‘Los petardos que borran sonidos de ayer
Y acaloran el ánimo para aceptar
Que ya pasó uno más’ — Un Año Más, Mecano
Another year reaching its end.
I know, I know (very rational people out there) - years, months, and time management are human-made constructs to measure laps to the Sun and to make sense of life, energy and an infitine Universe flowing unstoppably, blah, blah, blah. But I still like celebrating these key dates in our little manufactured calendar: as with birthdays, holidays, and festivities, these are moments to pause, reflect, and plan (design).
I still think, though, that the end/beginning of the year should coincide with either the beginning of Spring or the end of Summer. Those would be better dates to mark rather than the gloomy January in the upper latitudes of the North Hemisphere!
This year, I have read a lot.
I know it because I started writing on The Sketch Club about it, making lists of the books I was purchasing and reading. This is definitely a habit I will continue for life and I encourage everybody to do. It’s enriching to be able to go back in time and track the different authors, recurring themes, or impactful discoveries that happened in a certain year of reading.
Reflecting on the books I have read this year, these are some of the best and most recommended ones, and the reasons why they’ve been special to me:
Spring Cannot Be Cancelled by David Hockney and Martin Gayford
I came across this book in the Thyssen Museum’s shop in Madrid on a lovely spring day that was not cancelled at all. Discovering David Hockney’s picture theories and his way of seeing the world has extremely inspired and comforted me. I am learning so much about visual depiction and observation - art, with a small a.
Martin Gayford is also a fantastic author and art critic, and all his books are not only pleasant or informative to read, but they also reveal relevant questions and make interesting associations.1 Some other titles I read include: A History of Pictures, A Bigger Message and Man with a Blue Scarf.
Austin Kleon’s trilogy and his Substack newsletter
Kleon’s concise and actionable little guides contain key advice for every artist and designer out there wanting to build a creative life. He keeps going and shares regularly interesting thoughts and reflections on the creative process in his Substack newsletter. I am always excited to read something Kleon has observed and written about - he is one of those few people.
Agatha Christie’s Poirot murder mysteries
Reading and performing out loud in our little book club Poirot’s cases with my partner has been a really fun initiative and a great way to strengthen our bond (and to learn many different English accents). Reading collectively is such a powerful experience.
In my opinion, Agatha Christie is one of the best writers in history. Her stories are so well written and articulated, she is capable of manipulating the mind, psychology, and emotions of the reader with words and narrative to trick you into who dunnit.
I am so excited for the New Year, 2023.
I am always excited to discover new books and curious about their content. One thing for sure: I’ll continue reading a lot (or as much as my travels allow me to) and writing (and drawing) about it.
Wishing you all a very happy New Year!
Happy reading! 📚✨
Ana
📚 What I’m reading in December 2022:
Brief Lessons in Seeing Differently by Frances Ambler. This little book found me at Foyles during one of my bookstore wanders. Easy read with prompts and artists’ references to learn to see like an artist.
El estudio de la naturaleza. Una teorÃa de los colores by Paul Klee (prologue by PÃa Bernad Bareche, translation by Silvia Alemany). This is my first encounter with Klee’s theory of art and I must confess I will need to re-read this book to fully grasp it. Pure philosophy.
La calle y la casa. Urbanismo de interiores by Xavier Monteys. I do recommend Montey’s trilogy of looking at and learning from architecture and dwelling from a more human lens. Casa collage and La habitación are the other two that complete the trio (not sure they’ve been translated to English though).
How the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil. This book is a high-level review of key themes that govern society and the way we’ve built our world: energy, food production, reliance on fossil fuels, environment, risk management, health, current misconceptions, and future predictions. Although ambitious in its title, the overview of these topics is informative enough to trigger one’s curiosity to do one’s own research.
What are you currently reading? It would be great to hear about it! Please, leave a comment and share your thoughts :)
Although I appreciate him as an author, I must note here something I have noticed in his books, and I am sure happens with many others: the lack of female artists as examples in his discourse.