Starting with a life drawing session, I added a some landscape with VanGogh’s wheat fields in mind, particularly Wheat Field With Lark (the muse), changing to the purple drippingness.
Field with Woman
Gary Kirkpatrick
The final day of Fallas, 2019
Here are photos from the last day of Fallas, March 19, 2019. Included are photos of Mary in the Plaza de la Virgen covered with flowers and one or two from earlier on while they are building. Nuria and Zoe in their Fallera dresses in the first photo. We walked about 3 hours to get these photos, leaving a little after 8 am. After around noon the streets at the larger and more famous Fallas get very crowded. Most of the morning the sky was a bright blue.
A high school mate is on my website mailing list. (you can get on the mailing list on the website or PM me with your email address) She wrote, “Thanks for sharing those fabulous photos and your latest artwork. At first I thought they were small, but after several views, oh my heavens, they are huge. Is there a theme in the designs?”
Indeed they are huge. I was standing next to a small one the other day. Bugger than I am! But next to the 15 meter high ones it looks quite small. I try to get some scale in the photos to help the viewer put things in perspective.
There are multiple themes, in fact a nearly endless variety. One major theme is national and local politics, and international as well, this year more to do with Brexit and the reburial of Franco. One showed Franco, Stalin, Hitler and Trump wearing nothing but hats.
The huge one by city hall is an ode to graffiti. There are some excellent graffiti artists here. It’s stunning!
There are quite a few fallas’ that address the treatment of women. This year Spain inaugurated a hotline for domestic abuse, you dial 116. They are now addressing the matter more seriously. I did not see that dealt with immigration. Italy, Greece and Spain are all dealing with immigration from sub-Sahara Africa. Corruption is always a topic. We saw several that talked about pollution caused by plastics. There are more, these are just the ones I noticed.
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A Passcalles is a major part of Fallas. The clubs, called Casals, assemble in Fallero/Fallera clothing to march through the street. Here is a short video of one group, accompanied by traditional Valencian reed instruments, called ‘dulzaina’
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zNCVQRcn9c[/embedyt]
During the day, aside from the Mascleta in the square in front of city hall, there are dozens of smaller but still loud and impressive mini Masletas put on by the Casals. We went to ours. You can get much closer, which does not do your ears any good, but it is something to behold!
Starting late tonight is the Crema. They burn all these amazing sculptures except for one small example. It’s a lot of unhealthy smoke and aside from the late hour – they are not done until 1 am – this is why we no longer go to any of these events. There are some 800 of these afire in the city, not simultaneously of course.
Fallas sculptures from our walk around March 17, 2019
After three long days of walking, our legs are starting to complain. But the photos must go through!
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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zNCVQRcn9c [/embedyt]
Short video of one of the small parades that occur during Fallas. Women, children and men wearing clothes dating from the 1850’s accompanied by bands that often include the traditional Valencian reed instrument, the dulzaina- I just call them ‘the squeakies.”
Fallas’ now complete! March 16th
March 16, 2019
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Woman plays Lute
Ode to Artemisia Gentileschi, 1593 – c. 1656.
Mascleta March 15, 2019, last 45 seconds
Another impressive ending. I am about 3 blocks away. Crowd crammed together up close.
Early photos from Fallas 2019
Friday, March 15, 2019
They began delivery of the Fallas’ (sculptures) last Monday and were still assembling them as of this afternoon. Here is an early look at some of the fabulous sculptures.
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Barcelona Jazz! Paintings
A celebration of two outstanding elements of Barcelona’s culture, jazz and Gaudi’s innovative designs at Casa Mila. The main, larger section represents the architecture, an inset the club scene, based on original on site pen and ink drawings at the Palau de la Musica. The brightness of the colors matches that of the music, the dance and movement the fullness of participation and unity.
Gaudi’s Barcelona 2- Casa Milà
March 2, 1019
Casa Milà is one of several residential structures for which Gaudi is famous, including Casa Vicens, Palau Güell, Casa Batlló, and Casa Calvet, and the last of them. Casa Milà is known for the fantasy faces on the roof and its wavy facade. It was built for Pere Milà and his wife Roser Segimon
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These furnishings are also Gaudi, highly innovative ergonomic designs before the concept was elucidated.
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My celebration of two outstanding elements of Barcelona’s culture:
There is much detail here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Mil%C3%A0
Gaudi’s Barcelona 1- Basilica La Sagrada Familia
March 2, 2019
Barcelona is more than just Gaudi, but we concentrated on his architectural gems. Judging by the crowds we were not alone in our choice. We visited the Basilica Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) and Casa Miló during our short visit.
For those not familiar with Antoni Gaudi, (1852–1926) was a Spanish whose style belongs to the school of architecture called Catalan Modernism. His main work is the Sagrada Familia, started before his involvement and ongoing today. We first visited in 1992, and since then they have installed the roof and the fabulous stained glass windows that flood the space with a vast display of soothing, pastel brightness. In addition to the church he is also known for apartment buildings and Park Güell.
My water color sketch of the Basilica
From outside the Sagrada Familia you are struck by the slender immensity of the spires. Each is topped by colorfully decorated crosses.The light from the large surface are of the windows passes through the subtle hues. No artificial lighting is needed.
Sagrada Familia
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Construction started on this basilica in 1882 as a neo-Gothic structure, radically changed by Gaudo when he took over a year later. It did not pass the midpoint of construction until 2010. When we first visited in 1992 there was no roof and no stained glass, which was installed starting in 2010. When Gaudi died it was just 25% complete. The Spanish Civil War and destruction of Gaudi’s plans delayed things until the 1950’s. Since 1940 the architects have been Francesc Quintana, Isidre Puig Boada, Lluís Bonet i Gari and Francesc Cardoner. They will add 6 immense steeples by 2026.
The style is akin to Spanish Late Gothic, Catalan Modernism, Art Nouveau or Catalan Noucentisme. The exterior features a much agitated surface and sublime sculptures. The main sculptor was Josep Maria Subirachs, who died in 1914 at age 87. His work was original, not adapted from any of Gauidi’s work. He began work In 1986.
“While the Sagrada Família falls within the Art Nouveau period, Nikolaus Pevsner points out that, along with Charles Rennie Mackintosh in Glasgow, Gaudí carried the Art Nouveau style far beyond its usual application as a surface decoration.” For further reading see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia
