>A tad romantic but as a frequent visitor to Orkney I find satisfaction >enough in the natural sculpture of the hills, cliffs and geos. I have to >admit to being a bit leery of monuments to individuals; for me the >standing stones, the town architecture, the brochs and even - contentious >issue - the windmills - are a monument to the real heroes, the folk who >live in, work in and build a country. Jan (Aus.) >

All, Jan wrote, below: >> A tad romantic but as a frequent visitor to Orkney I find >> satisfaction >> enough in the natural sculpture of the hills, cliffs and geos. I >> have to >> admit to being a bit leery of monuments to individuals; for me the >> standing stones, the town architecture, the brochs and even - >> contentious >> issue - the windmills - are a monument to the real heroes, the >> folk who >> live in, work in and build a country. Of course there would have been those who felt the same way before St. Magnus Cathedral was begun - who needs a huge building when we have sky and sun to reveal God to us? Did they need to allow those Italian prisoners of war to make that funny little chapel? The windmills, I am sure, raised plenty of controversy. Every change brings opposition, then grudging acceptance, and finally pride. Such is the bumpy road to cultural richness, usually fraught with opposition. But art continues, and perseveres. Art is never unanimous. There will always be those who oppose it. But there are also those who see its value, who revel in its richness, who appreciate the chance to see the world through another's eyes. And I believe that Orkney appreciates art, else why so many artists, and why so many outlets for art, and why so many buyers? It is a little like drink. if a person opposes drink, must we all remain dry? Why can't that person walk past the pub and leave others to enjoy a pint? If a person finds enough satisfaction in the nature and manmade monuments of the past, that is beautiful, but does that mean no one else gets to enjoy the fruits of an artist's vision? Tuck

Near here in a park are huge bronze sculptures installed on a huge raised granite base. One of them, a native in traditional attire, has for as long as I have been alive, been a real attraction. The big bronze fellow is seated, and he is perhaps 15 to twenty feet tall. Indeed he is so substantial that kids will clime the stairs and with help sit in his chair-like lap and have their photo taken. The details of the face, the bare feet and the feathers are all so captivating in this huge bronze form. Yep... "Tad romantic" is a valid point from the lady in Australia. Point is though, art is all about passion. Passion tends to get romantic, and for me that passion and romance is what keeps the aging fire burning. If ever that passion and romance fades, life won't be the same. To my way of thinking, silent art speaks louder and with more legitimacy and passion than a lot of words. IN JULY OF 2002, our Ken Thomson paid 49.5 million pounds for a painting of Rubens called Massacre of the Innocents....just a bit shy of the price of a new Boeing 767 for example. Some felt that was a "tad romantic." Personally, I totally understand why he did that. Gross as that impression from the bible is, it is all about passion. I guess Ken felt that painting was a tad romantic to stitch a cheque. The passion for life that Roy, Ken and now David Thomson have expressed for art kept them steaming along in business. That same passion saw the elder Roy return to Scotland some years back, where he established the first tv in Scotland, bought most of the newspapers, and was a major investor in the North Sea oil project. So a tad romantic and a touch of passion as observed in sculpture and other art, often inspires business people, or so it seems here anyways. Art....survives wars, engages the hearts and minds and souls of truly creative people. Often this is how they express their love for people and things, as words are just not enough. yours...Stephen On Oct 2, 2007, at 12:02 AM, Tuck wrote: > All, > > Jan wrote, below: > >>> A tad romantic but as a frequent visitor to Orkney I find >>> satisfaction >>> enough in the natural sculpture of the hills, cliffs and geos. I >>> have to >>> admit to being a bit leery of monuments to individuals; for me the >>> standing stones, the town architecture, the brochs and even - >>> contentious >>> issue - the windmills - are a monument to the real heroes, the >>> folk who >>> live in, work in and build a country. > > Of course there would have been those who felt the same way before > St. Magnus Cathedral was begun - who needs a huge building when we > have sky and sun to reveal God to us? Did they need to allow those > Italian prisoners of war to make that funny little chapel? The > windmills, I am sure, raised plenty of controversy. Every change > brings opposition, then grudging acceptance, and finally pride. > > Such is the bumpy road to cultural richness, usually fraught with > opposition. But art continues, and perseveres. Art is never > unanimous. There will always be those who oppose it. But there are > also those who see its value, who revel in its richness, who > appreciate the chance to see the world through another's eyes. And I > believe that Orkney appreciates art, else why so many artists, and > why so many outlets for art, and why so many buyers? It is a little > like drink. if a person opposes drink, must we all remain dry? Why > can't that person walk past the pub and leave others to enjoy a pint? > > If a person finds enough satisfaction in the nature and manmade > monuments of the past, that is beautiful, but does that mean no one > else gets to enjoy the fruits of an artist's vision? > > Tuck > > _______________________________________ > Orcadia Group Photo Album > http://tinyurl.com/28bx9x > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ORCADIA- > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message