WATCHING
Cézanne SELF PORTRAIT (Depositphotos)
We are very lucky to live close to a cinema. It has parking at the back, too. On Sunday we went to see Cézanne: Portraits of Life, a documentary focusing on Cézanne’s many portraits. This documentary was filmed at the National Portrait Gallery in London, The National Gallery of Art in Washington and Musée d’Orsay in Paris with contributions from specialists and curators from each gallery.
There was lots of background information about his life in Aix -en- Provence and Paris, his wife and son and his perpetual letters to his father, requesting money. In fact, an enormous amount of his correspondence with family, other artists and friends was read throughout the documentary.
Many of us are more familiar with Cézanne’s landscapes, mostly painted in Aix-en-Provence but this film focused on his influence on modern art. His style of portrait painting, intending to capture the feeling of the subject rather than an accurate copy, is accredited with the development of the Modern Art movement.
Cézanne and also Van Gogh are considered the Fathers of Modern Art. Both are known for evident brushstrokes, avant garde perspective and vivid, bright colours. The influence of both painters was evident in the development of Fauvism and Cézanne’s works are considered the precursor to Cubism.
An interesting documentary and as close as we are going to get to artworks outside Western Australia for some time!
READING
The China Room by Sunjeev Suhota came well recommended and as usual, I borrowed it from the library. The story is based partially on his own family’s history and is well written. He writes about the arranged marriages of three brothers and the total subservience of the bought brides. They were virtual slaves to the mother and the three sons. The story is set in the early 1900s so I thought of it as past history, not as something that could happen now. Not an easy read but it was interesting.
Unfortunately, I also read about a local court case which concluded this week in Perth. An Afghani refugee entered into an arrangement with a man in Melbourne to’ buy’ the man’s 21 year old sister for $15 000. She was unwilling to come to WA and to marry the man but was forced to co-operate. Her husband felt she didn’t show him enough respect and the marriage is not consummated.
Eventually, after an argument, he picked up a kitchen knife and slashed her throat twice, then left her on the floor to die. He then rang her brother to tell him to come and pick up her body. In his summary the judge talks about the murderer’s sense of entitlement, that his wife should follow his demands, show respect and be totally available to him.
The Australian Federal Police say that the most common crime reported to them is human trafficking and slavery. It is conservatively estimated that 15.4 million women worldwide are living in forced marriages.
COOKING
Our two passion fruit vines went from healthy with flowers to dropping their leaves and looking awful. As they are now growing new leaves and look healthy again I am assuming the chilli thrip that decimated the roses also damaged our passion fruit. Luckily, a friend has shared her passion fruit! Delicious.
The new growth on the pruned roses is healthy and vigorous. I’ll be checking every day to make sure they are not under attack again. Apart from treating them I have added fresh potting mix to those in pots and fed them Seasol and added pea straw. Fingers crossed they remain healthy.
COOKING DUTCH CARROTS
Did you know carrots were purple until the late 15th century? Apparently the Dutch then hybridised orange carrots as a mark of respect for William of Orange who led the nation to independence. This belief is highly contested online!
Many recipes add honey to glazed Dutch carrots. I find them very sweet anyway, so prefer a recipe with garlic and rosemary.
Pre-heat oven to 200°C (400°F)
Begin by scrubbing the carrots and removing the foliage. You don’t need to peel them.
Line a baking dish with baking paper. Arrange the carrot in a single layer in the tray, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle on a chopped garlic clove and salt and pepper.
Roast carrots for 15 minutes, sprinkle with chopped rosemary and return to the oven for 15 minutes or until they begin turning golden and caramelising on the edges. Serve hot. Delicious.
OTHER TREATS
Our son visited one of his favourite pastry shops. We all benefited! Crisp, moist and a rare treat.
SEWING
We are having a cold, wet winter. Many of us have discovered draughts under our doors, never noticed before but now very cold and obvious. A while back I made draught excluders for my Mother (here) and this time my son requested two, one for his en suite door and one for the bedroom door. I made these out of the same remnant fabric I used before and filled them with fibre fill. They are very effective
I remember draught excluders on the farm where I grew up. They were heavy and not very flexible. I don’t know what they were filled with, but they lasted forever. Several people have suggested they were traditionally filled with sand or sawdust. Rolled up old towels could be used at a pinch. Everyone seemed to have ‘door sausages’ so maybe doors weren’t as well fitted, the winters were colder or there was less heating.
Did you miss International Orangutan Day yesterday?