In Alicante, MUBAG Notebooks Expand the Artist Narrative with Rich, Multidisciplinary Insights
Last year, an issue of the Cuadernos del Museo de Bellas Artes de Gravina stood out for its polished production and thoughtful essays. It featured contributions by a respected nearby scholar on the painter Javier Lorenzo, while another author explored the architectural direction in the work of a relative, Emilio Varela. Alicante’s art scene also benefited from the thoughtful studies of two local experts, María José Gadea and María Gazabat, who offered insightful pieces about the region’s artistic heritage.
Then a broader question arose: was there a need for a magazine with such features in Alicante? The answer appeared reaffirmed with the publication of the second issue of MUBAG Notebooks. It continued the exemplary presentation that defined the first issue, extending the translation of expert texts into English to widen accessibility for researchers. The publication remains richly illustrated and supported by a team of collaborators who cover a wide range of topics. This approach helps maintain a high standing for such works, balancing detailed description with scholarly essayistic inquiry.
The index included in the second issue, released in December and presented at the museum, offers a thoughtful framework for selecting topics and identifying the experts who will explore them. Two prominent names return to the fore due to Gravina Street Museum events in 2023: Joaquín Sorolla and Emilio Varela. A mix of well-known and regionally rooted authors, many of whom specialize in the two Valencian and Alicante-born painters, converge to describe the life, works, and eras of Sorolla and Varela. Contributors such as Pérez Rojas, Pons Moreno, Gadea, Gazabat, Sánchez Monllor, and Balsalobre guide readers through the painters’ luminous palettes and evolving public reception. Within Alicante, Varela’s pictorial output is recognized for its distinctive qualities and the economic challenges he faced during his artistic career, while Sorolla’s oeuvre is celebrated for its enduring impact. A memorable anecdote highlights a Valencian painter hosting a presenter from a cultural program in Stockholm, where dialogues between art and music underscored the cross-cultural exchange of the period.
The exhibition’s significance extended beyond art circles; it resonated with the Antillean government because of the esteem in which the Oriola poet was held and because Miguel Hernández, a close friend of the late Cuban journalist Pablo de la Torriente Brau, linked his own work to that period of struggle. Hernández dedicated a later work to Brau, underscoring the cultural bonds that travel across nations and generations. The story of Hernández’s dedication remains a testament to how art and politics can intersect in the collective memory of a society.
A later conversation about Stockholm exhibitions brought together two painters connected by friendship and shared landscape motifs: the Spanish Sorolla and the Swedish painter Anders Zorn. The ambassador’s excitement about a Valencia-based musical ensemble performing at the opening ceremony, with plans for subsequent events at Madrid’s Sorolla Museum, illustrated how cultural programs weave together art, music, and diplomacy. The ceremonial atmosphere was complemented by a performance by the string quartet Martín y Soler, whose evening underlined the festive spirit surrounding the show.
In the second issue, readers are invited to see a compelling article by Professor Miguel Ángel Lozano. His analytic, almost detective-like approach traces Lorenzo Casanova’s life and work from Alcoy onward, tracing the painter’s influence on relatives and readers alike. The narrative also covers how Casanova’s wife guided her nephew Gabriel Miró on his marriage to Clemencia Maignon. The painting now housed in the MUBAG collection charts the path of this literary figure across Alicante, Barcelona, and Madrid, where he died in 1930.
The annual MUBAG Notebooks, a Christmas gift from the museum directed by Jorge Soler, includes a special section on the “Dematerialisation of contemporary sculpture in Alicante.” It features artists such as Bañuls, Lastres, Adriano, Gutiérrez Carbonell, and Carrillo, along with contributions from Román de la Calle and other scholars such as Sánchez Luna, Roche Cárcel, Díaz Sánchez, Gómez Moreno, Navarro Ferrón, Aramis López, Natalia Molinos, Pilar Escanero, and Martín Noguerol. The editors emphasize a rigorous commitment to clear, substantial scholarship, while allowing space for diverse voices within the arts community.
Ultimately, the magazine welcomes readers into a broader cultural panorama. It presents a careful, accessible portrait of the people behind Alicante’s artistic life and the institutions that sustain it, while highlighting the enduring efforts of local artists, scholars, and collaborators in naming and framing cultural achievement for today’s audiences. The goal remains to illuminate the work of those who contribute to our cultural landscape and to celebrate the people who breathe life into the arts in the region.