Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Blart Spain


Velasquez, Prince Balthasar Carlos

I LOVE this painting - all these horse-riding portraits are wonderful. Many of them at the Prado. The Prado is the shit, seriously. I also happened to get to see a Tintoretto special exhibit while there that had been extended.


Goya, The Collassus

I have a new appreciation for Goya, a remarkable, varied artist. He could really tune up or down the "finished" aspect of his work. His touch is so direct and beautiful - there is a softness to the edges of forms that is incredibly beautiful- the gracefulness of hands.


Tiepolo, part of a fresco from the Royal Palace in Madrid

I didn't realize this was at the palace. Holy shit. The palace interiors are so completely over the top. Brocade, 3-dimensional brocade and plasterwork. Whole walls covered over with pattern and color and intricacy. Very good for the FB. FB like.


Picasso, Minotauromachia (couldn't find the exact image that I saw but this is close)

Seeing Guernica and all the "preparatory" sketches. I love Picasso's etchings and line drawings. Also saw a cycle of paintings based on Las Meninas all in one room. These are some of the greatest Picassos I've ever seen. Sort of a post-cubist approach. In these paintings it felt like he was able to bring together many of his painting abilities into a suspended, groovy flow. I have a new appreciation for Picasso again. The color and sort of ugliness combined with the formal dynamism - there are odd decisions that feel right. I found myself thinking of his discovery of cubism as really just an excuse for him to move into a more abstract language and be taken seriously/validated.


Miro (can't remember title now - from the 60's)

The Fundacion Miro in Barcelona is the best. His work is so free and open. The museum made me so happy, simply happy. There is a group of his paintings near the end from the 60's that were so fucking awesome- the drawing and markmaking in his work and the free space. The paintings where he begins to let the gesture be more pronounced. They are masterpieces.

3 comments:

fairy butler said...

Sorry this is not smartz-sounding. I can't really remember much of my inside-of-the-mind commentary now. Things were coming together at the museums but now it is all muddled.

I saw the Miro museum last and god, it was so great. The poeticism of his work - the whimsy(yes, a cringe word, i know). I felt really in tune with it in regards to my own project. found myself thinking about the organization of his space and the lightness of hand. The giant tapestry that sits at the beginning of the museum is stunning. I have always loved Miro but then kind of fell out of it later in. He's a cheesy artist to admire perhaps. I don't know. Now I am way back on board.

Anonymous said...

Welcome back (on board). I LOVE MIRO! Call me Queen Cheese. But I dig him. That retrospective 9 or 10 years ago at the Moma (or was it the Met) was so amazing. Joy.
I want to go to Spain now.

Anonymous said...

So you had a terrible time in spain eh? Sorry to hear that.

:)

wb fb!

p.s. I would love to see thems goyaz.