lunes, 9 de noviembre de 2009

At the End of the Earth

At the End of the Earth
Vladimir Kush
1993
Paintings: Vladimir Kush, consulted on Wednesday November 4, 2009. Available at:
<http://www.vladimirkush.com/editions.php>
>



“Construyendo mi mundo”
(Building my world)
Fernanda Covarrubias Noriega
Saturday November 7, 2009
1 x 60 m
Acrylic on MDF


Last month I had a strange dream ... I was 40. Therefore, I was halfway. Assuming I will live to the eighty´s (and this is a big assumption, because if I have learned anything, is that the only thing expected of life is the unexpected), I was halfway home; halfway in the adventure I call my life...
Lately I've become "philosopher". I'm less inclined to waste time, less likely to listen to negative people, less willing to lose the opportunity to love and support another human being, to get closer to my dreams or real fun.

When I read the lives that others have lived, tips on what's important in this life, comes to me, and I discovered that in reality, all those lives share similar traits: family, friendship, the contribution to the community, the need to take calculated risks, kindness expressed through small acts, and love.
And I still not find a biography that says "He died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his lawyer, his agent and his changing bag."
...
I hope that the answers to these questions...
Have I dream in abundance?
Have I lived fully?
Have I learned to let go?
Have I loved well?
Have I carefully stepped on this land and leave better than I found it?
...help you to live with more authenticity, enthusiasm and joy. Because certainly, the success comes from clarity. We can not hit a target we can not see.
And if you think it, we're not so long in this world. So live our potential right now and begin to build our perfect world...

Fernanda Covarrubias Noriega.

sábado, 3 de octubre de 2009

Michelangelo's David


Classification...

1. Name of the work: “El David”.
2. Name of the author: Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 – 1564).
3. Period: 1501 – 1504.
4. Place where the work is at: Academy Gallery in Florence (Italy). Until 1947 the sculpture was located in the Piazza della Signoria in the same city (In where now we can seen a copy).
5. Technique: “ex uno lapide” (a single piece of carved marble without more stones). Italian Renaissance.

Analysis...

1. Material: Marble.
2. Movement: Rigid.
3. Type: High relief.
4. Posture: standing with one knee bent and also one arm.
5. Body part: Whole body (Are clearly visible facial features, curly hair and muscle).
6. Relationship with architecture: High relief, inside a building.
7. Theme: Nudity and historic (Michelangelo's David represents a large size of this biblical king classic style: stark naked, and as an athlete, carrying in his left a deep (resting on his shoulder), and in the right, a stone).
8. Principles: Proportion, symmetrical balance, complete perfection of man.


Specific characteristics of the work...

1. What is so special and unique about this work of art?

Michelangelo's David represents the king as an athlete, as a man in the prime of his life. He chose as the reason for the work, the time before David's confrontation with the giant Goliath (whose head is not defeated at his feet, as usual in other representations). Therefore, the content and expectant look that shows us the figure, with the typical features of a fighter who is preparing to battle. This expectation is reflected in his eyes, extremely sharp, and is also expressed through bodily tension: the musculature (and even tendons and veins) are clearly visible. We can clearly speak of a movement content, which becomes pure body tension (Juan Diego Caballero).

Caballero, Juan Diego. “El David de Miguel Ángel”. ENSEÑ-ARTE. February 22nd, 2006, available at:
<http://aprendersociales.blogspot.com/2007/02/el-david-de-miguel-ngel.html>


Caballero, Juan Diego. “El David de Miguel Ángel”. ENSEÑ-ARTE. February 22nd, 2006, available at:
<http://aprendersociales.blogspot.com/2007/02/el-david-de-miguel-ngel.html>


Michelangelo used the contrapposto and increases the volumes of certain body parts, which come to symbolize the strength (not only or mainly physical) of King David. “Such traits are clearly visible in the size of the head (the fee is 1 / 8 of the body) and the power and size of the right hand holding the stone, the king weapon used to defeat Goliath. This leads to the concept of “terribilita” that characterizes other works” (Juan Diego Caballero).
All these traits make the sculptural figure of King David, a symbol of freedom, representing the ideal perfection of Renaissance male beauty (Juan Diego Cabllero)...

Relevant events of the context...

The David was commissioned to Michelangelo originally by the canons of the cathedral of Florence (place where the block of marble was carved), but once completed it, and in view of the result, the guild of wool merchants of the city, decided to buy it to put it opposite the Palace of the Signoria... “So that serve as a clear representation of freedom of the Florentine republic. In this sense, the sculpture is a true reflection of the mentality that exists in Florence, a city in which the approaches of the bourgeoisie engaged in commerce and banking were widely extended” (Juan Diego Caballero).

“Michelangelo completed the development of this sculpture in 1504, when he was 29 years old. Some years earlier he had already done the Pieta in the Vatican, in which “terribilita” traits are not yet detectable. In this sense, David precedes the completion of the work of the tomb of Pope Julius II and, especially, to the sculpture of Moses, in which such traits are still outstanding” (Juan Diego Caballero).

Reflection: Relationship between the context and the work...

The Renaissance was a cultural expression of Humanism originated in Italy, in where changes were philosophical, artistic and literary... So, the David is an excellent piece of art that demonstrates confidence in man, in his reason and his ability to cultivate the branches of wisdom, so this sculpture is part of the Italian Renaissance.
“El David” marked the beginning of the great statues of the Cinquecento... It reflects the human virtues, and from where you try to express the humanistic ideas that reach the artist. It shows the human body and athletic youth.


Personal Reflection...

This sculpture is sensational ... It demonstrates the complete perfection of a man (both: internal and external).
I think that Michelangelo had a sense of well-developed sight... Because I have always believed that through the eye, the artist captures the values that want to reflect, and then, study his brain ...and with his hand makes it true (designs, runs). So he had that gift.
Because by the eye is captured the inner beauty, the truth...

If we look closely at the detailed features of the face (the profile of the nose, the eyebrows, the iris, the eyelids...) we can capture somehow the expression, the feeling. If we focus on the anatomy of the body (the chest, the abdomen, the veins of the hands, the feet, the nails, the knees) shows clearly a tension concentrated, as occurs somewhat calm and balanced figure.
It is therefore in facial expression, body twist and right hand are where the tension is concentrated (although at no time shows that the stone comes out of the sling, or see the stone= as legend).

It is curious that the sculpture turns his face to the left (because by that time this represented the evil side or the dark side), and thus would be located Goliath...
Geographic location of the place of origen of the work...

Mapa de Florencia, Italia, consulted on Saturday October 3rd, 2009. Available at:
<http://www.e-global.es/viaje-turismo-online/wp-includes/graficos/florencia_mapa.jpg>



Mapa Europeo, consulted on Saturday October 3rd, 2009. Available at: <http://gif1.luventicus.org/mapas/europa/italia/florencia.gif>


Bibliography

1. Caballero, Juan Diego. “El David de Miguel Ángel”. ENSEÑ-ARTE. February 22nd, 2006, available at:
<http://aprendersociales.blogspot.com/2007/02/el-david-de-miguel-ngel.html>
2. Mapa de Florencia, Italia, consulted on Saturday October 3rd, 2009. Available at:
<http://www.e-global.es/viaje-turismo-online/wp-includes/graficos/florencia_mapa.jpg>
3. Mapa Europeo, consulted on Saturday October 3rd, 2009. Available at: <http://gif1.luventicus.org/mapas/europa/italia/florencia.gif>
4. Michelangelo´s Davis, consulted on Saturday October 3rd, 2009. Available at:
<http://vlsi.colorado.edu/~rbloem/david.html>

My own artistic creation based on the original work...

My interpretation tries to create a hall museum in which are the most precious copies of "El David".

There are four pieces produced by different artists:
1. Plaster Sculpture (Author unknown)
2. Watercolor (Sebastian Gatica)
3. Soap Sculpture (Fernanda Covarrubias)
4. Paint colors (Fernanda Covarrubias)
On the sides we can see the shadows of some photographers, indicating the opening of the room.
The four imitations are unrivaled... Seeing them together, a feeling of strength and freedom pervades the interior of bodies.
All were essential to every artist. And if one of they don´t express what is within him/her, he/she can not survive... These activities determine the historical evolution and even the physical transformation of people.

lunes, 7 de septiembre de 2009

“El balandrito” by Joaquín Sorolla

Pinturas de Sorolla, consulted on Monday September 1st, 2009. Available at: http://www.artespain.com/joaquin-sorolla/imagenes/sorollabalandrito01.jpg


“El balandrito”
Artist: Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863 – 1923).
Year: 1909.
Original size: 100 x 110 cm.
Style: Impressionism.
Technology: Oil on canvas.


People can travel in many ways...
Fortunately, we don´t always do it in transportation; and by this I mean that: sometimes, no airplanes, no cars, no trains and no boats are capable of taking us to where we want to go.
Sometimes we aren´t going anywhere, but nevertheless, we travel ...We travel to places that we can not touch, but can feel.

Today, I have traveled to the country of the light, the reflections and the sea. And I have done by the hand of Joaquin Sorolla:
I “teleported” to the Sorolla´s Museum in Madrid...
Panic was what I felt when I accessed to the first room: With so many people is hard to see any of the paintings that hang on the walls. Anyway ...is what is there. I am seeking the appropriate hole to go looking at every one of the paintings. Given the circumstances (that I'm in exam´s week and I have to go to volleyball in 50 minutes), I intend to make a quick visit.
The exhibition is organized chronologically.
One of the first image that strikes me is the Fishermen Valencia. It looks like a photograph but it is more. IT IS AN EXTENSION OF A MOMENT. The sea moves, the reflexes vibrate and the light colored the reality...
It was just one example of what prevails in most of his works: Light, color, reflections, transparencies, textures, intense strokes... Landscapes, portraits, views of Spain... The Mediterranean; the sea.
My father always tell me: “Fer, if there is a starry sky that belongs to Van Gogh, there is a sea full of reflections and lights that belongs to Sorolla”.

There are many paintings that I'm caught in this museum...
And despite the burden of the amount of people who are visiting, I'd say that it's worth seeing the exhibition. (Of course if I ever have the fortune to go to this gallery... I'm sure I'll enjoy that more).
And if someone doesn´t have the chance to visit or be able to “teleport” to the place like me, I leave you one of the pictures that I liked and enjoyed a lot: “El Balandrito”.


Perhaps many of you think that this painting is no a big piece of art (and you will be right), but for me it is much more than that...
You will say: - More than that? But Fer, is only a naked child playing with a small boat at the sea.
So, I will answer to you: - Right, it's a naked child playing with a small boat at the sea, but that's just a physical thing (one of the 3 properties for an artwork according to Ingarden)... But, come on, I know that you can see more beyond these brush strokes. Put your eyes very well inside the painting, get into it ...let yourself go and discover. Discover this hidden world.


“El Balandrito” is a very beautiful painting and although it hasn´t many colors, those that prevail in it are very bright. This is a very cheerful work of art (after seeing the wavy lines of the waves, we can deduce that represent movements of happiness, so the author was happy and felt good about himself when he made it).
It contains a static vertical symmetric line... therefore the child that be in the center of the painting becomes the work force...

And changing the subject... Why I chose this painting? Well, because since I was small I loved going to the beach and play sand wars with my brother and my cousins, collect shells and make castles or something like a castle (hehe)...

For me the sea is one of the most beautiful things I have saw in my life (maybe because as we live here in Colima, a few minutes from the coast, we don´t appreciate it so much... But, not all people have the oportunity to hear the waves, feel (and sometimes drink, hehe) that salt water, fill the bottom of our swim suits of sand, give crackers to the seagulls and get on the banana ...(who never misses a fat boy or girl that falls upon you)...



This painting is not complicated and I guess what Joaquin Sorolla wanted to express was the sensation of pleasure and fun that leads to being at sea ...but I don´t know why it makes me feel more than that and something completely different...
I know that this sounds strange, but every time I see “El Balandrito”, I think in the future (maybe it's because one of the races that I would like to study is a marine biologist).
...Sometimes I think about the destination ...but I believe I much prefer to think that we have the control of our lives, if not, nothing could change. Sometimes only an illusion enough to draw a horizon in our thoughts, a place where travelers can be reached, but this time not in a mobile, this time by browsing in our dreams...
So just let dreams grow, because in them is the truth... THE TRUTH THAT THIS FICTION OF ACTUALLY TRIES TO HIDE.


“Swimming in memories”

Artist: Fernanda Covarrubias Noriega (1992 - ____).
Year: 2009.
Original size: 150 x 180 cm.
Style: Spontaneous-Thought.
Technology: Photos, crepe paper, clothing and swim team on floor.

Several days of observing the painting “El Balandrito”...were enough to create my piece of art, which I named “Swimming in memories”.
In that I represent my soul (that explains why the face doesn´t see very well) trapped in the time... (Because when I was little I swam at the University of Colima; and I don´t want to be presumed (really!), but I belonged to the selection of Colima) So a special feeling runs through me when I see it.
I never forget the day when I created this piece of art: it was incredible! For me “Swimming in memories” is everything, although you need to half closed your eyes and turn your head to see what it really is, is everything!



Bibliography

El Balandrito, consulted on Monday September 1st, 2009. Available at:
http://www.reproarte.com/cuadro/Joaqu%C3%ADn_Sorolla+y+Bastida/Le+petit+bateau+de+voile+/16350.html

Pinturas de Sorolla, consulted on Monday September 1st, 2009. Available at: http://www.artespain.com/joaquin-sorolla/imagenes/sorollabalandrito01.jpg