St Teresa of Avila

Minimalism and a model railway layout.

In yesterday's blog I posted photos of the amazing Citroen U55 Currus Cityrama bus from 1950s Paris. Here is a die cast model of same in a street scene.

Here is a street scene from my model layout.

 

Why do I prefer mine?

I think it's because in mine, one is only given minimal details. One then has room to impose one's own romantic expectations upon the minimal skeleton provided. That act of imposition is a creative act and thus an emotional act and thus imparts a buzz upon the resultant perception.

In the much more detailed top picture, too much work has been done by the modeller as he mimics reality and there is no room left for the viewer to contribute his own creative processes to realising the final perception thus giving a deader experience.

Therefore, I think I will stick with  minimalist plastic model cars for populating the streets of my diorama and eschew the highly detailed brands. Must start buying them up on the internet!!!!

eg

 

 

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Tango music:

Listening to a lot of Tango music while I work in the hope that I will absorb the rhythms and the approach to life and thus survive better the Tango classes.

Found an old audio cassette that somebody must have given me because I don't recognise the beautiful italic handwriting on the label: "Astor Piazzolla - Tango Zero Hour"

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Veneration:

Have always meant to read the mystical works of St Teresa of Avila eg The Interior Castle but have always  given up within a few sentences of opening the volume.

Yesterday, began reading her fairly short "Conceptions of the Love of God" and was struck by something she said in her sub-title:

"Treats of the veneration with which the Sacred Scriptures must be read."

In other words, one must not read the Bible as one would say a self-help volume or a work of history or indeed a work of fiction: one must read it as the Word of God.

I'm not sure I always approach my reading or my listening to someone else's reading with that attitude. Will try to do so from now on.