Tag Archives: painting

Picasso Exhibition Opens in St. Augustine, FL

The PICASSO Art & Arena exhibition opened yesterday in St. Augustine. The show celebrates the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Florida by Juan Ponce de León. The show is also the first of many exhibitions planned as part of the St. Augustine’s 450th Commemoration.

Previewing the Picasso Bull Series
Previewing the Picasso Bull Series

The PICASSO collection includes 39 original pieces created between 1929 and 1961, on loan from the Picasso Foundation in Malaga, Spain.  They provide insights into one of the artist’s main themes: bullfighting. Bullfighting was a revered tradition in Spain, Picasso’s home country. Curator Maria D’Adamo told of Picasso’s fascination with the sport’s trilogy: the matador, picador and the bull.

The exhibition in the Visitor’s Center is set in the round, like a bullfighting ring, with two large photographic reproductions of spectators defining the space.

Faces in the crowd watch a bullfight.
Faces in the crowd watch a bullfight.

One of the highlights is a series of 11 lithographs, created between December 1945 and January 1946. They begin with a realistic drawing of the animal and succeeding works gradually reduce the strokes into a cave like primitive drawing. The final lithograph is only a few lines, but still recognizable as the animal.

 

The Bull
The Bull

I believe the bull series will appeal to both adults and children because they can clearly trace the transformation. Picasso said, “It took me four years to learn to paint like Raphael, and a lifetime to paint like a child.”

An intriguing 20-minute video is displayed on the rear wall showing Picasso painting on glass. The viewer gets to watch a work of art come to life right in front of their eyes.

In addition, the show includes some of the prolific artist’s ceramic pieces and illustrations composed for books. A timeline of Picasso’s life helps the visitor understand the stages of his artistic lifestyle.

St. Augustine Visitor Center

February 1 to May 11, 2013

www.staugustine-450.com and www.picassoartandarena.com

Picasso Banner hangs  in St. Augustine
Picasso Banner hangs in St. Augustine
View from the Balcony
View from the Balcony

Painting with Pasta in the Keys

Art by Pasta Pantaleo

I am not an artist; the closest I come is through photography.  However, I recently found myself in Key Largo and was offered a painting class with Pasta.  Hmm. My thoughts ran to my grandkids and those colorful necklaces and bracelets they make with painted pasta shapes.

No noodles here. I entered a fabulous artist’s studio and gallery where I met Roberto Pantaleo, a.k.a. Pasta, my instructor.  Pasta is an artist who paints vibrant scenes of the Keys, mostly fish and marine life. I adored his lines and design in the above fish and was drawn to the peacefulness of this mangrove tree with criss-crossed  roots.

Pasta Pantaleo and the Mangrove Tree

I was to paint a Leatherback turtle–okay!  First, I sketched oval egg shapes on a piece of paper and Pasta showed me how to blend those into the turtle’s head, body and limbs.  Next, I drew a similar animal on canvas.  So far so good.

Painting the water

Now it was time to pick up the brush- a daunting task.  “Just mix blue and green together and drab them onto the canvas like Monet,” said Pasta.   Sure, I thought.

“Lovely colors,” he said. “Do the same thing with beige and browns to create the beach.”

Amazingly, my little turtle was coming to life better than I expected and the thing was — I was having a blast.  I forgot about time and felt like I was floating in the water with my tortoise.  I was literally living in the moment.

When I tried painting my turtle’s shell, my efforts didn’t achieve much depth. But, a few strokes from the master greatly helped the cause. I ended up with a painting I’m rather proud of. Sure, I know it’s a  primitive work but I had fun. Wish I could take another class.

Turtle by Debi

Pasta Pantaleo is the ideal teacher; he’s encouraging and helpful, never demeaning and an all-around happy person. Might be the island’s aura, but the Keys seem to bring out art in everyone.

Pasta Signature Gallery

Mile Marker 81.5

Islamorada, Florida 33036

www.ArtByPasta.com

305 849-3968

954 290-4262