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Fred's avatar

Wow! I failed spectacularly. Can I blame old eyes? Or teachers unions?

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Jorg's avatar

Very interesting. After the fact some of them connect with me. Benjamin Franklin especially so. Others I don't know enough about to judge in any useful way. I thought they were all very reasonable updates.

And my first thought about Ramses II was precisely that he looked like a healthy modern Eastern Mediterranean type.

This was fun. When you have time, do some others, please.

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Andy G's avatar

This is not really my thing, though I did like the Botticelli’s “Venus” one.

But choosing to do the Mona Lisa at all was just a wrong decision on your part.

*Some* things should never be messed with.

This will be one of the tiny handful of meaningful negatives that future Bastiat’s Window historians will point to, after they cover the large number of positives.

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Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

I like your idea that there will one day be Bastiat’s Window historians. I’m willing to be vilified it will help establish such a field of study. Recall Johnny Depp’s interaction with a British official in Pirates of the Caribbean. The official said, “You’re the worst pirate I ever heard of.” Depp responds, “Aaaa … … but you ‘ave ‘eard of me.”

But I was not doing the Mona Lisa. I was doing (most likely) Lisa de Giocondo—the model for the painting. Wondering what the actual woman would have looked like. Add to that the fact that the painting was neither famous nor widely viewed as iconic for 80% of its existence. In 1911, it was stolen from The Louvre and remained missing for two years. The press coverage was sensational, and celebrities, including Picasso, were suspected and arrested. After two years, it was traced to a museum guard who was trying to sell it. When this was all done, the painting was famous and revered in ways it never had been before.

In other words, Lisa is fair fame for humanization.

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Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

I meant to add that the theft was rolled up in the approach to WWI. The thief was an Italian nationalist who wanted to strike a blow for Italy against France—and who was lionized in Italy for having done so.

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Andy G's avatar

I was completely unaware of that history of the Mona Lisa’s fame. Thx much for the education!

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RJ's avatar

Who'd have thought Shakespeare would look so nerdy? On the other hand, how else would he look?

And Botticelli's Venus is a haunting picture. Strikingly beautiful but looks like, as Samuel L. said in "Die Hard 3," she could "shove a lightning bolt up your ***."

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Mark Sundstrom's avatar

That was fun!

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Gobsmacker's avatar

The AI version of Ramses II looks like Hosni Mubarak's doppelgänger.

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Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

Quite a bit!

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Atanu Dey's avatar

A not-relevant comment. In one of your essays, please explore the question of who wrote Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. Thank you.

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Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

Thanks! I probably won’t, because (1) A lot of people great amounts of time and patience have plowed that ground in great detail. (2) I don’t have a great deal of time and patience. (3) I doubt that the question will/can ever be resolved. Fine question, though, and I appreciate the suggestion. But … if you insist, I asked Grok “Who wrote Shakespeare’s sonnets and plays?” I’ll post the answer below:

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Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

FROM GROK (in around 2 seconds): Shakespeare’s sonnets and plays are traditionally attributed to William Shakespeare, the English playwright and poet born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He’s credited with writing 154 sonnets and 37 plays, including masterpieces like *Hamlet*, *Romeo and Juliet*, and *Macbeth*. The consensus among most scholars and historians is that Shakespeare himself penned these works, drawing from his experiences, the cultural milieu of Elizabethan England, and influences like Ovid, Plutarch, and Holinshed’s Chronicles.

That said, there’s a long-standing debate—often called the Shakespeare authorship question—that challenges this view. Some argue that Shakespeare, with his modest education and small-town background, couldn’t have produced such sophisticated works. Alternative candidates include Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, and Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. The Oxfordian theory, for instance, points to de Vere’s noble status, education, and life events mirroring themes in the plays. Anti-Stratfordians (those doubting Shakespeare’s authorship) cite the lack of direct evidence—like personal manuscripts in his hand—and gaps in his documented life.

On the flip side, mainstream scholars counter that genius doesn’t require formal education, and Shakespeare’s contemporaries, like Ben Jonson, praised his work without questioning his identity. The First Folio of 1623, published by his theater colleagues, also credits him explicitly. No definitive proof has overturned this attribution in over 400 years.

So, while William Shakespeare is almost certainly the author, the fringe theories persist, fueled by speculation and the mystique of his legacy. What’s your take on it?

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Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

So, your request has been fulfilled—though perhaps not as you imagined. :)

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Daniel Melgar's avatar

I’m so sorry that I wasn’t able to play but I so enjoyed your creative posts. Well done!

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