Mona Lisa + Minerva = Monerva

Detail of sun-blocking painting Monerva

In the catalog I made for the first exhibition of my oil paintings, I wrote that the first painting I made this century was a quick ‘Van Gogh self-portrait‘ (see below) in gouache.It wasn’t until after that exhibition that I realized that wasn’t quite right. I made the painting ‘Monerva‘ of which you see a… Continue reading Mona Lisa + Minerva = Monerva

Botanic behaviour: the Monstera Deliciosa

Appropriate tie ... ?
At home

Only those who viewed a considerable number of videos from this Old Dutch Painter could have seen it coming: a video with observations and experiments with this special house plant, Monstera Deliciosa, especially its aerial roots. And yes: its fruit is edible but you have to be careful!To be honest I never had the privilege… Continue reading Botanic behaviour: the Monstera Deliciosa

Ultimate virtue signalling contest

Perhaps not satire

If you oppose #misogyny and or #nihilism the #transgenderism-agenda is THE issue you need to focus on in 2023.I kept the hashtags in this sentence: it is the pinned tweet on my twitter-account (frgroenendijk). So many political and social developments today are so infuriating or saddening that we absolutely need humour to stay sane. Luckily,… Continue reading Ultimate virtue signalling contest

The very little known ‘Atatürk’

How coincidental do you want it?In October 1927, Kemal Mustapha gave a speech that lasted six days. Yes, Fidel Castro certainly fell short of that with his six or eight hour speeches. When I was preparing my book “IS, the Kurds and the Caliphate. Turkey: from sick occupant to paranoid neighbor” (E-book available via the… Continue reading The very little known ‘Atatürk’

Inspiration

City wall with restaurant

Visiting Malta to get inspiration for my faction novel, this was the first photo I took of the capital, Valletta. Work was underway on the impossibly thick wall surrounding the new capital, which the Maltese started to build immediately after the Ottoman invasion of the island was repelled in 1565.So a restaurant was built IN… Continue reading Inspiration