Paintings by Belgian Artist -Rene Magrette

René Magritte was a Belgian Surrealist artist, one of the most prominent figures of the movement. Born in 1898, he is known for his witty, thought-provoking, and often enigmatic paintings that challenge viewers' perceptions of reality.

Here are the key aspects of his art and influence:

• Surrealism and the Uncanny: Magritte's work is a cornerstone of Surrealism, a movement that sought to liberate the unconscious mind. Unlike some of his contemporaries who used a more abstract style, Magritte's art is characterized by its meticulous, realistic depiction of familiar objects. The "surreal" element comes from placing these objects in an unexpected or illogical context, which creates a sense of the uncanny and prompts questions about reality and representation.

• Common Motifs and Symbols: He had a recurring cast of symbols and subjects in his work, which have become iconic:

  • The Bowler Hat: A symbol of the ordinary bourgeois man, often used to obscure faces.

  • The Apple: A simple, everyday object that frequently covers the face of a subject, as in his most famous self-portrait, The Son of Man.

  • Pipes: Most notably in his famous painting, The Treachery of Images.

  • Clouds and Skies: Often appearing in unexpected places, such as indoors or on objects.

  • Stones and Rocks: Shown floating weightlessly in the sky, defying gravity.

• Challenging Perceptions: Magritte's most famous paintings often play on the disconnect between an image and its label. His most iconic example is The Treachery of Images (1929), which shows a realistic painting of a pipe with the words "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" ("This is not a pipe") written below it. This challenges the viewer to think about the fact that the image of an object is not the object itself.

• Legacy: Magritte's influence extends far beyond Surrealism. His clear, graphic style and conceptual approach to art have had a significant impact on Pop Art, Minimalist Art, and Conceptual Art. His imagery is so recognizable that it has been widely used in advertising, film, and popular culture.

• Famous Works:

  • The Son of Man (1964): A self-portrait of a man in a suit and bowler hat with a green apple obscuring his face.

  • The Treachery of Images (1929): The famous pipe painting.

  • The Lovers (1928): A painting of two people kissing with their heads covered in white cloth.

  • Golconda (1953): A scene depicting a cityscape with a multitude of men in bowler hats raining down from the sky.

  • The Empire of Light (1954): A paradoxical image showing a dark, nocturnal street scene under a bright, daytime sky.

Whole Wheat Witch Fingers for halloween

Whole Wheat Witch Fingers

Prep Time: 25 min  

Cook Time: 20 min 

Total Time: 85 min

Whole Wheat Whipping Cream Biscuits

Ingredients 

2 1/2 cups whole wheat (hard white) flour, freshly ground

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp.  Honey Granules aka Sucanat with honey

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream 

Method 

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Chocolate cake in 2 minutes

Recipe Credit: MyWaytoCook.com 

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1 big Coffee mug
• 4 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoon whisked egg ( Vegetarian can add 1 tablespoon egg replacer )
• 3 tablespoon milk
• 2 tablespoon cocoa
• 1 teaspoon coffee (optional)
• 2 tablespoon chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 drops vanilla ( or add any other flavor of you choice)

Medu Vada Recipe (South Indian Food)

Recipe Credit:MyWayToCook.com   

                   

Prep time: 1 hour 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 8-10 vadas

Ingredients

• 300 gm of urad dal (also sold as urad bean or white lentil)
• 1 big onion
• 1 or 2 green chilies( 2 teaspoons chilies)
• 3-4 curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon black pepper (powder, as per taste)
• salt as per taste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste (optional)

How to play chess....चैस कैसे खेलें

The game of chess is a tactical skirmish waged on a 64-square battlefield, in which the object is to capture the opposition’s king.

 Setting up a chess board

Set the board up with a white square in each player’s right-hand corner. Centre the king and queen on the back row – black queen on a black square, white on white. On either side place a bishop, then a knight, with the rooks (castles) in the corner. Line up the pawns in front.

How the chess pieces  move

PAWNS can move only forward (one or two squares with the first move, one thereafter), except to capture, when they move one square diagonally.

KNIGHTS move one or two squares vertically or

horizontally; two or one at right angles (that is, one straight hop, one diagonal).  

ROOKS (aka castles) can move back or forth in straight lines over any number of unoccupied squares vertically or horizontally.

BISHOPS can move back or forth in straight lines over any number of unoccupied squares diagonally.  

QUEENS can move back or forth in straight lines in any direction and over any number of unoccupied squares. 

 

KINGS can move one square in any direction – but not to a square menaced by an opposing piece. A king can therefore not attack a king.

                  White starts by moving either a pawn or a knight (the only ranking piece that can pass over occupied squares, to land on an empty one or to capture a square). The players then take it in turns to move, picking off each other’s pieces by landing on squares they occupy and trying not to put their own pieces in jeopardy.

The aim is to put the square occupied by your opponent’s king under direct threat of being captured by your next move (putting the king ‘in check’). If you can target the king in such a way that your opponent can neither move him away from the threatened square, block the line of attack nor capture the attacking piece, you have achieved ‘checkmate’ and win the game. A draw, when a win for either player is deemed by both to be either impossible or unlikely, is called a ‘stalemate’.

Chess tactics to help you win!

■ Gain control of the centre of the board to optimise your access to other squares.

■ Don’t underestimate pawns. They can form powerful blockades and take more ‘valuable’ pieces – and if one makes it to the back line it’s ‘promoted’ to a ranking piece.

■ When there are no pieces between a king and one of his rooks (and neither piece has yet moved), a king can ‘castle’ – that is, move two squares towards the rook, which then moves to the space directly to the other side of the king.

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चेस कैसे खेलें 

Sabse pehle, chess board ko samajhte hain:

• Chess board mein 64 squares hote hain, 32 white aur 32 black.

• Ye board aise rakha jaata hai ki har player ke right side corner mein white square ho.

• Board par rows ko ranks (numbered 1 se 8) aur columns ko files (lettered a se h) kehte hain.

Har player ke paas 16 pieces hote hain:

• 1 King: Ye sabse important piece hai. Agar King ko checkmate kar diya, toh game khatam. King ek step kisi bhi direction mein chal sakta hai.

• 1 Queen: Ye sabse powerful piece hai. Queen seedha (horizontal/vertical) ya diagonal kisi bhi direction mein kitni bhi door jaa sakti hai, jab tak koi doosra piece beech mein na ho.

• 2 Rooks: Ye bhi seedha (horizontal/vertical) kitni bhi door jaa sakte hain.

• 2 Bishops: Ye sirf diagonal chalte hain. Ek Bishop hamesha white squares par aur doosra hamesha black squares par chalta hai.

• 2 Knights: Ye 'L' shape mein chalte hain - do squares seedha aur phir ek square side mein. Knight hi ek aisa piece hai jo doosre pieces ke upar se jump kar sakta hai.

• 8 Pawns: Ye sabse chote pieces hote hain.

  • Pawns pehli baar mein ek ya do square aage chal sakte hain. Uske baad sirf ek square aage.

  • Pawns sirf diagonal pakadte hain (doosre pieces ko). Woh seedha chalte hain par pakadhte diagonal mein hain.

  • Agar koi pawn board ke last rank par pahunch jaye, toh woh Queen, Rook, Bishop ya Knight ban sakta hai (usually Queen bante hain).

Game kaise start karte hain:

1. White player pehle move karta hai.

2. Players ek baari mein ek move chalte hain.

3. Apne piece ko us square par le jaana jahan opponent ka piece ho, usse woh piece capture ho jaata hai aur board se hat jaata hai. Aap apne own pieces ko capture nahi kar sakte.

Kuch important terms:

• Check: Jab King attack mein ho, matlab agar opponent chahe toh us move mein King ko pakad sakta hai. Jab King ko check mile, toh usko bachana zaruri hai. Teen tareeke hain bachne ke:

  • King ko kisi safe square par le jaana.

  • King aur attacker ke beech mein apna koi piece rakhna (Knight aur Pawn ko chhod kar).

  • Attacker piece ko capture kar lena.

• Checkmate: Jab King check mein ho aur bachne ka koi tareeka na ho, toh use checkmate kehte hain aur game khatam ho jaati hai. Jo player checkmate karta hai, woh jeet jaata hai.

• Stalemate: Agar kisi player ki baari hai par woh koi valid move nahi chal sakta (na King safe hai, na koi aur piece chal sakta hai) aur King check mein bhi nahi hai, toh use stalemate kehte hain. Yeh draw (barabari) hoti hai.

• Castling: Ye King aur Rook ka special move hai. Ye sirf tab ho sakta hai jab:

  • Na King ne pehle move kiya ho, na us side ke Rook ne.

  • King aur Rook ke beech mein koi piece na ho.

  • King check mein na ho, aur na hi us square par se guzre jahan se attacker attack kar sakta ho.

  • Is move mein King do squares Rook ki taraf chalta hai, aur Rook King ke upar se jump karke King ke bagal mein aa jaati hai.

Goal of the game:

Opponent ke King ko checkmate karna.

Tips for beginners:

• Center ke squares control karne ki koshish karo.

• Apne Queen ko bahut jaldi bahar mat nikalo, use protect karke rakho.

• Pawns ko efficiently use karo.

• Apne King ko safe rakho, especially end game mein.

• Practice karte raho! Jitna kheloge, utna seekhoge.

Yeh basic rules hain. Jab tum kheloge toh aur bhi cheezein samajh aa jayengi. All the best!

How to carve a Halloween pumpkin

All you'll need is a big round pumpkin, a sharp serrated knife, a serving spoon, a marker pen, and a tea light.

1. Set the pumpkin stalk side up and scalp it. Use a careful, deliberate sawing motion. Set the top aside.

2. Scoop out the seeds and fibres, holding the bowl of the spoon for leverage. Scoop out most of the flesh; set aside for pumpkin pie.

3. Draw triangular eyes, nose and a grinning, toothy mouth. Cut around the features and press them out with your thumb from the inside.

4. Put a tea light into the base of the pumpkin, light with a long cook’s match and pop the top back on. Dim the lights. Spooky!

And if you want more designs of carving for halloween pumkin you can check this link http://www.digsdigs.com/100-halloween-pumpkin-carving-ideas/