Raphael - La Donna Velata, Antonio Vivaldi - Six Violin Concertos for Anna Maria, Rainer Maria Rilke - Eve, and Robert Louis Stevenson - Looking Glass River

Our Final week with the present artist, poets and composer has come. Actually I guess it will be April when most of you get and use this post, but it's still March when I'm posting it.  One last portrait by Raphael this week - A lovely lady - La Donna Velata.  If you've tried painting a portrait you can appreciate the textures, folds, highlights and shadows in this painting.  If you haven't tried painting, you can just enjoy the beauty of this peaceful, contemplative young woman.

La Donna Velata

Next week we will begin with our new artist, Fitz Henry Lane.  Here is a link to my  Picasa Web Album Fitz Henry Lane Paintings.
These are the paintings we will be studying next term. I've added one painting and deleted another this week (sorry to any of you who have already gone to the trouble of printing - I couldn't find a large copy of the painting I decided to delete.  Fitz Henry Lane has an obvious fascination with boats and the sea.  I love how light and water and reflections all work together and they are abundant in these paintings.  Some are storms some are calm sunsets or sunrises.  I'm looking forward to getting to know this artist's work.  You can print these ahead for educational use if you want to use hard copies for your study.

Our final piece of music by Antonio Vivaldi for this term is Six Violin Concertos for Anna Maria.  I'd like to dedicate this week's music to my own beautiful Anna Marie.  

There are several play lists for Vivaldi on You-tube.  Here is one with 63 videos - Vivaldi Play list if you want to continue listening to his works even after we move on....  or for background music this week.  

Our final poem for Rainer Maria Rilke is "Eve"

Simply she stands at the cathedral’s
great ascent, close to the rose window,
with the apple in the apple-pose,
guiltless-guilty once and for all

of the growing she gave birth to
since form the circle of eternities
loving she went forth, to struggle through
her way throughout the earth like a young year.

Ah, gladly yet a little in that land
Would she have lingered, heeding the harmony
And understanding of the animals.

But since she found the man determined,
She went with him, aspiring after death,
And she had as yet hardly known God. 

And I hope you continue to read Robert Louis Stevenson's wonderful children's poetry aloud to your children - in fact I hope you own and use a copy of A Child's Garden of Verse our final poem for now is

 "Looking Glass River"

Smooth it glides upon its travel,
     Here a wimple, there a gleam--
          O the clean gravel!
          O the smooth stream!

Sailing blossoms, silver fishes,
     Pave pools as clear as air--
          How a child wishes
          To live down there!

We can see our colored faces
     Floating on the shaken pool
          Down in cool places,
          Dim and very cool;

Till a wind or water wrinkle,
     Dipping marten, plumping trout,
          Spreads in a twinkle
          And blots all out.

See the rings pursue each other;
     All below grows black as night,
          Just as if mother
          Had blown out the light!

Patience, children, just a minute--
     See the spreading circles die;
          The stream and all in it
          Will clear by-and-by.