Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was a Florentine polymath of the Italian Renaissance. He was a painter, anatomist, architect, paleontologist, botanist, writer, sculptor, philosopher, engineer, inventor, musician, poet and urban planner. He died accompanied by Francesco Melzi, to whom he bequeathed his projects, designs and paintings.​ Source: Wikipedia In the video Ginevra de’ Benci, he gives a […]

Washington with Netherlands and Japan Tighten Screws on China Over Chip War

In yet another setback for China, Japan and the Netherlands have come closer to joining the United States in imposing a ban on exporting Chinese manufacturing chips. The first outright mention of the ‘deal’ was made by Don Graves, deputy commerce department secretary of the U.S, on the sidelines of an event in Washington on […]

Ancestral Worship Ritual on Lunar New Year

For Americans, Thanksgiving is a time for families and friends to gather and eat. For many western cultures, Christmas is that time. For Muslims throughout the world, Eid is a time for families, friends, and neighbors to break bread after Ramadan. In China and throughout ethnic cultures throughout the world, Lunar New Year (or Chinese […]

Green Comet to Make First Appearance in 50,000 Years

While looking up at the sky towards the North Star on February 1 and February 2, look out for a green object to fly by. No, it’s not a bird, it’s not a plane, and it’s not superman. It’s a green comet discovered by astronomers on March 2, 2022, at the Palomar Observatory in San […]

Portraying the Human Figure

There is nothing our minds are more scrutinizing of, or more attuned to than the human figure. Through our physical appearance and expressions, we receive volumes of information about a person in one glance. The dissemination of that information and interpretation of it is almost as automatic as breathing for us. When we see the […]

Nearly Half of All American Youths Live With Their Parents.

The percentage of young adults living with their parents is on the increase. Research shows that 48% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 26 are living with their parents. This is a slight decrease from the peak recorded in 2020. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, more young adults moved back to […]

Ugolino di Nerio, The Anonymous Painter

Ugolino di Nerio (1280? – 1349) was active in his native city of Siena and in Florence between the years 1317 and 1327. He was a follower of Duccio di Buoninsegna, from whose Maestà some of his scenes are clearly derived. He was a leading master who contributed to the spread of Sienese painting in […]

A Reopened China Looks at How COVID Changed Life Forever

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of life for all citizens of the world. In China, where the virus first emerged, the impact has been particularly profound. After a strict lockdown and months of quarantine, the country has largely succeeded in controlling the spread of the virus. As life returns to “normal,” many in […]

A Week-Long Chinese Revelry in Germany

For a few days every year, the town of Dietfurt in Bavaria, Germany, turns Chinese. Hundreds of citizens wear traditional Chinese costumes to celebrate Carnival, a Chinese festival. What started with just the Bavarians celebrating is now an attraction that draws hundreds of visitors from China and other parts of the world.  Carnival is a […]

Facing the Ancestors

A Chinese ancestor group portrait that was to be sold at a local auction house eventually found its home in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Chinese painting collection. Thanks to the generosity of its donors, the painting is currently featured in the Clara T. Rankin Galleries of Chinese Art (240A). On view through February 8, […]