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Free download - desktop wallpaper for March 2010
Each month ArtMagick offers a free wallpaper download, imprinted with that month's calendar. The download for March 2010 is now available:
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(Instructions: click the link above which represents the size of your computer's desktop, then right-click and select 'Set as Desktop Background' (or equivalent option). The monthly calendar appears on the right side of the image.)
About this month's picture
This month's picture is an illustration by Edmund Dulac, from the "Golden Age of Book Illustration". The picture is taken from Edmund Dulac's Picture-Book for the French Red Cross (Croix Rouge Française), published in 1915 during the First World War for the Daily Telegraph by Hodder and Stoughton, London, New York, Toronto.
The book consists of fairy tales and folk legends from around the world, with full page colour illustrations by Dulac. March's illustration is taken from the tale "Layla and Majnun: A Persian Love Story", "She would sit for hours, with the bird perched on the back of her hand, listening to its soft intonation of that one word "Majnun". Layla was the daughter of the chief of Basra who fell in love with Qays, the son of the chief of Yemen. Qays eventually went mad out of love for Layla, and became known as Majnun, "mad with love". The full text of the story is available here.
The aim of the book was to raise money for the French war wounded - Dulac included a plea to his book purchasers to send money to the French Red Cross:
"The work of the French Red Cross is done almost entirely by the willing sacrifice of patriotic people who give little or much out of their means....It is sufficient here to say that every one who gives even a shilling gives a wounded French soldier more than a shilling's worth of ease or pleasure."
Other artists also contributed to similar publications designed to raise funds to help the war effort, e.g. King Albert's Book for Belgian relief.
Additional photos of the book:
Book Cover
Frontispiece and Title Page:
Personal Plea from Edmund Dulac, with photo of the artist
The Story of Aucassin and Nicolette
Blue Beard
Cerberus
Cinderella
Comments
2 comments
Comment by Karina
Made 3/2/2010 4:05:00 AM
Comment by Carol
Made 3/2/2010 8:09:42 PM