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.

Brașov was once called Stalin City

White Tower Brașov is a city nestled in the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania. Remnants of its medieval fortifications and bastions are added attractions to this buzzing city. The White Tower along with the Black Tower are two of the remaining watchtowers still visible today. During the Communist period, Brașov was called Orasul Stalin or Stalin City after the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin. Black Church This is such a storied Gothic church which was originally the Catholic Church of St. Mary before it was converted to a Lutheran Church. It was believed to have been affected by fire in 1689 which blackened its exterior walls and roof. But a new 21st century study reveals that this wasn’t the case at all. The only reason for its blackened state according to the study is environmental pollution caused by the industrialization of Brasov in the 19th century. The walls have since been cleaned but there are traces of black spots on the roof. Republicii Street This long pede...

The Gold of Ancestors: Pre-Colonial Philippine Treasures

Openwork basket, Surigao, 10th-13th century What a wonderful surprise this exhibition is! These gold objects, about a thousand of them, add a rich layer to Philippine history. This collection which was found in various sites in the Philippines, date back to the 10th-13th centuries. It demonstrates the well developed culture of pre colonial Philippines which the Spaniard, Antonio Pigafetta, recorded in 1521 when Ferdinand Magellan landed in the islands. A thriving interchange between the Philippines and its Asian neighbors existed prior to the arrival of Magellan as attested by some of these gold accouterments which show for example, images from Hindu mythology. The motifs and curvilinear ornamentation of the openwork basket (shown above) intimate Chinese designs found in their ceramics and textiles. Torso ornament, 10th-13th century Weighing four kilos of gold, this sash is worn across the chest similar to the upavita (sacred thread) style in Hindu culture. This sash w...

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was...

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