At the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum Madrid

A paintings tour! (#2)

Madrid, Spain is beautiful.  El Parque de Retiro is a miles-wide greenspace adorned with sculptures, ponds, gazeboes and flower gardens that stretch through the middle of the city. I saw many people come to read here, even on a chilly day that threatened (and delivered) bursts of rain. I’d expect even more to come enjoy a book on a day with kinder weather. When I was biking through, adorable book stalls lined the back of the park. You wouldn’t even need to leave Retiro to replenish your need for a new story. Nearby sit three art museums: the Reina Sophia, the Prado, and the Thyssen, and the classic European city streets meander beyond. 

After hopping off the train arriving at Madrid’s station, my family’s exploration of this eye-catching city began at the Thyssen. Here, the first floor plays host to the museum’s impressionist collection. We meandered for quite some time, and these pieces came to be my favorite.

Edward Henry Potthast brought a piece of the bluest ocean to landlocked Madrid with Beach Scene. The vivid colors emphasize the clear air outside of New York, and the sky takes up over half the frame – boasting of the endless space beyond the city limits. I recently rediscovered the peace that comes from laying down and staring at the sky, watching the birds fly quickly to and fro while the clouds slowly creep across your vision. Someone on this beach must be doing the same thing, over 100 years in the past. It seems a bit windy here, as the waves are rough, but what stands out to me the most about this painting is the definition of the subjects. When you look closely, each person in Beach Scene is no more defined than the clouds in the sky. Unlike the city where people run the show, here, humans and nature alike form the landscape together.

Fashion is another art form in Madrid.  The younger crowd seems to effortlessly use different textures and color combinations whose creativity I don’t think will reach the United States for some time. Their emphasis on self-expression is incredible.  My theory is that you can base each one of your outfits off of a new art piece or building in the city and have lovely style. I wouldn’t be surprised if The House in Giverny inspired one of the outfits I saw in Madrid. The flowers along the picture frame are nothing like the image in color, style, or texture. However, the two seem to complement one another in a way that’s hard to put into words. It might be how the rugged wood of the frame fades into the scene that joins the two together? Or maybe the big yellow flowers highlight the undertones of the luscious swath of leaves adorning the side of the French cottage.

(Simone by Georges D’Espagnat). Art’s ability to describe so much in the space of a frame that can be reduced to measurements will never fail to amaze me. However, like a photograph, there can be equally as much that a painting doesn’t tell. The viewer is left to finish the story on their own. Could this young girl have managed to escape a dinner party around the corner, from which she can still hear music and chatter, relief flooding her body? Is her young son playing baseball with friends on the lawn off the side of the scene? Will she finish this book and then go for a swim? And what is she reading in the first place?

(Low Tide at Varengeville by Claude Monet) I can’t wrap my mind around how Monet knows exactly which colors to use to paint the water’s smooth and glassy reflection. I’d like to walk right across the top of the opaque tidal pool. The dark green of the moss is so unique and beautiful, especially in how it looks two-toned against the surrounding water and draws out the green of the distant cliff and waves. I read somewhere recently that humans have a need to see water. I can even feel the benefits of a long look at Low Tide. Beauty matters.

Signing off to plan my closet around some of these pictures. I have a dark green skirt that’s been sitting in the corner without any inspiration, but I think Low Tide can help. Will update with any success!