Autumn
And then, all of a sudden, it started to rain. It had been an exceptionally hot summer, so everyone was hoping for rain, but it still caught us all by surprise. For a few days, it remained warm and humid, but within a week, autumn arrived. It’s not that everything turned brown right away, but […]
An other View of Venice
I’ve been fascinated by Venice since my student days and visit every two years for the Biennale. Back then, I could afford iconic hotels like the Gritti and Danieli. As room prices surged, a prolonged stay in La Serenissima became too costly, so I switched to renting private apartments instead—a change for the better. I […]
Sketch as meditation
This is quite a poor watercolour copy of what was probably originally an oil painting on canvas. For me, making this copy became a meditative experience, although it began with a sense of irritation. The original image is printed on a postcard. On the back, in Dutch, it says: “Painting made by an Alzheimer patient.” […]
The Naked Gun (1988)
I can understand why this sketch might seem quite obscure. However, it is connected to the movie The Naked Gun. This scene is actually the opening of the film, where we see the roof of a car unexpectedly crashing through different rooms and locations. In this particular scene, it bursts into a locker room, terrifying […]
Spain
A weekend in Spain. This is the view early in the morning with Benidorm in the far distance.
Canto 4
quelli è Omero poeta sovrano; l’altro è Orazio satiro che vene; Ovidio è ’l terzo, e l’ultimo Lucano. That shade is Homer, the consummate poet; the other one is Horace, satirist; the third is Ovid, and the last is Lucan. Je ziet Homerus, van de heldensagen Horatius die hekeldichten schreef Lucanus en Ovidius opdagen
Canto 3
Questi sciaurati, che mai non fur vivi, erano ignudi e stimolati molto da mosconi e da vespe ch’eran ivi. These wretched ones, who never were alive, went naked and were stung again, again by horseflies and by wasps that circled them. Zij die nooit waarlijk leefden moesten daar Spiernaakt en weerloos door het duister lopen, […]
Dr. No (1962)
Dr. No was the first James Bond film, starring Sean Connery and Ursula Andress. The movie was based on a novel of the same name written by Ian Fleming, who created the fictional character in 1953. There appear to be 27 James Bond films in total, and if I can trace them all, I will […]
Canto 2
E venni a te così com’ ella volse; 119 d’inanzi a quella fiera ti levai 120 che del bel monte il corto andar ti tolse. And, just as she had wished, I came to you: I snatched you from the path of the fierce beast that barred the shortest way up the fair mountain. En […]
Canto 1
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita mi ritrovai per una selva oscura ché la diritta via era smarrita. When I had journeyed half of our life’s way, I found myself within a shadowed forest, for I had lost the path that does not stray. Op het midden van ons levenspad gekomen Kwam ik bij […]