On May, 19, 1897 Oscar Wilde got liberty after having spent eighteen month in Reading jail. Imprisonment changed root and branch of a magnificent wit and drew a sad line under his literary activities. At the same time, Wilde wasn't the first nor was he the last artist in words who felt the mercilessness of the system of justice on himself.
“And what, then, could this sterile, illtilled wit of mine beget but the story of a dry, shrivelled, whimsical offspring, full of thoughts of all sorts and such as never came into any other imagination…”
Already in the preface to immortal “Don Quixote” we find out about its creator’s – Miguel de Cervantes – history of detention. Service in Spanish Royal Navy resulted for him in disability and five-year-long captivity by pirates, yet his Motherland returned the debt in a peculiar manner: when later serving as tax collector, a veteran “hit the bricks” for deficiency. Cervantes became a prey to circumstances: the banker he was returning surpluses to, turned out to be bankrupt. Eventually the Spaniard came through another trial of destiny that finally decided to praise him. It was in a cell were he came up with the character of an almost extravagantly noble knight. Seven months of a Spanish writer’s imprisonment have in fact given us a windmills buster – Don Quixote.
“Many men on their release carry their prison about with them into the air, and hide it as a secret disgrace in their hearts, and at length, like poor poisoned things, creep into some hole and die”.
Homosexual love of Oscar Wilde and young Lord Alfred Douglas brought the former, London’s high society character and an already developed writer of global value, conviction for “gross indecency”. “The Ballad of Reading Gaol”, written based on his custody experience, was the final accord for “the brilliant Oscar” whose life will soon end in exile and extreme poverty. The work signed with an alias C.3.3 (Wilde’s number in jail) tells about execution of an arrestee who killed his wife of jealousy. A fragment from the poem became an epitaph on the grave of Irish aesthet.
“So many national types and characters I came away with from hard labor!... It will be enough for as much as many volumes”.
Four years of exile in jail asserted colossal influence over rising of Dostoyevsky, who used to move in revolutionary circles, as a writer. This is what researchers of art of a globally famous Russian classical author believe and point out that it was imprisonment that made Fyodor Mikhailovich the man we know him: devotedly faithful and magnificently savvy in terms of psychological aspects. “The House of the Dead” created based on his “term” in Omsk is a slightly unusual writing for Dostoyevsky whose crucial works will come into existence later on. Many characters or their prototypes from this novel, that loudly declared fustiness of Russian system of justice, will migrate to such works.
“I tried to put up with jail, but no, I can’t”.
This is what O.Henry, who hadn’t yet discovered writer’s talent inside of him, told his dying wife; he got behind bars, like Cervantes, because of deficiency unraveled under dubious circumstances. Bank cashier William Porter (the American’s real name) was hiding from justice in Latin America for quite some time waiting for action limitation period to expire. But his wife’s progressing illness made the fugitive come back to the USA where he was immediately locked up. In three years he spent mostly working in jailhouse pharmacy, Porter learned a host of interesting stories that became bases for his future works. It was in penitentiary facility where he decided that, when out of it, would engage himself in literature. He also came up with the alias to reached global popularity under it. Thus “The Gentle Grafter” and “Jimmy Valentine’s Reformation” sprung off in a jail of provincial Columbus.
Illustrations by David Levine, Callan Molinari, Frank Boyle
Behind the window sad eyes of old man peered at Petrograd engulfed by revolutionary fire. This fire spread on his life's work: a proud four-story building was invaded by noisy commissioners and sailors, whose presence seemed a cruel joke after regular customers. Workshop owner Carl Gustavovich Fabergé, apparently, noticed in this chaos approaching decay of his career. However, he could have a secret gleam of hope for another life of his heritage.
Independent artist originally from the Philippines, Patrick Cabral conquers the world with his unusual artwork. His creations are an innovation that combines the age-old traditions of calligraphy and cutting-edge 3D technologies. His art is a way to change the world for the better, both through aesthetics and through the fulfillment of a social mission.
The word is, Guy de Maupassant hated Eiffel Tower. The famous writer believed that it was uglifying the face of Paris without benefiting the city. Nevertheless, he could be often seen in a cozy cafe on the top of the construction. In such cases the author of “Bel Ami” used to say that “it was the only way the damned tower dropped out of his sight…”
Land-art is not simply the landscape design but also the whole direction in art which in thee 21-st century considered one of the most important when only lazy people do not speak about the ‘green technologies’ and environment. The names of stars of such an activity have sturdily come into the speech of the tutors, critics, and connoisseurs, especially they outline Patrick Dougherti.
Sometimes it happens that you look at a postcard with a picture of a city and instantly realize that this is Kyiv, or Moscow, or Rome or your native village. And it isn’t courtesy of your geography teacher but back-breaking efforts of artisans with whose hands commonly familiar architecture masterpieces were created. Today we recall Italian conqueror of marble Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Today marks 120 years since the birth of the famous Ukrainian artist - Kateryna Bilokur. Her talent has been recognized in her lifetime, her work has been admired by Pablo Picasso, and nowadays her paintings are exhibited in museums, and Google dedicates its doodle to her. And it all started in totalitarian times...
Can you remember the most unusual dish that you had ever a chance to try? You decide what kind of food it was: something exotic; those insects that we can hardly imagine as an ingredient; strange drink with a bitter taste; an unexpected combination of bitter and sour... Everyone has his or her own unforgettable experience in this regard.
About Picasso as a distinctive artist, graphic artist and sculptor, we know to some extent everything. Meanwhile, his other incarnations are pushed into the background. Ilya Ehrenburgh once very concisely described Pablo Picasso’s relations with his era: “20th century found in him its own dynamite expert, its own philosopher and its own poet”.
OUTLOOK prepared for you a gallery of statues created in honour of the famous fictional characters of children's books which seem to come to life in their own city. Immerse yourself in the world of childhood, browsing the article, and maybe find your favorite characters!
In our “Know us” column, we usually talk about outstanding Ukrainians who have achieved significant success in one area or another. However, our today's hero - Eugène Deslaw or Yevgeny Slabchenko is very difficult to fit into some kind of framework. As he reached heights in several areas at once, being not only the most real Renaissance Man of the 20th century, but also a patriot of his Ukraine.
Cinematography is probably the most "technological" art form that mankind has ever come up with – no matter how much talent, imagination and energy creators of a movie have, almost every stage of creation process one way or another comes to technologies; and without them ideas will remain just ideas.
In the childhood a famous Frenchman from Ukraine was a blue-eyed dreamer. Once all his dreams came true. Whatever he wanted, everything was easy, as if luck was following him. HBe was singing in the choir, he made his best at artistic talent - and, finally, he succeeded in ballet.
Peter Høeg is Danish writer and philosopher. Sometimes he is called as anchoret because he comes to society events quite rarely, only to represent his new books. The indoor life led to numerous legends that penetrate the image of Peter Høeg on his motherland. In this interview Peter Høeg told OUTLOOK how new novels are created, what hides behind the evident asceticism, and shared his view of life and person.
Oleg Borschevskiy is a famous film director, screenwriter and music video director. Among his works, there are music videos for such stars as Potap and Nastia, music bands NeAngely, Boombox, NIKITA, singers Maria Burmaka, Tonia Matvienko and many others. In a nice conversation, he recalled the most interesting places on the world map, which he visited and shared his personal disappointments.
The music as long as the eternity or, in other words, Continuous music is the genre which causes loud arguments in professional circles. Lubomyr Melnyk, Canadian composer of Ukrainian origination sees in his ‘child’ Continuous music continuation of classic traditions. Which rules his scripts follow will OUTLOOK tell in the following material of the rubrics ‘Look at us!’
Behind the famous landing of Neil Armstrong and his team of the Moon in 1969 there wasn’t just an abstract triumph of the power of human brain but also a large group of highly-skilled engineers solving complicated tasks. Among them there was one specially standing out with his bold and unusual approach – a native of Ukraine Michael Yarymovych, one of supervisors of the “Moon program”. It is about him that we proudly tell about today within the framework of our column Ours Make the Grade.
On the 26-th of October it will be going a desirable premier of documental and biographic movie ‘Dancer’ on the price of success paid by the artist of ballet Serhii Polunin. Being originated from Kherson, he accidentally appeared in the Royal Theater in London where he became an overnight success but then went off the grid to get even more love of the spectators. Today OUTLOOK continues the cycle of materials about successful Ukrainians.
On July 14, 1918 in a Swedish town called Uppsala a man was born to create over 50 movies and direct several dozens of plays that raised the ante in art to an almost inaccessible level. Even today while watching his film created as much as half a century ago you realize that there is nothing they’ve lost – it’s more like they’ve gained.
Having woken up and switched on TV, we are filling our house with the positive, energy, and bubbly laughing of those who make each our day easier and funnier on another side of the screen. Sometimes a spectator feels that world of television is the absolute holiday and festival, but too frequently our good mood and careless day is followed by the accurate and from times to times such a responsible work… Today the TV-host Grigoriy Reshetnyak shares with our readers the story of his success.
The Embassy of Turkmenistan to Ukraine and personally Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Nurberdy Amanmuradov organized in Kyiv an official event dedicated to the Day of Revival, Unity, and poetry of Magtymguly Pyragy as well as anniversary of Turkmenistan Constitution acceptance.
Already in the preface to immortal “Don Quixote” we find out about its creator’s – Miguel de Cervantes – history of detention. Service in Spanish Royal Navy resulted for him in disability and five-year-long captivity by pirates, yet his Motherland returned the debt in a peculiar manner: when later serving as tax collector, a veteran “hit the bricks” for deficiency. Cervantes became a prey to circumstances: the banker he was returning surpluses to, turned out to be bankrupt. Eventually the Spaniard came through another trial of destiny that finally decided to praise him. It was in a cell were he came up with the character of an almost extravagantly noble knight. Seven months of a Spanish writer’s imprisonment have in fact given us a windmills buster – Don Quixote.
Homosexual love of Oscar Wilde and young Lord Alfred Douglas brought the former, London’s high society character and an already developed writer of global value, conviction for “gross indecency”. “The Ballad of Reading Gaol”, written based on his custody experience, was the final accord for “the brilliant Oscar” whose life will soon end in exile and extreme poverty. The work signed with an alias C.3.3 (Wilde’s number in jail) tells about execution of an arrestee who killed his wife of jealousy. A fragment from the poem became an epitaph on the grave of Irish aesthet.
Four years of exile in jail asserted colossal influence over rising of Dostoyevsky, who used to move in revolutionary circles, as a writer. This is what researchers of art of a globally famous Russian classical author believe and point out that it was imprisonment that made Fyodor Mikhailovich the man we know him: devotedly faithful and magnificently savvy in terms of psychological aspects. “The House of the Dead” created based on his “term” in Omsk is a slightly unusual writing for Dostoyevsky whose crucial works will come into existence later on. Many characters or their prototypes from this novel, that loudly declared fustiness of Russian system of justice, will migrate to such works. 
This is what O.Henry, who hadn’t yet discovered writer’s talent inside of him, told his dying wife; he got behind bars, like Cervantes, because of deficiency unraveled under dubious circumstances. Bank cashier William Porter (the American’s real name) was hiding from justice in Latin America for quite some time waiting for action limitation period to expire. But his wife’s progressing illness made the fugitive come back to the USA where he was immediately locked up. In three years he spent mostly working in jailhouse pharmacy, Porter learned a host of interesting stories that became bases for his future works. It was in penitentiary facility where he decided that, when out of it, would engage himself in literature. He also came up with the alias to reached global popularity under it. Thus “The Gentle Grafter” and “Jimmy Valentine’s Reformation” sprung off in a jail of provincial Columbus.
