Where in the World Singapore

Written by Gill Dewar on July 23, 2021. Posted in Where in the world, MICE.

Where in the World?

Where is this amazing underground hotel room?

The Ocean Villas are a series of 11 uber-exclusive duplex underwater suites located next to the Equarius and Espa Hotel complex at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore.

The upper level consists of an open living area leading onto an outdoor patio and Jacuzzi. Guests will be treated to five-star comfort and personalised butler service.

While that sounds luxurious enough, the lower level is where the real magic begins! Location downstairs is the bedroom which has an in-room bathtub and an underwater view of over 40,000 marine fishes.

Discreetly tucked away on one side of the world’s largest aquarium, you can enjoy your own personal aquarium experience in the comfort and privacy of your own suite!

The room lights will automatically be dimmed when the viewing panel is raised, just like in the theatre when the movie is about to begin.

The ultimate hotel for your next group to Singapore!

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What’s cooking in South Africa

Written by Gill Dewar on July 23, 2021. Posted in Whats cooking.

What’s cooking? World recipes

Good ol’ melktert; the Afrikaans name for ‘milk tart’; the classic, South African dessert consisting of a sweet pastry crust, filled with a mild, creamy custard of milk, flour, sugar and eggs, baked in a round pie tin and dusted with cinnamon after baking.

Milk tart is omnipresent in South Africa; it appears at every church bazaar, bake sale, home industry, supermarket, or bakery, and has surely featured on every South African food blogger’s blog.

Melktert stems from the Dutch settlers in the Cape in the 1600s.

Traditionally, the crust consisted of short-crust pastry. These days, many use ready-made puff pastry dough instead. Ancestors would turn in their graves hearing that crustless melktart has become a thing.

The large proportion of milk in the filling is evidence that melktert was introduced to us by the Dutch dairy farmers who settled the Cape of Good Hope in the middle of the century.

Cinnamon, introduced to us by Javanese slaves, is often sprinkled over the surface.

Ingredients

For the crust

Follow the directions for my easy no-roll crust

For the filling

2cups milk
½cup heavy / whipping cream
5egg yolks
¾cup sugar
2½tbsp cornstarch / cornflour
2tbsp flour
2tbsp salted butter (alternatively use unsalted butter and 1/2 tsp salt)
½tsp almond extract
½tsp vanilla extract
pinch of nutmeg
2tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Make the pastry according to recipe instructions then blind bake until golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
To make the filling, heat the milk, cream, vanilla, almond extract and nutmeg in a saucepan over medium heat.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, sugar, flours and salt.
Once the milk is hot, whisk two ladles full of the milk into the egg mixture to temper the eggs.
Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook until thickened, whisking continuously. Cook the custard for 2-3 minutes until thick and smooth.
Pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve. Beat in the butter.
Pour the custard into the prepared crust. Spray a piece of parchment paper with cooking spray then press onto the surface of the custard to avoid a skin from forming.
Place the milk tart in the fridge and allow to set for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.
Before serving, dust the cinnamon over the milk tart. Slice and serve.

If you’ve never tried it please make sure to ask for it when you travel to South Africa.

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Amazing Travel Fact Ukraine

Written by Gill Dewar on July 21, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Ukraine

Did you know that there is a “tunnel of love”, a tree tunnel of 5 kilometers long on a railway track, created by trees lined up in an arch? The world discovered the Tunnel of Love about 10 years ago thanks to wandering tourists who posted a photo of it on Facebook, and people commented that it was probably altered via photoshop. However, that was not the case. Since then, it has been used in commercials, movie shoots and is very popular with newlyweds for photos. Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel in order to see this tunnel of love?

It is indeed in Klevan Ukraine.

A bit more about it:

The tunnel can be seen in commercials of famous brands. In 2012, the Japanese company Fujifilm shot a 40-second video, the characters of which suddenly fall from a solid green wall into a tunnel and quickly capture various miracles with a brand new camera.

A few years ago, Japanese director Akiyoshi Imazaki filmed a movie in the tunnel. The place for the shooting was found by accident, through a link on the Internet. Imazaki was so fascinated by the beauty of the tunnel that he not only brought a film crew to Ukraine and shot a wonderful lyrical drama but also renamed the film as “Klevan- Tunnel of Love”. The film premiered in November 2015 at the Hanoi International Film Festival. Thus, the whole world learned about the beauty of Ukrainian nature.

The tunnel in Klevan periodically appears in the top lists of the most amazing railways on the planet and a highlight of Ukraine for visitors.

Amazing Travel Fact Thailand

Written by Gill Dewar on July 21, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Thailand:

Did you know that there is an island that was featured in “The Man with the Golden Gun” in 1974 and is since called “The James Bond Island”? It has amazing limestone cliffs. You can’t get too close, but the views are stunning in the bay.

Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel in order to see this island?

James Bond Island is a famous landmark in Phang Nga Bay, Thailand. It first found its way onto the international tourist map through its starring role in the James Bond movie, The Man with the Golden Gun. A distinctive trait of this famous bay is the number of sheer limestone cliffs that vertically jut out of the emerald-green water.

The bizarre – why-doesn’t-it-fall-over – outline of James Bond Island or Koh Tapu (‘nail island’ in Thai), lies next to the equally popular Koh Ping Ghan (sometime spelt as Ping Gan or Ping Gun). The entire area surrounding this island is indeed spectacular.

Covering an area of 400 sq km, Phang Nga Bay has around 100 islands, many of which have peculiar shapes. James Bond Island, with its signature rocky pinnacle, has been a major attraction since it was featured in the 1974 Bond movie.

It’s protected marine area of the Ao Phang Nga Marine National Park, so boats aren’t allowed to get too close to the island. Its precarious position is big on the upper part and relatively slim at the bottom. You can view James Bond Island from a boat or a small beach on Koh Ping Ghan.

Koh Ping Ghan is a very high leaning rock with several small caves inside. It’s pretty amazing and fun to check them all out and to include on a day trip when in this area of Thailand.

Amazing Travel Fact Peru

Written by Gill Dewar on July 21, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Peru:

Did you know that that there is a place in the world where drawings were made of geometrical figures and animals in an area of nearly 1000 square kilometers?

Dating from AD200-700, the lines were given Unesco World Heritage status in 1994. They are best spotted from surrounding mountain tops or the sky. Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel in order to see these famous drawings?

It is indeed the Nazca lines in Peru.

A bit more about it:

The Nazca Lines are a collection of giant geoglyphs—designs or motifs etched into the ground—located in the Peruvian coastal plain about 250 miles (400 kilometers) south of Lima, Peru – (great to add to your Peru itinerary).

Created by the ancient Nazca culture in South America, and depicting various plants, animals, and shapes, the 2,000-year-old Nazca Lines can only be fully appreciated when viewed from the air given their massive size. Despite being studied for over 80 years, the geoglyphs—which were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994—are still a mystery to researchers.

There are three basic types of Nazca Lines: straight lines, geometric designs and pictorial representations.

There are more than 800 straight lines on the coastal plain, some of which are 30 miles (48 km) long. Additionally, there are over 300 geometric designs, which include basic shapes such as triangles, rectangles, and trapezoids, as well as spirals, arrows, zig-zags and wavy lines.

The Nazca Lines are perhaps best known for the representations of about 70 animals and plants, some of which measure up to 1,200 feet (370 meters) long. Examples include a spider, hummingbird, cactus plant, monkey, whale, llama, duck, flower, tree, lizard and dog.

The Nazca people also created other forms, such as a humanoid figure (nicknamed “The Astronaut”), hands and some unidentifiable depictions.

Anthropologists believe the Nazca culture, which began around 100 B.C. and flourished from A.D. 1 to 700, created the majority of the Nazca Lines. The Chavin and Paracas cultures, which predate the Nazca, may have also created some of the geoglyphs.

More recent research suggested that the Nazca Lines’ purpose was related to water, a valuable commodity in the arid lands of the Peruvian coastal plain. The geoglyphs weren’t used as an irrigation system or a guide to find water, but rather as part of a ritual to the gods—an effort to bring much-needed rain.

Amazing Travel Fact Micronesia

Written by Gill Dewar on July 21, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Micronesia:

Did you know that there is only one ancient city ever built on top of a coral reef? It was built in 1200 and is made of almost 100 geometrically shaped man-made stone islands. Nobody knows its origins. Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel to in order to see this city?

You are all very smart. It is indeed Nan Madol.

A bit more about it:

In a remote region of the western Pacific Ocean lies a stunning and spooky unsolved mystery: the ruins of the ancient city of Nan Madol.

Located next to the eastern shore of Micronesian island Pohnpei, this once-great, prehistoric city is comprised of nearly 100 geometrically shaped man-made stone islands, and it’s the only ancient city built atop a coral reef.

No one is sure of the origins, nor why anyone would want to build a city far from food and water, and yet its ruins are rife with stories and spirits.

Referred to as an “engineering marvel” by the Smithsonian and nicknamed the “Venice of the Pacific,” this series of over 90 artificial islets could have once housed around 1,000 people.

Although the Saudeleur built the city around 1200 AD, it wasn’t until recently that Nan Madol was finally named a World Heritage Site.

Amazing Travel Fact China

Written by Gill Dewar on July 21, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

China:

Not sure if you are a passionate tea drinker, but did you know that there is “A most dangerous Teahouse” in the world? Located 7000 feet above sea level, the path to it is made of thin planks that are fixed in the mountain and to keep your balance you must hang onto chains that are nailed in stone. There’s nothing else to keep you safe. If that wasn’t enough, you’ll have to climb a chain and use dug out holes with your feet to keep your balance.

Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel to in order to have a cup of tea there?

A tricky one, in more ways than one.

A bit more about it:

The Road to Heaven – Huashan Mountain

Located 7000 feet above sea level, The Huashan Teahouse, which was once a temple, is a simple tea shop in terms of service, food, and appearance. Don’t be mistaken though, for it is not that the tea is made of poison or some inedible plant that makes it dangerous to consume. What gives Huashan Teahouse the dubious distinction of serving the world’s most dangerous tea lies in the path that leads you to the tea shop, and not the tea itself. For the ones who like to travel to the far corners of the world like China and have adventure in their blood this is a must see place and a guaranteed rush of adrenaline.

Thousands of people each year decide to go on one of the most dangerous roads in the world. It is composed of rickety stairs and paths with planks nailed on the rocks. At every step, they put their lives at risk to test their limits and to reach the famous teahouse in the top of the mountain Huashan in China.

Mount Huashan is located in Huayin, part of the Shaanxi province. The closest city, Xi’an, is 120 kilometers away. The teahouse of the top of the mountain is located on the south side of the mountain, at an altitude of 2,160 meters. Viewed on a map the Huashan mountain chain looks like a flower.

The teahouse at the top of the mountain is actually one of the many Taoist temples located on the five peaks that make up the Huashan Mountain. Given that the first inhabitants of this region practiced asceticism their daily meditation was accompanied by a cup of tea. Thus, after decades the temple became a tearoom that’s visited annually by thousands of tourists.

The road to the mountain top starts with a lot of huge stairs, nicknamed “The Heavenly Stairs”. The first impression is that the stairs lead to the heaven, it’s like climbing towards the clouds and it’s impossible to see where the stairs end. On your way to the top you’ll see houses and even small villages. However, the road does not stop here. After passing the stairs a gondola will take you to the teahouse.

However, don’t be scared to climb the stairs because it’s the most accessible part of the journey you have embarked on. Once you are on the southern side of the mountain one of the most dangerous routes in the world awaits. The path is made of thin planks that are fixed in the mountain and to keep your balance you must hang onto chains that are nailed in stone.

There’s nothing else to keep you safe. If that wasn’t enough you’ll have to climb a chain and use dug out holes with your feet to keep your balance. The images speak for themselves.

The tea at the end must be amazing to deserve such a long and dangerous climb.

Amazing Travel Fact Bolivia

Written by Gill Dewar on July 21, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Bolivia:

Of course you have heard of dangerous roads. But did you know that the most dangerous road in the world is nicknamed “Death Road”? The narrow dirt road is just 12 feet wide. It is carved in a mountain, often shrouded in rain and fog and has 2000 foot drop-offs. It attracts thrill-seeking tourists. Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel to in order to drive here?

It is indeed Bolivia. A bit more about it:

North Yungas Road connects the city of La Paz to Coroico in North Yungas, Bolivia and is considered the world’s most dangerous road. The narrow dirt road, which was built into the side of the Cordillera Oriental Mountain chain by Paraguayan prisoners in the 1930s, has a death toll of about 300 people a year, according to the History Channel.

The path, most of which is no wider than 12 feet, descends nearly 11,800 feet in just 40 miles, and travelers have to deal with dangers such as a constant fog, heavy rain, loose rocks, limited visibility and 2,000-foot drop-offs. One wrong turn could send travelers plummeting anywhere from 4,000 to 15,000 feet to the ground.

But that doesn’t stop thrill-seeking tourists to Bolivia from traveling (and even bicycling) the infamous road, which has become one of Bolivia’s most popular attractions.

Amazing Travel Fact Micronesia

Written by Gill Dewar on July 21, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Micronesia:

Do you know where we need to travel to in order to see this city?

You are all very smart. It is indeed Nan Madol.

A bit more about it:

In a remote region of the western Pacific Ocean lies a stunning and spooky unsolved mystery: the ruins of the ancient city of Nan Madol.

No one is sure of the origins, nor why anyone would want to build a city far from food and water, and yet its ruins are rife with stories and spirits.

Referred to as an “engineering marvel” by the Smithsonian and nicknamed the “Venice of the Pacific,” this series of over 90 artificial islets could have once housed around 1,000 people.

Although the Saudeleur built the city around 1200 AD, it wasn’t until recently that Nan Madol was finally named a World Heritage Site.

Amazing Travel Fact Peru

Written by Gill Dewar on July 20, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Peru:

Did you know that there is a unique “hanging” hotel in the world, made up of four transparent pods, fastened to the side of a mountain? You need to travel over a climbing route that employs steel cables and harnesses, cross a sky-high suspension bridge and ride a zipline over the valley in order to get there. Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel in order to stay in this hotel?

It is indeed Peru.

A bit more about it:

Imagine sleeping in a condor’s nest on the edge of the Sacred Valley of Peru, or at least in this case – a transparent capsule that’s suspended 400 metres. It’s just big enough for beds, a small eating area and a bathroom with a dry ecological toilet and sink.

You sleep in glass pods suspended up the side of a mountain in Peru’s Sacred Valley. … The unique “hanging” hotel, which is made up of four transparent pods secured to the side of the mountain, is the brainchild of Ario Ferri, a project developer and avid rock and mountain climber from Carhuaz, Peru.

Adrenaline lover Ario Ferri constructed these mountain suites suspended on rocks in Peru after moving to Sacred Valley in search of peace away from the big city.

Warning: only suitable for people who don’t feel woozy when they look down from up high on the mountainside

But they’re called ‘Adventure’ suites for a reason – to get there, you have to climb Via Ferrata, cross a sky-high suspension bridge and ride a zipline over the valley.

But don’t worry, a team of guides will lead the way so you don’t go astray.

Amazing Travel Fact USA

Written by Gill Dewar on July 20, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

USA:

So many books, so little time – Did you know the largest library in the world houses more than 170 million items? Established in 1800, it has materials in over 450 languages. Some of those materials include one of the smallest books in the world (you have to turn the pages with a needle), Stradivarius violins, and digitally archived Tweets.

Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel in order to visit this library?

It is indeed the Library of Congress in Washington DC, USA.

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.

Library of Congress was instituted on April 24, 1800, when John Adams’ presidency countersigned an act of Congress calling for the transfer of the government’s seat from Philadelphia to the new capital city of Washington.

The law earmarked $ 5,000 “for the purchase of the books necessary for the needs of Congress and for the accommodation of an apartment suitable to contain them”.

The first library was based in the new Capitol until August 1814, when the British troops burned down the old building, destroying the approximately 3,000 books preserved in there.

The Library of Congress in Washington DC is essentially both the national library of the U.S. and the country’s oldest federal cultural institution.

Though it consists of only three buildings, it is the largest library in the world for shelf space and number of volumes.

While open to the public for on-site research and as a tourist attraction, as the research institution of Congress, only members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, and other specified government officials can check out books.

The library is formally known as the “library of last resort” in the U.S., charged with making certain items available to other national libraries if all other means have been exhausted.

The library’s holdings are vast, including more than 32 million books, more than 61 million manuscripts, a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, one of only four perfect vellum copies of the Gutenberg Bible in the world, over one million newspapers from the last three centuries, over five million maps, six million pieces of sheet music, and more than 14 millions photos and prints.

Amazing Travel Fact Dubai

Written by Gill Dewar on July 20, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Dubai:

Did you know that the deepest pool in the world has been opened several days ago? It is 60 meters deep, filled with 14 million liters of fresh water. It is at least four times bigger than any other diving pool in the world and features a sunken city. Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel to dive right in?

You are all very smart. It is indeed in Dubai.

Deep Dive Dubai opened the pool in July to divers and thrill-seeking tourists. The 196 feet and 10 inch deep pool (60.02 meters) was verified by the Guinness World Records as the deepest pool for diving in the world — beating out former recorded holder Deep Spot in Poland by nearly 50 feet.

A sunken city and an underwater film studio

The indoor pool is housed inside a 1,500-square-meter oyster-shaped structure, a nod to the United Arab Emirates’ history as a pearl diving nation.

But the biggest star of Deep Dive Dubai is arguably the pool’s underwater city. Divers can explore “abandoned” sunken city apartments and play underwater pool in the arcade. State-of-the-art lighting and sound systems have been fitted inside the pool to create different atmospheres.

The pool also doubles as an underwater film studio — the largest of its kind in the region. A media editing room is available nearby in the facility.

Deep Dive Dubai offers courses for both diving beginners and certified divers. Divers can also explore the pool and the underwater city by themselves after a tour with one of the dive guides at the site.

Some 56 cameras have been installed around the pool to ensure the safety of divers at every corner. It also has the region’s most advanced hyperbaric chamber — with a capacity of 12 people — in case of an emergency.

What an amazing place to include when you next travel to Dubai!

Amazing Travel Fact Senegal

Written by Gill Dewar on July 20, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Senegal:

Did you know there is a country where sheep and horses go to the beach every Sunday? Spa day for the sheep begins with their being led into the ocean to soak for several minutes. Next, it’s back out of the waves for a thorough scrubbing on the shore with soap and a brush.

Do you know in which country the spa days takes place each Sunday?

It is Senegal indeed.

Spa day for the sheep begins with their being led, almost always by men, into the ocean to soak for several minutes. Next, it’s back out of the waves for a thorough scrubbing on the shore with soap and a brush.

The sheep take another dip to rinse off, and then it’s manicure time: cleaning out the hooves with a stick and trimming them with scissors. Each animal is taken back into the water for a final swim, then is tied to a nearby tree or beached fishing boat to wait for the rest of the flock to bathe.

It’s easy for them to drip-dry: Senegalese sheep look more like goats than like the fluffy, woolly breeds common to the West.

The same waters are also used to bathe the draft animals that pull horse carts, the pickup trucks of Senegal. The horses are led into the water up to their necks and then scrubbed down, becoming regular interlopers in the Sunday surfing classes at Dakar’s wide and crowded Yoff Beach.

Travel to Senegal

Amazing Travel Fact Doha

Written by Gill Dewar on July 19, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Doha:

Did you know that there is an international airport that has a giant teddy bear in the main terminal building of the airport? It is an enormous artwork which weighs almost 20 tonnes and rumor has it that it cost $6.8 million to make. Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to fly in order to meet Mr Teddy Bear?

It is indeed at Doha’s airport.

A bit more about it:

Rather a lot more about it:

It is a world-famous sculpture created by Urs Fischer, a Swiss-born artist who lives in New York.

The Teddy Bear is made out of cast bronze and was produced in 2005/2006.

This one is the largest of 3 Teddy Bears created, the other two are owned privately.

Teddy travels the world, in 2011, it was on load to NY for 5 months and displayed in front of the Seagram Building.

Rumor has it that it was bought by a member of the Qatar royal family at an auction at Christie’s.

According to the artist, the Teddy celebrates the objects that define a young child’s life.

There is another baby-blue version which was displayed at Brown University in the US.

Amazing Travel Fact Tibet

Written by Gill Dewar on July 19, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Tibet:

Did you know that the highest railway station in the world lies 5068 meters above sea level? Apparently, its location was specially chosen for the view from the platform. The train ride to it, is nicknamed as the “rocket to the roof of the world”.

Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel to in order to take high-in-the-sky train ride?

Built quite literally on the roof of the world – at an average elevation around 4,500m above sea level – the Qinghai-Tibet railway represents the culmination of the long-held Chinese dream of connecting China to Tibet.

Running for over 1,956km from Xining, capital of China’s Qinghai province to Lhasa, through some of the planet’s harshest natural conditions, it is an impressive catalogue of world records. With its highest point at an altitude of 5,072m – 200m or more above the Peruvian railway in the Andes – Qinghai-Tibet easily takes the title as the world’s highest track and Tanggula Station, a mere 4m lower, the highest railway station.

It is also the longest plateau railway in the world. Some 550m of its tracks are on frozen earth, passing through both the world’s most elevated tunnel – Fenghuoshan Tunnel (4,905m) – and the longest plateau tunnel – Kunlun Mountain (1,686m) – to be built on frozen earth.

Travel to Tibet

Where is “The Scream?”

Written by Gill Dewar on July 19, 2021. Posted in Where in the world.

Where in the world?

The Scream is one of the most well-known pictures in the history of art and has become a popular icon of our time. The figure in the picture has been used in many different contexts and appears in everything from political posters to horror films. It even has its own emoji. The motif Edvard Munch created 130 years ago has now become a symbol we use to convey emotions.

The Scream is both simple and complex. It is complex because it lends itself to so many different interpretations. Its simplicity has to do with the actual execution of the picture. The Scream marks a decisive point in art history where form and content are closely interrelated and are meant to express the same subject matter. The work is a key turning point from the symbolism movement in art to the expressionism of the 1900s.

The landscape we see in the picture is recognisable through this description and shows the Kristiania fjord in Norway (Oslo fjord) seen from Ekeberg Hill. Two men, who are referred to as two friends in the poem, are walking in the background on the left. The Scream is often interpreted as a universal expression of anxiety and alienation, which is the subject of the poem he wrote.

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Where in the World France

Written by Gill Dewar on July 14, 2021. Posted in Where in the world.

Where in the world?

In July 1890, Claude Monet began four almost identically scaled canvases showing poppy fields near his home in Giverny, France.

Although he did not consider these to be a series, like the 25 paintings of stacks of wheat that he began shortly after the harvest that same summer, the works certainly show his growing interest in developing several canvases at once. They also demonstrate a far more homogeneous touch than the freely brushed landscapes of his earlier career, with surfaces that have a tapestry-like materiality.

The painting illustrated a change in Monet’s technique, which occurred in the 1880s: he consciously treats the landscape as a vehicle for opposing bands of colors – red, green, and blue. He may have added to the painting in the studio in order to unify the surface.

The painting received widespread recognition at its United States premiere in 1886 and was one of Monet’s first works purchased by and American collector.

Visit Giverny with So French to see these beautiful landscapes for yourself.

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Where in the World USA

Written by Gill Dewar on July 13, 2021. Posted in Where in the world.

Where in the world?

American Gothic is unquestionably Grant Wood’s masterpiece and ranks among the finest portrait paintings of its day and is an icon of American art of the 20th century as well as one of the greatest paintings of Midwest Americana.

The picture depicts a middle-aged couple (usually interpreted as a farmer with either his wife or daughter) standing in front of their home, a wooden farmhouse built in the 1890s architectural style known as Carpenter (or American) Gothic. Little of the background is visible however, because the figures are so close to the viewer. Wood based the farmhouse on Dibble House, a building he saw in the small Iowan town of Eldon, and used his sister Nan (1899–1990) and Dr. Byron McKeeby (1867–1950) his dentist, as models for the couple, dressing them in traditional clothes.

Their resemblance to the stereotypical image of Midwest rural folks, complete with pitchfork and dungarees, led many art critics to interpret the work as a satirical commentary on small-town culture. The two people, living in their sturdy well-crafted wooden house, armed with their down-to-earth qualities of resilience, fortitude and pride, represent those who are most likely to overcome the hardship of the 1930s.

Wood’s free use of “reality” can also be seen by the addition of a barn and by creating a scene—a man and woman posed in front of the house—which never occurred. The models for the artwork never posed together when they were drawn prior to, or during the painting of American Gothic.

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job

Written by Gill Dewar on July 13, 2021. Posted in Uncategorized.

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Where in the World France

Written by Gill Dewar on July 8, 2021. Posted in Where in the world.

Where in the world?

Georges Seurat’s painting of a Sunday afternoon in Paris appears, at first glance, to celebrate the carefree hours of a series of well-to-do families.

Every form is made up of thousands of dots and dashes. Seurat worked on the painting over several years in the second half of the 1880s, building up the painting in careful layers to establish this tremulous effect.

The scene takes place on a mile-long island on the river banks of the Seine (check out art classes in Paris) known as La Grande Jatte.

Doused in sunshine, yet taking shade beneath trees and umbrellas, the visitors to the island rest and stroll with an unhurried air. It was a favourite pleasure-spot of the Parisian bourgeois, a place to retreat from the bustle of the working week and the pollution of the city.

Georges Seurat shared many of the same interests as his contemporary artists. Yet, whilst other Impressionists and Post-Impressionists worked with an unplanned spirit, Seurat took a more meticulous approach, both in the planning of his compositions and the application of his paint.

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