Culture-oriented trip to Madrid - The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum's collection - The 2nd Floor - The 19th of August 2016

I reached Madrid in the morning and before having droped my backpack at the Hotel headed towards Atocha by bus. I then walked the rather short distance to the Museum Thyssen-Bornemisza hoping to see two temporary exhibitions, one on Caravaggio and the painters of the North, an the other  on Caillebotte.

 

A fairly wide diverse body of Caravaggio's work and that of many of his followers was being exhibited as well as a rather interesting retrospective of Caillebotte. Despite there being very well clear explanations beside every painting on display I paid for an audio guide that took me all the way through these incredibly well organised and interesting exhibits and the permanent Museum's collection, where I spent around three hours in total.

 

Photos were only allowed in the permanent exhibition galleries on both the first and second floors. For rather specific reasons I took a few photos of  some of the oil paintings that impacted me.

  

Boy in a turban - 1655 by Michiel Sweerts (left). View of the Canal from San Vio - 1723-24 by Canaletto (right).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Portrait of a young lady - 1540-60 by Paris Bordone (left). Le billet doux -1570 by Francois Clouet (right).

 

 

 

 

 

The temptation of Saint Anthony - 1520 by Jan Wellens de Cock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scenes from the passion by anonymous German painter - 1495-1500.

 

 

 

 

 





Saint Jerome by Master De Grossgmain - 1498.

 

 

 

The good Centurion beneath the cross (detail) and a group of figures with Saint Veronica holding the sudarium  by Derick Baegert - 1477-78.

 

 

The Anunciation by Gentile Bellini - 1465 (left). The presentation in the Temple by anonymous German painter - 1430 (right).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Young knight in a landscape  by Vittore Carpaccio - 1510.

Portrait of King Henry VIII by Hans Hobein the younger (left). Portrait of Infanta by Juan de Flandres - 1496 (right).

Saint John the Evangelist and Saint John the Baptist with  a donor by Jaon Mates - 1410 (left). Lamentation Tryptic by the Master of la Leyenda de Santa Lucia - 1475 (right).

 

Madonna of Humility with angels and a donor (details) by anonymous painter from Venice.

The Virgin Annunciate - gilded wooden sculpture by anonymous artist from Siena.

(To be continued)

 

Art as a remedy ...

Having been taken ill I decided to surround myself of every possible remedy that would help me recover if not instantly at least in a relatively short period of time. Apart from the offical remedies I selected a few CDS of traditional Cape Verdian music to listen to over the long weekend and took a book on the complete works of  Hieronymus Bosch to the bedroom which I decided to use as my recovery space.

 

 

As I listened to the musical gems gathered in the colections produced by Ocora  on every island, especially São Nicolau, Santiago and Fogo I asked myself why is it that we as former colonialists of Cape Verde and other African countries didn't do as the French did - a retrospective collection of the musical genres pertaining to the countries we ruled over (not them)? ...


I know that following independance the French Institute played a much more important role in the development of the French Language, as well as local cultural related events on the islands than the Portuguese Institute did, having therefore had a much stronger cultural impact, which again led me to wonder why that was so.


Putting my disappointment aside as to who did (or didn't do) what and why I really enjoyed my musical re-discovery over the weekend, which made me feel closer to Cape Verde than I have been lately.

Bibliotheca Universalis' edition of Hieronymus Bosch complete works and Stefan Fisher's thorough insight as to what every panel is about together with the importance of every detail in Bosch's Art took me into a page back  and forth adventure through the Earthly delights and the merky depths of Hell and back.


Despite not having yet finished reading it, as an advance preparation for my trip to Madrid to watch the 500th anniversary on his death exhibition I am a lot more aware of certain issues I would otherwise not be able to find out on my own. I do believe I'll be able to "cover" the remaining pages over the next two days and get immersed into the intricacy of Bosch's thoughts.

 

I am feeling much better which in my personal case reinforces the fact that Art in its various forms is a remedy I shouldn't do without, irrespective of the doctors' opinions.












 

An extract from the River of lost footsteps ...

As I slowly make my way through the narrative of Burmese history from ancient times written by Thant Myint-U, I am astonished as to the Portuguese who made history in and within Burma's history. Amongst the ones whose importance may have been minor, such as the travel writer Barbosa I have come across a rather interesting piece of information regarding the influence of pheromones, apparently already acknowledged by the Kings of Arakan, which I herewith transcribe.

 

"According to the Portuguese merchant and travel writer Duarte Barbosa, who visited in 1610 twelve of the most attractive young women from every part of the realm were sent to the Palace on a regular basis, not in the first instance to meet the king but to stand fully dressed in the heat, on a "terrace in the sun". They would then take off their clothes, and the damp cloth they had been wearing (with their names scribbled on them) would be sent to his Majesty to sniff. Only those who passed the test would be invited into the Royal apartments. The rest would be profered to lesser lords."

 

 

 

The latest film I have watched ...

A rather simple and beautiful story made up of every possible ingredient to make it as special and unique as the Sweet bean paste making which is at its core . As a viewer I came across moments of  raw poetry ... silences ... looks ... and precious details of such richness the deliberately slow pace of the film scene sequencing couldn't fade out.

"The courses of humanity and nature entwine in a series of whispery exquisitely composed sequences of time and foliage alike in transition". - Guy Lodge

A book read overnight ...

Despite the ongoing controversial issues surrounding the publication of Alentejo prometido (Promised Alentejo) by Henrique Raposo, which I feel are more of a cultural "misunderstanding" I read it overnight and did enjoy it. If for nothing else his prose needs to be acknowledged as a fusion of realism and story telling that can't but dazzle the reader. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Where do I belong? In all truth the place where I was born has become strange to me as if  having turned into a performing stage and when I am on it it feels like I am playing a role. The other, where I have been living at for over a century does sometimes feel like a moving away ship which has left me behind. Should I look for another? Neither would age allow it nor would the ties let me. Because it's like this: I don't belong but what holds me on is too strong." - J. Rentes de Carvalho

 

 

 

 

 

Note: J. Rentes de Carvalho 's extract has been freely translated from the Portuguese into English.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The latest film I have watched ...

A film like Race, on the life of the legendary Olympic games racer and 4 gold medal winner, Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin couldn't be more appropriate, as we follow the Olympic Games in Rio.

Issues of success are often associated with inner drive, committment, self-confidence and self-empowerment, determination and courage among other factors and despite  most of the critics' opinions I did enjoy it.

 



"Perhaps the strongest argument against Race is that a film this important deserves more than a standard by the numbers treatment (...) bare necessities are there, the performances are competent, and there are some strong moments but Race suffers from lack of ambition." - James Berardinelli.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The latest books I have read ...

Having finished reading Honour, the fourth book I have read by authour Elif Shafak I must confess there is something rather special about the way she writes and draws the reader's attention. Her novels are skillfully crafted, powerful and virtually irresistible, irrespective of the themes. This one is on "identity, what it is to be an immigrant when the prescriptive traditions you have fled are still carried within" and is worth being read.  

 

"Between you and the enemy, the fist and the internal organs, the individual and the society, the past and the present, the memories and the heart ... in everything that you do or that happens to you in this life, you need space. The space will protect you. The trick in taking a hard punch is to know how to create extra space."

I ended up reading two more immigrant related story books, which having been sponsored by a Portuguese Foundation I had never heard of (Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos ) -  A porteira, a Madame (The concierge and the Madam) by Joana Carvalho Fernandes and Movimento Perpétuo (Perpetual Movement) by Ana Cristina Pereira, I really liked.


They were both informative, particularly regarding some unknown (or rather unrevealed) facts connected to the flux of immigrants from Portugal over the years, but some of  the short stories collected in The Concierge and the Madam were really fascinating ... and definitely worth being read (especially by people who often look down on us and commonly accuse us of not being creative ) ...

Note: I quite liked the fact that the Foundation Francisco Manuel dos Santos had a card related to the printed book  sold together with it, so as to be used as book marker ... (a fairly simple detail that somehow makes the difference).