Barcelona
What a nightmare trying to get to Barcelona! Just a warning to fellow travellers: try not to fly Iberia, anywhere, anytime if you can avoid it. As it turns out, when I rocked up to fly to Barcelona, I was informed that there were no flights to Barcelona anymore, only Madrid. After the most unhelpful service, they put me on a plane leaving in 5 minutes and, without me realising - take 2 of my around the world ticket vouchers instead of one. I sprint to the plane, buckle up and wait a further 40 minutes before the plane can take off. Needless to say, I miss my connection flight from Madrid to Barcelona and I have to go out and check in again. Because the slightly annoying Iberia attendant in Rome took two tickets instead of one, no one believed that I had a flight to Barcelona. It took 8 hours of them telling me to come back in 20 mins for them to put me on the plane! On top of this, they lost my luggage. Tired, exhausted, angry, helpless - just a few of the emotions I was feeling when I finally arrived in Barcelona at 2am
with no trains, subways or buses to take me to my hostel. What a day!
But what a seductive city of curvaceous architecture and artisans. Born in 1852, Gaudi never allowed himself to be constrained by the rules and aesthetics of the early 20th century. His most famous works include Casa Mila (La Pedera; 1906-1912), Casa Vicens (1883-1888) and the Palau Guell (1886-1888). Gaudi understood architecture as a complete form, for which reason his creativity extended to smaller elements of his work from door knobs to balustrades. His use of natural shape, texture and patterns in his designs seems to attract universal appeal. In his roof and stairway designs I see shells and seed pods. The roof top of La Pedera is a visual playground for strollers, sketchers or lovers alike. Like floating in a daydream in a mystical world on top of Barcelona’s skyline.
Of the artists, Museu Picasso comprised over 3,600 rich representations of different periods in Picasso’s life especially his time in Barcelona. His works like “La Nana” (1901) take us from his entry into the world of avant-garde to cubism with “Cap de Fernande” (1909). It seems that Picasso has a lot more sides
of style to him than what you see in an art text book. The museum also holds temporary exhibitions which help to complement and reach a deeper understanding of Picasso’s work. On the day I visited, I was lucky enough to see the work of Lee Miller; documentary and advertising photographer, War journalist, fashion model and artist. This is the woman of the 20th century. She took over a thousand photographs of Picasso during the 36 years of their friendship. Together with Ronald Penroses writing and her surrealist husband’s work, she successfully recorded the emotion and calibre of Picasso.
“Her keen eye captured the ever evolving Picasso in his much faceted existence as he changed from contemplative artist at rest, to a completely self absorbed creator at work or with his family and friends, exuding magnetic energy that Miller captured through her lens. Miller photographed him, following his steps, as Picasso wound his way through the labyrinth of life.
I also cruised the famous “La Rumba” where people dress up in body paint and everything else as trees, statues, plastic bottle robots, angels, witches men on horseback - anything. After experience enough of the weird and wonderful, I made
my way to the train station to catch my overnight train to Madrid. I hit another transportation nightmare - the station was packed shoulder to shoulder and the trains seemed to be not running at all. My train was meant to leave at midnight - waited for hours on the dirty floor
Madrid
Madrid is an art museum marathon.
Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza began collecting in the mid 1980, but this massive gallery took me chronologically through the whole history of art across cultures. Quite exhausting when you try to understand each within the cultural context in which they were painted. They had a landscape exhibition featuring Vincent Van Gogh’s work when he left the mental asylum at Saint-Remy and came to Auvers in search of tranquillity, hoping to start a new life and a new cycle in his life as a painter. Just two months later, however, on 27th July, Van Gogh shot himself and died on 29th July. Van Gogh’s Auvers period was brief and extremely productive; he product over 70 painting in seventy days and 30 drawings. This frenzied rhythm suggests a desperate race against time, as if the artist himself felt that his days were numbered. Just
before this trip, he had the profound experience of seeing all his complete life work for the first time in his brother’s apartment. These final paintings would be almost a recapitulation or epilogue to his entire career.
Another temporary exhibition was dedicated to another of my favourites who influenced the creation of my major work in high school, Richard Estes, one of the founders of photorealism. Although Estes has never limited himself by copying a photograph. Rather, he constructs an authentic pictorial composition using various photographic images as auxiliary material. But also making use of drawing, perspective and the study of light. He is primarily a painter of urban views such as Chicago, Paris, Venice, San Francisco, Prague, Barcelona, London, Cordoba and Florence. However, he seems to be inspired by New York’s intricacies the most. Manhattan has exceptional city scapes, Central Part for his landscapes, the bay of New York and the Grand Canal to the Sea of Marmara. Every city is portrayed like a crystalline structure of infinite facets, both identical and always in the process of change. Este’s realism is not a passive reproduction of what we see, but rather a questioning of the visible, hence the
almost obsessive use of reflections. The reflective surfaces are not smooth and uniform but filled with waves and edges that alter and distort what is reflected in them. As they unfold on these surfaces, the real objects become fantastical and unrecognisable. On occasion our perception of the real world is Estes’ painting is via a reflection through which the world appears inverted, fragmented and distorted.
Other times the world splits into two. A glass wall traverses the pictorial space as it recedes into the depth and divides it into two halves; the inside and the outside of a bus or a shop window. For much of his career, Este has focused on exploring the ambiguity of the pane of glass that sometimes reflects and sometime both reflects and functions as a transparent surface, confusing everything within the painting as the exterior and the interior come together. In this way, he complicates the vision of reality. It’s such a pleasure to view his illusional labyrinths that seem not natural and not artificial
Museo Nacional Centro de Art Reina Sofia focused on an amazing collection of modern art that was almost impossible to get through. We start at the turn of
the 20th century which indulges in representations of landscape and the female figure. Then figurative art in the twenties and thirties had a strong emphasis on New Objectivity and Magic Realism. The avant-garde begins with cubism. Picasso and Braque revolutionized art by submitting images to profound intellectual and visual reflection. The subject is reduce to superimposed, geometric forms and juxtaposed surfaces of colour. Then of cause there were the works that followed the Surrealist Manifestation in which rational consciousness as a creative principle was rejected and the random, unpredictable character of chance and the possibilities of dreams were advocated. Then during the sixties, abstract art, pop art and figurative native art
Seville (population: 710,000)
Described as Andalucia’s biggest and most vibrant city. However, ON arrival I quickly found out that most of the population has migrated to either north or to the beach. The main attraction was the Alcazar with its stunning baroque art, sculpture and architecture. Historically, this stunning palace housed of the great Muslim rulers. The lively, alegre nightlife is another reason to stay here for two weeks to learn flamenco.
Some random facts:
Sevilla’s immense mosque turned cathedral is the biggest in the world
Historically, Sevilla’s biggest break was Columbus discovering America in 1492 leading to a monopoly position on trade
Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo houses two exhibits; Bios (technological and environmental art) and Seeing Dance (a dialogue between dance and the fine arts)….. In Bios, some interesting works include the following; “Tickle no 3” a small autonomous robot that walks on the human body to generate a pleasing tickling sensation; “Digestive Table” is a living ecosystem of worms, sow bugs and bacteria where the human plays an important role at the table by eating, feeding to the worms, feeding the resulting fertilizer to the plants; and “Junior Return” a self-contained survival capsule for one living plant. Four blown glass enclosures provide a controlled hydroponic environment that keeps the enclosed plant in a dwarf state by provide the plant with only enough to survive but not thrive
Granada (population 238,000)
Uniquely romantic and laid back Granada - quickly became one of my favourite Spanish cities. Granada is more than the Alhambra’s gardens and palace. You can clearly see the Islamic influences that make Granada a special. Then of course there’s the lush green landscape and Sierra Nevada’s behind. Within the
Alhambra in “ los Jardins del Generalife” staged the sensational dance musical masterpiece “Poet en Nueva York” (“Poet in New York”) inspired by Federico Garcia Lorca. Federico García Lorca (June 5, 1898 - August 19, 1936) was a Spanish poet and dramatist, also remembered as a painter, pianist, and composer. As his success for “Romancero gitano” grew he struggled with depression while attempting to control his public and private life. After having a series of affairs, including Dali he went to New York and wrote a collection of poems named Poeta en Nueva York, which explores his alienation and isolation through some graphically experimental poetic techniques. These techniques were brought to life through a fusion of dance form - hip hop, flamenco, African dance, ballet and jazz. Unable to speak English he suffered a deep culture shock. From this perspective he offered his dark vision of the modern, urban world. The work demonstrated a change of tone, reflecting mortality and rebellious disgust in surrealist terms. Lorca was fascinated by the various races in New York, and the rhythms of his words were translated into dance. Scenes show the corporate hustle and bustle as dancers walked in mass with suitcases on
their heads, then there was detached ballet romance. He identified the enormous influence of African American hip hop on New York City that confronted his foot tapping flamenco rhythms. Then the presence of street crime was dramatised with dancers being shot, and smearing crimson red paint across a graffitied wall as they died - leaving some like of splattered Picasso canvas. Very moving! Lorca’s identity was tied modern flamenco dancing as he explored love and emptiness. What an experience.
While continuing my flamenco lessons in Granada, I was grouped into an apartment with some lively company. Rachel originally from Puerto Rico, Vivi from Taiwan, and Jess from the UK quickly became companions as we ventured the flamenco and tapa bars of Granada. In the cold, poorly ventilated caves, we saw many free and spontaneous shows that made our heart race. Though the tourist shows were markedly different from the real professional dances. Even when we had to move out of out first apartment, because one of the beds had bed bugs, there was no question that we had to move together. I will never, ever, ever forget you guys!
During our stay, we were visited by friends from
Aussieland Skye and Melissa who had been couch surfing through Portugal and Spain by luxury of car. I was happy to show them around the cobbled street, though their GPS served better than my memory for directions. We had tapas and the deep fried doughnut-like things dipped in thick hot chocolate - I am certain all this when straight to my thighs.
Morocco (population 30.6 million)
At the end of the Granada era, I decided to head to Morocco with Rachel who will be doing a home stay program there and learning Arabic. As we got off the ferry it was obvious that we had crossed a poverty line as well. Tangier is a dodgy port city with many perks for single or married many and various legal and illegal trading operations. Everything being even more confusing and disorganised. Women were cloaked from head to toe. While I was entirely covered, wearing a head scarf just seemed to make my blond hair and blue eyes stand out more. When we finally found the train station we joined the crowd around the doors of the platform and waited. The train was 2 hours late! But when it arrived and
those doors opened, it was all excitement. Every mother, father, grandma, grandpa and child made the mad dash to the train in the hopes of gaining a seat for the long 4 hour journey that turned into a six hour journey. We found a four seater that an old lady was lying across and putting her feet up and sat down wearily and heavily.
Rabat
Finally at Rabat (which was not sign posted at all) we walked through the markets where street food was steaming and men gathered, we walked to find a hotel. Crashing in complete exhaustion I slept at a place where you had to pay to use the bathroom! The next day, after walking around a for the morning I had to jump back on the train and head back to Spain as my flight left from Barcelona in a few days. Again I made the mad dash, but the train trip was again late and the ferry was again late and before you knew it, it was 12 midnight. Luckily, I met a Spanish guy who knew English who was driving to Valencia when he and his friend arrived in Spain. Being 12 midnight with
no accommodation booked, I took up the offer and the risk after interviewing him for about 2 hours! Apparently, people smuggle various forms of plant back into Spain from Morocco - so much to learn. Thanks to these kind gentlemen who dropped me at the train station I was able to get back to Barcelona a day before my flight smelling really bad, but nonetheless, in one piece. The English speaking one thought I was so lucky that he gave me a lucky bracelet - muchous gracies.
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