Sonya Wilson's Blog

A few days ago, I put my feet into the Pacific Ocean once again.

But this is not the Pacific Ocean.  It’s the Mediterranean Sea in Barcelona.  I haven’t posted pictures from my last leg of my trip–Spain.  It begins in Madrid:

Photographers in Madrid

A marathon we happened upon while riding a bus

Madrid was what I expected it to be–a big city.  I spent 6 days here, enjoying the church life and seeing some of the sights.  On Sunday afternoon, Socorro and I went to the famous El Prado Museum, which displays about 1300 paintings as well as sculptures.  (Random personal observation: portrayals of the ruins of Rome had a new and profound pull on me.)  The Prado houses some of the most famous paintings in the world–the kind that make you just stand there for awhile and ruminate, like Diego Velasquez’s “Las Meninas.”

"Las Meninas" by Diego Velasquez, 1656

Velasquez paints himself into the picture, paintbrush in hand.  Philip IV and Queen Mariana are seen in the mirror in the back of the room, as if they are actually in the same position as us, the observers–so we end up being the ones gazed upon.  There’s a lot more to say about it if you’re into art history, which I unfortunately am not. Anyway, this painting inspired scores of other painters, including Picasso, who in 1957 created 58 “recreations” of the work.

John Singer Sargent was one of those inspired by “Las Meninas”–he spent over two weeks in the Prado copying it.  Some say the influence can be seen in the painting he unveiled three years later, “The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit,” which is on loan from the US and placed nearby.  I really like this piece, and I stood and studied it for awhile for reasons both spatial and psychological.  I also find it intriguing how he plays with light and shadow.

"The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit' by John Singer Sargent, 1882

It’s said that Francisco de Goya also took Velasquez’s painting as inspiration in “The Family of Charles IV” (for one, Goya paints himself into the background by an easel).  It’s not something I’d want hanging in my house but I appreciated making out the different personalities portrayed in the facial expressions of the sitters.  It got me wondering just how much we can ascertain of someone’s personality based on the painter’s portrayal of just one expression.  Maybe more than we think…or not.

After the museum perusal, Socorro and I had a delish artistic-looking dinner.  Honestly, the best part about Madrid was meeting and spending time with the brothers and sisters in the church life there.

Next on the plate…a bit of Barcelona.

This entry was posted on May 14, 2010 at 11:02 pm and is filed under Travel. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.