“At Sysoi’s” — Alexander Kosnichev

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Want to speak English with confidence?

Take the first step towards your goal. 🎯
Sign up for the free online English O’Clock marathon.

By the end, you’ll discover:

🖌 what you really need English for—and how to stay motivated;
🖌 how to learn so you retain what you study, and how to practise every day;
🖌 how to make sense of English grammar and move from memorising rules to using them naturally;
🖌 how to overcome the language barrier and speak with ease.

We’ll explore why years of studying at school, university, or language courses may not have paid off—and how a fresh approach can change everything. English really can be learned quickly and effectively.

The marathon will be led by Andrey Gulyaev, polyglot and founder of Don’t Speak School, who developed his own method for learning English effectively.

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“July. Swimming” — Konstantin Yuon

Yuon sought to capture the beauty of Russian landscapes and villages, especially the charm of a particular corner of Russia. The side-on view helps bring it to life: a village on a hillside, with houses scattered across clearings and tucked among the trees. People are swimming in the river, while the surrounding forest frames the village and gives the scene an intimate feel.

Bright colours fill the painting: blue river water, varied shades of green in the forest, and clouds drifting across a richly coloured sky. Together, they bring the scene to life and capture the beauty of summer.

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In 1905, a restoration uncovered a mystery hidden for centuries.

Leonardo da Vinci’s painting was long thought to show Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. A later layer concealed the sitter’s hand. When it was removed, a musical score and an inscription beginning “CANT... ANG...” appeared. The figure was a musician, and the painting became known as “Portrait of a Musician.”

His identity remains unknown. Leading candidates include Franchino Gaffurio and Josquin des Prez, both at Sforza’s court, and Atalante Migliorotti, a Tuscan musician and Leonardo’s friend. None is confirmed by documents.

This is Leonardo’s only surviving male portrait. The face is finely finished, but the clothes, hat, and background are rougher. Experts believe the work was left unfinished.

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What makes this painting a family portrait? James Jebusa Shannon placed his wife, Florence Mary Cartwright (Lady Shannon), and their daughter Kitty among the dunes.

“On the Dunes (Lady Shannon and Kitty),” 1900s
James Jebusa Shannon (1862-1923), American artist
Oil on canvas, 186.4 × 143 cm
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, USA

Kitty Shannon (1887-1974) later became an artist herself.

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“Autumn”

By English artist Henry Ryland (1856-1924). Watercolor on paper. From a private collection.

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What inspired this study of a woman’s head? It was made for *Cadence of Autumn* in 1905.

By English artist Evelyn De Morgan (1855-1919).
Pencil and graphite on paper.
Private collection.

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🖌️ The Martyrdom of Saint Florian - Albrecht Altdorfer

How did a Roman soldier end up condemned to death? According to sacred tradition, Florian lived in the 3rd-4th centuries and secretly became a Christian. He tried to save Christians in Upper Austria from execution, and for that he was sentenced to die. His executioners tied a stone around his neck and threw him into a river.

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Thomas Cole’s *The Thinker* (1845) captures a vision of poetic melancholy, inspired by a poem by John Milton.

The American artist painted it in oil on canvas. The work measures 82.2 × 122 cm and is held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

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One young man sits calmly at the foot of a small rock, legs crossed and turned toward us. In Leonardo da Vinci’s *Bacchus*, he looks strikingly warm and human, perhaps because the model was the master’s favorite pupil, Salaì. A spotted fur pelt drapes over his arm, barely covering him before trailing to the ground. 🖼️

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“Old Shepherd’s Chief Mourner” by Edwin Henry Landseer.

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Benes Knüpfer’s “Nymph on a Dolphin”

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Titian’s “La Bella” is valued at $550,000. Nearly 500 years on, the woman’s identity remains unknown.

A May 1536 letter from the painting’s commissioner, Francesco Maria della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, refers only to “the portrait of that woman in the blue dress.” Researchers believe she may be an idealized image of beauty rather than a specific person.

Claims that she was Violante, daughter of Palma Vecchio, or the duke’s wife, Eleonora Gonzaga, have been rejected. A similar model or ideal appears in “Girl in Furs,” “Girl with a Feather” and “Venus of Urbino,” painted for the duke’s son two years later.

The title “La Bella” became established in the late 18th century. The painting entered Florence’s collections in 1631 as part of Vittoria della Rovere’s dowry. During the Napoleonic looting, it was briefly taken to Paris with 62 works from the Pitti Palace.

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80.6 × 100 cm. Oil on canvas, held in a private collection.

“Inside an Antique Shop,” 1919
Artist: Carl Johann Spielter

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2 women appear in Jan Vermeer’s *Mistress and Maid*, caught in a tense exchange over an important letter.

Vermeer conveys their agitation through the lively dialogue, giving the scene a sense of movement.

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❗️BoostVPN is built to keep connections working in Russia.

It took 13,000,000 rubles and 35 programmers from 7 countries to create it. The result is a service that uses the latest UZIRO encryption protocols, which Roskomnadzor cannot detect or physically block.

So even if internet restrictions intensify, Telegram, YouTube, and other services are designed to keep working reliably.

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🎨 Saint John Chrysostom by Sebastiano del Piombo

A quiet, elevated mood. A grand setting. And saints who look still, yet seem ready to move.

Muted colors set the tone. Classical architecture gives the scene its monumental feel. A lyrical landscape, flowing lines, and rich colors bring warmth and spiritual life.

John Chrysostom appears with Saints Catherine, Mary Magdalene, Lucia, John the Evangelist, John the Baptist, and Theodore. Each has a message for the viewer. No speaking required.

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“Girl in the Fjord” by Hans Dahl: a scenic title with a rather excellent view built right in.

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1,000+ years later, this palm-leaf page is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while pages from the same manuscript may be in London, Cleveland or Tokyo.

It comes from the *Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita*, or *Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines*, an early Mahayana text. Between the 11th and 13th centuries, Buddhist centers in Bihar and Bengal, especially Nalanda, produced and commissioned such manuscripts. Donors believed paying for a copied and painted sutra earned spiritual merit for themselves and their deceased relatives.

The images weren’t illustrations. They were thought to protect the text and bring blessings. Padmapani, a form of Avalokiteshvara holding a white lotus, guards the page. The hole in the middle is no accident: a cord once bound the palm leaves together, under painted wooden covers.

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“Daughter of the King” - Eduard Veit. A royal title, a brief introduction.

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