(Drivebycuriosity) - Yesterday I had an appointment in Mid Manhattan. I used the waiting time to take some snapshots with my iPhone 7plus. I display here a selection because I like them and I think they give a nice expression of what`s going on on the streets of a busy metropolis.
(Drivebycuriosity) -"Alien" is one of the strongest movies ever made. The film, released in the year 1979, influenced science fiction and the horror genre as well. And it spawned a franchise. Now the newest product of the franchise is in the cinema theaters: "Alien Covenant" (imdb) shot by Ridley Scott again, the creator of the iconic first "Alien" film.
"Convenant" is not as strong as the first three Alien movies but watchable (this is a spoiler free blog. You can find a synopsis here wikipedia). Many parts - and the basic structure - follow closely the first "Alien" and they are more or less variations of it. Some scenes also are interpretations of later Alien movies and I could spot influences of Kubrick´s "2001: A Space Odyssey" and other movies of course.
"Covenant" is more philosophical and ambitious than the early Alien movies. Unfortunately the movie also refers to Ridley Scott`s film "Prometheus" from 2012 ( (it´s actually also a sequel of this movie ). I didn´t enjoy Prometheus" and I forgot about it. The references make "Covenant" unnecessary complicated.
(Drivebycuriosity) - It seems that street art is everywhere. Wherever I
travel I find interesting pieces of urban art. During our recent vacation in Spain my wife & I spotted a lot of fascinating murals & graffiti in Madrid, Sevilla & Granada. I display here my
favorites.
(Drivebycuriosity) - As a frequent traveler I am used to the strict security controls on airports. They are uncomfortable but they raise my own security. While traveling in Spain my wife and I noticed a similar security systems on the railway stations.
Before entering Madrid`s railway station Atocha we had to pass a security control with the x-ray checks we are used from the airports. There was a line but we could pass fast. After passing the entry security system we weren´t allowed to go directly to the train platform, instead we had to wait in a hall before the platforms. Between the waiting hall and the platform was a glass wall with closed doors. The doors were opened shortly before the train departure time and only for the particular train platform.
(Drivebycuriosity) - Many visitors of Madrid go just to the Prado and no other museum. I think this is a mistake. My wife and I used our recent stay in the Spanish capital to visit the Prado & three other museums. The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum was our clear favorite (museo).
We loved this place because its collection has a huge variety and spreads from the 16th century to the 21th century. So we could see a fascinating mixture of classical masterpieces with iconic modern & contemporary art. And we spotted many of our favorite artists.
The museum in the center of Madrid - and close to the Prado - got his name from its founder, baron Thyssen-Bornemisza, the heir of an German industrial empire. He used his wealth to amass an impressive art collection, which is now shown at the Madrid museum with his name. I am impressed by TB`s taste and observed the collection with awe. I display here some of my favorites from this gorgeous place, a very subjective selection as usual.
Above you can see Tintoretto`s "Annunciation to the Wife of Manoah" (1555) followed by Francois Clout`s "La Carta Amorosa" (1570) & Mattia Preti´s "A Concert" (1630).
Above Caravagio`s "Saint Catherine of Alexandria"(1597) followed by Palma e Viejo`s "Portrait of a young Woman (La Bella)" (1525); Hans Baldung Grien`s "Portrait of a Woman" (1530) & Juan de Flandes`"Portrait of an Infanta (Catherine of Aragon?)" (1496).
"Reclining Nymph" by Lucas Cranach (1530) & "Venus and Mars" by Carlo Saraceni (1600).
"Bathers" by Emile Bernard was painted already in the year 1889 but it looks like a Picasso from the early 20th century. Did Picasso & others learn from this painting? The painting is followed by more "Bathers". This one is by Jean Metzinger (1905) and would fit into the hippie era of the late 1960s.
Erotic Tension
The scene above shows a lot of erotic tension. Who is seducing whom? "The Prints" by Henri Manguin (1905).
I really love Edward Hopper`s maritime scene: "The ´Martha mcKeen` of Welfleet" (1944).
Thyssen Bornemiza also had purchased one of Edward Hopper`s most iconic works: "Hotel Room" (1931, Oil on canvas. 152.4 x 165.7 cm). Maybe the crown of TB`s collection.
Dreaming Of Tigers
These powerful abstracts also caught my eye: "The Machine Drill" by the surrealist Frantisek Kupka (1927/29) & "Pictorial Architectonic" by Llubov Popova (1918), member of the Russian avantgardists.
TB also got Salvador Dali`s masterpiece "Dream caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Secon before Waking up" (1944). Bravo!
Pablo Picasso`s iconic "Harlequin with a Mirror" (1923) doesn`t need any comments.
Hans Hartung`s gorgeous abstract "Untitled (Renate Series)" (1965) is way underrated
"Smyrna Greek (Nicos)" by Ronald B. Kitaj (1976/77) also belong to the undervalued gems.
On one wall we could Francis Bacon and his late lover Julian Freud side by side: Bacon´s "Portrait of George Dyer in a Mirror" (1968) & Freud´s "Large Interior. Paddington" (1968/69).
Richard Lindner´s colorful "Moon over Alabama" (1963) is an eye cookie as well.
I believe Robert Rauschenberg`s fascinating collage "Express" (1963) has also to be seen in detail.
Above "Woman in the Mirror" by Paul Delvaux" (1936) followed by "Solitary and Conjugal Trees" by Max Ernst (1942); "Time and Again" by Yves Tanguy (1942) & "Double Eclipse" by Guillermo Kuitca (2013).
