The Art of Illusion: The Panorama of the Battle of Racławice

The Panorama of the Battle of Racławice (Panorama Racławicka) is a definite must on any trip to the city of Wrocław. The panorama is as iconic to Wrocław as Wawel Castle is to Kraków. The Wrocław Panorama is a gigantic 114 metre long and 15 metre high painting that depicts the battle of Racławice. This was an epic battle ofContinue reading “The Art of Illusion: The Panorama of the Battle of Racławice”

Every Picture Tells A Story: David Bowie Plays the Cello (1983)

“I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human.” . . . “I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” David Bowie. 1983  

Book Review: Their Lips Talk of Mischief by Alan Warner

Scottish writer Alan Warner’s novel Their Lips Talk of Mischief is a boisterous, vigorous and energetic novel about two literary wannabes (Lou and Douglas) living in a glum 80’s Thatcherite slumland in Britain. The pair share an interest in Lou’s enigmatic and sexy girlfriend Aoife. Thus develops a complex menage a trois that follows. The yearContinue reading “Book Review: Their Lips Talk of Mischief by Alan Warner”

Every Picture Tells A Story: Samurai Warrior, 19th Century

Who were the Samurai?  For roughly a thousand years, from about the 800s to the late 1800s, warfare in Japan was dominated by an elite class of warriors known as the samurai. Horses were their special weapons: only samurai were allowed to ride horses in battle. Like European knights, the samurai served a lord (daimyo).Continue reading “Every Picture Tells A Story: Samurai Warrior, 19th Century”

Every Picture Tells A Story: Le Monocle of Montmartre during the roaring 20’s

If you lived in Paris and particularly Montmartre during the 20’s and 30’s of last century then you were in for a night of debauchery and decadence after dark at a bar called Le Monocle. This part of Paris was where artists, bohemians, can-can dancers from the Moulin Rouge, business men, and the queer community allContinue reading “Every Picture Tells A Story: Le Monocle of Montmartre during the roaring 20’s”

Every Picture Tells A Story: Krazy Kat Klub, Washington D.C. (1921)

Source: Imgur The Krazy Kat Klub (from Wikipedia)  The Krazy Kat Klub (alternatively, Krazy Kat Club, Krazy Kat Klubb, etc.) was a Bohemian cafe, speakeasy and nightclub that operated at No. 3 Green Court near Washington, D.C.’s Thomas Circle during the early decades of the 20th Century. The club was run by portraitist and theatricalContinue reading “Every Picture Tells A Story: Krazy Kat Klub, Washington D.C. (1921)”