Picasso: Suite Vollard

I feel a little awkward discussing art when I just really like looking at it and don't really bother with techniques, or any other complexities of the seemingly impenetrable art world (scene?). Indulge me, anyway, because I only talk about those I really like. Two months ago, the good people of Fundacion Mafre and its Instituto de Cultura very kindly lent several Picasso pieces, created between 1930 to 1937, on loan to the Metropolitan Museum as part of an exhibit called Suite Vollard. The Suite Vollard, named after art dealer and curator Ambroise Vollard, is a collection of etchings by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso using different techniques. I'm pretty sure the francophile in you would find it interesting that these etchings were made in Paris, while Picasso was on a self-exile, back when he vehemently refused to show any of his works in his motherland, Spain, because a certain Francisco Franco was in power. (I do like that name, Francisco, if I may say so myself. Franco, too.)

I love Picasso so I might be a bit biased here. I find his works all at once, prolific, passionate and playful. I like that what would seem like mere doodles in his mind were transformed into impeccable executions of mythical creatures. The collection that was recently in Manila showcased the mythic quality to most of Old Man Pablo's drawings. Some of my favorites are the drawings that seemed to set the mood for future paintings such as the Sculpture Viewed from Behind and the Bearded Head. Someone also noted that they look like "A study of..." drawings, which in hindsight, makes perfect sense. I also noticed that most of Picasso's drawings (or doodles, if you may) had Rembrandt's profile or head in them, as in Rembrandt and Female Heads. This must be a manifestation of Picasso drawing inspiration from the works of Rembrandt himself. My favorites, however, were those drawings that looked like they were meant for a mythical novel, drawings that largely reminded me of Oedipus, Europa and Theseus. I also liked the heavily-sketched Minotaur series. The handiwork itself is impressive but not as impressive as the picture that the Maestro was able to draw. It's interesting to note that Minotaurs, in classic surrealist fashion, are inhuman, irrational and mythic. Picasso was fond of drawing the Minotaur because he acknowledged that there is something distinctly human about being a monster. I like how he chose the Minotaur to depict human savagery and the animal instinct humans possess.

My favorite collection in the exhibit would be the "Battle of Love", where the plates transition from subtle erotic drawings to depictions of full-blown sexual violence. Who wouldn't love that excellent combination of love, overpowering force, human energy, and woman's sexuality? Sex and violence may come out vulgar and lewd (or even tacky) if not executed well but these drawings are really beautiful, skillful and dare I say it, passionate. I guess that's the true stroke of a genius. Pablo Picasso is, in all counts, a master.

PS: I tell everyone that my favorite Picasso piece is La Douleur. Because I am obnoxious. Anyway, here are some of my favorite pieces from the recently concluded exhibit:

Foto A Foto: Portraits of Spain

The Spanish Embassy in Manila, with the collaboration of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, Instituto Cervantes, the MET Manila, Acción Cultural Española and Indra, put together Foto A Foto: Portraits of Spain. The exhibit is a collection of sixty photographs taken all over Madrid and Barcelona, dating from the fifties to the present. What I like best about this exhibit is that every photograph presents a fresh vantage point, a different version of Madrid and Barcelona through a photographer's eyes. There is a distinct variety of visual and aesthetic representations present throughout the collection and I guess that's an inevitability if you put the works of fifty renowned Spanish photographers next to each other. In a way, the viewer gets to see Spain in the eyes of a local and it is very much enjoyable, seeing how these talented individuals view their home country through these photos.

Here are my favorite pieces:

A series of photographs in a town plaza. The term "town plaza" brings to mind two things: the London "ton" where the old English folk walk around to parade new bonnets, parasols and gowns and the provincial town center of my childhood, where children gathered to kick a football, feed the koi fishes (which later turned into mud carps, only in the Philippines!) and run around. The photo set is a little bit of both, it's a mix of tourists walking around and a lot of the locals out and about, doing their daily business. I really like the rural feel of these photos. I especially like the working class drama the black and white photographs bring. 
I'm a big fan of double takes and missed connections, so I gravitate towards photos that capture these moments. It's a little bit creepy, sure, but it is easier to feel empathy towards the subjects of these photos. We've all been there, after all, and isn't it a delightful feeling, when your heart takes a tiny leap the moment you see someone you fancy? Or you know, someone you could fancy, if only you would be given the chance.



I really like these pictures taken by Marta Soul for no particular reason other than I like nice cars and I find the Indian work ethic impressive (and a little terrifying since big companies are relocated from the US to India nowadays).



This is my favorite photograph from the collection:



Again, I'm a big fan of missed connections and double takes. I find this photo so impressive because it leaves so much room for the viewer to speculate the real story behind the visual. Personally, I took it as a fleeting but electrifying attraction but that's probably because I should start stepping away from reading too much fiction. I'm really into stories of longing. I wonder what that says about me.

By the way, this exhibit lets you brush up on your Spanish a bit by providing the photo's description and the artists' brief histories in Spanish text. It could be fun, come visit!

Foto A Foto: Portraits of Spain will run until January 15, 2012 at the MET Manila. 

Obra Maestras de Hidalgo

Many moons ago, I had the good fortune of visiting my favorite works of art at our city MET. I was there for the Picasso exhibit but since I've already gushed at length about just how much I love Old Man Pablo, let me talk about a local artist that I love as well.

Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo is a renowned Filipino artist of the 19th century. He was born in Binondo, Manila and lived in Barcelona, Spain until 1913, the year he died. In history, he is more prominently known as an inspiration to the reformistas (Rizal, Ponce, del Pilar etc.) as is Juan Luna, when they both won the silver and gold medals respectively for the 1884 Exposición General de Bellas Artes in Madrid, Spain. Most sources site Hidalgo as a political activist and a propagandist, but in my brief reading of Hidalgo's role in history, he never really associated himself directly to the Philippine reform movement. Can someone help me out?

I was surprised to see two of his works in the Master's gallery, as La barca de Aqueronte or Charon's Boat was bought by the Government of Spain in the early 1890s. In my excitement, I wasn't able to read further and see if this painting (like the other one) was a copy. Looking back, it doesn't really matter, I guess. It is a neoclassical painting inspired by Hidalgo's reading of Dante's Inferno while he was in Italy. I especially like this painting, perhaps much more than its accompanying painting, La Laguna Estigia (The River Styx). While I cannot go on and on about the brush strokes or the painting's style (leave that to the experts, eh?), I can tell you that the painting is about Charon, who is the proverbial harvester of souls condemned to spend eternity in one of the circles of hell. The painting is dark and (because it's big) imposing but most importantly, it always, always draws you in. Big snaps to the people who decided wooden benches in front of the paintings are in order.

Mounted next to La barca is another Hidalgo masterpiece, one that has been in the Metro Manila Met for quite some time. It's called Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho or The Christian Virgins Exposed to the Populace, an incredible painting considered to be a Philippine national treasure. It's sad that the original was destroyed in a fire at a university somewhere in Spain but I am glad that a copy is in the Philippines for all to see. Together with Juan Luna's Spolarium, Las Virgenes was presented to the jurors of the Madrid Exposition of Fine Arts as artworks about human spoilage and human spoils. Las Virgenes represented human spoils depicting the persecution of Christians in Ancient Rome, through two scantily clad Christian female slaves being mocked by Roman men. I especially love the underlying meaning of these women having been stripped of their garments, that in a way Hidalgo was able to expose not just a loss of garment but also of human dignity. I also like the way one of the virgins' head looks up to the high heavens, waiting for help that will ultimately not come. I think it's just a magnificent work of art.

It's a little hard to peddle the wonderful works of art by Felix Hidalgo. Come by the MET and see for yourself if you have the time, they're beautiful obra maestras.

Metropolitan Museum of Manila

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex, Roxas Boulevard,

Malate-Manila (1554), Philippines