D. Paul Graham Archives - South Magazine

Art of Sprezzatura

Sprezzatura is an Italian word coined by Renaissance author, Baldassare Castiglione, in ‘The Book of the Courtier’. Castiglione took 20 years to write the book and it was published just before he died in 1558. He defined sprezzatura as “art which does not seem to be an art.” In other words, when you act and live your life naturally, seemingly effortlessly with a certain nonchalance; a joie de vie, or to stick with today’s Italian tema, a gioia della vita. This morning’s M5T was written with sprezzatura with a nod to the art of living as such.

"Monday 5 Things" with D. Paul Graham.....Eruption.....

.....Eruption..... The passing of Eddie Van Halen last week gave me pause to reflect on not only the artistic brilliance of a true guitar virtuoso but also music from the 70’s and 80’s.This morning’s M5T is a lighthearted look at songs from the 70’s and 80’s that may have different meanings to us today than we may have considered when we first heard the songs four to five decades ago…which seems to be a kinder, gentler way to say we are flirting with almost a half century since we first heard some of these songs!

"Monday 5 Things" with D. Paul Graham

Monday 5 Things…..The Most Tragic Poet….. Aristotle (that philosopher guy who was a student of Plato, taught Alexander the Great in Macedon, and wrote some rather light reading material on metaphysics, poetry, theater, science, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, etc., etc.,…

"Monday 5 Things" with D. Paul Graham

Monday 5 Things…..Moments….. I had the privilege to be on a shoot last week in Asheville. Cooler temperatures were a welcome respite from Savannah humidity. Yesterday, rather than rushing home, I turned what should have been a 5-hour drive into…