Monthly Archives: June 2012

Happy Birthday, Antoni Gaudí!

“Those who look for the laws of Nature as a support for their new works collaborate with the creator.”

Antoni Gaudí

December 2007, I travelled to Barcelona to experience Antoni Gaudí.  The Temple De La Sagrada Familia was breathtaking, even mesmerizing.  Although Antoni Gaudí’s architectural designs were in the fashion of the  Spanish variant of Art Nouveau, known as Modernista, experts note that there seems to be a personal dynamic at play that gives him a unique place within the Art Nouveau movement as a whole.

The Temple De La Sagrada Familia includes broader elements such as the Neo-Gothic style which sought to revive medieval forms of architecture.  Although he devoted twelve years of his life to this cathedral, Antoni Gaudí’s untimely death in 1926 from a streetcar accident, left his work on The Temple De La Sagrada Familia unfinished.  Even today, the last stones have yet to be placed.  Completion is scheduled for the centenary of his death.  Antoni Gaudí is buried in the crypt of the Sagrada Familia.  I like to think that he still watches over the construction until it is completed to his satisfaction.    (June 25, 1852 – June 10, 1926),

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The Temple De La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Terracotta Warriors: The Protectors

How to Preserve Territory

Do not alienate relatives.

Do not neglect the masses.

Treat associates well.

Keep the four quarters under control.

Do not lend national authority to another.

Do not take from the have-nots to give more to the haves.

Do not neglect fundamentals to deal with trivia.

The Book of Six Strategies


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Map Position: # 19 – 3981 Oak Street

The Protectors

Artists: Richard Brodeur

Art Nouveau – William Morris & Medieval Knights

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
William Morris

William Morris (March 24, 1834 – October 3, 1896) was brilliant, rich, spoiled and somewhat temperamental. Anyone inviting him over for dinner would agonize over the meal arrangements, given his penchant for hurling food out of the window if not prepared to his liking or high standards.  But minor eccentricities aside, he was a gift to the world. A poet, writer, architect, painter, William Morris is credited as being one of the most important pioneers of Art Nouveau.

William Morris was passionate about mediaeval times.   At age four, he was reading Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley Novels (when most children are at the “see Spot run” level).  His father supported his dreams by giving him a miniature suit of armour to wear and a gallant pony to ride on his knightly quests into the depths of the nearby Epping Forest. These outdoor forays forged within him a deep attachment to forests, gardens, flowers and birds, which would be recurring themes in his art, poetry and fiction.  His wallpaper and fabric designs transformed interior decoration.

William Morris, along with John Ruskin, the influential British art critic, were the originators of the new decorative art movement.  Ruskin embraced art and beauty with religious zeal; Morris envisioned an idealized medievalism which was heavily influenced by Tennyson’s Arthurian poems.  Their lives were as complex as the times in which they lived.

In 1853 at age 19, William Morris entered Exeter College at Oxford, with the idea of becoming an Anglican clergyman.  There he first met his closest lifelong friend, Edward Burne-Jones, who would become one of the greatest of the Pre-Raphaelite (more on this in later posts)  artists. Recall that Edward Burne-Jones mentored Aubrey Beardsley.  Creativity does not exist in a vacuum – it thrives within a context of diversity and feeds on curiosity.

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William Morris, Cray, 1884

Printed Cotton, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

For more of William Morris check out my Pinterest


Terracotta Warriors: The General

When there is disharmony in the nation, it cannot launch an army. When there is disharmony in an army, it cannot set forth a battlefront. When there is disharmony in a battlefront, it cannot proceed into combat. When there is disharmony in combat, victory cannot be assured.

Wu Qi’s Art of War

China’s history is replete with remarkable generals, some of whom were women. Qin Liangyu  (1574 – 1648) lived during the latter period of the Ming Dynasty. Brave, clever, an excellent horsewoman and archer, she was well-known for her poetry and graciousness. A native of Zhongzhou, Sichuan Province, she was trained, along with her brothers, in martial arts and military tactics. She married Ma Qiancheng, a local district commander when she was 20. Together, they raised a small army of  youths, known as the While Pole Army,  to protect the countryside. Their signature weapon was a pole of white basswood. Each pole had a hook at one end and a loop at the other which enabled the soldiers to assist each other when moving through difficult terrain in mountainous Sichuan.

Qin Liangyu accompanied her husband during minor battles against local warlords. He relied on her judgment and advice. After the capture and death her husband, Qin Liangyu assumed leadership and fought the Nvzhen ethnic minority (who would later establish the Qing Dynasty) threatening their borders. The Emperor Chongzhen, in the third year of his reign, called upon her to protect Beijing. She was victorious in battle and was rewarded by a grateful sovereign. The Emperor penned four poems in honour of her triumph.

Qin Liangyu is recognized as one of the highest ranking female generals in Chinese history. For her many acts of bravery, she was given the title Grand Protector of the Crowned Prince.


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Map Position: # 18 – Broadway & Oak

The General

Artists: Dean Lauzé

Words Speak Wisdom

“It takes a long time to become young.”
Pablo Picasso

It’s June 15th – Vancouver day.  And young artists were out to share their ideas!  Their words speak wisdom.  Enjoy…

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