After the past few weeks of wintery snowy freezing cold weather, I thought long and hard to where my next stop would be on my quest to visit art museums...it did not take me too long to decide that I wanted to go somewhere warm and sunny. A book and a beach was my quest. When I did some research on San Juan, I was excited to see that they did have an art museum of their own, and then the quest was to make the necessary plans to make it so.
With my employment at Southwest Airlines I am able to fly on different carriers on a space available basis. Southwest does fly to San Juan, however currently there is not a non-stop flight from Boston. I therefore chose to fly JetBlue, which conveniently had a midnight flight to San Juan. This worked with my schedule as I was able to get on a plane after working a 16 hour day.
Interconnections.
I did not see any Monet's or Van Gogh's in Puerto Rico, instead I saw works of art that depicted the history and culture of the island. Presently the museum has organized its collection not by artist or timeline, but instead by theme. Works of art are intermingled that range from current to back to the 1700's. It is a small museum that packs a punch with minimal galleries.
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| "The Battle of Algiers" ~ Antonio Martorell ~ Silkscreen on paper |
Wood Carving for Printing
One of my favorite techniques is woodcarving for printmaking. Like the German Master Albrecht Durer ( albrecht-durer.org ), a story is told by the carving out of the wood and then transposed onto paper with ink. It is an art where the image is crafted backwards so as to print forwards. It is all about the details and the intricate strokes of the cutting tool. Side by side they are amazing. On the left is the wood carving, on the right the print on paper.
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| "En San Juan" ~ Dennis Mario Riveria ~ Self Portrait |
Plena
A huge mural made up of 20 masonite panels overtakes the center stage of the 4th floor gallery. There is so much going on in this piece of art that looking at if for only a short period does not give it justice. I sat in awe and absorbed as much as I could at first glance. There is a "map" for interpretation on the side so you can get more out of the meaning of the painting....
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| "Plena" mural~ gallery |
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| "Plena" and map of art work |
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| What is Plena? |
"...the concept of distance and movement, or travel, as unavoidable conditions with the globalized information society..."
Lastly, a sculpture that has whimsy and function that is actually a "working" piece of art was in the basement of the museum. The display has the bicycles and there is a video of how they came to the museum that is playing next to the sculpture. Well worth the watch as you will be amazed how well this works!
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| "Assemblage with 6 bicycles and a wheelchair" Jorge Cordero |
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| Video snap shot |
If you get the chance to visit San Juan, take the time to enjoy the art of the island and visit this museum. It is well worth your time and you will enjoy what you see and hear!
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