A list of intriguing things
One: ‘Mask of Sorrow’ is a monumental sculpture created by Ernst Neizvestny in 1996 as a memorial to the victims of Stalin-era gulags in Soviet Russia. Behind it is a sculpture of a weeping woman. What makes this more poignant: Neizvestny’s own parents were victims of Stalin’s purges. Also poignant: The real-life masks of sorrow in Ukraine today.
Two: Did you know that director James Cameron is also an artist—and he just released a 400-page hardcover collection of his art going back to his childhood titled ‘Tech Noir’. And it looks pretty cool. Gizmodo has more details. Cameron introduces the book below.
Three: One of the hottest things on the antique market are pieces of Martinware pottery—seriously grotesque stoneware pots, jugs and sculptures. And they reflect the uptight Victorians’ obsession with the Gothic. Today, they sell for tens of thousands of dollars. Like this thing described as “Colossal and extraordinary grotesque grinning crab”—which fetched $275,000 in 2018. Financial Times (paywall) has an excellent piece on the history of Martinware or you can check out this MoneyWeek report.
Four: A ship sank in 1857 off the coast of South Carolina with one of the largest cargoes of gold ever lost at sea. Since 1988, many expeditions have excavated its fabulous wealth. But that’s not the intriguing bit. What’s far more astonishing are the 19th-century portraits that somehow survived at the bottom of the ocean. These beautiful portraits are the loved ones of those who were lost in the tragedy—making them both eerie and moving. Like this 18-year old who is described as “the Mona Lisa of the depths.” (The Guardian)
