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20th December
Paintings by Toshikata Ohsai (1866-1908). Ukiyo-e gallery.
A kept mistress, the Hotoku era (1449-1451).

The Steam Engine Library. 'A collection of historical documents relating to the history of the steam engine. '
The Pneumatics of Hero of Alexandria.

Sketching the History of Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics (From about 1575 to 1980).

Prairie Bank Potawatomi Nation. Includes culture and history pages. Good, informative site.

The Saga of Grettir the Strong (Grettir's Saga). 'Originally written in Icelandic, sometime in the early 14th Century. Author unknown.'

The Life and Death of Cormac the Skald ("Kormak's Saga"). 'Originally written in Icelandic sometime between 1250 - 1300 A.D., although parts may be based on a now lost 12th century saga. Author unknown.'

French Drawings in the Age of Greuze.
Venus and Cupid.

Songs of Praise: Illuminated Choir Books. 'plendidly illuminated choir books stood open in churches throughout the High Middle Ages and Renaissance (roughly 1100–1500). These volumes are impressively large because they needed to be seen by groups of singers during the church service.'
'The painted letters in these books marked the first musically elaborate chant of a feast day. The subject represented within a letter is inspired by the event commemorated on that day or by the text of the chant it introduces. Thus the initials serve as both illustration and bookmark.'

Gustave Le Gray, Photographer. 'Gustave Le Gray (1820–1884) is known as the most important French photographer of the nineteenth century because of his technical innovations in the still new medium of photography, his role as the teacher of other noted photographers, and the extraordinary imagination he brought to picture making ... '

Italy on the Grand Tour. 'If you had been a nobleman in the 18th century, you would have completed your education with a period of European travel. This so-called Grand Tour could last from a few months to 8 years, thus only the very wealthy, with the time and means to travel, could participate. By undertaking the Tour, young men learned about the politics, culture, and art of neighboring lands ... '

A Timeline: Four Centuries of Perspective.

A Treasury of 15th Century Manuscript Illumination. 'During the 15th century the popular art form of the hand-painted book faced challenges from new developments in independent painting and the invention of the printed book. Despite this competition, the illuminated manuscript enjoyed a golden era.'
'Throughout the century and across Europe, princes enhanced their prestige by creating libraries stocked with richly illustrated manuscript copies of historical and spiritual texts. Courtiers, nobles, and a newly wealthy middle class also discovered that a beautiful manuscript prayer book enhanced their status ... '

The Grapes of Wrath: Horace Bristol's California Photographs. 'Born and raised in California, Horace Bristol (American, 1908–1997) began his career as a freelance photographer in San Francisco in the late 1920s. By the 1940s, he was a leading documentary photographer for magazines such as Life, Fortune, and Time. Influenced by the work of Dorothea Lange, Bristol proposed a picture story for Life in 1937 on dust bowl migrants and asked writer John Steinbeck to collaborate with him ... '
Nursing mother in camp.

The Gatekeeper in Indian Art. 'It is very common to erect painted or sculpted guardians or doorkeepers (known as the Dwarapakalas) at the entrance of the Hindu and Jain temples in India. Not only the main entrances, these permanent doormen protect secret entrance, minor entrance, and sometimes the window doors. If the sanctum sanctorum is multi-storied, then all the doors are also protected. Throughout India, one can see decorated doormen outside of private buildings and luxury hotels as well. The doormen outside the temples are typically great devotees or strong men. However, I have noticed personalities of the period as well as women shown as protecting the doors ... '

Games of the Plains Crees.

A Sumi-e Dream Journey. Japanese ink painting.
Gallery.

The Perfect Pick-up Line.

Raises & Terror. 'Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week John Warner explains how to get the raise you deserve using the only appropriate method for today's terror-ific world.'

Broken Hearts. 'Question: I have just had my heart ripped out by the love of my life. My question is: what the fuck do I do now? – C.S.'

The Sistine Chapel. A virtual tour.

Building the Chrysler Building. The social construction of the skyscraper.

War of the Worlds Revisited. 'Families were gathered around in their living rooms listening to the radio programs crossing the telephone wires, laughing with Charlie McCarthy, and relaxing after a long week. It was a normal Sunday evening until Orson Welles and the cast of Mercury Theatre on the Air presented their weekly adaptation of a classical work. This week it was War of the Worlds, by H. G. Wells. By 8:25 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the peaceful evening had been shattered by riots, panicked citizens, and the threat of Martians invading the country ... '

Superman in Identity Crisis: The Many Faces of the Man of Steel. 'Superman is one of our culture's most enduring and recognizable cultural icons, the inspiration for countless imitators, and a perennial American role model. Superman embodies all our hopes and dreams, and our deepest fears. He is a man who is blessed with extraodinary superpowers many wish they could have. But this seemingly invincible superman can be felled when exposed to a tiny, green rock - Kryptonite. This tragic flaw only scratches the surface of Superman's many paradoxes and dualities. His journey from the printed page onto the silver screen has made it extremely hard to pin down the man behind the "S" ... '

Babe Ruth: Constructing a Legend. ' "Who is this Baby Ruth, and what does she do?" With this simple question, George Bernard Shaw drew the ire of Americans everywhere in the 1920s. A baseball legend and an American icon, Babe Ruth single-handedly changed the way baseball was played and rescued the game from the dark days that followed the Black Sox Scandal of 1919 ... '

Aimee Semple McPherson. 'She's been written out of many history books, but Aimee Semple McPherson was one of the most famous female evangelists in the world. Described as "dynamic, irrepressible, and complex," she's been called the "most tragic figure in America." At the same time, she satisfied Americans' needs for spritual satisfaction, sensationalism, and sex appeal ... '

Shopping for Buddhas 'is an online shop selling fine quality statues and paintings of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, all made by skilled craftsmen working in Kathmandu, Nepal.'
Postcards.

Ndebele Dolls from South Africa.

'Traditionally these dolls are made by Ndebele, Zulu and other southern African women to encourage fertility and to instruct girls at time of their initiation into womanhood.'

Beaded Dolls from Cape Town. 'These wonderful beaded dolls are created by enterprising women living in the townships surrounding Capetown, South Africa. The work has come to us from a project to employ and empower women in the townships of Mandela Park, Khayalisha and Phillipi. '

Painting from the Congo.

Faces of the Century. 'Winston Churchill? Johnny Rotten? Virginia Woolf? Are these the faces of Britain in the 20th Century?'
'So many people have contributed in different ways to life in Britain over the past 100 years. Who would you choose? Figures from the worlds of politics, entertainment and the arts? Or ordinary people, caught up in the great tides of change that have swept through the century? ... '
Showcase.

Birds of the World: 250 Years of Colour Plate Folios. Clickable thumbnails.

Early Chinese Ceramics.

Sculpture from Early Chinese Tombs.

Chinese Buddhist Sculpture. 'The acceptance of the Indian religion of Buddhism in China, which was marked by persecutions as well as by substantive adaptations of doctrines, remains one of the most interesting dialogues in religious history. '
White Tara.

Dinosaur Eggs.

Plants and People in Prehistoric Tennessee.

Ophelia. 'The tragic tale of Ophelia served as inspiration for many artists on ArtMagick. Here's a selection of 19th century renderings of the doomed maiden.'

St. Francis of Assisi: The Canticle of the Sun. 'Most high, all powerful, all good Lord! All praise is yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing. To you, alone, Most High, do they belong. No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name ... '

Smelly Neighbours Interested in Furthering Friendships.
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18th December
The Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia. 'In the morning hours of August 21, 1968, the Soviet army invaded Czechoslovakia along with troops from four other Warsaw Pact countries. The occupation was the beginning of the end for the Czechoslovak reform movement known as the Prague Spring. '
'This web site contains material from the days immediately following the invasion, and they reflect the atmosphere in Czechoslovakia at the time: tense, chaotic, uncertain, full of pathos, fear, and expectation... '

Traditions of Magic in Late Antiquity. '"Magic," as modern scholars have grudgingly learned to admit, is a very elusive category. No definition of "magic" has ever found universal acceptance, and countless attempts to separate it from "religion" on the one hand and "science" on the other have borne few, if any, fruits. The problem lies, to a large extent, in that what one society may label "magic," another would label "religion," and another "science," so that by choosing one label we are implicitly choosing sides whenever conflicting definitions of magic compete with each other, or run the risk of imposing our own categories upon societies in which these categories would have made no sense. '
'Given these difficulties, the present exhibition will not attempt any definition of ancient magic. Its goal is much more modest -- merely to present some of the materials in the University of Michigan's collections which might prove useful in any discussion of magic and its practitioners in the Mediterranean basin and the Near East from the 1st to the 7th centuries A.D., a period which saw the magical traditions of several different cultures coalesce and merge into an unprecedented form of international, and even multicultural magical praxis, with its own rituals, symbols, and words of power ... '

Heroic Romances of Ireland. 'These two books are scholarly translations of Irish legends. Although many of the stories in these books center around cattle raids, they have numerous supernatural incidents and remnants of pre-Christian religious beliefs.'
Includes 'The Courtship of Etain', and more.

Claiming Art | Reclaiming Space. Post-apartheid art from South Africa.

Mr. Miami Beach. Carl Fisher - 'the Indiana entrepreneur who turned Florida swampland into an American Riviera'.

The Hurricane of '38. An American natural disaster.

Katarzyna Pollok. Artist of Romany descent.

Edison's Miracle of Light. From PBS's 'The American Experience'.

Goyo: Woman Holding Lipstick.

Goyo: Woman Combing Hair.

Goyo: Beauty in Long Undergarment.

Goyo: Woman in Summer Garment.

Sky Land Sea. Inuit art.
'There is no other place like the Arctic. What seems a desolate place is in fact teeming with animal life, particularly as the spring thaw begins. Barren plains burst into bloom and lone animals pair up to perpetuate the cycle of life.'
'The earth bears up her bounty in the form of bears, musk oxen, caribou, foxes, and hares. The goddess Sedna shares her children of the sea: char, walruses, seals, belugas and other whales which all help sustain the Inuit living today. The third realm to offer its creatures is the sky with its geese, loons, owls, ravens and all of the eggs that they lay as well.'
'The Inuit live between the sky and water worlds - two vast realms which force human inhabitants to obey their harsh rules. The power of the weather and the isolation of the settlements makes living a challenge in which keen observation of animals' survival skills and behaviours help the Inuit to battle the elements successfully ... '

Edvard Munch Museum, Oslo.

Art Deco Posters. 'Art Deco replaced Art Nouveau as the major international decorative style after World War I and continued until World War II. Art Deco represented a machine age aesthetic, replacing flowing, floral motifs with streamlined, geometric designs that expressed the speed, power and scale of modern technology ... '

The Retrovert. 'Here at the Retrovert you'll find a large collection of vintage graphics that have been carefully restored and applied to new products like t-shirts, sweatshirts, posters, greeting cards, postcards, and coffee mugs.'
1939 World's Fair.
WPA poster art.
Crate labels.
Sheet music of the 20's and 30's.

Guinea-Bissau. Superb photographs of West African life.

The Kenyan Coast. Photography.

China: One Hundred Treasures.

The Legacy of Absence. 'In an exhibition at Reyum Gallery in Phnom Penh, ten artists confront the Khmer Rouge legacy through their work. '
' I have painted three paintings on the theme 'Remains of War' in order to critique society and to express the suffering of the Khmer people during the last three decades. The picture entitled 'The Wait of the Orphans to pick up scraps of food' wished to show clearly that war leads only to destruction and despair. The countryside ordinarily is a place where people farm, thus growing things which fulfill their needs. These orphans, however, have no such place, nor a family or caring society to help them not to feel hunger." '

Taoism and the Arts of China.

Peace of Mind. 'The wonderful history of art from India, the Himalayan regions and South East Asia is represented by the rich cultural heritage of their sculptures. The inner life of these images arises from the underlying religious convictions of their creators. These beliefs considered all beings as one limitless cosmos with a view towards the cycle of rebirth which is necessary for the improvement of one's being through subsequent lives. The practitioners of their religions, who themselves viewed these images as objects of meditation, used the radiating energies of such sculptures to prepare for their future lives. Through their total 'peace of mind', these sculptures reveal and inspire a high level of faith, intellect, humanity and compassion. They are often created with great imagination and a sense of freedom, into sublime personalities, reflecting their transcendent nature in the highest form of art at the time.'
Buddha Sakyamuni.
Mahakala, 'originally a demon, who was tamed by Manjusri and Avalokitesvara and turned into a fierce protector of Buddhism, belonging to the Dharmapalas. '

Egon Schiele Museum. Image collection.
Self-Portrait as St. Sebastian.
Seated Girl.
Friends.
House with Drying Laundry.
Russian Officer.

The Architect of the Capitol. 'The Architect of the Capitol is responsible to the United States Congress for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex, which includes the Capitol, the congressional office buildings, the Library of Congress buildings, the Supreme Court building, the U.S. Botanic Garden, the Capitol Power Plant, and other facilities. ' History etc.
Works of art in the Capitol. 'The works of art in the Capitol Complex reflect the development of the United States and the Congress. They range from bronze and marble statues to oil portraits and frescoed murals. Their subjects include prominent Americans, important moments in history, and allegorical representations of the nation's ideals.' :- The Statue of Freedom - The Apotheosis of Washington - The Frieze of American History - more.

Gustav Klimt Gallery. 'You will wake up from your damnation and you will realize that nowadays society has turned into emptiness and the only think that can redeem it is art through all its expressions, whether we talk about sculpture or literature. It is a pitiful situation as those who beautify the mind are rare and soon will reach extinction as this society can no longer produce any form of commitment, especially towards art. So save your soul, run away from the TV screen and learn about a new life in the creation of Gustav Klimt. '
The Virgin.
The Three Ages of Woman.
Field of Poppies.

Albert Bierstadt Gallery. 'Bierstadt, Albert (1830 - 1902). German-born American painter, active mainly in New York. He made several trips to the Far West and was one of the last of those painters (known collectively as the Hudson River and Rocky Mountain Schools) who specialized in grandiose pictures of awesome mountain scenery. His paintings--often huge in size--were immensely popular in his lifetime, but his on-the-spot sketches are now generally found much more appealing than the finished studio works. '

Adolphe-William Bouguereau Gallery.
The First Kiss.
The Shepherdess.
Fraternal Love.

Cartography of the Lower Rio Grande.
Map of Cameron County, Texas 1884.

State Symbols. Flags, seals, animals, flowers, birds, butterflies, dances, songs etc. associated with each of the United States. For example, California.

Rancho La Brea. 'Get ready to explore the world of Rancho La Brea--one of the world's most famous fossil sites. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, the La Brea Tar Pits is home to over three million fossils from the last Ice Age. It was here that huge mammoths, fierce sabertoothed cats, and giant ground sloths became trapped and entombed in the asphalt that has been seeping out of the ground for the past 40,000 years.'

Drawing from the Mississippi Entomological Museum.

How to Make Butterfly Gardens.
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17th December
The Museum of Online Museums.

Cat Prints of Famous Artists' Cats.

Red Tape from Red Square. Russian and Soviet cartoons. A few broken images, but nonetheless a most worthwhile exhibit.

Indianapolis Museum of Art. Great online resource.

The President Benjamin Harrison Home: Indianapolis, Indiana.

Indiana Medical History Museum.

Tsepiso Lesenyeho. Artist from Lesotho.

Leetsang Paul Ncheke. Artist from Lesotho.

Goyo: Rain at Yabakei.

Goyo: Evening Moon in Kobe.

Goyo: Sanjo Bridge, Kyoto.

Goyo: Woman Holding Tray.

The Cattle Raid of Cooley. 'The Cattle-Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúalnge) is the central epic of the Ulster cycle. Queen Medb of Connaught gathers an army in order to gain possession of the most famous bull in Ireland, which is the property of Daire, a chieftain of Ulster. Because the men of Ulster are afflicted by a debilitating curse, the seventeen-year-old Cuchulain must defend Ulster single-handedly ... '

The Second Battle of Mag Tuired. Irish saga.

Che Guevara's Last Letter to His Children.

Pierrot Men: Tales of the Island. Photos from Madagascar.

Mauritania: Sustaining Life. Photography.

Window of the Sacred World. ' 'Window of the Sacred World' is the title of this catalogue, presenting a fine selection of authentic art of India, The Himalayan regions and Southeast Asia. Focusing only on the highest artistic quality, it aims to represent the beauty and spirituality of sculpture through the camera's eye; a modest contribution towards the understanding and appreciation of Asian religious art which still contains many secrets.'

Lay Figures, Divine Images. 'It might seem easy to describe the character of Indian sculpture, its sensuousness, dynamism, elegance, but also the lightness and vitality which turn temple walls into "tableaux vivants" teeming with figures that seem to dance and free themselves of the weight of the stone in which they are carved. But to consider Indian classical art on its aesthetic grounds alone surely would be a restrictive view, for it implies further and deeper levels of interpretation: symbolic, mythological, and not least spiritual... '
Shiva and Parvati.

The Chagall Windows. 'The Synagogue of the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center was dedicated on February 6th, 1962, as part of Hadassah's Golden Anniversary celebration. The floors and interior walls are made of Jerusalem Stone, and the Synagogue is illuminated by a hanging lantern and by sunlight which streams through the magnificent Chagall Windows. '
'Marc Chagall, who was present at the dedication, spoke of the joy he felt in bringing "my modest gift to the Jewish people, who have always dreamt of biblical love, of friendship and peace among all people; to that people who lived here, thousands of years ago, among other Semitic people. My hope is that I hereby extend my hand to seekers of culture, to poets and to artists among the neighboring people." The creation of the Windows was a labor of love to Chagall and his assistant, Charles Marq, both of whom worked on the project for two years. Marq developed a special process of veneering pigment on glass which allowed Chagall to use as many as three colors on a single uninterrupted pane, rather than being confined to the traditional technique of separating each color pane by lean strips. '

Marc Chagall Online Gallery.
The Three Candles.

Georgi Shishkov, Marine Artist. Seascapes.

Zao Wou Ki. Chinese artist. 'His cypher-like signature, to which he has remained faithful for over fifty years, gives his first name in Chinese characters and his last in a Western orthography. It is emblematic of a stranded cultural identity, recognized from the first by sympathetic critics as the key to his artistic direction.'

Quiet Beauty. Japanese ceramics.

Volcano Expedition. 'Welcome to the official web site of an exciting scientific adventure that took place in Central America in January 2001. Join Scripps scientists and fellow researchers from their field sites amid the active volcanoes of Costa Rica. You will find detailed reports of research findings, video of scientists in action, and dramatic photographs of this spectacular tropical region. Enjoy!'

Edvard Munch Gallery.
The Dance of Life.
Aunt Karen in the Rocking Chair.

Van Gogh Gallery. Online art.
The Courtesan.
Irises.

The Alamo. Official site.

Alamo Images: Changing Perceptions of a Texas Experience. 'On March 6, 1836, occurred one of the most famous events in Texas history: the battle of the Alamo. Besieged in an old Spanish mission outside San Antonio, 183 Texans gave up their lives rather than surrender to a large Mexican Army. Although arguably of minor military significance, this brief, bloody encounter quickly captured the popular imagination, inspiring a world-famous rallying cry, "Remember the Alamo!" The present exhibition, organized in honor of the Texas Sesquicentennial, seeks not so much to recapitulate the Alamo of history, as to explore the Alamo of our imagination--presenting the rich diversity of artistic, literary, and popular interpretations that have shaped modern perceptions of the legendary battle. '

The Battle of the Alamo as Seen by the Mexicans.

The Evolution of the Alamo. 'These historical views of the Alamo depicting its evolution are original paintings by George S. Nelson. The paintings are part of his award-winning book, The Alamo, An Illustrated History. In 1997, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas requested the use of the paintings of the evolution of the Alamo and placed the works on the interpretive Wall of History on the grounds of the Alamo. Mr. Nelson is a painter, sculptor, writer, illustrator, archaeologist, historian, and historical consultant whose main subject matter is Texas. His work recreates and interprets historic and archaeological sites throughout Texas. '

Avery, the Fox and the Burgeon.'Not far from here, there was once a great kingdom, ruled over by a bitter King who lived in a vast grey castle. Outside the castle wall there was a thick forest, and in the middle of the forest was a hut, where there lived a beautiful young girl and her old mother ... '

A Trailblazer's Journey. 'Terrence Young is an Ojibway Native artist living in North Vancouver. His work celebrates the connection between humanity, nature, and the Creator.'

The Orion Nebula.

A Mosaic of Orion's Great Nebula.
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16th December
Mordechai Vanunu's Photos of Dimona. 'Mordechai Vanunu brought his camera to work in late 1985, shortly before leaving his eight-year stint as a technician at Israel's nuclear weapons factory at Dimona. '
'Acting on his conscience, he carefully took about 60 photos of the top-secret labs and unique production processes involved. When some of these photos were originally published in the London Sunday Times' exposé, they confirmed his eyewitness testimony about the extent of Israel's nuclear weapons program and revealed Israel to be one of the world's top nuclear powers. To this day, the Israeli government refuses international inspection of Dimona and continues to deny the existence of its nuclear arsenal. '

Burmese Contemporary Arts.

Thai Contemporary Arts.

Lexington, Kentucky. Online travel itinerary and photo album. Historic places.

Hardin County, Iowa. 'In 1853, Eldora was the first town platted in Hardin County and today it is the county seat and location of the impressive Hardin County Courthouse. The county grew with the coming of the railroad, when national and international markets became easily accessible. The county's farms prospered, and many agricultural buildings were constructed such as the innovative Slayton Farms--Round Barn. Agricultural products got to market from many depots throughout the county, including the 1902 Iowa Falls Union Depot and the 1926 Illinois Central Combination Depot in Ackley. Entertainment played a part in the development of the county at places such as the Estes Park Band Shell, Princess--Sweet Shop, and the stunning 1899 Metropolitan Opera House. The importance of education to Hardin County residents is reflected in the stately Edgewood School of Domestic Arts, the 1936 New Providence School Gymnasium built by the Public Works Administration, and several Carnegie libraries such as those found in Alden, Iowa Falls, and Eldora. The entrepreneurial spirit of the mid-west is represented by successful commercial buildings such as the Ellsworth-Jones Building and Sentinel Block. Historic St. Matthew's by the Bridge Episcopal Church and Honey Creek Friends' Meetinghouse are testament to the important role played by religion throughout the county. '

Chicago, Illinois. 'Chicago--A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary explores that past. The accompanying map, descriptions, and photographs introduce the city's history and architecture through looks at early skyscrapers, stylish homes, and buildings central to the African American community. This tour--usable on-line or while traveling through the city--features 25 properties, all of which are listed in the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places, America's official list of places important in our history and worthy of preservation. It helps explain why Chicago remains at the heart of American history and architecture. '

The Gutless Pacifist. 'A place for dialogue about faith, politics and peace.'

La Maison Picassiette, Chartres. 'La Maison Picassiette is the extraordinary result of one man's work between 1938 and 1964. The momument he left behind is a house and garden covered with intricate mosaics of broken crockery, painting and sculpture. Much has been written to try to explain why Raymonde Isidore, a middle-aged manual worker, produced such a beautiful, complicated, inspirational and mystifying environment from the house he had built for his family. Perhaps what is amazing is not that he devoted himself to his project, but that he achieved so much. The scale and richness is awe-inspiring.'

The Destruction of Dá Derga's Hostel. 'The vast and interesting epic literature of Ireland has remained, for the most part, inaccessible to English readers until these last sixty years. In 1853, Nicholas O'Kearney published the Irish text and an English translation of "The Battle of Gabra," and since that date the volume of printed texts and English versions has steadily increased. Now there lies open to the ordinary reader a considerable mass of material illustrating the imaginative life of medieval Ireland.'
'Of these Irish epic tales, "The Destruction of Dá Derga's Hostel" is a specimen of remarkable beauty and power. The primitive aspects of the story are made evident in the way that the plot turns upon the disasters that follow on the violation of taboos, by the monstrous nature of many of the warriors, and by the absence of any attempt to explain the beliefs implied or the marvels related in it. The powers and achievements of the heroes are fantastic and extraordinary beyond description. The natural and extra-natural constantly mingle, yet nowhere does the narrator express surprise. The technical method of the tale, too, is curiously and almost mechanically symmetrical, after the manner of savage art. Both description and narration are marked by a high degree of freshness and vividness.'

A Pacifist Dictionary.

Seated Figure, 6th century, Mayan. 'Time, insects, and moisture have destroyed most Precolumbian sculpture in wood, but a handful of objects have miraculously survived. '

Female Figure, early 19th century, Tongan. 'Although most Polynesian peoples appear to have made and used human images, few such objects have survived to the present day. '

360 Degree Panoramas of Lichfield Cathedral, Staffordshire, 'one of the finest medieval cathedrals in England.'

The Museum of Ancient Inventions.

Texas State Historical Association. 'The Texas State Historical Association welcomes you to TSHA Online, a digital gateway to Texas history. TSHA Online allows you to experience the rich and complex history of the state through innovative online features and content. '

Byzantine Art and Painting in Italy during the 1200s and 1300s.

Painting in Siena in the 14th and Early 15th Centuries.

The Early Renaissance in Florence.

Patrons and Artists in Late 15th-Century Florence.

Venetian Painting in the Early Renaissance.

Mexico: Splendours of Thirty Centuries. 'This is the on-line presentation of a photo-and-text panel exhibit in 24 panels, based on the great traveling exhibition, Mexico: Splendors of Thirty Centuries. The image above, featured on a poster published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a flanged ceramic cylinder from the ancient Maya settlement of Palenque.The poster serves as panel 1 of the humanities exhibit. In this exhibit, the Texas Humanities Resource Center traces the organization of the major show, from the great works that represent Olmec, Maya, and Aztec cultures to the religious and aesthetic images that reflect a new culture, at first imported but then made truly Mexican, and it concludes with paintings by the great 20th century muralists, who sought to unite the two civilizations in their art. '

Roberto Macias. Masks from Durango, Mexico.

Thai Coffee Painting. 'Have you ever even thought about using nice, warm, aromatic coffee in your mug to paint a painting? Pornchai Lerthammasiri did. As an accomplished watercolor artist, Pornchai wanted to do something new more challenging. Coffee was his choice. '

Thai Ceramics.

Vintage Postcards from Liberia.

Texas Moves Towards Statehood. Mural.

Historic Texas Flags.

Design of the Lone Star Flag of Texas.

The Texas Constitution.

Nepalese Paintings.

Red Background Tibetan Paintings.

Cosmic Blast.

Earth at Night.
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