Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Not Enough Dali

Dali's copy of Rubens' copy of Michaelangelo's copy of ...








Velazquez is Spain's most revered painter;
the Prado guide says flatly that Las
Meninas is the greatest of all works of art;
so Velazquez comes into a full and fair share
of abuse at the Dali; this one is titled "The
Girl with the Pearl"















And this one "Landlord looking in to see
what the crazy painter is up to..."












And this one is the unfinished portrait of Gala, originally
designed to incorporate 1,000 mirrors...



















Ceiling of the great hall, the Ascension of
Gala and Salvador into Heaven; alas, my
lens couldn't get it all, but do look into his
drawers...














Tapestry of "The Persistence of Memory"










Dali also did jewelry (what didn't he do?);
these are the very famous telephone earrings












The red heart inside actually throbs











Grave of the artist







Vicki on the egg bench; art appreciation is hard work

More Dali

Portrait of Picasso...the likeness is remarkable











"Soft" self-portrait









1947 was a good year for the Dalis, and for me











The very, very famous portrait of Abraham
Lincoln; enlarge, then stand up and start
walking back away from the screen...













Creation







I love this shot; most photo-editors will sense when
something needs to be rotated...but not necessarily in the
case of Dali; this is the inner courtyard, and there is so
much going on in it I hesitate to offer a description;
nonetheless, there is the 1947 Cadillac convertible, with
mannequins; the hood ornament is a very full-figured
lady; towering over it all, atop the Michelin stack, is a boat,
hanging from which are a hundred or so condoms filled
with blue paint...oh, had I rotated it, I would have lost the
Cadillac and the boat...

















Gala, Dali's life-long muse, soul-mate,
business manager, wife












Original Sin







The very, very, very famous Mae West installation...well,
a copy; the original is in a MOMA, Chicago or NY, I can't
remember













Venus de M, with drawers











Closer-up of the boat above the courtyard










Vicki deep into art appreciation

Gala and Salvador Dali Teatro and Museu

Figueres is home to the main Dali museum. It had been the town's theatre, but was damaged in the civil war. Dali convinced the town (his home town) that if they gave him the theatre, let him have his way with it (!), he'd put them on the map. The rest is history. We spent several hours...the place is a complete and total hoot, especially if you have been touring Europe recently and have learned a little art history. For me, it was just the right combination of art, intellect, and bad boy.

So you're walking along this street in
downtown Figueres, apartment and office
buildings on all sides, you turn a corner,
and then this--the Dali Teatro--pops out at
you














Main tower and dome, and eggs, and statues...








Closer up








Yes, they are loaves of bread...a running gag, it turned out









In the courtyard, before you even go in to
the museum, the craziness begins...












Statue in the courtyard











Another

































































Adios, Barcelona

Our campsite in Barcelona, the Forum Park 'n Ride; not
cheap, not quiet, but close-in and safe












Misericord on the Barcelona Metro, seriously











We both had read Zafon's Shadow of the
Wind recently (I loved it); if I were spending
more time here, I'd read more of his work
and then use this handy guide to the town














We left Barcelona in the afternoon and got as far as Figueres,
staying at a supermercado that permits RVs; happy (if dead)
fish at the supermercado









Alcoholic cool aid; a liter for a euro; an important source of
vitamin C

Monday, February 8, 2010

Sagrada Familia

Friday morning we took the tram/Metro back
into the old city for a long look at the
Sagrada Familia, the Gaudi church that has
been under construction since 1882; no one
knows when it will be finished, but already
it is one of the great religious buildings, and,
when finished, it certainly will eclipse most
of the rest (Vicki calls it the Sangria Family);
the towers, 12 of them altogether, are about
100m tall


















A glimpse of what the stained glass will
look like











Cranes everywhere











Jesus of the bridge...ascending (interestingly,
Gaudi's angels have no wings; he maintained
that the wings conventionally ascribed to
them could not have supported flight (no
dorsal guiding feathers?))












Love the fruit and vegetable look on the
spires











Ditto











As I said, they have no problem with rebar here







And still a long way to go...

Picasso Museum

The Barcelona Cathedral, which we skipped;
it's hardly the main church in town












Alley near the Picasso Museum











The Picasso Museum has a no-pix policy; Vicki snapped
this in protest; I didn't really think anything was worth
photographing







Old city walls and portal, part Roman













































Much of Picasso's formative years were in or near Barcelona, and the Picasso Museum has a great deal of his earliest work. Even his adolecent paintings are striking for their emotion and skill. He was a genuine prodigy and paid his dues in mastering conventional techniques. The museum has holdings up through the Blue period, plus his 1957 Las Meninas (parody? tribute?) but not a lot more. Not our most impressive museum, but then Picasso is not exactly our favorite artist.

Palace of Catalan Music

Vicki had seen photos on postcards of the Palau de Musica
de la Catalan and we resolved to see it--only via tour and
no pix--the next day; of all Barcelona's sights, it was the
most impressive, not a Gaudi piece, although the same
vintage and very Modernista; interior (off the web);
surprisingly, the place seats more than 2,000; it feels far
more intimate











Incredible inverted ceiling dome








Even the coffee shoppe wasn't bad looking








Interior









Exterior view, facade; the building is so
hemmed-in, you can't see much of it from the
outside













More exterior











Plus, they treat Wagner very well

Sagrada Familia By Night

The night was young, it wasn't that far away
(we thought), so we bussed and Metro'd and
walked over to the Sagrada Familia, the
Gaudi church, still under construction (begun
in 1882), all lit up; it too is incredible; they
are not building this church the old-fashioned
way; Gaudi was a 4th generartion metal
worker and saw nothing wrong with using
rebar and concrete


















Anyhow, work continues through the night











Note tree and doves above the doors











All-day and -night tourism requires massive
infusions of hot choclate and churros