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Last posts

Shopping addicts

Mónica Boixeda Istanbulite, Only-Be

Given a good deal, both the most capricious impulse buyer, as well as the stingiest miser bust out the credit cards, hands trembling with excitement, to make that special purchase. A study conducted by the University of Westminster, scientifically confirmed what everyone already knew: shopping is as exciting as watching a pornographic movie and one of the most delightful activities there is. The scientists conducting this study examined the emotional responses of over 50 volunteers while doing various activities and exposed to various incentives. Volunteers responded with as much happiness as when he gave them a voucher or gift card as they did during other activities. In fact, their emotional response was measured as having the same intensity as when these subjects were watching a good erotic movie. When a person falls in love, the brain sends the neurotransmitter dopamine, which stimulates the release of testosterone, the hormone of sexual desire. The impressive thing is that scientists detected the same levels of dopamine in individuals experiencing a satisfactory Shopping session. Obviously, these results lead us to the conclusion that for most people, sex and a good session of Shopping are just as exciting! This leads to different but accurate deductions. For one, it explains why people like to spend much money, even if they can’t really afford it. On the other hand, it becomes obvious why we spend so much on purchases especially when we are depressed or stressed. Like a good session of sex, Shopping relaxes us. If you want to feel the pleasure to be had by shopping, but want to avoid economic ruin, why not take... read more

Fernando Botero in Budapest

Mónica Boixeda Budapester, Only-Be

Fernando Botero is a Colombian artist, whose pictures and sculptures feature characters that are fat, expressive and emphatic. His bright and colorful paintings are in part inspired by the aesthetics of top Latin artists like Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco. However, his distinctive imagery has also been influenced by classical European painting, as Botero studied in Madrid, not in his home city Bogota. His works are peppered with references to great masterpieces that any avid observer with an affinity for art can discover. This fall the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest devotes an extensive retrospective to Botero´s playful imagery, and includes his most iconic works of the last twenty years of his career, as well as new works. There are about 60 oil paintings and sculptures. Under the simple title “Fernando Botero,” the exhibition, which opened on September 23rd and runs until January 2nd, 2011, seeks to showcase Botero as a representative figure in contemporary Latin American art and shed light on his pictorial and intellectual record. The Colombian artist is undoubtedly one of the most important figures of Latin American modernity, whose work can be found in some of the most hallowed collections in Japan, Russia, Germany, Italy and, of course, Colombia. Thanks to the robust and exaggerated human forms that populate his paintings and made him internationally famous, he has been compared to Peter Paul Rubens, who, like Botero, had a weakness for human curves, especially feminine ones. His work tells stories about his beloved home country with its colorful folklore and culture. In some of his paintings you can see Colombian flags, and other... read more

Rubens Exhibit at the Prado this Winter

Mónica Boixeda Madrilenian, Only-Be

The Prado Museum in Madrid will show almost a hundred works by of one of the most important artists in history, Peter Paul Rubens, until January 23, 2011. In addition, viewers can also enjoy a documentary about the Belgian painter Rubens. Peter Paul Rubens, known in the art world only by his surname, was born in Siegen, Germany, in 1577 and became one of the most celebrated artists in history for his paintings that emphasize the movement, color and sensuality. Common topics in his work range from religious things to classical mythology. The way in which he sought to convey an exalted vision of the ideal life of man was how Rubens became one of the most recognized artists of his time in Europe. The Prado Museum will close its exhibition year with a presentation of the Rubens exhibit on November 3rd. The exhibition will be curated by Alejandro Vergara, Chief Curator of the Flemish Painting School and will feature nearly a hundred works. One of the most interesting features is that the sample will allow viewers to see many Rubens masterpieces such as “Battle of St. George and the Dragon”, “San Pablo”, “The Garden of Love,” “The Three Graces,” ” Nymphs and Satyrs, “” Hercules and Cerberus, “Saturn Devouring his Son “,” Dance of villagers ” and ” Diana and her Nymphs surprised by Satyrs ” among others. Moreover, the Prado Museum is presenting a documentary directed by Miguel Angel Trujillo produced in conjunction with the Center for European Studies and Angular Productions about the artist’s life. If you want to see the best works of Rubens and... read more