The journal

Stories to linger over.

A curated selection from the Moniqs archive, newest first. More stories are being moved over from the original site.

VLADIMIR NABOKOV ~ A GOOD BOOK

Literature · Reflection

VLADIMIR NABOKOV ~ A GOOD BOOK

“Knowing you have something good to read before bed is among the most pleasurable of sensations” Vladimir Nabokov Photograph of a young Nabokov with butterfly doodles by himself.

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PAUL DELVAUX ~ THE SKELETON

Art · Reflection

PAUL DELVAUX ~ THE SKELETON

“…Through the skeleton, I represent a different kind of being in a kind of medieval mystery play which is perhaps profane, but never profanatory – the idea of sacrilege never entered my mind – it was put there by others…” Paul Delvaux

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TAMARA DE LEMPICKA ~ THE MARGINS OF SOCIETY

Art · Reflection

TAMARA DE LEMPICKA ~ THE MARGINS OF SOCIETY

“I live life in the margins of society, and the rules of normal society don’t apply to those who live on the fringe.” Tamara de Lempicka (16 May 1898 – 18 March 18 1980), Polish Art Deco painter. The Dream Tamara de Lempicka – 1927

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GEORGE FREDERICK WATTS ~ I PAINT IDEAS

Reflections · Reflection

GEORGE FREDERICK WATTS ~ I PAINT IDEAS

“I paint ideas, not things. My intention is less to paint works that are pleasing to the eye than to suggest great thoughts which will speak to the imagination and the heart and will arouse all that is noblest and best in man.” George Frederick Watts (1817-1904) Female Figure Pla

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PAUL GAUGUIN ~ INNER POWER OF COLOR

Reflections · Reflection

PAUL GAUGUIN ~ INNER POWER OF COLOR

“Color which, like music, is a matter of vibrations, reaches what is most general and therefore most indefinable in nature: its inner power.” ― Paul Gauguin A Seashore (Martinique), 1887 Paul Gauguin

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CLAUDE MONET ~ THE VALUE OF THE SURROUNDING ATMOSPHERE

Reflections · Reflection

CLAUDE MONET ~ THE VALUE OF THE SURROUNDING ATMOSPHERE

‘For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life – the air and the light, which vary continuously. For me, it is only the surrounding atmosphere which gives subjects their true val

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EUDORA WELTY ~ THE THOUSAND LIVES OF A READER

Literature · Reflection

EUDORA WELTY ~ THE THOUSAND LIVES OF A READER

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” Eudora Welty Photo above Eudora Welty in the garden, weeding, in the 1940s. Photograph via Eudora Welty Foundation. Eudora Alice Welty (1909 – 2001) was an American author of short stories a

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EDGAR DEGAS ~ ART AND MYSTERY

Reflections · Reflection

EDGAR DEGAS ~ ART AND MYSTERY

“A painting requires a little mystery, some vagueness, and some fantasy. When you always make your meaning perfectly plain you end up boring people” Edgar Degas The Dance Class (La Classe de Danse), 1873–1876 Edgar Degas, “Four Dancers,” 1899.

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PISSARRO ~ THE WISH OF AN ARTIST

Reflections · Reflection

PISSARRO ~ THE WISH OF AN ARTIST

“Painting, art in general, enchants me. It is my life. What else matters? When you put all your soul into a work, all that is noble in you, you cannot fail to find a kindred soul who understands you, and you do not need a host of such spirits. Is not that all an artist

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