Knowledge Box #21

Welcome to a new learning world. Art, tech, culture, health and more by Eashan. Be sure to move this email to your primary tab and add me to your contacts so your knowledge boxes don't end up lost in spam.

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Table of Contents:

1. Art Piece: Fishing Boat by the Baltic Sea (1830-1835) by Caspar David Friedrich
2. Original Poem: "Fire's warmth"
3. Quote of the Week: Ralph Waldo Emerson
4. Maker's Lab: 100 Haiku book, Essay: My Waystone Friends​
5. The Weekly Tweet: Blimps are rare. Blimp pilots are rarer than astronauts.
6. Recommended Readings: effort by Ava (bookbear express)
7. Media Recommendation: Manga Artist Hajime Isayama Reveals His Inspiration ​

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Fishing Boat by the Baltic Sea (1830-1835)

German Romantic landscape painter, Caspar David Friedrich painted this week's piece. I enjoy the muted colors and the soft lighting. The work possesses a sort of dreamy quality, and reflects Friedrich's interest in depicting a subjective perspective of the world. It feels expressive.

A few fishermen on a sail boat are sailing away and are being seen off by another group of men. In 1799, Friedrich drew something that had a similar composition to "Fishing Boat by the Baltic Sea" titled "Farewell at the Shore". With this in mind, we can note the contrasts between the two groups of men. One set on the rocks and the other on a ship in tumultuous waters about to take their leave.

What's also interesting about this work is that art historian Carl von Lork happened across it in 1941 along with a few other Friedrich paintings in the palace of Basedow in Mecklenburg. It's interesting how there's not much more info available about this. There are only plausible theories and implausible ones.

You can view the painting in a virtual gallery here.

An Original Poem:

"Fire's warmth" by Eashan Kotha

Heavy-handed complaints

She laid them on me

I knew better than to try and put out the fire

​

Some fires need to burn

And tucker out on their own

I like her warmth

Quote:

"What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you." –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Maker's Lab:

You can finally buy the 100 Haiku book. The designs took me a long time and I'm glad how they came out.

I also wrote an essay on friendships. Here's an excerpt:

​

You can read the rest here.

The Weekly Tweet:

I was shocked to learn that blimps are rarer than I thought they would be so I made this thread. It did pretty well!

Eashan is making YouTube videos 🧠 🥬 @EashanKotha Right now, there are ONLY 25 blimps in existence. Yes, 25. Only 128 people in the U.S. are capable of pilot them. Of those 128, just 17 are full time with the gig. There are currently 48 active U.S astronauts A blimp pilot is more rare than an astronaut here... pic.twitter.com/0Gz1Tu7ZIu March 18th 2021 182 Retweets 1,036 Likes

Recommended Reading:

​Fiona Apple interviews Kanye West (Oct, 2005)​

• It’s a treat when you get insight into a creative mind. With this interview, you get to peer into a conversation between two of them. Mutual admiration for each other’s artistry and craft. In a way, the interview is telling. It reveals a lot of artists’ focus on making works that carry a resonance. They speak to the people listening. It’s a glimpse into the work ethic and ambition that underlies every movement.

Recommended Media:

I finally caught up to Attack on Titan. The anime is so wonderfully adapted from the manga and it surpassed even my wildest expectations as I binged it. I timed it perfectly–the final chapter of the manga is coming out in April and the final season is currently airing. I had seen the first season when it came out but there was a four year gap until the second season came about so it got swept up in my memories. I’m glad I returned! It’s such a crazy, wild ride. The author, Hajime Isayama, does a great job with the seemingly ridiculous premise.

One description I’ve often heard is that it’s Game of Thrones but for anime. It’s no coincidence then that Isayama was actually a fan of the show (except for the last season). This video is brief, but we get to hear from a guy just creating something out of passion, not expecting the level of fame and recognition he has today. Also, mild warning, DON’T look at the comments. There will be spoilers for the show. Enjoy!

Wrapping Up

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See you next week,
Eashan Kotha