1. Marcos ORDOZGOITI ( ) 2. Néstor BASTERRETXEA (1924) 3. Néstor BASTERRETXEA (1924) 4. Néstor BASTERRETXEA (1924)

Transcription

1

2 Author: Xabier Sáenz de Gorbea Editor: General Office of Turist Promotion Design and photographs: Sonia Rueda Printing: Flash Composition S.L. Legal deposit: BI Marcos ORDOZGOITI ( ) La Taraska (The Shameless Woman) (1870) 2. Néstor BASTERRETXEA (1924) Mamuak (Moon Faces) (2005) 3. Néstor BASTERRETXEA (1924) Olatu (The Wave) (2006) 4. Néstor BASTERRETXEA (1924) Monument to the painter Benito Barrueta Arteinza (1972) 5. Néstor BASTERRETXEA (1924) Serie Cosmogónica Vasca ( ) 6. Higinio BASTERRA ( ) Pantheon of the Bernardina Urrutia family 7. Miguel GARCÍA DE SALAZAR ( ) Pantheon of the León Basterretxea family (1911) 8. Miguel GARCÍA DE SALAZAR ( ) Pantheon of the Martín Gondra family (1909)

3 9. Adel ALONSO (1953) Desafío Esférico 1 (1989) 10. Eduardo CHILLIDA ( ) Gure Aitaren Etxea (Our Father s House) (1988) 11. Henry MOORE ( ) Large Figure in a Shelter ( ) 12. Jon ITURRARTE (1948) Marimeta (Haystack) (1997) 13. Nemesio MOGROBEJO ( ) Pantheon of the Gandarias family (1908) 14. Agustín IBARROLA (1930) Totem Babeslea (Protective Totem) 15. Agustín IBARROLA (1930) El bosque animado (The Animated Forest) (1983 and 1991) 16. Alberto PALOMERA (1962) Untitled (2003)

4 7. URDAIBAI The Urdaibai region covers all the area around the Gernika river estuary, sometimes called Mundaka river estuary, which includes Bermeo, Mundaka, Sukarrieta, Busturia, Forua, Gernika and its surroundings, Kortezubi, Arteaga, Kanala, Ibarrangelua, Elantxobe and Ea. An important number of artistic works are located around this natural biosphere reserve. There are so many that it is difficult to make a selection, so therefore the most outstanding have been highlighted. La Taraska, partly created by Marcos Ordozgoiti ( ) is one of the oldest works in Bizkaia. The graveyard at Arrazua has a pantheon by Nemesio Mogrobejo ( ) and the cemetery at Mundaka has sculptural pantheons by Miguel García de Salazar

5 URDAIBAI ( ) and Higinio Basterra ( ), among others. The rest are more contemporary pieces. The dialogue that takes place between the sculptures by Henry Moore ( ) and Eduardo Chillida ( ) in the park beside the Regional Parliament (Casa de Juntas) in Gernika is quite unique. The town of Bermeo is blessed with an important donation of the work of Néstor Basterretxea (1924), which forms an openair museum. The works by Agustin Ibarrola (1930) in Oma are worth looking over and enjoying in contact with nature. Lesser known are Jon Iturrarte (1948), Adel Alonso (1953) and Alberto Palomera (1962), whose works are sited in Gernika, Forua and Arteaga, respectively.

6 1 Marcos de ORDOZGOITI ( ) La Taraska in Bermeo is a work that hails back to the nineteenth century sense of public ornamentation. The ensemble offers an integration of sculptures of different origins and functions as a fountain to supply water to the town. It is situated beside the church of San Francisco and was inaugurated in According to Azcarraga y Regil, the work was created by the ill-fated Marcos de Ordozgoiti ( ). Municipal approval was given in 1867 to build two fountains of public interest. Their design is attributed to Antonio Ibarraran, an engineer from Bermeo, although each of the pieces was produced by different people. The trough was made by Juan Pedro Dondiz and the said Ordozgoiti was commissioned to make the column, which is Carrara marble, on 25 October The statue is made of bronze and its creation was awarded to Agapito Sarragua, who presented several casting models, on 19 July 1868 by official submission. Finally, the figure of Victory was chosen, although it has always been known by the popular name of Taraska. It is a term which means shameless and is probably due to the curves of her body, revealed by its moving, figure-hugging dress. The piece was cast in France. The sculpture is very well integrated in the town s festivities and protests. It takes part by being dressed in typical fisherfolk costume, by having flowers placed on it or ribbons to raise awareness of AIDS or masks against the lack of freedom of expression.

7 URDAIBAI Bermeo La Taraska (The Shameless Woman) (1870)

8 2 Néstor BASTERRETXEA (1924) The bronzes of the three Mamuak, also called Ilargi alandrearen mamuak were made by Néstor Basterretxea (1924) and stand on Erreten Lamera in Bermeo. They are arranged on the outer walls of the convent of San Francisco, whose cloister holds five funerary steles that were installed in According to the author It is not unusual in artistic creation to make various versions of an initial work. They were placed here in 2006 and refer to beings from the abundant Basque mythology, documented by Aita Barandiaran. In the artist s opinion their powerful light illuminated the ritual nocturnal feasts in their honour. They are like phantoms of the mother moon which appear schematically. They have great constructive simplicity. The planes are clean and the lines draw severe, enigmatic faces that go back to the rituals of early civilisations. The sculptor from Bermeo is carrying out countless sculptural works in his home town. Some works have not yet been installed, like in the case of the 18 pieces in the Cosmogonic Series. These are to be placed in a circle in the Lanera park and will be inaugurated during 2007.

9 URDAIBAI Bermeo Mamuak (Moon Faces) (2005)

10 3 Néstor BASTERRETXEA (1924) Olatu is a colossal sculpture. Almost eight metres tall and weighing 44 tonnes, it is made of Corten steel. A material which, according to Néstor Basterretxea (1924), is hard, amazing like the character of my town. The Bermeo artist has donated it by depositing it on one of the wharfs in the port. On its base is the following inscription Bermeo nire herri maitea, zu zara olatu erraldoi baten irudi zoragarria ( Bermeo my beloved town, you are

11 URDAIBAI Bermeo the image of a giant, breathtaking wave ). It was inaugurated in 2006 and is made up of five parts. Three elements represent undulating waves about to rush down onto the other two, which are like prismatic rocks. He has synthesised an impression and materialised it artistically. The piece has special lighting that allows special nocturnal observation. It consists of three spotlights and gives a 90 degree light aperture. Olatu (The Wave) (2006)

12 4 Néstor BASTERRETXEA (1924) The monument has a plaque with the following inscription: Al pintor Benito Barrueta Arteinza tar Benito margolariari Bermeo Bermeoko herriak oroigarria. Iraila, The work is by the Bermeo artist Néstor Basterretxea (1924) and stands on the lookout point (Atalaya) of the fishing port, whose mirador offers a fantastic maritime view. Produced in 1972, it was placed one year later as a tribute to the local author on the occasion of the centenary of his birth. The artist has changed the traditional circular typology of the discoidal stele and arranged a square structure. It measures 2.5 x 2.5 x 0.4 metres and is made of two materials. The lower part refers us to solidity and to the spiritual vacuum of transcendence: it is made of concrete and has a triangular-shaped hole that makes it possible to view a perspective of the place. The upper part refers to people s roots and the work of their ancestors: it is made of wood and shows a framework that draws the constructive structures of the farmhouse.

13 URDAIBAI Bermeo Monument to the painter Benito Barrueta Arteinza (1972)

14 5 Néstor BASTERRETXEA (1924) Néstor Basterretxea has sought to pay tribute to the town where he was born and has donated a total of 27 emblematic sculptures which have been installed outdoors. This bequest, which he has made delighted and for love of Bermeo, is part of the Hilarriak (Tombstone), Mamuak (Moon Faces) and Euskal Kosmogonia (Basque Cosmogony) series. The inspiration for the 18 sculptures that make up the Basque Cosmogonic Series stems from the mythological studies of Father Barandiaran and they are installed in the Lamera park, close to the Casino in Bermeo. The original pieces were made of wood in 1972 and have been reproduced life size. The artist has donated his work, with the town meeting the cost of casting in bronze, an operation carried out by Alfa Arte in Eibar. In the artist s own words, I went in search of a solution and resorted to Barandiaran s Dictionary of Basque Mythology. With this information I created 18 deities and tried to convert the word into a tangible image situated in space, which sculpture is. This is my fundamental contribution to Basque culture, this non-existent translation. The circular layout of the series seems to indicate to us that none of the deities is more important than the others, and providing a space for intermediation between human beings and reality. The ensemble seeks identification with the past and makes a journey through Basque mythology. The artist has composed a sober, serious, totemic work, making use of contemporary artistic resources. He has created powerful signs that link the gestural calligraphy which is developed in time and the solid construction that grows wider in space. The work exhales a strong magic factor that broadens the individual and collective imaginary.

15 URDAIBAI Bermeo Basque Cosmogonic Series ( )

16 6 Higinio BASTERRA ( ) The cemetery at Mundaka stands in a privileged setting, from which the Gernika river estuary can be seen. The pantheon of the family of Bernardina Urrutia was designed by Higinio Basterra ( ). The tomb is very high and rises from the ground on a prismatic plinth. Arranged above is the representation of a large bed with its corresponding blanket. The headpiece has a solid pedestal that supports the figure of an angel who accompanies the deceased. The fluttering wings form a large V and are then superimposed on the cross, a symbol of passion and resurrection. The scenography is impressive and shows care and guidance towards eternal life.

17 URDAIBAI Mundaka Pantheon of the Bernardina Urrutia family

18 7 Miguel G. de SALAZAR ( ) Miguel García de Salazar ( ), from Algorta, is an author who effectively resolves funerary motifs. The pantheon of the family of León Basterretxea was produced in It consists of a bronze angel whose wings express mobility and link the ground and the air, earth and heaven. A figure which is lying down on an elongated stone, on which the following can be read: I TRUST IN THE ANGEL, MY GOD, MY GUARD- IAN AND IN HIS MERCY. The prayer is materialised

19 URDAIBAI Mundaka with successive, linearly-dispersed, metallic letters. There is a theatrical tendency and the sense of narration is exalted. It has a certain sentimentality and a romantic tone whose picturesqueness achieves a considerable impact. The model creates a dynamic of shapes and volumes. It breaks with frontal vision and can be observed from different viewpoints, from far away and close up. Like lodged vanitas, the rocks are natural and contribute the passage of time. Pantheon of the León Basterretxea family (1911)

20 7 Miguel G. de SALAZAR ( )

21 URDAIBAI Mundaka Pantheon of the León Basterretxea family (1911)

22 8 Miguel G. de SALAZAR ( ) The Dolorosa (Madonna) of the Martín Gondra family pantheon is another work by Miguel García de Salazar ( ). Produced in 1909, it illustrates the female figure in a praying attitude with the body leaning forward. One leg is supported on the remains of a boat that seems to advance and carry the deceased towards paradise. A text states: THE SOUL GUIDED / BY THE CROSS / IN THE STORMY / SEA OF LIFE / APPROACHES, OVERCOMES / ETERNITY. The arms form an inverted V whose vertex points towards the face, which raises up its eyes and places its faith in the infinite. The prow marks a diagonal towards the left (the past), whereas the body is leaning slightly in the opposite direction, to the right. Nothing seeks to draw attention away from the essential. The artist eliminates the details of the folds and shows only the necessary. The entire ensemble is arranged on the roughness of some raging rocks, like sea swell during a gale. They tell us that the real world is filled with dangers. The difficult life which is left behind is borne by the faith in eternal paradise.

23 URDAIBAI Mundaka Pantheon of the Martín Gondra family (1909)

24 9 Adel ALONSO (1953) Adel Alonso (1953) is the author of the work that stands in the centre of the Plaza Atxeta in Forua. The piece by the artist from Muskiz is titled Desarrollo esférico 1 and was made in It is made of limestone and Corten steel painted black. The base is circular and has a diameter of three metres. The ground rises to form a spherical cap on which a dynamic curvilin-

25 URDAIBAI Forua ear metallic strip is supported. Together with another orthogonal band it draws a sphere in the air. A real sphere is arranged in balance, with which a tension is maintained and a dialogue between surfaces, materials and colours. It has a support which was added later and prevents the levitation of the ensemble. Desarrollo esférico 1 (1989)

26 10 Eduardo CHILLIDA ( ) Eduardo Chillida ( ) is the author of the work situated in the park adjacent to the Casa de Juntas, the Parliament of Bizkaia. It is composed of the dark Corten steel of Gernika (1987) and the grey concrete of Gure Aitaren Etxea (1988), which combine the honour of the past and the open and expensive future. The huge wall measures 780 x 1820 x 164 cm and weighs 188 tonnes. It is based on the stele to Agamemnon (1982), who, to ensure his boat sailed, overcame all kinds of trials and did not hesitate to sacrifice his daughter, Ifigenia. The great enveloping wall is a volume that advances like a ship and seems to be bound towards the tree of tradition. Like a prow ploughing through space, it relates times: yesterday and today, parents and children. It is also a construction whose layout protects

27 URDAIBAI Gernika space, like with the walls of a house. The structure establishes limits and determines a permeability between inside and outside, what is ours and others. The curvilinear shapes of the open window suggest the idea of a yoke, used not to direct the strength of animals, but rather the sight and common effort of men. The circular rings on the sides are like metal rings to pull and drag the building in times of removal and difficulty. The dual idea of vessel and house evoke mobility and immobility, progress and memory, adventure and identity at the same time. The remembrance and tribute facet is also shown in the stele (170 x 105 x 45 m.), whose curvatures travel in space, allowing forward and backward steerage and guidance. It is like a privileged observatory on which to support oneself and from which to project one s gaze. Gure Aitaren Etxea (Our Father s House) (1988)

28 10 Eduardo CHILLIDA ( )

29 URDAIBAI Gernika Gure Aitaren Etxea (Our Father s House) (1988)

30 11 Henry MOORE ( ) Its maker, Henry Moore ( ) holds a place of honour in the history of twentieth century sculpture. Large Figure in a Shelter is one of his last works. It is 7 metres tall and weighs about 20 tonnes. Designed in , it was inaugurated on 7 July 1990, a few years after his death. The piece develops a dialogue between individual identity and social consciousness through a commitment with the yearning for freedom. It is part of the War Helmets series ( ), which consists of helmets with the meaning of protection. In Gernika the approach is not of a merely defensive attitude nor

31 URDAIBAI Gernika of voluntary confinement, but of something that opens and where a person emerges. It is composed of two directly related parts. The helmet is shown split into two and gives the idea of an organic, open and receptive shell, with an independent element, in the shape of a woman, appearing from its core. The scene has the character of rebirth, of returning to the exterior. It is a changing surface, made up of concave and convex, mobile and tactile, curved volumes, like the seed of a longing to overcome serious problems. Large Figure in a Shelter ( )

32 11 Henry MOORE ( )

33 URDAIBAI Gernika Large Figure in a Shelter ( )

34 12 Jon ITURRARTE (1948) Jon Iturrarte Artola (1948) starts from anthropological knowledge and gives art the function of a cultural service. Marimeta (1997) is located in Íñigo López de Haro street in Gernika. The title sets up a play on words. It combines the name of the goddess Mari, whose enigmatic face looks down on the place from a wall niche, and that of a construction like the haystack, which has always been very common in the Basque Country. The piece measures 300 x 300 x 700 and is made of brick and white tile. It was erected on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Gernika and is like a fragile shelter. It shows the hollow explosion of a large central opening close to some small closed windows that might contain votive offerings and mementos. It has a semblance of a huge dovecote or open cage for free birds. It shows its outer marks and provides the feeling of an inner space that can be inhabited and is spiritually protected. Inside, it contains the secret soul of a small sculpture and the photograph of Ramona, a survivor of the fascist bombs and strafing. The work is an focal point for contemporary reflection and sensitisation that contains mythical links and true facts, the past and the present.

35 URDAIBAI Gernika Marimeta (Haystack) (1997)

36 13 Nemesio MOGROBEJO ( ) The pantheon of the Gandarias family is an excellent work by Nemesio Mogrobejo ( ). It was carried out in 1908 and its huge proportions cause surprise. It is situated in the middle of the small cemetery at Arratzu and can be seen from outside. It was cast by Ballarin in Barcelona and is signed on the rear, close to the rear columns. It is an estimable work, both solid and delicate at the same time. With its hands outstretched, the figure seems to gather up the soul of the deceased at the same time as it pleads for them. The face displays great serenity and is very idealised, without any personal tone. The modelling is compact and balanced. The surfaces are treated with harmonious delicacy and are exquisitely polished. The symmetry is activated by means of the direction of the straight folds and the envolving, curvilinear movement of the long tunic. A garment which barely reveals the tense arms and the feet, as the head is shown bowed and in an attitude of prayer. Mogrobejo uses the female body and wraps it in modern undulations. The result is majestic and imposing.

37 URDAIBAI Arratzu Pantheon of the Gandarias family (1908)

38 13 Nemesio MOGROBEJO ( )

39 URDAIBAI Arratzu Pantheon of the Gandarias family (1908)

40 14 Agustín IBARROLA (1930) The Refugio Basondo in Kortezubi has been in existence since It was founded by Xabier Maiztegi, a local veterinarian, who started to take in threatened animals on his farm. Today it is a nature interpretation centre and shelter for endangered fauna. Its 60,000 square metres of meadows and woodland hold wild boar, roe deer, foxes, mountain cats, otters, birds of prey and reptiles, among many other species. The general public can visit the Refuge on weekends and public holidays. Other days, visits are by prior appointment only. It is located close to the Santimamiñe caves, next to the road. Totem Babeslea (2000), a sculpture by Agustín Ibarrola (1930), stands at the entrance. It is a gateway, a triumphal arch for nature. It is made up of large wooden cylinders that intertwine around a triangle, crossing through the space and enlivening it. Colour represents the rainbow on the construction. It provides its chromatic warmth and fosters a feeling of protection on the place, people and animals.

41 URDAIBAI Kortezubi-Oma Totem Babeslea (Protective Totem)

42 15 Agustín IBARROLA (1930) The work on the enchanted forest is unique. It should be observed and also walked through in contact with nature. Between 1983 and 1991, Agustín Ibarrola (1930) painted on the trunks of more than 500 pine trees in Oma, in the municipality of Kortézubi, near Gernika. The work was restored by Fine Arts students in the summer of The complex receives thousands of visitors each year. The figures have been materialised directly onto the bark of the trees. According to their author The painted forest invites each person to recompose the images indicated and those that arise in their imagination, and also to add their own historical and mythological motivations or their moods, in a place very close to the Santimamiñe caves, which hold invaluable prehistoric paintings. The forest is signposted to enable visitors to pick up the ideas that the artist conveys. The dialogue between the mountain and the artistic creations is discovered by walking along footpaths on the woody hillsides. Schematic human figures, the traces of lips, animal tracks, together with simple zig-zag geometric lightning trails or the polychrome figure of a rainbow that jumps from trunk to trunk, can be seen among the vegetation. The place takes on significance, for which it is necessary to stand in specific positions. Only in this way can colour stains be seen to join together in the distance. An expressive experience full of surprises.

43 URDAIBAI Kortezubi-Oma El bosque animado (The Animated Forest) (1983 and 1991)

44 15 Agustín IBARROLA (1930)

45 URDAIBAI Kortezubi-Oma El bosque animado (The Animated Forest) (1983 and 1991)

46 16 Alberto PALOMERA (1962) Alberto Palomera (1962) has created a set of works in front of the castle in Gauteguiz de Arteaga. They are made of Corten steel and were produced in The artist from Barakaldo creates dialogue with the place. Consequently, it introduces plastic and functional rhymes with the constructive character of the building. It follows the idea of less is more, as Mies Van der Rohe requested, and designs an environment with the schematic delimitation of simple vertical plates. It creates limits, by way of a barrier, that leaves gaps, structures the space and gives the idea of a defensive system, like that of the high walls of the adjacent tower.

47 URDAIBAI Arteaga Untitled (2003)

48 7- urdaibai