Art and the Homeless

My human concern is for disenfranchised people as a whole and, specifically, for those who are on the outside and unknown. They have no representation and are easily overlooked. Self-expression is not among their most urgent needs, but their experiences are important for all to know. By making the homeless the subject of art, a place is made for them, however small. While I have never been homeless, I know what I see. It's normal to ignore the plight of the un-housed, as I did, until the whole matter became unconscionable. There's not much we can do except increase awareness. To that purpose I intend to contribute my artistic ability, with the hope that I, and others, can come to an understanding about those who live homelessly. (128 words) The preceding statement is a condensed version of my blog, which (by now), has surpassed an estimated 75,000 words. I could tell how I got that figure, but, who's counting? What has changed since commencing to write about my painting is...

Savonarola reacted passionately to the licentiousness of the Renaissance in Italy, as is evident from the title of his early poem, "On the Decline of the Church." Sometime, after 1482, he went to Florence. There, he began to preach religious reform. In Florence, the center of the Renaissance, he opposed with evangelical fervor the trend of Humanism, and the broad tolerance for (what was perceived as) immorality prevailing in all classes of society. The court of Lorenzo de Medici came in for particular scorn by Savonarola. In 1490, Savonarola commenced his fiery sermons from the pulpit of San Marco. From an artist's viewpoint, it is probable Savonarola was inspired by the images of Christ's life painted buon fresco upon the San Marco monastic cell walls by Fra Angelico. The lovely images of the Holy life were completed by 1443. Savonarola was certainly aware of them. While Savonarola's soul was filling with zeal for salvation, he was positioning himself to combat ...

It is Tuesday, September 3rd—the day after Labor Day—in the United States. It is 5:00 in the morning. As I read the Internet news headlines, I am relieved that there have been no humanitarian disasters, while I was sleeping. Monday was a slow news day. The worst event that happened, as told by the headline of one news publication, was posturing by the candidate of the incumbent party for President of National office.  Verdict: Fake Southern accent. Before recorded media, the nuances of spoken delivery were hard to relay, and extremely subjective. With the media, it's a matter of “listen for yourself,” and, “you be the judge.” They also say, “judge not,” -but democracy isn't Justice. Of course, quibbling with anything as personal as speech is unfair, and, yet, everything may—and will be—be taken into account by the voter. Nothing is excluded, as "inadmissible evidence" would be, in a court of law.  Voters are like the jury in court. Since I'm eligible for both, I t...