2012: Former president George W. Bush spends most of his time on Texas ranch; paints portraits of Scottish terriers Barney and Miss Beazley.
1817: After being exiled to the distant island of St. Helena, Napoleon Bonaparte turns to board games to keep his spirits intact.
This becomes positively orgasmic startingat the 8:37 mark. The raw power of Beethoven is nearly overwhelming at times. - RH
P.S. Part II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-delQANvHQc&feature=relmfu
This is Ossian Receiving the Ghosts of Fallen French Heroes by Anne-Louis Girodet. Painted in 1805, it’s an homage to the literature-infused cult of Ossian, the mythical narrator of a cycle of poems by the Scottish writer James Macpherson. Perhaps it’s easier to think of it as “propaganda?” Regardless, it’s a very unique painting. And, if I remember my art history correctly, Napoleon wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. - RH
