Tea at Trianon: Gallery Walk of September 2014

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Gallery Walk of September 2014

Punt Boats

In Easton, MD every first Friday the art galleries open in the evening and serve wine, fruit and cheese to art lovers from all over Talbot County. I had the pleasure of taking it in with a painter friend who was able to explain to me what made the good art so good. The highlight was definitely the 717 Gallery which belongs to Louis Escobedo and his wife Yolanda. For one thing, they served the most exquisite selection of cheeses. Mr. Escobedo is a nationally-known award-winning artist. His works are luminous, especially his paintings of flowers and women. Do take a stroll through his gallery.

Roses

Two Roses

Girl in Sun Dress

julygirl said...: Lovely....the art as well as the idea of an open night specifically set aside to view it. How enjoyable!; September 12, 2014 at 10:16:00 AM EDT