London PhotoBlogging

As that’s more fun than writing about anything else this morning.

Like our Leaderz today, Assyrian Rulers loved to celebrate their ‘victories’ in relief, and ignore the consequences of military adventurism. The Neo-Assryian kingdoms eventually collapsed under the weight of their military and imperialism and were conquered by their former client states. They never rose again.

These are from the section of Assyrian reliefs in the British Museum. Personally, I prefer Sumerian monumental art; I find the Assyrian stuff soulless and stiff by comparison. Sadly, the Sumerian wing of the BM was closed while I was in London.

I hope the Dems remember this as they expand the Afghanistan front. Land wars in Asia = Never a good idea.

For all you LOLcatz people. Our worship of our Masters is ancient, as you can see.

I forget whose famous horse this is supposed to be, but dayum! It was Huge! I fell in love, reluctantly, with Greek Sculpture, while on my trip. I’ve always hated ancient Greek misogyny, but their abilities with stone and marble almost makes me forgive them for it.

Again, if you get a chance to see stuff like this in person, do so. Photos just don’t do it justice, the delicacy and artistry is masterful.

And again, this one was Supersized! Looking upon some of the statuary, I could better understand how the ancients conceptualized their gods. Larger than life, more beautiful than humanity can ever be. If you have to worship something, I guess beauty is a good choice.

Of course all you want to do, upon seeing the broken pieces, is curse the people who over time, destroyed the original Parthenon. I feel the same way for Rummy and the rest of the cretins who’ve destroyed the ancient record left in Iraq. With very strong curses.

It’s hard for me not to love Chinese art, even as I know absolutely nothing about it. The colors on this piece were astounding.

I don’t know if I’d put one in my house, but the new “Timepieces” section of the BM was cool. It’s interesting to contemplate how seriously the invention and spread of reliable timepieces changed Europe, and later the world.

Interior of St. Martin’s in the Field. Which is not any longer in anything that could be called a ‘field,’ but oh well. Take a close look at the window; it was very funky and unusual, esp for a church.

A private garden near the Palace. The British have only made me more serious about my gardening. But I don’t like the notion that there should be a lot of “private” ones in the middle of an otherwise public space.
Well, that’s likely enough for now. Heh, I could waste all day looking at pics, but sadly there’s work to be done.