Bad student, good painter – Pablo Picasso

Teachers of the famous Spanish painter Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) were probably surprised by his great international success in art.

Pablo left school when he was ten because he couldn’t learn to read and write fluently. He had difficulties expressing himself and he also confused letter.

According to Pablo's mother, the famous painter learned to draw before he even learned to speak. One of the first words he uttered was "piz". In fact, little Pablo was asking of his mother “lapiz", which is a Spanish word for - a pencil.

He wanted to draw.

read more...

The Old Man Who Was Creating Trouble!

When the Romans, in 189 BC, defeated the army of King Antiochus III of Syria, at Magnesia in Asia Minor, they demanded that Antiochus military adviser, the famous military commander Hannibal (247-183 BC) is immediately handed over to them.

But, the cunning Hannibal fled to Crete, and then for a time hid in Asia Minor.

Roman soldiers eventually managed to find him...Realizing that there is no way out, Hannibal took a bottle of poison which he always carried with him and drank the deadly liquid.

"Let us relieve the Romans from the anxiety they have so long experienced, since they think it tries their patience too much to wait for an old man's death"

Those were the last words of Hannibal.

read more...

Byzantine Art of Persuasion (Part IV)

Not on earth nor in the sky

Story says that in the year of 986 Prince Vladimir of Kiev was visited by missionaries from various parts of the medieval world. First who came was the Bulgarian delegation from the middle Volga who recommended Islam, then Pope's envoys trying to religiously subjugate multiple Russian people, who inhabited large areas, to papal curia, then Khazar missionaries who recommended Judaism, and, finally, a redundant sage, envoy of the Byzantine emperor. With haughty contempt and ostentatious arrogance, this Greek "philosopher" mocked the other competitors. At first he spoke with rough and unmeasured way of Muhammad, and then, he confidently revoke dogmatic teachings of Rome as well as Jews. In response to Vladimir's theological questions, this proud Byzantine smatterer gave a speech of nearly five thousand words. However, halting Russian prince, even after this adept and oratory brilliant speech remained somewhat cautious. Since it was a very important national issue, Prince Vladimir sent emissaries to all the above-mentioned religious destinations.

Finally, the odds went to Byzantine "proposal." This time the brilliant rhetoric of the Roman negotiator was, with the best way, supported by unsurpassed Byzantine art to, in Constantinople, the "Empress City" as Byzantine writers called it with grace, in the most important temple of Capital, in the magnificent Hagia Sophia, serve Divine Liturgy to confused visitors from the north. The question is whether the doubts recorded in Russian source really existed, or, it was just a need to subordinate the facts to an exciting plot that somehow had to maintain tension and suspense by telling of how the Russians made difficult and historic decision.

The words of the Russian chronicle say distinctly: "And we have come to the Greek country, and they took us to a place where they worship their God, and we did not know whether we are in heaven or on earth; because the earth there is no such sight and such beauty and we do not know how to describe it. We know that there is a God among men and their service is prettier than in all other countries. "

And, finally, evidence of barbarian fascination with Byzantine persuasion skills brings Theodore Metochites. I am telling you about famous Byzantine-Serbian negotiations from 1299, important for the events and the balance of power in the Balkans at the turn of the 13th the 14th century. The good thing is that we possess the so-called "Ministerial letter" which is confidential report that a Byzantine negotiator Theodore Metochites sent to Constantinople within his last of his five trips to Serbia during 1298/1299. It is reasonable to assume that this interesting writ was compiled in the first half of April in the year of 1299 when long and difficult negotiations between Byzantine Emperor Andronicus II Palaeologus (1282-1328) and Serbian King Milutin (1282-1321) where completed.

It is necessary to emphasize that this is a unique source, a text which, apparently, was sent to Nicephorus Chumnus, then mesazon, that is the "first minister" of the Byzantine Empire, who was at the time Metochites superior officer. Hence the text of this confidential writ overgrows usual official reports which are characterized with routine drafting, arid and established lexicon, but also and the redundancy of any imagination. Before us, therefore, we have educated writing with which a young intellectual - Theodore Metochites was then only thirty years old, and was at the beginning of a great scientific and statesmen career – is trying to impress the older, respected and already famous colleague. Therefore, this "talk" of two wise men should be viewed as a kind of clash of intellects, conflict between two scientific vanities, and spiritual contest in which the younger is trying hard to fascinate the older one. Leaving aside colorful and exciting events from his travel to Serbia during one of the coldest winters in the period of the Middle Ages, and extensive diplomatic "wrestling" between Byzantine and Serbian negotiators, I bring you just one assessment that Theodore Metochites is telling at the very end of his "Ministerial letter". He notes: "Because, question is if someone can win in everything just with words and not be defeated by evil, and if the suffering will not manage those who use only words, and relying only on them. In every matter, namely, every word is certainly just a shadow of a true act. And this is especially so with the barbarians and limited people who do not easily relinquish to words, especially with such plots, intrigues and wickedness, and moreover because they think that we use words most skillfully, better then them and the others, and that we use them to rule, persuade, and turn everything anyway we want. "

With regard to the presented it’s not surprising that the Byzantines in the Middle Ages were considered as shifty people. To tell the truth, the Byzantines themselves have thought of other nations as shifty. At the same time, of course, we should not lose sight of the well-known fact that people notion of each other - both then and now! – were often burdened with not only the whole set of prejudices, but also and with various forms of simplification. However, it is not without interest to mention the famous Byzantine principle of "oikonomia", which implies allowed deviation from strict adherence to church rules under irregular circumstances and for honorable goals. In other words, it’s about special Byzantine willingness to interpret the law arbitrarily, in accordance with political or personal intentions. At the same time, it is necessary to remind that "oikonomia" was raised to one of the most essential principles of political thought in the Byzantine Empire.

read more...

Byzantine Art of Persuasion (Part I)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – a message from the New Testament (the Gospel of John, 1, 1). "Words, words, words!" – Pathetically cries Hamlet in William Shakespeare's eponymous tragedy. French writer Andre Maurois warned of power and destructive force that words can have: - “If the people better understood what danger lies in the use of certain words, dictionaries in the windows of the bookstores would have had a red ribbon with the inscription: "Explosive! Carefully Handle!"” Indeed, although they are most impermanent, at the end and after all, only words remain.

It is well known, on the other hand, that artistry in the use of the words is exactly proportional to the level of civilization of a certain society. In the period of the Middle Ages, Byzantium was a good example which confirmed the rule said. Barbarians themselves were aware of the skills of Byzantine diplomacy, that is, their ability to achieve anything they wanted with words and their clever use, which would otherwise been achieved only by the force of arms.

But this is not just about the deep impression that Roman eloquence was leaving on simple and primitive barbarians, but also and about giddiness and sometimes Byzantine perfidy which were in a special way connected with the art of handling words in the intricate political and diplomatic circumventions. In order to understand this, it is necessary to recall the Roman beliefs in their own uniqueness and Byzantines confidence in the sacred right of Byzantine Empire to rule over the entire Christian universe.

From this kind of belief, the Byzantine conception was coming out according to which all other people were less valuable than Romans and as such were worthy of contempt. It is necessary to bear in mind what was issued in order to properly understand the Byzantine attitude toward other nations, but also attitude of others towards Romans.

In order to show this, I will present four cases: two from the early Byzantine history, tied to 6th century and Turkish tribes, one from the final decades of the 10th century, in which, along with the Byzantines, the Russians are the main participants, and, finally, one which is placed in the last years of the 13th century, and it’s turned to the history of the Byzantine-Serbian relations.

To read "Byzantine Art of Persuasion (Part II)", click HERE.

read more...