Tomichan Matheikal's blog

  Human beings like to imagine themselves as the centre of the universe. Our religions and gods render their generous assistance in this process. For example, all the major Semitic religions imagine that God created everything for the sake of the human species. Man is the crown of the entire creation and everything in the universe, including women and the stars, is subservient to man. Other religions do not fare much better in this regard. Hinduism not only places men above women but also some men above others in an elaborate and intricate hierarchy. Such systems have led some people to think too highly of themselves. Thinking too highly of yourself is pride in a negative sense. Pride can be positive too. We should be proud of ourselves, our goodness, our integrity, our identity, and all other good things that we have or we are. That pride helps us to be good and also to become better day by day. Ironically, that pride is the kind of humility that Ernest Hemingway wanted us to le

Paul Cezanne “How do I judge art?”  Paul asked the man who had introduced himself as Ambroise Vollard.  “When I complete a painting, I take it and place it near a God-made thing, a tree or a flower; if it clashes, it’s not art.” Paul Cezanne had failed every time he submitted his works to the Paris Salon for exhibition.  The true artist cannot change his art in order to please the gallery.  Art is not a commercial product.  You paint according to your artistic taste and sensibility.  If people can appreciate them, it’s good.  Otherwise, it is still good.  Follow your soul’s diktats.  Paul did just that.  From 1864, when he was 25 years old, he submitted his paintings to the Salon for nearly two decades.  Rejections did not cloud his soul.  After all, his father, Louis-Auguste Cézanne was a successful banker and had left him enough money to live on.  “I was lucky,” Paul explained to Vallard, “selling my paintings was not important to me.  But the irony is that the Salo