JaZzArt en València

#art, #philosophy, Un cuadro es filosofía – A Painting is Philosophy…

(«The Jazz Quartet» de/by Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados/*All Rights Reserved*)

No estoy seguro pero supongo que por ahí deambulen algunos que piensan que la vida se parece a un cuarteto de Jazz. Al menos me planteo eso como una posibilidad y quizá los que lo piensen tengan razón. Todos sabemos que la vida tiene su ritmo, se habla siempre del «ritmo de la vida», bueno pues esa es la primera coincidencia entre la vida y el cuarteto pues uno de los integrantes del cuarteto, el percusionista, va marcando el ritmo de las piezas que tocan. Además del compás, esta la melodía, o sea lo que en la vida seria el pasar del tiempo, el va y ven de las estaciones, de los días, los meses, los años. El cuarteto está compuesto por cuatro seres completamente distintos. Pueden ser cuatro hombres, cuatro mujeres o combinados de cualquier otra manera, como lo somos en la vida. En la vida todos somos únicos y por mucho que nos podamos parecer unos a otros, somos diferentes de los demás. Finalmente diría que el cuarteto cumple con una función que es hacer música, para ella sus integrantes se han preparado, han elegido las piezas a tocar, han estudiado, ensayado y luego las han presentado ante el público. Igual nosotros vamos poco a poco aprendiendo, estudiando, preparándonos y cuando nos toque, nos presentamos ante los demás y somos vida. Pero este cuarteto que os veis no es un cuarteto, es una ilusión, una idea, un cuadro. Entonces ¿Se parecerá mejor a cuadro la vida y no a un cuarteto de Jazz?

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I’m not sure but I suppose there are some who think that life is like a jazz quartet. At least I consider that as a possibility and perhaps those who think that are right. We all know that life has its rhythm, we always talk about the «rhythm of life», well that’s the first coincidence between life and the quartet because one of the members of the quartet, the percussionist, sets the rhythm of the pieces they play. In addition to the rhythm, there is the melody, which is what in life would be the passage of time, the coming and going of the seasons, days, months, years. The quartet is composed of four completely different beings. They can be four men, four women, or combined in any other way, as we are in life. In life, we are all unique and no matter how much we may resemble each other, we are different from others. Finally, I would say that the quartet fulfils a function, which is to make music, for which its members have prepared, chosen the pieces to play, studied, rehearsed, and then presented them to the public. Similarly, we gradually learn, study, prepare, and when it is our turn, we present ourselves to others for we are life. But this quartet that you see is not a quartet, it is an illusion, an idea, it is just a picture. So, could life resemble a picture better than a jazz quartet?

GRACIAS – CHEERS

#art, My Barcelona, My Sant Gervasi 2016

(From the Barcelona series «Canción Cuba» by Francisco Bravo Cabrera/All Rights Reserved)

ART is something abstract, it has to be because of its nature, although it is a creative act. That being it is still simply the creation of an artist, and the artist has taken that with which he created art from the complete and perfect creation of God. The artist takes the forms and ideas, turns them into designs, and makes works of art with them, creating new worlds which he puts on canvas with paint, graphite on paper, or sculpts them in rock, bronze, or wood. So all the artists’ works are abstracts, extracted from the great creation of God.

To triumph in art, an artist must be able to harmonize with nature and, most importantly, become devoted to humility. And for a painting to triumph…especially over time…it requires spirituality and that depends on how the artist has painted it. If the artist is faithful to his era and to his history, the painting will possess great spirituality and be forever fresh. So, if the artist is working faithfully within the history that is passing him by and the one he is creating, he can approach the purity of art. And he will create either by seeing, perceiving, or feeling the reality…and the truths…that surround him. Conscious of that, the artist will represent his theme, subject, composition and message just as it appears to him (Impressionism) or as he feels it should be deep within himself (Expressionism). The artist’s work is slow but maintains itself in constant motion, imitating the Universe, which, like God, always moves but never hurries.

Now…

I see worlds merging in the gaze of the artist who seeks…not to beautify what is already perfect and beautiful…to delve into the Great Work that is Nature. He understands that Nature does not concern herself with fitting, matching, or planning. No, because Nature simply exists, God created her complete and perfect. And although she manifests herself in myriad ways, growing, changing shapes and colours, never repeats herself…although it may seem she does to us…Nature and always stays the same. Nature, like art, does not evolve, it is.

«I have come to realize that memories…and memory itself…are fragile, very fragile, and we take very poor care of them. I want to work and create, artistically, to honor Mother Earth, God, and their great work, and all those whom God has given me to care for and love.»

In my flat on Carrer de Casanova in Sant Gervasi, I enjoyed the magic of of one of the most phenomenal cities I’ve ever known, Barcelona. It was the year 2016, and while there I managed to develop many ideas, which I captured well with pencil and India ink in several sketchbooks. I drew in the living room, on the balcony, and later in the studio that I set up in one of the empty rooms of the flat.

But the year 2016, although one of great creativity, was a year of much movement. I travelled to several cities. The first one I visited was Cienfuegos (Cuba), where I spent the month of March. In September it was Athens, in October, Turkey and finally Miami, Florida (USA) in November. In all of them, I took the opportunity to add more and more pages to my sketchbooks and to fill my head with ideas that I later managed to turn into drawings, poems, and memories in Barcelona.

Most of the drawings were part of a collection… already sold… titled «Islands of Jazz,» and others were part of another called «Cuba Song.»

That’s why I conclude as I began, asserting that art, even figurative art, is abstract. As the figurative artist that I am, I’ve extracted the shapes, the colours, the movement…the jazz…from the God’s creation and painted it, as it was created and «seen» by my «mind’s eye», but on a smaller scale. That’s all. That is art.

(Francisco Bravo Cabrera – 7/10/2016, Barcelona, Catalonia/Listening to Stan Getz)

#art, El gallo – The Rooster

(«Gallos» obra original de Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados – *«Roosters» by Francisco Bravo Cabrera/All Rights Reserved*)

Dibujar un gallo es dibujar la fuerza de un animal extraordinario… Muchos piensan que el gallo es el símbolo nacional de algún país pero yo no los miro como símbolo nacional de nadie, sino del que los adopte como el suyo. A veces somos como los gallos y a veces no… La vida va dando vueltas y nosotros con ella y tenemos que estar prestos a improvisar, a adaptarnos y a sobreponernos. Los animales domesticados son como nosotros, los hombres civilizados, que usualmente no tenemos que enfrentarnos a las cosas más duras de la vida, vivimos cómodamente y aunque nos imaginamos que estamos combatiendo a gigantes, en verdad no son ni molinos… No se porque, pero durante el 2015/16 me dio por dibujar gallos…

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Drawing a rooster is drawing the strength of an extraordinary animal. Many people think the rooster is someone’s national symbol… I don’t see them as a national symbol for anyone, but rather for whoever adopts it as their own, because sometimes we are like roosters and sometimes we’re not. Life takes us on twists and turns and we have to be ready to improvise, adapt, and overcome. Domesticated animals are like us, civilized men; we don’t usually have to face the hard things in life, we live comfortably, and even though we imagine we are battling giants, they’re not really even windmills… I don’t know why, but during 2015/16 I had a phase of drawing roosters…

(Los «Gallos» de Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados – *The «Roosters» of Francisco Bravo Cabrera/All Rights Reserved*)

GRACIAS – CHEERS

#art, #music, The Abstract Jazz Arrangement

The new millennium, decade, century started off with music for me and my three mates as we formed the Abstract Jazz Arrangement. And of course that meant a lot of art as well…

(Original works from 1998 to 2003 by Bodo Vespaciano/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/All Rights Reserved)

CHEERS

Memorias: BARCELONA, 2016, SANT GERVASI by Francisco Bravo Cabrera

(Obra original de Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados)

(La pintura que aparece es obra del autor) El arte, o simplemente ARTE, es algo abstracto, tiene que serlo por ley y por su naturaleza porque aunque …
Memorias: BARCELONA, 2016, SANT GERVASI by Francisco Bravo Cabrera

#art, Eileen Gray, Arquitecta/Architect – Serie de mujeres artistas – Women Artists Series

(Architectural Digest México y Latinoamérica)

Eileen Gray fue viajera y aventurera. Viajó desde su Irlanda natal a Londres, Dresde, París , Africa y Estados Unidos… Estudió arte y dibujo en Londres (Slade School of Fine Arts/1901) y luego continuó su búsqueda en París… Es reconocida como la primera mujer en hacer un gran impacto en el diseño industrial… Eileen nació en 1878 en Enniscorthy, Irlanda… Después de una gran gira por EEUU, donde viajó en tren desde Nueva York a California, estalló la Primera Guerra Mundial. Eileen condujo una ambulancia durante la guerra… En 1913 tuvo su primera exposición en el Salon des Artistes Décorateurs… Finalmente vino su gran reconocimiento en 1922, ganándose fama en el diseño y abrió su tienda de decoración, la galería Jéan Désert, donde mostró sus alfombras y diseños de mobiliario… En 1926 comenzó a construir su casa E1027 Menton, (Alpes Maritimos) cerca de Castellar, Francia. La terminó en 1934 y pasó mucho de su tiempo en el sur de Francia… Gray murió a los 98 años, en 1976 en París y está enterrada en el cementerio de Père Lachaise.

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Eileen Gray was a traveller and adventurer. She travelled from her native Ireland to London, Dresden, Paris, Africa, and the United States… She studied art and drawing in London (Slade School of Fine Arts/1901) and then continued her quest in Paris… She is recognized as the first woman to make a major impact on industrial design… Eileen was born in 1878 in Enniscorthy, Ireland… After a major tour of the US, where she travelled by train from New York to California, the First World War broke out. Eileen drove an ambulance during the war… In 1913, she had her first exhibition at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs… Finally, her great recognition came in 1922, earning fame in design and opening her decoration shop, the Jéan Désert gallery, where she displayed her carpets and furniture designs… In 1926, she began to build her house E1027 in Menton, (Alpes-Maritimes) near Castellar, France. She finished it in 1934 and spent much of her time in the south of France… Gray died at the age of 98 in 1976 in Paris and is buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery.

GRACIAS – CHEERS

Viva la tauromaquia!

El gobierno no tiene que meterse en la cultura del pueblo… ¡Que vivan los toros y los toreros!

#art, Fent art a Barcelona – Haciendo arte en Barcelona 2016 – Making Art In Barcelona 2016

Barcelona sempre ha estat per a mi, una ciutat molt especial. No només perquè part de la meva família en procedeix, però perquè des del primer dia que vaig arribar a Barcelona vaig sentir el poder seductor de la seva gent, la seva història, la seva llengua, els seus barris, els seus carrers i la seva Mediterrània. Doncs llavors no podia faltar que hi em posés a desenvolupar idees amb paper i llapis i encara que vaig viure poc temps en aquesta ciutat dels meus amors, em va servir per continuar la recerca, que com ja vosaltres sabeu, és art…

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Barcelona siempre ha sido para mí, una ciudad muy especial. No solo porque parte de mi familia procede de ella, pero porque desde el primer día que a Barcelona llegué sentí el poder seductor de su gente, su historia, su lengua, sus barrios, sus calles y su Mediterráneo. Pues entonces no podía faltar que en ella me pusiera a desarrollar ideas con papel y lápiz y aunque viví poco tiempo en esa ciudad de mis amores, me sirvió para continuar la búsqueda, que como ya vosotros sabéis, es arte…

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Barcelona has always been a very special city for me. Not only because part of my family comes from there, but mostly because from the first day that I arrived in Barcelona, I felt the seductive power of her people, her history, language, neighbourhoods, streets, and her Mediterranean. So it was inevitable, in Barcelona I started developing ideas that I placed with pencil on paper. And even though I lived a short time in that beloved city, it served me to continue the search, which as you already know, is art…

(**Drets Reservats**/Derechos Reservados/*All Rights Reserved*)

gràcies – gracias – cheers

#art, Le Corbusier

El nombre de pila de este arquitecto suizo, nacido en 1887, era Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, pero es conocido como Le Corbusier… Esta lumbrera del arte fue arquitecto, teórico de la arquitectura, urbanista, pintor, escultor y literato. Junto a otros grandes como Frank Lloyd Wright y Miles van der Rohe, es considerado exponente de la arquitectura moderna y realmente uno de los arquitectos más influyentes del siglo 20. Sus escritos se hicieron famosos por las polémicas que levantaban y porque aportaban ideas innovadoras. Su libro «Hacia una arquitectura» de 1923, fue un libro muy influyente y trascendental para la historiografía y la cultura arquitectónica... Murió en 1965 en Francia.

Es importante destacar que en 2016 parte de la obra arquitectónica de Le Corbusier, considerada contribución excepcional al movimiento moderno, se hizo parte del Patrimonio de la Humanidad en la categoría de bien cultural (n.º. ref. 1321rev), en siete países: Alemania, Argentina, Bélgica, Francia, India, Japón y Suiza. Implica la protección de 17 sitios individuales.

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The birth name of this Swiss architect, born in 1887, was Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, but he is known as Le Corbusier. This bright mind in the arts was an architect, architectural theorist, urban planner, painter, sculptor, and writer. Alongside other greats like Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, he is considered a proponent of modern architecture and truly one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. His writings became famous for the controversies they stirred and for introducing innovative ideas. His book «Towards a New Architecture» from 1923 was highly influential and pivotal for architectural historiography and culture. He passed away in France in 1965.

It is important to highlight that in 2016, part of Le Corbusier’s architectural work, considered an outstanding contribution to the modern movement, became part of the World Heritage, Patrimony of Humanity, in the cultural category (ref. No. 1321rev), in seven countries: Germany, Argentina, Belgium, France, India, Japan, and Switzerland. This entails the protection of 17 individual sites.

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Casa Curutchet, La Plata, Argentina (1949-53).