Day 93

The trees are all getting ready, standing like ballet dancers, feet together, arms out, fingers poised in elegance, ready for the curtain to open.  The name of the show.....SPRING.

I have a daily calendar of Art from the Metropolitan Museum's collection.  There is a beautiful sculpture of a smiling woman from the Ptolemaic period in Egypt, circa 400-2-- B.C.

 It struck me that it is very unusual for sculptures to be smiling.  Here are some other old examples, all unsmiling.

Found in a tomb in Gizeh, made in about 2700 B.C.  She could be an Olympic swimmer.

Beautiful youth with eyelashes, a bronze charioteer found in Delphi from about 470 B.C,

Praxitiles: Head of Hermes, probably his eromenos.

The amazing Rodin!

How different sculpted or painted portraits are from photographic portraits, which so often show grinning faces.  In the 21st century, even little children know to smile when you point the camera at them.

And here is a lovely smile from Paul Klee!