2026 New Year Book List by Paul G. Chandler

A visual meditation on Nicholas Roerich, the Winter Solstice and Cultivating Wonder

A visual meditation on Jean-François Millet's paintings of "Hagar and Ishmael."

A visual meditation on Iraqi artist Qais Al Sindy's "Living as a Pilgrim"

A visual meditation on Paul Cezanne's "A Painter at Work."

A visual meditation on Henri Matisse's "second life."

A visual meditation based on Nigerian artist Bruce Onobrakpeya's "Fourteen Stations of the Cross."

A visual reflection on a painting by Kalidou Kassé of Senegal on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2025

2025 New Year Book List by Paul G. Chandler

By Paul G. Chandler - September 19, 2024. Rembrandt van Rijn, Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem , 1630, oil on panel, 58cm × 46cm If one listens carefully to the voices around us at this time, one may often hear a significant amount of lamenting. Lamenting what has happened to the country. Lamenting the tragedy of the seemingly never-ending conflict in Gaza. Lamenting the state of our world. Lamenting the introduction of AI. Lamenting the impact of social media

By Paul G. Chandler - August 29, 2024 Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper , 1494-1498, Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy / Wikipedia The 15th century Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper , painted between 1494 and the beginning of 1498, is considered one the most important mural painting in the world. And it has been fascinating to see the way in which it recently received renewed global attention.   If you were following the 2024 Summer Olympics held in Par

-Exhibition: “RED CARD” by Khalifa Mané – hosted by   Galerie Mémoires Africaines , Saly, Senegal “I am a revolutionary artist. I am an artist who addresses current events - especially all that has caused such upheaval in Africa over the last years – which has been like a revolution. My work is my way to revolt.” - Khalifa Mané I have not yet had the privilege of meeting the young Senegalese artist Khalifa Mané. But I am quite certain we would be good friends. Visiting Mané’

By Paul G. Chandler - July 29, 2024 Ferdinand Bol, Angel Appearing to Elijah,  1642, Oil on canvas I have been struck by the number of individuals that I have recently met who find themselves despairing, and experiencing a sense of hopelessness. It reminded me of a multi-platform marketing campaign I initiated in a previous role that I held. It was in a Western part of the US that had one of the highest rates of those who die by suicide. To capture people’s imaginations and w

An Interview by DakArtNews DakArtNews in Dakar, Senegal interviewed me regarding my own journey of growing up immersed in Senegal’s vibrant arts scene to the establishment of CARAVAN, focusing on the transformational power of the arts. To read this extensive interview, visit: https://dakartnews.com/2024/07/05/interview-with-paul-g-chandler-transforming-the-world-through-art/

By Paul G. Chandler - June 23, 2024 My daughter, of whom I am inestimably proud, has devoted her life to assisting young people with profound intellectual and physical disabilities. Her vocational calling has sensitized me all the more to those with special needs. Here in the Chicago area, where I live, my attention was recently drawn to the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab , a remarkable institution that specializes in rehabilitation for adults and children with the most severe and c

-Exhibition: “The Lost World” by Soly Cissé – hosted by OH GALLERY, Dakar, Senegal Viewing Soly Cissé's Monde perdu # 5 , 2024, Pastel on canvas, 183 x 286 cm "In the middle of this road we call life, I found myself in a dark wood, with no clear path through."  So begins the 14th century Italian poet Dante Alighieri’s Inferno , the first part of his narrative poem Divine Comedy . The subject is taking a walk and suddenly finds himself disoriented and ends up on a journey into

Painting - “ Large Senegalese Family 2”  by Alioune Diagne, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 297 x 207 cm (Museum of Black Civilizations, Dakar, Senegal) I have been repeatedly asked, “How has your visit to Senegal gone?” I often respond that it has felt like the entire country knew in advance that I was coming, and opened its arms wide to bless me beyond all imaginings. Words do not do justice to the inestimable gift that Senegal, my heart’s home, has given me on this visit. I exper

Today I came across the wisdom of a contemporary sage, Maria Popova, the founder of The Marginalian: "Everything is eventually recompensed, every effort of the heart requited, though not always in the form you imagined or hoped for. What redeems all of life’s disappointments, what makes all of its heartbreaks bearable, is the ability to see how the dissolution of a dream becomes the fertile compost of possibility." Can there be any words more poignantly beautiful? Running thr

Over the last months, unexpected events and other peoples’ agendas have led me to focus anew on spiritually delayering - allowing layers, like an onion, to peel off, as one goes to the very core. It is an absolutely necessary process toward experiencing and embodying an integrated and authentic spirituality that is not based upon institutional religion, but rather that flows naturally from the essence of one’s uniqueness as made in the image of the Great Artist. Here in Seneg

While preparing to travel to Senegal, a friend of mine, who is Nigerian, albeit based in Qatar, wrote me; “My best wishes as you reconnect with Mother Africa. It will be a grounding and rewarding experience.” The words Mother Africa, grounding and rewarding couldn’t have resonated more with my experience of Senegal these last couple weeks. Spending time in Africa is perhaps one of the most natural ways for me to touch base with the core of my being. In a very real sense, it i