spring arrives

to mark the start of spring, which starts today, i post the dance, a painting by the french artist henri matisse, on display at the museum of modern art, new york.

it's a compositional study of a similiar painting, which is on display at the hermitage in st. petersburg, russia.

and this, according to wikianswers.com, is why spring is starting today:

Spring comes in between the 19th to the 23rd of March and at different times. It changes on a yearly basis because the first official day of spring is ... when the sun is directly above the equator. It rises due east and sets due west and does not do so on the exact same day every year since the calendar is not exactly 365 precise days every single year. In 2009 ... the sun will be above the equator and crossing to the northern hemisphere around 11:45 p.m.

it's early, true. but better early than late and better late than never.

and as i post this, the temperature is in the low 30s -- definitely not most people imagine spring at all.