spain

Sorolla- Notes in the sand (Apuntes en la arena)

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Sorolla: Notes in the sand – Apuntes en la arena

(Exhibit at El Carmen Museum, Valencia, Spain)

Fisherman of Valencia, Pescadores de Valencia
Fisherman of Valencia, Pescadores de Valencia

April 15, 2016

Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863 – 1923) is known as a master of light and for his portraits, landscapes, and monumental works of social and historical themes, many in the impressionist style.  Many of his paintings are housed at the Museo Sorolla in Madrid, while there are monumental works permanently exhibited at the Hispanic Society in New York.  The El Carmen Museum in Valencia (http://www.consorciomuseos.gva.es/SOROLLA,-APUNTES-EN-LA-ARENA.asp) is currently exhibiting an excellent collection of Joaquin Sorolla’s paintings of Valencian beach scenes.  You can see a few of the 100 works below.

Fisherman of Valencia, Pescadores de Valencia
Fisherman of Valencia, Pescadores de Valencia

He gained tremendous notice from the painting and exhibition of Sad Inheritance.  This painting featured children effected by the polio epidemic circa 1900.

Triste Herencia, Sad Inheritance
Triste Herencia, Sad Inheritance

 

Pillo de Playa
Pillo de Playa
Children on the Beach-- Niños en la Playa
Children on the Beach– Niños en la Playa

Children on the Beach sold at auction for 3.5 million euros.

Despite his mastery of the medium and tremendous production he is little known outside Spain.

For biographical information go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joaqu%C3%ADn_Sorolla

Neat Spanish Poster Art from the 1920’s (photos)IM

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March 28, 2016

MUVIM (Valencian Museum of Modernity and Illustration) is now exhibiting poster art, some paintings and a few old films of the era, starting in the 1920’s.  Spain suffered through a civil war from 1936-39.  Fatalities numbered in the 400.000 range, with another 200,000 murdered by Franco’s Falangists after the war, and atrocities by both sides during the war.  Some of the art refers to this period.  Other pieces advertise Valencia’s annual summer fair, Fallas (the annual carnival in March of each year) and other events.

The first one below refers to Valencia’s annual summer fair, the second to Fallas, the annual carnival that takes place in March each year; you can see the fire burning the statue (red area).

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Advertising Fallas

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Defeating fascism
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Encouraging people to open their homes to evacuees

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Crema at City Hall (Ayuntamiento) 2016

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Crema at City Hall (Ayuntamiento) 2016 

The Crema is the burning of the Fallas’ each year starting at 11 p.m. approximately and going to well after 1 a.m.  Each of the hundreds of installations throughout the city is burned.  There are fireworks galore.  The city is alight and thundering.  The video is one I took at the Ayuntamiento Plaza, the last one to be burned, and generally the largest and most spectacular.  There are tens of thousands of people in the plaza as you will see.

For background information see http://www.garyjkirkpatrick.com/the-fallas/

Visit to the fallas workshops (with photos)

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March 3, 2016 we visited the workshop area where the sculpture for Fallas are produced.   These are made from foam over a wood frame.  Each neighborhood Fallas contracts with a workshop to produce these creative and delightful sculptures each year.  Except for a very few ‘small’ ones (small is human sized) all are burned around midnight on March 19 each year.  The largest are around 25 meters/80′ in height.  This industry employs hundreds of artists, carpenters and other skilled labor and brings in 800,000 people to Valencia each year.  The streets are lively, filled with lights and stands selling churros and other fried goodies, mojitos (a mixed alcoholic drink) and of course beer and wine.  The neighborhood fallas organizations have tents, lots of parties, and make paella on wood fires on the street.  Some of them sell portions as fund raisers.

Fallas is the annual carnival in Valencia, Spain.  For background information see http://www.garyjkirkpatrick.com/the-fallas/ ‎

 

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Fallas 2016!- first photos

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These are the first photos from Fallas 2016.  Fallas is the annual carnival in Valencia, Spain.  It is truly one of the wonders of the world.  They erect hundreds of sculptures made of foam and wood (these days), some of which are 25 meters (75′) in height.  There are daily booming fireworks more for feel than light, daily at 2 pm.  At night there are more traditional fireworks in the parks.  Valencia doubles in population for the event, which starts March 1 and ends March 19 every year.

In Rusafa, a section of Valencia, there are not only fallas’ (the statues) but also sound and light shows.  Here they are installing the lighting.

 

Much more to come!

 

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For background information see http://www.garyjkirkpatrick.com/the-fallas/ ‎