It's one of the most recognized and celebrated works by Vincent van Gogh.
A year before his suicide, van Gogh painted a depiction of the view from his asylum room window, just before sunrise, with an imaginary village in the background.
Over 80 years later, this 1889 Post-Impressionist painting inspired Rock musician Don McLean (of American Pie) to compose this tribute to van Gogh: his paintings, his life, his struggles, and suicide:
John and Michelle Phillips had written the song of that title in 1963.
The lyrics reflect the longing for Los Angeles warmth during a cold spell in New York City. It also would define a popular California sound of the 1960s counterculture. (Reference: California Dreamin')
And it had become a hit.
The Mamas and the Papas (1965) performed one of the best-known versions of California Dreamin', but later a music video was made by The Beach Boys as shown below:
The Babylon Bee parodied this Beach Boys California Dreamin' video reflecting the sign of the times in California. Denizens were fleein' instead of dreamin' of coming there.
Its premise: "A chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family's future."
But there was some comedy relief, such as Season 5, episode 9, as shown in this scene between the banter of characters Badger and Skinny Pete.
While one of main characters, Jesse, is having a breakdown, Badger pitches his ideas for a Star Trek script over pizza.
Robert Graves wrote his historical novel, I, Claudius (1934) as an autobiographical memoir of the Roman Emperor Claudius (reign 41-54 A.D.)
The memoir spanned the time of Augustus Caesar, Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius' succession to emperor after Caligula's assassination.
The novel is filled with political machinations, lust, and murders. Ironically when the Petronian Guard chooses Claudius as the new emperor, he doesn't want it. Yet, he soldiers on for 13 years until he's allegedly poisoned so Nero could succeed him.
In 1937, Robert Graves' book was to be made into an epic movie, I, Claudius, starringCharles Laughtonas the title role. But the serious injuries of one the irreplaceable actresses aborted the completion of the epic movie.
Some of the archives of this shelved film were recovered in the 1965 documentary, The Epic that Neve Was.
One of the greatest scenes:
I, Claudius vs The Senate
Charles Laughton gives this moving performance as he's presented to the Senate to succeed the murdered Caligula.
The archives director for The Saturday Evening Post said that the magazine has been regarded with "a mixture of nostalgia and affection". Shown: a Norman Rockwell cover from August 1924.
Likewise, so many of Norman Rockwell's paintings evoke a feeling of nostalgia, or perhaps hiraeth.
That is...
Hiraeth- (noun) - a deep, wistful, nostalgic sense of longing for home; a home that is no longer or perhaps never was. A yearning and wistful grief for people and things long gone.
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