La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
The walk to the MunicipalHeritage Museum of Málaga took me out of the old historic center of the city, through the tunnel under the thousand-year-old Alcazaba (fortress palace), and into the neighborhood called La Coracha, a once historic area typical of Andalusia that didn’t survive poor city management in the 20th century.
When I entered the museum, which was free, I was directed to the first room on the main floor. The first thing I saw was a large 16th-century religious painting. Knowing nothing about the museum, I thought maybe it was going to be all religious art, which wouldn’t much interest me. There was information on another wall about the restoration of the painting. The only other art works in the room were a small framed marble relief of a very hunky Jesus and an illuminated book in a glass case.
I went into the next room. On the walls were a surprising variety of works, including two by Pablo Picasso. What immediately caught my attention, however, was a homoerotic painting of San Sebastian. I know. What painting of San Sebastian isn’t homoerotic? But this painting was done in 1992 and Sebastian looked like one of the Village People, also known in the 1970s as a Castro Clone and in the 1980s as a Gay Clone. The painting made me smile, which maybe wasn’t showing proper respect for the suffering San Sebastian.
After that, I found the artworks interesting and unusual. There was a painting called “Woman with pamela.” I wondered who Pamela was, why pamela wasn’t capitalized, and why “the woman’s” name wasn’t provided. It turns out the woman was wearing pamela on her head. Did you know a pamela is a sunhat? The hat got its name from the novel “Pamela, or Virture Rewarded” written in 1740 by English writer Samuel Richardson.
Then there was the 17th-century painting called San Gerónimo. The artist is unknown — Anonymous. So, in Spanish it was Anónimo Gerónimo. I repeated that in my head for a while — and I’m doing it again.
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El paseo hasta el Museo del Patrimonio Municipal de Málaga me llevó fuera del antiguo centro histórico de la ciudad, a través del túnel bajo la milenaria Alcazaba (palacio-fortaleza), y al barrio llamado La Coracha, otrora zona histórica típica de Andalucía que no sobrevivió a la mala gestión de la ciudad en el siglo XX.
Cuando entré al museo, que era gratuito, me dirigieron a la primera sala del piso principal. Lo primero que vi fue un gran cuadro religioso del siglo XVI. Como no sabía nada sobre el museo, pensé que tal vez todo sería arte religioso, lo cual no me interesaría mucho. Había información en otra pared sobre la restauración de la pintura. Las únicas otras obras de arte en la habitación eran un pequeño relieve de mármol enmarcado de un Jesús muy fornido y un libro iluminado en una vitrina.
Fui a la salón de al lado. En las paredes había una sorprendente variedad de obras, incluidas dos de Pablo Picasso. Sin embargo, lo que inmediatamente me llamó la atención fue una pintura homoerótica de San Sebastián. Lo sé. ¿Qué pintura de San Sebastián no es homoerótica? Pero esta pintura se hizo en 1992 y Sebastian parecía uno de los Village People, también conocido en la década de 1970 como un clon de Castro (el barrio muy gay de San Francisco, California) y en la década de 1980 como un clon gay. El cuadro me hizo sonreír, lo que quizás no estaba mostrando el debido respeto por el sufrimiento de San Sebastián.
Después de eso, encontré las obras de arte interesantes e inusuales. Había un cuadro que se llamaba “Mujer con pamela”. Me preguntaba quién era Pamela, por qué pamela no estaba en mayúsculas, y por qué no se proporcionó el nombre de “la mujer”. Resulta que la mujer llevaba pamela en la cabeza. ¿Sabías que una pamela es un sombrero para el sol? El sombrero recibió su nombre de la novela “Pamela, o virtud recompensada” escrita en 1740 por el escritor inglés Samuel Richardson.
Luego estaba el cuadro del siglo XVII llamado San Gerónimo. El artista era Anónimo. Anónimo Gerónimo. Repetí eso en mi cabeza por un tiempo — y lo estoy haciendo de nuevo.
• Ir hacia la luz. Más de la mitad del camino.
• El museo es el segundo edificio a la izquierda (mucho vidrio).
• “Los Desposorios Místicos de Santa Margarita” [restaurados]. Il Parmigianino. 1527.
• “Cristo atado a la columna,” marbo. Siglo XVI. Anónimo.
• El Jesús de mármol me recordó a la fotografía de 1986 que compramos en una subasta benéfica en San Diego en 1996 o, más precisamente, al modelo que se hospedó en nuestro hotel en Palm Springs en 2002.
• “San Sebastián”, 1992. José Aguilera Hinojo. Recuadro: Un clon de Castro.
• “Mujer con pamela.” Pedro Sáenz Sáenz.
• “San Gerónimo,” siglo XVII. Anónimo.
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded; never read it, but it sounds painfully dull.
Wicked Hamster:
I did read it. The moralizing was overwhelming.
PS: Just looked it up; it is apparently not dull at all, though it is highly moralizing.
Do you think the person doing the moralizing is trying to direct attention away from themselves? Just a thought.
sillygirl:
Sounds like a familiar ploy, doesn’t it. And it was written in 1740!
Looks more like Tom of Finland and a religious painting.
David Godfrey:
Tom of Finland is what I constantly came up with when I searched Castro Clones.
Hunky Jesus, well-hung Jesus and badly-drawn Freddie Mercury Jesus! Jx
PS We have our pamelas ready for the paseo…
Jon:
We need to amass a bunch of Pamelas in pamelas.
I read “Sebastian Pamela Jeronimo” and thought “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” Time for coffee!
Chrissoup:
Thank you! That’s what I intended.
High-five!
My late sister’s name was Pamela and she would have been tickled to learn that a “pamela” was a hat! How funny! I’m glad you shared the photo of it.
Kelly:
I will think of your late sister every time I see a pamela (or even a Pamela).
‘A little bit of this and a little bit of that’ kind of museum. Worth the trip/walk there.
Jim:
So worth it. I’ll be back and will drag others with me when I can.
Wonderful walk and visit to Museum but I adore the three thumbnails. Quite fabulous.
cheers
Parsnip:
It was a bit chilly (everything’s relative) but a glorious day for a walk and pictures.
What a bizarre grouping of artwork for such a museum. Not what I would have expected.
Mistress Borghese:
I was very surprised. They do a lot of outreach, art projects, and educational work.
Well, today I learned for the first time that “pamela” is a hat, and that Geronimo is Italian or Spanish or something for Jerome. Live and learn!
Debra:
All new to me, as well.
St. Jerome looks anorexic.
Urspo:
He also looks poorly assembled.
I am still surprised that you are able to just photograph these paintings so easily. I get it that it is a public museum (and free – how good is that!) but still – don’t they have copyright laws or something like that? Loved the explanation about a pamela! I will have to get one myself (to keep the sun off my head of course!)
David:
I now rarely come across museums where I can’t photograph the works. Special exhibits of contemporary artists often ban photography in a museum that allows it of everything else. But never any flash. Every so often I’ll visit a museum that doesn’t allow any photography. I usually find lots of expensive books of images in their gift shops.
Ha! The Castro clone painting is priceless, though the perspective seems a little off. (I love the inset, too!)
We have a copy of “Pamela” in our school library. (In two volumes!) To my knowledge, it has never been checked out. I’ve never read it.
Steve:
Yes, San Sebastian definitely seems a bit off. As for Pamela, I read it and I don’t know why; maybe it was a free classics download. It was oppressively moralizing, although well written.
Seems like a varied exhibit, with a little something for everyone!
I may not know art but I know what I like, and I lingered there for a time.
Bob:
It’s also a fun interior. I’ll be going back.
I read the title and thought, that is one of the lousiest drag names I’ve ever heard! Needless to say, I’m saying it anyway, I’ve never heard of any of these people.
Deedles:
I switched the three names around a number of times and it was the best I could do. Vicky Cristina Barcelona works just a bit better.
It works a lot better! There you go, Scoot LaRue 🙂
Deedles:
I wonder if Scoot LaRue needs a middle number. I’m sure something will inspire you in the coming months.
You saw some lovely works of art. Pamela is an old friend of mine from a class on the history of the British novel. I saw Steve’s comment that no one checks it out. I understand why.
Love,
Janie
janiejunebug:
I wondered, if the pamela HAT was the old friend. But you clarified.
There’s another nice San Sebastiano we saw in Italy. I cna’t attach a photo but: https://reluctantrebel.blogspot.com/2009/12/st-sebastian.html
Frank:
Wow. Nothing subtle about Govi’s homoerotic interpretation.