So Yeah...

So, obviously yesterday's posts were an extraordinary lame April Fools joke. I'm not proud of it.

Picture unrelated.

Haikus are Poems/They are for Your Enjoyment/This is a Haiku

In classic 5-7-5 structure.

All silliness in the title aside, haikus are a wonderful style of poem. Created centuries ago in Japan, Haikus traditionally consist of 17 moras (also known as on), though Westerners often say syllable instead of mora (they aren't the same thing). The beauty of the Haiku is the sheer simplistic elegance of its short verses, but, short as they may be, each line can carry an emotional weight to it that even epic poems may not produce.

Buson was considered one of the greats of the Edo period.

Basho Matsuo, also of the Edo period, is known as the first of the truly great Haiku poets.

An old silent pond...

A frog jumps into the pond,

splash! Silence again.

Other Haikus lack in depth, though.

The "Charles Dickens" of Japan, Natsume Soseki, also tried his hand at Haikus:

Over the wintry

forest, winds howl in rage

with no leaves to blow.

And good ones don't have to be about nature.

Hieronymous Bosch: A Man Unafraid to Show You His Nightmares

1450-August 9, 1516

Hieronymous Bosch (pronounced Her-on-i-muss Boss) was born Jeroen Anthoniszoon van Aken in 's-Hertogenbosch, Duchy of Brabant, in the Netherlands. His professional name is clearly an illusion to his place of birth. Unfortunately, written records from the area are shoddy, at best, for that time period, so there is not an incredible amount of information on his life. What is known is that he married Aleyt Goyaerts van den Meerveen sometime between 1479 and 1481, and that she was not only a few years older than the artist, but also from a wealthy family. While his exact date of birth is unknown, there are records of his date of expiration.


What is hotly discussed about Bosch is not information about the man, but the intricate, colorful, and often frightening images that he painted. He is well known for painting triptychs dealing with the morality of man and the price mankind will pay for its sinning ways. For the uninformed, a triptych is (usually) a style of painting in which the piece is made of three panels, each panel representing a smaller portioner of a greater work. There are two "wings" connected to a (normally) larger center piece. These wings can be folded in or positioned at various angles.

The Garden of Earthly Delights

Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights is easily his most recognizable work. This triptych shows three separate scenes, which can each be viewed as there own separate entity. But, when viewed together, tells the story of humanity. The leftmost piece is a scene of Adam & Eve partaking in the splendor that is The Garden of Eden. The center painting is of all of the wonderment that is found on Earth. Finally, the last piece of the triptych shows the punishment that the sinners who abuse their privileges on Earth face in the afterlife. As you can see, Bosch was never one to shy away from the horror and fear that was Hell and damnation, and his paintings were often a warning to people to live their lives to the fullest, but to also be wary of what is right and good...and what is most certainly not.


More of Bosch's work:

Hermit Saints

Temptation of St. Anthony

Martyrdom of St. Liberata

Vivaldi - The Greatest Composer in History

March 4, 1678-July 28, 1741

Antonio Vivaldi was a brilliant composer and violinist. He was born in Venice, Italy in 1678. During his lifetime, his musical work and fame spread throughout Europe. He composed during the Baroque Period and is considered one of the greatest composers of that era. I say "nay." He is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, composers ever.

Known mainly for his concertos, Vivaldi also composed numerous sacred choral works, as well as over 40 operas. While he is mostly known for his musical work, he was also a priest, which, along with his auburn hair, garnered him the nickname il Prete Rosso, or The Red Priest. And yes, while he composed in the Baroque, you could easily say that he was a Renaissance Man.

Unfortunately for Vivaldi, his latter years did not go as well as his earlier ones. Changing musical tastes meant that his work fell out of favor and esteem from where it once was. A great man who became a pauper, Vivaldi died penniless in Vienna in July of 1741. Interestingly enough, a young Joseph Hadyn probably sang at his funeral.

The Four Seasons

"The Four Seasons" is not only the most famous of Vivaldi's work, but probably the most famous piece of music from the Baroque Period. If you aren't sure if you have ever heard it, Google it or search it on iTunes. I guarantee that you have.

It is an illustrious piece of music was first published in 1725 as part of his Opus No. 8, entitled il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione (The Contest Between Harmony and Invention). It's a truly visionary piece of music, combining four concertos, each comprised of three movements, to convey the elapse of a year, each concerto representing a season. Vivaldi's use of different instruments to represent different types of weather or feelings is extraordinary. If you haven't heard the piece in its entirety yet, do yourself a favor and do so.

The Times, They Are A Changin'...

It has come to my attention that this blog is full of ludicrous, immature, and useless filth. In the spirit of personal and mental growth, I am changing the format of the articles from now on. No longer will there be articles about comic books, science fiction, et all. In there place will be informative articles about great works of art, music, and prose. There will be a more mature tone, in which I hope to instill a little bit of knowledge in the reader every time. The internet is full of useless, mind numbing "articles" written by hacks who have too much time on their hands, and I will no longer be party to that. I will keep the old articles up for now, but I sincerely hope you enjoy the new format of "The Awesome Blog," this time "awesome" meaning "inspiring awe," not just a catch-all term for "cool."