JaZzArt en València

During the years 2007/08/09 I was represented by The Red Bar Gallery in Miami (Brickell Village) and they were present at Art Basel Miami Beach introducing my paintings of the Carnaval series. These are the paintings that were exhibited that year.

CHEERS

Time…

faster, faster, faster, and the bones make the hardened surface spit forth torrents of sounds,

like the mountains falling into the valleys and the seas emptying out into the bar like a tsunami of beer, gin and vodka and the drummer never ceases to beat his bones against the skin because he is time…

C.2025, Francisco Bravo Cabrera/24 JAN 2025/Valencia, España

He spoke about spirituality in many ways…

There are many forms of spirituality and all lead to the enrichment of the body, the soul and the spirit. Spirituality may not be the path to salvation but it is the path to a richer life (not meaning money, although it could happen)…

Duty is essential. Many, in this day and age, think only of «rights» and little of «duties», but duties are just as important. If one neglects one’s duties it means that someone else will have to carry the burden, your burden. And rights without duties leads to laziness, inaction and conflicts. A human being needs to be balanced to be whole, therefore we all need to attend, diligently, to our duties.

The Bhagavad Gita states: «You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.«

And this means that we have a right to do our duty, we must, but we should not be overly concerned with the results. Results are not dependent on our efforts only for there are other factors to consider. One is the will of God, the efforts of others, and even luck, the right time and place. So we should not suffer anxiety over the results. The results should not concern us. Our focus should be entirely on our efforts and we will find that the results will be to our liking.

In the same way, Jesus taught his disciples that duty is being like a servant that takes pride in everything he does and doing it fully, to the best of his abilities. Luke 17:10 says, “In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we’ve only done our duty.

So, doing our duty, committing ourselves to action (the action required to perform our dutiful tasks) is enough to fill the day. Jesus also reminded us that tomorrow has problems of its own. So live for today…

We should maintain our spirituality knowing that rights are earned but duties must be performed. Anxiety over results is fruitless and negative. Acceptance of the work of the day is a blessing. Tomorrow, if God grants us a tomorrow, will be another day to work, pray and live.

Proverbs (27:1): Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

Joan is considered by experts (good grief experts!) as second generation abstract expressionist. She was born in Chicago (1925) but spend a considerable time, and a very important time of her career, in France. There she joined other artists like Lee Krasner, Grace Hartigan, Helen Frankenthaler, Shirley Jaffe, Elaine de Kooning and Sonia Gechtoff. Joan did gain quite a lot of recognition in her time and her paintings hang in important museums in the US and Europe. In 2014 her painting «Untitled» (1960) sold for 11,9 million US dollars… Mitchell studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and there gained her BFA (Bachelor in Fine Arts) degree in 1947 and her Masters of Fine Arts in 1950… During the early 1950’s she was considered a recognised artist of the New York School. Her main references were Paul Cézanne, Wassily Kandinsky, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and later the work of Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning, Jean-Paul Riopelle, among others… In October of 1992 Joan flew from Paris to New York to visit a Matisse exhibition ot the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). In New York she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She soon returned to Paris where she died on the 30th of October 1992 at the American Hospital of Paris.

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Joan es considerada por expertos (¡mare meua los expertos!) como una abstracta expresionista de segunda generación. Nació en Chicago (1925) pero pasó un tiempo considerable y muy importante de su carrera, en Francia. Allí, se unió a otros artistas como Lee Krasner, Grace Hartigan, Helen Frankenthaler, Shirley Jaffe, Elaine de Kooning y Sonia Gechtoff. Joan ganó bastante reconocimiento en su tiempo, y sus pinturas se exhiben en importantes museos en EE. UU. y Europa. En 2014, su pintura «Sin título» (1960) se vendió por 11.9 millones de dólares estadounidenses… Mitchell estudió en el Instituto de Arte de Chicago, donde obtuvo su BFA (Licenciatura en Bellas Artes) en 1947 y su Maestría en Bellas Artes en 1950… Durante principios de la década de 1950, fue considerada una artista de renombre de la Escuela de Nueva York. Sus principales referencias fueron Paul Cézanne, Wassily Kandinsky, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh y, más tarde, las obras de Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning, Jean-Paul Riopelle, entre otros… En octubre de 1992, Joan voló de París a Nueva York para visitar una exposición de Matisse en el MoMA (Museo de Arte Moderno). En Nueva York, le diagnosticaron cáncer de pulmón. Pronto regresó a París, donde falleció el 30 de octubre de 1992 en el Hospital Americano de París.

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CHEERS – GRACIAS

I started in 1996, so let us say that my first period was from 1996 to 2001 and my extended first period (developing «JaZzArT») was from 2001 to 2005, so my middle period would be from 2005 to 2025 (the present, at this time). I have no idea how the third period will be, or how it will end, but it has begun…

CHEERS

Tengo que decir que me encanta esta pintora expresionista. Cuando me enteré que el Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid) estaba presentando una exposición de ella para allá fui yo. Estas son las fotos de las obras que más me impresionaron. Próximamente preparare un vídeo de la artista y su obra. Pero ahora os dejo esta información muy importante acerca de su obra, su vida y su vision de artista… Nació en Berlin en 1877… Viajó mucho por EEUU, especialmente para juntarse con parientes que tenía en Texas y durante su viaje hizo muchas fotografías… Fue una de las creadoras del movimiento artístico expresionista muniqués Der Blaue Reiter («El jinete azul»)… En 1901 se unió a la escuela de arte progresiva «Phalanx» donde conoció a Wassily Kandinsky… Se fue a Estocolmo durante la primera guerra mundial, luego compró una casa en Murnau donde comenzó a pintar abstractos (pero a su manera, no a la de Kandinsky)… Durante la segunda guerra mundial los Nazis no le permitieron pintar. Ella logró esconder muchas obras de ella y de Kandinsky, salvándolas de la destruccion… Gabriele murió a los 85 años en Murnau (1962).

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I have to say that I love this expressionist painter. When I found out that the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum (Madrid) was presenting an exhibition of her work, I went there right away. These are the photos of the works that impressed me the most. Soon I will prepare a video about the artist and her work. But for now, here is some very important information about her work, her life, and her artistic vision… She was born in Berlin in 1877… She traveled extensively through the U.S., especially to meet relatives she had in Texas, and during her travels, she took many photographs… She was one of the creators of the Munich expressionist art movement Der Blaue Reiter («The Blue Rider»)… In 1901, she joined the progressive art school «Phalanx,» where she met Wassily Kandinsky… She moved to Stockholm during World War I and later bought a house in Murnau, where she began painting abstract works (but in her own way, not Kandinsky’s)… During World War II, the Nazis did not allow her to paint. She managed to hide many of her works and Kandinsky’s, saving them from destruction… Gabriele died at the age of 85 in Murnau (1962).

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La exposición en el Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid) cierra el 09 de febrero de 2025.

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The exhibition at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid closes on the 9th of February 2025.

GRACIAS – CHEERS

Lo conocía mas bien por las pelis como Mulholland Drive (2001), Blue Velvet (1998) y Cabeza Borradora (Eraserhead/1977), pero David Lynch era un artista/pintor muy bien establecido y recibido. ¿Lo sabias tú? Bueno, pues yo te lo voy a decir…

Acabamos de perder a David Lynch el pasado 15 de enero (2025). A mi siempre me pareció un director de cine fenomenal y ahora también reconozco sus méritos como artista plástico, aunque sus obras no son de mis favoritas, y vas a ver porque. Pero una cosa que si admiro de sus pinturas es que son el resultado de sus experimentos, de sus búsquedas y de su rebeldía contra todo lo que le ensenaron en las instituciones donde estudió arte, y si estudio…

Este norteamericano nacido en Missoula, Montana en 1946, que admiraba a grandes cineastas como Stanley Kubrick, Ingmar Bergman y Werner Herzog, era también amante del surrealismo y el dadaísmo. Hay que reconocer que sus películas son un poco misteriosas, mezclando aspectos de la realidad con los oníricos. Además están hechas con una formula única y personal y eso las hace muy diferentes de las de otros directores más tradicionales. Por su peli Corazón Salvaje (1990) David Lynch recibió la Palma de Oro en Cannes… Despues de haber estudiado en Washington D.C. y en Boston quiso irse a Europa a estudiar con Oskar Kokoschka, el expresionista austriaco, pero por razones que desconocemos regresó a los quince días. Esto te lo digo para que veas el gran interés que tenía Lynch en ser artista/pintor.

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I primarily knew him from movies like Mulholland Drive (2001), Blue Velvet (1998), and Eraserhead (1977), but David Lynch was a well-established and respected artist/painter. Did you know that? Well, I’m going to tell you…

We just lost David Lynch on January 15, 2025. I always thought he was a phenomenal film director, and I now also recognize his merits as a visual artist, although his works are not among my favorites, and you’ll see why. But one thing I do admire about his paintings is that they are the result of his experiments, his searches, and his rebellion against everything he was taught in the institutions where he studied art, and yes, he studied…

This North American born in Missoula, Montana in 1946, who admired great filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick, Ingmar Bergman, and Werner Herzog, was also a lover of surrealism and Dadaism. It must be acknowledged that his films are somewhat mysterious, blending aspects of reality with the dreamlike. Moreover, they are made with a unique and personal formula, setting them apart from those of more traditional directors. For his film Wild at Heart (1990), David Lynch received the Palme d’Or at Cannes… After studying in Washington D.C. and Boston, he wanted to go to Europe to study with Oskar Kokoschka, the Austrian expressionist, but for reasons unknown, he returned after fifteen days. I mention this to highlight Lynch’s great interest in becoming an artist/painter.

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GRACIAS – CHEERS

WHO DESERVES SUCH LOVELY FLOWERS

Who deserves such lovely flowers?
Brilliant, yellow like a sun!
Yet soon, so soon,
they’ll be as black as the night’s become.
Roses bloom in clear, white light,
lilies! What a lovely sight!
But they’ll die soon, dearest lady,
are they to adorn my tomb?

You know well I’ve never loved you.
You know I’ve always shunned your love.
Never have I thought much of you,
on you, spent not one second!
Really, I have felt no real emotion.
You are a cloud that brings no rain,
insipid, like torture without pain.
An ocean without salt,
what would it be?

Have you no love for these flowers?
Or is it that you cannot see
that I don’t deserve these flowers
that you’re bringing now to me?

So these flowers,
these fresh ones that you adore,
soon beautiful no more.
So just lay them on my grave,
let them dry and forever there remain.

Flowers for one undeserving
does not a virtuous gift make.
It seems a shameful engagement,
this waste of beauty and of care,
for one who lives in mad despair.
Who deserves such lovely flowers?
Lady, I really do not care.

C.2024/5 Francisco Bravo Cabrera 30 DEC 24/23 JAN 2025 Valencia, España

I started in 1996, so let us say that my first period was from 1996 to 2001 and my extended first period (developing «JaZzArT») was from 2001 to 2005, so my middle period would be from 2005 to 2025 (the present, at this time). I have no idea how the third period will be, or how it will end, but it has begun…

CHEERS

¿No te hace pensar en los políticos?