Vigelandsparken in Oslo, Norway

A couple of years ago I visited a unique park in Oslo, Norway. One man conceptualized all of the sculptures that decorate the park. That man was Gustav Vigeland. Vigelandsparken is located on 80 acres just off the city center of the capital of Norway. Also located just south of the grounds of the park is a museum dedicated to the works of Vigeland, and this building also served as his studio in his time.

Some of the photos are mine and some are from other sources.

The gates to the park are a beautiful art deco design.

--from the Vigeland Museum website

The monolith can be seen from afar.

One of the most photographed and famous statues in the park is of this little boy.

The museum and former studio of Gustav Vigeland is in this building:

--by Helge Høifødt

From the monolith:

Reading: The Wolves of Andover (now re-released as The Traitor's Wife) by Kathleen Kent

I just finished reading Dallas author Kathleen Kent's second novel, The Wolves of Andover, released a few weeks ago. Published by Little, Brown and Company, I found this sophomore effort by Ms. Kent to be a fine prequel to The HERetic's Daughter.

This fictionalized historical prequel is the story of how Martha Allen and Thomas Carrier met and married and also tells the story of Thomas Carrier's past as executioner of Charles I. From The HERetic's Daughter, we know that Martha Carrier was eventually executed for being a witch.

There was a lot to like about The Wolves of Andover. Martha Allen as a 20 year old (quite the old maid for the times) being sent to live with her pregnant cousin and her family was portrayed in Ms. Kent's now becoming familiar writing style that I enjoy. Martha works hard for her room and board. Cooking, cleaning, and taking care of her cousin's two children are part of her duties, besides helping with whatever else needs to be done on their farm. Her only diversions are the two men who also labor for her cousin's husband, a merchant who is often on the road. One of these men is Thomas, whom we know Martha eventually marries and has children with before she is falsely accused of being a witch. Ms. Kent slowly unfolds the story of how Martha and Thomas grow closer as the time nears for the cousin to deliver.

Ms. Kent's characterization of Martha as a strong, strident woman in a time when this is not appreciated is very discomforting knowing what fate has in store for her. I find myself rooting for her a lot because she seems to always manage to be in a dire situation because she is not demure and can be very bold.

Thomas' story is also told as Martha keeps a diary and writes down what she learns about her future husband. Certain men had been sent to New England by Charles II to find and assassinate those who had a part in the execution of his father. Even in the 1600's, a network of spies and counterspies existed. How they operated and how they protected each other was a nice juxtaposition against my current viewing of the British TV series MI-5.

Ms. Kent also provides readers with a look at how violent indeed the times were in the mid 1600's in London, as well as in New England. Rats, knives, blood, scars, prostitution, Indian savagery, laborious field work, smallpox, childbirth, and wolves (literally and figuratively) were all part of Martha and Thomas' world. I am still amazed that the real Thomas Carrier lived to be 109 years old.

I miss Ms. Kent's writing from the perspective of one of Martha's daughters, but I enjoyed how she would focus on Martha, then switch to the assassins, then switch to Thomas' story. Ms. Kent introduced the reader to some strange, yet believable characters and events.

America Recycles Day

CLICK HERE for the Wiki-how about America Recycles Day!

In Honor of All Veterans

--The Dogs of War by Ed Newman, blogger and artist

Wordless Wednesday: St. Paul's Cathedral from the Tate Modern

--click to enlarge

Wire in the Blood

I finished watching all of the episodes from this British TV series broadcast from 2002 to 2008 via Netflix. The last episode I watched was set in Central Texas, as Dr. Tony Hill (Robson Green) traveled to this far-from-Bradfield location on a case. None of the regular co-stars traveled with him, I was sad to see. This special episode, entitled Prayer of the Bone, had all of the requisite Texas themes: rattlesnakes, murder, death penalty issues, drugs, a honky tonk. Tony rented some sort of Mustang to drive around the fictional town of Luther, Texas. The case was a mixture of Fatal Vision and the story of Todd Willingham, currently in the news again. Seeing this last episode (which was originally aired prior to the regular 2008 season) was a fitting way for me to end the series. Now, on to MI-5, known as Spooks in the UK, starring the wonderful Matthew MacFadyen.

What are some of the stars of Wire in the Blood doing now?

Robson Green will be one of the stars of the seventh series of Waterloo Road.

--Simone Lahbib and Robson Green from www.simonelahbib.net

Simone Lahbib is in the series entitled Single-Handed, which was just shown only in Ireland. She is also starring in a short film called The Other Side of My Sleep and was directed by her husband, Raffaello Degruttola.

Hermione Norris was just in a series remake of Bouquet of Barbed Wire. She’s also been touring Britain in the Noël Coward play, Blithe Spirit, which will soon be in London.

--Hermione Norris from http://www.contactmusic.com/

Mark Letheren is starring in a West End production of The Country Girl by Clifford Odets. When I was in London, I wanted to see this play, but time ran out . . .

--poster for The Country Girl at the Apollo Theatre, London. Mark Letheren is on the left.

Art Highlights from London

Select art I enjoyed from my recent trip to London:

From Apsley House:

--photo from Wikipedia

Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker, Antonio Canova, 1802-1806, white marble,

345 cm (136 in), Apsley House, London

Apsley House is also known as the Wellington Museum. It is situated on Hyde Park Corner and is the residence of the current Duke of Wellington. Eight rooms are open to the public showcasing the art and objects given to and collected by the first Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon in the Peninsular War.

From the British Museum:

--photo from Wikipedia

The King's Library or the Enlightenment Gallery in the British Museum

This gallery shows what the British Museum looked like to people during the Enlightenment Age and is housed in the space of the museum that used to be the King's Library. 

From the National Gallery:

--Sunflowers, Vincent van Gogh, 1888, oil on canvas,

92.1 cm × 73 cm (36.2 in × 28.7 in), National Gallery, London

This painting by van Gogh is one of my personal favorites, probably because my grandparents had a reproduction in their TV room for many years.

From the National Portrait Gallery:

--Prince William of Wales; Prince Henry of Wales, Nicola Jane ('Nicky') Philipps, 2009,
oil on canvas, 54 1/8 in. x 58 1/8 in. (1374 mm x 1475 mm), National Portrait Gallery, London

From the Museum of London:

--Chain mail shirt from the 14th Century

The Museum of London was amazing and there were so many interesting artifacts and objects of interest. This city museum tells the history of London from Roman times to the present day.

From the Tate Modern:

--Calder mobile, Alexander Calder, circa 1932, metal, wood, wire and string,

unconfirmed: 1500 x 2000 x 2000 mm, Tate Modern, London

This picture does not do this work by Calder justice. I really enjoy observing Calder's mobiles.

The Garden of Eden by Ernest Hemingway

--Fuck Yeah, Hemingway