You Be The Judge...

Hello All,

They say, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." I am sure there is an equivalent saying with regard to art and architecture. Here are some views of the various art pieces that we see every day in Spain. Remember that Andalucia is very proud of it's flamenco and it's horses.










Here is a beautiful square in the middle of town.








We pass this next one on the way into the city center every time we walk. It baffles us every time!!




This Church is an old Gypsy Church and is pretty standard as far as what the churches look like. To be honest, the place gives me the creeps! That being said, I can appreciate the structure of the building...but I can't imagine going there on a Sunday morning!







Here's one of those "Abstract Art" pieces. I see it everyday and I always examine it at the stop light. I always think that Abstract Art is like a Rorschach Inkblot. Since I have never been given one of those tests, I use these pieces as a substitute. At various times I have thought this represented "Strength" or a ballet dance. Today, I thought it represented a mutated DNA strand. Last week, it was a cold virus molecule. You can have so much fun with this stuff!

"Now, that's a horse of a different color!"

And finally, my personal favorite: The Iron Pony! Aside from the unfortunate coincidence that I was in a Spandex Metal Band in the 80's of the same name, this one really makes me think. What was the artist trying to say? Here is my "Faux Art Critic" take on this: The artist is depicting the industrialization of his nation, even reaching into the deepest, most honored traditions of the people. Like the Iron Pony, he is saying, "We have become strong, but we have forced out the life and natural beauty of even our horses and traded it for rigidity."

My thoughts? I think they ran out of public funding on this one! And while I poke a little bit of fun (Ok, more than I should be having!) these are part of the memories that we are making here in Jerez. These are part of the fabric of this city that will be with us for many years. And ironically for us, like old photos from High School, these will be a source of both embarassment and nostalgia in years to come.

Blessings To The Friends Of Spain,
Frank Sanchez

P.S. If you have not seen our recent Thanksgiving Greetings Video, click on "What Are You Thankful For" on the right hand menu of previous posts. We think it's pretty cute!