P.P.P.P. no 5 Work

P IS FOR PERFORMANCE

This is a light hearted look at ‘’work’’, a classic, something loved by generations of adults and children.  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) was the first full-length animated feature (83 minutes in length) in colour and with sound, one of Disney's greatest films, and a pioneering classic tale in film history.
It was the first commercially successful film of its kind’ It was a technically brilliant example of Disney animation. It was also the first film to release a soundtrack album. The story was adapted from the original Brothers Grimms' Fairy Tales, but in a bowdlerized or sanitized version, without overt sexual references or violent content. Snow White was the last major classic film that Disney released to the consumer market on videotape - in late 1994!

The story is a familiar one: raised by a wicked and vain Queen (voice of Lucille La Verne), beautiful Snow White (voice of nineteen year-old Adriana Caselotti) is taken into the forest to be murdered. However, the Huntsman (voice of Stuart Buchanan) cannot commit the horrible deed, so she flees and finds refuge in the home of seven diamond-mine workers/dwarfs. The voices of the dwarfs are;
        * Doc (voice of Roy Atwell)
        * Happy (voice of Otis Harlan)
        * Bashful (voice of Scotty Mattraw)
        * Sneezy (voice of Billy Gilbert)
        * Sleepy (voice of Pinto Colvig)
        * Grumpy (voice of Pinto Colvig)
        * Dopey (mute)
It took almost four years and an astronomical (at the time) $1.7 million to create, and was released for its premiere during the Christmas season of 1937. Its single nomination was for Best Score. For the film's remarkable achievement, Walt Disney was awarded with an Honorary Oscar - the film was "recognized as a significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field for the motion picture cartoon."

P. P. P. P. no 5 WORK

I don’t think I need to remind any one, but just in case; THIS IS MY 4 IN 1 BLOG, P is for Poem (as in Poetry Wednesday), P is for Photo (as in foto Friday), P is for Performance (as in Song Saturday) and P is for Painting (as in Art Sunday). My subject this week is a word that is on every ones lips just now; ‘’WORK’’. As we all return to our different places of work after the holiday period I thought it would be nice to consider ‘’WORK’’ in other ways.  Take a look at what ‘’work’’ means to other people in other times and other places. All images can be clicked on to see the full size  version and all Biography information in this post is from Wikipedia.

The painting at the top is ''The Moneychanger and his Wife, sometimes called ''The Misers'', There are two different versions: one by Quentin Massys, 1514, and another by Marinus van Reymerswaele, 1539. I believe this is a copy of the later version by Reymerswaele, (Flemish)
---------------------------------------------------------

P IS FOR POEM
‘’Work’’
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

What are we set on earth for ? Say, to toil;
Nor seek to leave thy tending of the vines
For all the heat o' the day, till it declines,
And Death's mild curfew shall from work assoil.
God did anoint thee with his odorous oil,
To wrestle, not to reign; and He assigns
All thy tears over, like pure crystallines,
For younger fellow-workers of the soil
To wear for amulets. So others shall
Take patience, labor, to their heart and hand
From thy hand and thy heart and thy brave cheer,
And God's grace fructify through thee to
The least flower with a brimming cup may stand,
And share its dew-drop with another near.
Elizabeth Barrett Moulton-Barrett was born March 6, 1806 in Coxhoe Hall, Durham, England. Elizabeth was educated at home, attending lessons with her brother's tutor and was very well-educated for a girl of that period. During her teen years she read the principal Greek and Latin authors and Dante's Inferno in the original languages. Her appetite for knowledge led her to learn Hebrew, she went on to  read the Old Testament from beginning to end. By the age of 12 she had written an "epic" poem consisting of four books of rhyming couplets. She remains one of our most celebrated and admired poets
---------------------------------------------------------

P IS FOR PHOTO

Arbroath Harbour has lost most of its fishing fleet but remains a working harbour.

----------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------

P IS FOR PAINTING

For the paintings I have chosen a couple of works that I am quite fond of. They are all by different artists and depict very different types of work being carried our in different countries.

The Dance Class,
Edgar Dagas, 1871

Edgar Degas (19 July 1834 – 27 September 1917), was a French artist famous for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism although he rejected the term, and preferred to be called a realist. A superb draughtsman, he is especially identified with the subject of the dance, and over half his works depict dancers. This painting shows a teacher of classical dance taking his class.

Shipbuilding in Flatford,
John Constable,
1815.

John Constable (11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English Romantic painter. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home—now known as "Constable Country"—which he invested with an intensity of affection. "I should paint my own places best", he wrote to his friend John Fisher in 1821, "painting is but another word for feeling".

His most famous paintings include Dedham Vale of 1802 and The Hay Wain of 1821. Although his paintings are now among the most popular and valuable in British art, he was never financially successful and did not become a member of the establishment until he was elected to the Royal Academy at the age of 52. He sold more paintings in France than in his native England.

Sir James Guthrie,
'A Hind's Daughter'
1883

The small girl has just straightened up after cutting a cabbage and looks directly at the viewer. Girl and landscape seem inextricably merged in this essentially Scottish scene. A hind was a skilled farm labourer, and cabbage (or kail) a staple diet of Scottish hinds and their families. Guthrie painted the picture in the Berwickshire village of Cockburnspath, where he opted to stay during the winter, unlike his Glasgow friends who returned to the city at the end of the summer.

Sir James Guthrie (June 10, 1859 - September 6, 1930) was a Scottish painter. He was best known in his own lifetime for his portraiture, although today he is more generally as a painter of Scottish Realism.
Born in Greenock, Guthrie, the son of a clergyman, originally enrolled at Glasgow University to study law, but abandoned this in favour of painting in 1877. Unlike many of his contemporaries he did not study in Paris, he was mostly self-taught. He lived most of his life in the Scottish Borders, (mostly in Cockburnspath, Berwickshire), where he painted some of his most important works, including A Hind's Daughter (1883), and Schoolmates. He was strongly influenced by the French Realists, especially Jules Bastien-Lepage, and was associated with the Glasgow Boys. He was elected an associate of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1888, and a full member in 1892. In 1902 he succeeded Sir George Reid as RSA president in 1902, and he was knighted the following year. He died in Rhu, Dunbartonshire in 1930.

delete reply hedgewitch9 wrote on Jan 9, '09 I continue to be enthralled by your PPPP posts! Thank you SO much :)))

delete reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jan 8, '09 Everything beautifully put together and the facets segue on and on. A wealth of info, like a college education. I applaud your work. You are an inspiration!

delete reply sugarpiehuny wrote on Jan 8, '09 You put together a lot of information and beautiful photos.. As a young girl I read Elizabeth Barrett Browning and I loved her, also loved her love story. I guess I've always been a romantic and their story is still inspiring...

delete reply bennett1 wrote on Jan 7, '09 The little girl with the cabbages is exquisite.

delete reply bennett1 wrote on Jan 7, '09 So much to comment on. I remember seeing Snow White in the theatre when I was 6 or 7. It must have been a re-release. I was in awe. I also liked examining the Degas picture. Aside from the graceful lines of the dancers, I noticed he put a watering can in the picture. I wonder why.

delete reply fluffyj wrote on Jan 7, '09 A boss I had over a decade ago loved Dagas. Her father was a painter, and she painted as a hobby. I learned more about appreciating art from her than any teacher I ever had. She loved and knew every brushstroke. Love your compilation of entries here! -j

delete reply bostonsdandd wrote on Jan 7, '09 I love your blogs! I hate the thought when you'll start dividing them again LOL. They are so informative and really a great read to just relax too. Elizabeth Barrett-Browning is my favorite poetess. Thank you for the new facts on her. The photos of the docks are amazing. My first home had to be the water in another life LOL. It just soothes my soul to look, feel, and play in/at it. The paintings you shared are extraordinary! I love the brightness of the dancing one, the ship one looks so lonely, and you can see soo much hardship on the girl's face. A WONDERFUL place to be today is your blog! Thank you sooo much for sharing it with us. http://bostonsdandd.multiply.com/journal/item/252

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jan 7, '09 veryfrank said not familiar with Reymerswaele, yet I am familiar with ''The Moneychanger and his Wife" Me too, I searched for this painting because I thought it would be a good start to the blog, I knew the panting I was looking for but didn't know the artist and actually I thought the painting was called ''the Misers''. Research in this area would be well worth the effort and I for one would be interested in what you manage to find.

delete reply veryfrank wrote on Jan 7, '09 This is quite a selection/mix and it works well. I have spent some time here and have enjoyed myself. I am not familiar with Reymerswaele, yet I am familiar with ''The Moneychanger and his Wife" - I guess I just didn't know who painted it. Now when time permits, I'll have to do some research. Thank you.

delete reply jadedruid wrote on Jan 7, '09 This is really great. I love Browning too. Very good choices all the way around

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Jan 7, '09 brendainmad said What a nice painting 'A Hind's Daughter' is! Thanks Brenda, it is one of my favourite Scottish paintings by one of the Scottish artists associated with the Glasgow style.

delete reply asolotraveler wrote on Jan 7, '09 my gawd you do a lot of work for your posts! how interesting! thanks for your efforts!

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Jan 7, '09 I always learn something new from your PPPP's. I adore trivia of any kind and will certainly remember that Disney's 'Snow White' was the first film to release a soundtrack album. What a nice painting 'A Hind's Daughter' is!

delete reply djdx wrote on Jan 7, '09 "cabbage (or kail)" caught my eye. Cole, kale for a cabbage that doesn't form a head, kaol in Breton. We have a few leafy plants left in the garden. Work? I often wonder how to define it, especially when people ask "do you work?"

delete reply dianahopeless wrote on Jan 7, '09 I do love these PPPP blogs of yours. So much to see and learn! Each time something new and very different. TY for sharing Loretta. I am familiar with this poets poems, but did not know anything about her. Really like all the paintings you covered, and the photos you shared too, as well as the info. ((HUGS))

delete reply acousticeagle wrote on Jan 7, '09 Love the pictures of the boats. I find that if ever I have been at a docks, photos of boats are always picturesque. Lovely painting that Hind's Daughter, lovely use of colour and a slice-of-life picture. Incredible that Snow White cost so much for Disney to produce. That would have been a huge outlay in 1937. I remember reading something about it; the animators used so many frames just to produce the blush on Snow White's face. No wonder that movie is classed as an all-time great.

delete reply mindsnomad wrote on Jan 6, '09 Wow.. didnt know so many things that you said here. :) Thank you for the Info.

delete reply starfishred wrote on Jan 6, '09 wow anothe winner loretta-love it all will be back to enjoy again-

delete reply lauritasita wrote on Jan 6, '09 "Her appetite for knowledge led her to learn Hebrew, she went on to read the Old Testament from beginning to end." I never knew that about Browning. Thanks for the wonderful poem by her and information. Love, Laurita.