A Saturday Afternoon Stroll ~ an art date with myself.

I began with the "Guardianes" sculptures by Xavier Mascaró on Paseo del Prado. I love the way everyone has a peek up the flute to see if he's hiding anything up there.

Then I walked across the street. These are photos of the kind of truck used in the rescue of Spain's cultural treasures, the priceless works of art that were in the Prado Museum, during the civil war. Arte Salvado is an outdoor exhibition that celebrates the 70th anniversary of this rescue, which was coordinated by the "International Committee for the Rescue of Spanish Art Treasures". Arte Salvado recreates the events and problems that occurred when several museums in Europe united to save the works they considered to be a fundamental part of humanity's cultural heritage. The black and white photo in the center is an archival photo of one of the truck used in the rescue mission.

Next stop, the Caixa Forum. Fortunately, my timing was good so when I entered just after Spanish lunch, there wasn't a queue. I went to check out Miquel Barceló's show. If you are in town and haven't yet had a chance to see the show, I highly recommend it. Barceló's prowess in various media is phenomenal. His nocturnal images are like visions of Cthulhu. His film, Paso Doble, a performance of the creation of a large piece, is crazy weird and brilliant. All the rooms feature a different aspect of his work, each impressive on their own (from water colours of African scenes to pieces of fruit to Pinocchio's skull), but put together this exhibition showcases the genius creativity of a master artist.

Above is the staircase of Caixa Forum, up and down. In the center are photos of a view out of the grated window on the top floor and Barceló's Elephant in front of the building.

Other people's children. There were so many kids running around so I decided to take some candids of them. The top 2 were taken in the large gallery room on the bottom floor. I wondered if there was a pijo memo sent out to all the parents requiring their little girls wear the combination of white tights and black Mary Janes. Ha ha. Seriously, I love how timeless, classic and darling these children look. The bottom 2 photos are reflections I took of 3 gabby girlfriends on a window in the lobby of Caixa Forum. The little girl's face in the photo on the right reminds me of a Renaissance painting. Qué bonita.

Dos caras de una Mujer. On the way home, I saw this mannequin in a shop window and had to take her photo.

As I was walking down my street, I felt better than I have in a long time. I figure, I'm a pretty good date. Me and myself, we like the same things, we walk at the same pace and we have the same taste. So I'm going to make this habit and take myself out more often and enjoy the time I have left on this leg of my journey. Best of all, this entire art stroll didn't cost a thing. Madrid is full of free art shows, you only need to look.