Claudio Bravo, "El Adivinador"

Hello everybody! Today I write about my favorite piece of art: “El adivinador”, from Claudio Bravo.

Claudio Bravo was a Chilean hyperrealist painter. Bravo established himself in Madrid in the 1960s as a society portraitist, gaining recognition for his astounding ability to create verisimilitude. His ability to depict complex objects and shapes is reminiscent of Velázquez, another painter of the hyperrealist.  And then, He went to Morocco. The artist died at his home in Taroudant, Morocco, on June 4, 2011, due to an epilepsy attack. Works by Bravo are included in the collections of El Museo del Barrio, New York, the Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, Maryland; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York; Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santiago, Chile; Museo Rufino Tamayo, Mexico City, Mexico; and so many others places.

The first time I see this picture, was in 1999, in the Bellas Artes Museum.  All the things that he painted, looks like a photo, not an oil painting. The Bellas Artes Museum has a collection of his painting, and the first time I see it, I love it. The character of realism, the colors, all I love. His technique was unic, like the things was specially made for him. When they said me “this is a painting”, I can’t believe! Its looks like a photo, a good photo! In the same time, I like this picture because in the time I saw it I was really happy, so when I see it, I remember this time.

  

Maybe this image doesn’t look so real, but when you see it, you change your mind.


 

Santiago: A city of contrast and disparity

I live in Santiago, since I was five years old. I always lived in Las Condes, but my father like to take out to some place in the city, like “History Museum of Santiago” or others places so I always have a view of Santiago that show me the contrast that the city have.

In some places, that the municipality has money, the city is beautiful and has gardens. But in others, borough without money, the city it’s a collage of houses, departments, supermarket, gardens, with no order. 

I like that the city have a lot of places and many things to do, if you have the money and can transport yourself, because you can do anything you want and go for visit different places and have others experience.

I don’t like that the city is isolated one borough to the other, don’t have any communication with the rest. Other things are the distance of the city, all it’s too far. Also, the city work to quickly and if you don’t have that rhythm, you stay back. And I love how the the Andes see in this city, so bigger and impressive. 

I think that, if we want that Santiago will be a better place to live, we must to see that the city need to work join all together. Give some space to the bicycle, more gardens and parks, more interaction in the borough in a good way, take out the cars, give significance to the people and the animals, give special attention to the recycled and to make a sustainable city.

My tips to a visitor are that they have always there belongings with them, go to visit the San Cristóbal hill, Santa Lucía hill, neighborhood “Lastarria”, neighborhood “Concha y Toro”, visit the Metropolitan Zoo, and take a lot of pictures. 

Roberto's blog. Correction.

I am in the horoscope Chinese the Dragon. I never have been interested for horoscope but reading the thing what said about my sign specifically Earth Dragon because (y) I was born (even years 1928 and 1988, specifically) in 1988. Here say “Earth Dragons make better decisions because they act more rationally” but I believe another thing, only is fun identifying with behaviors what help us to order the situations what happen in the life.

Anyway, something maybe coincide with my personality, but I think (what) that are thing than can be applied to anyone person because the definition are very general and ambiguous.

One thing (cause me) surprise me and might when I read: “in the health the point more weak is the system nervous”.

Also I read: While Dragons frequently help others, rarely will they ask for help. Others are attracted to Dragons, especially their colorful personalities, but deep down, Dragons prefer to be alone. Perhaps that is because they’re most successful when working alone. Their preference to be alone can come across as arrogance or conceitedness, but these qualities aren’t applicable. Dragons have tempers that can flare fast! In relation to this can be interpretive how the persons try to be like other persons and search approbation and affection, but in relation to my personality I believe that coincide with my way of (think) thinking.

Definitely, the Chinese horoscope and the horoscope in general, result interesting to investigate the origins of the doctrine with regard to the occidental culture and the oriental culture.

Red, incorrect. 

Blue, correct. 

Metal Horse

I was born in 1990, on April, so I’m Metal Horse, on Chinese horoscope. 

In the web page, it’s said that Horses symbolizes such character traits as strength, energy, and an outgoing nature. Horses are extremely intelligent so they’re able to grasp new subjects with ease. They’re also capable of multi-tasking however they don’t always finish what they start because they’re forever chasing the next opportunity. I agree with the first things: I think that I’ve a lot of energy and some intelligent in me. And also, I can’t always finish what I start, I’m boring too fast of the things. “They’re perhaps a bit too centered on themselves and have been known to throw tantrums when situations don’t go their way” said the webpage. And I agree too, I can easily frustrate with all, but, one good things, it’s that I forget it fast. 

I agree with that the Horses have a good healty enjoy positions in which they can interact with others. Horses, being spontaneous, have a tendency to fall fast and hard for others. They tend to give themselves fully in each new relationship a quality that ends up chipping away at their inner being. Maybe that true, but I feel that happened because at the beginning of the relationship; I want to do the best, so it can work. And I don’t feel that they prefer jumping from one relationship or job to the next. I prefer something permanent. But I’ve some good friend that are so much better than a partner. 

My Christmas

Well, all the year, since my granfather died, with my family the Cáceres, we spend the Christmas in the house of my aunt, Claudia, or mine. This year, it’s was in my house.

My family had a tradition: We went to San Vicente Ferrer’s parish church and after that, we went to the house, that had all the presents and gifts in the tree. It’s supposed that the Viejito Pascuero came in the house when we were in mass. So, I spend this with my mother, my brothers, Pedro and Lorenzo, my grandmother, Nené, my aunt, Claudia, her boyfriend, Pepe and with my three cousins, Catalina, Matilde and Antonio.

When we arrived at home, we started to open the gifts and comment about it, if it’s was a clothes, the person have to tried on and stuff like that. All of this with something to ate, black olive, different cheese and coke or wine.

After we opened all the presents, we went to the terrace where the table with all the food was: turkey with plum, celery salad with avocado, mashed apple and, for the dessert, chocolate ice-cream.  For the children, Matilde and Antonio, bilz coke, and for the rest, white wine, coke, or some liqueur, with the ice-cream.  It’s was a perfect Christmas, we went to bed at 3am in the morning!


Here it's my favorite Christmas song: Of course, the king, Elvis Presley, with "Blue Christmas".

Algarrobo, San Pedro’s beach.

I always go to Algarrobo on holidays with my family. We have a house, that it’s doesn’t nearly to the beach, so, when we want to go, we must go in the car. Our routine it’s wake up, have a breakfast, put the swimsuit, take a towel, the sunglasses and get in to the car.  We arrived like 11, 11.30, and look for a place nearly the part of the rocks that have a kiosk. We always go the beach, but stayed there only for three hours. Then, we came back to my house, to have lunch.

In that place, with my brothers, Pedro and Lorenzo, we go to the sea and swim for a while, playing with the waves, look for shells, and other sea animals. After that, I take the towel and have a rest on the sand. My brothers play the beach tennis, always moving. Then, we bought some ice-cream. Later, we go again to the sea, playing. But, my mother never go with us, she doesn’t know how to swim and don’t like the cold water.

I like this place, because I go there since I was a child and, at the time when we arrived, there aren’t so much people. It’s a long beach, with seafront to the island that has too many birds. In the sea, you can see a lot of animals, like starfish, fish, like the “banquillo”, “vieja”, “pintaroja” and others like that. If you’re in the rocks, you also see crayfish, baby mussel, sea anemone, with others animals.

Walk with Aníbal

Since I was a little child I do a lot of outdoor activities. With my father and brothers, we went to the parks and museums, or take a walk in my bike, for example. But, the one I like is to walk with my dog, Aníbal, for the streets and park, close to the house.
 

First of all, I really like to walk across the streets, but with Aníbal, I love it. The people that have a dog maybe understand me. I try, with my family, to walk with him with a leash, but it doesn’t work, so he doesn’t use a leash, because he is trained by me to walk next to me.

I stared to do this in 2000, when Aníbal arrived to home. He had a lot of energy, so we must walk with him all the days. Because of that, we teacher to walk alone, and he scratch the door or bark when he arrived. But, he always prefers to walk with someone.

I do this activity one or two times in the weekend, cause I have more time in that days. I like to do more in the evening, cause in the morning I don’t have the energy jaja. I like to do this because I like to see Aníbal face’s and his smile when he see me walk with him.

A picture of my dog, Aníbal.