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Over the years, I have gone through some drama about making art while on vacation.
First I had to admit I was plagued by what I called "The Shoulds"(as in, I should do this or that.)
Then, I had to relinquish how I labeled and limited myself as an artist, and learn how to play.
Finally, I figured out the perfect set up for my art supplies.
So, on our most recent Mexican vacation, I seem to have finally cracked the code to happy artmaking while traveling.
In fact, I have even elevated my experience into a personal, mini art retreat!
First I had to admit I was plagued by what I called "The Shoulds"(as in, I should do this or that.)
Then, I had to relinquish how I labeled and limited myself as an artist, and learn how to play.
Finally, I figured out the perfect set up for my art supplies.
So, on our most recent Mexican vacation, I seem to have finally cracked the code to happy artmaking while traveling.
In fact, I have even elevated my experience into a personal, mini art retreat!
Not a bad life, eh?
The "Portfolio"
In the past I have made a sort of "sketchbook" with various papers held in a temporary binding that I eventually bound as a finished "artist book." This time I didn't want to think of it in those terms, but decided to make myself a sort of "portfolio."
I made a beautiful cover from a "failed" cyanotype and a strip of blue and white cloth. Inside the covers I glued some reproductions of traditional Japanese woodcuts.
Then I filled it with various papers, folded over and held in with elastic bands. But I also included some loose papers, including some cyanotypes and stenciled experiments I had laying around that I could paint and draw on top of. Just for fun.
Then I filled it with various papers, folded over and held in with elastic bands. But I also included some loose papers, including some cyanotypes and stenciled experiments I had laying around that I could paint and draw on top of. Just for fun.
A "failed" cyanotype
Cyanotype is a camera-less photographic printing process. It involves painting chemicals on paper (or cloth, or even glass,) then placing something on that paper and exposing it to UV light, such as the sun. Whatever is exposed to the light will turn a gorgeous Prussian blue.
I brought a measuring cup, bowl, and foam brush, plus the chemicals in a couple of travel shampoo bottles.
I could only paint the chemicals on the paper at night.
After applying the chemicals, they must dry in a dark place away from UV light. Where to put them in a hotel room?
Ah! My empty suitcases!
I could only paint the chemicals on the paper at night.
After applying the chemicals, they must dry in a dark place away from UV light. Where to put them in a hotel room?
Ah! My empty suitcases!
The Experiments
I had lots of fun experimenting with laying my hands on the cyanotypes and seeing what happened.
Sprinkling water on the cyanotypes while they were being exposed makes a beautiful speckled effect.
With this one I had two passes- first one you see on the left. Then I added more chemical in the middle of the hand, placed a plant on it and exposed it again.
In this one I wrote the lyrics of a 1984 Laurie Anderson song, Hothead.
One of the themes I am interested in are ornate gilt frames. I think that if you put anything in an ornate gold frame, that thing attains an it air of legitimacy and importance. Before leaving to Mexico, I happened to by playing with some frame stencils. So, I just popped them into my portfolio.
I wondered what a cyanotype would look like in the stenciled frames.
I wondered what a cyanotype would look like in the stenciled frames.
I was having such fun with water and hands, I decided to see what a big ol' wet hand print would look like.
Another theme I am investigating is things coming undone or unraveled. I have been learning to crochet, largely so I can make imperfect, unraveling doilies. (I’m not sure where I’m going with this concept, but it seems juicy!) I brought an undone doily with me and made a cyanotype from that.
After, I drew a self portrait with white gel pen integrated with the cyanotype.
After, I drew a self portrait with white gel pen integrated with the cyanotype.
After, I drew a self portrait with white gel pen integrated with the cyanotype.
I also took some cyanotype experiments from home and drew all over them- just for fun.
Pile It All On!
This last one is two sides of the same paper. It is a combination of:
- Cyanotype on top of stencil
- A bleached and tinted cyanotype
- Stenciled frames
- Watercolor pencil
Serious Play
I don't know if I will actually use any of this in my project Atlas, but I do know that the ideas and associations I forged during my time of "play" will serve me in ways seen and unseen.
Below is a video of my portfolio before and after my mini art retreat.
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It was a looooong trip.
All in all, we traveled on nine airplanes, two rental cars, and a boat. It was just shy of a month.
In case you can’t see it, this little fold out feature reads: Athens-Crete-Santorini-Plitvice-Zadar-Split-Milna-Hvar-Vis-Mljet-Korcula-Dubrovnik-Athens-Home
Seeing that this is an artist blog, I will stay on the topic of art and art-making. But, I do have a photo-album of the trip on my personal facebook page HERE.
Seeing that this is an artist blog, I will stay on the topic of art and art-making. But, I do have a photo-album of the trip on my personal facebook page HERE.
What's On Your Bucket List?
While I loved the whole trip, seeing Santorini and the ancient frescoes of Akrotiri have been on my bucket list! Those of you who have followed me for a while know that many pieces in my Archeology Art series are based on these same frescoes. Seeing them in person was truly a thrill!
If you would like to read more about the frescoes of ancient Thera, read my blog entries The Saffron Gatherers: Delight Amid the Ruins and The Adorant- Large and Small.
Art-Making While Traveling
Most artists I know (at least, most female artists I know,) lay a little guilt trip on themselves. They plan to travel and they pack some art supplies, telling themselves they are going to make art and have a deeply creative, spiritual travel experience. Then they don't do it, or do it only once, and they beat themselves up for not being a "real artist."
This was me.
I even wrote a blog entry about it a few years ago entitled My Vacation From the "Shoulds".
2024 sketch
Part of the problem was the way I have labeled myself. I had always thought of myself as an "observational painter." I don't know why I thought of myself this way, but I did. So, when I went on a trip I would haul out my little watercolors or whatever and try to paint what I saw. But it always seemed like work to me, and it was a bit draining. Not exactly inspiring.
But I don't do that anymore. I no longer put myself in a box.
But I don't do that anymore. I no longer put myself in a box.
I accepted that I really don't want to paint my surroundings at all.
Last winter I went to Mexico, and created my own sketchbook to bring with me. (You can read and see pictures HERE.)With newfound freedom I doodled and sketched and collaged and scribbled notes.
What is ironic and revealing is that I ended up making art about my surroundings quite a lot, only instead of being straight representation, it was about what I experienced, what I saw, and how I thought and felt about it. So much more than just a picture.
The Perfect Set Up
Another barrier to art-making while traveling is finding your perfect little set-up.
This looooong trip wasn't a relaxing stay in a Mexican resort. I couldn't just hunker down with a bunch of stuff, spread out and go for it. I had to travel light, compact, and be able to pull my art stuff out of my suitcase and put it away again easily.
First, I had to make the perfect sketchbook.
In this blog entry "Cool Little Travel Sketchbook" you can see what I made before I left. It is about 6x8", and I used hinged keyrings for a binding so I could lay it flat. I could also add or switch around pages as I went.
Then, I had to make my art supply set up.
The black container is a semi-rigid zippered box that used to contain attachments to a now-defunct chirogun. In it I had three small ziploc bags with:
- watercolor pencils and a waterbrush
- various pens and pencils
- two large acrylic markers and the all important glue stick!
Also included was a snap-off exacto blade, a small smoothing tool, and a pencil sharpener.
I also had two larger ziplocs; one was for an 8" gridded ruler and my collected ephemera, the other held the sketchbook.
(The only thing I forgot was a hole-punch!)
I also had two larger ziplocs; one was for an 8" gridded ruler and my collected ephemera, the other held the sketchbook.
(The only thing I forgot was a hole-punch!)
As I went along, I gathered tickets, maps, brochures, etc. About every three days I would take a break, pull out my stuff and immerse myself. I was interested in keeping a general chronology, and found I was about 3-5 days behind in any one location. So, for instance, I would work with what I had collected in Zadar three days later in Split. I even worked for several hours during our home-bound layover at Heathrow airport.
The result is a combination of collage, doodling, drawing, and journaling.
The result is a combination of collage, doodling, drawing, and journaling.
When I got home, I worked on the last few pages. Then I created the frontispiece and put fabric on the covers.
To be frank, I am not quite sure what to do with this.
It was created under limiting circumstances, and so when I look at it, I see many pages that could be improved. And yet if I go back into it and improve it, it is no longer an artifact of my trip.
So, I suppose I must allow it to be as it is, and present it to the world in its imperfect perfection.
Below are a few images of some of the more interesting pages. Below that, you can see a video of me paging through the book and unfolding a few pop outs as well.
It was created under limiting circumstances, and so when I look at it, I see many pages that could be improved. And yet if I go back into it and improve it, it is no longer an artifact of my trip.
So, I suppose I must allow it to be as it is, and present it to the world in its imperfect perfection.
Below are a few images of some of the more interesting pages. Below that, you can see a video of me paging through the book and unfolding a few pop outs as well.
Video of Greece and Croatia
(8:25 minutes long)
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As I said in my post Sketchybook 1, I tend to find sketchbooks a bit uninviting, so I have taken to making my own.
This one is a little sketchbook to take on my travels.
It's made up of a bunch of painted paper left over from the collage work I did for my Film Noir series. It's about 6x8 and is bound on the short end.
It's made up of a bunch of painted paper left over from the collage work I did for my Film Noir series. It's about 6x8 and is bound on the short end.
Below is a short video of me making the book. When the video begins, I have already created the two covers from black illustration board and used a hole punch to create space for a binding.
I wanted to have a binding that would allow me to flip the pages completely over, instead of lying flat like a book. So, I tried to make the binding with colorful string. However...
I learn by doing-- I'm making it up as I go along! I had to disassemble the book and change the binding to hinged keyrings, because the string binding was simply not working.
If at first you don't succeed... try, try again!
I wanted to have a binding that would allow me to flip the pages completely over, instead of lying flat like a book. So, I tried to make the binding with colorful string. However...
I learn by doing-- I'm making it up as I go along! I had to disassemble the book and change the binding to hinged keyrings, because the string binding was simply not working.
If at first you don't succeed... try, try again!
Look out for a future blog entry about this travel sketchbook after I've filled it up. Who know what will happen?
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Art-Making While Traveling
Most artists I know (at least, most female artists I know,) lay a little guilt trip on themselves. They plan to travel and they pack some art supplies, telling themselves they are going to make art and have a deeply creative, spiritual travel experience. Then they don't do it, or do it only once, and they beat themselves up for not being a "real artist."
This was me.
I even wrote a blog entry about it a few years ago entitled My Vacation From the "Shoulds"
This was me.
I even wrote a blog entry about it a few years ago entitled My Vacation From the "Shoulds"
2024 watercolor sketch
Part of the problem was the way I labeled myself. I had always thought of myself as an "observational painter." I don't know why I thought of myself this way, but I did. So, when I went on a trip I would haul out my little watercolors or whatever and try to paint what I saw. But it always seemed like work to me, and it was a bit draining.
Not exactly inspiring.
But I don't do that anymore. I no longer put myself in a box.
I accepted that I really don't want to paint my surroundings at all.
I accepted that I really don't want to paint my surroundings at all.
I was recently on vacation Mexico.
Now, I tend to find sketchbooks drab and uninviting, so I decided to make a sketchbook of my own.
I made a lovely hardback cover for it with a cloth binding. Then I collected a variety of papers and some left over painted collage papers. I tore or cut them down to size, then folded them in half to make pages.
Now, I tend to find sketchbooks drab and uninviting, so I decided to make a sketchbook of my own.
I made a lovely hardback cover for it with a cloth binding. Then I collected a variety of papers and some left over painted collage papers. I tore or cut them down to size, then folded them in half to make pages.
I used elastic bands to secure them temporarily into the cover. This way I can move the pages around if I want to.
Armed with watercolor pencils, water soluble pens, markers, and a glue stick, I set up a place on the terrace of our Mexican vacation spot and worked a bit every day. Some of the images are abstract, and some are references to my surroundings and experience. I wrote text in some pages, mostly not. Some are lovely and sweet, a couple are sad, many are funny.
Below is a slideshow of the book. You can watch from beginning to end, or you can pause it and look at the still images by hovering your cursor over it and clicking the "pause" button that appears in the upper left corner.
When I got home, I still had space in my book for more work, so I made a “Chapter Two” page, and kept going. I have no intended narrative in mind, yet I still strive to create an arch of experience while making and viewing the book.
As I write this, this artist book is a work in progress- there is more to come with this one!
How Did it Turn Out???
To see how my Sketchybook evolved, you can read and see more in my blog entry called Structure.
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I just got back from my Dream Vacation That is Not a Vacation.
My journey into the caves.
My journey into the caves.
Bison sculpture, 15,000 BCE
I and 10 other people, some artists, some not, gathered in the Dordogne Valley, France.
The Dordogne Valley has one of the highest concentrations of Paleolithic art in the world.
With the guidance of Dr. Carol Aalbers, we had special, personalized tours in multiple caves containing Paleolithic paintings.
But we didn’t just go visit the caves. We then took time to process what we experienced together using art, movement, and dream exploration.
But we didn’t just go visit the caves. We then took time to process what we experienced together using art, movement, and dream exploration.
The Caves
I toured five caves, plus a rock shelter.
I realize that I am an artist who blogs, not a travel blogger, so I will simply tell you which caves I visited, then talk about the impact they had on me.
By the way- photography is not allowed inside the caves, so I am showing images I have pulled off websites devoted to the caves.
I realize that I am an artist who blogs, not a travel blogger, so I will simply tell you which caves I visited, then talk about the impact they had on me.
By the way- photography is not allowed inside the caves, so I am showing images I have pulled off websites devoted to the caves.
Aurochs Paintings in Lascaux IV
Me at the Lascaux interactive museum.
Lascaux Cave is one of the most impressive and famous Paleolithic art caves in the world. Its so famous that it had to be closed to the public- the breath of so many visitors deteriorated the paintings. So, several replicas have been made. Lascaux is the only cave I saw on this trip that was a replica.
Although the replica is truly impressive, being in the actual caves is incomparable.
Below are the four real caves I got to see.
Below are the four real caves I got to see.
I also got to see Cap Blanc, which is an “abri,” or rock shelter that has relief carvings. They were probably also painted, but the pigment has been worn away over time.
Cap Blanc
A Profound Experience
Imagine going underground into a cave. The atmosphere is totally different than the world above. It’s cool, it’s dark, it’s damp. You shuffle along with your tour companions, contemporary human beings with backpacks and rain jackets.
Pech Merle hand print, 18,000 BCE
Then, suddenly, you see the outline of a human hand, created by a person holding their hand up to the rock, and blowing liquid pigment, leaving a negative hand-print.
Imagine you knew the person who made that print has been dead for 20,000 years. And here you are, looking at it. It looks fresh and new, like the person pressed their hand to that rock the day before.
Now, imagine not just hand prints, but mysterious graphic signs, dots, and beautiful, elegant drawings.
For me, it was an extraordinary, almost mystical experience.
For me, it was an extraordinary, almost mystical experience.
The Artmaking
In between the days saw the caves, we would stay at our B&B and make art. The artmaking was facilitated by Kirah Van Sickle. She guided me through art processes using materials that I am not used to, using colors I wouldn’t normally choose, in a format I’ve never done before.
First, I created two small paintings on paper, using stencils, little sponge rollers, watercolor pencils, collage, and something called a gelli plate, which is a way to make monotypes.
First, I created two small paintings on paper, using stencils, little sponge rollers, watercolor pencils, collage, and something called a gelli plate, which is a way to make monotypes.
Then, we folded up large pieces of paper to make little tiny 3x3 inch books, which we then adorned, using the same materials.
The materials and approach was entirely different than what I normally do, and it brought me away from my routine- and my artistic tricks! I was forced to become more imaginative and loose, and it was a lot of fun.
The Essence of Art
Why do art? Why do I do what I do?
I struggle with making art I describe as "performative," by which I mean, result-oriented. I can easily slide into the territory of doing something for the sake of approval.
So, there’s a tension, because on the one hand, I want to do artwork that’s good quality and appeals to people. But on the other hand, I want to make art that purely authentic and comes from my heart.
Going into those caves and seeing work from artists/shamans from tens of thousands of years ago really brought me into direct connection with the fundamental drive humans have to dream, to communicate, to create and express ourselves. It reminds me that this is my primary missive, sales and accolades be damned.
I struggle with making art I describe as "performative," by which I mean, result-oriented. I can easily slide into the territory of doing something for the sake of approval.
So, there’s a tension, because on the one hand, I want to do artwork that’s good quality and appeals to people. But on the other hand, I want to make art that purely authentic and comes from my heart.
Going into those caves and seeing work from artists/shamans from tens of thousands of years ago really brought me into direct connection with the fundamental drive humans have to dream, to communicate, to create and express ourselves. It reminds me that this is my primary missive, sales and accolades be damned.
Lascaux, ca. 15,000 BCE
I also came away with this idea that my drawing is enough.
The images I saw in those caves were so elegant and sophisticated, yet so simple. Even the “incomplete” drawings had a completeness to them.
The images I saw in those caves were so elegant and sophisticated, yet so simple. Even the “incomplete” drawings had a completeness to them.
I’m a better drawer than I am a painter. I have always felt as though presenting "just drawings" was never acceptable, and that I had to gussy them up with a bunch of paint.
A drawing I did of an Etruscan tomb painting
Are there ways that I could present finished work that features my drawing? Does it have to be anything other than what it simply is?
This trip was a profound experience, and I feel very different. My hope is that this difference will continue to grow in my heart and mind, and that it will inform my artmaking from this time forward.
This trip was a profound experience, and I feel very different. My hope is that this difference will continue to grow in my heart and mind, and that it will inform my artmaking from this time forward.
Now, off to make some art!
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I have just returned from spending a week in Santa Fe, New Mexico with my best artist buddy, Bridget Benton Carwyn.
Traveling is always an inspiration, but it is especially so when it is with another artist in an "art town" like Santa Fe.
Traveling is always an inspiration, but it is especially so when it is with another artist in an "art town" like Santa Fe.
Me an Bri at Bandelier
It seems fitting that this being Native American Heritage Month, I found myself immersed in an area of the country that is saturated with, if not authentically Southwest Native American culture, then at least the culturally appropriated version of it.
From the adobe-style buildings, to the textiles, to the silver and turquoise jewelry, regional Native American peoples have created the basis of the “Southwest” style.
Museums Abound!
Santa Fe is chock full of museums. Now, I love museums. Wherever I go, I seek out museums, and can spend an almost distressingly long amount of time in them, reading every interpretive panel and label as I go.
Museums are different than when I was young (heck, everything is different than when I was young!) All educational materials were oriented from a white, male, European-oriented point of view. This has really shifted.
The Palace of the Governors
Case in point: The Palace of the Governors. (Don’t get too excited, it’s not much of a palace!) It was built in 1610 and served as a local seat of government for the Spanish empire, then for the United States territories. In 1901, it became a history museum.
Now, back in 2004, Jim and I visited Santa Fe and went to the Palace of the Governors. I remember seeing exhibits in the long, rambling adobe building situated on the main public square.
Since then, it has gone through a complete transformation. The block behind the Palace was razed and the New Mexico History Museum was built. The Palace is still a piece of the museum, but the bulk of the exhibits are in the new building.
There, I learned in great detail about the clash of three groups; Native Americans, the Spanish, and later the “Americans” (I wish to goodness I could call us “United Statesians”- far more accurate!)
Formerly, any atrocities and injustices caused by European expansion was glossed over and minimized. This time, it was all laid out clearly and objectively. Not only that, the agency and formidability of the various Native tribes was also clear to see.
Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) is more than a collection of artifacts displayed with interpretation. It is a museum that specifically communicates through the lens of Native Americans of the area.
Before the museum opened in 1987, an Indian Advisory Panel was formed to provide technical and cultural advice and approval of the objects displayed. The factual details and the philosophical interpretations are guided by these representatives. The outcome is that I, a European-facing outsider, can get a glimpse into the world of the Southwest Indian culture in a way that is immersive and multi-faceted.
Interpretive panel, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
Father Sky, Mother Earth by Tony Abeyta 1995
Contemporary artwork is included along side of the historical objects, giving an even larger sense of it being a living experience, not a dry report.
The main permanent exhibit is called “Here, Now & Always” The title is appropriate, because it used to be that Native Americans were described in past tense, like they didn’t exist anymore.
Museum of Contemporary Native Arts
The Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), is the museum associated with the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). This art school is meant for students to explore their cultural traditions and bring it into contemporary expression.
A quote from their website: “IAIA is a place to embrace the past, enrich the present, and create the future, moving ahead to paths yet unexplored and undiscovered.”
A quote from their website: “IAIA is a place to embrace the past, enrich the present, and create the future, moving ahead to paths yet unexplored and undiscovered.”
Art of Indigenous Fashion, MoCNA
What have I learned?
I understand that what I am about to say is going to be a cliché, so please bear with me.
European culture is very compartmentalized. Emphasis on the individual, especially here in the US, is unusually important. On top of that, artists and art are seen as being apart from the rest of society, as being “special” and isolated.
Interpretive panel, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
As I was immersed in and experienced what these museums were offering, two main themes emerged.
One, that for these Native American creators, communal identity is a part of what goes into every form of expression.
Two, that the things created and displayed were often regarded not as “objects,” but as living things with an energy of their own.
One, that for these Native American creators, communal identity is a part of what goes into every form of expression.
Two, that the things created and displayed were often regarded not as “objects,” but as living things with an energy of their own.
One terrific exhibition at The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture is Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery. The collection of pots and sculptures displayed are from diverse places and times, and were curated by a group of Native American potters, historians, and educators.
Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery, MIAC
From their website: “Unlike exhibitions guided by Eurocentric timelines and Western concepts of art and history, Grounded in Clay’s focus on personal and community meaning emerges as a conversation expressed in prose, poetry, and the visual language of pottery.”
In one video, a potter said “Each pot has its own journey. Each pot has its memories.” (See video below)
It seems to me that the act of creation for many Native American artists is not merely an attempt at personal expression, but is an essential tool. A tool not only for cultural survival, but for their communities to thrive, and communicate who they are to the outside world.
Yes, but what about Moi?
I am beginning to realize my art is very ego driven. I don’t mean “ego” as in over confident or narcissistic. I mean I became attached to the identity of "artist" when I was a tiny child, because the people around me told me I was “talented.” It was a way for me to feel special and unique. Nothing wrong with that. Except that this desire to be seen as talented and “good” at art drives my decisions to this day. It separates me from my art. It separates me from myself.
What if I didn’t regard the art I create as “objects?”
What if I regarded each piece I made as a living thing?
What if I saw it as essential?
©lesliepetersonsapp Drawing, The Hanged Man
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For those who love traveling, it can be a tremendously invigorating and inspiring experience.
Why? Because it takes you out of your normal life and, in a certain way, changes who you are. It sort of rearranges your alchemic make up. When you come back, at least for a while, everything looks different.
Why? Because it takes you out of your normal life and, in a certain way, changes who you are. It sort of rearranges your alchemic make up. When you come back, at least for a while, everything looks different.
My husband and I went on a very long trip through parts of Portugal and Spain. People traveling together want different experiences, they seek different things out, and have unique impressions of what they see. So, I and my husband can see the same thing, but experience it differently.
Likewise, aspects of our personalities can experience things differently, as if there were multiple people inside of us who have their own desires and reactions.
How does this work? Lisbon, Portugal
So, when my friend asks me, “what was your favorite part of the trip?” I have a difficult time answering. Which part of me are you asking?
What aspects of myself went on this trip with me?
The Artist, of course.
The Dance Enthusiast
The History Geek
The Antiquarian/Archeology Nerd
(Also, The Spoiled Princess- who can’t sleep because she doesn’t have her special pillow with her.)
The Artist, of course.
The Dance Enthusiast
The History Geek
The Antiquarian/Archeology Nerd
(Also, The Spoiled Princess- who can’t sleep because she doesn’t have her special pillow with her.)
I am a bit overwhelmed by all the amazing things I saw and experienced on this trip. So, rather than being able to write about it in a single entry, I need to write about it in parts, and let the entries come out when and how they may.
This entry is about The Artist in me.
I saw a lot of art on my trip, both in museums and in the historic places we visited.
I saw a lot of art on my trip, both in museums and in the historic places we visited.
Lisbon
The Berardo Collection Museum in Lisbon has a well curated and comprehensive collection of modern art, which is laid out in a way that takes the visitor through a tutorial of the era. It's very enjoyable and impressive.
I also got introduced to an artist I had never heard of before, Renato Guttuso, which was wonderful.
Madrid
Madrid is one of the major cities of the world, with two of the truly great historic art museums, The Prado and The Reina Sophia.
The Prado houses art from antiquity up to the late 1800’s. It’s a large and unique collection of European art, mostly Spanish, some well-known, others not as much. It includes some of the most famous paintings by Bosch, Titian, El Greco, Rubens, and especially Velázquez and Goya- a LOTTA Goya.
The Prado houses art from antiquity up to the late 1800’s. It’s a large and unique collection of European art, mostly Spanish, some well-known, others not as much. It includes some of the most famous paintings by Bosch, Titian, El Greco, Rubens, and especially Velázquez and Goya- a LOTTA Goya.
Hieronymus Bosch
The Garden of Earthly Delights is one of the most wackadoodle paintings of all time, and it is, well, a delight.
Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1503-15
Velasquez
A particularly satisfying art experience was seeing Las Meninas by Velasquez.
Painted in 1656, it is over 10 feet tall. It’s one of the most enigmatic paintings of the era, during a time when subject matter was really controlled and standardized. It is like a snapshot of a moment in time, rather than like the rigidly posed and symbolically informed art that was in vogue at the time. There are nine figures in the painting; the Infanta (or, Princess), various attendants, two dwarves (who were also attendants) the king and the queen reflected in a mirror, and Velasquez himself.
The space is complicated by doorways and reflections, and shows the the back of the painting Velasquez is working on.
My art also uses doorways, mirrors, and dramatic lighting. No wonder I like it!
©lesliepetersonsapp Many a Moon 38x38
(A few years ago, I was able to go to The Museu Picasso in Barcelona and see a series of 58 paintings that he did in 1957, all based on Las Meninas. But more about that guy later.)
Goya
There is happy Goya, then sad, crazy Goya.
Goya was a court painter and social climber who produced many canvases of royalty, romanticized country folk, flirtations, dances and idyllic landscapes.
Goya, Blind Man's Bluff, 1789
Then there is dark Goya, who really stepped out of the common, more commercial art-making of the day to create stark, raw paintings and etchings about some of the vile aspects of humanity.
Goya, The Third of May 1808, (painted in 1814)
Goya, Saturn Devouring His Son, 1819-23
Los Caprichos (The Caprices) and The Disasters of War are brutally honest depictions of human cruelty and folly.
Goya, The Disasters of War, 1810-20
The Black Paintings were painted directly on the walls of his home, and were never intended to be publicly viewed. But there they were, in The Prado.
The most famous of these is Saturn Devouring His Son, based on Greco-Roman mythology.
I have seen reproductions of these paintings all my life, and to see them in person was thrilling.
I have seen reproductions of these paintings all my life, and to see them in person was thrilling.
Picasso
Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain. He lived in Barcelona and France. I have gone to a lot of museums devoted to his work.
I don’t love all Picassos. He was an immensely prolific artist, who lived and worked a helluva long time. He was one of the most famous artists of all time, even during his lifetime, so if he blew his nose on a hanky, some museum somewhere probably has it.
Moreover, he was incredibly versatile and his style ranged widely. So. I don’t love all Picassos. But I love The Guernica. So much that I actually call it The Guernica, for some reason.
Moreover, he was incredibly versatile and his style ranged widely. So. I don’t love all Picassos. But I love The Guernica. So much that I actually call it The Guernica, for some reason.
Picasso, Guernica, 1937
It’s about the bombing of a Basque country town by Nazi and Fascist Italy forces in 1937.
It is over 25 feet long.
It is entirely black, white, and variations of warm and cool greys.
The forms fold and unfold upon themselves, and it the best of what cubism can offer. The abstraction supports the emotional power of the moment. Chaos, pathos, terror, grief.
Seeing it in person was like looking at the Grand Canyon for me. I could see the subtly of the “color”, the ghosts of lines and brush marks that had been corrected or shifted. In the room where it hangs are arranged drawings and paintings that are clearly sketches for the final piece.
It is over 25 feet long.
It is entirely black, white, and variations of warm and cool greys.
The forms fold and unfold upon themselves, and it the best of what cubism can offer. The abstraction supports the emotional power of the moment. Chaos, pathos, terror, grief.
Seeing it in person was like looking at the Grand Canyon for me. I could see the subtly of the “color”, the ghosts of lines and brush marks that had been corrected or shifted. In the room where it hangs are arranged drawings and paintings that are clearly sketches for the final piece.
Also included in this same room was Minotauromachy, a largish etching from 1935.
Picasso, Minotauromachy, 1935
I adore Picasso’s classically inspired etchings, and this is one of the best. Because it is an etching, and therefore there are multiples of it, I have seen it before. But I it was great to see it again.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time at the Museo Reina Sophia to see the entire collection. What I did see were paintings, sculpture, posters, books, architectural drawings, and product design from the modern era, (1910’s-1940’s) As I wrote in Why Noir? The Art and Style of the Era, modern art has had a profound influence on my work. Most of the work was Spanish, so it helped to fill out the cultural and political context The Guernica was created in.
Thanks for reading my travelogue from the point of view of my inner artist.
With any luck I will be able to wrap my head around this experience and write some more, specifically the parts of me that are:
The Dance Enthusiast
The History Geek
The Antiquarian/Archeology Nerd
With any luck I will be able to wrap my head around this experience and write some more, specifically the parts of me that are:
The Dance Enthusiast
The History Geek
The Antiquarian/Archeology Nerd
I somehow doubt I will go into The Spoiled Princess aspect of myself, as it is somewhat embarrassing.