The image above is of the painting «Interchange» by Willem de Kooning. It was sold for 300 million USD in 2015. It was painted in 1955 and classified as «abstract expressionism» by the «experts» (good grief the experts!). The painting, oil on canvas measuring 200,7 x 175,3 cm, hangs in the private collection of Kenneth C. Griffin, an American hedge fund manager…
I reckon that having been sold for that incredible amount of US dollars one can say that it is the best abstract art painting in existence today. Right? Well, no… When I taught art to pre-schoolers I saw many compositions that would rival this one, for sure. But, beauty, and worth, is in the eye of the beholder, and Mr. Griffin beheld this painting and bought it, it set a record, and now it is the highest paid abstract work, of the ones in the market for there are some in museums that will never be sold and we will never know how much they would sell for.
Reference «Bad» abstract art, or what I think is bad, well…
(«Luna de agosto»/»August Moon«/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados/All Rights Reserved)
Picasso dijo que el arte era una mentira que nos hace darnos cuenta de la verdad, y que el arte abstracto, o sea, la abstracción, no existe ya que todo parte de algo para llegar a otra cosa y que como siempre se parte de la realidad, la abstracción no puede existir. Pero… Aunque valoro mucho a Picasso, el genio, el artista, pintor, escultor, innovador etcetera, no valoro tanto su discurso. Picasso, cuando hablaba, lo hacia pensando en sonar como un artista y decía cosas que un artista debería decir. Eso es filosofar sobre el arte y las filosofías las acepta uno o no, no son leyes inmutables. La verdad es que el arte abstracto si existe, y es más, tuvo…y tiene…más éxito que el cubismo o que casi todos los ismos, (las vanguardias del Siglo XX), porque sigue vigente y creciendo, no solo en la pintura pero en la escultura y la fotografía también. La abstracción es una manera de expresar utilizando el lenguaje de los colores y las formas geométricas y asi, sin rasgos de figuración, transmitir una idea, una emoción (o varias) y un sentimiento.
Aqui os dejo algunas de mis abstracciones en pintura y en fotografía…
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Picasso said that art was a lie that makes us realize the truth, and that abstract art does not exist since everything starts from one thing to reach another one and that, as always, it all departs from reality, thus an abstraction cannot exist. But… Although I consider Picasso a genius, a great artist, painter, sculptor, innovator, etc., I do not value his discourse on the same level. Picasso, when he spoke, did so thinking about sounding like an artist and said things that an artist should say. That is philosophizing about art, and one either accepts philosophies or not; they are not immutable laws. The truth is that abstract art does exist, and moreover, it had… and has… more success than cubism or almost all isms (the vanguards of the 20th century) because it remains relevant and growing, not only in painting but also in sculpture and photography. Abstract art is a way of expressing using the language of colours and geometric shapes, and thus, without figurative traits, convey an idea, an emotion (or several) and a feeling.
Here are a few of my abstract artworks both as paintings and as photographs…
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(Abstract Art/photography by Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados/All Rights Reserved)
(«Universo»/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados/All Rights Reserved)
(2022/No olvides darle el «like»/Don’t forget to like)
(Bodo Vespaciano a.k.a. Francisco Bravo Cabrera/actor portrayal)
This is a sanctuary that I visit every year on my trip to the beautiful island of Chios… Saint Marcella martyr is the patroness of the island. She lived near the town of Volisssos on the northern part of the island.
(All images by and property of Francisco Bravo Cabrera/All Rights Reserved)
(Foto panoramica de Lisboa/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados/All Rights Reserved)
Una de las ciudades mas antiguas de la Europa occidental. Fue fundada por los fenicios con el nombre de Ulissipo, en honor al gran héroe griego Ulises u Odiseo… Despues llegaron griegos y cartaginenses y la conquistaron. Le siguieron los romanos e hicieron a Lisboa la capital de la Lusitania romana poniendole Olisipo… La ciudad moderna tiene una población de 547.773 almas, que equivale a un 26% de la población del país… Bueno os diré que me ha encantado Lisboa, aunque mi visita fue corta. Pero os digo que esta ciudad que hay que vivirla, sentir su energía, penetrar en su bullicio, codearse con su gentío, degustar su gastronomía y beber de sus vinos. Venga, que vale la pena una visita, y cuando lleguéis, preparaos para subir y bajar calles porque es una de las tres ciudades construida sobre siete colinas… La gente, guay y majas, elegantes y muy amantes del arte… Os doy las gracias a todos vosotros mis coleccionistas portugueses! Lisboa, otima!
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Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in Western Europe. It was founded by the Phoenicians under the name of Ulissipo, in honor of the great Greek hero Ulysses or Odysseus… Then came the Greeks and Carthaginians who conquered it. The Romans followed, making Lisbon the capital of Roman Lusitania and naming it Olisipo… The modern city has a population of 547,773 souls, which accounts for 26% of the country’s population… Well, I’ll tell you that I loved Lisbon, although my visit was short. But I can say that this is a city that must be experienced, feeling its energy, immersing in its hustle, mingling with its crowds, savoring its cuisine, and sipping its wines. Come on, it’s worth a visit, and when you arrive, be prepared to go up and down streets because it is one of the three cities built on seven hills… The people, cool and nice, elegant, and very fond of art… I thank all of you, my Portuguese collectors! Lisbon, awesome!
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Uma das cidades mais antigas da Europa ocidental. Foi fundada pelos fenícios com o nome de Ulissipo, em homenagem ao grande herói grego Ulisses ou Odisseu… Depois vieram gregos e cartagineses e a conquistaram. Seguiram-se os romanos, que fizeram de Lisboa a capital da Lusitânia romana, dando-lhe o nome de Olisipo… A cidade moderna tem uma população de 547.773 almas, o que equivale a 26% da população do país… Bom, posso dizer que amei Lisboa, embora minha visita tenha sido curta. Mas digo que esta cidade precisa ser vivida, sentir sua energia, mergulhar em seu bulício, misturar-se com sua gente, degustar sua gastronomia e beber seus vinhos. Venham, porque vale a pena uma visita, e quando chegarem, preparem-se para subir e descer ruas, pois é uma das três cidades construídas sobre sete colinas… O povo é legal e simpático, elegante e muito amante da arte… Agradeço a todos vocês, meus colecionadores portugueses! Lisboa, ótima!
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(Fotos de Francisco Bravo Cabrera/OCS Valencia/Derechos Reservados/All Rights Reserved)
(Photo by and property of Francisco Bravo Cabrera/All Rights Reserved)
JULY 15 A Sea Turtle
Early in the morning of the 15th of July as I walked to the bar by the sea for a cuppa “wake-up” coffee, off to the side, where the lounge chairs were placed for the day, a large group of people had gathered, looking towards the sea just a metre away…
I immediately felt a strong tap on my shoulder, curiosity for sure, as behind me was nobody else, so I strolled a few steps to attempt to discover whatever it was that had brought such distraction to so many people sipping tea, or their coffee, while having a smoke, reading news on their mobiles.
And I saw, floating on the crystal clear waters, Aegean blue, cold and clean, something oval in shape, off white in colour, and drifting our way. It was brought by the wind by the shore’s gentle call and ever so gently it reached our seawall…
Then one brave lady, whom I knew from the town, climbed down the small ladder, and slipped in the water. But by now we could all see quite clearly, that the oval, white shape had been once a sea turtle floating limp, upside down, so still and so dead.
Another brave soul, a young man that I see in the bar every morning, jumped in from the seawall and brought up the carcass, and we all looked to see if there was still life within it, But we all soon concluded that the turtle was dead.
I don’t know what this means, perhaps simply nothing, After all every summer I live on the shores of the wide, wild Aegean that kisses these lands and moistens the sands where Hector and Odysseus left footprints eternal. Many creatures live and die in these waters quite daily, Some sink to black depths, others float to the shores, today it was mine…
But it made an impression on me, as I’m sure you can see by these words I have written, life’s eternal, wise cycles, vindicate her wisdom, no creature’s eternal in the land or the sea.
This is a true story and it happened just as I have described it in the poem. It occurred in a small town on the Aegean Coast of Turkey where I usually spend my summers. It is a great place to enjoy the sea, go diving, sailing or just hanging around. Although one rationalises that sea animals (and land animals as well) die every day, it still makes an impression when they come so close to make you realise that life is death and death is life, somehow, some way. I really do not know how to express it, although I am a writer, but it did create an impression on me. Not of sadness, but of revelation. The picture above is the place where it all happened…
JaZzArt en València 