Vienna II

I spent almost the whole day in the "Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien". The collection has around 1,400 paintings, mainly works by artists of the Venetian Renaissance (Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto), but also included major works by 15th- to 17th-century Flemish masters (van Eyck, Rubens, van Dyck). The museum also has an important collection of Egyptian and Near Easter art, and I loved the cute hippo that I show you in the picture ;-)

HKM-Hippo

After the cultural activity I was terribly hungry and could not resist to have a typical Käsekrainer (austrian cheese-filled sausage!): caloric and delicious!

And now, I do not know yet what to do, it is my last night here in Vienna and I should go out...

or stay and then go to the Prater park tomorrow morning? Well you will know...

Grüße aus Wien!

Greetings from Vienna to everyone! Today I finished the job assigment that brought me to Vienna and now I have time to enjoy visiting the city ;-)

This mission has been great, the colleages were very friendly, we worked a lot but we also went out in the evening. The first day we went to see an ice-hockey match. I was reluctant at the beginning but it was quite exciting at the end, but what a brutal sport... ("my team", the Red Bulls Salzburg won against the EV Vienna Capitals!). Then, on wednesday we went to the Albertina museum to visit the exhibition of Van Gogh: excellent!

VAN GOGH Ausstellung v. 5.9.08 - 8.12.08
AlbertinaWienAustria

The outstanding activity of today (thursday 23.10) was to go to the well-known Sacher hotel and eat their famous and very expensive cake + coffee ;-) ...I have to control my budget:

Sacher Torte

That´s all for now!

La Cenerentola

Yesterday I went to the opera of la Monnaie here in Brussels to see "La Cenerentola" of Rossini directed by Joan Font (Els Comediants). This was an excellent initiative of one work colleage who bought the tickets. I am far to be an expert in Opera or classical music in general but it is always a great experience to attend this kind of events. 

La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo (Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant) is an "operatic dramma giocoso" (between opera seria and opera buffa, with a sentimental plot and a happy end) in two acts by Gioacchino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the fairy tale Cinderella. Rossini's La Cenerentola was first performed in Rome in 1817. La Cenerentola ridicules the habits and vices of the bourgeoisie, holding up a mirror to audiences past and present.

Rossini composed La Cenerentola when he was 25 years old, following the success of The Barber of Seville the year before. La Cenerentola, is considered to have some of his finest writing for solo voice and ensembles.

Joan Font directs this colorful version which is a major co-production from the Houston Grand Opera, Welsh National Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu and the Grand Théâtre de Genève.

La Monnaie

Click here to read the article in "Le Soir"

Mi par d'essere sognando, finale concertant (Liceu, Barcelona 2008) :

(Switch-off the background music first: left-side down of the screen) 

Anniversary

My parents arrived safe to Medellin! They seem very happy although my grandmother is really weak. But today is also a very special day: my parents celebrate their wedding anniversary. 38 years of togetherness! The family will gather this afternoon. So, congratulations to "mis viejos"! We love you!

Dad and mum are now in Colombia

My parents are in a two week trip to Colombia. They want to visit my grandmother (my mother's mum) who is very ill. It is very difficult, we do not know for how long she will live. That is why my parents decided to go to Medellín. It is a long trip and at the present time they must have arrived already. For me it is quite late (03:40 am), but I would like to know if they are already at grandma's place. Anyhow I will put the clock with the local time in Colombia in this blog to check when can I call them to have any news.

First steps into oil painting

It is already 1 month since I started going to the Art Academy. I have finished my first exercise: an introduction to the study of perspective, how to make a sketch with charcoal and the most important: how to paint with oil! It is not as simple as I had previously thought! Therefore the learning process is slow but I'm very proud of the results. I decided to create a new blog to keep track of the things that I am learning and the exercises. So if you are curious here you have the link:

http://quintc-art.blogspot.com/

But please, I'm far to be the new Picasso, right? So be indulgent ;-)

Cuore sacro

This is the second film of Ferzan Ozpetek that I have watched.

I find it difficult to explain my feelings about this film. The magic and mystic interacts with the rough side of the reality of our competitive society full of disparities. This mix seems difficult to reconcile and the goodness that invades the main character (a successful yuppie) of the film turns to be an episode of insanity and alienation, compulsive altruism. Therefore, you must be definitely nuts to be a saint nowadays…an even if it is true it seems to me a very disappointing solution…I do not know…this makes me feel uncomfortable. All in all the film is good, the photography excellent but something is missing…I am still thinking about it!

http://www.cuoresacro.com/

Resilience

Resilience is defined as a dynamic process in which individuals exhibit positive behavioral adaptation when they encounter significant adversity or trauma.

"A stone when struck resists. If its resistance is greater than the force of the blow struck, it remains outwardly unchanged. Otherwise, it is shattered. While the living thing may easily be crushed by a superior force, it none the less tries to turn the energies which act upon it into means of its own further existences... It is the very nature of life to strive to continue in being. Since this continuance can be secured only by constant renewals, life is a self-renewing process."

John Dewey (1859-1952) American educational philosopher

To know more click here

Background music: Coldplay, Everything's not lost/ Life is for living

When I'm counting up my demons.
There's always one for everyday,
With the good ones on my shoulder,
I drove the other ones away.

If you ever feel neglected,
If you ever think all is lost,
I'll be counting up my demons, yeah,
Hoping everything's not lost,
Everything's not lost

Family visit

My father and brother -in-law came to attend a training course in Leuven and we spend last Sunday together visiting Brussels. I was very happy to have them here: Josep, Maria José, Marina, Marc, Maria and also her cousin with her husband and mother-in-law. Yes we were a bunch of people! We were blessed with a sunny day...quite lucky indeed! Hope they will come in the near future and have more time to visit other interesting spots of this "plat pays"!

Cheers!