Interview with an artist: Carlos Páez Vilaró

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Casapueblo is a white town that seems to spill from the slopes of Punta Ballena, a few minutes from Punta del Este, in a chaos of terraces, cupolas and large windows overlooking the green sea. It is the site of the artist’s house, workshop, museum and a hotel.
His assistant, María, guides us through the labyrinth of the still-closed museum to a small staircase leading to his private studio. The anteroom is a large chamber with walls covered with paintings and a big window that opens onto a balcony and the omnipresent sea. A few steps more take us into the workshop, which is almost split in two by an enormous table with a cheerful jumble of piles of books and magazines, canvases, brushes and jars of paint. From a corner near the window, Carlos Páez Vilaró emerges from behind the computer. He is all friendliness. We sit at the other end, near the chimney and the leather chairs.
Páez Vilaró’s conversation is a leafy tree branching out into infinity. He starts on one branch, stops at a leaf, returns to the trunk, descends to the roots and crouches on a knotty bough to suddenly jump to another branch with no warning. It would be nice to have infinite time to listen to him. He is an expert in interviews. One must be very expert to know when to interrupt him and when to forget about the prepared questionnaire, because one does not have infinite time.

Entrevista al pintor Carlos Páez Vilaró

Esta entrevista, realizada en marzo de 2009 con fotos de Gustavo Caggiani y publicada en la edición de mayo de la revista Panorama, fue reseñada en el boletín del Ministerio de Turismo.

Casapueblo es un pueblo blanco que parece desbarrancarse desde el lomo de Punta Ballena, a pocos minutos de Punta del Este, en un caos de terrazas, cúpulas y ventanales, sobre el verde mar. Alberga la casa del artista, su taller, un museo y un hotel.

Art goes to the street: The Louvre in Montevideo

“Images of the Louvre, Six Centuries of European Painting” is an outdoors exhibit that will be held from February 11th through May 11th, at the Rambla de Montevideo; the Louvre Museum itself, as well as the French Embassy and municipal authorities are the sponsors for this event.

The exhibit features high-resolution digital reproductions the same size as the originals housed at the Louvre. In those cases when the size of the painting exceeds the space allocated for each art piece, measuring at 4’10” by just over 6 feet, the decision was made to keep to the original dimensions of these extra large pieces and to show their details, while at the same time reproducing on one corner a small copy of the whole painting. This way, viewers can study minute details such as brush strokes, and in some cases canvas weaves or even marks of the passing of time on medieval wood pieces.

Experts at the museum specially prepared the explanation texts accompanying each work of art exhibited. Under each painting, together with the title,  the year and the artist, and in barely two hundred words, the painting is placed within its historical and artistic context, and its main characteristics are highlighted. On the subject of these summaries, Marie Catherine Sahut, Chief of the Paintings Department at the Louvre Museum, declared that the exhibit by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, previously presented on the same stage, “proved that very precise texts can be included to provide pretty complex information, and further, that people do read them.”

El arte sale a la calle: El Louvre en Montevideo

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“Imágenes del Louvre, Seis Siglos de Pintura Europea”, se presenta desde el 11 de febrero y hasta el 11 de mayo al aire libre, en la Rambla de Montevideo, auspiciada por el propio Museo del Louvre, la Embajada de Francia y autoridades municipales.

Jazz en Buenos Aires

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Cassandra Wilson es una de las cantantes más respetadas en el ámbito del jazz de la última década.

Ganadora del Grammy 2009 al mejor álbum de jazz, se presentará, por primera vez en Argentina, los días 20 y 21 de mayo, en el Teatro Gran Rex de Buenos Aires. Loverly, el último disco de la artista, incluye éxitos como “Caravan” o “A Day in the Life of a Fool”, versión inglesa de “Orfeo Negro”, del compositor brasileño Luis Bonfá.

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Jazz in Buenos Aires

During the last decade, Cassandra Wilson has been one of the most respected singers in the jazz genre. She was the winner of the 2009 Grammy Award for the best jazz album, and for the first time in Argentina, will have shows on May 20th and 21st, at the Grand Rex Theater in Buenos Aires. Loverly, her latest CD, includes hits such as “Caravan” or “A Day in the Life of a Fool”, the English version of “Black Orpheus”, by Brazilian composer Luis Bonfá.

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Farewell to Los Olimareños

Nineteen years after their split, Los Olimareños, the mythical Uruguayan duo, will meet again at Montevideo’s Centennial Stadium, this time to give a farewell presentation to their musical career. Of great importance to Latin America’s folklore and the “protest songs” of the 60s and 70s, Los Olimareños represent a definite example of the loyalty of their fans; the 20,000 tickets for the show scheduled for May 8th were sold out in March, just one week after they became available for sale to the public. Therefore, it became necessary to schedule another show for March 9th.

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Adiós a Los Olimareños

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Diecinueve años después de su disolución, el mítico dúo uruguayo Los Olimareños volverá a reunirse en el Estadio Centenario de Montevideo, esta vez, para decir adiós a su carrera musical.

A caballo entre el folclor latinoamericano y la “canción protesta” de los años 60 y 70, Los Olimareños recogen la muestra definitiva de la fidelidad de sus seguidores: las 20.000 entradas de la función planificada para el 8 de mayo se agotaron en marzo, a una semana de iniciada la venta. Fue necesario agregar una nueva función el 9 de mayo.

www.losolimarenos.com