Thursday, July 31, 2014

Le Caméléon


Le Caméléon cocktail bar, jazz club
Rue Saint-André-des-Arts
Quartier de la Monnaie, 6th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

“You will know when a band is playing in the vaulted room downstairs at Le Cameleon because there will be a crowd waiting to squeeze in at the door. And squeeze in they will - to the point where you'll be hardly able to breathe (although holding your breath is probably a good idea, since the space reeks of stale sweat and cigarette smoke). But this is a good thing: jazz clubs are meant to be cramped, dark, dingy and damp. Use your luminous cocktail cherry to light the way down deeper into the vault and you'll never want to come out to see the light of day.” (Le Cameleon, Hg2 Paris)

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Cimabue


Crucifix by Cimabue, 1288
Basilica of Santa Croce
Piazza di Santa Croce
Florence, October 2013

“The crucifix was installed in church of Santa Croce at the end of the thirteenth century and remained there until 1966, when the banks of the Arno river burst and flooded the Florence. Thousands of art works were damaged or destroyed, and the Crucifix–widely considered the most important piece affected by the flood–lost 60% of its paint. It had suffered earlier flood damage in 1333 and 1557. In 1966 it was on display in the lower Museo dell' Opera, closer to the waterline than it had been during earlier floods. The water level reached the height of Christ's nimbus, and when it retreated it took large tracts of paint with it. The water left the canvas stripped, with tiny specks of pigment floating around it (which were picked up with pliers by staff wading in the water after the torrents had subsided), and deposited oil, mud and naphtha on the wood frame.” (Crucifix by Cimabue, Santa Croce, Wikipedia)

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Paolo Sarpi

Statue of Fra (Brother) Paolo Sarpi by Emilio Marsili, Campo Santa Fosca, Venice

Statue of Fra (Brother) Paolo Sarpi by Emilio Marsili, 1892
Campo Santa Fosca, Cannaregio
Venice, September 2013

“On October 5, 1607 Sarpi was attacked by assassins and left for dead with fifteen stiletto thrusts, but he recovered. His attackers found both refuge and a welcome reception in the papal territories (described by a contemporary as a ‘triumphal march’), and papal enthusiasm for the assassins only cooled after learning that Brother Sarpi was not dead after all. The leader of the assassins, Poma, declared that he had attempted the murder for religious reasons. ‘Agnosco stylum Curiae Romanae,’ Sarpi himself said, when his surgeon commented on the ragged and inartistic character of the wounds. Sarpi's would-be assassins settled in Rome, and were eventually granted a pension by the viceroy of Naples, Pedro Téllez-Girón, 3rd Duke of Osuna.” (Paolo Sarpi, Wikipedia)

Monday, July 28, 2014

Humboldt Universität

Humboldt Universität, Humboldt University, monument to Hermann von Helmholtz in background, Unter den Linden, Berlin

Humboldt Universität (Humboldt University)
Monument to Hermann von Helmholtz
Unter den Linden
Berlin, September 2011

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Virgin and Child

Virgin and Child by Antonio Raggi, after Gian Lorenzo Bernini, church of Saint Joseph des Carmes, rue de Vaugirard, Paris

“Virgin and Child” by Antonio Raggi (1650–51), after Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Church of Saint Joseph des Carmes
Rue de Vaugirard
Quartier Notre-Dame-des-Champs, 6th arrondissement
July 2014, Paris

Saturday, July 26, 2014

The Coat

Detail of Manfredo Fanti's Monument, piazza San Marco, Florence

Detail of the monument to General Manfredo Fanti by Pio Fedi, 1873
Piazza San Marco
Florence, October 2013

See also: Manfredo Fanti

Friday, July 25, 2014

Campiello Santa Maria Nova

Campiello Santa Maria Nova, Cannaregio, Venice

Campiello Santa Maria Nova
Cannaregio
Venice, September 2013

Thursday, July 24, 2014

West India Docks

View from the Blackwall basin toward West India Docks, Canary Wharf, London

View from the Blackwall basin toward West India Docks
Canary Wharf
London, October 2009

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Floating Gardens

Les jardins flottants, The Floating Gardens, Berges de Seine, Port du Gros-Caillou, Paris

Les jardins flottants (The Floating Gardens), Berges de Seine
Port du Gros-Caillou
Quartier du Gros-Caillou, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

“As part of the transformation, there will be a 1.4 mile (2.3 km) pedestrian walkway along the bank of the Seine between the Musée d’Orsay and the Pont de L’Alma. Five floating islets on specially constructed barges moored to the shore will boast an array of 55 trees, 220 shrubs, tall ornamental grasses and semi-aquatic plants.” (An Archipelago of Floating Gardens on the Banks of the Seine, Out and About in Paris)

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Benvenuto Cellini

Bust of Benvenuto Cellini by Raffaello Romanelli, Ponte Vecchio, Florence

Bust of Benvenuto Cellini by Raffaello Romanelli, 1901
Ponte Vecchio
Florence, October 2013

Monday, July 21, 2014

Garibaldi in Padua

Monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi by Ambrogio Borghi, Padua

Monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi by Ambrogio Borghi, 1886
Corso Garibaldi
Padua, September 2013

“Such was the romance of his story that Garibaldi was at one point possibly the most famous man in Europe. In London in 1864 people of all classes flocked to see him as he got off the train. The crowds were so immense it took him six hours to travel three miles through the streets. The whole country shut down for three days while he met the great and the good. Literary figures including the poet laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson and Sir Walter Scott lauded him as the ‘Italian lion’ and ‘the noblest Roman of them all.’
The English historian A.J.P. Taylor made the assessment that ‘Garibaldi is the only wholly admirable figure in modern history’.” (Garibaldi and the Unification of Italy, New Light Through Old Windows)

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Statue of Pomona

New York

Statue of Pomona, by Karl Bitter, 1916, Pulitzer Fountain
Grand Army Plaza at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue
New York, September 2008

“When newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer died in 1911, he bequeathed $50,000 ‘for the erection of a fountain like those in the Place de la Concorde, Paris, France.’ Pulitzer got the idea to locate the fountain in Grand Army Plaza from Karl Bitter, the Austrian sculptor, who proposed a symmetrical plaza for this area. After a closed design competition it was not surprising that Bitter and the architect Thomas Hastings were commissioned to create the fountain. To make the plaza symmetrical, the Sherman monument was moved 16 feet west to its present location. Bitter's bronze sculpture represents Pomona, the Roman goddess of abundance. Rams' heads with horns of plenty flank the fountain, again emphasizing the theme of wealth and material comfort. During the winter holiday season, lighted trees decorate the basin of the fountain, adding a festive touch to the Park's entrance.” (Pulitzer Fountain, Central Park Conservancy)

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Phèdre

Sarah Bernhardt by François-Léon Sicard, Paris

Sarah Bernhardt as “Phèdre”, by François-Léon Sicard
Place du Général-Catroux
Quartier de la Plaine-de-Monceaux, 17th arrondissement
Paris, July 2011

Friday, July 18, 2014

Apparition of the Virgin to St Bernard

Apparizione della Vergine a san Bernardo, Apparition of the Virgin to St Bernard, by Filippino Lippi, Badia Fiorentina, Florence

“Apparizione della Vergine a san Bernardo”
(Apparition of the Virgin to St Bernard) by Filippino Lippi, 1482-6
Badia Fiorentina
Via del Proconsolo
Florence, April 2014

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Corte de le Pizzocchere

Entrance of the Corte de le Pizzocchere, behind Campo Sant’Angelo, San Marco, Venice

Entrance of the Corte de le Pizzocchere
Behind Campo Sant’Angelo, San Marco
Venice, September 2013

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Heinrich Heine

Heinrich Heine monument by Waldemar Grzimek, Kastanienwäldchen, off Unter den Linden, Berlin

Heinrich Heine monument by Waldemar Grzimek
Kastanienwäldchen, off Unter den Linden
Berlin, September 2011

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Bastille Day Flyover

Patrouille de France, French Acrobatic Patrol, flyby on Bastille Day, Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Paris

Patrouille de France (French Acrobatic Patrol) flyby on Bastille Day
Avenue des Champs-Élysées
Quartier des Champs-Élysées, 8th arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

Monday, July 14, 2014

Books & Bicycles

Bicycles, La Piazza dei Libri, piazza della Repubblica, Florence

Bicycles, “La Piazza dei Libri” (The Square of Books)
Piazza della Repubblica
Florence, October 2013

Sunday, July 13, 2014

The Janus-Owls

I Gufi-Giano, The Janus-Owls by Gianmaria Potenza, Hotel Palazzo Stern, Venice

“I Gufi-Giano” (The Janus-Owls) by Gianmaria Potenza
Hotel Palazzo Stern, Dorsoduro
Seen from the Canal Grande (Grand Canal)
Venice, September 2013

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Amonite

Amonite, glass sculpture by Anthony Burke, Cardinal Place, London

“Amonite”, glass sculpture by Anthony Burke
Cardinal Place, Victoria Street
London, January 2007

Friday, July 11, 2014

Van Gogh au chevalet

Van Gogh au chevalet, Van Gogh at the Easel by Bruno Catalano, Galerie Bartoux, avenue des Champs-Élysées, Paris

“Van Gogh au chevalet” (Van Gogh at the Easel) by Bruno Catalano
Galerie Bartoux
Avenue des Champs-Élysées
Quartier du Faubourg-du-Roule, 8th arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

“His first works, compact and conventional, stayed tied to the elements of the Earth, whereas the series which follow doe not cease to acquire expressiveness and finesse. These astonishing works, with their dashed bodies and the determined lack of volume, invite the viewer to mentally reconstitute its limits. Thus, Van Gogh still leaves, his suitcase in hand, towards the Provencal countryside, but it is in a quasi-abstract lightness, open to the elements. It is not our destiny that Bruno Catalano persuades us to see and to meditate on? Because through his statuary, he re-enacts the adventure of the human species, always between two riverbanks, repelling all borders.” (Bruno Catalano, Galerie Bartoux)

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Isaac with Esau and Jacob

Isaac with Esau and Jacob, copy of the original bronze panel of the Gates of Paradise by Lorenzo Ghiberti, Baptistry of Saint John, Florence

“Isaac with Esau and Jacob”, copy of the original bronze panel of the
Porte del Paradiso (Gates of Paradise) by Lorenzo Ghiberti
Battistero di San Giovanni (Florence Baptistery)
Piazza del Duomo
Florence, October 2013

See also: Adam and Eve - Cain and Abel - Noah - Abraham

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Narciso

A boat called Narciso, Narcissus, rio dei Ognissanti, Dorsoduro, Venice

A boat called “Narciso” (Narcissus)
Rio dei Ognissanti, Dorsoduro
Venice, September 2013

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

General Philip Henry Sheridan

General Philip Henry Sheridan by Joseph Pollia, Christopher Park, New York

General Philip Henry Sheridan by Joseph Pollia, 1936
Christopher Park
Christopher Street, West Village
New York, September 2007

“In 1924, the General Sheridan Memorial Committee was organized by John B. Trainer, former secretary of the Armory Board of New York City. The committee raised $6,000 through public subscription to erect the statue in Christopher Park. The statue was dedicated in elaborate ceremonies on October 19, 1936, coinciding with the 72nd anniversary of the Cedar Creek victory. A time capsule, including the names of all contributors, was sealed at the base of the statue. Italian-born sculptor Joseph Pollia, who created the statue of Sheridan, received numerous public commissions, and in 1926, also sculpted the World War I Doughboy figure known as My Buddy or the Richmond Hill War Memorial, which stands in Forest Park, Queens.” (General Philip Henry Sheridan, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation)

Monday, July 7, 2014

Le lion de la fontaine

Bronze lion by Alfred Jacquemart, Fontaine aux Lions, Fountain of the Lions, Jardin des Plantes, Paris

Bronze lion by Alfred Jacquemart, 1854
Fontaine aux Lions (Fountain of the Lions)
Jardin des plantes
Quartier du Jardin-des-Plantes, 5th arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

See also: The Lion of the Fountain

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Fishing in the Arno

Fishing in the river Arno, Pescaia di Santa Rosa, Florence

Fishing in the river Arno
Pescaia di Santa Rosa
Florence, October 2013

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Statue of Neptune

Statue of Neptune by Jacopo Sansovino, Scala dei Giganti, Giants’ Staircase, Courtyard of the Doge's Palace, Venice

Statue of “Neptune” by Jacopo Sansovino, 1567
Scala dei Giganti (Giants’ Staircase)
Courtyard of the Doge's Palace
Venice, September 2013

“Among the works showing his severe late style are the bronze portrait of Tommaso Rangone over the entrance to the Church of San Giuliano (1554), which Sansovino also designed; the colossal statues of Mars and Neptune (1554–56); and the monument to the doge Francesco Venier in the Church of San Salvatore (1556–61).” (Jacopo Sansovino, Encyclopædia Britannica)

See also: Scala dei Giganti - Statue of Mars

Friday, July 4, 2014

Ampelmännchen

Beach chairs with Ampelmännchen, Berlin

Beach chairs with Ampelmännchen
Karl-Liebknecht-Straße
Berlin, September 2011

“The Ampelmännchen is a beloved symbol in Eastern Germany, ‘enjoy[ing] the privileged status of being one of the few features of communist East Germany to have survived the end of the Iron Curtain with his popularity unscathed.’ After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Ampelmännchen acquired cult status and became a popular souvenir item in the tourism business.” (Ampelmännchen, Wikipedia)

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Pierrot Gourmand

Pierrot Gourmand lollipop stand, La Petite Chocolatière, rue d'Anjou, Versailles

Pierrot Gourmand lollipop stand
La Petite Chocolatière
Rue d'Anjou, Versailles
France, July 2011

See also: Pierrot... (Versailles Daily Photo)

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Piazza Mentana

Monument to the fallen of the battle of Mentana, by Oreste Calzolari, piazza Mentana, Florence

“Monumento ai caduti della battaglia di Mentana”
(Monument to the fallen of the battle of Mentana) by Oreste Calzolari
Piazza Mentana
Florence, October 2013

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

With and Without Flowers

Windows with and without flowers, Campo Santo Stefano, Venice

Windows with and without flowers
Campo Santo Stefano, San Marco
Venice, October 2013