Reina Sofia & Prado galleries, Madrid.

ooooooooooohhhh the Prado Gallery put me to sleep, what a shame it is that one can tire of images. I feel i wasted the money going in, although i reconcile myself by saying i atleast saw some seriously spooky and amazingly imagintive H. Bosch works. ( El Bosco, as he was called). Breuhgles landscapes of death and war were dark and strange to be in the presence of.
The highlight of the prado was Velasquez's Las Meninas, as i have studied this image for exams and we have had various classroom discussions and tutorials about its meaning. to stand infront of the handywork of Spains most notable artist and artwork, gave me a beginning of a feeling for the country and its artists. beyond this painting and the rest which were full of jesus and mary and saint whatshisname which i have seen over a million of now, I'm glad i went.
One of the best reasons is because after seeing all these paintings of spanish faces, the stern brows and the great mustaches , you see these same faces in the streets. paintingfaces. It was the same in France.

The place that showed me spain and its artists was the Reina Sofia, with its great design and easy stroll-through chronologically-planned veiwing system, me and my not-usually-so-fond-of-art friend, had a day of playful fun in the primary colours of Miro and the shapes of Dali.
I really felt the active revolt and the exploring of freedom of the midcentury franco-era spanish artists. What energy they all gathered! we spent all day with all the secret publications, childlike squiggles, wonderful colours and comical charachters. Im reading a book at the moment called Life With Picasso written by Francois Gilot and am learning of his moody, egotist, chauvenist womanising qualities, constantly reminding me of a child. I wondered how his art would effect me now that i am learning of his character, and truthfully, the images touch you somewhere that his manners didnt. Guernica is a masterpiece. There is vitality and energy in all these spanish artists and there is this energy in the people too.