Just kidding

I take back what I said about spring having sprung.
Spring was just toying with me, taunting me with its "warm" temperatures in the 30s.

There was a blizzard on Monday. Ok fine blizzard is too strong of a word. However, when speaking in terms of what should be spring, there was a huge blizzard on Monday.
Yesterday the high was around 28 Fahrenheit.
Today the high is supposed to be around 23.
BUT. Saturday spring will once again toy with me (or come back for good?) with highs in the low 40s! Inconceivable.

Also yesterday in Visual and Performing Arts class, we were shown this painting, "Portrait of Lopukhina" (1797) by Vladimir Borovikovksy.
I. Love. It.




We also learned that poets like to write poems about portraits; I really like the poem for this portrait (surprising, right?):

Яков Полонский "Портрет Лопухиной"

Она давно прошла, и нет уже тех глаз,
И той улыбки нет, что молча выражали
Страданье - тень любви, и мысли - тень печали,
Но красоту её Боровиковский спас.

Так часть души её от нас не улетела,
И будет этот взгляд и эта прелесть тела
К ней равнодушное потомство привлекать,
Уча его любить, страдать, прощать, молчать.


Yakov Polonsky "Portrait of Lopukhina"

Long since she passed away: no more those eyes,
No more that smile which silently expressed
The suffering of her love and her sad thoughts.
But her beauty Borovikovsky preserved.

Her soul, in part, is therefore with us still,
And this her gaze and this her body charm
Will fascinate indifferent generations,
Teaching them
to love, to suffer, to forgive, to be silent.

Next post about Kazan.
I hope you're all very warm. I'm not jealous.