Selfish

As I have done every morning since beginning the lockdown, I went for my daily walk this morning.  I don't know why but, in contrast to every other day, when all the other people out and about were civilised and considerate, today there were numerous selfish idiots.  Examples included:

1. An adult, wearing enormous headphones, riding a powered skateboard down the middle of a busy road.

2. At least three runners, who were so intent on their own athleticism that they passed walkers from behind, leaving only about a metre of separation. One of these did this twice to me.  I called him words to the effect of "selfish idiot." He disagreed.

3. Couples who walked side by side along a path about 3 metres wide, obliging me and others to step into the road to pass them.  When I remonstrated with one such pair, who were pushing a pram, their excuse was "it's okay, we are a family."

Happy Easter everyone!

Today's previously unheard album was another classic from the late 1960s - Johnny Winter's Second Winter on which my favourite track was Miss Ann.

My annoyance at the behaviour of fools was not influenced by and did not itself influence my choice of a rather violent painting for the day - Caravaggio's Judith Beheading Holofernes". This picture typifies Caravaggio's use of light and shade, depicting from Jewish history the beheading of a tyrant by a determined but apparently reluctant Judith.

This work was completed in 1599 at a time when the Catholic states of Europe were acutely aware of the threats posed by the Reformation, to their standing, wealth and domination of the known world. Assassinations and attempted coups were common. The slaying of an aggressor by a figure of eminent virtue would have been highly popular.

Caravaggio's style was not universally popular as he broke from the Renaissance ideals of beauty and perfection, painting with a realistic and gritty aesthetic which was highly popular with some but seen as controversial by many. As was Caravaggio himself.  He was drawn to violence and darkness in his own life and reports of various incidents show him to have been something of a thug.  For example, in 1606 he mortally wounded one Ranuccio Tomassoni in a brawl over a bet on a tennis match. He once threw a plate of artichokes at an "impolite" waiter and always carried a large sword.