Max Verstappen, Piet Mondrian, Lula: the buzz of the weekend

From the 14th victory of F1 champion Max Verstappen to the opening of a school of witchcraft in Brittany, including the discovery of a Mondrian painting displayed upside down, the support of the Avengers for President Lula or even the image of a smiling sun shared by NASA, the weekend was rich in both sporting and cultural news.

A painting by the painter Mondrian hung upside down

A painting hung the wrong way for 77 years. This was revealed by the major retrospective dedicated to the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian at the Kunstsammlung museum in Dusseldorf. The establishment decreed one of the paintings produced by the artist in 1941, entitled “New York City 1”, as being exhibited upside down since its debut.

“In a photo from 1944, I saw that the canvas was the other way around on an easel. It intrigued me”said Susanne Meyer-Büser, the curator of the exhibition, in an interview with the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung on Saturday.

First, the painting itself.

It’s called “New York City I”, created in 1941 by the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian. Notice how the lines (actually colored tape) cluster at one edge.

Critics had long interpreted that as the floor of a city. In fact, it’s the sky. pic.twitter.com/xmRTKNEswQ

— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) October 31, 2022

Exhibited at New York’s MoMA in the 1940s, and already in the wrong direction, the iconic painting by the artist, known for his work in primary colors and lines, had been present in the Düsseldorf museum since the 1980s. without anyone realizing the mistake. Without Mondrian’s signature on the painting, it was difficult to determine its meaning, admits the curator of the exhibition, indicating that a single element could have guided this approach, “the name of the artist written on the back of the frame by the administrator of the estate”.

The artistic sense of the painting is also turned upside down by this discovery. The accumulation of horizontal line at the bottom of the frame, which was associated with the city and its layout, would in fact, once in the right position, represent the sky. However, the painting should continue to be exposed in this way so as not to degrade it in the process of moving.

A Breton Hogwarts at Rocher Portail castle

For the All Saints holidays, a school of witchcraft opened its doors 30 minutes from Mont Saint-Michel, at the Château du Rocher Portail. If the thematic visit with the preparation of potions and duels of spells delights children for 29 euros, the Warner studios, affiliated with the famous fantastic saga “Harry Potter”, have expressed their dissatisfaction.

Indeed, the flags of the different “houses” of the school strangely echo those created by the author JK Rowling, as well as the large room in which visitors can dine for 99 euros per cover. The resemblance is obvious for the studios which require the closure of the place. “Our lawyers replied to Warner that it was not them who invented the school of wizards: there was ‘My beloved witch’ and in history, there are schools of wizards and witchcraft , in addition to Brittany, there are plenty of them! »explains to AFP, Manuel Roussel, owner of the castle since 2016, determined to grow the building which turns out to be classified.

The event is a success for the chatelain who previously organized courses playing, with tourists, the card of a French “Downtown Abbey”. The place has indeed realized, over the years, the difficulty of federating around classic circuits which only brought in 10,000 visitors per year. Today, Manuel Roussel is not closed to the idea of ​​collaborating with the studio exploiting the image of the most famous wizard in Great Britain, as he confides: “Maybe one day we will find an agreement with Warner to do something together! I have big plans”.

A 14th victory for Max Verstappen at the Mexican Grand Prix

Each weekend, the pilot continues his remarkable ascent towards F1 peaks . Max Verstappen has just become even more legendary by winning his fourteenth victory of the season at the Mexican Grand Prix.

The champion thus becomes the only driver with as many victories in a season ahead of his opponents, Schumacher and Vettel, who each hold 13 successes. Unstoppable, the Dutchman has been assured of the title of best driver of the year since his time on the Suzuka circuit in Japan.

NASA releases image of the sun ‘smiling’

Space continues to unravel its mysteries, often frightening and intriguing, but sometimes amusing. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory thus shared a surprising image at the end of the week: that of the sun “smiling”.

Say cheese! 📸

Today, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught the Sun “smiling.” Seen in ultraviolet light, these dark patches on the Sun are known as coronal holes and are regions where fast solar wind gushes out into space. pic.twitter.com/hVRXaN7Z31

— NASA Sun, Space & Scream 🎃 (@NASASun) October 26, 2022

Only visible thanks to the violet spectrum, these coronal holes which result from materials projected quickly outside the star, draw the shape of a smiling face. Or at least that’s what the human brain perceives. Indeed, this “smiling face” would be a perfect optical illusion, also called pareidolia, which allows us to discern shapes in these air pockets, like when the brain thinks it can distinguish shapes in the clouds.

The Avengers call for a vote in favor of Lula

If Lula succeeded in his return to power in the Brazilian presidential elections on Sunday evening , the left-wing politician’s campaign has received widespread support around the world. Some more unexpected than others.

All weekend, actors from the Marvel franchise encouraged Brazilians to vote for Lula, in response to a tweet from Brazilian actor Fabio Porchat: “The bad guys here are empty shopping bags, weapons arriving in schools, lack of drugs in pharmacies….. It’s superhero work. Does anyone hear me? »

Olha só os fãs! Tá rolando ate chamar os Vingadores para dar uma forced nas eleições! Aqui os vilões são a sacola do mercado vazia, as armas chegando nas escolas, a falta de remedio no postinho… É trabalho pra super heroi mesmo. Algum aí na escuta?#NemTodoHeróiUsaCapa https://t.co/9wycK9Pr7Q

— Fabio Porchat (@FabioPorchat) October 28, 2022

The response from the principals concerned was not long in coming since Samuel L. Jackson, known for his role as Nick Fury, responded by declaring “Hunger in Brazil is not a fiction, but it can end”. The actor was quickly followed by Chris Hemsworth, interpreter of Thor, or even Robert Downey Jr. who played Iron Man on the screen.

Mark Ruffalo, who gives life to the Hulk for the Marvel franchise, had meanwhile already encouraged Brazilians to vote Lula in the first round, even attracting the mockery of the opponent and outgoing president, Jair Bolsonaro. “Please vote on Sunday for brave and open minds and for strong and healthy families” tweeted the actor on Friday before speaking out against abstention at the polls. Calls that have been heard since Lula emerged victorious with 50.84% ​​of the vote and must now set about writing a new page in the political history of the country.