A new Manius’ chapter has just been posted over at Misce Stultitiam Consiliis, MoR’s new blog.
[Of course the MoR will remain my main home it goes without saying]
It’s been a tour de force. I’ll here summarize Manius’ plot as it unfolds so far as soon as possible. And I will reply to comments here at the MoR.
[Update: comments have been replied to, but, as for Manius’ plot, I don’t know people, after all that is happening in North Africa and Libya, which certainly concerns Roma (a main theme here at this blog.)
Plus I have another post in mind on Giulio Andreotti, Aldo Moro, Banda della Magliana, Berlusconi, after dear Zeus is watching’ post and the debate around it: very intriguing idea this blogger had, it suffice to watch the trailer below I owe to Zeus.
Who, by the way, being watching, we better ALL behave folks 😉
We will see (which I say when I usually do nothing.)
Time now to hit the sack. Good night.]
Yay! I’m running right over.
I like Alma Tadema. And Frederic Leighton.
LikeLike
I also like both, very much, like also many Orientalists and also William Adolphe Bouguereau. His *Venus* is adorable and so French.
And Scottish *David Roberts*?
Of course my obsession with Subura, *old and new*, is never ending.
LikeLike
David Roberts is new to me. Must investigate.
LikeLike
PS. Venus’ nymphs are all looking at her behind? WTF?
LikeLike
Well, beauty is beauty. I don’t see the point 🙂
LikeLike
Perhaps because they are two rivals?…
LikeLike
Hi Sposa, welcome back!
If you refer to Bouguereau’s nymphs watching Venus’ butt, it’s more than natural, Venus being Venus.
But you probably meant the two ancient Roman women on top (update: at Manius, how silly I am). Here though, I cannot reveal the secrets of my new *soap opera* 😉
Un abbraccio e te e al tu’ maritho!
Update:
Che mi conferma ora al telefono che ‘maritho’ è più del Valdarno che di Firenze. Non posso che prendere atto …. 🙂
LikeLike
Interesting. Why do you like the works of the Orientalists? I’ve put some of them to use in my other life doing research, especially online, for library bibliographies and other sorts of library projects.
LikeLike
Because they are gorgeous. And I always had sehnsucht towards the East and Far East, as my MoR’s blog attests. I guess it was my father. He was a good storyteller and told us stories he invented about all exotic. He had worked in Africa and his uncle was a government representative (or ambassador) for the Middle East (but dad’s stories were mainly about India). So lots of orient in my infancy home: carpets, objects of any kind, tales and all that.
I react against the ideology of Orientalism (and of its decadence though). I like sensuality but not decadence. Sex should be joy, not morbidity (that can be a temptation in any case). And Colonialism doesn’t belong AT ALL to my horizon.
LikeLike
Your eyes are blue?
Northern Italian?
My friend Folco from Milan has blue eyes.
(Some hyperborean lineage?)
I have one brown eye and one light brown eye. Keeps my students guessing.
LikeLike
Hi Chaerie!
Not so clear-cut lol. My eyes are green (hyperborean lineage perhaps: haven’t Nordic barbarians invaded us?) and as I often enough said my father’s family is from Northern Italy (Turin) while my mother’s side – half Calcagni – is from central Italy (Rome).
But, from my mother’s (hence central Italy) there’s green, blue and light brown eyes. From my father’s, brown eyes.
One brown eye and another light brown Chaerie faerie? A clear sign of occult Sybil’s mysteriousness 😉
LikeLike
Nice photo. Why no phone number?
LikeLike
Cause out of experience I find more effective to pick the right subject and send phone number via mail. You’ve been picked btw 😉
And, a LONG comment on yours (and Paul’s) words is awaiting to be read over at Manius’. Core-of-dolce-vita type of thing 🙂
LikeLike
Wonderful painting MoR.
LikeLike
Hi Andy! I adore Victorian Alma Tadema. I also bought a huge book on him by R J Barrow. He started with painting Merovingian Gaul (ie Gaul or ancient France under the German Franks, from early 5th to mid8th cent.) and then passed to Greece and especially Rome. A bit decadent maybe but his research on marbles clothes all sort of details is outstanding.
LikeLike
Hi Man of Roma/Director,
I’ve stage experience if you need a person to call ACTION.
Please enter stage right soon!
Roses have been placed in the dressing rooms.
“The overture is about to start,
You cross your fingers and hold your heart,
It’s curtain time and away we go
another opening of a “Roma” show.”
ps: Lady Laura Alma Tadema….Perfect choice here…beautiful paintings.
pss: Gentle blue eyes and a little watery.
Thanks.
LikeLike
Lady? You mean … right, her model was his wife. I have to check in the big Tadema Bible I’ve bought.
I’ve stage experience if you need a person to call ACTION
I need it. My women complain about my in-action.
Let me tell you Geraldine I am stunned by your terrific skill with producing beautiful poems. How about helping me to translate into English my Italian poem to my Fratello Maggiore or eldest brother? 😉
I can repay you in many ways, your choice to make, fairy-tales-like: like one or two wishes the wimp in the lamp can try to fulfill. How’s that 🙂
WTH, are you and Sled playing with colours now??
LikeLike
@MoR
Yes, I was referring to Tadema’s wife who was his inspiration since the very first day he glanced at her.
I must clarify: The words above are from a musical “Kiss me Kate” and not my own words. It is a great show tune about a show’s opening night and captures all the trials and tribulations of putting on a show. I love it.
Certainly, I will help you translate your lovely poem to English. It will be a pleasure as poetry is in my daily life. Although, I probably will fail in doing it justice.
Colour game!?? I’m afraid, above, I was referring to your eyes in the photo posted and was not describing my own. Everyone describes eyes and eye colour in various ways. Forever interesting.
LikeLike
Wow! You mean you’ll help me translate the poem? Hugs forever then – there’s chances my fratello maggiore will love to hug you too but I won’t let him 😉
Don’t forget most importantly the two wishes you now can ask the guy in the Aladdin’s lamp.
And, dunno if you prefer blue or green eyes, but mine are green.
LikeLike
Are we logging in on eye color now?
Sort of cedar-colored here, and out of focus.
LikeLike
WTH, referring to what, Alma Tadema?
🙂
Are you and Geraldine playing the colour game? Don’t ask me for details about it. It is such a special ancient Roman game men in toga were so crazy about, scholars are still wondering why. I’m the only one to know tho. But I won’t tell scholars this time 🙂
LikeLike
@Sled.
Cedar-colour! How beautiful. You see, this is the first time I’ve heard of cedar-colored eyes. You are a poet, Sled.
LikeLike
Thank you. 🙂 Now, after what Roma said, I want to know more about your poems.
LikeLike
@sled,
Nothing like yours, Sled. I read a few of yours and still remember and use “sudden wordlessness came upon me.”
MoR is just being gracious and toying with me. 🙂
LikeLike
@Sled
@Geraldine
Sled you’re certainly a poet too (Sled is a terrific writer), and Cedar colour is a cute term , but I can hardly picture it in my mind this time in truth.
LikeLike
Well now you’re making me nuts to find out what this color game of old Roma might have involved. I am fascinated by color in general (I heard last night on a radio program a young musician describing how each note of the scale is associated with a color for her, and I thought I was the only one! Not synaesthesia in the clinical sense, they just have colors, so do the days of the week).
Cedar heart wood, like they line clothes cupboards with in mothy climates, sort of clear red brown, like the background of your blog actually. All eyes pick up a little color from the surroundings of course. I’m fascinated by the green-grey-blue lability of certain light eyes.
LikeLike
Confirmed: Sledpress is a witch!
WINC! 😉
LikeLike
Outed!
Where the f&^% did you find that?
LikeLike
And, by the way, Sled, the Hindu Festival of Color (Holi) is pretty cool. I just read about it on ferrebeekeeper’s blog. How can a holiday go wrong when it involves splashing one another with colorful paint?
LikeLike
Holi is cool but I read in Indian blogs that girls are upset because boys and very rough with colours on them. I searched for that blogger /post but couldn’t find it. I met very tough Indian young women in the blogosphere (in India they are ALL young) that fight for women’s right. *Here* a good Indian blog though (on holi etc.)
LikeLike
@Sled
@Jenny
I think you both are witches, altho, yes, Sled has a sort of ‘certificate of high skills’ on that, we’ll have to admit 🙂
PS
The WINC thing has something …
LikeLike
It kind of comes back to that “deeds and sufferings of light” phrase of Goethe’s that I love.
LikeLike
You mean that your witch-ness is derivative of Goethe’s nightmarish theory of colours? I won’t send Manius to the Witch then lol.
LikeLike
No, I just rather love the notion of the world being in essence the product of vibration, i.e. light (if you had the organs to perceive its every wavelength). I have yet to take in all that Goethe said about the matter — I just find the phrase evocative.
LikeLike
It is very evocative.
LikeLike
Il Divo!
Such a great movie!
LikeLike
It is. And Andreotti a great figure of Italian politics, a bit the Prince described by Machiavelli. Sorrentino – Servillo are a first class sodalizio.
LikeLike
I was glued to the screen. I had heard good things about this film, but it was much better than I had expected.
Of course, I consulted MOR too. His consulting fees are reasonable.
LikeLike
I might raise them though. My wife and daughters are always complaining I get no money from this blog 😉
LikeLike
Hi Man of Rome, unless you use the same jacket and tie every Christmas, this was Christmas 2007, not 2008…
🙂
LikeLike
You may be right man. So should it be true, it’s MoR 3 years something ago (and not 2 years s.a.) 🙂
LikeLike
This multiple blog habit is very confusing. Why don’t you just use categories like every normal American?
LikeLike
Because I am neither American nor normal.
LikeLike
I won a bet with myself that you would say precisely that. On the downside, the fact that I bet myself means that I also lost the bet.
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike