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Most of us know the Mona Lisa and The Starry Night. Apart from these pieces by Leonardo da Vinci and Vincent van Gogh, our knowledge about art and artists is fairly limited. But there are many paintings that we should at least be able to recognize, if not know a lot about. It will help us appreciate beauty and understand our history as well. Every month we will try to acquaint you with five paintings to help you cultivate a robust understanding of art over time. 

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, mid-1940s

This is one of the most famous paintings of the Italian Renaissance. It was painted by Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, known as Sandro Botticelli. It depicts goddess Venus arriving at the shore after her birth. She stands nude on a giant scallop shell. The wind god Zephyr blows at her from the left, along with a young female he carries. Together, they are trying to push Venus toward the shore. A nymph is ready to wrap a cloak, decorated with spring flowers, around Venus to cover her nudity. Venus was born as the goddess of beauty and the viewers can witness this act of creation through the painting. 

Guernica by Pablo Picasso, 1937

Painted in black, gray, and white, the painting shows the suffering of people due to violence and war. The mural-sized oil painting was created by Pablo Picasso as a response to the bombing of Guernica, a village in northern Spain. It’s one of the most influential anti-war paintings in history. After its completion, it was displayed in a touring exhibition to raise funds for war relief. Picasso spoke very little about the painting’s meaning. He wanted the viewers, critics, and historians to interpret its meaning. 

The Burning Giraffe by Salvador Dali, 1937

Dali painted this just before his exile to the United States. It depicts Dali’s struggle in his home country and his views on political consciousness. Inspired by Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic method, the painting has blue female figures with drawers opening from their bodies. It apparently refers to the inner consciousness in humans. The figure of the woman can also be interpreted as a social commentary on the ways in which people are shaped (and distorted) by societal norms. At a distance, you can see a giraffe with its back on fire. 

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, circa 1665

Quite often mistaken for a portrait, Girl with a Pearl Earring is actually a painting of an imaginary figure. Vermeer was the master of light. It can be seen in the softness of the girl’s face and the glimmers of light on her moist lips and the shining pearl. The painting is nicknamed the ‘Mona Lisa of the North’. In 1999, American author Tracy Chevalier published a novel inspired by this painting. The painting, however, wasn’t always so iconic. After it was completed, it was lost until it resurfaced 200 years later.

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt, 1907-1908

Austrian artist Gustav Klimt is known for his ethereal, pattern-rich portraits. Several of his canvases are considered masterpieces. But The Kiss is perhaps his most famous, albeit controversial, work. The Kiss depicts a couple wrapped in a loving, golden-flecked, flower-filled embrace. It was rumored that Klimt and his longtime companion, Emile Floge, who was also said to be his lover, were the models of the painting, which was selected to be printed on the Austrian 100-euro coin, minted in 2003.

Decorating your home can be tricky. Do little and it looks empty and uninviting. Do too much and you run the risk of making it look cluttered and overwhelming.  You want to make it look lived-in without being over the top. But how do you go about it? Pinterest can be a great place for décor ideas but without a personal touch to them, you will just create a space that looks beautiful but means nothing. You don’t want that.

We recommend you get some guidance. Hiring an interior designer might not be in everyone’s budget which is why we suggest you turn to some Instagram accounts for some much-needed design inspiration. And then, you add your tweaks to it to make your home reflect who you are. 

Kruti Badiani

Kruti Badiani is a décor enthusiast and stylist who runs the Instagram page @Myhomevibes which is a great source of inspiration for anyone who is new to decorating and wants simple hacks to make their space look pretty. Her feed has everything—from tips on taking care of indoor plants and creating cute corners to what color to include in your space and how to style your furniture. Her décor is largely inspired by nature so you will see a lot of muted shades in her posts but she also shows you how you can add pops of color to your space. 

Sasha Bikoff Interior Design

Sasha Bikoff’s designs are influenced by her travels across Paris, Marrakesh, and Milan among many other cities. Her Instagram account is all about bold colors, unique styles, and maximalist designs. Her posts might seem a little overwhelming at first but these highly imaginative designs are sure to spark your creativity. It was her viral kaleidoscopic staircase design for the 2018 Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse that was described as ‘eye-popping’ and ‘psychedelic’ that made her an Instagram sensation. 

Tilton Fenwick

Anne Maxwell Foster and Suysel dePedro Cunningham launched Tilton Fenwick in 2010. The name of their interior design firm was inspired by their college dorms. Their posts on Instagram showcase pattern play, statement furniture exuberant designs, and bold color schemes to stimulate ideas for home decor. They have also collaborated with other businesses for textiles, wallpapers, and upholstery collections. Their products have been featured in Elle Décor, Architectural Digest, and The New York Times among others. 

Wendy

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According to her website, Wendy believes “in creating a home you love by filling it with things you love to serve people you love”. She started her Instagram account and blog The KWendy Home in 2017 when she was looking for inspiration while designing her first home.

On her Instagram page and website, there are several easy and budget-friendly DIYs, remodeling and decluttering videos, and decor tips. She also focuses on sustainability and natural elements. She will give you lots of ideas on how to decorate your home with plants and upgrade your furniture without costing a fortune. 

Jungalow

This bright and vibrant page on Instagram belongs to an L.A.-based designer and New York Times bestselling author, Justina Blakeney, whose aesthetic is all about having fun, being free, and a little wild to boot. Her posts will teach you a thing or two about decorating with plants and that you can never have too many. What started as a design blog in Blakeney’s tiny, plant-filled living room back in 2009 has since grown into a lifestyle brand and the go-to source for design goods and inspiration. 

Bhavna Bhatnagar

The page An Indian Summer on Instagram is so aesthetically pleasing that you will have spent hours scrolling through it and still not have had enough. There are dreamy décor posts interspersed with some travel photos. Though the page is heavily focused on contemporary design, you will find quite a few vintage and bohemian looks too. She also frequently reposts from other accounts so you will get to discover other décor related content through her page as well. An Indian Summer is beautiful and inspiring and will pump you up to put together a lovely space.

The Wife Upstairs

Rachel Hawkins

Thriller | Mystery

A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.

With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?

Girl, Wash Your Face

Rachel Hollis

Self Help | Personal Development

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Rachel Hollis has created an online fan base of hundreds of thousands of fans by sharing tips for living a better life. Her highly anticipated first book features her signature combination of honesty, humor, and direct, no-nonsense advice. From her temporary obsession with marrying Matt Damon to a daydream involving hypnotic iguanas to her son’s request that she buy a necklace to “be like the other moms,” Hollis holds nothing back. With unflinching faith and tenacity, Hollis spurs other women to live with passion and hustle and to awaken their slumbering goals.

Before The Coffee Gets Cold

Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Fantasy | Japan

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In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time. In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-traveling offer. Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beautiful, moving story explores the age-old question: What would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?

While insurance companies’ business grew in single digits in the last fiscal year, they have managed to post handsome growth in their profit. The profit of life insurance and non-life insurance companies rose by 49 percent in 2022/23.

The profit of life insurance and non-life insurance companies stood at Rs 9.82bn in 2022/23 from Rs 6.59bn in 2021/22.

Non-life insurance companies increased their profit by 44.81 percent in the last fiscal year. The fourth quarter report shows non-life insurance companies recorded a net profit of Rs 5.17bn in FY 2022/23 from Rs 3.57bn in 2021/22.

The profit growth of life insurance companies is better than that of non-life insurance companies. The life insurance companies’ net profit grew by 54 percent in the last fiscal to Rs 4.64bn. Their profit in 2021/22 stood at Rs 3.01bn.

Insurers say their profits improved mainly due to the high-interest rates on deposits of banks and financial institutions. Insurance companies keep most of their investable capital in fixed deposits of commercial banks.

Over the past year, banks increased the interest rates of deposits in response to a prolonged liquidity crunch benefitting institutional depositors such as insurance companies.

Among the life insurers, Nepal Life Insurance Company earned the highest profit in 2022/23. The company recorded a net profit of Rs 674.43m. Himalayan Life Insurance Company is ranked second with a net profit of Rs 581.32m followed by Sun Nepal Life Insurance with a net profit of Rs 566.53m.

In the non-life insurance sector, the government-owned Rastriya Beema Company topped the chart with a net profit of Rs 772.54m. Neco Insurance is in second place with a net profit of Rs 553.14m followed by Sagarmatha Lumbini Insurance with a net profit of Rs 458.26m.

Though insurance companies managed to post good growth in their profit, their overall business expansion remained dismal in the last fiscal. After experiencing double-digit growth in previous years, the insurance sector (both life and non-life) saw a meager increase of 2.85 percent in 2022/23, which is significantly lower compared to the robust growth of 16.48 percent witnessed in 2021/22.

The preliminary data unveiled by the Nepal Insurance Authority shows that life and nonlife insurers collected insurance premiums totaling Rs 182.88bn in the last fiscal year. In 2021/22, the total premium collection stood at Rs 177.81bn.

The business of life insurance companies surged by 2.64 percent in the last fiscal year while non-life insurance companies saw their business grow by 3.6 percent.

According to NIA, life insurance companies collected premiums amounting to Rs 142.31 in the last fiscal year, while it was Rs 40.57bn for non-life insurance companies. The premium collection of life insurance companies in 2021/22 stood at Rs 138.64bn and non-life insurance companies at Rs 39.17bn.

Profit of life insurance

Profit of non-life insurance companies

The meeting of the Investment Board of Nepal has approved investment worth a total of Rs 36. 37 billion for four hydropower projects.

A meeting of the Investment Board presided over by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal approved investment worth a total of Rs 36. 37 billion for Rolwaling river, Chujung river, Dana river and Sanibheri Hydropower projects.

Reviewing the current progress regarding the implementation of the Tamor Reservoir Hydropower Project, the meeting has decided to form a high-level committee to present suggestions pertaining to the working procedures of the future project.

Similarly, the meeting has decided to grant a study permit to Dolma Himalayan Energy for the study of a solar energy project of 245 MW and 20 MW battery capacity in Rajpur Rural Municipality of Dang District.

Likewise, the Board has taken note of the detailed feasibility study report submitted by the Risen Energy Co. Ltd for the development of 250 MW solar energy in Kohalpur of Banke and Bandganga of Kapilvastu.

The Board has decided to present a proposal to the Council of Ministers for the implementation of the order issued by the Supreme Court in relation to the Upper Karnali Hydropower Project.

Moreover, the Board has approved the draft of the Memorandum of Understanding to be signed with a company based in Malaysia for carrying out a study on setting up a chemical fertilizer industry.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Dahal directed all the bodies concerned to carry out more study and analysis so that the determination of cost for hydroelectricity projects is 'bankable' in the coming days, to deepen the required coordination for timely completion of the projects under construction, and to carry out result-oriented works by shortening the processes related to investment approval and project implementation.

The gold is being traded at Rs 111, 100 per tola in the domestic market on Friday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 110, 550 per tola.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,450 per tola today.

Traffic along the Kanti Highway has been obstructed due to a landslide at Bhattedanda, the bordering area of Lalitpur and Makawanpur districts.

The vehicular movement has been obstructed due to the landslide following rainfall for the past some days.

The District Police Office, Makawanpur, said that they are facing difficulties to clear the debris due to continuous rainfall.

Spokesperson of District Police Office, Makawanpur, Tek Bahadur Karki said that preparations are underway to resume the vehicular movement by this afternoon after clearing the landslide debris if there is an improvement on weather.  

Karki, however, said that traffic along the Tribhuvan Highway, East-West Highway and Bhimphedi-Kulekhani road section has not been disrupted in the district.

Police have arrested a Filipino with undeclared money that he was attempting to take abroad illegally from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).

DSP and Nepal Police spokesperson Kuber Kadayat said that the arrestee has been identified as Arsino JR Mesa (32).

Police said that they have recovered USD 3,000 and Rs 850,000 from the Filipino’s possession.

Arsino was apprehended when he was about to board a flight to Dubai.

Kadayat said that the Filipino has been sent to Revenue Investigation Department (RID) for investigation.