Olympia in Venice

Remember the first time you went away from home for an extended period of time? Your mother made sure you packed warm socks and clean pants, even if it was going to be 40 degrees Celsius in your final destination. She called and wrote you often, making sure you were eating your vegetables and brushing your teeth. She loved and worried about you. I imagine this is what the Musée d’Orsay is going through at the moment, having sent one of its most precious babies off to Italy for the summer.

ÉdouardManet, Olympia, 1863.
Oil on canvas, 130.5 x 191 cm.
Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

Olympia by Édouard Manet has called the Orsay home since 1890 and has never left Paris, let alone France. I’m sure she doesn’t feel so out of place, as quite a few of her mates (other Manet’s) have gone with her for this most astounding exhibit set to prove that Manet was more inspired by Old Italian Masters than those from Spain.

ÉdouardManet, The Balcony, between 1868 and 1869.
Oil on canvas, 170 x 125 cm.
Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

Really, based on previous Impressionist rants, I should not be interested in this exhibition at all, but I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Manet and don’t personally lump him in with the others. Being the pivotal artist behind the transition between Realism and Impressionism, I still manage to understand and appreciate his oeuvre. But then, I’ve always been keen on a man willing to stir up a bit of controversy in the name of his views and beliefs.

ÉdouardManet, Portrait of Madame ÉdouardManet on a Blue Sofa, 1874.
Pastel onbrown paperpastedon canvas, 49 x 60 cm.
Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

Visit the Orsay’s runaways and compare Manet to the Old Italian Masters, who will be represented alongside Manet’s masterpieces. The exhibition (Manet: Return to Venice) will run through 18 August at the Palazzo Ducale. The artist’s controversial nudes of the late 19^th century also make a great conversation topic; pick up Manet by Nathalia Brodskaya today!

-Le Lorrain Andrews

Color, trazo, luz: ¡bingo!

¿Qué ha sido de esta diversión tan popular otrora? Recuerdo cuando los bingos eran un lugar de peregrinaje al que la gente se dirigía para tentar a la suerte y multiplicar sus magros sueldos. En realidad, era más un pasatiempo que otra cosa, ya que las posibilidades de ganar siempre han sido escasas, solo una persona puede cantar línea y solo otra cantará bingo. Aunque claro, todo depende de las partidas que se jueguen. No había tampoco barrio o asociación cultural, hogar del jubilado, fiestas de pueblo, tarde en casa con la familia, que se preciara que no organizara una velada de: 22, los dos patitos; 15, la niña bonita; 13, la mala pata; 11, las banderillas; 33, la edad de Cristo, etc. Todo empezó cuando en 1977 cambió la ley en España y se legalizó el juego (este y todos los demás). En esos primeros años, pues, fue cuando se produjo la proliferación de salas y su arraigo en la cultura española. ¿Quién no recuerda Los bingueros (Mariano Ozores, 1979)?  ¿O la infame versión que Ozores se hizo de su misma película en Ya no va más (1988)? ¿O Las chicas del bingo (Julián Esteban, 1982)? Es cierto que en todas estas películas el bingo era una excusa para pasar de alguna manera u otra al verdadero asunto del filme, que no era otro que mostrar a chicas ligeras de ropa, pero al menos suponían un desvío de la recurrente temática del cine español, que si no me equivoco no pasa un año sin que produzca, como mínimo, dos o tres películas sobre la tan nuestra Guerra Civil. Digo esto porque este año, del que llevamos solo cinco meses, ya se han hecho dos: Un Dios prohibido (Pablo moreno, 2013)  y La mula (Michael Radford, 2013). Pero si hacen falta datos para apoyar todavía más mi tesis aquí os dejo esta magnífica página web:http://www.uhu.es/cine.educacion/cineyeducacion/historia_guerracivil.htm.

Escena de la película Los bingueros protagonizada por Andrés Pajares y Fernando Esteso (Mariano Ozores, 1979).

Decíamos. El bingo ya pasó de moda. Ahora la gente prefiere ir a la bolera o apostar sus esperanzas al Euromillón. Los bingos de juguete apilan polvo en los trasteros de las casas, solo recordándonos su existencia en un pasado no tan lejano los hallazgos de las bolas numeradas en esos acumuladores de tesoros que son las espaldas de los muebles. Qué le vamos a hacer, es la evolución humana. Llorar por la pérdida de un ser querido no lo traerá de vuelta. Antes al contrario, lo mantendrá presente para que sigamos sufriendo indefinidamente. A olvidar se ha dicho. Siempre podremos consolarnos acudiendo a alguna de las salas que aún permanecen abiertaspor toda la geografía española, cada vez con menos clientes,que, para aquellos que no lo sepan, tienen la característica de contar con precios imbatibles en lo que se refiere a consumiciones y menús.

Pero,¿a qué viene lo de color, trazo y luz? Pues resulta que el enero pasado, la NationalGallery of Art alojó una exposición, Color, Line, Light: French Drawings, Watercolors, and Pastelsfrom Delacroix toSignac, en la que presentó la colección de dibujos y acuarelas de James T. Dyke, uno de los más astutos coleccionistas de los siglos XIX y XX en lo que a trabajos sobre papel se refiere. Entre sus joyas se podían contemplar unas 100 obras que mostraban el desarrolloen el arte del dibujo en Francia desde el romanticismohasta el realismo, pasando en el camino por los impresionistas, nabis y neoimpresionistas. Artistas que estuvieron activos desde 1830 hasta 1930 incluían a Delacroix, Monet, Degas, Cézanne,Signac, y ponían de manifiesto la diversidad de temática, estilos y técnicas.

Paul Signac, Martigues, abril de 1929. Lápiz y acuarela sobre papel,27,62 x 43,5 cm.
Arkansas Arts Center Foundation, Little Rock. Regalo de James T. Dyke 1999.

Esta vez no llegamos a tiempo, pero, como siempre, en Parkstone tenemos un libro que podrá suplir las carencias económicas para pagar el viaje, las de conocimiento por si no conocíamos este arte y las de entretenimiento por si nuestra única afición era el desvirtuado bingo. Lo firma Victoria Charles y se llama French Painting (en francés).

Man O’ Letter.

What is Love?

Love.

Love is, waking up late on the weekend.

Love is, frosty, autumn mornings, breath fogging the air.

Love is, smelling the cut grass on a hot summer’s day.

Love is, feeling the steam rise off the ground after a tropical rain storm.

Love is, laughter.

Love is, fine wine and good music.

Love is, watching the stars come out.

Love is, a book and a fireplace on a winter’s night.

Love is, a dark cinema and opening credits.

Love is, art that speaks to your soul.

Love is, emotion and tears, smiles, and the ridding of fears.

Love is, a plane ticket in one hand and a passport in the other.

Love is, the open road.

Love is, the anchor of home.

Love is, knowledge and faith.

Love is, hand in hand.

Love, is walking, head held high.

Love is, looking into a mirror and liking who you see.

Love is, loving self, loving others, loving life.

Love is.

Paris by night.

What do you love? How do you love? What is love to you? These are all questions that the Mori Art Museum attempts to examine in its current exhibit All You Need Is LOVE. If you ever thought about what love means for you, either within art, or without, come check out this Tokyo exhibition, which is running until the 1^st September 2013!
Is Love all that you need? Perhaps, but having a copy of Jp. A . Calosse’s Love couldn’t hurt either!

Getting to Know Glart

Here’s a fun fact for you: Glass has been around since around about 3000 BC (in the Bronze Age), and glassblowing was created in Syria, in the 1^st century BC. You may be wondering what that has to do with the price of fish – well, let me explain.

Glass is immensely important in our society. And, the fact that it was developed so early on in our history means that it has been incredibly important for our ancestors’ society, and their ancestors’ society… for thousands of years. Again, you may be asking what the point of this is. Well, fine you got me, I guess there isn’t a point as such, other than the fact that I think it high time that glass and the art of glass-making gets some much-deserved recognition and appreciation. I also think that a new word should be coined: Glart – Glass Art.

Glass In Action
Courtesy of the Museo del Vetro, Murano
Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia

Think about it, glass is used for all manner of things – your drinking glass for starters. Would your evening pint be the same from a mug? I think not! Then we have glasses: ok, so contact lenses are valid alternatives, but there’s no denying that glass lenses got there first in the ‘helping people to see’ stakes. The computer screen that you are reading this from: also glass! As are the glass optical fibres which have allowed this article to be floating around on the internet.

Think glass is only to be found in reality, in the here-and-now? Think again! Where would Cinderella and Prince Charming be without that glass slipper? Or any of the storybook mirrors? Alice and her Looking Glass for example, The Evil Queen without her Magic Mirror certainly would have been a less scary villain, and Harry Potter certainly was glad of the Mirror of Erised! Incidentally, Kevin Costner could not have sent any “Message in a Bottle” without the glass bottle of the title!

Ok, I think I have made my point – we need glass.

Lorenzo Radi
Small Jar in Calcedonio Glass, c. 1856
Courtesy of The Museo del Vetro, Murano
Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia

What is truly impressive to me is the fact that glass-making has become an art form. And not especially recently either. By the 10^th century, Murano – a small island north of Venice – had become well-known for its glass artisans. Not only were they (and still are) masters of creating the everyday glass object, but they developed a reputation for producing high-quality jewellery and even chandeliers! Today, the artisans of Murano also develop exquisite glass sculpture. So respected were the glassmakers of Murano in 14^th century Italy, they were esteemed as the island’s most prominent citizens, were exempt from any form of prosecution from the state of Venice, and got their daughters married off to the sons of the richest families in Venice! Whilst I think we should probably let today’s glassmakers’ daughters choose their own partners, I think that it is high time that glassmakers and artisans got back some of this type of respect. After all, they are integral to our society!

For more information on Murano glass, and the chance to see some stellar examples for yourselves, check out the Musée Maillol in Paris. This is the first French exhibition of Murano glass; Murano – Fragile will be held until the 28^th of July, so for those of you who love a bit of French summertime, be sure to check it out! If French summertime is not a big draw, but you still want to see what the fuss is about, grab a copy of Albert Jacquemart’s Decorative Art!

Vampires: dark and evil or sparkly and romantic?

When thinking of dark romanticism, I am plagued with thoughts of dark, sultry mystery. Especially encompassing the supernatural, dark romanticism is essentially the humanising of all things evil and hellish. This includes vampires, werewolves, ghouls, devils, the whole gamut. Having just come off of a most epic two month Buffy-binge, I get it. But authors like Stephanie Meyer, have taken what was once the essence of evil and torture and literally turned them into shiny, happy beings.

Franz von Stuck, The Kiss of the Sphinx, after 1895.
Charcoal, black stone and white highlights on light-brown paper,55 x 48.5 cm.
Private collection.

I’m not entirely ashamed to say I’ve read the entire Twilight series, as it gives me ground to stand on whilst making this argument. Surely the portrayal of vampires (non-existent, I knnooowwww) as kind, loving, caring creatures who don’t prey on weak humans, but rather stalk them in a romantic, sexy, exhibition of ‘true love’ is an unhealthy view to give young girls (as well as us older girls who are still easily sucked into teen fiction). It’s NEVER okay to be or get stalked. At the end of it all, we’re supposed to focus on the heroines of these stories as some kind of role models, and frankly I’d much rather cheer Buffy on than be anything like the ever-needy, self-destructive Bella.

Johann Heinrich Füssli, The Nightmare, 1781.
Oil on canvas.101.6 x 126.7 cm.
Founders Society, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit.

It’s almost as if Meyer took Buffy and turned her character upside down – giving her weak, unstable characteristics and making her dependent on, for all intents and purposes, monsters. Sure, Buffy fell in love with not one, but two said-monsters, but it was not without grief, struggle, death, and a hell of a lot of heartbreak. The worst thing Edward the Shiny does to Bella is leave her for ‘her own good’ – which, of course, does not stick. I say, give us William the Bloody and Angelus over glitter any day. At least we can be sure of their dark capabilities and not have to wonder if they’re going to eat our loved ones when we’re not looking.

William Bouguereau, Dante and Virgil, 1850.
Oil on canvas 280.5 x 225.3 cm.
Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

I could go on and on about the unrealistic expectations readers/viewers are given about Prince Charming in relation to Edward as well as the supposed innocence of werewolves, but these posts can only be so long. Visit the Musée d’Orsay to see The Angel of Odd and get your fill of true dark romanticism until something better than Twilight comes about. The exhibition will end on 9 June, so hurry!

-Le Lorrain Andrews

La verdad del poliedro

Matisse pasó la mayor parte de su vida intentando buscar la verdad. Para él la verdad estaba escondida tras la simplificación de las líneas y la combinación de colores. Por este motivo se dedicaba a estudiar sus propias obras y repetirlas con el objetivo de mejorar su técnica en cada nuevo cuadro que completaba. No son pocos los que han realizado series y copias de sus cuadros, pero es significativo que Matisse buscara no sólo comparar la luz o sus efectos sobre un determinado objeto, sino superarse individualmente con cada obra, alcanzar el cuadro verdadero, la perfección total.

François Lemoyne, El Tiempo salvando a la Verdad de la Falsedad y la Envidia,
1737. Óleo sobre lienzo, 180.5 x 148 cm. Wallace Collection, Londres.

Recuerdo leer en algún lado, seguramente en un libro de citas, que la verdad es un poliedro del que cada uno ve una cara. En este caso, me parece que esta inocente frase viene al pelo para describir la obsesión de Matisse. Por dos motivos. El primero es que pretendía simplificar las líneas para facilitar la representación del cuerpo humano sin tener en cuenta su relación con la realidad. No entraremos a discutir si el arte moderno y su alejamiento de la representación figurativa es el resultado de una exploración de la decadencia espiritual del siglo XX, o el reflejo del rechazo frontal a los patrones artísticos académicos imperantes. Ambos pueden ser (y son) argumentos acertados del desarrollo de la pintura, aunque una explicación que siempre me pareció extremadamente convincente por su sencillez afirmaba que la creciente disparidad entre pintura y realidad se debía a la aparición de la fotografía. Si ya existía un medio que pudiera reflejar la realidad con mayor fidelidad de la que jamás podría alcanzar un cuadro, entonces la exploración del arte tenía que alejarse lo más posible de la imitación para buscar nuevas formas de expresar lo que los ojos veían. Por tanto,  parece innegable que Matisse solo podía buscar la perfección de aquello que reconocían sus ojos y no así ningún tipo de verdad absoluta, ni mucho menos que estuviera en directa relación con la realidad.

El segundo motivo es la pretensión de unificar el gusto universal consiguiendo el cuadro verdaderamente perfecto. Se puede decir sin mucho miedo a equivocarse que La Mona Lisa de Leonardo da Vinci es uno de los cuadros que más admiración despierta entre todos los estratos culturales, ya sea por el reconocimiento de su importancia o por el simple asombro borreguil. No obstante, sería arriesgado afirmar que no hay una sola persona a quien no disguste el cuadro sea cual fuere el motivo del rechazo. A mí, personalmente, siempre me pareció muy curioso que la atención en la sala donde se expone La Gioconda se dirigiera única y exclusivamente hacia esa tela de 77 x 53 cm. ―en mis experiencias en el Louvre, la gente entra en la sala, galopa hacia el cuadro y se agolpa en frente suyo, ignorando todo lo que se encuentra alrededor― cuando justo detrás se encuentra una obra maestra de Veronese que además cuenta con el honor de ser la mayor pintura, en tamaño, de que dispone el Louvre. Un imponente trabajo de 677 x 994 cm. Una obra en la que se puede uno pasar horas observando los detalles tan representativos de la época en que fue pintada y aprender de las polémicas que suscitó su creación. Con esto no estoy diciendo que desprecie  La Gioconda como trabajo, sino que puede haber motivos suficientes, por simples que estos sean, para estar en contra de una obra, aunque esta se considere la mayor obra maestra de la historia, valga la redundancia. En consecuencia, confío en que la búsqueda de Matisse por alcanzar la obra verdadera fuera más un intento de progresar técnicamente que una ambición real por encontrar el cuadro que combinara las más dispares sensibilidades artísticas, pues es casi imposible que aquello que gusta a una persona encuentre su par en las inclinaciones de todos los demás.

Paolo Veronese, Las bodas de Caná. Óleo sobre lienzo, 677 x 994 cm. Musée du Louvre, París.

Sin embargo, no permitas que mis observaciones sobre la validez o no del argumento que guio la vida de este polifacético artista, y que recientemente homenajeó el Metropolitan Museum of Art de Nueva York en su exposición In search of True Painting, te alejen del descubrimiento de su vasta obra. En Parkstone ponemos a tu disposición dos trabajos de Victoria Charles, Naturaleza Muerta y Flores, para que descubras algunos de los aspectos menos conocidos de la exploración artística de Matisse.

Man O’ Letter.

Where Did It All Go Wrong?

David Bowie: Musician, Idol, Icon. In March of this year he surprised everyone with the unexpected, yet welcome, news that he was releasing his 24^th album, The Next Day – the first to be released since 2003. So, bearing this in mind, as well as giving a big shout-out to London’s Victoria & Albert Museum for hosting a spectacular exhibition based on this rock legend, what has Bowie’s legacy been thus far?

Let’s look at today’s popular music – Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Adele, One Direction, Justin Bieber, Mumford & Sons, Muse, Marilyn Manson, and The Script, to name but a few.  With some of these artists, it is relatively easy to spot how the influence of Bowie may have helped to mould them into what they are today: Marilyn Manson, Muse, Lady Gaga (to some extent), etc. However, there are others who seem to have gone off in a completely different tangent. Justin Bieber for example. I am in no way, shape, or form a “Belieber”. In fact, it would not be a lie to baldly state that I despise that label. Whilst it may be unfair of me to simply state my opinions and then carry on with the rest of this article, I think that if I were to rationally explain my dislike in a somewhat analytical fashion, then I could get away with it!

David Bowie
Photograph by Mick Rock, 1972, 1973.
Copyright Mick Rock 2013.
Courtesy of the V & A Museum, London.

Ok, starting with fashion and iconography: David Bowie had the androgynous look before it was the ‘It’ thing. Also, who could forget the elaborate character that was Ziggy Stardust?! This creation was so powerfully bizarre that it soon earned a cult following – much as Lady Gaga’s “Little Monsters” today. But, we’re talking about the Biebs here. So, let’s go for an obvious one to start with: what would David Bowie wear when meeting the Prime Minister? Well, whilst he may in fact go back to Ziggy Stardust days and wear a fabulously androgynous outfit, nowadays I’d be willing to bet that he would wear a suit. Ask the same question of Justin Bieber, and we have an answer already waiting for us: overalls. Yep, that’s right. Overalls and a baseball cap. Charming.

Now let’s get down to things like actual lyrics. I guess we all remember Bowie’s 1969 Space Oddity – the wackiness of this song is perhaps one of the biggest draws that it has; the hapless Major Tom as an astronaut who get stuck in space.

“This is ground control to major Tom, you’ve really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it’s time to leave the capsule if you dare”

Read it different ways, and you either get a surreal song about an unfortunate spaceman, or a very deep personal narrative. Don’t believe me? Try listening to it again!

Bieber, on the other hand, is known for hit songs such as the effervescent Baby of 2010. It pains me to put these lyrics down, but fair is fair, and I won’t even mention the repetitive “Baby, baby, baby ohhhh”… woops.

“Are we an item?
Girl quit playin’
We’re just friends,
What are you sayin’?”

It took 3 people to write those lyrics… David Bowie wrote Space Oddity himself. I think I’ve made my point.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not happy about being right! Because, the fact of the matter is that my being right means that we have “Bieber fever” – another horrible phrase. What has happened to society when a kid like JB, according to Forbes, is the 3^rd most powerful celebrity in the world? I mean, Lady Gaga and Marilyn Manson – at least they have a little more individuality. So, please, please join me in turning your backs on the mainstream, and instead head over to the V & A Museum to help celebrate a truly iconic musician: the one and only, David Bowie.

Striped bodysuit for Aladdin Sane tour 1973
Design by Kansai Yamamoto.
Photograph by Masayoshi Sukita.
© Sukita The David Bowie Archive 2012.
Courtesy of the V & A Museum, London.

The exhibition David Bowie Is will run until the 11^th August 2013. Think that’s a while yet, so you don’t have to rush? Think again! Get your tickets now before all the Bowie fans out there gobble them up! In the meantime, check out Eric Shanes’ Pop Art, and see how easily one might say that Bowie is the new Warhol.