(Bodo Vespaciano, a.k.a. Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Actor portrayal)
SOME THOUGHTS ON ART (and life)…
I think, like many other artists, that I always tend to like the last thing I did better…
To search in art means that one must be willing to break the bonds that keep you liking what you’ve done and be willing to go beyond the comfort zone and see what is out there. It may be good or not…
Every year of growth as an artist represents abilities gained, possibly ages ago that one might not have ever used and comes time to use them…
When staring at an open, blank canvas, one cannot think of the power that can be had with the right composition. The time to plan and develop an idea is way before one even buys (or orders) the canvas. A sketch is the mother of the painting, from that (or those) sketch(s) comes the final product.
A good painting requires planning and one cannot count on «inspiration» or much less on intuitive urges or drives. To build a house one starts with the blueprints, to create a painting one starts with a few rough lines on paper…
Here are some of the paintings and drawings I have done during the last twelve months…
Como de costumbre, destacando a mujeres artistas que a mi no me presentaron en la facultad y debieron de haberlo hecho. Tantas mujeres artistas que han contribuido, y mucho, a la historia del arte y han sido pintoras importantes y famosas (en ciertos circulos), no pueden quedarse en el olvido.
Hoy os hablo de Gabriele Münter, la que fue, entre unas pocas féminas, importante en el desarrollo del expresionismo alemán. Pero quizá la quieran meter en la historia solo por haber sido la amante de Wassily Kandinsky. Participó en muchos de los movimientos artísticos de Munich y también en el grupo Der Blaue Reiter (El jinete azul).
Gabriele nació en Berlin en 1877 y a los 20 años comenzó a dar clases de arte en Dusseldorf. Se trasladó a Munich en 1901 y cuando intentó ingresar en la Academia de Bellas Artes de Múnich se encontró con la realidad de que no admitían mujeres. Pero entonces, aburrida de las escuelitas para mujeres, buscó su camino, y su futuro, en el grupo y escuela de Kandinsky, Phalanx.
Münter creo su propio lenguaje en el arte. No unía los colores, si no que los iba separando con…el poder de…la linea negra. Fue miembro fundadora de la Neue Künstlervereinigung München (La Nueva Unión de Artistas de Múnich), grupo que había iniciado Kandinsky y que incluía a los mas importantes artistas del Der Blaue Reiter.
Como siempre os digo, hay mas, mucho, mucho mas, así que tenéis tela marinera. Gabriele Münter murió en 1962.
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As usual, I am highlighting women artists who were not introduced to me at university and should have been. So many women artists who have contributed significantly to art history and have been important and famous painters (in certain circles) cannot be forgotten.
Today I’m talking about Gabriele Münter, who was, among a few other women, important in the development of German expressionism. But maybe some want to put her in history just for having been the lover of Wassily Kandinsky. She participated in many of the artistic movements in Munich and also in the Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) group.
«Münter created her own language in art and an interesting style. She didn’t blend the colours, but rather separated them with…the power of…the black line. She was a founding member of the Neue Künstlervereinigung München (The New Association of Artists in Munich), a group that had been initiated by Kandinsky and included the most important artists of the Der Blaue Reiter.«
Like I always say, there is more, much, much more, so I leave you to your research!Gabriele Münter died in 1962.
(Art Digital/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados/All Rights Reserved)
No soy dirigido, dirijo… así es lo que debe ser uno en la vida, al menos así lo pienso yo. Jamás me he dejado dirigir, ni gobernar por nadie. Cuando cumplí con la mili si, pero fue por consentimiento porque me gustaba y quería aprender todo lo más posible de lo que me podría ofrecer el ejercito, igual en la policía, pero ahora, ni de coña…
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I am not led, I lead… that is how one should be in life, or at least that’s what I think. I have never let anyone lead or govern me. When I did my military service, yes, but it was by consent because I liked it and wanted to learn as much as possible from what the army could offer me; the same goes for the police, but now, no way…
This was one of the iconic bands of the sixties, with their very folky sound, great songs that told stories and wonderful arrangements and musicianship. I did not come across The Band right away, I kind of became a fan after a few years but then I really fell in love with their songs… Although they are listed as a Canadian band, well, that is just honky dory as America is a continent and not a country. Canadians are, by definition, Americans…
The Band was formed by Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm. By the end of the 1960’s these musicians who had backed up Bob Dylan many times, and called themselves The Hawks, changed their name to The Band and passed on to rock and roll history…
What do you think of The Band? Well, first take a listen…
(Foto de fotografo desconocido/Photo by unknown photographer)
No conocía mucho de esta mujer que ejerció su arte en Cuba y fue parte de la generación de los vanguardistas. Nació en 1896 en la provincia (tradicional*) de Las Villas, y murió en 1968 en La Habana. Comenzó a los 20 años en la Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, «San Alejandro» y recibe su diploma en 1924. En 1927 se traslada a Francia y hace muchas cortas visitas a España y a Italia. Regresó a Cuba en 1934 y lamentablemente tubo que vivir bajo la represión del sistema usurpador que desgobierna a Cuba hasta su muerte.
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I did not really know much about this woman artist from Cuba that was part of the avant-guarde generation of artists. She was born in 1896 in the province (traditional*) of Las Villas and died in La Habana in 1968. At the age of 20 years she enrolled at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes «San Alejandro» and graduated in 1924. In 1927 she moved to France but made many short trips to Spain and Italy. She returned to Cuba in 1934 and lamentably she had to live under the repression of the usurper government that mal-governs Cuba until her death.
Una obra de esta artista llegó a ser la obra más cara de la historia en 2018. Fue «Propped» (de 1992) y se vendió (en subasta) por 10 millones de euros. Pero no importa, es una mujer y los hombres ganan más pues en la lista de los que mas valen están solo hombres. Algunos de estos son Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst y Banksy, artistas de los cuales no quiero ni acordarme porque uno es un empresario, el otro es un artista con poca imaginación y gusto y el tercero es un «activista» contra sistema que vive muy bien gracias al sistema. La obra de Jenny Saville si la considero arte, buena y verdadera, además de única, original, y muy bien hecha. Saville es una artista consagrada y muy bien preparada. No es una grafitera ni una a la que se le hubiera ocurrido meter un tiburón en un tanque de formol, ni tampoco hace un conejito de acero inoxidable (o de que se yo…), como el de los payasos en los cumpleaños de los críos.
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This artist had the highest selling work by a woman artist in 2018 when her 1992 painting «Propped» sold at auction for 10 million euros.But it did not matter, male artists sell much higher and she was obscured by artists the likes of Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst and Banksy. These are «artists» which I prefer not to even think about. One is more of a business man than anything else, the other has very little imagination and taste and the third one is an «activist» against the «establishment» which has made him very, very rich. Jenny Saville is a real artist, trained and hard working. She is unique, original and well committed to her art. She is no graffiti activist or one who puts a shark in a tank of formaldehyde or one whose workers have created a bunny made of stainless steel (or whatever).
Jenny Saville nació en Cambridge, Reino Unido en 1970 y forma parte de los Young British Artists.
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Jenny Saville was born in Cambridge, United Kingdon in 1970. She is a member of the Young British Artists.
(«Propped» 1992)
Es una artista que hay que conocer porque es joven, todavía esta trabajando y lográndose un lugar en la historia del arte.
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Thisis an artist we must all come to know. She is young and working and achieving for herself a place in Art History.
(«Reverse» 2003)
OMNIA CAELUM STUDIOS VALENCIA PRESENTA LA SERIE DE MUJERES ARTISTAS/ OMNIA CAELUM STUDIOS VALENCIA PRESENTS WOMEN ARTISTS SERIES
Aquí os dejo un corto vídeo de dos de mis artistas favoritas, Dorothea Tanning y Louise Bourgeois…
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Here I leave you with a short video about two of my favourite artists: Dorothea Tanning and Louise Bourgeois…
JaZzArt en València 