The Lovers’ Chronicle 29 July – know – art by Ivan Aivazovsky

29 July 2023 By Rhett 0 In Love, Poems, Random, Songs

Dear Zazie, Here is today’s Lover’s Chronicle from Mac Tag. What do you not know? What do you know? Rhett

The Lover’s Chronicle

Dear Muse,

i know, what beauty in art,

in music, in poetry provided

here, all mirrors of her

there is much i do not know,

but i know i saw her today

and that is all i need

what i know

wind, waltzin’, workin’

wide open skies

poetry and opera

and what i used to know

well, best leave it at

i miss it all very much

what was done

cannot be

unwound

or forgotten

choices were made

and those choices

must be lived with

at least i figured out

how to go on

the pull is strong

shan’t say deserved

(never presume

that kinda power)

but earned

for certain

is it possible,

whether dealt

or self-inflicted,

one becomes

so accustomed

that one seeks

one purpose

or refuses

to get outta

the way

just hope it keeps comin’

gotta feel somethin’

all i know of truth
is what i found in you

just part of the reason
why i am never alone

Que de beautés dans l’art, à condition de pouvoir retenir ce que l’on a vu. On n’est alors jamais désoeuvré ni vraiment solitaire, jamais seul.
– Vincent Van Gogh

This one just sort of appeared. I believe it came from a few lines from a half remembered poem. What do I know? Not enough? Too much? Certainly, more than I did. I wish I knew then what I know now. What I did not know then, if you have been following TLC, you know. How to be without you……

What I Do Not Know

With certainty,
What I do know

Horses, cattle
Ropes, boots, spurs, wind
Waltzin’, workin’
Wide open skies
French poetry
And opera

And here is what
I used to know

The softest touch
Sweetest caress
Lingerin’ kiss
Fervent friction
Climax in sync
Mutual sigh

All of that missed
So very much

But what was done
Cannot be unwound
Or forgotten
Choices were made
And those choices
Must be lived with

So here is what
I do not know

How in the hell
Do I do that
To live without
What I lived for
How, tell me how
Do I go on

Ivan Aivazovsky
Self-portrait, 1874, oil on canvas, 74 × 58 cm, Uffizi, Florence

Today is the birthday of Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (Feodosia, Taurida; 29 July 1817 – 2 May 1900 Feodosia); Romantic painter. In my opinion, he is one of the greatest marine artists. Baptized as Hovhannes Aivazian, Aivazovsky was born into an Armenian family in the Black Sea port of Feodosia and was mostly based in his native Crimea. Following his education at the Imperial Academy of Arts, Aivazovsky traveled to Europe and lived briefly in Italy in the early 1840s. He then returned to Russia and was appointed the main painter of the Russian Navy. The saying “worthy of Aivazovsky’s brush”, popularized by Anton Chekhov, was used in Russia for “describing something ineffably lovely.” During his almost 60-year career, he created around 6,000 paintings, making him one of the most prolific artists of his time. The vast majority of his works are seascapes, but he often depicted battle scenes, Armenian themes, and portraiture.

In 1848, Aivazovsky married Julia Graves, an English governess. They separated in 1860 and divorced in 1877 with permission from the Armenian Church, since Graves was a Lutheran.

Aivazovsky’s second wife, Anna Burnazian, was a young Armenian widow 40 years his junior. Aivazovsky said that by marrying her in 1882, he “became closer to [his] nation”, referring to the Armenian people.

Gallery

A self-portrait, 1830s–1840s

in Italian costume, by Vasily Sternberg, 1842

Portrait by Alexey Tyranov, 1841

with his first wife, Julia, and their four daughters

1898 painting titled Among the waves.

A photograph, 1870

Portrait by Dmitry Bolotov (1876)

his second wife Anna Burnazian (1882)

The Ninth Wave (1850) is considered Aivazovsky’s most famous work.

Stormy Sea in Night (1849)

Landscapes
Azure Grotto, Naples (1841)
View of Constantinople (1856)
View of Tiflis (1869)
Moscow in Winter from the Sparrow Hills (1872)

Seascapes
Night at Gurzof
Battle of Navarino (1848)
The brig Mercury encounter after defeating two Turkish ships of the Russian squadron (1848)
Bracing The Waves
Battle of Çesme at Night (1856)
Bay of Naples (1842)
American Shipping off the Rock of Gibraltar (1873)
Rainbow (1873)
Ship “Twelve Apostles” (1878)
Sea coast at night. Near the beacon
Seascape with a steamer (1886)
Tempest by Sounion, 1856
Brig “Mercury” Attacked by Two Turkish Ships (1892)
Lake Maggiore in the Evening (1892)