JaZzArt en València

De todas las formas que existen en el mundo la cara es la que con mayor facilidad identifica nuestro cerebro. Esto es debido a que desde que abrimos los ojos por primera vez lo primero que vemos es la cara de nuestra madre. Nos fijamos mucho más en los ojos, porque se mueven, que en la nariz o en las orejas, que no. Más adelante, cuando hayamos crecido un poquitín y comenzamos a pintar…o garabatear…una de las cosas que más nos gusta pintar es a nuestra familia. ¿Y como la pintamos? Usualmente con caras grandes donde brillan ojos también muy grandes, quizá pintemos grande también el pelo de nuestra madre, si lo tiene largo y siempre los brazos largos y energéticos, las piernas muy cortas y los pies, si es que los pintamos, pequeñitos. ¿Por qué? Porque el cerebro infantil no capta esas partes del cuerpo y no les da importancia. Se fija en los brazos porque se mueven mucho más que las piernas y claro, la cara sigue siendo lo principal. Por eso me gusta pintar caras porque se que a todos nos atraen los ojos que nos miran. Además, ¿No es cierto que vemos caras por doquier? Venga, pues aquí están…

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From all the shapes that exist in the world, the face is the one that most easily identifiable by our brain. This is because from the moment we first open our eyes, the first thing we see is our mother’s face. We focus much more on the eyes, because they move, than on the nose or the ears, which do not. Later, when we have grown a bit and we start to paint…or scribble…one of the things we most like to paint is our family. And how do we paint them? Usually with big faces where the eyes also shine, large and brightly, maybe we paint our mother’s hair big as well, if it is long, and always with long and energetic arms, very short legs, and the feet, if we paint them at all, tiny. Why? Because the child’s brain does not perceive those parts of the body and does not give them importance. It focuses on the arms because they move much more than the legs, and of course, the face remains the main focus. That’s why I like to paint faces, because I know that we are all drawn to the eyes that look at us. Besides, is it not true that we see faces everywhere? Come on, well here they are…

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I aquií una jeta más, la de un cuñado…

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And one more face, from a dear and distant cousin…

GRACIAS – CHEERS

THE PHOTO OF THE WEDDING DAY

In between a picture of you,
and one of great grandma,
on top of the piano that nobody plays,
framed in silver now quite tarnished
is the photo of our wedding day.

Seventy years have passed and our loved ones still smiling,
as they look at us through time.
The old ones have all long passed away
but on that day they danced and sang, vibrant and happy.
And the ones who then were young, handsome and beautiful,
time has led them through life’s paths,
some have suffered,
some we’ve lost,
yet some, thankfully, are still near us
and together we’re here growing old.

Such is life,
such is destiny,
so pass the years,
towards eternity…

Today, thinking we are seventy years younger,
we joke, we laugh, we toast the good old days.
We dream with our feet as we dance cheek to cheek,
a few more drinks and we’ve lessened the stress of all the years we’ve lived,
ninety years old and we still exist.

So as I look at the piano that holds that dear picture,
I thank the good Lord for the blessings we’ve had.
I live thankful and knowing we’re blessed,
and lean back in my chair,
perhaps one more highball
perhaps one more prayer.

C.2024, Francisco Bravo Cabrera, Izmir, Turkey, 21 AUG 2024

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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Abstract art 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:

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 confused because some catalogues even place Picasso as an «abstract artist» and he never painted an abstract in his long, and very fruitful, life.

GRACIAS – CHEERS

It’s pretty easy to talk about great American bands as there are and there have always been so many of them. From the old Dixieland jazz bands to the gospel ensembles to the big bands of the 1940’s to the rock and roll and blues bands of the 50’s, rock bands in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90/s to whatever they have now. Marching bands, brass bands, acapella groups, jazz trios, symphony orchestras, quintets, string quartets, boy bands, girl bands, you name it, America has it and good. No doubt. But my thing here is rock, so I will concentrate on my first choice, The Grateful Dead.

The Grateful Dead are and have always been my favourite American band. Not to say that I haven’t others that I am crazy about, like Chicago, The Eagles, The Dooby Brothers, The Doors and others, but they will get their edition in this series. But there is something different about the Grateful Dead. For one, they were one of the biggest grossing bands and throughout their long history they only had one top 40 hit, «A Touch of Grey» (1987). This was also their only single and, if you remember, their only video on MTV. You do know about MTV? No? The channel that played music videos? If you don’t you really need to go back and research a bit of popular history.

The band was formed in San Francisco in 1965. The original members were: Jerry Garcia (lead guitar and vocals), Bob Weir (rhythm guitar and vocals), Ron «Pigpen» McKernan (keyboards, harmonica, and vocals), Phil Lesh (bass guitar and vocals), and Bill Kreutzmann. They had previously been known as the Warlocks.

What I totally loved about The Grateful Dead was that they were a band that you had to experience in concert. They played every type of music. Definitely not your typical early 60’s rock band. The guys knew how to play music and they did it all, from gospel, bluegrass, folk, country, world, reggae, and psychedelia. Wow! Impressive? Yes, but that is what I would expect musicians to be able to do. And my favourite thing about their shows is that they improvised continually. They were not interested in fitting in to radio-play formats, or the top of the pops.

Then how the hell did they make any money? How did they get so famous? Well, if you don’t know, I will tell you. They played their arses off across the country and in Europe as well. That and the fact that they encouraged recordings (free) of their concerts. Then when their existence was passed along by enough mouths to ears, they sold millions of albums. You know, the lp’s, remember? Yeah, that was during the days when you had to dial numbers on a phone…

The band also has a dark side, so they say. By 1990 they had lost three keyboardists… And in 1995 their main dude, Jerry Garcia, died… There is a lot to this band, a lot of history, a lot of members, a lot of great songs, but you can look up all that stuff, I mean Wikipedia es readily available. My part is to be a catalyst for your searches, for your knowledge-gaining activities, dig? So I leave you with one of my fave Grateful Dead tunes, from a live performance, of course…

CHEERS

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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Abstract art 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:

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.

+++++++

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 confused because some catalogues even place Picasso as an «abstract artist» and he never painted an abstract in his long, and very fruitful, life.

GRACIAS – CHEERS

Here are some more mysteries I would love someone to solve for my peace of mind…

1) If women say that all men are the same, then why do they fuss so much about choosing one?

2) If the moons of other planets all have names, why is ours just called Moon?

3) Why is Tarzan always so well shaved when he lived in a tree in the middle of the jungle?

Well that is enough for now, until I consult with more philosophers to find out more of these enigmas…

CHEERS

This Russian painter and sculptor was most certainly a very odd gentleman indeed. According to his friend and colleague Konstantin Korovin, «Once he sold a wonderful drawing of Don Juan from ‘The Stoned Guest‘ for three rubles…and bought for himself white kid gloves. After putting them on once, he threw it with words: «How vulgar»…

Vrubel was born in the Russian Empire in 1856. He was a very prolific artist, specialising in theatrical design, illustration, painting and sculpture. He sort of led the way towards Modernism in Russia and was definitely considered a symbolist painter. But…

In the 1880’s he studied in the Imperial Academy of Art… Then he moved to Moscow and painted «The Demon Seated«, in my opinion, a phenomenal painting…

And «The Demon Downcast«…

Tragically, from 1903 to 1906 Vrubel was suffering severe mental illness. His health was greatly affected and he grew quite weak. His physical and intellectual activities were totally compromised. His illness was thoroughly debilitating, leaving him blind and for the last four years of his life he basically just existed because he was still breathing.

Yet, I find him an extraordinary painter, both in style and technical abilities. These are some of my favourite of his paintings:

Vrubel died in 1910 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

So, what do you think?

CHEERS

As a fine arts graduate myself, I think I can proffer a valid opinion. If you are thinking about enrolling in art school at uni, I would suggest that you think about it two or three times before committing.

Now I know that you are going to ask me why? And I will tell you. First, think about the fact that your professors…for the most part and as a general rule…will not be functioning, professional artists. They graduated and entered the ranks of the docents immediately. They never worked their art as a profession. They exhibited mainly in university galleries. They do not know how to sell their work. And let’s face it, the job of an artist is to sell art. So how can these professors, with only academic, theoretical experience teach you how to live off your art as a pro? The reply is short and sweet, they cannot.

Two, most of the docent staff follows the pied piper that leads them to whatever is the flavour of the month, or of the year. Most of the time they try to steer you towards what they have been taught to like. For example, when I was in art school they would talk to me about the great surrealist painter Joan Miró and the great Frida Kahlo. I, naturally, thought they were right and for a while I actually admire those two whom I now know they are the worst artists I can think of. Why did not they simply open my mind to great art and let me decide who I like or who is good? They do not because they were taught that way. They follow the piper and sing his melodies, nothing more.

Three, they make you waste too much time on things that you might not want or even like. The art field is quite large and the artists choose which path, or which modality they want to specialise in. So why do they have to be wasting time with others that are not going to serve them well. Yes, I know, you will say that an artist should have knowledge of everything to be well rounded. And I agree, but spending one year (first year) drawing with pencil a classical form when what you want to do is create abstract oil paintings, to me is a waste of time. Why not guide students according to what they prefer. If I want to be a pastel painter I should be taught all about that medium, composition and colour theory, rather than teaching me how to mix oil paints.

Conclusion? I would look for a private academy, maybe even start with an online one. And one that would allow me the freedom to choose and develop as the artist I want to be. I do not want my professors wasting my time, especially with bullshit like conceptual art…

CHEERS

CHEERS – GRACIAS