Dali versus Warhol

Since it is rather cold outside, I will take you today on an exhibition rather than yet another old town to walk through. We will admire there the works of two amazing artists who changed the course of the history of art, each in his own way.

Salvador Dalí was born in Spain in 1904. He was one of the fathers of surrealism. To be honest, he looked quite surreal himself.

His paintings were never straightforward, showing several things at the same time. None of them clear enough. Like in the Temptation of Saint Anthony.

Actually, sometimes he would deliberately paint two things at the same time, like with Lincoln in Dalivision.

When you come close you see a naked woman looking at the sea. But if you walk back, you will out of a sudden see a portrait of Abraham Lincoln.

The woman on the picture is Dali's wife, Gala. She was his muse and a perfect woman in his eyes.

Dali was interested not only in painting. He was a skilled sculptor. Skilled in his own way of course. This sculpture is called The greatness of Islam.

He was also creating perfumes. Egocentric as he was, the bottle of the perfumes was shaped like Dali's nose and lips.

He has also written a cook book. Full of extravagant recipes like the Casanova coctail.

And if you would invite Dali for a party, he would always be ready to take a drink. Or twenty seven if needed.

Coming from Catalonia, Dali enjoyed seafood and fish. Or both ...

Dali was also the graphic designer behind the classic logo of the Spanish lollipops Chupa Chups – the sweet and bright rendition of a daisy.

Interior design? Architecture? Nothing is beyond the interest of an acomplished artist. A designer sofa ...

... can become the lips of Mae West. It is all a matter of proper perspective.

* * *

Andy Warhol was born in 1928 in USA. He was a front runner of pop art, building close links between art, celebrity and money.

Dali's hallmark was his moustache and Warhol is best known for his white wig.

The most famous work of Warhol are probably the multicolor Marylin Monroe graphics ...

... and the Campbell's soup.

This small object that you could pass in a supermarket without noticing is actually a piece of art.

Just like for Dali, Warhol's interest went far beyond graphic arts. He was a film director.

Though I must say his films were not too close to my personal taste. Way too weird.

But Warhol was also closely embeded in the music industry. His New York City studio called the Silver Factory was the place to be.

If you were lucky to be there in the 1960s, you could meet Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones.

Warhol has designed the cover of their album Sticky Fingers, considered one of their best albums ever. As you can see, Warhol's design was nothing close to shy and timid. In the original version the zip fly could be actually opened.

Warhol designed many album covers, for Blondie ....

... and the Velvet Underground.

And not to be too boringly attached to pop music, Warhol has also designed covers for classical masterpieces.

Because a real artist can work with any topic. Even Saint Apollonia.

Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw

Last week we have walked on the banks of the Wisła (Vistula) river. As we were passing next to the Center of Science Kopernik, I purposely missed to show you the building standing next to it. But today is the time we look into this direction once more.

So, any ideas what it is? A big white cube with paintings that look a lot like those that twelve year olds make in their math notebooks. With the only difference that they are made by a famous painter and materialise the link between humans and outer space.

Well, my dear. This is the temporary seat of the Contemporary Art Museum. It is known as the "Museum by the river Wisła". Shall we get inside?

In the large lobby you can buy tickets. But you can buy there also books, not only about art.

Currently the museum shows an exhibition about the rave culture. For those of you who are not necessarily fluent in modern art - this means electronic club music. You will hear the beat from every corner. Even from the trunk of a car.

 The beat is accompanied by lights.

Actually, it seems like people themselves are becoming part of light through dancing. At least through dancing to electronic music. It does not seem safe, just look at all these knives in the wall.

No surprise that people grow huge eyes to watch out for danger.

In the corner there is a black room when you can experience the influence of clubbing on people.

Wanna give it a try? Pump up the volume!

Lucerne (2) or Rick the Submarine

Last post on the blog ended dramatically, probably even in a worst moment than on the day when pirates have kidnapped Rick. Luckily, one of our faithful readers came to Rick's rescue, building a special device to literally fish Rick out of the river.

Hi everybody! It's me, Rick! Thanks for all those who have contributed to the rescue mission. I was already starting to fear that I will spend the rest of my life in this cold river. I admit, the view would be spectacular since I have landed just next to Lucerne's biggest tourist attraction, the Chapel Bridge. In the back you can see Pilatus.

The Chapel bridge is amazing for more than one reason. It is diagonal, meaning it is not passing the river in the shortest way. It is a pedestrian pass that is made of wood and that is covered - actually it is one of the oldest wooden covered bridges in Europe. It is also the longest truss bridge in the world. Trusses are construction elements in the form of triangles.

 Inside the triangles come paintings showing the history of Lucerne.

 From the bridge we can see the old town and the Town Hall.

On 18 August 1993 a huge fire broke, almost destroying the bridge.

Source: www.20min.ch

As a result, 75% of the paintings were destroyed. The bridge and the paintings were subsequently restored. Now they look as new. Or as old to be more precise.

The tower in the middle is actually not a chapel. It is a water tower, that used to be a prison as well. Nowadays it is closed to the public.

Did you notice the white building on top of the hill? It is Château Gütsch. It was built in 1888 by architect Emil Vogt as a private residence. Nowadays it is a five star hotel.

It was a long and exhausting day. Time to go back to the train station. Next to it you can find the Lucerne Museum of Art.

The Lucerne railway station was heavily impacted by the fire that burnt the Chapel Bridge. Nowadays only the former facade has survived, forming an arc of triumph leading to the new and modern station building.

Finally, we need to leave the heart of the old town and take a look at the Dying Lion of Lucerne. It was carved out of natural rock in memory of the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss mercenaries who died when protecting the French kind Louis XVI at the Tuileries in 1792. Mark Twain described the Lion of Lucerne as the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world.

The Lion of Lucerne, sometimes linked with Aslan from "The Chronicles of Narnia", is a good summary of my trip to Lucerne. I must say that today I have witnessed a rainbow of feelings, going from despair to hope and enthusiasm. Lucerne will forever have a special place in my hearth.

Liechtenstein

Today I am really excited. Not only will I take you to a new country. I will take you to a country that is not that easy to be visited because it is one of the smallest in the world - Liechtenstein.

Next to the Tourist Information you will find the "0" point, from which all distances are calculated. Not that they are long of course, after all Liechtenstein has only 160 km² of surface.

The capital city of Liechtenstein is Vaduz. It is the seat of the most important institutions in the principality. This yellow building is one of them.

You may think that it is rather small for a parliament, but remember that the parliament in Liechtenstein includes only 25 people.

Next to it, comes a different type of power place - the National Bank. 13% of the country's GDP is created by the financial industry so one should not underestimate its importance.

Just next to it you will see the seat of the government. This one is also modest since it includes only the prime minister and 4 ministers.

On top over the main entrance you will see the coat of arms of the principality.

Just a few steps further another important place of power - the cathedral. Roman Catholicism is the official state religion of Liechtenstein.

Next to the entrance you can see the previous rulers of the country, Prince Franz Josef II and Princess Gina. Now the country is officially ruled by his son, Hans-Adam II but in reality the current Prince has retired and passed most of his power to his son, Alois.

The cathedral is of course not too big but it is surprisingly full of light.

In the back you can see, of course, the organ. Since we visit the cathedral on a Saturday morning, we can assist a last rehearsal for a wedding ceremony. This is promising to be an unforgettable day.

Alright, let's move out on our tiptoes. And admire the cathedral again. If you look a bit upwards you will for sure notice a building on the top of the hill. This is actually the most important place in the city and the entire country - the palace of the Prince.

We will try to get closer to it. Let's take the main road first. You will see there a number of museums - the historical museum ...

... the art museum ...

... and even the post museum.

But what I really liked was that the main street of Vaduz is by itself a piece of art and an open-air museum.

These nice gentleman live next to the parliament. They are a symbol of the bitter truth that politics are a difficult balancing act.

Look, there is also a horse! Look like my uncle Rusty who used to serve in the army.

Here it is at last - the pathway to the castle.

Don't worry, it is an easy one, even for those who are not fans of hiking.

On the way you can admire some small waterfalls ...

... and discover important facts about Liechtenstein and its history.

I propose we stop for a second to admire the panorama of Vaduz. Unfortunately, it is already foggy autumn. If we were here on a sunny summer day you could see the Alps all around. Now you will have to believe me that they are here.

Finally, we reach the last turnaround. Here comes the Vaduz castle.

The castle is much older than the state of Liechtenstein, which you can easily guess by its medieval style.

Unfortunately, the castle is not open for the public since the princely family still lives there. You can only try to stretch your neck and look inside the garden.

What is quite amazing is that just on the other side of the street you can see the house of a local farmer.

Now the last point of our visit. Apologies if not all of you were on my address list this time but it really took me over half an hour to write all these down.

And here they go!

I hope that you have enjoyed this trip. I must admit that Liechtenstein has stolen my heart.

I hope that I will be able to come here once again on a sunny day. Just to see this ...

http://nathanwinder.smugmug.com