Photo Friday: Santa Maria della Salute
Friday, November 6, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Must See Museums: The Vitruvian Man in Venice
Between Art and Science
October 10, 2009 - January 10, 2010
Wandering the calles and campos of Venice where a good photograph lurks around every corner, I sometimes have trouble dragging myself inside. But on my last trip to Venice, I made a special point to visit the Gallerie dell’Accademia -- or Academy. Why? Because Leonardo da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man” was on display, a rare and extraordinary opportunity. So, off my husband and I went in search of the “Vitruvian Man,” and he did not disappoint.
Currently much of the Academy is under construction, so a few key rooms and pieces I’d been looking forward to seeing were off limits. But, there, in a little alcove off a hallway, was a glass box containing what looked to be an 8.5 x 11” piece of paper. We sat and waited for the room to clear out as a British family crowded up close to the glass case. Mum and Dad tried to convince their preteen son and his younger sister that the drawing was worthy of more than a passing glance, but they weren’t buying it.
Read more...
Monday, November 2, 2009
Hotel Cipriani
That’s exactly the feel those boats emblazoned with “Hotel Cipriani” in crisp, white lettering on the side are supposed the conjure. Hotel Cipriani, set across the canal from San Marco on Guidecca, is just a boat ride away from the heart of Venice, but its soul is in the glamour of a bygone era.
Read more...
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween Michelangelo-Style!
Happy Halloween! It's a day of ghosts and goblins... and Michelangelo? Yep. Michelangelo! Read on... and maybe get some costuming inspiration?
"Finally, on October 31, 1512, the chapel’s doors were opened and Romans flocked to see the wonders therein. Michelangelo’s work created an immediate sensation in the city and beyond. In covering the enormous space with a program of panels and tremendous figures, Michelangelo had solved the problem of perspective that faces many muralists. The ceiling is impossible to see all at once, even though it soars sixty feet above the floor. No seat in the chapel has a better view than another—and all views are beautiful.
"Julius II, pleased with Michelangelo’s work as well as with the hubbub it had created, showered the artist with gifts. However, Michelangelo never felt he was fairly compensated for his work, and he complained bitterly. For his part, Julius II, seeking to make his monument even grander, approached the artist about adding gold and ultramarine to the figures. He asked Michelangelo to reassemble the scaffolding and add sparkle because without it, he said, “It will look poor.” Michelangelo, reluctant to incur more expenses and to rebuild the scaffolding, replied, “Those who are depicted there, they were poor too.”
"With Julius II’s death in 1513, Michelangelo could have been forgiven for thinking he would no longer be pestered by the pope about the Sistine Chapel. And, indeed, that was the case for no fewer than twenty-three years. But in 1536, he would be called back to the chapel again, this time to paint the altar wall for a very different kind of pope."
from A Journey into Michelangelo's Rome by Angela K. Nickerson
Happy Halloween! I hope it is spooky!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Photo Friday: The Lion of Venice
The pride of lions -- stone and otherwise -- in Venice numbers in the thousands. For centuries the king of the beasts has served as the emblem of Italy’s gem of the sea. Lions are proud, regal, and powerful creatures -- all characteristics of Venice past and present. But the roots of Venice’s most prevalent symbol are tangled in religious tradition.Here in the centre stand the glass. Light
Is the lion that comes down to drink. There
And in that state, the glass is a pool.
Ruddy are his eyes and ruddy are his claws
When light comes down to wet his frothy jaws.
-- Wallace Stevens, "The Glass of Water"
Read more...
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Mercati di Rialto: Venice's Marketplace
Every day throngs of tourists scramble to the Rialto, Venice's second most photographed bridge (after the Bridge of Sighs). But in their mad photographic dash, most of those tourists miss the best photo -- and culinary -- opportunity in Venice's San Polo area. There, just along the Canal Grande Venice's markets buzz as the restaurateurs and home cooks alike jostle for the best seafood, fruits, and vegetables in the city.
The area has been home to a market since the 11th century, and most of the enclosures standing on the site today date from the 1500's.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Must See Museums: The Louvre in Minneapolis
Personally, I love Minneapolis -- the sculpture garden, the Minnesota Orchestra, the downtown Dayton's (now Macy's) -- Minneapolis is a fabulous city. And this fall there's one more reason to love Minneapolis: the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is host The Louvre and the Masterpiece, a special exhibit. Featuring works by greats including Georges de La Tour, Johannes Vermeer, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo amongst others, the exhibit explores one of art's enduring questions: why is this piece better than that one?
The exhibit opened October 18 and is on until January 10, 2010. I'm headed there in November, and you can expect a full report!
Prices:
- $16 Adults, weekends
- $14 Adults, weekdays (including Thursday nights)
- $12 Students, seniors, adult groups
- $8 Children 6-12
- Free to children 5 and under, student and children's groups, and members
You can download the exhibit audioguide from the MIA website for FREE! That's right! You can rent it at the museum for $4 or download it before you go and listen on your phone or iPod for free. Very cool!
In reference to: MIA - The Louvre and the Masterpiece (view on Google Sidewiki)
* Images courtesy of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
