Thursday, March 23, 2006

Spotlight
Spanish painter Juan Gris was born on this date in 1887. Most associated with synthetic cubism, Gris worked mainly in oils and collages. He was influenced by his friend, Henri Matisse, and used a broad palette of bright colors. Among the portraits he painted was one of Pablo Picasso, who was also a cubist.

Quote
"Cubism is like standing at a certain point on a mountain and looking around. If you go higher, things will look different; if you go lower, again they will look different. It is a point of view." – Jacques Lipchitz

Word of the day
papier collé: literally, stuck paper, an artistic technique in which other materials, cut in the shape of objects, are glued on to the canvas; Juan Gris worked in papier collé. (© )

Today's News

• air pollution: EPA says New York and California have the worst (story)
• China: imposes tax on timber products, including chopsticks (story)
• fluoride: too much of it in your drinking water can be harmful (story)

Today's History

• "Give me liberty or give me death": Patrick Henry demanded freedom from England for the colonies (1775)
• Pakistan: became the first Islamic Republic (1956)
• Mir: Russian space station ended 15 years of orbit, disintegrating and falling into the South Pacific (2001)

Today's Birthdays

• Erich Fromm: psychoanalyst, author of The Art of Loving (1900-1980)
• Roger Bannister: first to run a mile in under 4 minutes (77)
• Keri Russell: actor, Felicity (30)