The Life of a Painter

Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known to us as Raphael, was one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance.  I know him, first and foremost, for his masterpiece "The School of Athens", but I knew very little about his biography.  That was remedied by a historical novel which I recently finished entitled "Raphael, Painter in Rome".

The author, Stephanie Story, is better known as a TV screenwriter, producer and director.  However, drawing upon her studies in art history, she has written two novels.  Her first book, "Oil and Marble", deals with Da Vinci and Michelangelo.  She returned to the Italian Renaissance to write this story about Raphael.

The book is written in a conversational first person as if the painter is relating his life to us.  Although some aspects are fictionalized, the author meticulously researched her subject, and presents a vivid portrait of the artist and the times in which he lived.  Raphael came to Rome under the patronage of Pope Julius II.  The painter became a rival of Michelangelo and hoped to gain the commission to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  The two are opposites... Raphael is courtly and striving for perfection in his painting, while Michelangelo is irascible and imbues his paintings with the vigor of his sculptures.  The novel also portrays the politics and decadence of the papal court of that era.  Pope Julius marches off to war when the French invade Italy.  He has an illegitimate daughter, and one of the cardinals is his lover.

Raphael was a very prolific, but he died young.  He was only 37 years old. One can only imagine what more he might have achieved had he lived longer. 

Adaptation of a Literary Classic

One of the giants of 20th century U.S. literature is John Steinbeck.  He is probably best known for his Depression Era novel "The Grapes of Wrath".  However, of the several novels of his that I have read, my preference is for "East of Eden", a multi-generational family saga which draws its inspiration from the Biblical story of Cain and Abel.  I have read that it was the author's favorite work.

When I heard that Netflix had just come out with an adaptation of the novel, of course I wanted to see it.

(image taken from the internet)

Alejandro and I finished the seven-part miniseries in three days.  It's been quite a few years since I read the novel, but I think the adaptation is pretty faithful to the book.  Actress Florence Pugh played the part of Cathy, one of the most cold-blooded, evil characters in all of U.S. literature.  I had heard of Pugh, but I don't think that I had ever seen any of her work.  Her performance in this miniseries was superb.  Hoon Lee, who plays the family's servant, who over the years becomes truly a part of the family, was also excellent.

An interesting fact about the series...the creator of the show, Zoe Kazan, is the granddaughter of Elia Kazan who directed the 1955 film adaptation of the book.  I never saw the movie, but I do remember the three-part miniseries that appeared on TV in 1981.  Jane Seymour played the villainous Cathy in that award-winning adaptation.  As good as it was, I do think that this latest reincarnation is better.  Highly recommended!

More Heroes of Independence

I have shown you in the past year a number of decorative tile plaques that have been placed in Mexico City Metro stations.  Most of them honor heroes from Mexico's war for independence from Spain.  Many of them are of rather obscure historical figures with whom I was unfamiliar (even though I have studied Mexican history).

In the Guerrero Metro Station, I saw three plaques on the wall of the main platform.

The first one, Vicente Guerrero, is not an obscure figure at all.  In fact, he has a state named after him.

"Vicente Guerrero fought at the side of Morelos; he never surrendered until independence had been acheived.  As president he abolished slavery"

The plaque's inscription, however, does not include Guerrero's sad fate.  He had served less than a year as the Mexican Republic's second president when political opponents captured him, put him on trial and executed him before a firing squad.

The second plaque portrays Guadalupe Victoria, the first President of the Mexican Republic.

"Guadalupe Victoria, an insurgent who never surrendered nor asked for amnesty from the king of Spain.   He was the first president of Mexico."

Guadalupe Victoria served his full term, and peacefully passed control to his his successor... something that would not happen again for 30 years during the republic's stormy early history.

I had never heard of the person on the third plaque... Valerio Trujano... another hero of the war for independence.

"Valerio Trujano fought at the side of Morelos.  In Huajuapan, Oaxaca, he fought the royalists and managed to defeat them in 1812, breaking a siege that lasted 111 days."

The Last Ones for This Year

 After we saw the towering "catrina" on the Zócalo the Sunday before last, we thought about having dinner downtown.  Given the enormous crowd on the Zócalo, I figured that all the restaurants would be jammed.  However, Alejandro suggested our favorite place, Testal.  Perhaps it would be far enough from the madhouse on the main plaza that a table would be available.  Indeed, we arrived there, and we were seated immediately.  Not only that, but the hostess informed us that it was the last day that they were serving that masterpiece of Mexican cuisine, "chile en nogada".  I knew that Testal was going to serve the dish which is traditional for Mexican Independence Day (September 16th) well into October, but I did not expect it to still be available on November 1st!

So it was obvious what our choice for the main dish was going to be.  For a starter, Alejandro ordered soup, but I had "fideo seco".  Thin, vermicelli-like noodles are simmered in sauce until the liquid is absorbed.  Testal's version is garnished with cream, avocado slices and covered with a black bean sauce.

It seems that the dish is presented in such a way as to resemble Mexico City's iconic axolotl.

Then came the main course.  

We have had "chile en nogada" in many restaurants.  For a long time our favorite place was a restaurant called Angelopolitano.  But it seemed to us that their "chiles" were not as good as before, and the last time we were there they were rather stingy with the walnut sauce.  Then we found Testal, and for the last couple of years, it has been our choice for the best "chiles en nogada" in town.

Each "chile" comes with a tag that says how many have been served that season.  Mine was number 4819, and Alejandro's was 4820.

After the "chile" has been devoured, the skeleton face on the restaurant's beautiful Talavera plates is revealed.

After we finished, our waiter told us that ours were the very last "chiles" left.  We really lucked out!

A Towering "Catrina"

Every year, the city decorates the Zócalo, the main plaza, with what they call a "Mega-Ofrenda".  This year the dominant feature of the "ofrenda" is what was billed as the tallest "catrina" in the world.

Last Sunday, the day before Day of the Dead, Alejandro and I went downtown to see the giant "catrina".  As we walked down pedestrianized Madero Street toward the Zócalo, we could see the figure from blocks away.

The "catrina" is about 110 feet tall, roughly the height of an 11 story building.  It surpasses the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro by about six feet.

Surrounding the "catrina" are large areas of the plaza covered with thousands of marigold plants.  Among the flowers there are figures of "axolotls".  In the last year, the salamander-like animal that inhabits the last remaining canals of the city, has been adopted as the city's symbol.

The twin buildings of the city hall are decorated with lights.  We did not stay until dark.  The Zocalo was jammed with people, and all we wanted to do was to take some photos and get out of that crowd.

The banners on the city hall are in honor of Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, who recently passed away.

Cardénas was the son of Lázaro Cárdenas, President of Mexico between 1934 and 1940.  The son broke away from the ruling political party of PRI, and founded an opposition party, PRD.  He ran for President three times, and quite possibly might have won.  However, in those days, PRI always made sure that they remained in power.

The Aftermath

Here are some political cartoons I found on the internet after the seismic midterm elections...

 

I love this image which is supposedly going to the front cover of an upcoming issue of Time.

Street Art for Day of the Dead

In addition to the "ofrendas", "catrinas", skulls, and other decorations along Francisco Santiago Borraz in Tlahuac, the facades of many of the houses are painted with murals, most of them with a Day of the Dead theme.  We have been going there for several years, and while I recognized some of the street art from previous visits, other murals appeared to be new.

The "xolo" or Mexican hairless dog was believed to be a spirit guide to reach the underworld.

More from Tlahuac

Here are more photos of the Day of the Dead decorations on Francisco Santiago Borraz Street in the district of Tlahuac...

If you are familiar with animated movie "Coco" you will recognize this papier mache skeleton as Hector, one of the movie's main characters.

Also from the movie are Dante, Miguel's dog who is transformed into an "alebrije", and Uncle Oscar and Uncle Felipe.

A skeletal rock band... perhaps, The Ungrateful Dead?? 😃

Players from this summer's World Cup.

Spain (in the center) holds the trophy, while Argentina (right) has collapsed in defeat.

I don't know why Mexico (left) is shown with his foot in a bucket.

A street sweeper wearing the uniform of Mexico City workers.

An "ofrenda" in memory of departed pets

This skeleton appears to be rising up from under the pavement.

The head of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god

A skeleton in heaven, a skeleton in hell, and firefighters to put out the flames

The birth of a skeleton

Alejandro an I posing in papier mache skulls

Taco vendors

Some of the "catrinas" held philosophical messages about death.

"Do not have fear of death; have fear of a life not lived."

"Don't die before your body.

Put life into your days, not just days into your life."