On Iran, an Apostle of Patience

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By David Ignatius

Thursday, February 26, 2009; Page A19

If you ask White House officials whom President Obama listens to about Iran, they mention an interesting name -- Lee Hamilton, the former congressman from Indiana who co-chaired the 2006 Iraq Study Group that urged engagement with the Iranian regime.

So I called Hamilton this week at the Woodrow Wilson International Center, where he serves as president, to ask for his thoughts about strategic dialogue with Tehran. He gave some interesting answers that match (not coincidentally, I suspect) what you hear from senior Obama administration officials. Though Hamilton wouldn't discuss his two meetings with the president since the inauguration, his private advice probably tracks what he told me on the record.

Hamilton cautioned against expecting any quick breakthroughs. He recommended a patient process of engagement that would be analogous to long-term diplomacy with the Soviet Union. "Those of us who favor dialogue with the Iranians have to be clear that success will not come quickly," he said. "You'll have to have direct, sustained engagement over a long period of time."

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BRÜCKE: The Birth of Expressionism

BRÜCKE: THE BIRTH OF EXPRESSIONISM
IN DRESDEN AND BERLIN, 1905-1913
February 26-June 29, 2009

"This exhibition features more than 100 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by the pioneering artists’ group known as Brücke. With their emphasis on vivid color and emotional directness, the Brücke artists gave birth to German Expressionism. The exhibition is organized by Reinhold Heller, an internationally recognized scholar in the field. It is on view at the Neue Galerie from February 26 through June 29, 2009. It is the first major museum exhibition devoted to these artists ever held in the United States.

The group was founded in 1905 by four students in Dresden: Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Living and working communally, they shared a fervent faith in a utopian future. The name Brücke, which means “bridge” in German, was chosen to represent their intention of linking the art of the past with that of the future. Drawing on diverse sources, ranging from medieval woodcuts to African and Oceanic art, the Brücke artists fused these influences into a highly distinctive style. Through their art, they sought to restore a sense of value and unity in a fragmenting world. " from the website

Antonio Gaudí

from UbuWeb
Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara
Music by Toru Takemitsu

Antonio Gaudí (1979) download avi format 699 mb | Download subtitle file| go to UbuWeb page | Art Torrents

Catalan architect Antonio Gaudí (1852–1926) designed some of the world's most astonishing buildings, interiors, and parks; Japanese director Hiroshi Teshigahara constructed some of the most aesthetically audacious films ever made. Here their artistry melds in a unique, enthralling cinematic experience. Less a documentary than a visual poem, Teshigahara's Antonio Gaudí takes viewers on a tour of Gaudí's truly spectacular architecture, including his massive, still-unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona. With camera work as bold and sensual as the curves of his subject's organic structures, Teshigahara immortalizes Gaudí on film.