May 15
CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI (May 15, 1567)
May 15 is the birthday of Italian composer CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI (1567-1643).
"The end of all good music is to affect the soul."
Monteverdi straddled the Renaissance and Baroque, and his music displays characteristics of both eras. Monteverdi is credited with composing the first opera, "Orfeo," as well as many madrigals and glorious sacred music, of which the grandest is his Vespers of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1610).
VIKTOR VASNETSOV (May 15, 1848)
May 15 is the birthday of Russian painter and illustrator VIKTOR VASNETSOV (1848-1926).
Vasnetsov "specialized in mythological and historical subjects. He is considered the co-founder of Russian folklorist and romantic nationalistic painting, and a key figure in the Russian revivalist movement." (Wikipedia)
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1887)
Baptism of Prince Vladimir (1890)
The Flying Carpet (1880)
L. FRANK BAUM (May 15, 1856)
May 15 is the birthday of the American author L. FRANK BAUM (1856-1919).
"I can't give you a brain, but I can give you a diploma."
Best known for "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and its sequels, Baum "wrote 14 novels in the Oz series, plus 41 other novels, 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts ... In 1914, Baum started his own film production company The Oz Film Manufacturing Company, which came as an outgrowth of the Uplifters. He served as its president and principal producer and screenwriter. The films were directed by J. Farrell MacDonald, with casts that included early appearances by Harold Lloyd and Hal Roach. Silent film actor Richard Rosson appeared in one of the films (Rosson's younger brother Harold Rosson was the cinematographer on The Wizard of Oz, released in 1939)." (Wikipedia)
RICHARD AVEDON
RICHARD AVEDON (May 15, 1923)
May 15 is the birthday of American photographer RICHARD AVEDON (1923-2004).
"My portraits are more about me than they are about the people I photograph."
"All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth."
Avedon "was always interested in how portraiture captures the personality and soul of its subject. As his reputation as a photographer became more well known, he photographed many public figures in his studio with a large-format 8×10 view camera. His subjects include Buster Keaton, Marian Anderson, Marilyn Monroe, Ezra Pound, Isak Dinesen, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Andy Warhol, and the Chicago Seven.
By eliminating the use of soft lights and props, Avedon was able to focus on the inner worlds of his subjects evoking emotions and reactions. He would at times evoke reactions from his portrait subjects by guiding them into uncomfortable areas of discussion or asking them psychologically probing questions. Through these means he would produce images revealing aspects of his subject's character and personality that were not typically captured by others." (Wikipedia)
Ronald Fisher, Beekeeper, Davis, California, May 9, 1981, printed 1985
MARILYN MONROE
JASPER JOHNS (b. May 15, 1930
May 15 is the birthday of American painter and sculptor JASPER JOHNS (b. 1930)
"Take an object. Do something to it. Do something else to it."
Johns is a "painter, sculptor, and printmaker whose work is associated with abstract expressionism, Neo-Dada, and pop art. He is well known for his depictions of the American flag and other US-related topics. Johns's works regularly sell for millions of dollars at sale and auction, including a reported $110 million sale in 2010. At multiple times works by Johns have held the title of most paid for a work by a living artist." (Wikipedia)
