Category Archives: Europe

Sometimes in Winter

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Gabriele Münter (Berlin, 1877 – 1962) was a German expressionist painter who was at the forefront of the Munich avant-garde in the early 20th century. She studied and lived with the painter Wassily Kandinsky and was a founding member of the … Continue reading →

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It’s Quicker By Rail

Posted on January 5, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Between 1920 and 1950, the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest rail company in Britain. The railway commissioned a wonderful series of posters to advertise its passenger services and to encourage travel to vacation destinations around … Continue reading →

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the days slip by

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Ezra Pound, Venice  1971 And the days are not full enough And the nights are not full enough And life slips by like a field mouse Not shaking the grass. Ezra Pound, “And The days Are Not Full … Continue reading →

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No Losers In This War

Posted on December 28, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

In 1981 the Spanish town of Ibi revived the 200 year-old tradition of the Els Enfarinats Festival. On December 28th each year a mock war takes place around the town hall. A group of local married men, called “els Enfarinats,” … Continue reading →

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Chanukah Lights

Posted on December 26, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

In the holiday spirit, here’s the pop-up book Chanukah Lights, published by Candlewick Press in 2011, with a text by Michael J. Rosen, illustration and paper engineering by Robert Sabuda, and additional design work by Simon Arizpe and Shelby Arnold, explores the eight day Jewish “festival of … Continue reading →

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je me souviens

Posted on December 21, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Nothing Happens (for a reason)

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

This captivating 11-minute film by Michelle and Uri Kranot is a mysterious, melancholy animation in which a diverse group of people slowly gather in a snow-laden field in Denmark. Nothing really happens in Nothing Happens and that’s kind of refreshing.

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No Need To Fly

Posted on December 17, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Europeans seem to be taking the lead in the creation of new travel paradigms. In Germany, DB, the German Railway Operator, has taken advantage of new attitudes towards responsible travel by promoting their discounted train tickets. Still, 72% of Germans … Continue reading →

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The 17th Century Kindle

Posted on December 16, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

In 1617. William Hakewill commissioned a traveling library to give as a gift to a friend. The Jacobean miniature mobile library consisted of fifty gold-tooled vellum-bound miniature books contained in a wooden case that resembled a large folio. Inside there were … Continue reading →

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Charles Dickens and the Marketing of Christmas

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Charles Dickens and his iconic story A Christmas Carol have become synonymous with Christmas celebrations, however a special holiday exhibition at  the Charles Dickens Museum in London demonstrates that his connection to the holiday season is not all candy canes … Continue reading →

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