#music, A Song for a Saturday Afternoon…

(Design created by Francisco Bravo Cabrera using Craiyon/All Rights Reserved)

This song «People are Crazy» is actually a reply to the question «what is life?» The reply is simple (as are all good replies) «God is great, beer is good and people are crazy.«

This is a narrative country song about a young man who meets an older veteran in a bar. They talk about life, faith, and experiences, leading to the repeated line: “God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy.” Later, the young man learns the old stranger was a wealthy man who left him his fortune, reinforcing the song’s theme about life’s unpredictability.

The song was composed by: Bobby Braddock and Troy Jones. They wrote the song after coming up with that central phrase as a kind of simple “truth” about life, then built a story around it.

The song was recorded by Billy Currington and released in March 2009 as the second single from his album Little Bit of Everything. It reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming one of Currington’s biggest hits and It also crossed over to the mainstream Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 37.

The song was a major success in country music that year and even won Song of the Year at the CMA Awards (2009), highlighting how strongly it resonated with audiences.

In short, it’s a feel-good country story song built on a memorable, philosophical one-liner about faith, everyday pleasures, and human unpredictability.

I hope you enjoy it and perhaps learn a thing or two about life… 😊🙏🍻

CHEERS

Jazz and Movement in Art at OCS Valencia

(FBC/OCS Valencia/All Rights Reserved)

Colour and movement, figure and form, expressionism and abstraction = Jazz-Art

Instagram: @Francisco_Bravo_Cabrera

(Please like, comment and share £

CHEERS

#art, Los cuadros de Kim Novak – The Paintings of Kim Novak…

(«Novak»/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/All Rights Reserved)

Después de retirarse de Hollywood, esta actriz norteamericana dedicó su vida a la pintura. Es artista figurativa interesada mayormente en el impresionismo. Pinta en óleo y en acuarela. Considera la pintura como «el amor de su vida» y una forma idónea de la expresión personal. Novak pinta muchos paisajes, al igual que retratos y también los elementos que le inspira la naturaleza que rodea su vida tranquila y bucólica en su rancho de Oregón. Kim Novak no es una improvisada ni «auto-didacta», estudio arte y recibió clases de reconocidos artistas como Harley Brown y Richard McKinley. Lamentablemente, un incendio en su casa (año 2000) destruyó la mayor parte de su obra. Pero volvió al caballete y comenzó de nuevo a pintar. Kim Novak nació en Chicago, Illinois, EEUU en 1933 y comenzó su carrera en el cine en 1954 con Columbia Pictures. Picnic fue su primera película (1955).

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After retiring from Hollywood, this North American actress dedicated her life to painting. She is a figurative artist primarily interested in Impressionism. She paints in oil and watercolour. She considers painting as «the love of her life» and a fitting form of personal expression. Novak paints many landscapes, as well as portraits and the elements that inspire her from the nature surrounding her tranquil and bucolic life on her ranch in Oregon. Kim Novak is neither an amateur nor «self-taught»; she studied art and took classes from renowned artists like Harley Brown and Richard McKinley. Unfortunately, a fire in her home (in 2000) destroyed most of her work. But she returned to the easel and began to paint again. Kim Novak was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA in 1933 and started her film career in 1954 with Columbia Pictures. Picnic was her first movie (1955).

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(Image source: Kim NovaK)
(Image source: Pinterest)

GRACIAS – CHEERS

#art, El arte de David Alfaro Siqueiros, artista mexicano – David Alfaro Siqueiros, Mexican Artist

(Image source: Museo Amparo)

Siqueiros fue pintor, escritor, diplomatico, activista y militar. Nacio en Chihuahua, Mexico (1896). Es, sin duda alguna uno de los grandes del muralismo, al igual que Diego Rivera y Clemente Orozco. Estudio en la escuela de Bellas Artes y luego en París estudio el cubismo y le pintura de Cezanne. Tambien en la capital francesa fue donde conoció a Diego Rivera. Viajo con Rivera por Italia estudiando de los grandes maestros del Renacimiento. Siqueiros buscaba el realismo, bien en su obra como en su escritura, que aclamara a los pueblos proletarios de México y el mundo. Evitando, claramente, los clichés del «primitivismo» y el «indianismo» que estaban muy a la moda. Murio en Cuernavaca el 6 de enero de 1974.

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Siqueiros was a painter, writer, diplomat, activist, and soldier. He was born in Chihuahua, Mexico (1896). He is undoubtedly one of the greats of muralism, alongside Diego Rivera and Clemente Orozco. He studied at the School of Fine Arts and later in Paris, he explored Cubism and the paintings of Cézanne. It was also in the French capital where he met Diego Rivera. He traveled with Rivera through Italy, studying the great masters of the Renaissance. Siqueiros sought realism, both in his work and in his writing, which praised the proletarian peoples of Mexico and the world. He clearly avoided the clichés of «primitivism» and «indigenism» that were very fashionable at the time. He died in Cuernavaca on January 6, 1974.

(Image source: UNAM Global)

GRACIAS – CHEERS

#music, A Song for a Saturday Afternoon…

(Design created by Francisco Bravo Cabrera using Craiyon/All Rights Reserved)

This song «People are Crazy» is actually a reply to the question «what is life?» The reply is simple (as are all good replies) «God is great, beer is good and people are crazy.«

This is a narrative country song about a young man who meets an older veteran in a bar. They talk about life, faith, and experiences, leading to the repeated line: “God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy.” Later, the young man learns the old stranger was a wealthy man who left him his fortune, reinforcing the song’s theme about life’s unpredictability.

The song was composed by: Bobby Braddock and Troy Jones. They wrote the song after coming up with that central phrase as a kind of simple “truth” about life, then built a story around it.

The song was recorded by Billy Currington and released in March 2009 as the second single from his album Little Bit of Everything. It reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming one of Currington’s biggest hits and It also crossed over to the mainstream Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 37.

The song was a major success in country music that year and even won Song of the Year at the CMA Awards (2009), highlighting how strongly it resonated with audiences.

In short, it’s a feel-good country story song built on a memorable, philosophical one-liner about faith, everyday pleasures, and human unpredictability.

I hope you enjoy it and perhaps learn a thing or two about life… 😊🙏🍻

CHEERS

#art, Hablando de arte (sexta parte) Robando – Talking Art (part six): Borrowing? Stealing?

(«Picassito»/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados/All Rights Reserved)

Estamos saturado de imágenes, relatos y formas. Pensar en la idea de la originalidad es una chalada. Los artistas siempre han dialogado constantemente con el pasado, apropiándose de estilos, temas y técnicas para darles un nuevo significado. Esto no es una limitación, es una verdad fundamental: el arte no avanza mediante rupturas totales, ni vanguardias, sino a través de reinterpretaciones. Ser un artista creativo no significa que sepas o puedas inventar desde cero, sino como puedes transformar lo ya existente.

La famosa frase atribuida a Picasso —“los buenos artistas copian, pero los grandes artistas roban”— apunta precisamente a esta idea. Copiar implica reproducir superficialmente una obra; “robar” es absorberla, entenderla y reconfigurarla hasta hacerla propia. El artista que “roba” no oculta sus influencias, las integra de tal forma que el resultado final adquiere una identidad nueva. Así, lo importante no es la novedad del material, sino la singularidad de la mirada. Al fin y al cabo, todo lo que tocó Picasso lo convirtió en algo genial y superior a lo anterior.

En nuestra era, marcada por el acceso ilimitado a referencias culturales, esta perspectiva es muy importante. La originalidad ya no es la invención de formas inéditas, está en la capacidad de establecer conexiones inesperadas entre elementos conocidos. Un creador actual trabaja, en cierto modo, como un editor: selecciona, combina y resignifica fragmentos del inmenso archivo cultural disponible.

Por eso no te frustres pensando o lamentando la “falta de ideas nuevas”, sino reconoce que el arte siempre ha sido un proceso de reciclaje creativo. La innovación no es que desaparezca, es que cambia de lugar: deja de estar en el origen de las ideas y pasa a manifestarse en su reinterpretación. El verdadero valor del arte radica en cómo cada artista logra convertir lo heredado en algo vivo, personal y relevante para su tiempo.

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We are saturated with images, narratives, and forms. The idea of originality is a delusion. Artists have always engaged in a constant dialogue with the past, appropriating styles, themes, and techniques to give them new meaning. This is not a limitation; it is a fundamental truth: art does not advance through total breaks or even art vanguards, but through reinterpretations. Being a creative artist does not mean that you can invent from scratch, but rather how you can transform what already exists.

The famous phrase attributed to Picasso —“good artists copy, but great artists steal”— precisely points to this idea. Copying means superficially reproducing a work; “stealing” is to absorb it, understand it, and reconfigure it until it becomes one’s own. The artist who “steals” does not hide their influences but integrates them in such a way that the final result acquires a new identity. Thus, what matters is not the novelty of the material but the uniqueness of the perspective. After all, everything Picasso touched became something brilliant and superior to what came before it.

In our era, marked by unlimited access to cultural references, this perspective is very important. Originality is no longer the invention of unprecedented forms; it lies in the ability to establish unexpected connections between known elements. A contemporary creator works, in a way, like an editor: selecting, combining, and resignifying fragments from the immense cultural archive available.

That’s why you shouldn’t get frustrated thinking or lamenting the «lack of new ideas,» but rather recognize that art has always been a process of creative recycling. Innovation doesn’t disappear; it changes location: it ceases to be at the origin of ideas and instead manifests itself in their reinterpretation. The true value of art lies in how each artist manages to transform what is inherited into something alive, personal, and relevant to their time.

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GRACIAS – CHEERS

#art, Bodo Hablando de arte (cuarta parte) – Bodo Talking About Art (fourth part)

(«Aligned»/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Art Digital/All Rights Reserved/Derechos Reservados)

Ya os habia dicho que el arte es cosa totalmente objetiva, que el subjetivismo esta en aquellos que observan, juzgan y desarrollan teorías sobre lo que están mirando. El artista crea sobre una base solida, fundada en sus conocimientos de la vida y en su manejo de la técnica de la pintura. El arte no tiene lógica, ni tiene que ser entendida. El arte tiene que lograr una respuesta espiritual y visceral en el observador, eso sí, para ser considerada buena. El arte no tiene que ser figurativo, puede ser totalmente abstracto o mitad y mitad. La abstracción tiene que obedecer una sola norma: no se puede parecer a nada que se pueda identificar como parte, o perteneciendo, al mundo natural. Y el arte figurativo es todo lo demás. Hay que tener bien en cuenta que lo que plasma un artista sobre la tela o sobre cualquier superficie, o lo que esculpe un escultor en cualquier material, es el resultado de su vida entera, su formación, su (buen) gusto y su deseo de comunicar. Y finalmente, no vayáis a pensar que el arte decorativo tiene menos valor que el arte filosófico, intelectual o perteneciente a cualquiera de las vanguardias artísticos, porque todo el arte es decorativo.

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I have written many times that art is a totally objective thing, that subjectivism lies in those who observe, judge, and develop theories about what they are watching. The artist creates on a solid foundation, based on his knowledge of life and his mastery of the technique of painting. Art has no logic, nor does it need to be understood. Art must achieve a spiritual and visceral response in the observer; that is essential for it to be considered good. Art doesn’t have to be figurative; it can be entirely abstract or a mix of both. Abstraction must obey one rule: it cannot resemble anything that can be identified as a part of, or belonging to, the natural world. Figurative art encompasses everything else. It is important to keep in mind that what an artist captures on canvas or any surface, or what a sculptor shapes in any material, is the result of his entire life, his training, his (good) taste, and his desire to communicate. And finally, do not think that decorative art holds less value than philosophical, intellectual, or avant-garde art, because all art is decorative.

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CHEERS – GRACIAS

#art, #music, «La muerte y la doncella»

(Foto de Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados)

LA MUERTE Y LA DONCELLA
(Francisco Bravo Cabrera, Valencia)

Hace unos años tuve la grata experiencia de presenciar, en el Museo Nacional de Cerámica y Artes Suntuarias “González Martí” de Valencia, al Cuarteto Koré. Son cuatro excelentes músicas que forman una camerata dedicada a hacer valorar a la mujer en la música, específicamente la música clásica. No solo a las compositoras, (que poco caso se les ha hecho a través de la historia de la música clásica), pero igualmente a las musas, como veremos.

La programación que escuché, que forma parte del ciclo MusaE (Música en los museos Estatales) en su séptima edición, fue coordinada por Juventudes Musicales de España y cofinanciado por el Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte y Acción Cultural Española. Las chicas nos deleitaron con dos piezas, que interpretaron genialmente y que yo considero de mi gran agrado.

La primera fue de Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847), compositora alemana y pianista del romanticismo temprano. Fanny escribió piezas para tríos con piano igual que para cuartetos, además de una obertura para orquesta, cuatro cantatas y más de 125 piezas para pianoforte y 250 lieder. Por supuesto ninguna se publicó en vida de la artista y rara fueron las veces que se presentó a tocar fuera del ámbito familiar, aunque era una excelente pianista.

Pero bueno, anoche las chicas del Cuarteto Koré rescataron un poco la memoria de esta compositora, que dicho sea de paso era la hermana mayor de Félix Mendelssohn. Apuesto que a ese si lo conocíais. Este fue el repertorio:

FANNY MENDELSSOHN (1805-1847), Cuarteto de cuerdas en mi bemol Mayor.
I. Adagio ma non troppo
II. Allegretto
III. Romanze
IV. Allegro molto vivace
FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828), Cuarteto para cuerda nº 14 en re menor, D. 810 “La muerte y la doncella”.
I. Allegro
II. Andante con moto
III. Scherzo. Allegro molto. Trio
IV. Presto

Diría que para mí el recital fue interesante, no solo por el arte del cuarteto, pero también por estas dos cosas en particular. Primero porque en mi blog (www.paintinginvalencia.com) siempre he destacado a las mujeres artistas (pintoras) que la historia del arte ha querido ignorar, y segundo porque tocaron “La muerte y la doncella” que es una de mis piezas preferidas del compositor austriaco Franz Schubert.

(Foto de Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados)

En mi vida anterior, allá en Miami, creo que fue en 1995, colaboré con un productor de teatro para poner en escena la obra teatral “La muerte y la doncella” del escritor chileno Ariel Dorfman. Yo me encargue del casting y también de diseñar y pintar el afiche oficial de la obra. Pero debido a mil cosas raras, como la bronca entre la actriz principal y el productor, la bronca entre los músicos (porque iba tener música) y el arreglista, la discordia entre el productor y el dueño del teatro y mi hastió total por tanta mala leche, la producción se fue a bolina y no se llevo a cabo el proyecto.

Pero la experiencia me sirvió para que se me metiera en la cabeza esa música de Schubert, para que conociera el poema “Der Tod und das Mädchen” de Matthias Caludius, (1740-1815 Alemania), que se basa en la mitología griega, específicamente en el rapto de Prosperina, y también para conocer y ver la peli de Roman Polanski «La muerte y la doncella» de 1994.

Pero os recomiendo que si estas chicas, el Cuarteto Koré, se presenta en tu ciudad que no te las pierdas. Tienen una formación profesional excelente y mucha arte. Son: Clara Isabel Gris Sánchez (violín), Àngels Espiell Chaler (violín), Ángela Calero Jiménez (viola) y Julia Elena Núñez Lozano (cello). Se formaron en 2022 en la Fundación Barenboim-Said de Sevilla, que es una fundación pública andaluza que lleva el nombre del pianista y director de orquesta argentino nacionalizado español, israelí y palestino Daniel Barenboim y el crítico cultural palestino Edward Said. La fundación se dedica al desarrollo de proyectos de formación musical en Andalucía y Palestina.

(Foto de Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados)

GRACIAS

#art, Have You Seen the Paintings of King Charles III of England?

(Photo CNN)

Well our King (Spain) does not wear a crown, mainly because our Constitution says that the King is proclaimed not Crowned, and his portraits are not as «kingly» as this one. He doesn’t hold the Sovereign’s Sceptre or the Sovereign’s Orb. But Phillip VI has the look of royalty all over, especially when he meets members of the government or foreign dignitaries with his elegantly gained 55 years and 1,97m of height in a slim, muscular frame of 90 kilos. And next to our Queen, they make the most handsomest Royal couple in the world.

(King Phillip VI and Queen Consort Letizia – photo Vanitatis)

But now back to King Charles III of England. He paints and here are some examples of his work…

(Photo Insider)
(Photo Tornos News)
(Photo Tutt’Art)
(Photo Euronews.com)

There are many more and I would suggest, if you are interested, you look for them. I understand that at auction they have gained much value now that he is king. Reference the quality, not bad. They look like watercolour. Reference the theme, topic and composition, not as good. The usual bucolic painting of a castle, trees, mountains and nothing more.

But what do you think?

CHEERS – CHEERS – CHEERS

#music, Here’s Johnny…

(Photo Variety)

Arguably one of the icons of the 60’s 70’s and beyond. I’m not going to say he was the leader of The Beatles because I think that honour really goes to Paul, but John certainly was a force to be reckoned with during those years when the lads was fab…

After The Beatles, well, his life was shortened but in close to ten years he did some good things and a lot of rubbish too. But here is one not heard of too much (maybe because it says too many truths) but that I think is a little jewel (in spite of Yoko’s vocals).

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH

Ok, one, two, three, one two, three

If you had the luck of the Irish,
You’d be sorry and wish you were dead
You should have the luck of the Irish
And you’d wish you was English instead
A thousand years of torture and hunger
Drove the people away from their land
A land full of beauty and wonder
Was raped by the British brigands
Goddamned
Goddamned

If you could keep voices like flowers
There’s be shamrock all over the world
If you could drink dreams like Irish streams
Then the world would be as high as the mountain of morn

In the ‘pool they told us the story
How the English divided the land
Of the pain and the death and the glory
And the poets of auld Eireland

If we could make chains with the morning dew
The world would be like Galway Bay
Let’s walk over rainbows like leprechauns
The world would be one big blarney stone

Why the hell are the English there anyway?
As they kill with God on their side
Blame it all on the kids and the I.R.A.
As the bastards commit genocide
Aye, aye
Genocide
Okay

You should have the luck of the Irish,
You’d be sorry and wish you were dead
You should have the luck of the Irish
And you’d wish you was English instead
One more time
You should have the luck of the Irish,
You’d be sorry and wish you were dead
You should have the luck of the Irish
And you’d wish you was English instead
Hey, yes, you’d wish you were English instead

CHEERS…