Seeing the Point in Art Again

[@maimaii4805]

Thanks for sharing Holly

[@heathershaw9235]

This video was like food for the soul.

[@hyedie]

Thank you for sharing on youtube again!! I missed your vlogs and love seeing you make art in your van!

[@hollyexley]

Thanks for watching! I'm hoping I can make more videos for KZbin this year :)

[@JannetjeW]

Love all of this

[@karolsartoasis4815]

This video is filled with everything I love, travel, art nature, dogs and Picasso art. Thanks for sharing Holly. ❤

[@hollyexley]

Aw thanks Karol - glad to tick so many things on your list with this vid! ☺

[@katec9893]

Holly it's nice to see you feeling more positive about art making. It's also very kind of you to let your partner take some time off while you support both of you, I'm sure he'll feel much better after some rest and time to explore his interests. I've not been to Madrid but went to the Picasso museum in Barcelona which was good. I like the Basque country too, I studied in Pau for a while. If you go back up there have a look at Biarritz and Bayonne, lots of great places around there, San Sebastian too which I presume you've already visited.

[@Urukins]

I was in this museum last year in summer, the whole museum is filled with impactful pieces Guernica included, with all the studies Picasso made of it. It was definitely one of the high points in my Spain visit as well!

[@stefaniepsiferart]

I was in Madrid last summer! Amazing city. I'm also learning Español! Cuatro años! Hope you are all well!

[@paulinefollett3099]

Thanks for sharing your travels with us. It was just so interesting.

[@DrCalyn]

So happy to see you back and living van life! Your honesty and art is very much needed.

[@katierobertsart5658]

Hi Holly, I am just so glad to see a video in which you explore, think and talk about the positive and powerful impact art can have on politics and society. Art is such an important and powerful tool for change! Thank you.

[@lindyashford7744]

I went to see the Guernica painting years ago in Madrid when I was living a bit of a transient life too, was blown over by the painting, but it was the notebooks and sketches that really got to me, such fantastic observation and work. I actually loved Madrid, a feast for art lovers. Just great 😊to see you and Craig and the doggos, you have been missed. In every way you have come a long way since I found you online in 2015.

[@hollyexley]

Aw thank you Lindy :) I really liked the sketches too! Helped me to understand and appreciate the final piece so much more.

[@bluewren65]

I was sorry that you didn't talk about your actual experience of observing Guernica. When people say they don't understand why Picasso is a genius, I say, "go stand in front of Guernica" then tell me what you think. Guernica is such a powerful painting. The amount of work Picasso put into making it is astounding. The scale of the work is astounding. While in Madrid you must go to the Prado. There is an entire room of Hieronymus Bosch. The garden of earthly delights is there and it is just sitting out in the open on a table. You can get really close and see all that amazing detail. It truly is an astounding work that was centuries ahead of its time. Then there's the room full of Goya's (another trail blazer who was far ahead of his time). You will weep when you stand in front of The Drowning Dog.

[@itscarolinemary]

In university I did a fair amount of visual studies courses which focused on art movements, civil resistance, etc. It's been a number of years since but I really enjoyed those courses!

[@hollyexley]

They sound great!

[@anonymousjdg]

Loved seeing your nature journal entries!

[@hollyexley]

Thanks Jamie, I hope I can keep the practice up on the road!

[@laurawoolf3577]

I truly enjoy every one of your videos. Each upload makes me feel quite content and they are always food for thought :) Saludos from the North of Spain :)

[@katjweiss]

Hi Holly! I really enjoyed watching your work process in your van! And it’s so cool you saw Guernica IRL - in high school I wrote my course work on it along with other anti-war art by John Heartfield and Banksy. Didn’t have the insight to write about Hannah Hoch at the time but oh well 😅 happy travels! Hope you see more forest critters along the way!

[@hollyexley]

John Heartfield's work is so cool - thanks for sharing. I remember I was into Picasso's blue period in school but it's only in my old age that I'm able to appreciate cubism! It was really great to see the painting, big paintings have so much presence, and we spent ages discussing all the different elements and possible meanings. So good.

[@allyur3191]

¿Dónde está my black pencil? Lol El Guernica is a powerful obra de arte, thank you for showing this dark side of the recent Spanish past and as you can see, Spain is not only beaches and sun 🌞 Love your new life in a van 💕

[@hollyexley]

We are in love with the mountains of Spain, much more than the beaches!

[@louiselangton]

All your smashing content as ever with bonus travel vlog 💛 I'm currently reading Orwell's Homage to Catalonia as well, so extra interesting seeing the artwork/posters/history that your shared x

[@hollyexley]

We've just started reading that too! I've been wanting to read it for ages, defo feels like the right time. Hope you're enjoying xx The posters/newspapers were fascinating to see - they seemed to be a v important part of the struggle against fascism, super inspiring and the design was just impeccable!

[@louiselangton]

@@hollyexley it's a speedy read despite a lot of the inaction of warfare being relayed. I'm up to the street fighting currently when Orwell is back from the front, which is just as tense! I'm off to go look up some more of these posters! Have a nice day your end x

[@Nonorama]

Haven't watched on of your videos in a long while. Just a few days ago I was thinking, "huh, I should watch a Holly Exley Video again, see where she's at with her art". Now this video pops up today, and I see you driving around/ living in a van? XD So much has changed. But I am glad to see the doggos again :)

[@hollyexley]

Haha a lot has changed, but the dogs remain a constant ! Thanks for checking in today :)

[@KristinaMBuffetti]

Thank you for this lovely video. It was nice to see what you've been up to lately 💕

[@hollyexley]

Thanks for watching Kristina!

[@arleneoleary7786]

Only happy dogs have zoomies. 🥰

[@randomsquirrelarts]

So nice to see a new video from you. You are actually the artist that made me interested in food illustration. Now I'm trying to create my own recipe book/zine. Can't wait to see another video from you!

[@deoko1]

Holley I'm so glad you are in Spain

[@hollyexley]

Thank you for these tips, I will remember them for next time we are in Madrid! We don't have plans to go to Barcelona on this trip but maybe next winter. We really have fallen for Spain, especially the mountains!

[@deoko1]

@@hollyexley of course! no problem : ) hope you are having a blast and if you go to Andalusia you get to enjoy the warm weather (they have the best weather in the Marbella to Malaga zones). ^__^

[@EleonoraFestari]

It’s nice to see you again! And the se vlogs are really lovely as your dogs ❤

[@hollyexley]

Thank you!

[@claire.gillis]

Unfortunately hunting is very common throughout all of Spain and Portugal :( Thursday and Sunday mornings they'll be out. The season finishes the end of March I think and the end of February, March is a big time for finding abandoned dogs as the older dogs or "bad" hunters just get discarded. Are you familiar with Galgos? With having your beautiful Midge, I'm guessing you'd like them :) Enjoy Spain!!

[@hollyexley]

Thats so sad to hear. I hate hunting so much, bad for wild animals and domesticated ones alike :( We've been seeing lots of galgos here, as pets, which is lovely. Midge met one, waggy tails all round!

[@claire.gillis]

@@hollyexley oh lovely for the waggy tails 😁 I've got two doggos which is enough for me at the moment but one day I'd love both a galgo and a podenco!

[@hollyexley]

@@claire.gillis aw that sounds lovely - yes two dogs is our limit too! :)

[@pdbowman]

In 1937, it wasn’t jet aircraft, but jets were just a few years away - coming toward the close of WW2, to which the war in Spain is the more or less deliberately diminished or forgotten opening act. What Hitler’s Germany put into practice as a world-historic first at Gernika, the powers that contained Hitler would themselves ‘perfect’ in the 1940s and on, very much into present. It’s all incredibly recent, or really current rather. Can’t put a link in these comments, but worth looking up is the documentary ‘Bombing War: from Guernica to Hiroshima.’ There’s a trailer for it on the @lglphares channel.

[@hollyexley]

I got that bit wrong about the planes! Those fascist bastards. Thank you for the recc Paul I will look it up!

[@pdbowman]

@@hollyexley No worries, we’ve fetishized these machines and their lore for far too long. I’m a characteristic product of that culture in many ways, sadly. (Much to be said here about fascism not being anywhere near as easy to rid the world of as Hitler was.) Grateful for you guys and the journey you’re sharing with us!

[@i.a.9453]

¿Dónde está? El lápiz está en tu estuche. Bienvenidos a España.

[@ellstration]

Really enjoyed your storytelling and the insight about your life in the van Holly. 🤌 I can tell about the research and interest of yours that went into this video.

[@hollyexley]

Thank you Elena! ☺