Dark and Light Spain

At university I had an emotional art history lecturer. He often told the story of how he wept when he saw Picasso’s Guernica when he went to Spain. When I finally took my own journey to Spain I diligently traipsed round galleries seeing great and not so great art. It was on my last day in the country that I went to see Guernica in the Museo Reini Sofia in Madrid.

It was a cold, wet Saturday morning when I made the trek. With rain sluicing off my umbrella I was daunted by the huge white edifice of the museum. Once inside I walked down long windswept cloisters to the gallery where the famous painting hangs. On the way I got sidetracked by an intriguing exhibition called ‘Dark and Light Spain’ where colourful paintings of the bright, sunny south of the country were juxtaposed with brooding paintings depicting the darker colours and moods of the north. The exhibition helped me understand my own travels around the country where I’d encountered both the dark and light in the country and within myself.

Expecting to be further illuminated I continued on. With great anticipation I entered the gallery where Guernica is hung only to find a television crew were preparing to make a documentary. Thick cables ran across the floor and huge cameras were being rolled into position. The Director paused in her supervision of the crew to bark commands at me. Instructed to stand in only one position for a limited amount of time, I gazed at the painting through a comglomeration of people and equipment. The noise level was excessive and there was no chance for any private contemplation.

Life’s little moments
disrupting my agenda.
Do I laugh or cry?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(Picasso)

-some photos from my time in Spain

prompt: https://newwhatsgoingon.blogspot.com/2024/05/an-historical-moment.html “Description so we can imagine, description made up of images–this is the challenge this week.  Chose a big moment or a small moment in history, and focus on the specific event rather than on an individual person or on a general idea. Take us there. “

Into the Shimmering

I have been reading about the work of Deborah Bird Rose, an American anthropologist who spent many years over here in Australia learning about aboriginal traditions. The last book she wrote before her death in 2018 is titled ‘Shimmering: Flying Fox Exuberance in Worlds of Peril. In it she explores the aboriginal concept of shimmering – a way of seeing the world that recognizes the dynamic interconnection of all life.

At the beach the early morning shimmers across the sea. Transfixed by the light I breathe in the beauty. The park bench becomes a Torrii gate.*

Awareness expands.
shimmering in unity
I am one with life.

*A torii gate is a significant symbol in Japanese culture, representing a spiritual and physical boundary between the sacred and secular worlds. https://whysojapan.com/what-is-torii-gate/

a haibun written for – https://dversepoets.com/2024/04/30/poetics-how-about-a-selfie/

The Cherry Blossom tree

My nine year old grandson likes to draw Manga. One cold winter’s day I looked after him when he was home from school with a cold. After hours of drawing his favourite Manga characters he said he’d run out of ideas. I gave him some of my books on Japanese woodblock prints to look at. While he could see how the Manga characters he likes are derived from the figures in these prints, it was the cherry blossom trees in some of images that captured his imagination. From that day on cherry blossom trees have featured in his art.

Earlier this year his parents were able to buy a home after many years of renting. A great deal of their household talk now revolves around decor and gardening ideas. A small section of the backyard is covered with white gravel. As soon as he saw it my grandson decided it would be the perfect site for a cherry blossom tree. The idea appealed to everyone and now work is underway. His dad spends his free time digging out a pond while his mum researches varieties of cherry blossom trees and garden layouts. My grandson follows all these activities with great enthusiasm and helps out as much as he can.

Cherry blossom trees
inspiring creativity
across time and place

prompt: https://frankjtassone.com/2024/04/24/haikai-challenge-ii-14-4-24-24-latecherry-blossom-osozakura-haiku-senryu-haibun-tanka-kyoka-haiga-renga-haikaichallenge/