Category Archives: Art

Magic Lantern

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

These days Prague is another victim of European over-tourism, but 30 years ago it still was a place of history and mystery. I recently saw the marvelous 1993 documentary below that has had me waxing nostalgic for the Prague that … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Books, Europe, Film, History, Libraries, Museums, Theater, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Lit Box

Posted on September 19, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

To celebrate 25 years of publishing and its 74th issue, the San Francisco-based magazine McSweeney’s is offering a lunchbox packed with literary treats. Instead of a PB&J sandwich and an apple, the retro-inspired box includes sets of author cards, pencils … Continue reading →

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World Without Meaning

Posted on September 17, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

via https://existentialcomics.com/comic/435  

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What time to leave for the airport

Posted on September 12, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

 

Posted in Air Travel, Animation, Art | Tagged | 1 Comment

Remember, therefore, that outcasts must never be afraid.

Posted on September 11, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The true artist has always had to fight, but it is, and will be, a more ferocious struggle for you, and the artists of your generation, than ever before. The working man, this time, will be better looked after, he … Continue reading →

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Waving, not drowning

Posted on September 10, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I have had the opportunity to see original prints of Katsushika Hokusai’s iconic work The Great Wave Off Kanagawa at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Now, the Art Institute of Chicago, which … Continue reading →

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signs, signs, everywhere signs

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

An animation built from road signs is a whirlwind study of flash communication Warning: this film features rapidly flashing images that can be distressing to photosensitive viewers. “The UK filmmaker Daniel McKee is known for videos in which he arranges … Continue reading →

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Great writer, artist not so much

Posted on September 8, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

In 1952, when the quintessential Beat writer Jack Kerouac began marketing his second novel On the Road to publishing houses, he designed his own book cover. He sent it to a potential publisher A.A. Wyn, with a little note typed … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Bookstore Tourism, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Tension for Tears

Posted on August 22, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

As I have previously mentioned, the novels and short stories of Ray Bradbury played an important role in my early love of reading. I recently ran across this marvelous brief video of Bradbury from fifty years ago discussing the importance … Continue reading →

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Respect the law of consequences

Posted on August 18, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Those of you who stop by TBTP on a regular basis know that I am an evangelist for the work of Octavia E. Butler . The first widely read Black science fiction author and Afro-Futurist pioneer was also a perspicacious … Continue reading →

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