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This fall, I got a chance to spend a few weeks in Madrid. Madrid has always been known for its art and painting scene but I never explored it much in my earlier trips. But this time, it being lockdown season with limited things to do, plus my recently discovered love for painting led me to spend a considerable amount of time exploring the various museums of Madrid. This time around for sure, I was able to appreciate them more plus learn a bit about how I can improve my own paintings too. I visited the Thyssen, Reina Sofia, Prado and Sorolla museums during my stay. Most of them when they were free to visit. Given the pandemic, one had to book online even for the free slots, to limit the number of visitors. And surprisingly, the slots got booked very early on. All these museums are different from each other. Thyssen has paintings from a private collection and so has an eclectic mix of painters from different eras, of various painting styles. Prado covers the pre-1800 art while the R...

Shogun is a popular book based on Japan, written by James Clavell in the 70s. It is a fictional account of the experiences of a British sailor who is marooned in the Japan of the 1600s, the era of shoguns and samurais. The book is based on real events but of course is hugely fictionalised. The setting of the book is like that of an epic and it is a mesmerising account of how the country may have been like when it was closed to the world. It is an awesome read, grand in its setting and ambitious in its scope. Once picked, it is tough to let go of it till you finish it. For me, ever since I visited Japan, I have been quite fascinated by the country. Ive read a few books to understand the culture more - the sound of waves, a tale for the time being, Shibumi, Ikigai and even Pachinko. But I think the book I was looking for was Shogun. It gave a comprehensive view of what the Japanese society was like, and why it may have evolved into what it is now. I am sure the book has its flaws, but it...

Ask yourself a few questions today  Do you feel your mind is always whirring, always running? Jumping from one to the next to-do? Planning the day ahead without pausing enough for the moment now? Even when you are ‘relaxing’? Do you feel you are always running to deadlines, whether at work, or even in personal life? Even when you may not have to?  Do you sometimes feel guilty when you have free time, and you don’t do something ‘productive’ with it?  Do you feel a pressure to always multi-task? To listen to a book or podcast while running? To read something while in the tube? To do something on your laptop while watching tv? To check your phone while having a conversation with a friend?  Do you find it tough to sit and focus on one task for too long, without your mind wandering somewhere else? Do you find yourself unable to just read a book or exercise, without getting distracted with something else, especially your phone?  Do you find it difficult to stay away f...

This article is an incomplete list, of some artists I have encountered while visiting museums (mostly in NY Met and the Prado in Madrid), when I liked some of their paintings and noted it down 😊. I hope to keep updating and adding to this list as I explore more art. Older Artists Juan di Espinosa:  I liked his still life paintings at the Prado museum in Madrid. He painted fruits on a table, like grapes, figs, plums and apples, each one of the fruits appearing life like. As much as I generally don't get drawn to still life paintings, his were different. And I would love to have one in my dining room. You can see these paintings  here , and my favourite of these were Grapes and apple and Octagonal still life . Leonardo Da Vinci: To be honest, I have seen a lot of his paintings, in National Gallery in London, in Florence, Louvre and so on. But I was never drawn to them. When reading his biography though, I understand why he is known as a master. Some of the effec...

Here are a few art pieces over the years, which have stayed with me. Along with the story linked to it. I am also including some sculptures and handicraft pieces which I really liked. This is of course a small subsection of art I have liked over the years, depending on whether I remembered and/or was allowed to take a photo of them. Going forward I plan to be more diligent in capturing such art which draws me, and posting them here... Whistlejacket Whistlejacket by George Stubbs, or just 'the horse', National Museum, London (UK), 2004 This painting of a horse is a huge one and sits amid many paintings of the Renaissance era, with very different subjects. Somehow, it had made a very strong impact on me, the first time I saw it in 2004. And its maybe the first painting I really liked and remembered. When I was exploring possibly my first non-Indian museum ever. The painting wasn't by any of the masters like Da Vinci and Reubens and so on. But it still stuck with...

Art is such a personal topic, but somehow it takes us long to realise that. I always felt I didn't have an eye to appreciate it, to identify great art. And it took me many years to figure out that there is no absolute thing as good or bad art. Good art is just what in your own view appeals to you. For me, that is what speaks to me, what I connect with. Something that makes me stop and turn back for a few moments, to admire it. It doesn't matter whether it is 'considered' to be good art in the world or not. If it works for me, it is. For me. Of course there is a correlation between the two. Often enough, what is considered good art in the world will appeal to you. But not always, and it doesn't matter. You don't need to be constrained by what the world thinks. And this knowledge gave me freedom. To appreciate. To like or dislike art. As I felt it. Once armed with this realisation, I started forming my own opinions. And stopped being bothered with whether I wa...

There are a lot of non-fiction books which pick up a psychological or social topic and delve deeper into it. But a lot of such books end up repeating the same idea, from multiple angles, all through the book. And that is one aspect in which I found Rebel Ideas quite different. The author did have an idea to start with, but he moves much beyond the original idea along the book, which made it a lot more interesting to read (and easier to finish) than a lot of the other books I have read in this genre. And thats why I would recommend reading Rebel Ideas. Its written well and you definitely won't get bored 😊. The overall theme of the book is a case for diversity. In life, in organisations, in thought and so on. And the author gives reasons why diversity matters, why it is important, and also shares examples to show why it works better than not having diversity. I am sharing below a few thoughts in the book which struck with me... The biggest reason why it makes sense to have m...