Sweetness and Light

There's just so much I love about this painting — Cat in the Room (2004) by Zai Kuang. The delicate colours, the brilliant composition and sense of space — just wonderful. See more of Zai's work here at Eva Breuer.


(via chest)

Buffet

This week's links. Enjoy.

The Ultimate Country Home
Wallpaper magazine recently invited 20 up and coming architects to design their ideal rural retreat — follow the link to see the intriguing results.

Hella Jongerius and the Idea of a Perfect Misfit
Interview by Phaidon|Edit with Dutch product designer Hella Jongerius, who has an exhibition and book coming up — both entitled 'Misfit' — about her work and the idea of keeping the hand of the maker visible, even with industrially produced objects.

Marlon Brando: Renaissance Man
Here's something I didn't know about Marlon Brando — besides being an actor, he was an amateur drummer (in particular Afro-Cuban drumming) and an inventor, with four patents to his credit.

The Paperback Game
This is the perfect summer cottage game — all you need is a few friends and/or family, a pile of cheesy novels, pencils, paper and imagination.

Practicing Medicine Can Be Grimm Work
Thought provoking article by a new doctor about how she's realized that an earlier major in literature (specifically, English fairy tales) has been excellent preparation for her work in a hospital. Fascinating — and an excellent argument for a well rounded education.

Inside Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Production designer Stuart Craig gives Architectural Digest an exclusive look at the sets of the upcoming Harry Potter film. Possible spoiler alerts!

Cy Twombly
I was saddened to hear of the passing of the brilliant painter Cy Twombly this week — here's a quick outline of his career from the New York Times.

Summer Entertaining
Saveur has put together a great feature on dining in the great outdoors during the summer — picnics, barbeques, poolside and more are covered, with lots of great recipes too.


(photo by James Tse via chictip)

Cinema: La Belle et la Bête

Forget Disney. This stunning 1946 adaptation by Jean Cocteau of the classic fairy tale is truly one of the most beautiful and romantic films I've ever seen — with delicate performances by Jean Marais and Josette Day. A meditation on enchantment, desire, and death, Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête) is definitely a must see. Incidentally, Philip Glass wrote a soundtrack to accompany this film several years ago — well worth seeking out as it's also wonderful. More about the film here on Criterion.