PinnedMember-onlyPalestine and Israel: ‘David and Goliath’ ?“The excessive use of force creates legitimacy problems, and force without legitimacy leads to defiance, not submission.” ― Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants David and Goliath is a painting by the Italian Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610). It was painted…Politics7 min readPolitics7 min read
Published inCounter Arts·5 hours agoMember-onlyKatsushika Hokusai and ‘The Great Wave’ (1831).Immortality, ‘Moby Dick’ (1851) and ‘The Lighthouse’ (2019) — ‘‘There she blows!-there she blows! A hump like a snow-hill! It is Moby Dick!” ― Herman Melville, Moby Dick I think there is little doubt we can still state that this woodblock print is the most famous work of Japanese art ever created. It was created not by a young…Art5 min readArt5 min read
Published inSeroxcat’s Salon·8 hours agoMember-onlyIconic British Films: ‘The Long Good Friday’ (1980)‘The Troubles’ and Thatcher’s victory in 1979 — “We’re a leading European state. And I believe this is the decade in which London will become Europe’s capital … no other city in the world has got, right at its centre, such an opportunity for profitable progress.” — Harold Shand, The Long Good Friday A long long time ago…Film5 min readFilm5 min read
Published inSeroxcat’s Salon·1 day agoMember-onlyThe Disappearing ‘Sacred’ In England And AmericaThe Desecration Of The Holocaust In England And America? — “The time is out of joint — O cursèd spite, That ever I was born to set it right!” — Hamlet, William Shakespeare I am not a man who follows any ritualistic forms of religion and I do not believe in a God. I did go to a Church of England school in England and was part of the services as a choir boy and altar boy. My responsibility…Culture7 min readCulture7 min read
Published inCounter Arts·2 days agoMember-only‘Time Shelter’ (2023) By Georgi GospodinovWinner of The International Booker Prize 2023 — “It’s well known that our inept homegrown police of all eras have always shown unerring taste in poets and writers — they always manage to kill the most talented and leave the most mediocre.” ― Georgi Gospodinov, Time Shelter “When you have no future, you vote for the past.” …Books4 min readBooks4 min read
Published inCounter Arts·3 days agoMember-only‘The 3 Body Problem’ (2024)The One-Body Opportunity? — “Your choice is simple: join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration. We shall be waiting for your answer”. — Klaatu, The Day The Earth Stood Still Counter Arts chose The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin to be one of their chosen books to…Books5 min readBooks5 min read
Published inCounter Arts·4 days agoMember-onlyAn Encomium To Books And ReadingIt’s all about the Haptic and Homer — So there was another really interesting article on Counter Arts a few days ago by yesnodunno which I am surprised has not stirred up some serious debate. Honestly, nearly every article is interesting in this publication but to paraphrase the mighty George Orwell: some are more interesting than others. Is…Literature8 min readLiterature8 min read
Published inCounter Arts·Mar 21, 2024Member-only‘An Enemy Of The People’ by Henrik IbsenTwo theatre productions currently available — “You should never wear your best trousers when you go out to fight for freedom and truth.” ― Henrik Ibsen, An Enemy of the People If you are a fan of Ibsen and live in England or America then you are spoilt for choice as two productions of his controversial…Theatre6 min readTheatre6 min read
Published inCounter Arts·Mar 21, 2024Member-only‘The End We Start From’ (2023)Can suffering ever be beautiful? (Scene 5) — There is nothing like a good post-apocalyptic film to lift your spirits. Boy, is this a corker. Set in London and then parts of rural and coastal England it tells a taught and tension-ridden tale of survival and triumph against a biblical deluge and the danger of starving people desperate…Film4 min readFilm4 min read
Published inSeroxcat’s Salon·Mar 21, 2024Member-onlyWilliam Blake (1757–1827)The voice and vision for the 21st century — “And did the Countenance Divine, Shine forth upon our clouded hills? And was Jerusalem builded here, Among these dark Satanic Mills?” — William Blake, Milton: A Poem in Two Books It is wonderful how serendipitous our lives can be as I finish an article on the Luddite rebellion in the…Art5 min readArt5 min read