The Final Countdown Has Begun

Five Days

There are five more days until school is out for summer.  Today is a review day for the exams.  Tuesday is the first of the exam days, so we will dismiss at 11:30 am, but there will be grading that needs to be kept up with so I don't fall behind.  Wednesday will be another exam day, dismissal at the same time, but their will be an end of the year luncheon for teachers along with a retirement party for one of our teachers, who, by the way, has been teaching at my school for thirty years.  Thursday will be the last exam day, and all grades will have to be in before we leave, but that afternoon, we will have a teachers party away from school.  Friday is our last day.  It is a teacher workday, so we have to get all of the final checklist of end of school things to get done.  Then I will be out for summer, though there is a possibility of teaching summer school in June.

The photograph above of the five young men is by Wilhelm von Gloeden (1856-1931) and is known as Land of Fire. It is one of the most famous and republished images by Gloeden. It shows a view upon the Vesuvius from Naples from the terrace used by both Gloeden and by his cousin Wilhelm von Pluschow. The background Vesuvius was heavily retouched, almost repainted, on the glass negative. 

Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden (September 16, 1856 – February 16, 1931) was a German photographer who worked mainly in Italy. He is mostly known for his pastoral nude studies of Sicilian boys, which usually featured props such as wreaths or amphoras suggesting a setting in the Greece or Italy of antiquity. From a modern standpoint, his work is commendable due to his controlled use of lighting as well as the often elegant poses of his models. Innovative use of photographic filters and special body makeup (a mixture of milk, olive oil, and glycerin) to disguise skin blemishes contribute to the artistic perfection of his works.