JaZzArt en València

DEACON 11

(A Life Well Lived)

Jesus taught his disciples many things. Some things, apparently, they were unable to understand and they usually replied rather dumbfounded. But eventually, I believe, they realised the truth and the teachings were assimilated. On one occasion where Jesus was actually giving advice he told them this:

Be merciful, as your Father in Heaven in merciful; do not judge others and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given onto you; a generous portion for with the measure that you use for others you will be measured as well. (a paraphrasing from the Gospel of Saint Luke 6:36-38)

And this is really a lesson on how to live a life well lived. Yet, mercy is not so common anymore even among those professing faith, and rare among the powerful that supposedly lead their countries. As far as judging others goes, well, they are a dime a dozen and it seems no one fears the fact that they will be judged. Reference condemning others, well, there  are plenty out there, including the so-called “powers that be” that are quick to condemn those that they do not understand and that because they do not understand them,  they fear them. And there is such a phenomenal lack of forgiveness in the world…

Governments turning into the rulers of the people, when people are meant to be free and control their governments. They are measuring their people wrongly but with that same measure they will be measured one day. And I ask where is the compassion?

And these instructions for a life well lived is not found only in the Holy Bible. The Baghavad Gita, a book of knowledge and blessings, says that for a life well lived one must: Know their duty and purpose in life; act without attachment; surrender to God; practice meditation and yoga; live in the present moment and be kind and compassionate.

Without kindness and compassion there is little chance that anyone’s life will be a meaningful experience. And without love, as Saint Paul had taught, nothing has any real value:

If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am

nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing. (Epistle to the Corinthians 1: 13)

Therefore, I truly do believe that the only thing one does need to do to live a life well lived one must start to practice charity, render to God what is God’s and show kindness and compassion to all, and keep all the other commandments.

C.2025, Francisco Bravo Cabrera – 17 MAR 2025 – Valencia, España

Ya ha abierto la boca y se va a tragar todo lo que encuentre por delante. Sic Semper tyranus… Ya ha dado sus primeros pinitos

ESTOY HAMBRIENTO Y VOY A POR TI (Escuchando a Sonny Rollins) by Francisco Bravo Cabrera

Pinche el link (enlace) para leer el artículo completo en Masticadores y muchas gracias 😊

Digital art is created by the artist, not the computer, and Art Digital is created by Bodo Vespaciano…

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Most certainly a very important painter in art history, but yet not as known and recognised as she should be. This is Clara Peeters. I think you (and I) should get a little more familiar with her work. Here is what I think of her magnificent body of paintings:

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TALKING ABOUT ART

I know there are many art blogs out there, I read most, at least all those I can find, just like I read anything related to art that I can come across as well, and there are phenomenal YouTube channels dedicated to art and artists.

So, is mine (www.YouTube.com/@FranciscoBravoCabrera one more? I hope it will be just a little more than that and I will strive to always bring a fresh approach to the subject and to the artists that  we will discuss there. I promise to bring information, opinion and guests (from time to time) if you promise to hit that like button and to suggest what you would like to hear and see.

I have asked you on several occasions (on VALENCIARTIST) what is art. And I have gotten many very good and interesting replies. Some are highly philosophical, almost esoteric or mystical, others more practical and most seem to state that art is made by humans,  and that it is something pleasing to others eyes.

Artists throughout the years have also stated publicly what they thought art was. All spoken like artists. So I thought it would be interesting to survey several famous (well known) artists and see what they had to say about art…

And, naturally, I will start with my favourite, the genius of the XXth Century, Pablo Picasso. Of course, Picasso had a lot to say about art and he always spoke as an artist would and we will see just how real that was. So here are some of the quotes by Pablo Picasso:

 “Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand.”

«Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.»

“Good artists copy; great artists steal”

Of these my favourite is the last one, and I think when he said that he was being totally honest. I mean this is something all creative artists do in every artistic pursuit. But to steal, one has to know how to do it. It takes a very good thief to pull it off without being ridiculed or accused of plagiarism.

And Picasso was great (brilliant) at it. In his later periods he cannibalised the great masters…including himself…and produced something even better (sometimes). But whatever he stole, he made into something uniquely his and it was usually phenomenal.

More to come in chapter 2

Digital art is created by the artist, not the computer, and Art Digital is created by Bodo Vespaciano…

CHEERS

This one was always a favourite at the High School parties for me and my friends, although the song was already an oldie-goldie by then. It was released by The Young Rascals in 1967 and written by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati. Although Atlantic Records was doubtful of releasing «Groovin‘» because it was so different than the band’s earlier songs, the song reached number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 and reached number eight in the UK…

There have been several good cover versions of «Groovin’» beginning with one by Booker T. & the M.G.’s that reached number 21 on Billboard Hot 100. War (1985) and Pato Banton (1996) also had success with their versions. The original Young Rascals version listed among the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list and has been awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

I loved and still love this soulful-latin sounding song with its bird sounds and smooth feel. What about you?

CHEERS

In Macca’s song, “Picasso’s Last Words” it says that the grand old painter died at three o’clock in the morning and that his last words were “Drink to me, drink to my health, you know I can’t drink anymore.” This song, recorded in Nigeria in 1973, was included in Macca’s best album (my opinion), Band on the Run.

This April marks the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Picasso and of the song. Good grief, time does fly! Picasso continues to be a major reference to art. His paintings still sell for millions of euros or dollars* and the influence that he exerted on the art world is still palpable, alive, well felt. And although we can say that Picasso was a man of the XIXth Century who conquered the XXth, his philosophy, aesthetics and artistry have seeped easily and clearly into the XXIst Century.

There is no other artist in art history that has as many museums with his name and dedicated to his art. There are six, some I have visited, there is the Picasso museum in Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Paris, Antibes and the Kunstmuseum of Munster and a new one coming to Aix-en-provence. Picasso said once that if they gave him a museum he would fill it. He has filled six, and soon a seventh.

Frankly I am not surprised as I knew that Picasso was a very hard working artist. We don’t really know, to be exact, the amount of work he produced. And if we include his ceramics and sculptures, his book illustrations, theatre designs, ballet designs, et al, we would reach incredible numbers. Books, (oh books!), say that he created 13,500 paintings and designs, 100,000 engravings or lithographs, 34,000 illustrations for books, 300 sculptures or ceramics, but there may be more, or less…

Now, when the art world began to go in different directions, say around the time of Pollock’s Action Painting and other vanguards, Picasso was introduced to all of them but he rejected them all. He became an “outsider” and was left behind as a major player in the new emerging art world. So he re-created himself as the “buffoon.” He appeared several times on the cover of TIME and LOOK magazines, sometimes with flowers in his ears, disguised as a bullfighter or even in his underwear. He became a media sensation, showing his body at the age of seventy five.

I think that no matter how they tried, no one could contain the grand old master. Only death could and would hold him back. A death he had seen, accepted and painted. With that in mind it is no wonder he closed his “final curtain” with this most precise and nostalgic phrase: “Drink to me, drink to my health, you know I can’t drink anymore.” And I truly thank Paul McCartney for turning it into a great song.

CHEERS

Now this was a band that blew me away the first time I heard them. I think I was in my last year of High School and at school when someone brought in their record and wow!… I bought it and still have the old vinyl… This was a supergroup, perhaps the first one in the history of rock.

When you have a band that has Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker and Ric Grech, what do you have? You have it all…. They debuted with the album Blind Faith in 1969, their one and only one and it topped the charts both in the UK and in the US. Of course the band did not last too long. Did you really expect that with such a lineup it would? But they left us music forever in that album. This is the original cover…

And of course, with today’s censorship and puritanical standards, the complete photograph cannot be shown. Incredible!

Bob Seidemann, the photographer who did the original (banned) cover said that the image symbolises the achievements of human creativity and its expression through the development of technology, i.e. a spaceship. That innocence would be the bearer of those ideals in the form of a young girl, for example a girl as young as Shakespeare’s Juliette. He thought the spaceship would be the future of the tree of science and the girl the future of the tree of life. In any event, you figure it out. For me that’s too much of an explanation but I am not here to judge. I do stand against censorship.

In any event, I hope you enjoy some of the music of this phenomenal album, a true classic.

CHEERS