Art Walk

                  
Sunday afternoon was not a great time for a walk as the wind was bitterly cold and the dark clouds were a constant threat of rain. But, we packed on the layers, grabbed an umbrella and set out. Half way through the walk, we needed to duck in somewhere to get our blood flowing once again. Because busylizzy only orders hot water at the coffee shops, they do not like us there so we surreptitiously entered the local Art Gallery. We do this occasionally in order to see where our hard earned tax dollars are being spent. We are usually disappointed and this time was no exception. There were several displays depicting local themes, such as a Police display with photos and uniforms from the old days, some painted furniture, some ink jet prints of various scenes from the Fraser Valley, and China (?) and a bunch of plaster of paris fish and plastic boats hanging from the ceiling. We saved the 'big attraction' for last, a gallery of Goya sketches, and I quote:

"This exhibition features Francisco de Goya's famous print suites: Los Caprichos(1799) and The Disasters of War(1810-1820) which document the brutality of the Peninsular War and the atrocities that mankind inflicts upon itself."

There were 80 3"x5" sketches in rather larger frames all depicting very gruesome scenes of famine, death and war. The single image at the top of this post is a scene glorifying the brave women of
Spain defending themselves against Napoleon's soldiers. Note the mother holding a baby in one hand while spearing her attacker with the other. All the other images were just as uplifting.

 As a depiction of a period of time in history, these are, no doubt, important images. They did not do photography back then. But as someone who appreciates beauty in art, this display was not something I expected in the art gallery. Fine for those who like this kind of thing, but I was glad to get back out into the brisk air and continue our walk.