Picasso et al

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We went down to Albert Park to collect Zoey’s little footy jacket today, number 36 Davy. After coming out of Flinder’s Street Station we walked across to Federation Square to check out this impromptu dance that was happening. Some dude in a purple spandex jumpsuit was getting random people to tell a story through dance. So it ended up that two guys were the scrorned lovers, and the girl had to run across the square to this guy that Purple Man just pulled out of the crowd. First he demonstrated by launching himself at your man, the guy literally had to hold him up. Then the girl had to take a running jump at him. His kids were cracking up laughing at the whole scenario. Meanwhile the other two rejected guys had to dance toward each other in a totally exaggerated love scene way. Purple Man then asked for donations of a fiver for the entertainment, it was def worth more than a fiver.
Albert Park is really beautiful, we took a stroll along the sea front. Would obviously be much nicer in the summer but it was still really lovely. We also visited Irene’s fave vintage shop. It’s like entering someone’s bedroom, all the clothes are just hung around and the rest of the stuff laid out like you would at home. And the shop assistant was falling asleep just like she really was in her own house!

We then went to Picasso: Love and War 1935 - 1945 at the National Gallery of Victoria.
The exhibition focuses on the globally turbulent decade 1935-1945, which is the period of Picasso and Dora Maar’s relationship, who first met in Paris in the winter of 1935-36. Picasso’s and Dora’s intimate involvement started shortly before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and lasted throughout the Second World War. Dora was a photographer and well known in Parisian artistic circles. The exhibition chronicles their relationship through the war years - it has many previously undeveloped photographs taken by Dora Maar. It also has a slide show of photographs taken of Dora Maar’s house a few years after her death; she died as a recluse so it is an insight previously unknown. Shortly after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Picasso created many politically charged works - ending in his masterpiece Guernica (May-June 1937), which was inspired by the devastation rent by the bombing of this town by the Fascist forces. In an unprecedented act, Dora Maar carefully recorded the creation of this masterpiece in over fifty photographs taken at various stages of its development. Many of these images were only recently discovered and this is the first time they will be seen outside Europe. Following the German occupation of Paris in 1940, Picasso lived under the Nazi regime which had in July 1937 declared him a “degenerate artist”. Photographs of a the last holiday Dora, Picasso and friends took before the war are also displayed at the exhibition - among the friends a lady who was subsequently sent to the concentration camps.

The exhibition was brilliant - what ruined it was being chased out of the gallery at closing time. The staff literally herded everyone out, clicking their fingers and roaring in the most annoying ever. Not only was no warning given and everyone hounded out of the place but the same cow with the annoying voice followed everyone into the toilets shouting for us to leave.

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Comments

[Jackie Kalevska]

The jurney...
This journal is truely amazing to read! You really should think about being a travel jurno As I read these I felt as though I had travelled with you, very descriptive and the photos gallery is fantastic - keep taking the pics!!! Can't wait to read more....... :)