uff. Its been a while, no?

Well, sorry for the brief interruption in writing, I guess I fell of the horse, but I have dfixed my saddle and am back on for the long haul. Its been raining all day today, that light, misty rain that just covers everything gently and without a care. Its so sublte the rain, something I find surpising, and before you know it, the tiny, almost misty drops, have soaked you to the bone.

Its gotten cooler here, the weather less mild and more cold. I am happy about that but I just miss being home. The home withdrawl symptoms are peaking uop, I miss home and I miss everyone. A lot.

On to more exciting things,

So, as I mentioned earlier, the streets here are covered in graffiti, something I am trying to analyze in relation to the city of Granada. The graffiti here is so extremely descript and layered, bold colors, heavy lines and imagery that brings alive the streets.

So, I have begun to think about Spain´s culture, and why Granada would have such a bustling Graffiti culture. Well, here is my theory. Please note, this is a theory, tear it up if you like, it is just my opinion....

I was speaking with my señora´s daughter and we spoke for a while about the Spanish Culture. What it comes down to is that in Europe and Spain, the idea of culture is so much more defined, the elitism much more extreme than in the United States, maybe an outgrowth of years of culture definition and rigidity. It seems that all things culture, Art, Music, Theater, Film, have been refined to such standards that in many ways the Art of Spain has been taken away from the control of Spainairds.

Whereas in the United States there are constant influx of immigrants and our culture is effected by that influx, from the amount of bagels there are to the fact that I am learning Spanish, it seems that immigrants do define and redefine our culture. Even Art or Music or Theater has a more family friendly approach, with direct and clear drives to draw in the average American (atleast, while working at the Art Institute, I worked specifically in trying to draw in families to something that many would argue is not a very family friendly insistution. Bringing art to everyone is something that still seems relatively American in definition.)

In Spain, where immigration is still more minimal, and where the culture has been forcefully refined since 1492 when the Reyes Catolicos enforced the Christian Culture on Granada, the idea of Spain Culture and High Art is Defined and Elite. Take, for example, Bull Fighting, here it is, 2008, at time when violence is frowned up and yet, in Spain, not only does every city have a Plaza Del Toros, they still have bull fights, and although they are not as popular as soccer games and the society is split on its ethics, it is still on national television, and matadors are on entertainment shows. It is their culture, and they are proud, and I have absolutely no issue with that, please do not take offense to this. A nation, with such a clear culture and lifestyle should hold on to those elements, because no one should be white washed, ever. The only drawback, it seems, is that now, there are new immigrants, ones struggling to maintain a place in the Spanish Culture, and with its economic problems, there are Spanish citizens with Spanish blood who still maintain a distinct feeling of being an outsider in a culture in which they were raised. I feel, that is is these people, who create this art, who bring back music and paint to the streets, who readopt what was once their and renew for modern time, using spray paint and bricks. This is my theory, and I hope to prove it.

i hope you all understand what i am trying to say, its a bit conviluded, but i hope to use this and my experiences in spain to address and understand the graffiti art. i wanted to go to spain to learn about art in context, and i can truly say that it is the best way to understand the roots of goya, picasso and valezquez...

thanks. love you.

me