“But, why do you even do this kind of things?”

Matisse and the Chapelle du Rosario de Vence

Matisse, Vence's Chapel, 1951 (Image: Wikipedia)

“But, why do you even do this kind of things?” Picasso asked this to Matisse when he found out about his friend’s project for the Vence’s Chapel. Picasso was really angry. He was an atheist and communist; he respected Matisse a lot but he couldn’t comprehend how he could work for a chapel not being religious.

Actually, Picasso exposed a common doubt then: can a non-believing artist paint religious scenes?

Same and opposite

Friendship between Matisse and Picasso

Matisse, Stil life with oranges, 1912

Both of them changed the history of Painting, each one in their own way. They had two really different personalities, but at the same time similar.

They met each other in 1905 at Stein’s house. By that time, Matisse already had a family and had already shaken the Parisian artistic panorama in the Salon d’Automne with his strident colors. Picasso lived a bohemian and poor life, and was making himself a name in Paris with his paintings of harlequines and saltimbanques and he still had not reached cubism. Matisse was 12 years older.

It was a friendship in which affection, envy, formality, respect, admiration, suspicion and competition were mixed.

Valencia

(Imagen: C. del Rosso)

Valencia is not only beaches and oranges: it’s got a lot to show off in terms of art. It’s not a matter of luck that it’s Sorolla’s hometown.

Benlliure, J. Sorolla,  1919
(Image: C.del Rosso)

Sorolla is not an isolated case, but is just the summit of centuries of tradition, the so called Valencian School. I guess it’s that marvelous light, brighter than in other places, and its people’s aesthetical sense that make art part of daily life there. (Or is it maybe the other way around?)

The deceived brain

Optical Illusions

O.Ocampo, Forever Always, 1989

Yes, our eyes deceive our brain. Each one of them sends independently information of what they perceive to our brain, who tries to interpret it all, turning to past experiences, associating them and comparing them. When it doesn’t find a similar image to what is being perceived that could explain it, brain fills the gap as good as possible. And this is how optical illusions trick our brain.

Vasarely, Boo, 1978

Perspective is one of them, only thing is we got used to it after so many centuries and now it’s just part of our ways to see things. Anamorphosis, of which we talked about not long ago, is also an optical illusion, which tricks us playing with the vanishing point.

An open window on the wall

Picasso, Marie Th'erèse Portrait,   1939

“What is perspective?”, this is what several students asked me and I thought it might be useful to write a post about it. This is why we will take a break from our section of colors.

We were taught that perspective is a visual effect consisting in parallel lines that touch in the horizon, which is at the height of our eyes. This is true, but not wholly. There are several kinds of perspectives; “lineal perspective”, as it is called nowadays, is not always used, and it’s neither so “lineal”, since our vision is spherical and outer borders are actually seen as curvy.

Boring, old and poor

GRAY

Picasso, The dressmakers, 1926

Gray is not a color: it’s a valeur, as we saidpreviously here. It’s just a weak white light. It’s part neither of the rainbow nor of the color wheel. In nature it’s seen in ashes or some tree leaves, on rocks and on some animals’ furs. Apart from these cases, it’s hardly found in nature (there are no gray flowers, for example).

We’ve also seen how in painting we can get gray by mixing several colors, for example, mixing complementary colors, or tertiary or quaternary. (See here) That’s why we can find warm and cold, depending on which colors were used in the mixture.

The pointillists used a touch of a pure color next to another, so that these colors vibrate with more intensity, but if you step back from the painting, being around 1’5 meters from it, you’ll see how those colors turn gray. This was the weak point of their technique.

Gris, Portrait of Josette,
1916

Grünewald, Heller
Altarpiece, 1509

We’ve also seen how we can paint in ‘grisaille’, that is, painting monochromatically, and we gave Ingres and Picasso as example. Here you’ve got some others that also used this technique.

However, a pure color’s energy is enhanced when gray is placed next to it.

Mondrian, Composition in red, black, blue, yellow and gray,
1920

In terms of its symbolic aspect, it’s a characterless color: it’s neither black nor white, which leads it to be a sign of mediocrity, apathy or insecurity. It’s also as boring as some cloudy and rainy days.

Ash Wednesday puts an end to the colorfulness and the party of Carnival. Ashes imply desolation and sadness; gray leaf trees are also used as sign of death and mourning.

It alludes to nostalgy and remoteness... As it’s seen on elderly people’s hair, it’s also related to what is old and outmoded, or wisdom and experience. It’s different when we are talking about gray matter, alluding to brain, science and theory.

Sorolla, Gray Sea. San Sebastián, 1908

A city full of concrete will seem ugly to us. Mildew on food is also gray, so it’s also sign of what is not edible anymore, of what is rotten or expired.

In fashion, it’s sign of sobriety and elegance. It’s also used for mourning. It was also sign of poverty and humility, since cheap cloth was gray or brown if not dyed. It was also worn by prisoners or workers for how it hides dirt. It was also the uniform worn by seamstresses in early XX century in France, the so called ‘grisettes’.

Matisse, The Piano Lesson, 1916

If something is gray, it seems of bad quality; if you don’t believe it, then just think about paper, flour, cardboard or porcelain that is not completely white. Luxurious articles won’t come in a gray package: it would be contradictory for how it would give an image of a cheap product. But what would happen with gray fur coat? In these cases we pay more attention to the material it is made with than to its color.

If somebody wears gray, they will probably be introvert and want to stay unnoticed. Except when it comes to men’s fashion: a gray suit will always be distinguished if the cloth is not shiny.

Sources: Welsch, N.-Liebmann, C.Chr. Farben. München, Elsevier V., 2004;

Heller, E. Wie Farben auf Gefühl und Verstand wirken. München, Droemer V., 2000;

personal notes

Share if you like, and don't forget to comment on the comment zone!

Holidays!!!!

Sorolla, Niños en la Playa, Valencia, 1816

Sorolla enjoyed painting his sea in Valencia! Kids always bothered him, those kids he loved to paint… You might not know how tiresome painting by the beach is: canvas will get full of sand! 

Today’s quiz:

 1)  What was the Christmas desert of the Monet family?

 2)  Who stole la Gioconda?

 3) What’s the color of humility and poverty?

 4)  Who was Velázquez’ enemy?

You can find out using our search engine, press “enter”.

Today’s game: Do you recognise what painting is this image taken from? 

Share your answer on the comment section or send me an email… Correct answer will be revealed next Thursday!

Last week’s Solution:   Braque's "Ace of Heart".

(No, it was not Picasso)

Share if you like, and don't forget to comment on the comment zone!

Holidays!!!!!!

Sorolla, La siesta, 1912

This is how we would like to be… 

Are you on holidays? Have you gone on a trip?

Our blog is resting, but not us: we are preparing some new surprises for next year…

So that you don’t miss us, here’s our Summer proposal: (or Winter, if you are in Southern Hemisphere)

Do you know which posts were the least read ones? If you missed them or want to read them once again, here’s our ranking!

5- We talked about how a color is not a color… while were on holidays! Who does even talk about such a thing with all the heat?

4- There was few interest in “Raphsody in Blue”… don’t you like the color blue? 

3- Our analysis of Le Moulin de la Galette wasn’t popular either: was it maybe because it was our first article and you didn’t know us?

2- Monet’s weakness wasn’t succesful either… maybe because of our technical issues.

1- And the poor least read article was “Fire red, passion red”… but I guess it was too hot to talk about red, right?

Today’s game: Do you recognise what painting is this image taken from? Be cautious because it’s tricky… it’s not a Picasso!

Share your answer on the comment section or send me an email… Correct answer will be revealed next Thursday!

Last week’s Solution: Lichtenstein’s “Oh, Jeff”. 

Share if you like, and don't forget to comment on the comment zone!

An artistic experience in Kenya

Da Vinci and Pollock in Africa

(Image: Fran Alonso)

I totally dislike it when it’s said that art is useless, or something just for snobs or dilettantes. I am sure, for own experience, that it really is useful. If you disagree, just read Fran’s testimony…

It’s her time to speak today.

Cristina

(Image: Fran Alonso)

I am 26 years old and a child psychologist, and some months ago, I decided to start an aventure: offer some of my time to those needy ones in Africa. That’s how I got to this quaint, noisy and wild continent, and I settled in Kenya and went to a school to work. I wasn’t sure about what I would be doing there, I’d find it hard to understand their English, I felt like in a different world and do some therapy then seemed impossible. I didn’t know what to do. How would I reach those children seeking love and knowledge, while I was anxious for giving them what they lacked? That’s how I thought of art. I have always been an art lover and I thought that its universal language would be useful and would make it easier to communicate. 

And it actually was that way. I spent 3 months giving art classes to children from 2nd to 7th grade and it was a wonderful experience. They had never heard about the words art, freedom, expression… or about Da Vinci, Picasso… All this wasn’t taught in there, it wasn’t one of their priorities, which meant, having limited ressources, that they opted to ignore those subjects. So one day, I took a bunch of colorful pencils, painture, beads, cardboar, wool, plasticine, Eva foam, things the children never had even dream about and didn’t know how to use. They were invited to use them freely, to draw and paint without being evaluated, to give free rein to their imagination. They felt so anguished when given those instructions! They were so lost! They’d been always used to using just graphit pencils and erasers and to drawing only for Science class (maps, volcanoes, compasses), where they had to copy the model perfectly if they wanted a good grade, and also, if they wanted to avoid a punishment, therefore, speech freedom seemed uncomfortable and hard to bear. They were told to express theirselves more and more, and those creating the craziest thing (the farthest to reality) would be rewarded. Little by little, they were also forbidden to use an eraser and rulers, until they were finally able to express theirselves through art after some weeks. They seemed less trapped, freer, less attached to what their parents asked from them, more creative, and more rebel I’d also say. All in all, happier.

(Image: Fran Alonso)

I remember one class in which I showed them a video of Jackson Pollock painting one of his murals. I told them he was famous and that those murals were quite valuable They couldn’t believe it, they were so impressed. Most of them disliked the video and thought the whole world and I were crazy. However, one of them, Daraya, who has a great sensibility, asked me if he could review the video many times. Some weeks after, I asked them to create a mural representing Kibera (the slum they live in). It ended up looking wonderful, with the commerces, railways, mosques and churches, and in the end, my lovely Daraya –or Leonardo, as he asked me to call him after having shown him Da Vinci´s artwork -, felt like daubing on it, as Jackson Pollock. The classmates got all excited and in the end, what they had drawn wasn´t even visible anymore. The aim of the mural was to take to my home country to show it to those who don´t know how it is to live in Kenya, so when I saw that the mural was almost destroyed I nearly fainted, but well, what else was left to be done? Wasn´t I the one who talked to them about freedom and showed them about Pollock? I had nothing else to do but laughing at that little moment of crazyness and creativity.

(Image: Fran Alonso)

Other time, I took some plasticine so they could shape the African animals. Sadly, I didn´t forsee that making a model to show them how to use the plasticine (a humble snail) would lead me to find 27 other snails in the classroom half an hour later: creativity hadn´t completely settled in their minds yet. Weeks later, I repeated the activity, and happily saw how we had a jungle inside the room. Even if most of the animals were those found in cities –mice, cats, pigs, cows-, at least we had some variety then.

Children would be waiting for art class for the whole week, they were ready to color the world in their own way, following their own instructions. I feel like I was a matchmaker: I showed the kids art and the connection between both was perfect. I think that, when I went back home, I left the kids happier, calmer and smarter, useful qualities for their future, since they live in such a vulnerable environment, that lacks opportunities, their creative spirit will let them solve conflicts and discover new solutions to the issues they will have to deal with. I thank art for letting me meet such beautiful people, and I thank art for letting them be even more beautiful.

(Image: Fran Alonso)

Francisca Alonso

Univ. Católica de Chile

www.educafrica.cl

Half-lights

Colors that aren’t colors

Picasso, Guernica, 1937

During some centuries, white and black were considered colors and were located at the scales’ extremes. In fact, along with red and ochre, they were the first pigments used in the History of Painting. However, after Newton’s research about light properties, nowadays they can’t be considered colors anymore, even if our perception reflects the opposite. Now we know that white is pure light, which includes all the other colors in the spectrum, and that black is the absence of light, since it doesn’t emit any kind of wave. That’s why they aren’t seen in the two-dimensional chromatic scales. Their technical name is “valeurs”, first used by Eugène Fromentin in 1876. A scale that goes from white to black, through every shade of gray is called “achromatic scale” or “scale of valeurs”.

(Image: C.del Rosso)

“Valeur” is also one of color’s dimensions, in terms of light or darkness that every color contains. For example, pink is a red with high valeur (closer to white), while burgundy is low valeur red (closer to black). A painting is well painted when the valeur contrast is composed consciously and harmonically. After the impressionists, who developed their style in harmony with Chevreul’s light researches, there is only color contrast when there is  valeur contrast.

Caravaggio, St. Jerome writing, 1605
(Grisaille: edited image, C.del Rosso)

Gray is just a weak white light. It’s not just a mixture of white and black, but it could be any tertiary or quaternary color, what we would usually call a dun color.

¿Is it possible to paint “achromatically”? Yes, of course. It’s a quite old technique, named “grisaille”, which consists in painting with a scale of grays or valeurs (and if it’s with any other color, it’s a monochromatic painting). It was first used during the Middle Ages to represent statues in the canvas’ two-dimensional plane, and to give an impression of bas-relief. During Renaissance, it was usual to use the grisaille as basis and then add layers of transparent colors (“glazes”) until the required tone was achieved. This technique was used for a long time (Van Dyck, e.g.)

We can point out some other examples of paintings done with grisaille: Ingres’ Odalisque in Grisaille or Picasso’s Guernica.

Ingres, Odalisque in Grisaille, 1834

Sources: Dittmann, L. Farbgestaltung und Farbtheorie in der abendländischen Malerei,

 Darmstadt, WBG, 1987;

Doerner, M. Malmaterial und seine Verwendung im Bilde, Stuttgart, Enke V. 1989;

Welsch, N.-Liebmann, C.Chr. Farben. München, Elsevier V., 2004

Share if you like, and don't forget to comment on the comment zone!

What is a collage?

Braque, Ace of Hearts, 1914

It’s not exactly a painting technique, since it’s not necessarily done with a paintbrush and painture. But it’s considered part of the History of Paintng because several painters have done collage works and because, even though not always, it is two-dimensional.

Arcimboldo, Summer,
1573

Then, what’s a ‘collage’? In French, it refers to a bunch of objects glued together, not necessarily pieces of paper. For example: a totem would be a collage too, or any painting by Arcimboldo. If it’s actually a bunch of piece of papers glued, it’s also called ‘papiers collés’ (as Picasso and Braque wouldname it, it stands for glued papers in French)

Its origins are quite distant: there are examples of it found in the Ancient Japan, in Persia, in Byzantium. In XVII century these artworks were done with pieces of butterfly wings. Around the middle of XVIII century, when celebrating Valentine’s Day got popular, the greeting cards sent were accompanied by laces glued. In 1840, German pedagogue Friedich Froebel incluided this technique in a Kindergarten’s activities in order to impulse the children’s creativity. Which other celebrities not involved in the world of painting tried doing some collage works? Víctor Hugo, Hans Christan Andersen, between others. 

The cubists didn’t invent anything new, they just revived it. Picasso and Braque found themselves in front of a dilemma: their constant researches about shape got them to destroy the figures, getting to the point where they aren’t even recognisable. Both used the glued papers to add some reality to the nonsense, just a reference that could make the painting intelligible. The piece of paper would give the painting some sense and also add, in most of the cases, relief, making the painting three-dimensional.

Carrà, Manifestazione
interventista, 1914

From then on, collage, or better said ‘glued papers’, will mature. We could name hundred of artists that tried this kind of art. The Italian futurists, like Boccioni, Carrà or Severini, discover in Paris what their cubist workmates are doing and decide to experiment themselves, not only on paintings, but also on sculptures (something that Picasso, by the way, had already done). The constant relationship between Moscow and Paris attracted Malevich and El Lissitzky. Almost at same time: dadaists, with Duchamp leading them, with Schwitters or Ernst in Germany. Collage will be key to the surrealists in their will to drown in the irrational. For example, Tanguy, Dali or Miró.

Matisse, 2 Dancers,
1948

Matisse started using this technique in 1941, when on a wheelchair after an operation due to a cancerous tumor. He painted with gouache the papers he was going to use and made huge figures. According to him, it was like painting with scissors.

After the World War II, the collage was mainly used in graphic design and advertisements. Pop art would revive it too: we have already talked onceabout Hamilton, Warhol and Rauscheberg. Motherwell and Pollock would also glue papers to their canvas, and many other objects: there is no way back.

Pollock, Collage and oil,
1951

Sources: Mayer, R. The artist’s handbook of materials & techniques. Londres, Faber& Faber, 1991;

Wolfram, E. History of Collage. Londres, Mc Millan, 1975

Share if you like, and don't forget to comment on the comment zone!

Chez Carmen

Chez Carmen

My friend Carmen is keen on philosophy and is always looking forward to learning and understanding. Since it’s never enough with reading books, she tends to get some expert to talk to her about a definite interesting topic. She’d also invite some friends who share that interest with her and offering also a delicious dinner as icing on the cake.

I attended one of these some days ago, which was hosted by Asunción Domeño, who would talk about Picasso.

Picasso, The accordionist, 1911

It seems impossible to reduce Picasso’s whole career in 400 words, but I’ll try.

Asun focused on Picasso’s evolution towards cubism, or , in other words, how he started from a traditional style and ended up destroying the academical painting’s fundaments and refounded it through cubism: from the whole shape to tearing it apart in a thousand facets and presenting in a two-dimensional planes, through simultaneous perspectives or multiperspectivism, four whole dimensions: width, height, depth and temporal course of the painting’s contemplation.

He wasn’t the first one chasing this, actually Cézanne was the one… And Picasso’s fascination for  Iberic and African sculptures shouldn’t be forgotten: there are references of them in every other of his paintings (for example: "Les demoiselles d'Avignon")

Neither should be his interest in bullfighting… Nor his epoque in Barcelona where he was quite influenced by modernism. Nor his early days in the “Bateau-Lavoir” nor his friendship with Matisse…

Picasso, Au bon marché, 1913

He and Braque invented a new way of painting: both of them started doing research on their own, but always keeping hold of each other through correspondence. The more the shape was broken, the less recognisable the object was, but it wasn’t their intention to leave reality aside or reach a kind of abstraction. That’s why they both start trying with pieces of that elusive reality: the “papier collés” or collages.

“Guernica” is his masterpiece: it was commissioned by the republican Goverment for the Spanish contribution for the Universal Exhibition in Paris (1937). He painted in 3 months (not such an easy task regarding the dimensions: 7’77 x 3’5 meters),in grisaille way, with no color and using around 45 previous sketches.

Picasso, Las Meninas, 1957

In his last years, his will to experiment led him close to surrealism, where figures are recognisable and volumes are found. He also starts remaking emblematic paintings like Velázquez’ ”Las Meninas”.

And to conclude, his last painting, his self-portrait: this how he looked like being 92 years old.

Picasso, Self-portrait, 1972

 And to our dear teacher, thanks for your exposition! Also to Carmen for having an actually cosy home, and for always treating us with lots of love. And of course, Resu’s work deserves to be remarked, for such a great dinner!

Share if you like, and don't forget to comment on the comment zone!

They’ve not always been there

Prado Museum in the Spanish Civil War

The Third of May 1808, Goya, 1814

Velázquez’s Meninas, Goya’s The Second of May… seem to always have been there hung on the Museo del Prado’s walls, but it’s not that way.

(Picture: Prado Museum)

In July 1936 the Spanish Civil War started. As a consequnce of the bombing in Madrid, and despite the flare signposting, the Museum was also bombing, but wasn’t severely damaged. Due to the advance of the franquist forces, the republican government decides to move to Valencia in November 1936. And so did the Museum’s artworks: the government considered itself the one in charge of the country’s cultural heritage, and that’s why it should be kept where the government was located. The transportation was carried out by the Junta de Defensa del Tesoro Artístico, keeping a log and a specific order. In May 1938, though, the government has to move to Catalonia, and this time, the transportation would be unlogged and chaotic. A truck carrying Goya’s The Second and The Third of May crashed against an empty house in Benicarló and a balcony fell on The Second of May: the damage caused is still visible by the left bottom corner. This is paradoxical, since this painting, which showed the horrors of another war, was damaged as a consequence of the war.

All these artworks were stored in the Peralada Castle, close to the frontiers and with a solid structure, but also a weapon storage, which could make the castle burst in any moment. In January 1939 after the defeat of Barcelona, the government moves to Figueras.

Prado Museum in 1939
(Picture: Prado Museum)

Meanwhile, the international community was getting worried about the fate of these artworks. José María Sert, artist, without a certain political allegiance, supports the formation of an international committee that would assure the protection of them in Geneva, in the League of Nations. But these weren’t allowed to take part in state issues and they didn’t want to seem to be supporting Franco. In the end, due to English and French museum’s pressure, they accept to keep the collection safe, committing to nothing else. None of the 2 sides supported this committee but they allowed them to do their will: there was no other alternative. A treaty was signed with the republicans on 2nd and 3rd February in Figueras, all in a rush, since the Franquist troops were already approaching. The paintings were taken through the French frontier between the 3rd and 4th February, using 71 trucks carrying 140 tons each, and thousands of people fleeing away. In France, the painting parted towards Switzerland by train, apparently paid by Picasso. In Geneva, an inventory of the paintings was done while the legality and competences of the International Committee were being discussed.

The artworks return, 1939
(Picture: Prado Museum)

When the war ends, the paintings had to return home: by then, the League of Nations had already recognised Franco’s government. But, before giving the paintings back, a great exhibition is carried out in Geneva, which turned out to be a great event: even the King Alfonso XIII, who was exiled in Switzerland, went to the opening and so did many other politicians and members of European Monarchies. A day after the exhibition’s ending, World War II was declared. The paintings get to cross France, which was taking part in the war, by train and with a great number of inconvenients: the artworks wouldn’t be able to cross the bridgets, the locomotive would disengage, the Meninas had fallen in the wagon making them have to stop, the last wagon would start to be on fire…On 7th July 1939, the Museo del Prado would re-open: the paintings we can enjoy today were wandering around for 3 years and a half as hostages of a fratricidal confrontation …

Note: this is a a quite simple summary of a great work by Colorado Castellary. In case you want to know more details, I suggest reading his book.

Fuentes: Colorado Castellary, A. Éxodo y exilio del Arte. Madrid, Cátedra, 2008;

Prado Museum

Share if you like, and don't forget to comment on the comment zone!