Peace on Earth

May the peace of Christmas cease-fires last throughout the year.

Wishing you all a relaxed and peaceful Christmas, with a little song about Snoopy and the Red Baron, Snoopy's Christmas.

From the internet:

ARTIST: The Royal Guardsmen
TITLE: Snoopy's Christmas
Lyrics and Chords


[Capo 3]

The news it came out in the First World War
The bloody Red Baron was flying once more
The Allied Command ignored all of its men
And called on Snoopy to do it again

/ D A7 / - D / - G / A7 D /

Was the night before Christmas and forty below
When Snoopy went up in search of his foe
He spied the Red Baron and fiercely they fought
With ice on his wings, Snoopy knew he was caught

Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ring out from the land
Asking peace of all the world
And good will to man

/ GA D / / GA DBm / GA D /

The Baron had Snoopy dead in his sights
He reached for the trigger to pull it up tight
Why he didn't shoot, well, we'll never know
Or was it the bells from the village below

{Refrain}
Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ringing through the land
Bringing peace to all the world
And good will to man

The Baron made Snoopy fly to the Rhine
And forced him to land behind the enemy lines
Snoopy was certain that this was the end
When the Baron cried out "Merry Christmas, mein friend!"

The Baron then offered a holiday toast
And Snoopy our hero saluted his host
And then with a roar they were both on their way
Each knowing they'd meet on some other day

{Refrain twice}

Dedication Required on the Road to Peace

The world will never have lasting peace as long as men reserve for war their finest human qualities.

Peace, no less than war, requires idealism, self-sacrifice, and a righteous and dynamic faith.

- John Foster Dulles

This quotation says it all. Our finest human qualities are needed for peace, to bring an end to war. Peace is more than the absence of war; if we all use our finest human qualities in educating for a culture of peace we have a much better chance of succeeding.

Another Point of View

I make no secret that the paint brush and the pen are my weapons of choice in the quest for peace. Occasionally I struggle with the concept of using weapons that kill in this important and huge battle. Peacekeeping is an admirable occupation, but how far can one go with the definition of a peace-keeping army? When do peace keepers become oppressors and killers? I am not sure that I have a definite opinion on this; I do not like force at all, and am afraid of guns in any situation, yet I have many friends whom I respect who are in uniform and carry weapons. Their choice is not my choice, but our aims are the same.

This Ted speech, by the Chief of Defence of the Netherlands Army, is a clear and logical explanation of why some choose the gun as a weapon in the fight for peace. (The video runs for 18 minutes. If you don't have time to listen to all of it right now, I suggest you let it run through and then watch from minute 8 onwards). The gun, as explained by Peter van Uhm, the highest military commander in Holland, can also be seen as a weapon of peace. He supports his argument with some interesting statistics.

Peter van Uhm, Chief of Defence, Netherlands, from 2008 to present. (Photo from internet, Nato image).

What weapon do you choose? And are you an active campaigner for peace? If, like me, you do not choose the gun, then have you chosen a weapon that suits you, and are you using it in what is the greatest battle of all, the battle for peace, for freedom from oppression, for a more equitable distribution of the world's resources?

I urge you to be active, making positive change in your every day lives. Don't wait for special occasions, for commemorations and other events. Every day we have opportunities to make a difference. If we change, those around us change.

Change in the family and community, no matter how small, is positive change for a positive future. Just as each little drop of water can meld with others to form a puddle and then a lake, each peaceful community can join with others to form a peaceful nation. Each nation can join with others...

In this era of instant communication we CAN make a difference. But only if we act. Choose your "weapon" for peace, be it as personal as your smile or as public as the internet, and use it every day.

Ripples Across the Water

In 2010 Ronda Turk travelled to Cassino with her mother, Mary Howan, and other New Zealand artists and supporters, to exhibit with Legato, to visit Italy, to learn more about the Battle of Cassino, and of course to enjoy the wonderful countryside. Ronda and Mary made the most of their time here walking the picturesque hillsides, exploring the villages, enjoying being "local", experiencing as much of Italian culture as they could.

Using her photographs from this trip Ronda painted her impressions of Italy back in New Zealand. She recently won an award for her "townscape" of Roccasecca, this scene being near the Bed and Breakfast L'Ortica where she stayed.

Ronda's research prior to painting for Legato included interviews with veteran Don Hutchins, who served time in Italy. Don was a private with the 25th Battalion and his job was a Dispatch Rider; he also was a runner for about 4 days during the battle in Cassino. He spent two years fighting in Italy with around five months in Cassino. He was wounded later in Rimini, but returned to battle when he was fit enough.

Thanks to the social media of Facebook Michele Di Lonardo of Cassino saw the photograph of Ronda with her winning painting, and contacted her to interview her via Skype. The newspaper article above, published in Cassino in time for Remembrance Day, is the result of this connection.

Thanks to the internet art can certainly make ripples from one side of the world to the other.

Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, Veteran's Day

(Image taken from Wikipedia)

The clock on my computer has just flicked over to 11/11/2011 and a Facebook photo from New Zealand showed a clock at 11.11 11/11/11.

Today is Remembrance Day for many around the world. It is a day marked by the Commonwealth countries, but also recognised by many other countries throughout the world. It marks Armistice Day, the official end of World War I.

I often think of Australia on this day. Shortly, at the 11th minute of the 11th hour on the 11th day of the eleventh month a ray of sunlight will touch the poignant statue at the Shrine of Remembrance, the War Memorial in Melbourne. Five Australians lie in the cemetery in Cassino. One was a journalist; all were doing what their country asked of them.

Whatever we call it, Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, Veteran's day or Poppy Day, it's time to reflect, to remember.

It is also time to look ahead. Now, as much as we ever did, we need to educate for a culture of peace. Here in Europe I hear disquietening rumblings, of movements that are threatening, of strongly nationalist and militant ideology. We can't relax and ignore them, but must be proactive in reaching out to the young people, making links that will bind countries in peace, not divide them in oppressive actions.

Legato is a small movement, but it is one of many. Together we are a positive force. We never know who we reach, or how we do make change. But change does happen, and positive change through any medium is to be supported and applauded.

*****

Works from Legato 2010 are still finding their way home. Today I packed works that were shown again in the 2011 Cassino Legato, and these will travel to New Zealand shortly. The permanent display in Italy is changing slightly as these works are returned to their owners and new ones are added to the collection.

I visited New Zealand works in the Sora school last week, where the teachers and children were overwhelmed by the generous donation of work that didn't go back to New Zealand. I am delighted to be involved in planning the best placement and use of these works so that they form a central part of peace studies in the school.

Follow-up work from 2010 continues, while planning for new events stretches out to 2014. At the moment the Legato collection is being enjoyed by Polish visitors, and these essential links with Poland are being consolidated as I don't speak Polish and need help with the Polish Legato negotiations.

The Polish cemetery on Monte Cassino is undergoing extensive maintenance work. The trees have been removed and will be replaced, and the damage caused by tree roots repaired. While is appears stark in comparison to when the trees were still there it is also now highly visible, and reminds us of the real cost of war.

One thousand young Polish men did not go home from Cassino. Poland suffered terribly during and after the war. I look forward to working with Polish artists for commemoration and peace.

First Canadian Work for Legato

Legato (Italy) May 2011 included this small painting by Bernadette McCormack, who responded quickly to my initial inquiries to artists in Canada. Next year Legato will focus more on Canadian and Italian art.

This work has since been on display in Roccasecca with other works and the small but growing Legato permanent collection. It draws comments from adults and children and is one of the most popular new additions on display. Children seem to know almost instinctively that there is much to read in the work, and find symbolism in it that escapes most adults.

Bernadette McCormack

Sono cresciuta in Canada, una nazione tranquilla. La mia sola esperienza di guerra erano le storie raccontate dai miei genitori del tempo in cui erano bambini a Manila e, per sfuggire alle bombe, durante la seconda guerra mondiale, dovevano inerpicarsi su per la montagna in cerca di un posto sicuro. ll mio secondogenito ha sempre avuto un grande interesse per la storia militare fin da quando aveva sei anni, quindi ha iniziato ad introdurmi agli orrori, alle strategie, ai sacrifici occorsi durante la seconda guerra mondiale. Recentemente siamo stati in Normandia per soddisfare la sua curiosita' e abbiamo visitato le spiagge e I luoghi dello sbarco. Sono rimasta impressionata nel vedere i cambiamenti prodotti dagli anni. i campi verdi, le spiagge ben tenute, pronte per I turisti. Ma so che la terra, cosi' come la gente, ricordano le tragedie della guerra. Questo e' cio' che voglio simbolizzare nei miei quadri usando l'innocenza dei fiori che crescono dentro all'elmetto dei soldati caduti.

I grew up in Canada, a peaceful country. My only experience with the war was the stories my parents told of their time as small children in Manilla, where they had to escape the bombings of the second world war by climbing the mountains to a safer location. When my second son was born, he started to show an intense interest in military history at the age of six years old, and he started to educate me further of the horrors, the strategies, the sacrifices that occurred in the second world war. As he grew, he started to beg me to take him to the province of Normandy to satisfy his interest in the D-Day Invasion. Just recently, in order to fulfill my son's wishes, I found myself accompanying him to the landings and beaches of the D-Day invasion in Normandy. I was impressed with the way the land had renewed itself. The fields were smooth and green, the beaches were clean and flat and ready for sunbathers. But I know that the land, as well as the people, all remember the tragedies of war. I wanted to depict this notion in my painting by using the innocence of flowers growing in a fallen soldiers helmet.

Abstract Work Colours Vibrate

Italian artist Francesco Nardi balances the three primary colours on a stark white background, creating a tension that resonates but also allows space for calm reflection.*

He writes:
La sintesi operata nel mio lavoro pittorico riguarda soprattutto gli artisti che nel primo dopoguerra operarono negli Stati Uniti con l influenza dei pittori europei. Mi riferisco a Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Sam Francis, insomma alla New York School in generale. Le problematiche affrontate sono le stesse ed il messaggio di pace nell opera esposta resta immutato e latente.

Francesco Nardi

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*The photograph above does not capture well the dazzling interaction of the chroma intensity used by Nardi in this work.