Posts tagged with "art"

Los alebrijes

Posted by Adir No Comments
Sep 28 2010

Los alebrijes are Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical animals invented by Pedro Linares López in 1936 in Mexico. They’re made of paper or wood and represent an imaginary animal, combining the form of two or more animals. Their structure is made of wood or carrizo and the outside part is wrapped in papier-maché and cardboard. They can also come in the form of carved wood little statues.

The origin of the word alebrijes comes from a time when Pedro was sick, bedridden, and had a dream where there were animals with several different shapes and colors, with wings, horns, tails, pointy teeth and bulgy eyes. In this dream Pedro heard a voice saying “Alebrijes!”, “Alebrijes!”. He woke up, and as he was an artisan in Arrazola, Oaxaca, he began to produce those little animal sculptures.

Some people say that alebrijes are demons who come from trees, caves, rivers and clouds and others claim that they come from typical animal masks from Oaxaca. At first they were little sculptures but nowadays you can see whole parades of large alebrijes on the street, like in the video below:

YouTube Preview Image

This is it for today, nos vemos prontito.

Santiago Calatrava and the World Trade Center

Posted by Magda No Comments
May 20 2010

Part of the rebuilding project for the World Trade Center includes a new transportation hub for lower Manhattan, known as the PATH station. It is scheduled to be completed in 2013, and the architect in charge is Santiago Calatrava.

Born in Valencia, Spain, Calatrava is one of the most renowned contemporary architects and one of the pioneers of a revival of artistic design in a field dominated by budgets, deadlines, and practicality. He has brought to life a vast number of innovative projects all over Europe and the US. His most recognized work in Spain is La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences) in Valencia. This is a complex made up of several buildings including museums, an aquarium, an opera hall, and a planetarium. Other significant works are the Milwaukee Museum, the James Joyce Bridge in Dublin, Lyon St-Exupéry Station, or the Turning Torso in Malmö.

Valencia - Museo della Scienza
Valencia, Museo de las Artes y las Ciencias” by Un ragazzo chiamato Bi

Calatrava is not just an architect. He is also a sculptor and engineer, and draws thousands of sketches for his projects. In his own words, “la arquitectura es una escultura donde se entra” (architecture is a sculpture you can walk into”). This concern with stylistic beauty can be appreciated by observing his bold and ambitious designs. As an artist, he was the perfect choice for bringing a symbolic meaning to the new World Trade Center project. The concept for the transportation hub is a dove being released from a child’s hand. In Calatrava’s mind, the poetic dimension is an essential part of architecture, and this building represents a tribute to the city, to life, a message of peace, and a door open to hope for future generations.

The World Trade Center Transportation Hub as seen from the street level
Courtesy of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey

Such a large project couldn’t be without pitfalls. Some of the features have had to be modified to comply with enhanced security regulations in the city, and the budget has ballooned beyond its initial estimation. Some people have criticized Calatrava as a result, but we have to remember that, at the end of the day, the hub will be more than just a station. It will be a work of art. Would you rather see another boring, lifeless, dull building in its place simply because it is more inexpensive? Do we care now whether the Sistine Chapel was completed within budget, or how much the Eiffel Tower cost?
In time, the new WTC will be a landmark for the city, and I’m looking forward to walking into this sculpture one day.

Vocabulary: Art

Posted by Adir No Comments
Apr 19 2010

For those of you who are interested in learning vocabulary about art, here’s a very good list to start with.

el aguafuerte – etching
el artefacto – artifact
el boceto, el esbozo – sketch
el bodegón, la naturaleza muerta – still life
el busto – bust
el caballete – easel
el carbón, el carboncillo – charcoal
el cincel – chisel
el collage – collage
el dibujo – drawing
el diseño – design
el equilibrio – balance
el esmalte – enamel
el estudio – studio
el fresco – fresco
el friso – frieze
el género – genre
el grabado – engraving
el mosaico – mosaic
el ológrafo, el holograma – holograph
el paisaje – landscape
el paisaje marino – seascape
el pincel – brush
el subastador / la subastadora – auctioneer
el tapiz – tapestry
la acuarela – watercolor
la arcilla – clay
la cerámica – pottery, ceramics
la escultura – sculpture
la estatua – statue
la figura – figure
la figurilla – figurine
la filigrana – filigree
la incisión – woodcut
la obra maestra – masterpiece
la pintura al óleo – oil painting
la sombra – shadow
la subasta – auction
la talla de madera – wood carving
la vidriera – stained glass

Nos vemos prontito.

Prepositions and Art

Posted by Adir No Comments
Aug 27 2009

Let’s practice our prepositions with a little bit of art. Using this Van gogh’s painting from 1889, fill in the blanks with the following prepositions:

ENCIMA DE / SOBRE
A LA IZQUIERDA (DE)
DELANTE (DE) / ENFRENTE
BAJO / DEBAJO DE
A LA DERECHA (DE)
DETRÁS DE
DENTRO DE
CERCA (DE)
ARRIBA / ENCIMA DE
FUERA
LEJOS (DE)
AL FONDO (DE)
AL LADO DE

a. Hay una silla … la cama.
b. La ventana está … la habitación.
c. Hay algunos objetos … la mesilla.
d. El espejo está … la ventana.
e. No hay nada … la mesilla.
f. En la pared, … , hay cuatro cuadros colgados.
g. Hay otra silla … la habitación.
h. … la cabecera de la cama hay una percha con ropas colgadas.

Nos vemos prontito.

Un poco de arte

Posted by Adir 5 Comments
Feb 17 2009

¡Hola, mi gente! Today we’re going to learn a bit about art, en español, through an activity. I’m going to give you 5 styles:

  • cubista
  • expresionista
  • dadaísta
  • surrealista
  • futurista

you’ll have to match these styles to their description, ok? Below each description there’s a link to a painting from each style. Shall we go for it?

Style 1 – Tendencia artística iniciada en Europa como reacción contra el impresionismo que busca expresar las emociones humanas e interpretar las angustias que caracterizaron psicológicamente el hombre del comienzo del siglo XX.
El grito, de Edvard Munch

Style 2 – Teoría estética aplicable a las artes plásticas que se caracteriza por el empleo o predominancia de formas geométricas. Se desarrolló especialmente en Francia entre 1907 y 1914. Su teórico fue Apollinaire y sus figuras más representativaas fueron Picasso, Braque, Gris, Léger y Delaunay.
Mujer Llorando, de Pablo Picasso.

Style 3 – Movimiento ideológico y artístico cuyas orientaciones fueron formuladas en 1909 por el poeta italiano Marinetti. Proclamaba la guerra al pasado, la destrucción de todos los museos, bibliotecas y monumentos clásicos; sustituyéndolos por un dinamismo orientado hacia el futuro. En la pintura, se exaltaba principalmente el movimiento veloz de las máquinas.
Los ruidos de la calle invaden la casa, de Umberto Boccioni

Style 4 – Fase previa del surrealismo, constituyó, a la larga, la más importante renovación del arte moderno. Este movimiento, en que se promovía el culto a lo irracional, creció y se desarrolló entre 1915 y 1922. En la pintura se utilizan restos de materiales: madera, cuerda, trozos de tela, periódicos, billetes de autobús, etc.
Construcción para damas nobles, de Kurt Schwitters

Style 5 – Movimiento artístico que intenta sobrepasar lo real impulsando con automatismo psíquico lo imaginario o irracional. André Breton, en 1924, fue el autor de su primer manifiesto. Los principales temas de la pintura surrealista son el sexo, la memoria y el sueño.
La metamorfosis de Narciso, de Salvador Dalí.

Espero que les guste, nos vemos muy pronto.

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