Cicero’s De Orationis

After seeing the exhibit “The Invention of the Renaissance” at the BNF, and the work of the humanist Petrarch I wanted to write out a quote by one of his favorite Roman writers, Cicero.

Philippe Dabasse, of Barbedor Paris, inspired me to dust off my italic at his recent calligraphy class, using a model by scribe Bernardino Cattaneo.

From De Oratore, Book III, 55 B.C. by Marcus Tullius Cicero.Cicero’s De Oratore is a detailed study of the techniques and skills required by the ideal orator.

Animi est enim omnis actio et imago animi vultus, indices oculi: nam haec est una pars corporis, quae, quot animi motus sunt, tot significationes [et commutationes] possit efficere

For all the powers of action proceed from the mind, and the countenance is the image of the mind, and the eyes are its interpreters. This, indeed, is the only part of the body that can effectually display as infinite a number of expressions and changes, as there is of emotions in the soul;

Translated by J.S.Watson (1860).

#calligraphybyraoul #CiceroQuotations #RenaissanceScribe #chancellerycursive #cursivechancellerie #italic @phildab @barbedorparis #cattaneo #calligraphy #calligraphie #calligraphiechancellerie #calligraphieitalique #walnutink #broudenoix #watercolor #aquarelle

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Illuminated Names

Des tableaux calligraphiés pour mes petits neveux.
Illuminated names I did for my grand nephews.

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Luther on the Beauty of Nature

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. -Martin Luther King Jr.

Denn in der wahren Natur der Dinge ist, wenn wir recht bedenken, jeder grüne Baum viel herrlicher, als wenn er aus Gold und Silber wäre.

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Raphael

Extrait du Paradis Perdu, John Milton, traduction de François-René de Chateaubriand, 1861.
Pour le fils de ma nièce.

Publié dans le Speedball Textbook, 25ème Edition.

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Il Canzoniere, Poem 4

Petrarch - Il Canzoniere, Poem 4

The Renaissance poet Petrarch, one of the earliest humanists, wrote Il Canzoniere (The Songbook) in the vernacular Italian. Many of the poems in this collection were dedicated to Laura, whom he allegedly met on 6 April 1327. This excerpt from Poem 4 shows how smitten he was.

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Jacques Chesnais Quote

Jacques Chesnais (1907 – 1971) was a French engraver, painter, illustrator and marionnettiste. His troupe, Les Comédiens de Bois de Jacques Chesnais, performed throughout Europe. A friend of mine who is a puppet enthusiast commissioned this piece.

Citation attributed to Jacques Chesnais
De tout temps les hommes ont cherché à pénétrer le mystère de la vie et à défaut à créer l’illusion de la vie. La marionnette reste bien la plus touchante et la plus parfaite réussite de cette auto-suggestion.
Translation: For ages men have sought to penetrate the mystery of life, or at least create the illusion of life. The puppet remains by far the most touching and most perfect achievement of this self-illusion.

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I Remember Sky


I Remember

This song by Stephen Sondheim has always moved me. But given the recent wildfires that have obscured the sky of Northern California, the lyrics are particularly appropriate.

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Te Quiero Verde


Romance Sonámbulo (Detail)

Verde que te quiero verde.
Verde viento. Verdes ramas.
El barco sobre la mar
y el caballo en la montaña.
Con la sombra en la cintura
ella sueña en su baranda,
verde carne, pelo verde,
con ojos de fría plata.
Verde que te quiero verde.

from Romance Sonambulo by Federico García Lorca.

On display at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center as part of Calligraphies in Conversation, through January 16th, 2019.

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Sonnet XVIII

Copperplate pages

Preparing for my copperplate demo at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center on Thursday, November 8th, 2018.
The text is from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, published 1609.
I also have a piece on display at the exhibit, which will be open until January 16, 2019.
For more information: https://www.calligraphies.org/2018-exh-opening
#calligraphiesinconversation #crossingboundaries #calligraphyexhibit, copperplatecalligraphy #calligraphieanglaise #pointedpencalligraphy #calligraphydemo #copperplatedemo #OaklandAsianCulturalCenter #liquidsumiink #cansonmarkerlayoutpaper

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El Amor Duerme en el Pecho del Poeta

El Amor Duerme en el Pecho del Poeta

In 1984, ABC brought to light the love sonnets of Federico García Lorca, making quite a stir. The sonnet The Beloved Sleeps on the Poet’s Breast, the next to the last in the series Sonnets of Dark Love, is the first in which he speaks of a male lover. In November, 1983, a clandestine edition of the sonnets came out. In March of the following year, ABC officially published his 11 sonnets, for the first time together and in their original order.

Translation:

You will never understand how much I love you.
Because you sleep in me and are asleep.
I hide you, crying, pursued by a voice of penetrating steel.

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