“The aesthetic experience is a simple beholding of the object . . . you experience a radiance. You are held in aesthetic arrest.” - Joseph Campbell
Aesthetic Arrest is our weekly dip into the Epicurean pleasures we’ve been enjoying lately. Now with TWO ways to enjoy our curated splash of inspiration and culture! Cheers to that!
Click above to listen to our Aesthetic Arrest Podcast, featuring R&R discussing our reading, listening, looking, viewing and tasting recommendations of the week!
Take a deep-dive into our Aesthetic Arrest: Mid-Week Libation! Below is a splash of interesting cultural gems to explore — videos, music, art, articles, recipes and more. Something different every week!
Aesthetic Arrest: Mid-Week Libation
Wildstar’s Wednesday Libation: Corpse Revivers!
Three variants on the Corpse Reviver! Just in time for your Halloween cocktail party! Check out the recipes below:
For the original recipes for Corpse Reviver No. 1 & No. 2, check out The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock!
Reading #1: Poem of the Week: “Spirits of the Dead” by Edgar Allan Poe
We couldn’t resist. ‘Tis the season for Edgar Allan Poe. And this poem seems too perfect for Samhain:
Spirits of the Dead
by Edgar Allan Poe
I.
Thy soul shall find itself alone
’Mid dark thoughts of the gray tomb-stone —
Not one, of all the crowd, to pry
Into thine hour of secrecy:
II.
Be silent in that solitude,
Which is not loneliness — for then
The spirits of the dead who stood
In life before thee are again
In death around thee — and their will
Shall overshadow thee: be still.
III.
The night — tho' clear — shall frown —
And the stars shall look not down,
From their high thrones in the heaven,
With light like Hope to mortals given —
But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever:
IV.
Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish —
Now are visions ne’er to vanish —
From thy spirit shall they pass
No more — like dew-drop from the grass.
V.
The breeze — the breath of God — is still —
And the mist upon the hill
Shadowy — shadowy — yet unbroken,
Is a symbol and a token —
How it hangs upon the trees,
A mystery of mysteries! —For further reading, Lit Hub published a fascinating article on Poe last week: “America’s Literary Giant.” On the Legacy of Edgar Allan Poe in Vietnam by Nguyễn Bình
Reading #2: A Vampire Novel with a Twist — Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler
“When your rage is choking you, it is best to say nothing.” ― Octavia E. Butler, from Fledgling
For more reading recommendations, check out our curated bookshelf, Halloween Horror Extravaganza! R&R's Recommended Horror/Weird Fiction, at the Epicurean Vagabonds Storefront at Bookshop.org!
Listening: Two Amazing New Albums Out This Week! Ecce Homo by Gavin Friday & Symphony of Lungs by Florence + The Machine with Jules Buckley and his Orchestra (BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall)
#1: Ecce Homo by Gavin Friday
Gavin Friday Announces Release of Album Ecco Homo and Shares Title Track as Lead Single (via Hot Press)
Gavin Friday: `I am a singular type of artist. I've never walked the line' (via RTÉ)
#2: Symphony of Lungs by Florence + The Machine with Jules Buckley and his Orchestra (BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall)
Florence + the Machine: Symphony of Lungs Review – One Crescendo of Ecstasy After Another (via The Guardian)
Watch via BBC iplayer (U.K. only) or the Youtube video which is currently available (this may be temporary) below:
Looking: Uncanny Old Masters! Chris Oh’s Painted Shells & Crystals Make the Old Masters Uncanny (via Artsy)
Last week Artsy announced The Artsy Vanguard 2025, spotlighting “10 exceptional talents poised to become the next great leaders of contemporary art.” All ten artists are worth a look, but we were especially captivated by the work of painter Chris Oh, who reimagines the work of Renaissance Old Masters on organic materials like seashells, crystal geodes, antique wood, coral, and even a deer skull:
Official Site of Chris Oh / Instagram / Works for Sale (via Artsy)
Reflecting Time Passing, Chris Oh Reinterprets Works of the Northern Renaissance on Ephemeral Substrates (via Colossal)
Stunning Paintings on Natural Materials Pay Homage to the Northern Renaissance (via My Modern Met)
Viewing: Two Classic Horror Films for Halloween! The Innocents (1961) & The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)
#1: The Innocents (1961) — directed by Jack Clayton, starring Deborah Kerr, screenplay by Truman Capote, based on The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (Criterion Collection)
Watch the sleek modern trailer for the restored version here:
Watch the campy classic trailer here:
#2: The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) — written & directed by Dario Argento (Criterion Channel)
Watch the sleek modern trailer for the restored version here:
Watch the campy classic trailer here:
Tasting: Red Pozole (Pozole Rojo) for el Día de los Muertos!
This week is also el Día de los Muertos (aka the Day of the Dead)! And in honor of the occasion, we wanted to share a delicious recipe from Claudia Regalado (from Cooking Con Claudia), who will teach you how to make her Grandma's Authentic & Classic Homemade Pozole Rojo in the video below:
For more great Mexican recipes, check out Cooking Con Claudia on Youtube & Instagram, as well as her cookbook: Cooking con Claudia: 100 Authentic, Family-Style Mexican Recipes by Claudia Regalado!
So that’s it for this week! But in the tradition of our Mid-Week Libations, we’d like to end with this week’s words of wisdom, a quotation from “The Merchant of Menace” himself, Vincent Price (who was also an avid collector of art):
This Week’s Words of Wisdom: Vincent Price
Unique Museum Named for Legendary Horror Movie Actor Vincent Price is a Thriller for Art Enthusiasts (via ABC7 News)
Thank you for joining us for Season 3 of Aesthetic Arrest!
Cheers to that!
Aesthetic Arrest: It's Halloween! Spirits of the Dead, Corpse Revivers, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Fledgling & A Symphony of Lungs!