Another snapshot. Just opposite of Munal (Museo Nacional de Arte) in Mexico City.
I´m trying to be less lazy and put more details into the drawings. I don´t like drawing buildings or urban sketching I realised. So I consider this a good exercise to get back into it and work on perspectives and on my patience.
The days are getting shorter and more stormy here, so it is nice to revisit Mexico by drawing it. Another page filled in my travel sketchbook.
In front of the Museo Nacional de Artes in Mexcio City after visiting the Caravaggio exhibition. The museum is housed in a neoclassical building and the building itself is quite stunning. Who has been there?
In front of the museum is a large equestrian statue by Manuel Tolsá of Charles IV of Spain, who was the monarch just before Mexico gained its independence.
I went to a Caravaggio exhibition at the Museo Nacional de Artes in Mexico City back in spring 2018.
I have to admit that I was a little bit disappointed (maybe also my fault as I did not look at the information properly), but they only had one painting by Caravaggio. The rest of the exhibit was about him in form of a multimedia show and artworks by other artists that got inspired by him.
Nevertheless, I learned a lot about his style and especially his use of light and shadow. The museum in general was definitely worth a visit, as it is in a stunning building. Especially the permanent exhibition was great. That´s where I spotted the little horses from yesterday.
Below my impression of the only painting by Caravaggio at the exhibition.
I am not sure at which museum I saw these little horse by the Mexican sculptor Olivero Martínez. I think it was at the Museo Nacional de Arte in the center of Mexico City.
I thought they were absolutely beautiful. Each horse is made from a different material, ranging from marble to bronze and stone.
I fell in love with Mexico because of its contrasts and colours. Especially in Mexico City you encounter so many different people. These fancy dressed girls on Avenida Horacio in Polanco, looked ready to hit one of those upscale restaurants you can find here.
I just went to that barrio for lunch and a stroll. Most of the places are way out of my budget.
Time to take a small break from my pelicans.
I have been thinking a lot about Mexico lately. My last trip was in 2018! Time flies indeed! I realized that I never finished my Mexico album. So I decided to revisit it an keep filling the remaining 30+ pages.
Saw these guys standing at a street corner in Polanco, Mexico City, during my stay in spring 2018.
These are the last two drawings for my take on”People of CDMX” as I just moved to Athens, Greece! Yes! This happened rather short notice. I fled the country of “ice and fire” and will be here for 5 months to stuff my face with olives and to enjoy the sun!
I wanted to finish these illustrations before I left Iceland but didn´t find the time. And I left the book behind because of luggage restrictions. But I already got a new one which is waiting to be filled.
The ballon seller guys in Polanco.
And the girl in the pink dress on Avenida Horacio in Polanco. I have a summer dress the same colour which I can soon wear in Athens.
Happy weekend!
On my stroll through Mexico City I encountered these guys, looking all serious business.
Taco stand part II. This time in Polanco in Mexico City.
We went a couple of times to Polanco to eat out. The best place we’ve been to by far was the japanese restaurant called Murakami. The food – sushi, sashimi and other delicacies, were amazing.
Plenty people going around on scooters. I probably would do the same as traffic during rush hour is quite terrible. At least then you have a chance to make your way through.
I once made the mistake to take a cab when it started raining during rush our, which made the traffic pretty much come to a total stand still. It took us 20 min to cover about 300 metres, but for some reason I was also too lazy to get out of the car.
I have to admit I really did not pay attention to detail while doing the perspective and background on this one. I was watching a movie. So the lines are all over the place.
I actually don´t remember seeing any street dogs in Mexico City but there are dogs everywhere. People have dogs of all shapes and sizes, and often more than one.
On my first visit in 2014 in CDMX we stayed in La Condesa were you can see dog walkers with 10-20 dogs of all sizes, from Chihuahuas to Great Danes in the park. I think I have seen more different dog breeds in Mexico City than Europe.
I think I spent in total about 6-7 weeks in La Ciudad de México on my 3 visits there. I was there before and after my visit in Malinalco in April/May 2018. I stayed with a friend in San Rafael, which I thought was quite a nice part of town.
I took plenty of photos while walking around as I could not use the Uber app on my phone and could not be bothered to use taxis most of the time. And I dislike the metro or bus because of too many people. So I walked a lot. When I took photos I had a series of drawings in mind about “people of Mexico City”…. Something that was inspired by those “Humans of New York” photos that were trending several years ago. This is is my take on it.
I think this was somewhere around Juárez, on the way to La Roma.
I recently watch an artists advice video that suggested that you should mirror your drawings. I guess to see if they look right. Here is the mirrored image, the right way round of CDMX.
I did this drawing way back at the beginning of April when I was staying in Mexico City at a friends place. Absolutely loved all the colours in CDMX.
This was my second attempt of sketching outside. It´s the backyard of my friends house, where I spent the afternoon sitting on the stairs while the sun was warming my feet.
My time in Malinalco sadly has come to an end and I am back in La ciudad de México (CDMX). I still have several unfinished drawings that I am working on, so you will still get to see some more of my impressions of that little Pueblo Mágico.
I feel so much better this time around in CDMX than 3 weeks ago, as I am now able to converse somewhat in Spanish after studying every day, and I am also better used to the altitude and air pollution. So I spend my days walking around enjoying the sun, eating a lot of street food, and I have been visiting one art museum per day.
I have already planned a whole series of drawings inspired by the capital, but those have to wait until I am back in Iceland next week . Unfortunately I’ll be leaving Mexico earlier than planned as a job opportunity came up, so it will be back to grown up life for now. But I will most certainly be back in this fascinating and inspiring country. Until then I am looking forward to my 4 day stopover in NYC next week. Never been, don´t know what to expect.
Meanwhile on the streets of Malinalco during one of my late afternoon walks.
Melanie Franz 