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The Art Of Jeffrey Dale Starr
Jeff paints the things he loves, so there are many works portraying San Francisco, Europe, Japan and dream-like imagery in the style of Impressionism.
He has been oil painting since his youth, and as a child was influenced by the work of Vincent Van Gogh, Edward Hopper, Claude Monet and Jackson Pollock. Jeff Starr was fortunate to have been raised by parents with an appreciation for art, who exposed him to great works in museums across the country, including the Smithsonian.
Inspirations
Prague
Prague - Inspiration of American oil painter Jeff Starr. I have to admit...before I visited Prague, my view of the city (and the Czech Republic) was, "Isn't that somewhere in Eastern Europe?" I sort of lumped all former Soviet nations into a vague idea of gray square buildings, concrete everywhere, faded posters of Lenin pealing off of walls, and other ridiculous, nebulous stereotypes (this is why traveling is important, kids!).
Turns out I couldn't have been more wrong. Prague is a gorgeous, elegant and lush city. When you think of the term 'old-world craftsmanship', think of Prague. Everywhere you look are exquisite and ornate buildings, statues galore, cobblestone streets, marble, gold leaf, on and on and on.
And the layout of the city is also gorgeous. The Vltava River snakes through the city, requiring numerous baroque bridges - the greatest of which being the Charles Bridge, which contains a life-size, magnificent statue every 20 feet or so.
Prague Castle alone is worth the trip. Its Golden Lane was the residence of one of Prague's most famous citizens, Franz Kafka. The subways are pristine. The streets are squeaky clean. The people are sophisticated, charming, and hospitable.
In summation, on your next European visit, include Prague in your itinerary.
Turns out I couldn't have been more wrong. Prague is a gorgeous, elegant and lush city. When you think of the term 'old-world craftsmanship', think of Prague. Everywhere you look are exquisite and ornate buildings, statues galore, cobblestone streets, marble, gold leaf, on and on and on.
And the layout of the city is also gorgeous. The Vltava River snakes through the city, requiring numerous baroque bridges - the greatest of which being the Charles Bridge, which contains a life-size, magnificent statue every 20 feet or so.
Prague Castle alone is worth the trip. Its Golden Lane was the residence of one of Prague's most famous citizens, Franz Kafka. The subways are pristine. The streets are squeaky clean. The people are sophisticated, charming, and hospitable.
In summation, on your next European visit, include Prague in your itinerary.
The name Prague comes from an old Slavic root, praga, which means 'ford', referring to the city's origin at a crossing of the Vltava River. This root is found in other toponyms in the region. For example, a district of Warsaw bears the name of Praga.
According to another theory about the origin of the name of city concerns the belief that seven holy men from India settled here. They named this place after their sacred native city, Prayag, which is now known as Allahabad. The native name of the city, Praha, is also related to the modern Czech word prah, which means 'threshold'. A popular etymology connects the name of the city to the fact that the city is located on the threshold of the Slavic and German worlds.
The city flourished during the 14th century reign of the king of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV of the new Luxembourg dynasty. He ordered the building of the New Town (Nove Mesto) adjacent to the Old Town. The Charles Bridge was erected to connect the new district to Mala Strana. Monuments by Charles include the Saint Vitus Cathedral, the oldest gothic cathedral in central Europe, which is actually inside the Castle, and the Charles University. The latter is the oldest university in central Europe. Prague was then the third-largest city in Europe. Under Charles, Prague was, from 1355, the actual capital of the Holy Roman Empire, and its rank was elevated to that of archbishopric (1344). It had a mint, and German and Italian merchants, as well as bankers, were present in the city. The social order, however, became more turbulent due to the rising power of the craftsmen's guild (themselves often torn by internal fights), and the presence of increasing number of poor people.
