写真は、7月末頃から描き始め、さる8月29日に完成した水彩画「夏木立」。2010年5月30日に堺市・大仙公園の片隅で撮影した写真を参考にしたもの。写真は、暗い部分が多いにもかかわらず、爽やかな感じだったのに惹かれて、絵の対象に取り上げた。透明水彩絵具、ホルベイン「ウォーターフォード・ホワイト」水彩紙 F6 (410×318 mm)。
絵の写真は、最初に戸外で、日が陰っているときや、直射日光の当たる条件の下でとってみたが、赤みがかった色がうまく出なかった。結局、書斎で、フラッシュのつく条件下で撮ったものを採用した。
The photo shows my watercolor entitled "The grove in summer." Drawing began near the end of July and finished on August 29. I made it with reference to a photo I took in Daisen Park, Sakai, on May 30, 2010, because I liked the refreshing sight of that photo in spite of the presence of a large portion of the dark area. Transparent watercolors and "Water Ford White" watercolor paper of F6 size (410×318 mm) made by Holbein Art Materials Inc. were used.
As for the photo of the watercolor, I first got shots in the open air when the sun is in and out of clouds. However, the results were not satisfying in either conditions, because reddish colors were not reproduced faithfully. Finally, I adopted the photo taken in my study room by using the flashlight of the camera.
From tweets of yesterday (edited by rephrasing, adding words, etc.)
About Astrophysics and Cosmology
"Why don't we see white holes in space?" Jennifer Ouellette (JenLucPiquant on Twitter), Discovery News (via aboutdotcom). —'[Stephen Hsu at the University of Oregon] postulates that it must explode, thereby releasing huge amounts of energy: "quasithermal radiation." He concludes that stable white holes simply cannot exist in empty space, and that is why we see no evidence for them.'
About Books
"[. . .] science, while it diminishes our cosmic pretensions, enormously increases our terrestrial comfort. That is why, in spite of the horror of the theologians, science has on the whole tolerated." —Bertrand Russell, "In Praise of Idleness," p. 163. [Finished reading this book (started on July 9).]
Other quotes from and comment on this book tweeted earlier:
"The notion that the desirable activities are those that bring a profit has made everything topsy-turvy." p. 12.
"Curious learning not only makes unpleasant things less unpleasant, but also makes pleasant things more pleasant." p. 25.
Bertrand Russell proposed communal architecture to improve the condition of working women, but it is a pity that this proposal has not yet been well realized over the world.
"It is the psychology of the producer that makes men more anxious to sell than to buy, and that causes Governments to engage in the laughable attempt to create a world in which every nation sells and no nation buys." p. 48.
"To the young of all lands Hollywood represents the last word in modernity, displaying both the pleasures of the rich and the methods to be adopted for acquiring riches." p. 134.
"The idea that a special training may be necessary to understand, say, the theory of relativity, causes a sort of irritation, although nobody is irritated by the fact that a special training is necessary in order to be a first-rate football player." p. 136.
Additional comment:
Russell writes that he is in opposition to Communism but that he is as convinced a Socialist as the most ardent Marxist, adducing nine arguments in favor of Socialism. This might seem contradictory. However, the investigation of his definitions of the two theories assures us that his attitude is natural. Russell identifies Communist as the person who accepts the doctrines of the Third International. The International intended to fight "by all available means, including armed force, for the overthrow of the international bourgeoisie and the creation of an international Soviet republic as a transition stage to the complete abolition of the State" (quoted from "Comintern" in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 14 August 2010 at 01:539). On the other hand, he has some hope that a less catastrophic transition to Socialism than a violent upheaval is possible.
About Environment
"Bjørn Lomborg: $100bn a year needed to fight climate change," Guardian. —A 'skeptical environmentalist' and critic of climate scientists changed his tune to declare global warming a chief concern facing the world.
