WASHINGTON IRVING, PROBABLY THE FIRST FOREIGN HISPANIC WRITER

Washington Irving was born in New York City in 1783 as the youngest of 11 children. His father was a wealthy merchant, and his mother, an English woman, was the granddaughter of a clergyman.

Early in his life Irving developed a passion for books. He studied law but practiced only briefly. In his twenties he travelled widely Europe, where he saw the famous English naval officer, Nelson. After returning to the United States, Irving started working with his brothers as partners in the family hardware business until it collapsed in 1818. During the war of 1812 Irving was a military in the U.S. Army. Irving's career as a writer started in journals and newspapers.

Washington at 22

Irving's success in social life and literature was shadowed by a personal tragedy. He was engaged to be married to Matilda Hoffman who died at the age of seventeen, in 1809. Later he wrote in a private letter, addressed to Mrs. Forster, as an answer to her inquiry why he had not been married: "For years I could not talk on the subject of this hopeless regret; I could not even mention her name; but her image was continually before me, and I dreamt of her incessantly." (how romantic, Washington Irving!)

Portrait of Matilda Hoffman

After the death of his mother, Irving decided to stay in Europe, where he remained for seventeen years from 1815 to 1832. He lived in Dresden, London and Paris. In England Irving had a romantic liaison with Mary Shelley. Eventually he settled in Spain, where he worked for financial reasons for the U.S. Embassy in Madrid. In 1829-32 Irving was a secretary to the American Legation under Martin Van Buren. During his stay in Spain, he wrote "Columbus", "Conquest of Granada", and "The companions of Columbus", all based on careful historical research.

"Washington Irving researching Columbus in the convent of Rábida", by David Wilkie

His stay in Granada brought him into contact with the library of the University and gave opportunity to stay for a time at the Alhambra Palace and it was then that he got to collect the legends and stories from Granada which were the source of "Tales of the Alhambra", written in 1829. This original novel mixes a number of stories with the travel book and the newspaper and the protagonist is the author himself, after his arrival in Spain when he begins a tour through Andalusia which brings him to Granada. And there he got shocked before the sight of the majesty of the Alhambra. During his stay he met Mateo Jimenez who becomes his servant and told him about all these stories and legends that revolve around the monument of the Alhambra and its Arab past. This work has been translated into numerous languages and it is considered one of the most important for this author. Many years later several movies were based on some of those stories that Washington Irving wrote.

In 1832 Irving returned to New York to an enthusiastic welcome as the first American author to have achieved international fame. His fellow-traveler and Charles Joseph Latrobe described Irtving as a "man of a thousand occupations: a botanist, a geologist, a hunter of beetles and butterflies, a musical amateur, a sketcher of no mean pretensions, in short, a complete virtuoso". And his friend Charles Dickens later credited Irving as an influence on his own Christmas writings, including the classic "A Christmas Carol".

Irving also used other German folktales in his short stories, among them "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". The tale was filmed as the second half of Disney's animated movie "The Adventures of Ichabold and Mr Toad" (1949). Tim Burton's film version from 1999 has darkened and partly changed the story.

He continued to socialize and keep up with his correspondence well into his seventies, and his fame and popularity continued to soar.

Washington Irving died of a heart attack in his bedroom at Sunnyside at the age of 76. And legend says that his last words were: "Well, I must arrange my pillows for another night. When will this end?

Sunnyside house

THE SPANISH SIESTA AND NAPPING IN PAINTING

Raimundo de Madrazo



Although the Spaniards have been traditionally very famous about being quite good at taking long siesta (word that comes from the Latin for sixth hour, by the way), the truth is that is a myth that has been banished nowadays (statistics say that only 16% of the Spanish population practice it), it is curious that it is currently practiced by most tourists and foreigners living in Spain more than by own nationals (and those who practice it are more people over 45 years).

But it happens that doctors recommend that a nap of 20 minutes (even on the sofa) after eating is very healthy, reducing the risk of death from heart disease, particularly in young healthy men, experts say napping help people to relax, reducing their stress levels.

And the fact is that today in Spain many people are unable to take a siesta ("our national sport", as it has always been said) and their lives (our lives) haven't collapsed around them. Big supermarkets and department stores also stay open during the siesta. Though still there are differences among different cities in Spain and so, for example, the siesta hits Madrid and Barcelona much less than in Granada or Salamanca. Today's hectic lifestyle does often not allow people the time to sleep, but many still do their best to fit a little nap in when they can.

It seems is not a Mediterranean invention, but it is just happens that they are who preserved this tradition. In fact before the industrial revolution it would have been perfectly normal in northern Europe for people to take an afternoon sleep after a big evening meal. Did you know that Churchill, Napoleon and Leonardo da Vinci used to nap, by the way?

Besides there are other countries where napping seems to be very popular too, in Japan, for example, employees have desk pillows and napping rooms (!!!) meanwhile Spanish offices have never been equipped with a bed yet (I promise you!).

Nevertheless, tradition is tradition and last year the Spain’s First National Siesta Championship took place in Madrid and it awarded for how quickly competitors can get to sleep, the duration of their siesta, any interesting sleeping positions or choice of pijamas and the style and substance of their snoring.  Among others, there was a 1000 euros award for the best twenty minutes nap (see the link HERE).

So since the doctors recommend to take little naps to keep us fit and healthy I have thought to enclose today a few paintings on the subject, from different artists, styles and countries, just to encourage you to practice this good habit.

Frederick Arthur Bridgman



Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida



Pedro Lira Rencoret



Paul Gauguin

John Sargent

Jose Maria Rodriguez Acosta



John William Godward



Guillermo Collazo



Antonio Gattorno



Franz Xavier Winterhalter

I hope you have liked the paintings I have chosen for the post  and I just want to wish you all to have nice little naps with big and sweet dreams! ............zzzzzzzz.................

Fuente:

Gospain.about.com

WHICH WAS REALLY THE ORIGIN OF PICASSO'S GUERNICA PAINTING?

Last September 10th marked the 30th anniversary of the arrival in Spain of Picasso’s most famous painting. But do you know which was the real origin of this painting? If you fancy knowing about it, please keep on reading this post…….

The history of "Guernica" began in January 1937 when the Government responsible of the Republic asked Picasso for a large painting of 11x4 meters for the Spanish pavilion at the Universal Exposition to be held that year in Paris. Since May 1st, he spends several days in a penthouse at 7 rue des Grands Augustins Paris, making many preparatory sketches (a total of 62), before boarding the blank canvas. On May 10 he began to paint his masterpiece of 3.51 x7, 82. It was his most well thought-out painting.

A few days earlier, on April 26, the Basque town of Guernica was bombed and devastated by the German Condor Legion. The news runs among the Spaniards in Paris and the French press also reflects this. All experts agree that the popular commentaries and the black and white images that newspapers publish about the indiscriminate attack on civilians and the devastation of the city led to the malagueño artist to start his master work.

While the Stalin’s Soviets helped the Republic Stalin, Franco got plentiful human and material support of Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany. Aviation of the latter took the initiative to bomb Guernica on their own, without asking permission or notify Franco. The German Junkers aircraft of the Luftwaffe carried out a bombing-carpet against the unprotected village. The reason for the attack could not be the existence of weapons depots or barracks or troops, or strategic objectives and that the town was a junction. Guernica was devoid of any military or strategic importance.

The shameful reason was live fire test on the new aircraft and weapons to the looming World War II. The horror that made this episode was very high in international public opinion, not only by the sacrifice of innocent nonsense, but above all, be the first time in history of an air attack from the city. Soon, British, German and Japanese cities would be wiped off the map with this method.

"Guernica" is one of the very few occasions in which Picasso is involved in social issues leaving apart his personal life, which is what usually inspires him more frequently. The work, an universal plea against violence and barbarity, traveled throughout Europe and the U.S. for sympathy and funds for the Republican cause, silenced after Franco's victory in 1939. Picasso expressed his wish that the picture was not, under any circumstances, returned to Spain until democracy was restored. And it took more than four decades for the 'Guernica' to foot on Spanish soil. A receipt for 150,000 francs served the Government to prove ownership of their order to Picasso. And in September 10th, 1981, the "Guernica" landed at Madrid-Barajas airport.

On February 21st, 1981, his lawyer, Roland Dumas, signed the approval for repatriation. Two days later, the coup was called into question our political maturity, but the performance of King dispelled doubts. The Guernica came on September 10. Like thousands of Republicans, Picasso lived nearly half a century of exile and unfortunately he couldn’t watch it at home, he already had died in April 1973.

Technically, Guernica has features Cubist (reduce natural forms to geometric shapes) but also uses the expressions in the extreme gestures of the characters and great purity and definition of lines reminiscent of the neoclassicism.

The Guernica is a cry against the horror and savagery of war, of any war, of all the wars. In this painting there are no bombs, no planes or anything like that because it is a war or another war, neither this nor that it is the way in which Picasso shows his rejection to any kind of violence of war.

It is a painting with "noise", the characters shout, gesticulate and die under the bombs blind just yet. The denunciation of the violence here is timeless and has always been used as a song against the injustice of the destruction and death in any war. And the bull symbols shown here the essence of Spain and their suffering. Picasso resigned color to stress the drama and only used shades of gray, white and black, this is what in art is called grisaille.

Currently the Guernica is at the National Museum Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, in Madrid. Picasso wrote for his desire to see Guernica hanging in the Prado Museum, the picture is alluding to the war in Spain and, like any work of art is universal, alien to nationalism and sectarianism.

SANTIAGO RUSIÑOL, THE SOUL OF THE MODERNIST CATALAN MOVEMENT

Santiago Rusiñol was a painter, writer and ideologist of the Catalan modernist movement, and a popular figure in the bohemian life, life of the Modernist Sitges Movement.

He was born in Barcelona (1861 - 1931) but soon he lost his father, after his studies he worked in the family business of textiles, but left too early, breaking the industrial tradition of the family and against the will of his grandfather, who always opposed to devote himself to painting, but he drew in secret: copying pictures in books and drew sketches of the bearded sailors from the port of Barcelona.

Although it was initially self-taught in art, formed in the center of Barcelona's watercolor was one of its founders. After a trip to Paris, his painting became strongly influenced by the impressionists and later traveled to Andalusia, where he began to paint gardens. Once back at Barcelona he became one of the greatest entertainers of the modernist movement.

At that time he held in the company of the painter Ramon Casas a car trip through Catalonia: travelers drew sketches of types and landscapes, painted, talked with everyone and roads and inns displayed their human sympathy and his extraordinary sense of humor.

In 1887 he went to Paris and settled in Montmartre with other Catalan artists. After visiting Italy, especially Florence, where he spent four months. Occasionally made trips to Barcelona and other cities of the Spain, in Granada he painted his first garden, the starting point of his choice in the subject painting. Three times exhibited in Paris at the Salon des Independants.

He died in Aranjuez Royal village, while he was painting its Palace gardens.

SUMMER IS NEARLY OVER, BUT NOT YET!

Unfortunately summer is nearly over, but fortunately not yet! and as a little homage to my favourite season I have chosen some summer paintings from great painters of several styles and times to say goodbye to summer. I hope you enjoy them!

by John Richard

by Gustave Fisher

by Mary Cassatt

by Ernest Ange Duez

by Lawrence Alma-Tadema

by Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida

 

by Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida

by Laura Knight

by Edgar Degas

by Donald Zolan

by Maxine Stevens

by Paul Gustave Fisher

by Auguste Renoir

by Walter Richard Sickert

by Mark Shasha

by Edward Potthast

by Alfred Stevens

by Vicente Palmaroli y Gonzalez

by Ernest Ange Duez

by John William Godward

by Sally Swatland

by Peter Severin Kroyer

 “A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawnmower is broken”.

 ( James Dent)

“In summer, the song sings itself”.

(William Carlos Williams)

“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability” .

(Sam Keen)

 “Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world”. 

(Ada Louise Huxtable)

“In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer”.

(Albert Camus)

“Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language”.   

(Henry James)

“Warm summer sun, shine kindly here. Warm southern wind, blow softly here. Green sod above, lie light, lie light.
Good night, dear Heart,
Good night, good night.” 

(Mark Twain)