “Conception is a sin, Birth is pain, Life is toil, Death a necessity.”

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Peter Cushing’s “The Human Factor: For the Love of Helen” Interview

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death, Helen Cushing, interview, life, loss, love, Peter Cushing, Peter Williams, The Human Factor

What an absolutely extraordinary man Peter Cushing was.

But you all already know my feelings on the British actor who so beautifully brought to life every role he ever played.

In 1990, he was interviewed by Peter Williams on the program “The Human Factor” in an episode entitled “For the Love of Helen”. He was 77 at the time, had already been diagnosed with cancer, and was only 4 years away from joining his beloved Helen in eternity. She died in 1971.

Wake Me Up Before You Gogos: A Toast to An Artist and His Monsters

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Art, artist, Basil Gogos, death, Famous Monsters of Filmland, Halloween, horror, monster, New York Times, obituary, Painting

Well, I’m sad to say it’s “goodbye, bucket list dream” of having my portrait painted by monster portraitist extraordinaire, Basil Gogos. :(

A few years ago, I highlighted this brilliant artist’s monsterous masterpieces in the post “Monster Masterpieces A Gogos“, and mentioned that of all the great artists who have ever lived, I’d most want my portrait painted by him. He passed away on September 13, 2017.

Where, O Death, is Your Victory?

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Bible, death, hope, righteous spared, Sunday Scripture

Today’s Sunday Scripture post is dedicated in loving memory of my beautiful Aunt Dianne, who passed away on January 22, 2016.

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The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.

~ Isaiah 57:1

Laying the Count to Rest

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Christopher Lee, Count Dracula, death, Hammer Films, legend, Peter Cushing

An era has ended today. The last of a group of legends has died. The man we could always “Count” on to rise again, will sadly rise no more.

The news was released this morning that 93-year-old Sir “Count” Christopher Lee passed away on Sunday, June 7th, 2015. It doesn’t seem possible, does it? Our immortal Count, mortal after all. News of his death is spreading like fire in Frankenstein’s castle, and like anyone who grew up on Hammer horror, I don’t want to believe it.

And Now the Screaming Starts…

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Amicus, And Now the Screaming Starts, Art, British, Christopher Lee, death, Devil, film, Hammer, horror, Horror Express, Ingrid Pitt, movie, Peter Cushing, Plague of Zombies, review, The Devil Rides Out, The Devil's Bride, Vampires, Zombies

The 3 types of terror: The Gross-out, The Horror, and the last and worse one: Terror, when you come home and notice everything you own had been taken away and replaced by an exact substitute. It’s when the lights go out and you feel something behind you, you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but when you turn around, there’s nothing there…

~ Stephen King

Happy Halloween, darlings!

You know what I could go for right now? Right this minute? Yes, yes, of course it’s a scary movie. But not just any scary movie. I don’t want to see Frankenstein’s monster or Dracula’s fangs. At this point, the thought of a lumbering Mummy or a howling Wolfman is inducing nothing more than a few yawns.

I don’t want anything classic or black and white. And nothing typical. I want unusual. Creepy. Campy. Cult. With a nice balance of blood, fear, suspense and surprise. And lots of glorious colour!

It’s not that I don’t normally like all those old-time monster movies. I do! But this Halloween, I just feel like something else.

The Immortal Count

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Bela Lugosi, death, Dracula, film, Forrest J. Ackerman, horror, In Memoriam, movie, Universal Studios, White Zombie

I am Dracula. I bid you welcome.

When Universal Studios released “Dracula” in 1931, I don’t think anyone imagined the worldwide obsession that would follow. Bram Stoker’s novel was already 34 years old, and “Dracula” wasn’t the first vampire film. But this was the first time the audience was introduced to a charming and dapper Count Dracula; a villain they wanted to love.

In England, in 1924, “Dracula” the stage play was the first adaptation of the novel authorised by Stoker’s widow. In 1927, the play came to America and in his first major English-speaking role, Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi donned the famous Dracula cape for the first time. And a legend was born.

Gallery Feature: “Self-Portrait of the Artist at Twenty-Five”

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Art, artist, christianity, death, Dracula, Edgar Allan Poe, explanation, Literature, Painting, Portrait, self-portrait, symbolism

Wendy Brydge – “Self-Portrait of the Artist at Twenty-Five” – 2014

Every painting begins with an idea.

Rod Serling once said, “The instinct of creativity must be followed by the act, the physical act of putting it down for a sense of permanence. Once you get that prod, that emotional jar, that “I have witnessed something.” Or “I have felt something.” Or “I have seen something.” Or, through observation, “I have been moved by an event.” I think the answer is, “Get it down. Get it down quickly. Write it down.”

That right there is the best advice any artist — be they writer or painter — will ever receive. When you get that magical *spark* in your mind, that little glimmer of inspiration? You grab it, hold tight, and run with it as far as it will take you.

Ideas build on ideas. But inspiration can be fleeting. Maybe you see an image in your head as you’re drifting off to sleep at night. Or perhaps you read something interesting, or hear something unusual, and it makes you want to process and use that information somehow. When that happens, I urge you to do as the talented Mr. Serling said: GET IT DOWN. Any and all of it. Before it’s gone.

Depictions of Christ in Art

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Art, artist, Bible, Caravaggio, Christ of Saint John of the Cross, christianity, Compassion, cross, crucifixion, death, God, Jesus, Leonardo Da Vinci, Painting, religion, Salvador Dali, Salvator Mundi, The Flagellation of Christ, The Head of Christ, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, Warner Sallman, William Adolphe Bouguereau

All of my fellow Seekers of Truth know that my interests are broad and far-reaching. My blog is made up of, dare I say, an incredible variety of topics.

Today is the two-year anniversary of “Seeker of Truth”. That’s right. On April 28, 2012, I introduced myself, pulled up a chair, and started writing. And I’ve spent the last two years blogging about many of my favourite things. But in 45 posts, I’ve never once covered my two favourite topics at the same time: Art and Jesus.

Jesus + Art = Me

If people could be broken down into a mere equation, that’s me right there. I have always loved paintings that depict Bible stories, Bible symbolism, and anything to do with Christ our Lord.

So what better way to celebrate the start of my third blogging year than by highlighting and discussing some of my favourite paintings of Jesus.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

~ 1 Peter 3:18

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The painting that absolutely tops my list is Caravaggio’s “The Incredulity of Saint Thomas”.

This painting speaks to me like no other. It is the most beautiful painting I’ve ever seen. The work was completed in 1602 and now hangs in the Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, Germany. It’s my favourite painting in the entire world and the only one I must see in person before I die.

Vampire Hunting 101 with Professor Van Helsing

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crucifix, death, Dracula, Hammer Films, horror, vampire, vampire killing kit, Van Helsing

🎃 🎃 🎃

Here we are, mere hours away from Halloween night, and the ghosts and ghouls are sure to be out in full force. More importantly though, there will be undead creatures slinking around the darkest shadows, watching and waiting, hoping to grab a bite… of YOU.

Vampires.

It would be immoral and irresponsible of me to let you go out unprepared to defend yourselves against such evil, my darlings. So today, I’m enrolling you all in Professor Van Helsing’s “Vampire Hunting 101” class. In this crash course you’ll learn everything you need to know about vampires: How to protect yourself, and how to kill them.