Signs of the Times

I saw the work of one sign painter everywhere in the little town of Milford, Ohio, when I was growing up in the 1960s. It was as if the whole town was his client. I don't know what happened to him. And yet, when I visit about once every other year now -- none of the family lives there anymore, and the home was sold several years ago -- I see the remnant of the unknown sign painter, amidst the growing number of antique stores, gourmet restaurants, and ... of all things, microbreweries!

I was finishing high school in 1973, when Dad took me to "Commercial Square," a side street in downtown Cincinnati with a row of old factory warehouse buildings (since razed for what is now the Procter and Gamble headquarters) to visit what he called "a dying art." There, a couple of men ran a sign-painting business. Dad knew I aspired to go to college, but he didn't believe in accumulating massive debts and living on credit. (In fact, he never owned a credit card in his entire life.) If I could find a profession that didn't require a college education, so much the better. I viewed their work with some interest, but little enthusiasm.

I went on to complete my graphic design studies at the University of Cincinnati, graduating in 1978. Looking through old magazines and art manuals, I had a brief flirtation with calligraphy and hand-painted lettering. In the early 1980s, I did calligraphy for special occasions; family, parish, that sort of thing. I left it behind completely once the computer came to our office, and "desktop publishing" was the next big thing.

I came across a 2017 article in Monocle just recently ...

From traditional calligraphy to rare gold-leaf techniques, hand-worked lettering is back in demand. Monocle Films meets three sign painters whose eye-catching signs lend character to cities - and help businesses stand out.

... and I remembered that brief page of my history. Part of the trend may be a reaction to our slavery to technology, as if to lend credence to Newton's Law. Whatever is ancient is new again.

The total cost of my college education, culminating in 1978, has been estimated at around ten thousand dollars. I managed to recover that cost in short order.

And so it goes.
 

Mana Janji Ayah?

This eight-minute short film “Mana Janji Ayah?” (Where is Daddy's Promise?) is the story of a girl born into a very poor family. Her father is only a Bajaj driver (Bajaj is a three wheel vehicle, one of the public transportations in Jakarta). Since childhood, she has always been mocked by her friends, because she's very poor, and her fathers job is too inferior for them. They also make fun of his crippled leg. She is anger over her lot in life, and she vents this anger at her father.

The young girl has grown up with her anger, making her increasingly insecure, and underestimated by her friends. Her wishes for the trappings of the good life, especially material possessions, are not fulfilled. She is unaware of how much her father struggles to please her, to the point of selling his own prized possessions.

Her anger continues to grow, and the young girl continues to resent her father, because all her desires are not fulfilled. He is willing to struggle for his only one daughter's happiness.

Then one day, as her birthday arrives, he is finally able to fulfill all of his daughter's desires. It is then that tragedy strikes, and he is the victim of a highway accident, and is killed. Suddenly, and tragically, the little girl learns not only of the extent of her father's sacrifice, but the cost to herself, in losing that which matters more than mere possessions.

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

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This feature and commentary are possible through the kind assistance of Miss Fillia Astika, of Sidoarjo, Jawa Timur, Indonesia.
 

Art-For-Art’s-Sake Theatre: 2Cellos “Thunderstruck”

Time once again for our usual midweek feature.

Remember two weeks ago when we showed those Finnish hillbillies going Appalachian on heavy metal? How could you forget a thing like that? Well, they're not the only ones on the headbanger bandwagon. Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hausar, appearing as the duo 2Cellos, go for Baroque their own rendition of the AC/DC hit “Thunderstruck” in front of an authentic period audience.

Too bad they couldn't have played it on authentic period instruments. After all, the violoncello as we know it today did not come into prominence until roughly the mid-18th century. Don't ask me why.
 

Art-For-Art’s-Sake Theatre: 500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art

Time once again for our usual midweek feature.*

If you enjoy the great works of art in Western civilization, you will also enjoy this captivating three-minute journey through more than half a millennium of female portraits, and how the beauty of the human face has evolved in its depiction over the years. You are challenged to see how many of the ninety paintings you might recognize, and to test your memory against the list found here.

The soundtrack is Bach's “Sarabande from Suite for Solo Cello No 1 in G Major” performed by Yo-Yo Ma. The video is produced by Philip Scott Johnson. H/T to Goodnet.

* Formerly "our usual midday Wednesday feature."
 

Art-For-Art’s-Sake Theatre: Simon’s Cat “The Box”

Time once again for our usual midday Wednesday feature.

In this episode, the first of this series to be shown in this venue, a curious cat investigates an empty cardboard box. Find out more at the Simon’s Cat website.
 

Angelus ad Virginem

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Annunciation. It commemorates when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, and she was conceived by the Holy Spirit to give birth to the Savior.

Angelus ad Virginem (or its English title, Gabriel, From Heven King Was To The Maide Sende) was a popular medieval carol, whose text is a poetic version of the Hail Mary and the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary. Probably Franciscan in origin, it was brought to Britain by French friars in the 13th century. It is said to have originally consisted of 27 stanzas, with each following stanza beginning with the consecutive letter of the alphabet.

Surviving manuscripts may be found in a circa 1361 Dublin Troper (a music book for use at Mass) and a 13th or 14th century vellum Sequentiale that may have been connected with the Church of Addle, Yorkshire. Its lyric also appears in the works of John Audelay (perhaps a priest, he definitely spent the last years of his life at Haughmond Abbey, where he wrote for the monks), in a group of four Marian poems.

This video is of a recording by the Celtic ensemble Anuna. The historical notes are from ... where else?
 

Art-For-Art’s-Sake Theatre: Ben Hatke

Time once again for our usual midday Wednesday feature.

In the art world, there is indeed still a place for paper and pencil, pen, and/or brush. A case in point is Ben Hatke, a writer, artist, author of graphic novels and picture books -- most notably the Zita the Spacegirl series, and the forthcoming picture book Julia’s House. An illustration of the former is shown here, in varying stages of development, and as yet another excuse for an animated gif.

(H/T to Daniel Nichols of Caelum et Terra.)
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Art-For-Art’s-Sake Theatre: Improv Everywhere “Conduct Us - An Orchestra in the Middle of New York”

Those madcap miscreants at Improv Everywhere were up to their old tricks again yesterday, as a Carnegie Hall orchestra (more like a chamber orchestra from what can be seen) was set up in the middle of New York City, with an empty podium place in front of the musicians with a sign that read, “Conduct Us.” Those who accepted the challenge were given the opportunity to conduct this world-class (chamber?) orchestra. The orchestra responded to the conductors, altering their tempo and performance accordingly.

Why don't these things ever happen to me?
 

Art-For-Art’s-Sake Theatre: Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix “Radioactive”

Time once again for our usual midday Wednesday feature.

Lindsey Stirling is an American violinist and performance artist, part of the recurring phenomenon of "crossover" classical musicians. She appears in this rendition of Radioactive with Pentatonix, one of the new wave of a cappella ensembles, that hails from Arlington, Texas.
 

FAMW: Tchaikovsky Flashwaltz

Forty students from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance took a classical approach to the flashmob as they flashwaltzed Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers at the new Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower in Jerusalem. Doctors, patients and passers-by joined in the fun. Yes, we do love our flashmobs here at man with black hat, and wouldn't miss a chance to show one off, especially when it comes to this week's Friday Afternoon Moment of Whimsy.

"Flashwaltz." That's a new one.