Travel in the Time of Corona, Week 6

For Week 6 of shelter-in-place, I wanted to revisit some museums around the world and reminisce about the good old travel days through images of my favorite paintings. Travel is a deep well of learning experiences and visits to museums add color to these experiences. Photographs, videos or postcards are beautiful keepsakes we can browse over whenever we please. This time spent in isolation has given me the pause I needed to appreciate the places I’ve been and the masterpieces I had the pleasure to behold.

Las Meninas, Diego Velasquez, 1656, Museo del Prado, Madrid

The French Impressionist painter, Édouard Manet, called Velasquez a “painter of painters”. It isn’t hard to imagine why. Velasquez challenges and provokes the viewer to dig deeper than what the eye perceives at first glance, to never judge a book by its cover.

Liberty Leading the People, Eugène Delacroix, 1830, Louvre Museum, Paris

“I have undertaken a modern subject, a barricade, and although I may not have fought for my country, at least I shall have painted for her. It has restored my good spirits.” Eugène Delacroix from a letter written to his brother dated October 28, 1830

Arnolfini Portrait, Jan Van Eyck, 1434, National Gallery, London

From the fur lined coat of the man to the voluminous folds of the woman’s robe trimmed with white ermine and her lacy veil to the rug on the floor and the red drapery in the background, this double portrait of an Italian merchant and his wife intimates wealth. And, is that the painter and his assistant we see in the mirror on the back wall?

Flaming June, Frederic Leighton, 1895, Museo de Ponce, Puerto Rico

Ponce is a city on the southern coast of Puerto Rico with an amazing museum of art and Flaming June is certainly the highlight of its collection. How this masterpiece of Victorian art got to Ponce is a riveting story of lost and found and the bargain price at which it was acquired by a Latin American industrialist, Luis Ferré, who founded the Museo de Ponce.

Les Raboteurs de Parquet, Gustave Caillebotte, 1875, Musée d’Orsay, Paris

The Floor Scrapers was shunned at the Salon of 1875 in Paris. The jurors were shocked by the half clothed working class subjects and found the painting “vulgar”. But what’s interesting about this work of art is its perspective. The viewer is looking down at the floor scrapers. Observe the other masterpieces in this group and you’ll know what I mean.

The Jewish Bride, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1665-1669, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

(Also known as The Portrait of the Couple Isaac and Rebecca)

Whenever I see this painting, I’m drawn to the expressive face of the youthful bride. She intrigues me with that quivering look on her face. I’d like to know what’s on her mind, how she feels and what her life was like.

Starry Night, Vincent Van Gogh, 1889, MOMA, New York

“For my part, I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me want to dream.” Van Gogh

Let’s keep our dreams alive, especially during this strange and trying period in our lives!

*****

The images here are under Public Domain and can be found in Wiki Commons.

The Fairy Tale Town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg ob der Tauber has been on my travel bucket list for years. And I finally got there last November. It is an enchanting place. With its half-timbered houses, clock towers, colorful façades, schneeballs and beer steins, Rothenburg ODT oozes with medieval charm. It's no surprise that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I was partially filmed in Rothenburg ODT. This is a common dilemma in Rothenburg ODT. Which direction to take? It's hard to choose because every cobblestone street seems to be competing for the best dressed street award. And they are all winners in my book. After walking half a day, an inviting table for two with colorful flowers to warm a cold November day. I love how these two half-timbered buildings anchor a street that leads to another intriguing square. The Plönlein (Little Square) is the most photographed square in Rothenburg ODT. But I found more picturesque neighborhoods than this. That's ...

Midnight in Paris Movie Locations

It's not often I watch a movie but on a long flight home late last year, I had the chance to watch Midnight in Paris and was totally captivated by its plot. Can you imagine time traveling to the era of Fitzgerald and Hemingway, Picasso and Dali, Gauguin and Toulouse Lautrec? It was therefore such a treat to be in Paris and be able to see a couple of the locations from the movie. Had so much fun figuring out where the Peugeot came from to pick up Gil (Owen Wilson) and take him back to the Jazz Age. Rue Galande Rue Galande is a narrow street lined with boutiques with engaging window displays. Notice the giant flea sculpture above one of the shops. This location was shown at the beginning of the film. Interestingly enough, Rue Galande is a stone's throw from the bouquinistes along the Seine and across from the Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris. The Steps of St. Etienne du Mont This is where Gil was sitting, a little disoriented, when the Pe...

Casapueblo and Carlos Páez Vilaró

Casapueblo, Punta Ballena Just a few minutes from the popular beach destination of Punta del Este is Casapueblo which sits on the edge of a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. If you're staying at the hotel, then you're in for a big treat. Imagine the view of the blue ocean made more dazzling by the sun. But that's not all. There's also an art gallery and museum next door which displays the artistic works of Carlos Páez Vilaró who also designed Casapueblo, his permanent home and studio. Casapueblo reminds one of the Greek isles at first glimpse. But it isn't that simple. Look closely and you'll find the influence of Gaudi in the architecture which Vilaró himself built with no plans. There are no straight lines. The interior has many passages and narrow stairs leading to enchanting rooms, everyone of which is different from the other. Notice the curving lines and the rooftops with their pointed concrete posts. Vilaró liked his house to a hornero's (ovenbird...

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