In 1921 a French critic posed a priceless question: "By what witchcraft did [Vermeer], representing the most daily and commonplace sights, manage to give the viewer so mysterious, so grand, so exceptional an emotion?" Vermeer produced only 36 paintings before he died at 43. Yet each piece blissfully

Baroque art, Clean, Contemplative, Domestic, Serene, Tranquil

When Beth Orton sings about how far we've come or how far we'll go, something rustles inside. Escape and sudden liberation somehow seem possible. You want to grab you car keys, let your hair go, and "roll away." Orton's voice holds familiar secrets that speak to us individually; she is an old friend,

Dreamy, Ethereal, Serene, Spiritual, Tranquil

Butoh, Contemplative, Dark, Hypnotic, Spiritual, Tranquil

A more emotional list of materials for Tadao Ando's buildings would include light, stillness, and space in addition to concrete, glass, and steel. A self-taught architect, Ando wandered the streets and back alleys of the United States, Europe, Africa, and his native Japan, studying places and spaces

Empty, Geometric, Metabolism and the japanese new wave, Minimalist architecture, Serene, Tranquil