Sketching our travels

Desde el siglo XVI, personajes de la alta sociedad recorrían el mundo libreta en mano para anotar y dibujar todo aquello que encontraban por su camino; descubriendo un nuevo mundo desconocido que se abría ante sus ojos. En el caso de los artistas, el viaje tenía como destino final Roma, la cuna de la cultura clásica y un referente que todo humanista debía conocer. Desde el Renacimiento hasta entrado el siglo XIX, el Grand Tour -nombre con el que se conocía esta peregrinación hasta Roma- sirvió para que los más grandes artistas continuasen su formación antes de volver a su lugar de origen. Con el tiempo, Roma dejó de tener interés y estos cuadernos de viajes llegaron hasta lugares lejanos e inhóspitos para la época: Egipto, Nueva Guinea, Filipinas… Todas las experiencias vividas se encontraban agrupadas en un montón de papeles, esbozos que recordaban desde pequeñas anécdotas hasta las proporciones arquitectónicas de un templo clásico.

Con la aparición de la fotografía esta práctica empezó a desaparecer para conseguir resultados mucho más precisos e inmediatos. Sin embargo, un poco de nostalgia siempre es bienvenida. Es el caso del artista chino Cherngzhi Lian, quien viaja alrededor del mundo con pequeños cuadernos, acuarelas y rotuladores para retratar todo lo que encuentra a su paso. “Viajo para alejarme de los paisajes que son familiares para mí. Los nuevos ambientes y culturas me permiten perderme en ese lugar y sumergirme en un momento concreto.” Sin duda alguna, una nueva-vieja forma de recordar nuestras experiencias desde un punto de vista personal. ¿Dejaremos de lado las cámaras y cogeremos los pinceles?

Since the Sixteenth century, people from high society travelled the world with a little notebook to write and draw whatever they found in their way, discovering a new and unknown world. For the artist, the trip was bound for Rome, the epicenter of classical culture and a benchmark that every humanist should know. From the Renaissance into the Nineteenth century, the Grand Tour -this pilgrimage to Rome – was very useful for great artist to continue their training before returning into their countries. Eventually, Rome wasn’t so interesting for new artists and explores, who decided to visit distant and inhospitable places such as Egypt, New Guinea or the Philippines. All this experiencies were grouped into a pile of papers, sketches that could talk about little anecdotes or explaining the proportions of a classical temple.

With the emerge of photography, this practice began to disappear to get more accurate and immediate results. However, a bit of nostalgia is always welcome. It is the case of Chinese artist Cherngzhi Lian, who travels around the world with a small notebook, watercolors and markers to portray everything he founds. “I travel to distance myself from the anxieties of my own familiar landscape. New surroundings and cultures allow me to lose myself and to be immersed with the moment.” With any doubt, a new-old way to remember our experiences from a personal point of view. Will we take off the cameras and choose the brushes?

Since the Sixteenth century, people from high society travelled the world with a little notebook to write and draw whatever they found in their way, discovering a new and unknown world. For the artist, the trip was bound for Rome, the epicenter of classical culture and a benchmark that every humanist should know. From the Renaissance into the Nineteenth century, the Grand Tour -this pilgrimage to Rome – was very useful for great artist to continue their training before returning into their countries. Eventually, Rome wasn’t so interesting for new artists and explores, who decided to visit distant and inhospitable places such as Egypt, New Guinea or the Philippines. All this experiencies were grouped into a pile of papers, sketches that could talk about little anecdotes or explaining the proportions of a classical temple.

With the emerge of photography, this practice began to disappear to get more accurate and immediate results. However, a bit of nostalgia is always welcome. It is the case of Chinese artist Cherngzhi Lian, who travels around the world with a small notebook, watercolors and markers to portray everything he founds. “I travel to distance myself from the anxieties of my own familiar landscape. New surroundings and cultures allow me to lose myself and to be immersed with the moment.” With any doubt, a new-old way to remember our experiences from a personal point of view. Will we take off the cameras and choose the brushes?