Thanks for your comments and suggestions about this blog’s new look. What do the rest of you think about this Cranach self-portrait I found on the web? A little forboding? Or as tODD said, creating a sense that he is looking upon your comment with disapproval? Or as frank sonnek said, an example of “cool realism”?

To me, this self-portrait has a kind of postmodern self-referential feel: The image is of the artist looking into the mirror as he tries to paint his own face. I like how his head is tilted and how he is biting his lips in concentration, peering out with that intent artist look that tries to see everything.

tODD misses the dragon, that scribble of Cranach’s seal that the artist used to sign his works, which is the logo of the Cranach Institute. I have seen versions of that winged dragon bearing the ring that are less abstract and that require less explanation. I’ve been looking for the image on the web but to no avail so far. If anyone knows where I could find it, please let me know.

The release of a DVD anthology of the first 19 Three Stooges episodes is the occasion of some much-deserved critical commentary. The funniest part of the article is the juxtaposition of the expert’s title with the topic that he is expounding:

“I call it their ‘triadic dynamic,’ ” says Jon Solomon, the Robert D. Novak professor of Western civilization and culture at the University of Illinois.”

But the commentary, with its background information, is quite revealing, such as this on the typical plot structure of a Stooge episode:

The basic premise of many a Stooges comedy wasn’t complicated: The three down-on-their-luck schmoes take on some job for which they are completely unqualified, making a complete mess of it. For example, after happening upon some wealthy homeowner with leaky pipes, Moe will declare, “Sure, we can do your plummin’, Toots. We’ll have you fixed up in a jiffy!” Typically, this is followed by more broken pipes, pipes clobbering heads and, of course, a flood.

See, even the Three Stooges are all about the doctrine of vocation!

Well, the Colorado Rockies were STILL blessed to come as far as they did, even though the Red Sox swept them in the World Series. (This is a reminder too that God’s blessings are to be found in the Cross, not in Glory.) Nevertheless, the Rockies will be greeted by their hometown fans as heroes and their season will become part of the team’s legend.

When a team makes the World Series but loses, the home city (unless it is New York) usually feels pretty good anyway. The Brewers lost in their only trip to the series in 1982, but that didn’t really seem to matter so much. But when the Packers lost in the Superbowl to the Denver Broncos (a rematch being tonight on Monday Night Football), the whole state of Wisconsin was in an agony of depression, to the point that it seemed better not to get into the big game at all than to be there but to lose.

This is another example of how baseball and football have a different ethos. (No time limit vs. the pressure of the clock; rain delays vs. play no matter what nature does; relaxation vs. excitement; making contact with the ball vs. making contact with the player. . . .What else?)