Corona Art - Old Friend Gets Recognized Again

Got an email today from my friend Tomás.  He's a friend I met through the blog.  He left a comment and we connected before he returned with his family to Spain. That story was in 2010 and includes Exit Glacier.  He's been in Kentucky this year while his wife teaches Spanish in a high school.  Tomás is an architect and artist.

He wrote to let me know that the Washington Post invited readers to send in their pandemic art.  They got 650 submissions and Tomás was picked in their top 20.  Here's his picture, Corona Rising.

 

You can see the other 19 they picked, plus some of the honorable mentions here.  It's an impressive collection of very different visions.  

Tomás Is Loose In Kentucky

My Spanish friend Tomás is in his first few days in Kentucky.  He's a wicked artist, particularly when he's doing caricatures.

We met in 2010 when he left a comment on this post about Exit Glacier and we connected before he and his family returned to Spain. Here's a post with pictures of Tómas and his family and his great kids book Salfón:  El limpiodor de tejados.

His wife will be teaching science (I think)  in a Spanish language high school program in Lexington.  And I'm sure Tómas will be drawing.  In fact he sent me his first US drawing.

I did mention that while he is visiting in Kentucky, he would surely be drawing McConnell.  Let's see how his take on the senior Senator from Kentucky evolves over the year.

Meanwhile I picked up a second book on Peron at the library today - Perón and the enigmas of Argentina by Robert D. Crassweller. This one starts out trying to capture who Perón was by looking at the many long term cultural influences.  One of them is "the heritage of Castille" which he traces to 1492 when the Moors left and the Reconquest.

"That long and arduous crusade had deeply marked the Castilian character and personality.  Society was pastoral and had lived by war for centuries, disdaining lesser and demeaning pursuits such as commerce.  A powerful and authoritarian state emerged, energized by effective government.  The parliament of Castile, the Cortes, lacked the power of the purse and soon languished.  Royal power, resolutely exercised, curtailed any political role for the aristocracy, which contented itself with social privilege, and there was no significant challenge from below.
Freedom in the Anglo-Saxon sense of the world was not a product of these tendencies, but that implies neither tyranny nor misrule  All the monarchs of the age were popular and intuitively sensitive to public moods and aspirations.  Thus royal authority was willingly accepted and viewed as consistent with freedom and liberty.  Absolutism, tied to religious values, was not seen as tyranny, since individual rights and dignity were protected." (pp. 24-25)

I'm just quoting, not saying it's accurate.  It's certainly simplistic, as a short synopsis like this must be.  After all, the subjects of the religious persecution - non-Catholics, particularly Jews - didn't have their rights and dignity protected and probably would disagree.

What I found particularly interesting was a description of the Spanish state and church ruled a much different culture than that in northern Europe.

"The State had never known feudalism in the the northern European sense of a system with centers of politics power apart from, and often in opposition to, the royal authority.  There had been no Magna Carta inSpain, no warlike barons jealously and successfully protecting their local powers, no system of courts enforcing laws that did not originate with the king's justice.  The Church was the Church of the Counter-Reformation, necessarily broad and pluralistic in many respects, a palace of many chambers, but nowhere in it had there been any experience in sharing of the power that was tightly consolidated in the successors of St. Peter.
Thus neither Crown nor Church could contribute to the traditions, the techniques, and the psychological attitudes that are essential for adjusting successfully the claims of competing power centers in a society containing many such.  The arts of compromise and conciliation, and the habits of mind necessary for their appreciation, were dormant and underdeveloped."(25-26)

 Again, I can't judge how accurate this is, but it seems appropriate to do a little Spanish history as I welcome Tómas and his wife to the US.  But let me do a little more.  So far he's talking about what the Spanish heritage Perón would eventually inherit didn't do well, but he goes on to talk about what it did well. He does a paragraph about the philosophy and political thought coming from Aquinas, Aristotle, and Renaissance Scholasticism, not from the social contract theory of Rousseau, Locke, and Hobbes.

"Rather, it was  a powerful stimulus to an organic theory of life and of the State, a theory of natural harmony in which every human and every institution had a purpose, a station, ordained and secure.  And it was also a powerful support for the prevailing Mediterranean and Iberian corporatism, defined in the broad sense of a 'sociopolitical organization that is  . . hierarchical, elitist, authoritarian, bureaucratic, Catholic, patrimonialist . . ."
"Castilian society exalted courage and honor and defined them in an exclusive and stringent code as ideals appropriate for the man of rank, the gentleman, the hidalgo.  For such a man and such an ideal ". . . work did not redeem and had no value in itself.  Manual work was servile.  There was little or no interest in science and its fluid experimentation, or in technology and technique in general, or in any kind of economic activity.  The superior man neither worked nor traded:  he made war, he commanded, he legislated.  He also thought, contemplated, loved, wooed, and enjoyed himself.  Leisure was noble." (26)

While it may seem I've taken quite a bit from Crassweller, he would probably say I left out the most important parts.  And this is only one of the cultural heritages he's telling us we need to understand if we are going to get a good sense of Perón.  Another will be the creole heritage.  I like the idea of going back like this to find influences on Perón, but I also realize it's a risky act.  Is he going back and finding things in Spanish culture that manifest themselves in Perón, leaving out much that is not 'Perón"?  I can't judge.  Maybe Tómas will be the best evaluator of this cut and paste Spanish heritage.


[Kathy, for some reason my brain says you're in Louisville, which isn't that far, but not that close either.  Am I right?]

Trump: A View From Spain

Cartoon by Tomás Serrano and used with permission

I met Tomás Serrano when he was visiting Alaska.  He's a Spanish artist, cartoonist, and architect who does wicked caricatures and probing portraits.  I've linked to his website since we first met.

My interpretation of this cartoon is that the world outside the US, at least Tomás' world, takes heart in watching the American people stand up against Trump.

In the short run, I expect that the protesters won't have access to the field that they have in this cartoon, and that Trump will score some goals by playing on a secret field, like he did with the travel ban - consulting with none of the professionals or with the Republicans in Congress even.

But in the long run, let's all hope that the worst of his policies will be ruled foul by the refs, and if we're lucky, Trump will be ejected from the game.  Let's remember, though, the advice to be careful what you wish for.  His stand-by is Pence, whose ideology may be worse, but masked in a more reasonable appearing style.

But if the protests are sending reassuring messages to the rest of the world, that a large percent of American people are as appalled as they are, then that's a big step toward recovering our 'brand,' to use logic that Trump might understand.

You can see more of Tomás Serrano's work at his website.

Spanish Artist Blogger Depicts His Dinosaur Encounter In Seward

Here's the link to Unexpected Encounter at the Van Gilder Hotel.  

With permission from TS @ Walkdo Walkiria World

I first 'met' Tomás Serrano when told me about how much he enjoyed Exit Glacier in a comment in this post in 2008.  And expanded when he and his family came for breakfast before heading back to Spain.  I've been following his blog ever since (Waldo Walkiria World in the Friends blog roll on the right.)  It's a gallery of amazing art, particularly caricatures, many of them of people I'm not sure I know.  Sometimes they're European politicians I don't recognize.  He's also a great movie buff and does a lot of actors.  He even won a World Press Cartoon Award  in 2011.

But when I looked at Unexpected Encounter, I thought, now this is really obscure, but somehow familiar.  What movie was the Van Gilder Hotel in?  Then I googled the Van Gilder Hotel.  I was a little embarrassed to see it was actually a hotel I'd visited (but not stayed at)  in a small Alaska town I love.  Very near Exit Glacier.

I can't believe Tomás never told me about the dinosaur.   I talked to him just days after it would have happened.  I guess he didn't want me to blog it until he did it first.  

Tomás' Video

My friend Tomás, is a very talented cartoonist who lives in Spain.  When he sent me a link earlier this year to a music video he'd done the visual for, I was impressed.  Very original and imaginative.  I told him to submit it to the Anchorage International Film Festival.  He did.  But it didn't get accepted.  Perhaps they don't like music videos, but I don't think their rules say that.  I still think it's very original, well drawn, and very evocative.  (Whatever that means.)  You can see a snippet of it yourself.   And, of course, I'm looking forward to see all the animation at the festival that is better than this. 





Note: I'm not complaining that it didn't get in. Just stating facts. Each person has his own aesthetic preferences and the people who decided on the animated films made choices that were right for them. And I haven't yet seen the others. Tomás wrote recently that the trailer can now be posted. 

Malaria - Clever Animation Video Particularly For Tomás

My friend Tomás is a Spanish artist who does great work in various media including cartoons and video.  I think he'll really like this video. 

But so should the rest of you.  This is very clever and original.  I'm not even sure how to describe it. 



Thanks to Five Feet Long and Luminous where I ran across it.

Spanish Unemployment Brought Home - The Wicked Power of Great Animation

Fellow blogger and friend, Spanish architect and wicked* artist, Tomás Serrano, just posted a short animated film he made that is NOT in the Anchorage International Film Festival this year (maybe next year?)  But it shows the power of animation to convey the emotional impact of Europe's economic hard times. Even though this short cartoon is in Spanish - spoken so fast only a supersonic speed reader could keep up with subtitles if there were any  - it's completely comprehensible to anyone whether they understand Spanish or not. 



MR. ARCHITECT EN CRISIS from TOMAS SERRANO on Vimeo.

*Since English is not Tomás' first language and I've used a slang version of the word 'wicked,' I guess I should explain.  The Urban Dictionary doesn't quite cover the meaning I intend.  "Wicked" here, means "something so honest about an unfortunate truth that it is both painful and delicious." 

La Casa de las Conchas - Manhattan Shorts in Salamanca

Tomás sent me this picture of "the house of the shells" in Salamanca, Spain where he's going to see the Manhattan Short Film Festival Wednesday.  He's a  serious film buff as well as a wickedly good artist/cartoonist.  His blog is listed on the right - Waldo Walkiria.  He's also put up a new website. 

This an idea of a world wide film festival, where everyone sees the same ten films at the same time around the world, along with internet technology, means that Tomás and I will be able to discuss these films even though I live in Alaska and he lives in Spain. I'm interested in finding out which film he votes for as the best and what he thinks about them all.

If anyone else has a photo of your local Manhattan Short Film Festival venue - send it in and let me know which films you liked.

The website doesn't show the different cities well.  When you find the country - or state - the cities are listed on the top.  The brochure we got shows some Alaska locations and dates.  The website shows venues but not dates.  So here are the Alaska ones:

• Matsu folks - it says Strange Bird (venue) online and in the brochure in Palmer on  October 1 and 2 
• Petersburg  is on the brochure for September 29 and online  at the Arts Council at 12 Nordic Drive at 7pm.
• Juneau isn't in the brochure, but online it says it's at the Gold Town Theater Sept. 29, Oct. 1 and 2. 
• Talkeetna and Anchorage - it's already over in these places.  

Then let's chat here about which films you liked and why.

Tomás Gets Third Place in World Press Cartoon Humor Award

On the English language page of the World Press Cartoon website, it says 'gag' cartoons, but in the Portuguese it says "Humor."  I think they should have used the same word in English.  These are humorous, but they aren't 'gags.'  Here's his third prize winning cartoon. Tomás gave me permission to post it here when it was officially announced.   It's called HARD CHILDHOOD/Infancia difícil

The Grand Prize Winner was Australian Rowe and his cartoon entitled "WikiLeaks and Uncle Sam."  You can see all the award winners and their cartoons here.

World Press Cartoon Awards and Alaska Press Club Honor Blogger Friends**

As I write, a lot of cartoonists and people interested in cartoonists are gathered in Sintra, Portugal for the World Press Cartoon Awards ceremony.   Spanish cartoonist Tomás Serrano is there.*  He hiked the Harding Icefield trail at Exit Glacier last summer and then left a comment on my blog post of that hike.  And so we got together when he came through Anchorage.  He's a really gifted cartoonist and has two children's books and he's up for an award.  I have a link to his website on the right - Waldo Walkiria.  

The World Press Cartoon website says the prizes will be announced today.  And it's already tomorrow in Portugal.  They had too good a time to post the winners on their website. 

Also, last week, after my blogging class, I saw that the Alaska Press Club had its annual conference in the same building at UAA.  I got their schedule and saw they had awards too last week.

Two Alaska cartoonists (and bloggers) - Peter Dunlap-Shohl and Jamie Smith won prizes.  (I like Peter's stuff so much I have links to both his blogs here on the right - Frozen Grin and Off and On:  The Alaska Parkinson's Blog., which won Best Commentary Blog from the Alaska Press Club.   I thought I had Jamie's Ink & Snow linked here but I didn't, so I added it.) 

(Jeanne Devon at Mudflats got second in that category and the Alaska Dispatch's Jamie Woodham's blog The Concerned got third.)





Jamie Smith got best Editorial Cartoon (Large print Small print) for his work at the Fairbanks News Miner.

You can get a pdf with all of the Alaska Press Awards here.


Congratulations to Tomás*, Peter, and Jamie, as well as Jeanne and Scott.

* I know Tomás won something, because he emailed me several weeks ago that he was invited to the award ceremony.  He has to of his cartoons submitted and at the time he didn't know which had won or what it had won.  They're both neat and I'll post them when the word comes in. 


** What's a Friend These Days?
In the age of Facebook, what is a friend?   I was hesitant to put 'friends' in the title.  I would say that a couple of the people named in the post qualify, others I like and/or respect a lot, but I just haven't spent much time with.   Jamie, for instance,  I've only exchanged emails with.  Scott, not even that.   Not exactly friends in the old definition, but probably in the FB sense. 

In case anyone is asking this question: 
Answer:  No, I didn't submit anything to the Alaska Press Club Awards.  I didn't even know they had a category for blogs until I saw the list. 

Have a good weekend!

Tomás' Book Now in Online Edition

Last summer I met Spanish blogger, architect, artist, and amazing children's book author,  Tomás Serrano.  We connected after he left a comment on a post on Exit Glacier.  We spent a morning with him and his family before they headed to Chicago and back to Spain.  And he left a copy of Salfón el limpiador de tejados. 

Now, his most recent blog post at Waldo Walkiria World - under Blogs of Friends or Acqauintences on the right - announces that Salfón can be read online.

It's at a website called Magic Blox - Your Kid's Digital Book Library. The site has that bursting plastic blocks exclamation point and stars look, and you can only read a few pages without buying a library card. But each of his pages is a work of art worth looking at. And, if you have kids, the library card sounds pretty reasonable - much less than buying just one of the books.

The book is in Spanish, but the illustrations are in human.

By the way, Tomás hinted that one of his cartoons has won a major prize, but he doesn't know for sure until the winners are announced in April.  I'll let you know, or you can go directly to his blog.   Maybe we can get him back to Alaska - his family seemed to be having a great time last summer and realizing how little they got to see.

How Exit Glacier Connected Me to El Limpiador de Tejados

I got a comment about a week ago on a post last year about Exit Glacier.  Tomás Serrano left a comment, "I was there today. It´s a wonderful place, but ask your knees... It worths!!!!"  (I don't look at old posts for comments, they come to me by email.)  I linked on his profile and checked out his blogs.  He's from Spain and wrote a children's book called Salfón:  El limpiador de tejados.  His blog also mentioned that he was leaving copies of the book for Alaskans to find.  So I emailed him about clues where we might find the book.  (If you're in Valdez, he left one in the library there.)  He seemed like an interesting guy. 








 



It turned out he would be in Anchorage on Saturday and Sunday so I invited him over for breakfast.  Sunday he came over with his wife and two children and we had a great time together - including a trip to the botanical garden and Glen Alps.  










We had a great time Sunday, thanks to the blog and Exit Glacier.  They should all be back in Spain now.  They stopped in Chicago for six or seven hours and I just got an email from our friends there who picked them up and showed them around on their stopover.  


There are so many interesting people in the world and it's fun to have this sort of opportunity to show Anchorage off to people who so enjoyed seeing it. 


Oh yes, he left an autographed copy of Salfón with us.  And if you want to know what

El limpiador de tejados

means, you can copy it here, then paste it into the window at translate.reference.com (make sure it is set to Spanish to English) and you can find out. 

I should add a note about another blogger friend, Ropi, who studied Spanish as well as English.  He's been accepted to study applied economics at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.  He did mention that he is going to drop Spanish and study Russian.  But wait Ropi, and first read Tomás' book.