Blast from the 19th-Century Past

I've been waiting all week to unleash this blast of 19th century stuff for the Words of the Moment, Artwork of the Week, and Quote of the Week! There's a whole theme- yay! I'm also really excited for this update because I haven't updated the sidebar stuff in a long time.

First up, the new Words of the Moment!

Obstreperous
[uhb-strep-er-uhs] Origin: 1590-1600
-adj. 1. Noisy, clamorous, or boisterous
2. Resisting control or restraint in a difficult manner.
The obstreperous party guests stayed well into the evening.

Shoat
[shoht] Origin: 1375-1425
-noun. A young, fattened pig
Personally, I like this word used as a 19th century insult.
The new Viscountess was a socially grasping, overindulged shoat.

Woolgathering
[wool-gath-er-ing] Origin: 1545-55
-verb. Indulgence in idle fancies and daydreaming; absentmindedness.
"Sorry, what was your question? I was woolgathering."

Next up, the new Artwork of the Week! This beauty is from Düsseldorf School great, Andreas Achenbach (1815-1910). Besides having an awesome name, Achenbach was well-known for mastering a natural look for waves (which you can see in the painting I chose for this week).

Clearing Up- Coast of Sicily, Andreas Achenbach, 1847. Oil on Canvas, Walters Museum.

Fun fact: this painting currently resides in the Walters Museum, and it was originally purchased in 1863 by Walters himself (well, Walters himself's dad).

And now, its time for the Quote of the Week. This quotable gem was gleaned from the 19th century journal I've been reading lately:

"As long as the indiscriminate admiration of Medieval Art continues, the road to immediate fame and perhaps to fortune consists in an almost service imitation of its peculiarities. It is, moreover, a very smooth and easy road. We may enter upon it with the smallest possible stock of acquirements. The powers of imitating all the subtler beauties of Nature, and which have cost so many great painters years of study and practice, are not only unnecessary, but would impede our progress."

-Professor Leslie's Lectures on Painting, Lecture II. Published in the Bulletin of the American Art-Union, No. 2 May 1850, p. 25