BURNING HEART

What makes your heart race or swordfish shoot through your veins? For me, there are a few things including looking at Masters paintings, especially Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Velázquez). “The Painters Painter”, he was the primary influence and inspiration on my all time favourite painter, John Singer Sargent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Singer_Sargent and https://duckduckgo.com/...

Velazquez’s oil paintings are in museums all over the world, however, most of his major works are in the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_del_Prado).

Widely considered the most significant oil painting in the history of art (the Mona Lisa is the most “famous”), Las Meninas is the crowning jewel in that Museum. I wept when I stood in front of it on April 28, 2007 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Meninas).

Viewing art “electronically”, including Social Media, is a valuable and necessary introduction or substitute, however, you will never know the painting until you actually meet it. Its like smelling a delicious meal and not tasting it.

Bonus: "The Burning Heart" in Hans Zimmers soundtrack to the movie Hannibal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E58-C8A2Hlw

Velazquez self portrait

The stunning Velazquez statue in front of the Prado by Aniceto Marinas García. April 28, 2007

Las Meninas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Meninas

I was stunned when I saw this photo of these two Masterpieces meeting for the first time. Sargent’s “The Daughters of Edward Boit” was heavily influenced by Las Meninas