La Reina Sofia y El Prado

Joan Muró

On Sunday we took a class trip to La Reina Sofia and El Prado, two art museums in Madrid.  They were very different museums; La Reina Sofia is a modern art museum, while El Prado contains more classical pieces.  I really enjoyed both.  I like modern art, and it was neat to see so many big names in one place: we saw Picasso, Dali, and Muró all together.  We also got to see La Guernica, which was impresionante.  (I can't think of an english word that means what I want to say.  Hm.)

Photos weren't allowed in El Prado, which was a bummer.  However, since it has a lot more famous pieces, it should be relatively easy to find some of those online.  Individually I'm not much of a classical art fan, since it seems to be all dead people and landscapes, things that don't really draw a lot of emotional response   However, since I'm currently taking an art history class and we've been talking about El Greco, Velazquez  and Goya, it was really cool to be able to see those pieces in person.  When we were wandering the second floor it felt like we kept running in to old friends.  (Oh, hey, borachos! Sup, Meninas?)  Textbook pictures really don't do these giant paintings justice.  

Muró

Muró

Picasso

Josefa Tolra

Street Art

 Silence is the scream of the quiet

You are always good

I will fly without needing wings

London: V&A

I went to the Victoria and Albert museum, and loved it.  It was similar to the National Gallery in Scotland in that it was a huge building that seemed to make very little sense in terms of where things were placed.  Nevertheless, I found plenty to interest myself.  There was an exhibit on fashion that I really enjoyed, as well as rooms depicting the average life of Londoners through the ages.  

This may have been one of the coolest pieces of art that I've ever seen.  It's called "Breathless", by Cornelia Parker.  She took one "British instrument", the brass band, and squashed it using another "British instrument , the tower bridge.  The result is hanging in between floors in the museum, and is symbolic of a ton of different ideas.  I enjoyed reading the description of the piece, as well as the 8 flat trombones.  How cool!

Arte en la calle

Don't believe what they tell you, contrast it (or check it, or refute it, depending on the dictionary..)