may 23
FRANZ ANTON MESMER (May 23, 1734)
May 23 is the birthday of German physician and astrologer FRANZ ANTON MESMER (1734-1815).
“Nature affords a universal means of healing and preserving men.”
Mesmer "theorised the existence of a natural energy transference occurring between all animated and inanimate objects; this he called 'animal magnetism,' sometimes later referred to as mesmerism. Mesmer's theory attracted a wide following between about 1780 and 1850, and continued to have some influence until the end of the 19th century. In 1843, the Scottish doctor James Braid proposed the term 'hypnotism' for a technique derived from animal magnetism; today the word 'mesmerism' generally functions as a synonym of 'hypnosis.' Mesmer also supported the arts, specifically music; he was on friendly terms with Haydn and Mozart." (Wikipedia)
DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS (May 23, 1883)
May 23 is the birthday of swashbuckling silent film star DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS (1883-1939).
"The man that's out to do something has to keep in high gear all the time."
Fairbanks "biggest stars of the silent era, Fairbanks was referred to as 'The King of Hollywood.' He was also a founding member of United Artists as well as the Motion Picture Academy and hosted the 1st Academy Awards in 1929.
Born in Denver, Colorado, Fairbanks started acting from an early age and established himself as an accomplished stage actor on Broadway by the late 1900s. He made his film debut in 1915 and quickly became one of the most popular and highest paid actors in Hollywood. In 1919, he co-founded United Artists alongside Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and D. W. Griffith. Fairbanks married Pickford in 1920 and the couple came to be regarded as "Hollywood royalty". Primarily a comedic actor early in his career, he moved into the adventure genre with the 1920 film The Mark of Zorro and found further success in films including Robin Hood (1922) and The Thief of Bagdad (1924)." (Wikipedia)
FRANZ KLINE
FRANZ KLINE (May 23, 1910)
May 23 is the birthday of American painter FRANZ KLINE (1910-1962).
"The final test of a painting, theirs, mine, any other, is: does the painter's emotions come across?"
Kline "is associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement of the 1940s and 1950s. Kline, along with other action painters like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell, John Ferren, and Lee Krasner, as well as local poets, dancers, and musicians came to be known as the informal group, the New York School. Although he explored the same innovations to painting as the other artists in this group, Kline's work is distinct in itself and has been revered since the 1950s." (Wikipedia)
Intersection
No. 9 White and Black on Wine
HAROLD HITCHCOCK (May 23, 1914)
May 23 is the birthday of English mystical landscape artist HAROLD HITCHCOCK (1914-2009).
"His work is purely imaginative - often depicting, in fine detail, a romantic mythological world of idealised beauty, suffused in light, and reminiscent of the 17th-century painter Claude Lorraine. However, his art often has a peculiarly English quality following in the tradition of artists such as William Blake (in his adoption of a personal mythology) and particularly Samuel Palmer in his depiction of a pastoral idyll. His use of light also recalls the paintings of J.M.W. Turner. Remarkably unaffected by modern trends in art, he follows his own unique inner vision, working in a spontaneous way with great technical skill." (Wikipedia)
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
The accordion
THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On May 23, 1829, a patent for the accordion was granted to Cyrill Demian in Vienna, Austrian Empire.
"Its appearance essentially consists of a little box with feathers of metal plates and bellows fixed to it, in such a way that it can easily be carried, and therefore traveling visitors to the country will appreciate the instrument.
It is possible to perform marches, arias, melodies, even by an amateur of music with little practice, and to play the loveliest and most pleasant chords of 3, 4, 5 etc. voices after instruction." (Translated Summary of Original Old-German Manuscript)