Big Brother - Myth or Threat

Will security grow if you surrender your freedom? 1984 is about the danger of governments becoming totalitarian, and taking away your freedom, dignity and individuality.

George Orwell had a vision – in 1948, after seeing all sorts of horror in World War II, and the beginning of the Cold War, he described a dystopia in the near future – the worst society that can be imagined. He saw dictatorship that changes history, individuals monitored 24h per day, and massive propaganda.

British first edition cover

Stanley Kubrick - A Pessimistic Obsessive Genius of Modern Art

I remember watching Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) (2001). The whole plot is dark, surreal and very fun to watch. Jude Law, who portrayed Gigolo Joe, was brilliant. After watching it, the film’s mood stays with you for a long time. This movie, although it was directed by Steven Spielberg, was borne from the mind of Stanley Kubrick. Unfortunately, after the release of his last film, Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick passed away, leaving A.I. to Spielberg.

Stanley Kubrick was born on July 26, 1928 in New York to Jewish parents, who weren't actually religious. He was interested in chess, photography, jazz and books. He was considered intelligent despite having poor grades at school.

The Temptation of St. Anthony by Salvator Rosa and Salvador Dali's vision of it

"Keep silent unless what you are going to say is more important than silence" – Salvator Rosa

Salvator Rosa's self-portrait

 Salvator Rosa was born in Naples in 1615, and trained in the studio of the Spanish artist Juseppe de Ribera. While Rosa had a facile genius at painting, he pursued a wide variety of arts: music, poetry, writing, etching, and acting.
However, works, satires as well as the paintings of Salvator Rosa, deserve more attention than they have generally received, even today. Salvator Rosa longed to be considered a philosopher-painter, and to win a reputation for his learned representation of novel subjects.

The Stranger and his Trials

The Myth of Sisyphus by Titian

Albert Camus's essay, The Myth of Sisyphus, contains an addition titled Hope and Absurd in the work of Franz Kafka, dedicated to the Absurd and the killing of hope. Camus claims that Kafka fails as an absurd writer because his novels sparkle with hope here and there. (Camus shouldn't be considered a nihilist).
But he was definitely interested in Kafka's works. No surprise, Kafka was very a influential author, and one of the best writers of the 20th century. Both The Trial (Kafka, published posthumously in 1925) and The Stranger (Camus, 1942) deal with characters who are on trial, but they won't, under any circumstance, accept society's laws concerning morality or religion, because they are forced to find the meaning in the meaningless world. They won't save their lives, by accepting “illusions.”.

Preface

Hello there, chosen ones!

We are a young couple of artistic minds, who are devoted to share and to enlighten as many people as possible with the knowledge we've gained throughout our lives and work. From literature, painting, philosophy, to movies and street art, just to name a few. That's what this blog will be about. If you're sailing these grim waters of today and in desperate need of sanctuary in a form of art, our blog is your lighthouse.

P.S. We would like to thank our friend from the good old United States, who helped us in many ways: reviewing our posts, checking grammar, giving advices and tips, and supporting our work.

Aneta and Milos