{"id":17,"date":"2009-05-15T16:27:21","date_gmt":"2009-05-15T20:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/world\/?page_id=17"},"modified":"2010-02-09T13:41:55","modified_gmt":"2010-02-09T17:41:55","slug":"spain","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/world\/past-fellows\/2009-fellows\/spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Adam Eaglin: Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"

NUNCA HAY TIEMPO\u00a0SUFICIENTE<\/span><\/p>\n

August 30, 2009, 7:43 am\u00a0<\/div>\n
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Lo siento, lectores fieles \u2014 I\u2019ve still been traveling a lot, so not as much internet, but I have been filling my moleskins with notes, observations, and poems. I think, once I am settled, or maybe when I return to los Estados Unidos, I will retroactively update with the posts I\u2019ve been writing in my head and notebook.<\/p>\n

I just got back from Girona, Catalonia\u2019s second or third largest city, though it feels infinitely smaller than Barcelona. It\u2019s an ancient Roman\/medieval town, and as soon as you enter the old city, it feels like you\u2019ve been taken back in time. My new friend Anna (who is originally from Figueres, which is famous as Salvador Dali\u2019s hometown) invited me to visit for a day, since she normally lives\/works there. She showed me the city, and took me to see a comedic reinterpretation of Hamlet at Girona\u2019s free summer theater festival\u2026. and it was entirely in Catalan. If it sounds strange\u2026 well, let\u2019s just say, it was interesting, but a delight to experience. The performance was very modern, and open-air, set against the backdrop of this beautiful, historic courtyard in Girona\u2019s Culture Center.<\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t had time to upload my own Girona photos yet, but in the meantime, here\u2019s a representative photo I borrowed online of Girona\u2019s main waterway:<\/p>\n

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\u201cAT LOUVRE, MANY STOP TO SNAP BUT FEW STAY TO FOCUS\u00a0\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

August 4, 2009, 1:09 pm\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Yesterday I noticed a\u00a0New York Times story that touched on\u00a0something I mentioned in my last post \u2014 about how too often, museum-going is a rushed, quantity-over-quality affair. I\u2019ve been mulling over the story since I read it, and in the meantime, it looks like it caught\u00a0Masha\u2019s attention as well!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Before I jump into my thoughts, here\u2019s an excerpt from the beginning of the story:<\/p>\n

\u201cSpending an idle morning watching people look at art is hardly a scientific experiment, but it rekindles a perennial question: What exactly are we looking for when we roam as tourists around museums?\u201d<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s another excerpt, later in the story:<\/p>\n

\u201cCameras replaced sketching by the last century; convenience trumped engagement, the viewfinder afforded emotional distance and many people no longer felt the same urgency to look. It became possible to imagine that because a reproduction of an image was safely squirreled away in a camera or cell phone, or because it was eternally available on the Web, dawdling before an original was a waste of time, especially with so much ground to cover.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since so much of my summer has been devoted to \u201cseeing art,\u201d I think it\u2019s valid to consider what exactly the goal of it is. Why is it worth it to see Guernica in person when you can just Google the photo, anyway?<\/p>\n

Since I just wrote about Guernica in an essay about Valente, it seems an appropriate example to start with. Most people have seen\u2014or at least know of\u2014Picasso\u2019s famous painting, and in the Reina Sofia, it was easily the star attraction. (From my photo of it in a previous post, you can see the tourists crowded around it.)<\/p>\n

For starters, the sensation of seeing the painting in person is very different than simply viewing a reproduction or image. It\u2019s gigantic, nearly covering an entire wall, and each of the separate images (such as the horse head or human body parts) becomes all the more startling. Because of its size and complexity, the painting is difficult to absorb as a whole\u2014instead, the eye moves from figure to figure; the human or animal aspects, depicted in geometric style, blur with the indistinct shapes behind them. The NYTimes story talked about taking the time for \u201ccontemplation,\u201d and this is a perfect example of a famous painting that demands your time and attention. The longer you view it, the more you notice new elements, and how those particular aspects interact to create the sensation and emotion of the larger painting.<\/p>\n

Click photo!<\/span><\/p>\n

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For me, seeing the painting in person illuminated some of the ways Valente used it in his poem, \u201cGuernica-Picasso-Guernica: 1973.\u201d In the poem, Valente conflates the reality of death with the physical imagery of the painting: \u201cel fr\u00edo \/ horror que hizo nacer \/ en gris coagulado de Guernica\u201d (the cold \/ horror that forced the birth \/ of Guernica\u2019s coagulated gray). The poem, like the painting, is deliberately dehumanizing in the sense that it compresses the separate \u201cagon\u00eda\u201d (death struggle) of many people into \u201cuna sola agon\u00eda,\u201d reflecting the anonymity of violence. (There is plenty more to say about Valente\u2019s take on the painting, but I\u2019ll leave it at that.)<\/p>\n

The NYTimes story didn\u2019t focus on this, but I also think going to a modern art museum like Museu d\u2019Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA)\u2014as opposed to a more classical collection like the Lourve\u2014has its own unique benefits and surprises. The MACBA, much like the MOMA in New York, has a permanent collection, but a majority of its galleries are dedicated to rotating or new exhibitions. In this way, wandering from room to room is a surprise. You never know who, or what, is coming next \u2014 and it allows you discover and be inspired by artists you had never before considered, or current artists who are experimenting with brand new styles.<\/p>\n

I even had a similar experience in a museum filled with well-known classics, like El Prado<\/span><\/a> in Madrid. When people think of Diego Velazquez, for instance, the first painting that jumps to mind is usually \u201cLas Meninas.\u201d But when I visited that particular painting, I discovered lesser known paintings by Velazquez that drew my intention even more \u2014 like \u201cLa Fragua de Vulcano.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then \u2014 and this will end my ramble! \u2014 there is the benefit of seeing a selection of art in the context of its time period. As I\u2019m attempting to familiarize myself with modern Spanish art, for instance, I can learn more about a particular painting by Antoni Tapies, as an example, by seeing it placed adjacent to the work of his contemporaries like Antonio Saura and Manolo Millares, who shared a similar style. By doing so, it\u2019s easier to notice aspects that the three painters share\u2014as well as elements that may be unique to Tapies.<\/p>\n

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Ok, enough ranting from me. Back to translating. And next time I promise to include more photos.<\/p><\/div>\n

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—<\/p>\n

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ONE MONTH AND A VISIT TO\u00a0MADRID<\/span><\/p>\n

August 1, 2009, 12:07 pm\u00a0<\/div>\n
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I\u2019ve been here about a month now, and I feel settled and have my regular spots that I\u2019ve started going to do work or read. There\u2019s a cafe down the street that has become my go-to place to write during the day. No modern flair here\u2014 unadorned plaster walls, sturdy old tables, and strong espresso. And it\u2019s always packed with people coming and going, sipping coffee, chatting with passers-by, or doing their own work. The ceilings are high, the tables well-worn, and in typical European fashion, it\u2019s usually a little hazy with cigarette smoke.<\/p>\n

Another spot I like to visit is called the \u201cCascada\u201d (waterfall) in Parc de la Ciutadella, Barcelona\u2019s largest park. It\u2019s an elaborate fountain made to look organic (except for the huge stone dragons spitting water). It\u2019s surrounded by sand pathways, and a little out-door cafe is a couple hundred feet away. When it\u2019s not scorchingly hot outside, it\u2019s a nice place to visit.<\/p>\n

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Having time is good for seeing art, too. The best way to see an art museum is to do so without being rushed to absorb a hundred paintings at once. I appreciated this more when I was in Madrid last week. I only set aside a few days to visit, and there is a LOT of great art in Madrid \u2014 so I had to cram a lot into a short amount of time. I made a list of works I knew Valente had written about, like Guernica, and made sure to visit them all.<\/p>\n

Click photo!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Besides art, a friend of mine (who is finishing up the Fulbright in Madrid) showed me around the city. He took me around to some of the neighborhoods that he felt were particularly Madrile\u00f1o, and we also explored the city\u2019s rich literary history. We saw the statue of Lorca\u2014one of my favorite Spanish poets\u2014and the house where Cervantes lived.<\/p>\n

Click Photo!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Click photo!<\/span><\/p>\n

The bus ride to Madrid is 7 hours, which isn\u2019t quick, but it was actually nice to drive through the rural areas and Spanish landscape that is mostly untouched by people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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MORE ON\u00a0VALENTE<\/span><\/p>\n

July 28, 2009, 2:27 pm\u00a0<\/div>\n
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Click Photo!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Following Dan\u2019s lead on his blog, I thought it would make sense to say a bit more about the poet I\u2019ve been studying and translating since the Spring and while I\u2019ve been here.<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 \u00c1ngel Valente was a Spanish poet, essayist, and translator born in 1929 in Ourense, Spain. He died in 2000 in Geneva. Though he\u2019s been translated very infrequently into English, many Spanish critics have called him the greatest of the post-Civil War poets.<\/p>\n

Valente was very prolific during his lifetime, writing and translating dozens of books, but he is most known for his distinctive style and strong beliefs on language and poetry. As his career progressed, his poems became less representational and more abstract, through Valente\u2019s belief that poetry should be about pushing language \u201cto its limits.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was first drawn to Valente because of his passion for painting and sculpture, after studying visual art\/poetry in a seminar with Bonnie Costello (at BU). Valente was active in the Spanish art scene, becoming close friends with major Spanish artists like Eduardo Chillida or Antoni Tapies; he often included their work and other\u2019s in his poems and essays.<\/p>\n

I just finished writing an essay on Valente\u2019s book \u201cInterior con Figuras\u201d (Interior with Figures), one of his first books to deal extensively with visual art. Picasso\u2019s famous \u201cGuernica\u201d is one of the paintings included in the book, and I was fortunate enough to see it on my short trip to Madrid last week (more on that soon!)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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MONTSERRAT<\/span><\/div>\n
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July 27, 2009, 12:32 pm\u00a0<\/div>\n
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For a change of pace, I thought it would be nice to leave the city. I took a day trip to Montserrat (\u201dSerrated Mountain\u201d). The image of the mountain is very distinctive and well known in Catalonia; you can see it in the distance on the northern side of the city, with massive wind- and rain-worn stones across the top. Catalonians have such affection for it that, apparently, \u201cMontse\u201d is a common name for girls.<\/p>\n

It takes about an hour by train to get to the base of the mountain, and then another 30 or so to get to the top. The main feature, once you get there, is a Benedictine monastery, founded in 1025 after a vision of the Virgin Mary. It\u2019s one of the more amazing places I\u2019ve seen; I hope the photos I\u2019m posting do it some justice. The monastery, which has been tended to by monks for centuries, looks like any of the great churches of Europe\u2026 except for the fact that it\u2019s perched on the edge of a cliff, thousands of feet above sea-level. You can see Barcelona, the ocean, and even the Pyrenees in the distance. I was there at a quiet time of day, so you could walk around the perimeter of the complex in calming solitude.<\/p>\n

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MORE GAUDI \u2014 AT LA\u00a0PEDRERA
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July 27, 2009, 12:05 pm\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cES\u00a0POETA.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/div>\n
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July 7, 2009, 10:01 am\u00a0
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I have to admit, the lack of internet isn\u2019t such a bad thing. Since I\u2019m an internet and e-mail junkie, it\u2019s nice being forcefully cut-off for once.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m all settled in my flat, which is in a lovely northern barrio of Barcelona, called Grac\u00eda. My neighborhood has many of the same architectural charms of Old Town without the constant flow of tourists. Many of Grac\u00eda\u2019s streets, as in Barrio Gotico, are small and winding \u2014 but it\u2019s less crowded, and a stroll in any direction turns up beautiful plazas with fountains, statues, and orange trees; no matter the time of day, local residents are socializing over ca\u00f1as and vino at an endless number of caf\u00e9s.<\/p>\n

My flat is on the fourth floor, and big windows open onto a tiny backstreet, where faint chatter from a popular Catalan restaurant drifts up from three floors below.<\/p>\n

My Spanish is certainly rusty, but it\u2019s apparently been enough to occasionally trick people into thinking I\u2019m not a foreigner. At a dinner party this weekend\u2014where conversation was about half in Spanish, half in English\u2014one person said my \u201cAmerican accent\u2019 sounded really authentic\u2026 before she realized I was American.<\/p>\n

People here ask what I\u2019m doing in Barcelona, and I usually launch into a long-winded explanation of the Pinsky fellowship, about my interest in Spanish poetry and art; but the other day, one of my friends answered for me: \u201c\u00c9l es poeta\u201d (he\u2019s a poet). Her succinct answer seemed to work better than mine, so I might stick to that from now on.<\/p>\n

Besides unpacking and getting settled, I\u2019ve read a bit of Spanish and English books and practiced the language when I can. In the next few days I\u2019m going to start visiting museums. I was introduced to a Barcelona art promoter, who owns a gallery and promotes local artists; he invited us to some upcoming events, so I\u2019m hoping I\u2019ll get to see the work of younger Spanish artists while also doing the traditional, museum-oriented study of visual art.<\/p>\n

When technology allows, I\u2019ll start posting pictures too.<\/p>\n

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July 23, 2009, 12:59 pm\u00a0<\/div>\n
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I\u2019ve gotten a bit backed up in my blog postings, busy traveling near Barcelona and getting immersed in the sensory overload that is Spain. But I\u2019ll catch up soon.<\/p>\n

Otherwise, I\u2019ve been spending a lot of my time reading\/writing in cafes, practicing Spanish, exploring the different barrios and parks that Barcelona has to offer, and doing some translating\/research for Jose \u00c1ngel Valente. He was good friends with a few Catalan artists, like Antoni Tapies, an abstract painter who lived in Barcelona. They have a museum devoted to him here.<\/p>\n

I found \u201cA Moveable Feast\u201d \u2014 Hemingway\u2019s semi-fictionalized essays on his time as a young, poor writer in Paris \u2014 in a second-hand bookshop, and devoured that pretty quickly and enjoyed it (even though, as my fellow traveler Dan pointed out, many of the stories are of dubious factuality). Last week, I stumbled upon a series of small, mostly free, contemporary art museums near my neighborhood. There\u2019s a new 3-floor modern art museum that rotates exhibitions (and is basically free for students). And then there is a small museum for Joan Brossa, the Catalan poet and artist. He\u2019s well known for his \u201cvisual poems\u201d which, after seeing them in person, I would say aren\u2019t really \u201cpoems\u201d\u2014they\u2019re just works of visual art that occasionally use language. That being said, they\u2019re very playful and enjoyable. Some are mini-sculptures, and others are extended series of art prints.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s one example, that I liked:<\/p>\n

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DUE TO TECHNICAL\u00a0DIFFICULITIES\u2026<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
July 6, 2009, 12:05 pm\u00a0<\/div>\n
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\u2026it might be a few days before I start posting. I don\u00b4t have internet in the apartment, but I\u00b4ll get that figured out soon. Otherwise, things are perfect in Barcelona! I\u00b4ve gotten settled and have\u00a0been exploring the city. More on all that soon.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

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July 13<\/p>\n

Some Gaudi and Miro<\/p>\n

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July 10, 2009<\/p>\n

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A lucky coincidence. Yesterday I made a trip to the museum devoted to the work of Spanish artist Joan Mir\u00f3, who was born in Barcelona and spent much of his life here. As I approached the museum, I was surprised to read the posters around the entrance: \u201cMir\u00f3-Dupin. Art i poesia.\u201dm<\/p>\n

As it turns out, the current exhibition is devoted to Mir\u00f3\u2019s life-long interest in poetry and literature, with a particular focus on collaborations with French poet Jacques Dupin. Since this topic is part of what I\u2019m here to study, the timing feels quite auspicious. Although I knew Mir\u00f3\u2019s work, I wasn\u2019t aware of his interest in poetry. Like so many Spanish artists of his generation, Mir\u00f3 spent time in Paris, and while he was there, fell in love with the work of the French symbolist poets, including Apollinaire and Mallerm\u00e9. Later, he became friends with French poets of his own generation, including Dupin, and his painting and sculpture was influenced by their work.<\/p>\n

An excerpt from the exhibit: \u201cIn their shared belief that the purpose of art and poetry is not simply representation, they collaborated together on numerous projects during the nearly three decades of their friendship\u2026 Joan Mir\u00f3\u2019s interest in literature can be seen in the books from his private library that are on display along with a selection of paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints from the Foundation\u2019s collections. Parallel to this, a selection of books and poems by Jacques Dupin, illustrated by different contemporary artists, guide us through his world of poetry.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a fascinating and beautiful exhibit, and I\u2019m looking forward to returning to it again after I have read more of Dupin\u2019s poetry.<\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

TRAVEL ELEGY BY WIS\u0141AWA\u00a0SZYMBORSKA<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

June 25, 2009, 8:35 pm\u00a0<\/div>\n
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To introduce my BU thesis (in an epigraph), I excerpted parts of this poem by the incredible Polish Nobel Laureate, Szymborska; as I\u2019m about to embark on my writing-travel fellowship, it seemed apt to include the poem in its entirety here.<\/em><\/p>\n

Travel Elegy by Wis\u0142awa Szymborsk<\/strong>a<\/p>\n

(translated by Stanislaw Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh)<\/p>\n

Everything\u2019s mine but just on loan,
\nnothing for the memory to hold,
\nthough mine as long as I look.<\/p>\n

Memories come to mind like excavated statues
\nthat have misplaced their heads.<\/p>\n

From the town of Samokov, only rain
\nand more rain.<\/p>\n

Paris from Louvre to fingernail
\ngrows web-eyed by the moment.<\/p>\n

Boulevard Saint-Martin: some stairs
\nleading into a fadeout.<\/p>\n

Only a bridge and a half
\nfrom Leningrad of the bridges.<\/p>\n

Poor Uppsala, reduced to a splinter
\nof its mighty cathedral.<\/p>\n

Sofia\u2019s hapless dancer,
\na form without a face.<\/p>\n

Then separately, his face without eyes;
\nseparately again, eyes with no pupils,
\nand, finally, the pupils of a cat.<\/p>\n

A Caucasian eagle soars
\nabove a reproduction of a canyon,
\nthe fool\u2019s gold of the sun,
\nthe phony stones.<\/p>\n

Everything\u2019s mine but just on loan,
\nnothing for the memory to hold,
\nthough mine as long as I look.<\/p>\n

Inexhaustible, unembraceable,
\nbut particular to the smallest fiber,
\ngrain of sand, drop of water –
\nlandscapes.<\/p>\n

I won\u2019t retain one blade of grass
\nas it\u2019s truly seen.<\/p>\n

Salutation and farewell
\nin a single glance.<\/p>\n

For surplus and absence alike,
\na single motion of the neck.<\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

\"adamphoto3\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Adam Eaglin <\/em><\/p>\n

For nine weeks this summer, I will travel to Spain in order to write, translate poetry, and immerse myself in the country\u2019s vibrant arts scene and culture. In January, I began to translate into English the work of the late Spanish poet and essayist, Jos\u00e9 \u00c1ngel Valente. (Hear Valente read ‘El Temblor’.<\/span><\/a>) <\/span> <\/span>I was first drawn to Valente\u2019s poetry because of his unique, and very moving, control of language\u2014but I soon became particularly interested in the way Valente was inspired by the artists and painters of his native country.<\/p>\n

Based in Barcelona\u2014a city that lives and breathes modern art, from its iconic Gaud\u00ed buildings to world-class Picasso<\/span><\/a> <\/span>and Mir\u00f3<\/span><\/a> museums\u2014I will travel around Spain to study the visual art that inspired Valente and other poets of his generation. While exploring the Gothic streets of Barcelona\u2019s old town, or studying the paintings of Picasso and Luis Fern\u00e1ndez, I also hope to find inspiration for my own poetry.<\/p>\n

\"gaudi1\"<\/p>\n

\"barcelona12\"<\/p>\n

\"barcelonasagrada1\"<\/p>\n

\"barcelona22\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NUNCA HAY TIEMPO\u00a0SUFICIENTE August 30, 2009, 7:43 am\u00a0 Lo siento, lectores fieles \u2014 I\u2019ve still been traveling a lot, so not as much internet, but I have been filling my moleskins with notes, observations, and poems. I think, once I am settled, or maybe when I return to los Estados Unidos, I will retroactively update […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":320,"featured_media":0,"parent":1399,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17"}],"version-history":[{"count":126,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":502,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17\/revisions\/502"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}