Month: July 2024

Humanities, Caravaggio, and Artificial Intelligence.

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Am I the only one who is sick and tired and bored of AI? And this nightmare has only just begun? Yes, let’s eradicate Cancer and streamline flight traffic, and all that good stuff, but do you really need an AI generated picture of whatever nonsense you think of? and you certainly do not need it for that high school or college essay. Sorry.

This comes to mind because AI is already everywhere we look, but also because as every cloud has a silver lining, folks are hungry, thirsty for meaning. The solution? more Humanities, more arts, music, theatre, literature, more stories, more narrative.

Everybody has an opinion on AI. Some more positive, like Spanish writer Irene Vallejo, who thinks AI will “push” us towards the Humanities, and some more pessimistic, like French philosopher Éric Sadin who wisely explains that AI will not generate new jobs -at any rate not enough to cover those lost to AI.

So what does Caravaggio have to do with all this? Well, I was thinking about AI when I unexpectedly “bumped” into a brilliant Caravaggio at the Colecciones Reales recently (read about that here) and I was so deeply moved, that I understood how art and the humanities are the antidote to AI. A few days later I saw two more Caravaggios at the Prado, including a lost one which was in the attic of a Madrid family. I then basked in the memory of other Caravaggios I had recently seen: one in the Cathedral of Toledo, and a couple at the Doria Pamphilj Gallery in Rome. The evidence was evident: AI can “paint” just like a Caravaggio with the amazing 3D effect and the chiaroscuro, but it will never be a Caravaggio.

Caravaggio only painted about 60 to 105 paintings, and the story each one tells, the drama, the humanity, is moving. You can see where each painting is on this Wikipedia page.

So, if you are hungry, thirsty for meaning, for purpose, for humanity, find a Caravaggio near you and go enjoy it. If you can’t find one, you can read a good book, watch a good film, listen to a symphony, etc. You are welcome!

Advantages of teaching in a small school, coaching and Podcasts

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Next year will be my professional Platinum anniversary, my 20th year teaching. During that time, I have instructed little kids from 7- to 10-year-olds -exhausting- to university. Basically, I have taught 10 years in secondary (high school) and 10 in university (those little kids were my boss’ and she asked me to go to their school to teach the Spanish classes, it was an amazing experience but I don’t have the patience). Each type of school has different pros and cons.

St. Vincent de Paul is a small school and I love many the advantages that brings:

Something I would never be able to do at a bigger school would be to teach and coach at the same time (other than at secondary schools, where many times you are required to coach), but I have already written about this (for example: here)

Every month we have a special birthday lunch when everyone that has a birthday that month, students, faculty, staff, is celebrated. The kitchen staff prepares a great lunch, and the Student Council prepares a video. I was recently cast in the birthday video, the last of the year, where the theme has been fighting the many iguanas we have on campus. (if you want to skip to my Oscar winning performance, go to minute 4:24 but you would miss a hilarious film and a great tour of school)

Another thing going on is that the students have started a podcast, and they recently invited me to participate. It is called In-Formation, and while it is an easy pun, it is very informative. You can listen to it here. It is an honor to follow an illustrious list of guests including the rector, a couple of students about to graduate, a bishop, etc. To listen to the podcast click below:

https://www.svdp.edu/information-podcast

So, while there are drawbacks to working in small schools such as lack of diversity of students, fewer courses to teach, etc. I really enjoy the benefits of teaching at such a special small school.

Understanding The Mediterranean

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When the smell of the pine trees hits your nostrils, when the song of the cicadas hits your ears, and when the deep sapphire blue hits your eyes, then you will understand the origins of Greek philosophy, then you will understand Marc Anthony’s and Cleopatra’s passion, then you will understand Homer’s travels, Cavafy’s poetry, and then, and only then will you understand the Mediterranean.

I am blessed to spend a few days in Mallorca every Summer with my mom, my nephew, and my nieces. We have been coming for about 40 years to the same cala -a small bay. I have talked about the special light on the island, and all the other characteristics of the Mediterranean basin, it is wonderful.

One of the highlights of my stay in Mallorca is when I run up to an old Arab signal tower. It is a wonderful -but usually hot- run by the cutest little cala (Cala Fornells), and up a pine forest to reach the tower before heading back down.

My brief stay on the island is a cleanse, a detox from the crazy world we live in. I am privileged to enjoy the sea and the pine forests; this year was no different.

Colecciones Reales, musings on new museums

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New museums are rare, most of the stuff worth seeing is already being shown. Another key issue is that for most modern museums the building is more interesting than what is inside -think of Guggenheim Bilbao, or even NY- It is rare to find a new museum where both the container and what it contains are both at the same level of excellence. One such exception is the massive collection of “stuff” the Spanish Royal family has -which technically belongs to all Spaniards, as it is part of the national heritage which is being shown in the brand new Colecciones Reales Museum in Madrid.

This museum has been pending since 1934 with the advent of the Second Republic, but it was finally constructed right above the Royal Palace gardens and next to the Cathedral. It opened in June of 2023. Celia and I finally got a chance to go, and it was free since the museum was celebrating the 10th anniversary of the crowning of King Felipe VI. I liked it so much, I returned the next day with my niece!

The museum is massive all in concrete and granite with some wooden accents, it is really cool. The collection has artifacts from the Trastámara dynasty, the Hapsburgs, and the Bourbons. The collection includes carriages and cars, a ton of tapestries, a fountain! some religious items, books, a set of Solomonic columns, dinning sets, and obviously a ton of paintings, including a huge Velazquez horse, and oh, a Caravaggio!

The museum includes the de rigueur coffee shop and gift shop, and it is worth the visit, even if it is not free when you go.

The Importance of Being Earnest

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Although I went to a business school for university, I took all the literature and history courses I could take. That should have been a big flag, as usual, I missed it.

One such class was a Victorian literature course which changed my perspective on life. I was introduced to Alfred Lord Tennyson (you can read about that here), the whole pantheon of Victorian writers and poets and of course Oscar Wilde, precisely The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People, and specifically Lady Bracknell’s hilarious interrogation of John Worthing (Ernest). That reading was around 40 years ago. After reading and rereading the play, reciting that same exchange in different venues, I finally got to see a theatre production -albeit in Spanish.

Celia and I went to the Teatro Pavon in the trendy Latina district to see the play. Besides the translation, it was modified as a bit of a musical with about half a dozen songs thrown in. I guess the director felt the need to make the play a bit more “fun” than it already is…

“I am sick to death of cleverness. Everybody is clever nowadays.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

At any rate, the play was hilarious, well performed, even with the musical numbers and we really enjoyed it. After the play we enjoyed an apperitif at trendy Plaza de Cascorro and then had oxtail for dinner at Madrid’s oldest tavern, Antonio Sanchez!

“I hate people who are not serious about meals. It is so shallow of them.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

If you have not read this play or seen it in the theatre or in various film versions, do it. You are welcome.

“I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone.”― Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest