Another Exhibition

An exhibition of 18 of my recent fine art photographs is on display through October 1 at the Yellow Moon Cafe in Cobden, Illinois.  If you're in the area, I hope you'll stop by.

My wife María and I celebrate my birthday at the Yellow Moon Cafe on the first night of the exhibition.  My daughter Cristina was there, too, but she took the picture. (You can click on photographs for a larger view.)

The Eyes of Santa Nonia is from my recent trip to Spain.

Patriotic in Makanda is a scene from my home town, just before the 4th of July.

Hours for the Yellow Moon Cafe are:  Wednesday - Friday, Lunch  -- 10:00am - 2:00pm; Friday, Dinner -- 6:00pm - close.  Saturday, Lunch -- 10:00am - 4:00pm; Saturday, Dinner -- 6:00pm - closeCLOSED: SUNDAY, MONDAY AND TUESDAY.  Reservations are recommended for dinner.

Click here for the Yellow Moon Cafe's website.

You can view my fine art photography website at:  www.tombellart.com.

More Artistic Celebrations of Holy Week in León, Spain

In my last entry, I shared some photographs of an amazing window display celebrating Holy Week in León, made with Legos. 

Many businesses in León get into the act with their own window displays around Easter time. 

This display in a drugstore window was popular with passersby.  It used pharmaceuticals to represent some of the Holy Week pasos (floats).  You can click on photos in this blog for a closer view.  Use the Escape button to exit.

A close-up of some of the figures in the drugstore window.

 

 



The display in another window uses dolls for some of the figures.

Although this fabric store was closed when I went by, I believe that its Holy Week items were for sale.

While this is probably the last blog entry for the miniature Holy Week displays, in the upcoming days I'll be posting more photos of the real processions, and maybe another entry or two on one of my favorite Spanish subjects:  tapas.

You can view my earlier entries on Spain and Holy Week by viewing the archives from March and April.

My website is at:  www.tombellart.com. 

 

Photos from León

Now that Holy Week is over, I wanted to share some of the views I came across last week walking the streets of León.  The city dates back to the time of  the Roman Legions, and parts of the old Roman walls still stand.  The main street today, Calle Ancha (Long Street) is the same main route used by the Romans and goes directly by the great Gothic Cathedral, once the site of Roman baths.

The Gothic Cathedral is also known as the "House of Light" because of the massive and beautiful  stained glass windows throughout.  The light is also beautiful on the outside of the church as the sun starts to get low.



Detail from one of the many stone
carvings on the church.

A street musician against a wall that adjoins the Cathedral.



On the Calle Ancha near the Cathedral, Elvis serenades the window washer.  The side streets open up to bars, restaurants, and shops in what is known as the barrio húmedo (drinking district).

 

Tapas, the delicious free food you get every time you order a beer or glass of wine are found in almost every bar and restaurant.  These are home-made potato chips and sauce from El Patio, one of the newer tapas bars.

At the Camarote Madrid, one of the better known tapas establishments, even a bottle of water is enough of an order to get you a free plate of Spanish olives.

 

Spanish ham is arguably the best in the world.  Here, it hangs above the Camarote Madrid's bar.  The ham is so popular, and consumed in such huge quantities, that this is a common sight in bars throughout León.

I'll have more from León as the week continues.

 

You can view my website at:  www.tombellart.com.

 



 

Procession of the Pasos: Twenty Photographs to Help You Understand Holy Week in León on This Good Friday

This is the fourth in a series of posts on Holy Week in León, Spain.  I'll have more information and photographs in subsequent posts.

Most Americans (and other nationalities) know little of the massive preparations and elaborate expressions of faith that define Holy Week (Semana Santa) in Spain.  Those who are aware probably know about the grand processions of Seville, Granada, or Malaga.  Just as important, but lesser known, are the processions in the northern city of León where I'm spending Holy Week.  The biggest procession in León is a daytime event on Good Friday, with twelve massive pasos (floats).   It's called The Procession of Pasos.

 

 

The procession was scheduled to leave the church of Santa Nonia at 7:15 in the morning.  A light and steady rain seemed ready to end it before it started.  The pasos (floats) cannot be exposed to even moderate moisture because of the damage it causes to the wood.  Some of the pasos carried during Holy Week are national treasures that date to the 1500s.



After a delay of an hour, the first pasos left Santa Nonia.  The Procession of the Pasos has been in León since 1611.  This is the Oration of Christ in the Garden and dates to 1952.



The Capture is another modern paso.  It was created in 1964.

Some of those carrying the paso show their devotion to penance by walking the many miles and hours of the procession barefoot.



Women have participated in most of the processions for decades.

The Flagellation.  The pasos passed in front of León's Gothic cathedral in addition to many other historic places. While starting in the early morning, the procession did not end until late afternoon.  This paso dates to the 16th century.

 

The Coronation.  Pasos in the processions have traditionally been used to visually represent the story of Christ's passion.

Ecce Homo dates to the early part of the 20th century.



The reverse of Ecce Homo.



Our Father Jesus of Nazareth dates to 1610.  My wife's family has participated in helping to bear this paso for generations.



A closer view of  Our Father Jesus of Nazareth.



Veronica dates to the 1920s.

The Exploiting has been in processions since 1675.

Detail from The Exploiting.  Dice lie atop Christ's robes. 

The Exaltation of the Cross is the newest of the pasos in the procession, from 2000.

The Crucifixion passed through the Plaza of San Isidoro, as did all the pasos.

A close-up of  The Crucifixion.

The Agony of Christ

 

Saint John is from 1946.

The Dolorosa shows the pain of the Virgin.  It is from 1949.

 

 

I hope my photographs and commentary help to give you a feel for Holy Week here in León.  If you would like to follow from the first post, click here.

Tomorrow, I'll be posting photographs and information about another of the great processions of
León:  The Seven Words of Jesus on the Cross.


You can view my website at: www.tombellart.com.


2013 -The Year in Review: My Best Photographs

Every year brings new opportunities for photography.

While I do photography throughout the year, certain opportunities afford greater rewards in obtaining images. For 2013, it was a summer trip to Spain and Italy.  Below are my favorite images of the year, broken down by category.  If you missed them in previous blog entries, they're here.

Portrait/People

This portrait was a spontaneous capture of a street performer in Venice. The violin player looked on as I took two frames. The rough brick wall and the old door covered in torn flyers gave the scene the texture that it needed to set it apart from the ordinary.  I think it's my favorite of all the European images this summer.

This is a spontaneous capture of a bartender at a well-know tapas bar. The photo was chosen as an Editor's Pick  by the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP).   The bartender is keeping customers satisfied at the Camarote Madrid Bar in León, Spain.

Children (even though they're arguably people, they get their own category.)

These children are playing at a park in León.

These children were busy at play in the plaza at Salamanca.

Places

Nothing says Venice better than gondolas.

The Gothic cathedral in León is a beautiful subject for photography.

A rainstorm added reflection to the cathedral.

Castrillo de los Polvazares is a tiny village in norther Spain.  It's one of the stops on the Camino de Santiago. The dog is one of its denizens.

The edge of Castrillo de los Polvazares.

Things/Sculptures

Perseus holds the head of Medusa in this famous sculpture in Florence, Italy.

A Venetian carnival mask.  Theyre everywhere in Venice, and a great subject for photography.

A sculpture in Bologna, Italy.

Selfie/Family Portrait

Our family self portrait.  It became the image for our Christmas Card.

You can view my website at:  www.tombellart.com.

Black & White Spider Awards Results

The Black and White Spider Awards were held this last weekend.  They're the most important international awards honoring excellence in black and white photography. The live event shines a spotlight on the best professional and amateur photographers worldwide and honors the finest images with the highest achievements in black and white photography.  I was pleased to discover that my image Arch of Santa Catalina won one of six honorable mention awards in the non-professional category of Architecture.

The Arch of Santa Catalina is in Antigua, Guatemala

The live online ceremony webcast Saturday, October 19, 2013 was attended by photography fans in 75 countries who logged on to see the climax of the industry's most important event for black and white photography.

The awards international Jury included captains of the industry from the Tate in London, Heffel Fine Art, FoMu Fotomuseum, FTM Advisory, Camera Work, Art Stage Singapore, Aeroplastics Contemporary, Galerie Baudoin Lebon in Paris, to Fratelli Alinari in Florence who honored Spider Fellows with 246 coveted title awards and 938 nominees in 14 categories.

Congratulations to all the winners.  They can be found at www.thespiderawards.com/gala8th/

You can view my website at:  www.tombellart.com.