ART AFICIONADO

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Charles Le Brun

Art Appreciation

Charles Le Brun was born in Paris on February 24, 1619, into a modest family; his father was a sculptor, which exposed him early to the arts. Le Brun showed precocious talent and trained under François Perrier, absorbing classical principles through the study of antiquity.

A pivotal moment came with his patronage by Chancellor Pierre Séguier, which enabled Le Brun to travel to Rome in the 1640s. There, he studied Raphael, Annibale Carracci, and ancient sculpture, forming a rigorous classical foundation that would define his approach.

Le Brun's career accelerated after his return to France. He became a founding member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1648 and later its director, shaping academic standards for generations.

His close alliance with Jean-Baptiste Colbert and Louis XIV elevated him to First Painter to the King. In this role, Le Brun oversaw vast decorative programs for royal residences, most famously at Versailles, where he coordinated painters, sculptors, and craftsmen to create a unified visual language that projected royal authority and order.

Technically, Le Brun is known for disciplined composition, clear narrative structure, and an intellectual approach to expression. His treatise-like studies on physiognomy sought to codify emotions, influencing academic art well into the 18th century.

Among his best-known works are The Battles of Alexander, the decorative cycles of the Hall of Mirrors, and ceiling paintings at the Salon de la Guerre. Together these works established a model of French classicism that balanced drama with control.

Alexander Entering Babylon, or The Triumph of Alexander, 1665

Portrait of King Louis XIV. during the War of Devolution, 1668

Le Chancelier Séguier, c. 1660

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/great-characters/charles-brun

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Le-Brun

https://presse.louvre.fr/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/934987.pdf

https://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/l/le_brun/index.html

Monday, February 23, 2026

Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day

Music Appreciation

Released on February 23, 1993 from Ice Cube's third solo album, The Predator, It Was a Good Day stands out in his catalog as a laid-back West Coast hip-hop track that flips the usual narrative of gangsta rap on its head.

Rather than focus on conflict or struggle, the song details a rare stretch of calm and luck in South Central Los Angeles, from waking up with no smog and barking dogs to cruising, playing basketball, and simply enjoying life's small wins.

Produced by DJ Pooh, the track is anchored by a smooth sample from the Isley Brothers' Footsteps in the Dark, and its mellow groove underpins Ice Cube's narrative style, where he strings together vivid, everyday moments that culminate in the refrain that caps each verse: today was a good day.

Lyrically, the song reads like a day-by-day diary of simple pleasures -- a good breakfast, a phone call from someone special, and a Lakers win -- but with broader cultural resonance. Escaping the usual backdrop of violence and tension in his environment, Ice Cube paints an ideal scenario, one that listeners have long debated in terms of whether it reflects a real day or an imaginative composite of experiences.

The music video, directed by F. Gary Gray and first aired in March 1993, mirrors the song's narrative beat for beat. It follows Ice Cube through the same chronological journey -- waking up, playing basketball, hanging with friends, watching Yo! MTV Raps, rolling dice and dominoes, and reconnecting with a long-time crush -- visually grounding the song's optimistic theme in everyday Los Angeles life.