i always like to see this painting when i go to the frick.

did you see the vermeer exhibit at the met in the fall alex?

[0] Never been a painting guy, just don't "get" it..I know people who can stare at a painting for half-an-hour and just go into a trance, but it doesn't happen for me..guess I will have to stick to 45-minute long John Coltrane versions of "My Favortie Things", now THAT'S a trance!

I did see the film from a few years back about Vermeer, the "Girl with the Pearl Earring"..it was "ok", obvioulsy done by a director more versed in painting than in film so it looked gorgeous (as did Ms. Scarlett...ahem...) but it had no flow or rythmn at all.

http://www.theyankeeu.com/2010/02/discussion-can-we-really-judge-a-players-effort-15106

Worth a read.

[2] It's easy to look at this scene as a still from a film, that's what fascinates me about it. I can imagine placing lights around this set to get the kind of contrasts and shadows he achieves. I wish I could have afforded to go to art school and get a formal education; it certainly would enhance my pre-production process. Still, with the internet you can learn so much more than you ever could before in general, so it's never too late to study.

Now Coltrane, that man became whatever he was playing. He poured so much of himself into his movements. I can only imagine seeing him and Miles together...

[3] I agree with the guy who wrote the post; it's easy for us to criticize certain players for what appears to be laziness in the aftermath of a fouled play, but putting it into perspective, these guys would not even be where they are if they were dogging it. That implies a chronic habit in the person; he would have had to have indicated or exhibited this type of behavior throughout his career, in which case he'd have not likely made it through the minors, never mind the majors. Money may change a few things about people, but I doubt that if you'd been working hard your whole life that it would suddenly make you lazy... unless you were surrounded by bad influences, in which case it would be prevalent throughout the team, thr clubhouse and the organization.

So no, I don't worry about Cano's apparently "laid back" nature when he plays. People can lose concentration for many reasons, but I don't believe he's not motivated; that's just ridiculous. He's a champion and he's surrounded by champions. You don't have the type of numbers he has being unmotivated, and you don't get to that level that way either.

I was always a Caravaggio fan myself, but Vermeer will do. I like the way they both use light in their work. Someone pointed out to me that Sidney Lumet worked to emulate this look in his late 70s/early 80s work like Prince of the City or The Verdict. Love it.

My uncle took me to see a major Caravaggio show when I was 10 or 11 I think and it made a huge impression on me. I'll do a Caravaggio week sometime too. Good lookin.