MONA LISA'S TWIN SISTER PAINTING DISCOVERED AT THE PRADO MUSEUM, 500 YEARS ON

painted by Francesco Melzi (supposedly)

Recently Spain's Prado Museum has revealed a replica of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, also known as "La Gioconda'', describing it as the most important known copy of the iconic painting. The discovery of the "twin sister" of "La Gioconda'' (came to light February 1st) was "a real revelation", said Gabriele Finaldi, a Prado deputy director responsible for restoration and investigation.

The replica had been at the Madrid museum for years, but it had been merely regarded as just another copy of the Mona Lisa, which da Vinci painted sometime between 1503 and 1506.

Experts began to restore it in order to lend it for an exhibition at the Louvre in Paris, which has the original Mona Lisa and it was then when they made the breathtaking discovery, hidden beneath black overpaint while in the Louvre’s original, Mona Lisa’s face is obscured by old, cracked varnish, making her appear almost middle aged, in the recently restored Prado's copy we see her as she would have looked at the time, as a ravishing young woman in her early 20s.

The Mona Lisa at the Prado in Madrid was thought to be just another fine copy, with added eyebrows and an odd black background. But curators at Spain's national art museum on Wednesday announced a startling discovery: the painting was actually executed by one of Leonardo da Vinci’s key pupils (probably Francesco Melzi), at his workshop at Florence, working alongside the master.

The artist who made the copy repeated all of da Vinci's original corrections, repainting the outlines of the Mona Lisa's waist and head, the position of her fingers, and making changes to her cheeks and neck.

The replica gives keys into how da Vinci created the Mona Lisa and into his working methods generally, restorer Ana Gonzalez Mozo said. She described the "twin" as "the most important version of La Gioconda known until now."

The Mona Lisa is widely believed to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, a Florentine merchant's wife, and the copy makes her look younger and more seductive. Miguel Falomir, chief conservator for renaissance painting, said, "When the X-ray revealed the landscape, it was in extraordinary condition. It was the most surprising thing in the 14 years I've been here." It has belonged to the museum at least since 1666, first as part of the royal collection and then as a state treasure. The black background behind the female figure had been added on top of a Tuscan landscape identical to that in da Vinci's original.

painted by Leonardo da Vinci

La Gioconda is definitely one of the most popular paintings worldwide and one of the works of art that has inspired the greatest number of artists over the centuries, from those who tried to copy its enigmatic smile to classic pop-art versions, to famous Salvador Dali's Self Portrait as the Mona Lisa. Here you are a handful of Mona Lisa versions:

Roy Lichtenstein

Picasso



Matt Groening

a guess?

another guess?

a ciber Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa's earliest copy will be lent to the Louvre at the end of March as an addition to the exhibition Leonardo’s Last Masterpiece: The Sainte Anne (29 March-25 June).

Last Saturday I could see the painting, after waiting for nearly an hour in a long queue and it was quite difficult to watch it properly, because there were so many people staring at it, but finally I was lucky enough to watch it and have the chance to compare it with a copy of the Gioconda painted by da Vinci, that was hanging nearby. And there were, at least, three big differences that catch my attention: the painting colour, the model's smile and the model's age. The colour of the painting is much stronger at the Prado's Gioconda (which I found more attractive than the dark colours on the Leonardo's Mona Lisa), the smile in the Louvre's Gioconda is more enigmatic and related to the age, the Prado's Gioconda seems to be younger. Anyway  you can see by yourself and tell the differences looking at both paintings below, do you want to try?

Really, is this painting ever going to stop surprising us?

Source:
The Independent
Stripes.com

6 EASY STEPS TO ENJOYING A VINO TINTO FROM SPAIN

Spain has become one of the leaders in the wine world, producing high-quality wines at mind-blowing prices. There are several types of unique grapes and wines being produced throughout the entire country, offering everything from a fruity white wine to a full-bodied, bold red, so there is a wine for every person, at every price range.

Spain has over 70 (Quality-Approved) wine regions, and has more vineyards planted to land than any other country in the world. Spain places third in terms of volume of wine produced, behind France and Italy. So much wine is made in Spain that there are many wines that are not even shipped out of the country. All the great wines are available around the world, but there are some amazing small batch wines that can only be found within the country, usually they are from small wineries in small, unknown wine regions.

And today I have another guest blogger, I should better say several bloggers, who have a very interesting blog for any foreign people who visits or lives in Madrid, Cheap in Madrid.com, (with cheap and free events in Madrid, I truly recommend it!) in which they have made a simple guide to enjoying red wines of Spain. Please come in and have a look……

CHOOSE YOUR:

1. Price

You can find delicious wines in Spain for under 10 euros, but the range of price and quality is immense. Decide how much you are willing to spend first, so you can narrow down your choices from there.

2. Region

In Spain, food and wine quality is regulated by its Denominación de Origen (designation of origen), based on the region from which it comes. The most famous regions for red wine are:

• Rioja

• Ribera del Duero

• Priorat (Catalunya)

The differences between the wines of these regions has a lot to do with the micro-climates of the areas and different wine-making processes, but I encourage you to experiment with them to understand the what distinguishes their tastes.

3. Grape

• 100% Tempranillo

• Blend

• Granacha (if you choose Priorat)

The rockstar grape of Spain is Tempranillo. You will find some blends of varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Granacha (Grenache), Merlot and more. There are certainly more grapes than these listed in Spain, but these are the most common, and a great start.

4. Classification

• Joven: very little aging

• Crianza: aged at least for 1 year, at least six months of which in oak

• Reserva: aged for 3 years, at least 1 year of which in oak (and the rest in bottle)

• Gran Reserva: aged 5 years, 18 months of which in oak

The younger wines are not necessarily worse, but have a different flavors, complexity, and structure. Gran Reservas usually only come out during “excellent” harvests.

5. Vintage

Spanish vintages are rated on this best-to-worst scale: Excelente, Muy Buena, Buena, Regular. The following recent years are considered “Excellent:”

• Rioja: 2001, 2004, 2005, 2010

• Ribera del Duero: 2001, 2004, 2009, 2010

• Priorat: 2001, 2004, 2005

6. Food pairing!

The Tempranillo grape is a wonderful food wine because of it’s medium body. Two keys to food pairing: flavors that you find in the wine & foods from the region the wine originates. A few safe options for most Spanish red wines:

• Mature cheese (Manchego, for example, with a Ribera del Duero)

• Jamón Ibérico, Chorizo, or Lomo

• Green Olives

• Pickled Veggies

• Patatas alioli

• Hearty meats and veggies (for older wines and especially Priorat)

And Listo! You are ready to enjoy your vino tinto!

Source:
The cheap in Madrid.com

DO YOU NEED SOME HELP TO MOVE TO SPAIN? HERE YOU ARE SOME TIPS TO MAKE IT EASIER

Moving to a foreign country is not usually an easy thing. When someone is thinking of moving to Spain (house, office or business), there is always a lot of work to do and in that situation any help is valuable and welcome. One of the best Removals and Storage Specialists in UK is Armishaws Removals. And they are my guest blogger today.

They have listed some tips to help you and make your Spanish adventure much easier, here you are:

Top 10 Tips For Moving To Spain

1) British families who move to Spain with school-age or pre-school children should register at their town hall, who will advise about schools.

2) Spanish families place high priority on giving their children a good education; consequently places at private schools are filled well in advance, and there are waiting lists.

3) Upon successfully completion of four years of secondary education they are awarded their ESO (certificate of secondary education, Educación Secundaria Obligatoria). This may take more than four years since failure to make satisfactory progress can mean repeating the year.

4) Some fiestas are location-specific, based on a local legend or a real historical event. A good example of this is San Sebastian, in the Basque country, which holds a festival each January to celebrate their liberation from French rule by Lord Wellington in 1812.

5) Many aspects of the Spanish lifestyle are extremely easy to get used to: the sunshine, the wine and the sangria, the paella, the tortilla and the tapas, and the uplifting rhythms of the bossa nova and the flamenco as the sun goes down and nightlife begins.

6) Spectacular fireworks are a popular feature at fiestas, and probably the most spectacular of all are the ones that light up the skies at the Summer Solstice, when bonfires are lit to celebrate the longest day. This tradition is especially strong in the south of Spain

7) The Spanish healthcare system works well, and it is often even possible to find English speaking medical staff. However, before moving to Spain you need to be sure that the costs of future medical treatment will be covered.

8) Spanish healthcare is not free, but individuals who are covered by the State system pay only a small contribution towards the cost, depending on their personal circumstances.

9) For those looking to embrace a traditional Spanish lifestyle, inland Spain has plenty of attractive villages where life is not seasonal, property prices are lower, and you will be able to join in local community life.

10) A common pattern is for people to move from the UK initially to their Spanish holiday home, and to relocate to a different part of Spain a few years later after exploring the country in greater depth. There is probably a richer variation in regional cultures in Spain than in any other European country. Each region has its own history and its own traditions, and regions such as Galicia, the Basque country and Catalunya still retain their own languages alongside Spanish.

That’s quite a lot of help, isn’t it? Following their advice, your move to Spain will be a sweet dream instead of a nightmare. For further information, you can visit their website: ARMISHAWS REMOVALS & STORAGE.

And of course, the process is not only to move to Spain (though this is something that thousands of Brits do every year), but also to move back, there may be all sort of situations which can led you to move to the UK again.

Finally I would add a couple of personal and very useful tips if you come to Spain. The first one is to learn Spanish, brush up on the basics before moving, the more Spanish you know, the easier the move will be, that will help you a lot when you are here, especially enough Spanish to order a red wine and a tapa!

And the second one is to become a local, registering as a resident. It is worth it, because that can bring you some good rewards which make your daily life easier.

As I told you at the first of my post, my guestblogger today, Armishaws, is one of the leading removals firms in the UK, and besides Spain, they also regularly move to other countries in Europe.

I wish you a great move to Spain and a great adventure in Spain, my country,

you are very welcome!