27 - The Persistence of Man, errr, me - Figueres, Pubol, & Barcelona

December 23, 2023

Saturday, 23 December 2023

Figueres

The Dali museum in Figueres didn't open till 10:30, so I had some time to check out, walk around a bit more, and grab a cup of cafe. The town was still quite abuzz in the morning but less decorarice lights were on. The museum was built upon the ruins of the town's theater (ruined from bombings during the Spanish Civil War) so it was an interesting blend of art and older building.

I didn't really know much about Salvador Dali before this museum other than he painted those melting clocks; after the museum, I can say I still don't know very much about the artist but at least I've seen more of his art 😆

I guess he's also entombed at the museum

The little posts sticking out from the wall were burnt ends of support beams left from the rubble of the old theater.

The museum had 22 rooms plus a separate area housing jewelry he made. I was impressed with the artistic choices made during his renovation of the theater but overall I preferred his 2D art to his 3D art (the 3D stuff felt more tacky than surreal to me, I feel part of the magic comes from defiance of physics which just isn't as feasible in 3D). But seeing some of his other paintings made me realize just how masterful a painter he was: his portraits demonstrated multiple styles and techniques and he could capture a lot of detail when he wanted to.

It's just so rare for a piece of art to really resonate with me; fortunately, this was one of the first pieces on display!

Paraphrasing the title: Soft Portrait of Dali with bacon

Paraphrasing the title: The Image of Sex Appeal

One of the pieces of 3D art I found interesting in the museum

I'm not entirely sure if this was Dali or an artist on exhibit but I thought it interesting

But who shall paint the painting of the painter painting the painting?

There were about 3 rooms dedicated to Dali's Christ over the Portolligat bay; I suppose it was one of his proudest accomplishments.

Grapes of Immortality

One last look at Figueres on the way out

Pubol

From the Dali museum in Figueres, I made my way south to the museum in Pubol, a quiet little village. Here, Dali had purchased and renovated a castle dedicated to his wife, Gala. There wasn't nearly as much to see at this museum: it captured how Gala lived there and detailed a little about the work done to personalize the castle but overall it was a much more subdued expérience vs the teatro Museo. One thing they mentioned at this museum was a paraphrasing of the exchange between the two about the place:

"I give you a castle as a gift"

"I accept, but on the condition that you only come to visit if I write you and invitation."

"I accept, since I accept everything in principle, on condition that there are conditions. It is the same condition as courtly love"

I don't quite have the mustache to pull off the Dali stare

The shield hall of Gala's castle

There's Gala

And there she is again

And this is where she bathed

And here are some interesting plates in the cupboard

Dali moved into the castle after Gala died, this is a reproduction of what his last studio looked like.

Gala is interred in the crypt of the castle, with a few animals.

I've never seen a pomegranate tree before...

The pool of the castle gardens

It was surprisingly difficult to get a good angle one one of these elephant statues in the gardens; I'm unsure whether that was the intention or if some of the shrubs have grown a little large.

The quiet streets of Pubol

It seemed like a nice little town

Barcelona

From Pubol to Barcelona was around an hour's drive. After checking in, I grabbed a quick snack of roasted chestnuts and made my way towards Guell park, which showed on google maps that it'd be open till 8PM; however, the place operates on scheduled tickets and the last people were let in at 5:30 and I showed up at 5:50. Oh well, turns out it's recommended to visit during daylight hours anyway. So I spent the rest of the evening just wandering around on foot in Barcelona; I'm staying in the neighborhood of Gracias but made my way down to the Placa Catalunya, the harbor, the El Born neighborhood, and then took a bus back to the hotel. Maybe it's the city or maybe it's the date, but this feels like the most touristy city I've visited yet, or at least in terms of multi-national tourism.

Gotta say, don't sit on trying roasted chestnuts; they're pretty good!