HAPPY ROYAL CHRISTMAS!

On Monday, the Spanish Royal House has posted on its website "Christmas with the Royal Family" welcoming holidays to the Spanish. 

Two days after the previous year, they have followed the same pattern as in 2012: it only appears congratulations of the Prince and Princess of Asturias and the Infanta Leonor and Sofia, who signs the card with their parents. No sign of Elena and her children, Froilan and Victoria Federica Infanta, who sent separately as they did last year, or the family Urdangarin, still in his Swiss retreat.

With a picture with his daughters, the Prince and Princess have chosen again by congratulating Christmas holidays in a very personal way with a snapshot on the Prado Museum with the exhibition Velázquez and the family of  Felipe IV, inaugurated on October 7th in the Reina Sofia Museum. It has as background a portrait of the Infanta Margarita, painted by the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez (1599-1660).

This time King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia wanted to congratulate the holidays with a very traditional Chritsmas, a reproduction of Adoration of the Shepherds by Jacopo Bassano, part of the Royal Collection of the National Museum of the Prado.

If you want to see the Royal Christmas congratulations of previous years, click on these links:

Royal Christmas Cards 2011

Royal Christmas Cards 2010

Source:

www.vanitatis.com

BANKSY GRAFFITIES DECORATE THE NEW ANTONIO BANDERAS HOUSE

It is very well known the passion for the art of Antonio Banderas, who is not only reduced to his work as an actor but extends to other fields, such as painting or photography, a passion that the artist has brought to light in several exhibitions such as the recent "Women in gold" by portraying the female figure through its objective and for which he had to the Spanish actress Paz Vega as muse.

And now Antonio Banderas and his wife Melanie Griffith have decided to radically change their new New York exclusive penthouse of 371 square meters, combining classic Hollywood style with Art Decó and the most famous graffiti art currently, Banksy (born in Bristol in 1974), has been chosen to decorate it with some of his works, forming an explosive combination of mainly dark colors with a flash of color.

Banksy, who refuses to reveal his identity so far, began his career spray painting buildings in Bristol, England. With his acid humor and strong sense of social criticism, went from being considered a criminal by the British police to be revered as a street artist, whose works reach thousands of euros in the art market. Loved by many and criticized by others, what it is certain is that he doesn’t leave anyone indifferent, as it has happened to Antonio Banderas.

  I am really very curious to know what will be the grafitti
that Antonio will choose for his new house

And as if  Antonio Banderas wouldn’t be versatile enough, he has also heavily involved with the world of fine arts painting a replica of the " Guernica" by Pablo Picasso to learn more about the personality of the great painter from Malaga, the character that  Antonio will play next year in the movie "33 days " directed by Spanish director Carlos Saura and co-performed by Gwyneth Paltrow, whose title refers to the 33 days that took Picasso to paint his masterpiece.

 

Picasso (1957)

CLOSED FOR REST OF THE STAFF (THAT'S ME!)

Pues si, cerrado por descanso del personal (osea, de mi), que no por vacaciones, aunque alguna que otra escapada habrá entre medias. Pero el objetivo fundamental de este cierre temporal es descansar del trabajo que supone mantener más o menos actualizados cinco blogs, perdón, seis con el último y muy reciente, de reflexiones y refranes.

Descanso sin obligaciones, sin metas, sin plazos, sin objetivos …… porque bloguear es un trabajo, intenso y placentero, pero un trabajo al fin y al cabo, desde el mismo momento en que supone una inversión y un desgaste de energía, esfuerzo y dedicación.

Y como también hay otros campos que se llevan (o deben llevarse) otra parte importante de mi dedicación (dejando mi trabajo mercenario aparte), como son: la pareja, las amistades, la familia, la casa, otras aficiones, etc.,  el resultado es que cuando la balanza se desequilibra, hay que parar para volver a repartirlo todo en su justa medida.

Y sobre todo, porque cuando el cuerpo y la mente piden descanso, hay que escucharles y hacerles caso. Esto es un "vicio", y como en todo vicio, hay que desintoxicarse de vez en cuando, para demostrarle que aquí el que manda eres tú, y no él (jejeje).

Así que, durante varias semanas este blog y los 5 restantes, estarán en stand-by, aunque con el pilotito rojo encendido para quién siga pasando por ellos.

Decía un poeta romano de la antiguedad que cualquier tipo de vida, sin descansos alternativos, no podía ser duradera. Claro que, Walter Scott también decía que descansar demasiado era oxidarse……..

See you in autumn!