Leonora Carrington, os he hablado de ella, una de las grandes y de las que no se hablaba mucho hasta hace poco y por supuesto la nunca mencionada en las facultades de Bellas Artes, hace historia pues el pasado miércoles, 15 de mayo, cuando su cuadro «Les Distractions de Dagobert» se vendió en subasta de Sotheby’s (Nueva York) por 28,5 millones de dólares (26.219,459 Euros). Este record la coloca por encima de pintores como Salvador Dalí y Max Ernst. Su tela surrealista de 1945 fue adquirida por el billonario argentino Eduardo F. Costantini, fundador del Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires. El senor Costantini ha dicho que el cuadro es «una pintura icónica».
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Leonora Carrington, I have told you about her. For me she is one of the greats and one who wasn’t talked about much until recently. Certainly never mentioned in Art School at uni. Well she made history last Wednesday, May 15, when her painting «Les Distractions de Dagobert» was sold at Sotheby’s auction (New York) for 28.5 million dollars (26,219,459 Euros). This is a record and places her above painters like Salvador Dalí and Max Ernst. Her surrealist canvas from 1945 was acquired by Argentine billionaire Eduardo F. Costantini, founder of the Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires. Mr. Costantini has said that «Les Distractions de Dagobert» is «an iconic painting.»
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.
Always was a fan of this band that I have always thought that with The Allman Brothers Band and the Charlie Daniels Band, was the best US band. And of course I am talking about The Grateful Dead and today of their big hit (only top 40 hit) «Touch of Grey» from 1987. Not only a top 40, but a smash video on MTV… The single is from the album In the Dark. A song with somewhat dark lyrics set to a very upbeat pop style arrangement. The chorus/refrain, «I will get by; I will survive» is changed at the end of the song to “We will get by; We will survive” which makes the song an anthem for dead-heads all over the world… Robert Hunter wrote the lyrics and Jerry Garcia wrote the music… «Touch of Grey» made it to the top 10 on Billboard, and was number 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. This has been the only song by the band ever to do so on both charts… The video, smashing good I would say, was directed by Gary Gutierrez, the same onw who had created the animation sequences for The Grateful Dead Movie. It was filmed at Laguna Seca Raceway after one of the band’s concerts in May 1987.
(Photo from IMDb)
I think you will like this and remember the MTV (when they played music) video. I certainly do. And don’t forget to tell me what you think…
Our Art History course has gotten as far as completing the Early Renaissance, sometimes called the Quattrocento in Italy. I have paused to bring forth some different artists from more contemporary times, but although I will feature these «special editions» from time to time, we will soon continue on course with the High Renaissance and beyond. Hope you like it, get something from it and comment.
(«YelloAbstrak»/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados/All Rights Reserved)
La abstracción es una de las vanguardias artísticas del Siglo XX. Segun la historia del arte Vassily Kandinsky había inventado el arte abstracto con su acuarela abstracta de 1910…
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Abstractart is one of the art vanguards of the XXth Century. According to art history, Vassily Kandinsky invented it when he created his 1910 watercolour…
Ahora algunos dicen que no fue asi que la pintora…una mujer…Hilma af Klint fue la primera en pintar un cuadro abstracto, digamos, uno como este…
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Now some say that it was not like that, that Hilma af Klint…a woman painter…had already been making abstract paintings, like this one:
(Abstraccion de Hilma af Klint/Abstract by Hilma af Klint)
Para estar claro, en el arte hay muchos diferentes estilos, muchas escuelas y muchas vanguardias, pero básicamente hay dos tipos de arte, el arte figurativo y el arte abstracto. ¿Como sabemos cual es cual? Yo te lo voy a decir y es simple. Si un cuadro, una pintura o un dibujo contiene elementos que fácilmente se identifican con cosas/personas de la vida real, el cuadro es figurativo, no importa lo distorsionado que estén las figuras ni lo surreal, ni lo cubista, ni expresionista que puedan ser. Si no tiene nada, ningún elemento de la vida real y esta compuesto por formas geométricas o por colores etcétera, el cuadro es abstracto. Simple, ¿No? Venga, no os vayáis a confundir porque por ahí, en algunos catálogos, ponen a Picasso como un artista abstracto y el tío jamás pinto una sola abstracción en su larga vida.
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To be clear, in art there are many different styles, many schools, and many vanguards, but basically there are only two types of art, figurative art and abstract art. How do we know which is which? I’m going to tell you, and it’s simple. If a painting or a drawing contains elements that are easily identified with things/human forms from real life the painting is figurative, no matter how distorted the figures may be, or how surreal, cubist, or expressionist they may be. If it has nothing, no element of real life, and is composed of geometric shapes or colours, etc., the painting is abstract. Simple, right? Come on, don’t get confusedbecause some catalogues even place Picasso as an «abstract artist» and he never painted an abstract in his long, and very fruitful, life.
(«The Water Model»/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/All Rights Reserved)
Art schools come in many shapes and sizes, and even one size fits all. But are they all the same? What do you expect to learn at Art School? Are you thinking of the uni? Or are you thinking of a small, private academy? Or are you thinking about an apprenticeship with an established artist willing to accept students. All three of these ways of becoming a professional artist exist. It is the choice of the would-be student. Now, you may be asking yourself, what is this guy trying to tell me? And I will…
If you are thinking about going to a college or university, I would recommend that you think again. And I would also suggest that you ask yourself what kind of artist do you want to be. If you are fine with being led on, manipulated, had on, and misguided, go to uni. They will do all that there. They will tell you who you have to love and admire, who you have to emulate, who should be your major…and perhaps only…references. And they will ultimately guide you towards what is known as VIP. This means «V»= Video.»I»= Installation; «P»= Performance. This is what they love. Frankly speaking they are worth nothing to me. I do not even think these «subjects» belong in a university art school. Perhaps in the Theatre department? I do not know…
If you are thinking of a private (small) academy, or a large one, but independent of a college/university, I would say you are probably on the right path. I cannot, and will not recommend any as I have no idea what is out there, but if you look and check some of them out, I am sure you will find what you really need to begin to transform yourself into an artist. And do not be fooled, we are not all artists, nor can, or will anyone become an artist. An artist is a professional, like a pharmacist or an engineer. You must receive formal training and you must also want to be an artist. At least in a private academy you can explain to the professor/owner what you want to do…your specialty…and he or she will guide you in that direction without making you waste time with things you’ve no interest in. Bang on! I truly support this decision.
If you are thinking about becoming someone’s apprentice… Well, if you know the artist and you like his style and you sort things out and arrive at a mutual understanding and agreement, this may work out phenomenally. But be very careful with artists who say they are open to apprentices because there are those that will exploit you, use you as a model and perhaps only teach you about how great they are. So I would be careful with this option.
And one more option that I did not mention, but… The do it yourself (DIY) route so that you can say you are «self-taught». But you know, no one is self-taught. Knowledge comes from something or someone. So if you think that because you bought some «how-to» books or watch some videos you are self-taught you are deluding yourself. You learned from books and videos who were your teachers. In any event, use this method only after a real life, living, breathing teacher teaches you how to draw and how to paint (or how to model and sculpt if you want to be a sculptor).
An artist needs training just like any other professional. And he needs to enrich, re-invent himself continually and continue with his education. And please, do not neglect Art History. Without knowledge of Art History you will never be a complete, rounded out artist.
Bueno L’Ultima Cena de Leonardo da Vinci no es un cuadro, es un fresco, pero que se va hacer… Aquí os traigo algunos cuadros muy famosos que hay que conocer.
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Ok, so Leonardo’s Last Supper is not a painting, it is a fresco, oh well… But here I bring to you some of the most famous paintings in art history that we all should be acquainted with.
En si, no se sabe con entera certeza quien lo pintó, los expertos…mare meua…se lo han atribuido a Leonardo da Vinci, y piensan que es del 1500, mas o menos. Ahora pienso que después de todas las restauraciones que se le han hecho al cuadro ha de quedar muy poco de lo que pintó Leonardo, si es que es Leonardo el verdadero autor de la obra.
Pero para que te enteres, este cuadro estuvo perdido por muchos años y apareció en 2005 muy restaurado. Lo expusieron en una exposición de Leonardo da Vinci en el National Gallery de Londres, 2011-2012. Allí los sabios expertos lo atribuyeron a Leonardo. Pero como el cuadro no esta firmado…
Y ahora chúpate esta, ¡Salvator Mundi se vendió en subasta (Christie’s New York), en 2017 por 450.312.500,00 USD que ahora son 449.625.773,44 euros! ¡El cuadro mas caro del mundo! Si es de Leonardo, es la única pintura de ese autor que está en manos privadas. Después de la venta el Salvator Mundi no la hemos visto mas. Alguien dijo que en 2019 vio el cuadro en el yate Serene, propiedad de Mohamed bin Salmán, príncipe heredero de Arabia Saudita. Parece ser que fue él el que lo compró. También se dice que que le pidieron al presidente francés Emmanuel Macron, y al Museo del Louvre, exponer la obra junto a la Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) para legitimarla como obra de da Vinci, pero Macron se negó rotundamente.
The most expensive painting in the world, and no, I did not paint it…
Nobody really know who did paint it, the painting is not signed. The experts…oh the experts…have attributed it to Leonardo da Vinci, supposedly painted in and around the year1500. However, after the many restorations it has undergone throughout the centuries, if da Vinci really painted it, by now there is little left of his work. That is if he really was the painter…
Now, for your information, this painting remained lost for many, many years. It surfaced in 2005, fully restored and was exhibited in a Leonardo exhibition at the National Gallery in London, (2011-12). It was there where these knowledgeable wise men said it was the work of Leonardo da Vinci. If so, it is the only da Vinci in a private collection.
And now get ready, Salvator Mundi sold at auction (Christie’s New York), in 2017 for 450.312.500,00 USD, which is now 449.625.773,44 Euros! The most expensive painting ever sold. After it was sold it has not been seen again, at least not by the public. Someone said, in 2019, that the painting is hanging in the luxury mega-yacht Serene, property of Mohamed bin Salmán, crown prince of Saudi Arabia. It looks like he bought it. It was also said that it was asked to the French president Macron and Le Louvre to exhibit the painting next to the Mona Lisa to legitimise it as an authentic da Vinci, but both rejected the request.
This painting has an amazing history and I urge you to investigate further. Who knows if it is authentic or a copy or who really painted it, so it is a mystery to explore. Here is a link to an interesting article.
