By Will Sanchez
Photography – By Madelaine Vega
Last Fall, I had the opportunity to travel to Europe, as an artist, it was a spiritual pilgrimage. Fortunately, my better half loves the arts as well, and she didn’t mind me hijacking our vacation into a quest to see the creative treasures of the world.
After a long flight, we taxied into Paris from the airport, being impressed with the graffiti along both sides of the highway, for miles greeting us as we traveled.
We settled into our beautiful hotel and decided to take in the sights as we searched for a place to have dinner. The hotel manager pointed us into the direction of Notre Dame, which was just a couple blocks away from our location. There is a bridge by Notre Dame that is closed off during the weekend, so that artists in every form could set up, display or perform. On our way to dinner we strolled pass visual artists, a puppeteer, a couple bands, dancers, skateboarders and culminating in a perfect retro-scene of an old Parisian accordion player sitting at the end of the bridge on a stool. It’s eye opening, palpable creativity, art is life, all this magic while crossing a short bridge.
Our weekend in Paris would not be complete if we did not visit The Louvre, I was as excited as a little boy on Christmas the closer we approached the arch entrance. As an artist, I have always believed I could be great. Seeing others work and now visiting the Louvre, dissecting the master’s works, which that egotistical thought didn’t change much, except an increased determination to work on my craft to reach higher levels.
Once our love affair with the Paris lifestyle came to brief end, we were off to Rome, Italy. Majestic is the only way to describe this city. Greeting us was another mile after mile of urban art along the highway. Then as you approached the city, the imagination comes to life as we drive past the Colosseum and other Roman architectural history. This was a trip of a lifetime, with the well planning of hotel location in each city, we were simply blocks away from most of the tourist attractions, while still being absorbed with everyday life of the people. Whether finding the favorite local coffee shop to start our morning or the weekend festivals that break into song when a celebrity artist is coaxed to sing along with the crowd and band.
Around the corner from our lodging was a picturesque view approaching the Spanish Steps. One cannot help noticing all the rows and rows of high priced designer shops. Gucci, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Rolex, Cartier, Jimmy Choo, Prada, Versace, Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Fendi, Prada, Valentino. You name it, it is there. All I could think is, “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
Out of all the souvenirs we brought back, my favorite was a small sculpture of the Colosseum. We had just finished touring Rome and leisurely strolled back to our hotel as we window shopped. Turned the corner and a little old man with a makeshift stand sitting carving cork caught my attention. I fell in love immediately. The Coliseum in the palm of my hand!
How best to describe the Sistine Chapel?
It comes at the end of the tour, and properly so, after seeing the amazing collection of the church, it almost prepares your mind for what’s to come. Still, nothing can work as a prerequisite. They do not allow photos, want complete silence and if you wish to view the room longer that simply passing through, they sternly direct you to stand in the middle of the room allowing others to flow around. The only words that fit are an actual “spiritual experience”. You enter and are immediately overwhelmed trying to take in all the imagery, but you can’t, so you feel dizzy searching all around without focus. After absorbing a few moments, you start to find your senses and slowly begin to comprehend the situation. Then your emotions take over, heart pounding, tears flowing, eyes fluttering from wall to wall to ceiling, stunned, silent, no longer for the fact they wish you so, but because you are humbled to your very soul. If there is such a thing as group hypnosis, this was my first experience of it. From the moment we finally left, floating in a dream like state through the Vatican halls onto the streets until we sat down to eat at a nearby restaurant, I never uttered a word consciously. It is an out of body experience, although not traveling away from you, but entering further into yourself.
During our last stops, we made sure we fully experienced Amsterdam and scheduled our tours of the Van Gogh Museum and The Moco museum which has a wide range of modern, inspiring and contemporary art for the public. At the time they were showing two of my favorite artists, Banksy and Salvador Dali. Everyone knows the surreal artwork of Dali and Banksy is a British artist who mostly creates street art. Banksy started as a graffiti artist, his works are often humorous and political. Many of his street works are in the Moco museum. His canvas works are displayed as well, there is a huge canvas piece of the famous painting: ‘beanfield’. This beautiful piece is shown on the ground floor. A huge eye-catcher as you enter the exhibition of Banksy. Furthermore, ‘the girl with Balloon’, ‘Laugh now and’ ‘keep it real’ are real highlights of the collection. the beautiful Banksy collection. No pictures were permitted at the Van Gogh Museum, to be honest, I was not of a fan to begin with and it is mostly self-portraits of the artist.
Still, one cannot pass up the opportunity to observe one of the greats, all of the magnificent masterpieces during our travels. This is different. This is beyond art. It is their life. It is perfection. It is heaven. It is God. Amen.
