Another Painting

 I recently finished another painting.  This one is loosely based on a photo I took of an ornate, colonial door in San Miguel de Allende.

The painting will be a gift to give to a friend and former colleague on my next trip back to Ohio.  Many years ago, she traveled with me to Mérida, Yucatán, and she was fascinated with the doorways of the old buildings.  I thought of her when I saw the many interesting doors in San Miguel, and I decided to do a painting for her.  I took it to the frame shop yesterday to be framed.

I am not 100% satisfied with it.  In spite of using a t-square, my lines are not perfect.  But I guess I can say that a building that's over 200 years old settles and shifts and is no longer plumb.  😉

The Bullfight Debate

 Within walking distance of my apartment is Plaza Mexico.  With a seating capacity of more than 40,000, it is the largest bullring in the world.

Bullfighting has been the center of heated debate between aficionados and animal rights activists for years.  In 2022 the city government banned bullfighting, but a year and a half later the Supreme Court of Mexico lifted the ban.  Bullfighting resumed, and their were angry protests from opponents of the sport.

Last month, the city council sought a compromise and passed a law which allows bullfights, but prohibits the killing of the bulls or the use of swords and other sharp objects.  The bulls' horns will be padded to prevent injuries to the bullfighters and horses in the ring.

The compromise, however, has been met with protests by some bullfight fans who say that the centuries old traditions of the sport have been destroyed.

The new law applies only to Mexico City, and animal rights activists hope to extend to the rest of the country.  Bullfighting is already banned in five states, but is legal in the remaining 26 states.

Water for Bees

 A couple days ago as I was walking to the park to do my exercises, I saw this at the base of a lamp post...

First I noticed the sign, then the plastic containers with water, and then I saw that a swarm of bees was making a hive.

The sign said, "Water for the bees.  Don't throw it out and don't let your doggie pee here." 

The person who did this certainly had good intentions, but I'm not sure that it was a good idea.  There were a couple of dead bees that had drowned in the water.

The next day as I passed by the sign was gone and the containers were empty.

There was also a yellow hazard tape blocking the sidewalk by the lamp post.  But when I returned later in the day to take a photo, someone had ripped it down.

The bees, however, are still there.  I think they are actually building their hive inside the base of the post.  I saw some go inside through a crack.

It's going to be a problem today because every Thursday a "tianguis" (an outdoor market) is set up along the sidewalk here.

More from the Palace of Fine Arts

 Here are some more photos from the exhibit of Impressionist and post-Impressionist art currently at the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City...

"The Bridge at Pont-Aven"

by Emile Bernard

1891

"Fishing Boats at L'Estaque"

by Andre Darain

1906

"Still Life with Lilies"

by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

1917

"Forest in Thuringia"

by Edvard Munch

1904-1905

"The Mill at Winkel"

by Piet Mondrian

1908

"View from Hisoyo"

by Edvard Munch

1886

"Ruin of a Castle"

by Piet Mondrian

1909-1910

"Farm near Duivendrecht"

by Piet Mondrian

1905-1908

"Bouquet of Flowers and Fruit Bowl"

by Henri Matisse

1924

"The Salon"

by Emile Bernard

1890

"Sheaves of Wheat"

by Vincent Van Gogh

1890

"Poplars: Pink Effect"

by Claude Monet

1891

"Water Lilies"

by Claude Monet

1908

The show will be on display at the Palace of Fine Arts until July 27th.

On the Front Page

The front pages of all the newspapers here in Mexico City of course were devoted to the death of Pope Francis on Monday.

The headline of La Jornada was "Francis, renovator of the Church, dies."  Ovaciones, a sports oriented newspaper said, "Francis, the Pope that broke the mold... modern, humble, and a soccer fan."

It was only a few months ago that Alejandro and I saw the Oscar-nominated movie "Conclave", which deals with the fictional election of a new Pope.  It is interesting to see and read on the news so many things which were depicted in the movie, such as the sealing of the room where the Pope died, and the destruction of his signet ring.  Even some of the Cardinals who are rumored to be contenders in the upcoming conclave seem similar to characters in the movie.

Impressionism at the Palace of Fine Arts

A special exhibition is currently drawing large crowds to Mexico City's Palace of Fine Arts.  The show is called  "The Impressionist Revolution from Monet to Matisse" and it consists of 45 pieces of art from the Dallas Museum of Art.  A couple of weekends ago Alejandro and I went to see the exhibit.  There was a long line waiting to enter, but, fortunately, the line moved fairly steadily.   The well-known names of Impressionism and post-Impressionism were represented as well as a few artists with whom I was unfamiliar. 

The exhibition gallery was crowded also.

Here are some of the paintings in the show...

"Le Ponte Neuf"

by Claude Monet

1871

"The Plaza of the French Theater - Fog Effect"

by Camille Pissarro

1897

"The Seine River in Paris"

by Paul Signac

1883

"The Fish Market"

by Camille Pissarro

1902

"Roses and Peonies in a Vase"

by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

1876

"Yellow Roses in a Vase"

by Gustave Caillebotte

1882

"Still Life - Tea Service"

by Claude Monet

1872

"Still Life"

by Paul Cezanne

1879-1880

"Brioche with Pears"

by Edouard Manet

1876

"Street in Ville-d'Avray"

by Alfred Sisley

1873

"The Town of Morly-le-Roi"

by Alfred Sisley

1876

"Peasant Carrying Rolls of Hay"

by Camille Pissarro

1883

"Buona Valley"

by Claude Monet

1884

"The Port of Nice"

by Berthe Morisot

1881-1882

"The Bay at the Mouth of the Elorn River"

by Eugene-Louis Boudin

1871

"Water Lily Pond"

by Claude Monet

1903

"Portrait of a Girl"

by Maurice Denis

1896

"Two Young Women"

by Odilon Redon

1905

"Under the Pandanus Tree"

by Paul Gaughin

1891

More to come from the Impressionism exhibit...

Diet Be Damned

You might remember that for Christmas I bought Alejandro's family a fondue pot.  We used it for the first time on New Year's Day.  I had purchased a vacuum sealed bag of fondue cheese imported from Switzerland that I found at the supermarket.  I was not that impressed with the cheese mix, and I don't think that Sandra cared much for it.  The fondue pot has sat in the box since then.  However, I guess that nephew Ezra liked the fondue because he recently asked Alejandro when we were going to have it again.

So, we decided to have fondue for Easter dinner.  We found a different brand of cheese mix, and decided that in addition to cubes of bread, we would also get broccoli and cold cuts to dip in the fondue pot.  We found a package of sliced serrano ham, chorizo sausage, and salami from Spain.  I cut up a head of broccoli and cooked it lightly in the steamer.

We all agreed that this cheese mixture was much tastier, and the fondue was a hit with everyone.  Sandra had also bought a roasted chicken, and that also was very good dunked in the cheese.

(Alejandro took the photos on his cell phone.)

Earlier that day, we had driven to a pastry shop that is a favorite of the family.  They wanted to buy a carrot cake, but the shop didn't have any left.  Alejandro asked me what kind of cake I wanted, but I said to Ezra, "You decide."  He picked a "pastel de cajeta" (caramel cake), and it was a very good choice.  It was decadently delicious.

I'm sure a gained back a couple of the pounds that I have lost since I started exercising.  But, hey, it was a holiday.  Diet be damned!