Final Day in Crete

Ameigh convinced me to join the group on the "River Walk" to Preveli Beach instead of exploring Frangokastello, Hora Sfakion, and Loutro by boat.

Jeroen was our fearless leader as he was the only one who had been before. He emphasized not taking anything along as we would travel in the river, at times swimming, and climbing boulders. He did volunteer to take carry a camera.

Unfortunately, Jeroen tripped and the camera ended up in the drink. He was hoping that the card was still able to read images. I have not heard from him. Preveli Beach is at the mouth of the Kourtaliotis Gorge and where the Meglopotamos River empties into the Libyan Sea. This is the river we traveled down to the beach. The banks are lined with palm trees and fresh water pools. Recently, there was a fire, but you could see new growth coming back to the palm trees.

Ameigh sent me a few photos taken from the historical Moni Prevelli Monastery looking down to the river.





We all took Jeroen literally about not bringing anything, and after three hours of hiking, swimming, and climbing boulders no one had even brought money for food. Fortunately, Jeroen pulled out 5 wet Euros from his pocket and treated us to chocolate pastries.

Here is the motley crew upon return with food, wine, and beer at a taverna in Lefkogia.


That evening the town of Plakias was hosting a "Tourist Celebration" providing Greek food and Greek dancing.
I guess they knew it was my last evening on Crete!






The following day I would ride three buses to Iraklio Airport in Northern Crete, fly to Athens, and then another flight to London where I stayed in the Yotel. You must check it out. After that it was across the Atlantic Ocean and the U.S. Continent. Phew!

Addendum:
Jeroen sent me some photos from the "River Walk" which was truly its essence.

Portraits

Did you know that all art galleries in the United Kingdom are FREE!?

Are you a fan of portrait art?

One of the most prestigious competitions of it's kind in the world in the category of portraiture is held annually at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England.

Shaun Downey's painting, "Blue Coco" was one of 58 paintings selected from a record 2,177 International entries . His painting was also chosen as the main image of the ad campaign for the exhibition, featured on posters around the UK, the exhibition catalogue, and a banner draping the front of the National Portrait Gallery.

"Blue Coco"
Shaun Downey
oil on canvas
17 x 20 inches
BP Portrait Award 2010

In this fun video, the Toronto based artist Shaun Downey visits the BP Portrait Award 2010 competition, and gives an excellent explanation from an artist's perspective on the other portraits in the exhibition.

The Real Van Gogh

Still Life with a Plate of Onions
(and a letter)
Vincent Van Gogh (January 1889 - letter 732)
oil on canvas, 49.6 x 64.4 cm
The Real Van Gogh - the Artist his Letters will open on Saturday at the Royal Academy of Art in London.

The exhibition displays some 65 paintings, 30 drawings and 35 letters. Together these express the principal themes of his longstanding correspondence with his brother Theo. Other artists have written letters but no other artist has written quite so much about the process of creating art - on a contemporaneous basis.

Van Gogh's letters are rarely exhibited because of their fragility - which makes this a very rare exhibition. These are also very powerful documents which help to create a real sense of connection with Van Gogh.

Most importantly this exhibition tackles some of the myths about Van Gogh and reveals him as being a very different artist from the one which is decribed by 'popular' publications and films.

This exhibition clearly conveys how Van Gogh lived his life on paper - he drew, he painted, he read and he wrote. His was a very solitary existence - he was apparently so intense and focused on what he was interested in that he was very difficult to live with.

He comes across as a very intelligent and well read man in this exhibition. Also, although his excution of a painting may have been fast at times, the letters and drawings clearly demonstate that he is somebody who studied hard, practiced in a very deliberate way to develop his skills, and created plans for his compositions and colour schemes only after he had thought about this at some detail.


Letter 902 - the very last letter from Vincent to Theo Van Gogh
Drawing of Wheatfields after the Rain (the Plain of Auvers)

In his very last letter to Theo dated Wednesday 23rd July 1890, four days before he shot himself in the chest - Van Gogh sent sketches of two no. 30 canvases depicting immense streches of wheat after the rain.......the unfinished letter to Theo, a draft of the one that was actually sent was found on Vincent's person after he shot himself in the fields on 27 July 1890 (and is in the exhibition)
From The Exhibition Catalogue: The Real Van Gogh: The Artist and His Letters

If you'd like to read the letters you can now do so now by visiting the new Van Gogh Museum website dedicated to them - Vincent Van Gogh - The Letters. This gives you access to all 902 letters.

Most-Visited Art Museums

The top five most-visited museums in 2008 were:

1. Louvre, Paris
2. British Museum, London
3. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
4. Tate Modern, London
5. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York


The most-visited museum:

The Musée du Louvre or officially the Grand Louvre — in English, the Louvre Museum or Great Louvre, or simply the Louvre — is the national museum of France, the most visited museum in the world, and a historic monument.

It is a central landmark of Paris, located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (neighbourhood). Nearly 35,000 objects from the 6th century BC to the 19th century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet).

Historical facts:

The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being confiscated church and royal property. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801.

The size of the collection increased under Napoleon when the museum was renamed the Musée Napoléon. After his defeat at Waterloo, many works seized by Napoleon's armies were returned to their original owners.

The collection was further increased during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces. Holdings have grown steadily through donations and gifts since the Third Republic, except during the two World Wars.

As of 2008, the collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; and Prints and Drawings.