the Voyage of Life— Old Age by Cole ... cover artwork for Swedish Doom Metal band Candlemass, 1987, Nightfall

Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire (1910) by Albert Goodwin (England, 1845–1932). Influenced by William Turner & the Pre-Raphaelites

Ivan Aivazovsky.
Rocky Coast and a Rough Sea at Sunset.
1883

Abandoned (1873) by Fyodor Bronnikov (1827-1902) 🇷🇺

Georg Eduard Otto Saal, Forest Landscape in the Moonlight 1827 Rijksmuseum 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

The moon's still so beautiful—this is Samuel Palmer's "The Weary Ploughman," an etching of 1858 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

“He who belies his talent, the born painter who sells stockings instead, the intelligent man who lives a stupid life, the man who sees the truth and keeps his mouth shut, the coward who gives up his manliness, all these people perceive in a deep way that they have done wrong to themselves and despise themselves for it. Out of this self-punishment may come only neurosis, but there may equally come renewed courage, righteous indignation, increased self-respect, because of thereafter doing the right thing; in a word, growth and improvement can come through pain and conflict.” (Abraham Maslow, Toward a Psychology of Being)
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Art: François Chifflart – The Conscience 🇫🇷

Eruption of Vesuvius with Destruction of a Roman City, 1978 | Sebastian Pether 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

“The Little Mermaid” | By Hans Christian Andersen Illustrated by talented artist Jennie Harbour. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Illustration by Arthur Rackham for Rhinegold and the Valkyries, 1910

In Norse mythology, Bifröst is a burning rainbow bridge that reaches between Midgard (Earth) and Asgard, the realm of the gods. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

What does it mean to be a “hero”?
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“It is easy to become bogged in life’s burdensome chores, to get lost in tangled underbrush and myriad trees, to lose sight of the forest, to drop one’s purpose, to relinquish one’s struggle, to abandon one’s potential. But these are not necessarily preordained outcomes. Sadly, some might succumb in this manner. But others persevere. Either way, this is a choice individuals make… This is what it means to be a hero in a delimited respect: Within the scale of his/her concerns and abilities—in pursuit of positive goals—everyman, at times, will, with undaunted spirit, face opposition, even life-imperiling danger—and refuse to surrender.” (Andrew Bernstein, Heroes, Legends, Champions: Why Heroism Matters)
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Cornelius Cort - Slaying of the Hydra 🇳🇱

The staircase in the Leighton House Museum (Kensington, London), with paintings from the Pérez Simón collection. 🇪🇸