El Greco to Velazquez Exhbit

Yesterday it was over 90 degrees in Boston; a month ahead of schedule. So it was a time to go either to the beach or to a Museum. I decided on the museum to see a documentary on China’s Three Gorges Dam and since it was so cool inside, I then went to see the above exhibit even though I didn't think I would much like the art works.

It was a very large exhibit of which I skipped about half which was all religious paintings. But there were some paintings that I really liked and I loved El Greco's Fray Hortensio Felix Paravicino. In fact I liked many of his portrait paintings. The detail in the man’s face was wonderful; such intelligent eyes and a strong sense of self. I felt that the man was there with me in the room. Perhaps it was the way the paint was applied to the picture. Somehow the paint strokes made the hands and the garment “alive.” And this was all achieved in black, brown, and white paints.

Another favorite was Pedro Orrente’s Jacob Conjuring Laban’s Sheep. I was a very realistic painting right down to the crimp of the wool on the sheep’s back and their confusion when separated wondering which way to go. Having researched whether i got the name right or not i see many referenes to the Genesis 29:10 and 30:33-43 as well as the Merchant of Venice which in turns goes back to Genesis so now I am thinking there is some religious meaning behind the picture. Cannot find a picture to put up on my blog though. Another interesting aspect to me that was while I had never heard of him he was born in Murcia, Spain which I had visited a couple of years ago. His mother was also born in the same city although his father was from the South of France.

Some books that I found in relation to Spain and its history that were really good was Ghosts of Spain by Giles Tremlett
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/books/review/wildman.t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
The Saragossa Manuscript by Count Jan Potocki (1761-1815)
The Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving
and Pereira Declares by Antonio Tabucchi