Picasso on show at the Tate

"And how different would the art galleries of the world be today if the painstaking Jan Vermeer had lived to be ninety-one and the over-prolific Pablo Picasso had dies at thirty-nine , instead of the other way round"

Niall Ferguson, historian

Here is the good news for all Picasso lovers:

The most expensive painting to be sold at auction, Pablo Picasso's "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust," goes on public display in Britain for the first time on Monday at the Tate Modern gallery in London.
The 1932 work, which sold for $106.5 million at Christie's in New York last year, has been lent to the Tate galleries from a private collection and will be on display in a new Pablo Picasso room in the Poetry and Dream section.
"Nude, Green Leaves and Bust is one of the sequence of paintings of Picasso's muse, Marie-Therese Walter, made by the artist at Boisgeloup, Normandy, in the early months of 1932," said Nicholas Serota, the Tate's director.
"They are widely regarded as amongst his greatest achievements of the inter-war period."

And here is the bad news:
Well, I am not planning to go and see the painting. For the following reason:
Watch closely the video below - the third man from the right with the black mobile phone was my agent at the auction. I had ordered him to bid up to $110 million, but the poor man had to go to the loo just when the much lower bid was accepted. I was of course not at all amused. As a matter of fact I was furious. But what could I do?

So now I hope you understand why I can live without never again seeing one of the greatest achievments of 20th century art.

Seriously speaking, I would not contemplate travelling to London in order to see the Picasso "masterpiece" because I happen to agree with the opinion of the Scottish artist and poet Dee Rimbaud:

"I think Picasso was mightily over-rated.  Sure, he was a brilliant draftsman and his early work was powerful, but he wasn't the innovator that he's made out to be.  I think he jumped on every bloody bandwagon going, and he picked up a lot of the credit because of his technical expertise.  Once the market men got their hooks into Picasso they weren't going to let go and see the value of their investments diminish, so, it didn't matter what Picasso produced, it was always hailed as brilliant.  The guy was an art factory, knocking out up to three paintings a day.  I don't know about you, but something that requires so little effort has little value to me.  You know what I think about Picasso's middle period, it was kind of soul-less.  As for his later work, the senile ravings of an embittered old man: ugly, without the redemption of any real intensity." 

PS
For those of you interested in what is good and not so good in art, I would like to recommend one of my previous posts.

PS 2
It has now been revealed that my "competitor" at the auction was, not surprisingly, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich - you know the guy who owns a football team and a couple of smallish yachts. Roman´s flat in London is currently being repainted, and with no place for the Picasso at home, he offered it to the Tate.

A message to old and new visitors of this page

Many of the more timeless posts have been updated - often with new videos added. You are most welcome to have a look!

NNoN

The Spanish Riding School in Vienna - perfect equestrian ballet

Watching a performance of  the traditional equestrian ballet at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna is one of those things in life you never forget:

 

 

Here is some interesting background on equestrian ballet:

 

The development of the ballet proper begins in the 16th century with medieval mounted contests of martial skill being influenced by three other factors. The first is an allegorical ideal: tournaments began to be fought for the reputation of one's city, or for the beauty of a lady, etc. The second is the increased use of spectacle. A procession to show off one's sumptuous clothing assumed enormous proportions in accordance with the fictional framework. The "mostra," as they were known, thus became as important as the combat. The third element is the introduction of dressage and the Baroque ideal of raising the horse to a work of art through equitation, by combining complex movements to form a picture of flowing grace. The dressage training itself generally took place in an indoor manege or riding hall, where the horse was taught the haute ecole. The high school movements, or airs above the ground, are now only taught at the Cavalry School in Saumur in France, and at the Spanish Riding School. With the mixing of these new elements, the medieval tournament developed into a new type of equestrian festivity, the carrousel, which Watanaby-O'Kelley describes as such:

A carrousel thus consisted of a procession with floats, horsemen, footmen, and musicians usually divided into groups called quadrilles, of recited or sung speeches, of a mock combat with pre-ordained outcome and/or of competitions involving running at the ring or at the quintain. (Watanaby-O'Kelley 205)

The final refinement was added in the second half of the 16th century: the equestrian ballet. Von Holleuffer describes it in the following passage:

Equestrian ballet (la Foule, from the Italian, la Fola) is an exercise where several riders on horseback perform various figures to the sound of instruments. This exercise was also invented by the Italians, who decorated their carousels with a great many inventions, which produced a surprising yet pleasing performance.

For this exercise, well-trained, perfectly schooled horses and very talented, skillful riders are challenged, because of the difficulty, to observe the regularity of the ground, and to preserve the horse's training, position, and rhythm of the gaits.

Franco Corelli

       Listen to the great Franco Corelli sing "Dicitencello vuie". The best Italian tenor ever.  

On friendship

 

(image by Wikipedia)

Marcus Tullius Cicero  (106 BC –  43 BC) the Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer and political theorist as a humanist deeply influenced the culture of the Renaissance, and as a republican the Founding Fathers of the United States and the revolutionaries of the French Revolution. Among Cicero´s best and most enduring works are the ones he wrote at his estate in Tusculum after leaving Rome. One of them is On Friendship, from which I have selected these brief excerpts - still very true:

Real friendship is even more potent than kinship; for the latter may exist without good will, whereas friendship can do no such thing. You can see its unique power when you consider this point. The bonds which nature has established to link one member of the human race with another are innumerable; but friendship not only surpasses them all but is something so choice and selective that its manifestations are normally restricted to two persons and two persons only - or at most extremely few. 

Friendship may be defined as a complete identity of feeling about all things in heaven and earth: an identity which is strengthened by mutual good will and affection. With the single exception of wisdom, I am inclined to regard it as the greatest of all gifts the gods have bestowed upon mankind. Some people, I know, give preference to riches, or good health, or power, or public honours. And many rank sensuous pleasures highest of all. But feelings of that kind are something which any animal can experience: and the other items in that list, too, are thoroughly transient and uncertain. They do not hang on our own decision at all, but are entirely at the mercy of fickle chance. Another school of thought  believes that the supreme blessing is moral goodness; and this is the right view. Moreover, this is the quality to which friendship owes its entire origin and character. Without goodness it cannot even exist.

Friendship, on the other hand, serves a great host of different purposes all at the same time. In whatever direction you turn, it still remains yours. No barrier can shut it it out. It can never be untimely; it can never be in the way. We need friendship all the time, just as much as we need the proverbial prime necessities of life, fire and and water. I am not speaking of ordinary commonplace friendships, delightful and valuable though they can be. What I have in mind instead is the authentic, truly admirable sort of relationship, the sort that was embodied in those rare pairs of famous friends.

Friendship, then, both adds a brighter glow to prosperity and relieves adversity by dividing and sharing the burden. And another is of its very many and remarkable advantages is this. It is unique because of the bright rays of hope it projects into the future; it never allows the spirit to falter or fall. When a man thinks of a true friend, he is looking at himself in the mirror. Even when a friend is absent, he is present all the same. However poor he is, he is rich; hoever weak, he is strong.

The splendid Belton House - "Rosings" in Pride and Prejudice

Mr. Collins: "Mark the windows. There are 64 in all. 64! And I have it on good authority that the glazings alone originally cost in excess of 600 pounds".

The best ever dramatisation of a Jane Austen novel, the BBC 1995 production of Pride and Prejudice was filmed in many beautiful locations, but the most splendid of them all is Belton House - Rosings Park in the BBC series - in Lincolnshire. The 17th century country house is now a National Trust Property, and open to the public. A must for all friends of Austen and the BBC mini-series.

The National Trust´s concise description of Belton House:

"The perfect English country house, set in its own extensive deer park, Belton was designed to impress.
Built in the late 17th century for 'Young' Sir John Brownlow, with family fortunes founded in law, it is one of the finest examples of Restoration architecture. It was, for centuries, the scene of lavish hospitality.
Opulent décor, stunning silverware, imposing paintings and personal mementos convey wealth while retaining a family atmosphere. Delightful gardens, a luxuriantly planted orangery and lakeside walks ensure Belton is a pleasure to explore all year round".

There is no absolute certainty about the architect of Belton House, but John F. Pile makes this interesting point in his " A History of Interior Design":

"There is no house that can be proved to be by (Sir Christopher) Wren, although tradition suggests that he may have been the architect of Belton house, a handsome mansion near Lincoln".

More information about Belton House:
National Trust
Wikipedia (excellent page!)
Pictures of Belton house

PS

The series is now available on superb blu-ray discs. Highly recommended!





Havana before Castro

In the 30´s and before the Castro era Havana was the wealthiest and most international city in the Caribbean. It was also a very elegant city with beautiful architecture, both modern and historic. No wonder Havana used to be called the Paris of Latin America.

This idyllic photo shows Havana in the late 1890s

For a glimpse of Havana in the 30s, watch this short documentary by the the legendary travel film director André de la Varre.

Musically Havana was a city with a tradition of classical music offering both opera and concerts. The Orguesta Sinfonica de la Habana was founded in 1922. One of the two founders was the legendary Cuban composer and pianist Ernesto Lecuona, who is, of course, more wellknown for his more popular Cuban songs, some of which are still very popular, like e.g. Malaguena, Siboney and Siempre en mi corazon (Always in my heart).

Ernesto Lecuona gave his name and support to the touring orchestra Lecuona Cuban Boys,  although he was not a member of this band. The recordings of  the Lecuona Cuban Boys, still available on CD, are at least in my opinion some of the best Latin American rhytms ever recorded. They also in a wonderful way remind us of Havana in the 30s and 40s. .

Here is a small selection of the music of Lecuona Cuban Boys: