Some time ago, last year, I made a guided tour of Melbourne Cemetery. Our guide, brought to our attention few rotundas.
Hundred years ago they were places for parties. At that time, the cemetery was a quite popular place. On weekends it could be visited by as many as 5,000 people. Bands played popular music, people brought food and drinks. Picnic close to deceased family members.
- People were not afraid of death because people were dying at home - said our guide. At these times each grown up person witnessed at least few deaths.. and births. Deaths and births happened at home, were part of LIFE. Now death and birth occurs in hospital. Death became a disease. So people are afraid of it.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
van Meegeren
Very important heritage of Netherlands are paintings of Dutch masters.
Harmenszoon Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Hieronymus Bosch, Johannes Vermeer, Vincent van Gogh tjust o mention most popular.
During the Second World War Germany occupied Netherlands and many treasures of art had been stolen from Dutch art galleries and museums.
No wonder that after the end of war in May 1945, Dutch government created a special commission to recover stolen treasures.
Few months later the Commission was electrified by a news that in mountain tunnel in Austria a train was discovered containing hundreds of paintings being evacuated from collection of Herman Goering, one of 3 most powerful men in Nazi Germany.
Representatives of the Commission hurried to Austria. The train was opened and the very first piece of art was an unknown painting from XVII century.
The art experts had no doubts - Vermeer...
Christ with a Woman taken in Adultery.
It was painted in similar style to another Vermeer painting, The Supper in Emmaus...
Which was acquired by the state museum - Rijksmuseum - some 10 years earlier.
It was quite a laborous process to entangle a network of art dealers who supplied H. Goering with Dutch masterpieces, but eventually the track led to Haan van Meegeren, an mediocre Dutch artist who lived in relative obscurity.
Han van Meegeren was arrested. He denied any connection to a stolen masterpiece. but prosecution was merciless - either you disclose a source of this painting or - death sentence.
Van Meegeren tried few tricks, e.g that he was commissioned to sell this painting by an Italian aristocrat whose identity cannot be disclosed, but prosecution was merciless - total disclosure or death sentence.
Eventually van Meegeren gave up - I painted it myself!
The High Commission considered it such a good joke that they accepted van Meegeren offer - give me 2 weeks time and painting utensils and I will produce another "Vermeer" of comparable quality.
And he did... CLICK
New painting was also on Biblical theme - Jesus among the Doctors - 12 years old Jesus visited a temple with his parents and astonished everybody as he lectured the crowd about holy Scriptures.
The experts agreed - the new work qualifies to be recognised as Vermeer's painting.
During the painting trial van Meegeren revealed his secret - how to make the fresh paint to imitate a 400 years old one. He mixed the paint with bakelite (it was the first synthetic plastic, produced in 1907). The finished painting was put in a high temperature which caused the paint to crack in a old-fashioned way.
About this time another discovery was made.
Van Meegeren put such a prize on his fraud sold to Goering, that the buyer agents ran short of money so they gave back to original owners over 100 previously stolen paintings.
Overnight Han van Meegeren became almost a national hero - not only he mercilessly cheated the top Nazi criminal but also saved paintings of less known masters.
To be completed...
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