Culture: A Visit @ Museo De Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - Medellin, Colombia, may be known by the Netflix series "Narcos". But the Colombian metropolis is also a place of culture with a lot of art to see. On Saturday my wife and I visited the Museo De Antioquia. The name reflects to the district, where Medellin is located

The museum has an interesting art collection. It emphases on works by Fernando Botero, who was born in the city and may live here (wikipedia). There are also a lot of  art works by other famous artist which have been donated by Fernando Botero.


                                 Juicy Fruit

Above my favorite "Botero". The oranges look like real and I can almost taste the juicy fruit.

I spotted 2 paintings referring to the death of Pablo Escobar, maybe the most famous Colombian.

Above more "Boteros": "The House of Armanda Ramirez"; "Rosita"; "The Colombian Family" & "Car Bomb".

They show works of other Colombian artists too of course. From above: "Colombia Coca Cola" by Antonio Caro; "Weather" by Fredy Alzate; "Still Life No. 7" by Luciano Jaromillio; "Flute Players" by David Manzur; " "The Agony" by Luis Caballero Holguin & "The Pietá" by Gregorio Cuartas.

Above  2 images by the Spanish artist Antoni Tàpies. I already reported about his works here which I have seen in Barcelona

Above "Walk" by Miquel Barcelo (Spain) & "Broadway Looking Toward Columbus Circle" by Richard Estes, USA (oil on canvas).

You can find there also works by well known international artists, often donated by Botero. From above "Kingsway" by Helen Frankenthaler, USA; "Untitled" by Julian Schnabel, USA; "Bawary Parade" & "Daydream" by Robert Rauschenberg, USA.


Enjoy!

Traveling: Parque Arví - Hiking Through Colombia`s Rain Forest

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - As you could see in my recent posts, my wife and I are traveling in Colombia. Yesterday we used the occasion to explore Colombia`s gorgeous  nature. We attended a guided hike (only in Spanish) through the Parque Arví  ( Arví Park  wikipedia ). This is both an ecological nature preserve and Pre-Hispanic archeological site. It covers 16,000 hectares, 1,760 of which are in the state of natural forests.

 

We took the Line L on the Medellín Metro till  Arví station, where there is a direct link to the metrocables that go upwards to the park. We transferred to the cable car (same ticket) which brought us half way up  on one of the mountains. At the terminal station we transferred to another cable car (needs another ticket) which brought us on the top of this mountain, a flat plateau covered with a subtropical rain forest. The cable car went partly above the jungle and we could see the untouched rain forest below us.

 

At the cable car station there was a toruistic place with some tents and cabins where we signed in for the 4 hours hike. It was easy to walk on the well developed footpath through the thick vegetation. I indulged in the thick subtropical flora, an orgy in green.

The green mosh is another signal of the lush plant life in a climate of "eternal spring" (temperatures do´t fall below 60F/12 C over the year).




                            Lonely Orchid 

 

 

We could even spot a lonely orchid.

Our target were two lagoons, partly man made, which looked a bit like swamps but one of these water places was used by the local youth anyway. One point offered a view onto sprawling Medellin deep below. Thanks to the higher altitude the air was much cooler than in the city which made the hike even more pleasant. Fortunately there were not many mosquitoes and the nature stayed friendly and calm.

We were escorted by police on horses, two men & one woman - a part of the intense official security system which keeps Medellin friendly, calm & safe. Muchas gracias.

If you are visiting Medellin this hike is highly recommended!

Culture: A Visit @ Museo De Arte Moderno De Medellín, Colombia

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - Medellin, Colombia, may be known by the Netflix series "Narcos". But the Colombian metropolis is also a place of art. On Saturday my wife and I visited the Museo de Arte Moderno, the Museum of Modern Art there.

We could see a nice selection on three floors. The museum focuses on the works by Débora Arango. This artist was born in Medellín. Throughout her career, Arango used her artwork to explore many politically charged and controversial issues, her subjects ranging from nude women to the role of the Roman Catholic Church to dictatorships, write Wikipedia .(wikipedia). Her style is called "figurative expressionist", which reminds of the German espressionists.

Above my favorites from the show. Both images look like movie shots.

Arango referred often to the role of women in the Colombian society.


                    Schizophrenia In Prison

Above you can see "school girls" followed by "schizophrenia in prison".

It is interesting that the female artist often portrayed women in the nude.

Above some surrealist images.

The museum shows also works of other artists of course. Above a lithography by Òscar Jaramillo followed by Miguel Ángel Rojas`"Blue Jean".

Above a sculpture by Bernardo Salcedo.

Enjoy!