Friday Links, February 16, 2018

Told he has not long to live, Catholic Studies founder Don Briel reflects on dying well. "John Paul II said the 20th century will be remembered not so much for its bloodiness, which was catastrophic, but for fear. And I think so many people are fearful of death largely because they don’t have any sense that there is anything other than the immediacy of the material world."

Daniel Mitsui considers the medieval approach to realism in the portrayal of the starry sky. "So often here, the presentation of the night sky is even more perfunctory than mine had been. Consider the fifteenth century St. Thomas of Canterbury altarpiece painted by Master Francke. This is, undeniably, a great work by a great artist. But the only really interesting thing about the sky here is that it is red rather than blue or black; the stars are identical geometric shapes, evenly spaced on a grid of equilateral triangles."

The Public Domain Review looks at the earliest Mardi Gras artists. "It was a departure from previous Carnivals that were more informal and tied to the Roman Catholic community. Following the Civil War, new Krewes emerged, each attempting to outdo the others with increasingly elaborate wood and papier-mâché floats pulled by teams of horses. One year it might be Medieval legends coming to life on the streets, the next flying monkeys of Chinese mythology terrorizing the crowds."

Don't forget that our Candlemas 2018 issue is out! For the full issue, get a print or digital subscription, starting at just $14.99.