The world’s best painting

July 9, 2016 • 1:00 pm

It’s odd, but the painting that I consider the best one I’ve ever “seen” is one that I never really saw. I’ve seen many images of the Isenheim Altarpiece painting, completed by Mathias Grünewald in 1515 (the sculptural surround was made by Nicolaus Haganauer), but I’ve never seen it “in the pigment”—in person.

But even in reproduction I’ve never seen a painting as moving as this one. Or rather, a series of paintings, because the altarpiece comprises a group of movable panels that creates three distinct views, including two complete triptychs.  The original is in a museum in Colmar, Alsace, but the piece was painted for the Monastery of St. Anthony in Isenheim, which had a hospital for mostly terminal cases. The artwork was intended for contemplation by the sick and dying: to share Christ’s suffering and to contemplate their salvation—or damnation. Here’s the piece in its current location:

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And yes, it’s religious, portraying Christ’s crucifixion, the mourners, and a marvelous Resurrection, but that doesn’t matter to atheistic me. The contortions of the crucified Christ, the mesmerizing atom-bomb like scene when he bursts from the tomb, and the soldiers swoon, and the bizarre beasts tormenting St. Anthony in one panel, as weird as those in a Bosch painting, combine to make a utterly moving piece of art. As author Francine Prose wrote in a recent New York Times piece about her trip to Alsace:

When a painter friend heard that my husband, Howie, and I were planning to visit Alsace, he said, “You have to go to Colmar and see the Isenheim Altarpiece! It’s life-changing!”

. . . But what I recall most vividly from our trip is the Isenheim Altarpiece. Our friend was right.

. . . what I found thrilling — and yes, life-changing — is the evidence that, at some point in our history, a society thought that this was what art could do: that art might possibly accomplish something like a small miracle of comfort and consolation. It seemed enormously inspiring for anyone who makes, or who cares about, art.

I’m not sure that that is what I find life-changing or thrilling: what moves me is the sheer agony of the crucified Christ, the grief of the mourners, and the otherworldly and affecting—even modern—depiction of the Resurrection. I don’t believe in any of that stuff, but there’s no reason that one can’t be moved by depiction of a myth. And so, when I think of art, this piece is never far from my mind.

The New York Times presented an interactive view of one of the three aspects of the painting, and you can see that here. But I’ll put up all three views. The Wikipedia article I linked to above will explain what you’re seeing. And some day I’ll make it to Colmar and see it myself.

I’ll ask readers (and perhaps I’ve done this before) to note their favorite painting in the comments. Some of you might say, “But there are too many—I can’t pick just one.” Well, try. And if you can’t do that, tell us which painting you would pick if you could own one painting, and only one, to have in your home for the rest of your life.

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Texas professors sue the state to keep students from carrying concealed weapons on campus

July 9, 2016 • 10:00 am

In just three weeks, on August 1—the 50th anniversary of Charles Whitman climbing the University of Texas tower and shooting 14 people to death— a Texas law goes into effect that allows anyone, including students, to carry concealed handguns on campus, including inside classrooms. Great idea, right? Well, it’s Texas, Jake! The students need permits for their concealed carry, and the campus is allowed to designate a limited number of “sensitive areas” where guns aren’t allowed, though those areas must be approved by the institutions board of regents. You’re also not allowed to store weapons in automobiles.

At the end of January, I reported that Steven Weinberg, a physics professor (and, of course, a Nobel Laureate) at the University of Texas at Austin (UTA) said he would defy the ban, prohibiting students from bringing guns into his class. Given the law, he’ll probably lose, but it was gutsy. So when I heard this week that three UTA professors had sued the state to keep guns off its campus, I assumed Weinberg would be one of the plaintiffs.

He wasn’t, but no matter. The three professors are Jennifer Lynn Glass, a professor of sociology, Lisa Moore, a professor of English, and Mia Carter, an associate professor of English.  The grounds for their lawsuit? According to the Washington Post, it’s that the Texas pro-gun law forces UT “to impose ‘overly-solicitous, dangerously-experimental gun policies’ that violate the First and Second Amendments, as well as the Fourteenth (see today’s Hili dialogue). You can see the full copy of the lawsuit here.

“Compelling professors at a public university to allow, without any limitation or restriction, students to carry concealed guns in their classrooms chills their First Amendment rights to academic freedom,” the lawsuit says.

The complaint also cites the Second Amendment, which is usually used by gun-rights supporters to bolster ideas such as campus carry.

“The Second Amendment is not a one-way street,” it says. “It starts with the proposition that a ‘well-regulated militia,’ (emphasis added), is necessary to the security of a free state. The Supreme Court has explained that ‘well-regulated’ means ‘imposition of proper discipline and training.’”

The complaint adds: “If the state is to force them to admit guns into their classrooms, then the officials responsible for the compulsory policy must establish that there is a substantial reason for the policy and that their regulation of the concealed carrying of handguns on college campuses is ‘well-regulated.’ Current facts indicate that they cannot do so.”

The professors also claim that the law violates the 14th Amendment, which promises equal protection under the law.

Sadly, this looks like a loser given current law. The professors are free to express their opinions, and if their willingness to do so is chilled by the possible presence of guns, well, so is anybody else’s in a concealed carry state, or even an open carry state. The Supreme Court has rejected the “militia” interpretation of the Second Amendment to favor the “right” of all citizens to have guns—an opinion that I think is deeply misguided but remains the law of the land. They’re invoking the Fourteenth Amendment because the professor claim they’re not afforded “equal protection of the law” given that there are many places where concealed handguns are not permitted in Texas.

The defendants include Attorney General Ken Paxton, the UT Austin President, Greg Fenves, and the entire nine-member board of the UT System Board of Regents.  The attorney general responded on Twi**er:

An “insult”!  Paxton is an ass.

I’m not sure how this dumb law is supposed to make the campuses safer—presumably because all those gun-carrying students could fight back if a Charles Whitman figure ever invades the campus again. As for me, I’m glad that the University of Chicago prohibits all weapons. Who knows what a petulant creationist could do?

Caturday felid trifecta: Bobcat climbs tall saguaro cactus, cat brain freezes, cheetah on Letterman

July 9, 2016 • 9:00 am

We have some video treats for you today (assuming you like cats). First up is a bobcat (Lynx rufus) that found itself on top of a 40-foot saguaro cactus in Arizona. You can find the story here; apparently the cat was chased up the cactus by a mountain lion protecting its cubs.

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Isn’t it a lovely beast?

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Of course you’re wondering two things: how the hell did it climb up there without getting ripped apart by thorns? And how did it get down? I don’t know the answer to the first question, but apparently it jumped down. I don’t know if that’s really true, but if it is it’s a long jump!

But there’s a video, too:

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Here’s a gif showing cats getting brain freezes after eating quiescently frozen confections. Yes, brain freezes (also known as “ice cream headaches”) are real.

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And here’s a lovely cheetah on Dave Letterman’s show before it went off the air. Have a look at its nonretractable claws, and listen to how d*gs are used to protect this threatened species:

As lagniappe, here’s a new Cat Meme; the first one I’ve seen involving Brexit. And it’s a good one:

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h/t: Grania, Jeremy, Brian, Matthew

Readers’ wildlife photos

July 9, 2016 • 7:45 am

T. J. Hennessy sent a farrago of photos: spiders and birds. His notes are indented. Oh, and it’s time to send me your good wildlife photos, please, for the tank is running a bit low.

I have recently retired from my day job and have more time to spend on my photography.  I have a few sets of photos that might interest you and will send them along in a series of emails to differentiate them.  First up are photos of Blue Herons [Ardea herodias].  Here in Richmond, Virginia we have a Blue Heron Rookery on the James River that is home to dozens of herons in the springtime.  A few of the photos I have here were taken along the banks of the James River.  The others were taken in the Lewis Ginter Botanic Garden, just last week.  I was there early to take close up photos of flowers, but I was surprised by a Blue Heron in the Japanese Garden, on a small island in a lake. It was beneath a Japanese maple tree and the combination of colors is amazing.
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While walking along a boardwalk on the sound side of the Outer Banks, I found a very cool spider.  I am pretty sure it is an Orb Weaver [readers?], but I do not know the species.  I was photographing water droplets after the rain, and this dime-sized patch of white near me began to pulsate.  The spider appears to cause the web to vibrate forward and backward whenever it appears threatened.  Once it calmed down I was able to get a few photographs. The spider is well camouflaged in the weaving at the center of the web.

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Along the same boardwalk I saw several Red Winged Blackbirds [Agelaius phoeniceus]. I had a good opportunity to get some close-up photos of one while it was calling for a mate.

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At the beginning of June I was on vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which is a long barrier island.  The Atlantic Ocean is on one side and a series of sounds are between the island and the mainland.  While taking photographs on the sound side at sunset, I encountered some Great Egrets [Ardea alba] wading in the shallows and fishing.  One photo shows the Egret with its catch.  Another is a wide angle shot of the sound at sunset with the egret visible in front of the reeds. [Spot the egret!]  I was also able to get some shots of the Egret in flight.

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JAC: I’ve made this large as it’s a gorgeous photo. Some day we should have a WEIT “wildlife photo of the year” contest!
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Saturday: Hili dialogue

July 9, 2016 • 6:15 am

It’s Saturday, July 9, and I find myself wondering whether something good will happen in the world this week. In fact, I can’t think of anything good that happened last week, except that Trump continues to drop in the polls. It’s a sad state of affairs when one can’t even envision some good things that could happen. But, as Kurt Vonnegut said, so it goes.

On this day in 1816, Argentina (the only country in the world named after a chemical element—a good party question), gained independence from Spain. Exactly 52 years later, American states ratified the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing citizenship to all African-Americans, as well as due process and equal protection to all citizens. And, in 1962, Andy Warhol exhibited his first dumb pictures of soup cans in Los Angeles.

Notables born on this day include Franz Boas (1858), Oliver Sacks (1933; he died last year), O. J. Simpson (1947), Tom Hanks (1956), and Courney Love (1964). Those who died on this day include Paul Broca (1880) and my former colleague, paleobiologist David Raup (2015). Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, farmer Hili pretends to be inspecting the grapes, but I suspect she’s really looking for grape-eating birds.

A: What do you see there?
Hili: Oh, nothing. I’m just looking to see how the grapes are growing.
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In Polish:
Ja: Co tam widzisz?
Hili: Och, nic. Patrzę jak winogrona rosną.
As lagniappe, enjoy this cartoon and remember: it’s a sin to disturb a sleeping cat:
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Hiroko and her cat shirts are on Japanese television

July 8, 2016 • 2:30 pm

Hiroko Kubota is the extremely talented embroiderer who made my Hili shirt, and dozens of other cat shirts for other folks. It started when her son wanted a cat sewn on his shirt, and Hiroko made one so lifelike and so cute that everybody wanted one. Now she’s swamped with orders (she makes the shirts as well as the cat embroidery) that you’ll have to wait years to get one. You can see the variety of her work—she does more than just cats—on her Flickr page.

She’s just been profiled on a Japanese television show, and I’ve put the clip below (the director is Koh Sato). I’m not sure what’s going on at the beginning, and it’s all in Japanese, but you can pretty much figure out what’s going on—and there’s some English at the end. Hiroko likes the video because, she says, very few videos actually show the embroidery process itself, which she demonstrates by sewing a cat’s ear.  And I love the ending, when a woman in Dallas finally gets her cat shirt. (I also like the way Hiroko has pinned up the shirts so the television interviewer can’t see the cats at first, which then are revealed suddenly.)

Professor Ceiling Cat (Emeritus) makes two brief appearances with Hili shirt. Hiroko, by the way, sent me a packet of Japanese “cat’s snacks” to take to Hili when I visit in a few weeks. I think that might be the first time in history when someone in Japan has sent treats to a cat in Poland!

Here’s the video (any translations welcome!):

Happy weekend!

Japanese person buys a bunch of grapes for about $11,000, or $350 per grape

July 8, 2016 • 1:30 pm

We have two items from Japan this afternoon. The first comes from the Guardian, which announces that a single bunch of grapes sold for 1.1 million yen. That’s the equivalent, they say, of £8350 pounds, or about $11,000 in U.S. currency. Of course these aren’t your ordinary grapes: they’re huge (about the size of a ping-pong ball), and Wikpedia says this:

Every grape is checked strictly to guarantee its quality, with certification seals placed on those thus selected. The Ruby Roman has strict rules for selling; each grape must be over 20g and over 18% sugar. In addition, a special “premium class” exists which requires the grape to be over 30g and where the entire fruit bunch must weigh at least 700g. In 2010, only six grapes qualified for premium status while in 2011, no grapes made the cut.

Six grapes met the “premium class standard.” No wonder they’re so expensive! 30 grams, by the way, is over an ounce. I’d love to taste one, but at $350 per grape, I don’t think I’ll be doing that any time soon.  But some lucky people will, as the Guardian reports:

Seasonal fruit offerings in Japan routinely attract large sums from buyers seeking social prestige, or from shop owners keen to attract customers.

The buyer of Thursday’s bunch promised to dole out samples to a few fortunate patrons.

“These are truly Ruby Roman gems,” bidder Takamaru Konishi from western Japan told the press.

“We will display them at our store before giving our customers a sample taste,” he said.

Here’s what they look like:

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And be sure to watch this video, which lists the five most expensive fruits in the world (four are boutique fruit from Japan, and the Ruby Romans are only #5). You’ll be surprised at #1!

h/t: Gravelinspector