AIM

In all civility, men just couldn’t aim properly. That explains why we need to tip toe inside public washrooms.

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Misnomer

The notion that big means good in art is but a misnomer. Even when it is more difficult to handle bigger canvases, that does not mean that size alone overwhelms every other factor from color to form to skill to texture etc crucial to what is termed as ‘good art’ worthy to collect. I would urge every artist to understand how to balance canvas size with the subject matter and subject matter relative to the empty spaces. Certain subjects looks better on smaller canvases than on larger ones and certain subjects looks better on print and paper than on canvasses. Because of this many a work became mediocre because certain subjects are either overblown or it went obscure. That is what is termed as proportion. As an extreme example, no one would be fascinated with the imperial faberge eggs if it was made bigger just like the Eiffel Tower would remain obscure if it is one size smaller.

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zest of living

One will never experience the zest of living and loving till one is on the verge of dying..

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Craftsmen for the Courts

When the Italians were churning out sculptures in the hundreds, often complaining about the stones brittleness, the Chinese were carving them by the tens of thousands. Many times in soft soapstone, jades, nephrites, bones and in figurines smaller than a foot tall in the greatest of detail. They never complain, they never gain fame. They never have the privilege to inscribe their own name on the works. Often just toiling for long hours working as a craftsmen for the courts.

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ceramic market

As long as excavation never stops, one can never claim to be an accomplished expert in Chinese Ceramics. Only an authority perhaps or a well learnt. It is a vast subject and good things doesn’t come in abundance. As much as one likes to focus on a preferred period, it is already a challenge sorting out the doubtful from the authentic. Everyday in every way, there are constant debates by historians and archaeologists piecing up their findings. Many theories and attribution to kilns had been re written judging by the shards found. Dynasties had also been inserted between other dynasties. Quaintly, one would be surprised that in China auctions, good imitations of genuine copies also has a ready market. So its a whole ball game altogether in the collectors market.

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Cultural Revolution

During the cultural revolution, Chairman Mao issued a decree to destroy all ideas, culture, tradition, and its way of living. Scholars, literatis, rank and badge officers including shamans were publicly stoked alive and all their precious objects including paintings, cloissones, books, even temples were all torn down and destroyed with. Only a handful of their citizens secretly hide these items by burying them while the rest participated in glory of the rising commander.

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Spanish Silver Dollar

Before the Spanish Silver Dollar became the widely accepted exchange of world currency in the 16th century, every trader trades with currencies of their own country using the weight of the metal as their yardstick. Way before that, tokens were used. Be it in metal, ivory or porcelain very much like today’s gambling chips. These chips were a form of exchange and also a form of wage where producing a token to the bodega rewards one with a fine meal. But way before the tokens, what was used then? There were colorful beads, cowry shells, semi precious stones and metal nuggets some in the shape of animals and fruits, others in the form of canons as well as kettlepots. Well that was the time where barter trading was widely accepted. And when there are no laws to bar certain goods from being traded, especially with Chinese Ceramics, then one cannot claim that every imperial ware that is outside China is stolen. Your law is only enforced after 1970. Since as early as 1200, Chinese fleets have combed the Straits of Malacca.

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Lab Report and Cat Scan

A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon.

As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird’s chest.

After a moment or two, the vet shook his head and sadly said, “I’m sorry, your duck, Cuddles, has passed away.

The distressed woman wailed, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am sure. Your duck is dead,” replied the vet..

“How can you be so sure?” she protested. “I mean you haven’t done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something.”

The vet turned around and left the room.

He returned a few minutes later with a black Labrador Retriever.

As the duck’s owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom.

He then looked up at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.

The vet patted the dog on the head and took it out of the room.

A few minutes later he returned with a cat.

The cat jumped on the table and also delicately sniffed the duck from head to foot.

The cat sat back on its haunches shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room.

The vet looked at the woman and said, “I’m sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck.”

The vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman..

The duck’s owner, still in shock, took the bill. “$1500!”she cried,

“$1500 just to tell me my duck is dead!”

The vet shrugged, “I’m sorry. If you had just taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20, but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it’s now $1500.”

(Author Unknown)