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Last posts

Piet Mondrian in Rome

Mónica Boixeda Only-Be, Roman

The Piet Mondrian exhibition, “L´harmony perfetta”, recently opened in Rome, brings together masterpieces from collections as far afield as Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, the Denver Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa and the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto. The exhibition has been curated by Benno Tempel, director of the Gemeentemuseum. At the beginning of the twentieth century Mondrian was already considered a successful landscape artist. But he was also obsessed with the idea of ??progress and convinced that he had a personal mission. He evolved a non-representational form which he termed Neo-Plasticism. This consisted of white ground, upon which was painted a grid of vertical and horizontal black lines and the three primary colors. Mondrian was inspired by the theosophy of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, and his work is influenced by this concept. Blavatsky taught that one could achieve a deeper understanding of nature than that provided empirically. Mondrian believed that the work of art was to help provide this understanding. He said “only when we are genuinely within reality will art no longer be necessary.” This theosophy stems partly from the force acting between man and woman, something that Mondrian also represents in his work. The observer may not see it immediately, but knowing that the female element is represented by the horizontal and the masculine by the vertical, it becomes clear that Mondrian attributed an important role to these elements from the beginning, first in his figures and later in his abstract compositions. The quest for this universal harmony is the leitmotif of all his work. Mondrian painted his first cubist abstract work in 1914. He... read more

What not to do in Barcelona if you don’t want to be a ‘guiri’

Mónica Boixeda Barcelonian, Only-Be

Every city has its customs and its behaviours, which generate common codes and they assimilate us in such a way that only a stranger could break them, and those, in Spain, are called ´guiris´. We will tell you how to avoid being surprised by passers-by acting crazy like a common tourists, so follow these tips. Check your map before leaving, fixate the daily route and walk loosely around the city. It´s not good that they see you in the street looking into an open map because it denotes you condition as a tourist and you´re exposed to discomfort, such as pickpocketing attempts or other nuisances. Never, whatever you do, go out with ridiculous hats, especially those Mexican hats which they wear in souvenir shops, t-shirts with ´I love Barcelona´, and especially with wallets or bags which have ´Barcelona´ written all over them. Remember that shorts are for the beach, especially if they´re flowery ones. The Catalans would never walk with them in the city, and the flip flops after October denote your condition of foreigner, without doubt. Also never go to the beach with shoes with heels or long dresses, leave that for the club. Something which isn´t advisable is to go around with a money belt, because it immediately exposes you as a ´guiri´. If you use it, make it less obvious, and hang it from your shoulder like it´s usually done in the city. Remember that wherever you go, do what you see, so don´t wear anything visible which labels you a ´guiri´, because the Catalans are bored of the rudeness of certain types of tourists, and... read more