Sunday, March 27, 2011

Quips and Quotations

There may be a great fire in our soul, yet no one ever comes to warm himself at it, and the passers-by see only a wisp of smoke.

--Vincent van Gogh

14 comments:

  1. The subject of one of my (paid) biographies painted a portrait of van Gogh by invitation for his museum, as an image to be used for their logo. I do not like my literary subject very much (as a person). But I like some of what he painted.

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  2. Did he paint him with or without his left ear?

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  3. I haven't heard. ;~}

    WV - loonses. Yes, indeed.

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  4. The soul often hides among the personas we wear in daily life, whether artist, drug runner or businessman. Nice choice Kirk

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  5. Thanks, Tag.

    If life is a game of hide-and-seek, the soul is usually "it".

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  6. That's kind of a sad quote.

    I've been drawn to many hot souls and enjoyed every bit of the smoldering.

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  7. i agree with kass, a sad view. the caution with hot souls is that you may get burned. no, not may, will. is it worth the scars?

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  8. rraine - I guess I love to suffer.

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  9. kass-oh, ouch.

    just found this:
    Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light.
    Albert Schweitzer

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  10. Good one, rraine.

    Kirk, do you mind if rraine and I just converse here a bit?

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  11. @Kass(part I)--Van Gogh had a good deal to be sad about. He sold only one painting during his lifetime, and struggled with mental illness. Some feel the mental illness contributed to the originality of his painting style. I much prefer to think his originality stemmed from being...original (I mean, c'mon, what are they saying then, that banality is a sign of mental health?!)

    I personally took the comment to mean that hot souls are driven to live at the margins of society. Which was certainly the case with Van Gogh.

    @rraine(part I)--Hmm...I've been interested in Van Gogh ever since seeing a movie (starring a namesake of mine, but that's beside the point) about him a while back. According to the movie and various on-line biographies I've read, he seems to have burnt himself much more than he ever burned anyone around him. Then again, not too many people stuck around him long enough to get burnt.

    Van Gogh cut off his ear after getting into an argument with fellow painter Paul Gaughin. That's what can happen when two hot souls collide.

    @rraine(part II)--Good quote. Unfortunately, not everybody likes to get blown. (Um, that didn't come out quite the way I wanted.)

    @Kass(part II)--Converse away. Anything to drive up the numbers (heh, heh.) I see you left what's so far is your final comment yesterday when I was away from the computer. I hope my absence and temporary lack of response didn't discourage you.

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  12. It takes about 12 years to discourage me (the length of each of my significant liaisons).

    Thanks for all the background on Van Gogh. I remember that Kirk Douglas movie. It makes me sad to think of his appearance at the opening of the last Academy Awards.

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  13. He wasn't nearly as sad as James Franco.

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In order to keep the hucksters, humbugs, scoundrels, psychos, morons, and last but not least, artificial intelligentsia at bay, I have decided to turn on comment moderation. On the plus side, I've gotten rid of the word verification.