Trieste Italy Architecture Part 1 of 3

Dear Art-loving friend,

I left Firenze for Trieste,Italy, on a night train recently.  It turned out that I had about a 6-hour layover before catching a bus into Croatia, my new home for the next couple of months.  Trieste is far more interesting than I had anticipated!   Check it out:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trieste

I had a few errands to run while I was still in Italy (and had some idea of what I was doing) and sadly, the cold that I caught before I left Firenze was starting to kick in.  I did not see as much of the city or especially even the port area as I wanted to.  Instead I returned to the station and sat in the warm café and worked on my laptop until the bus came.  I will say that I was delighted that the train station only charged three euro per bag per day for storage!  And the guy let me add my easel to my bags without an extra charge.  

Tomorrow I show you some SCULPTURE (I cannot WAIT to get back to carving stone on a daily basis), and the last post will be about the post office.  Sounds exciting, no?

In any event, I hope that you enjoy some of these architectural shots I took while walking around Trieste.  One can see that, like many northern Italian towns, the flavor starts to feel more Austrian than Italian, more Vienna than Roma.  Look at the WIKI link above to learn more about the ever-changing dynamics of the history of Trieste.

And in case you missed my recent art newsletter about Carrara and BLIND stone carvers, please click here:

http://www.borsheimarts.com/news/2014_12_ArtNews-CarraraBlindStoneCarvers.htm

Thank you.

++++

Blatant Promo:  Give art or at least an art book as a Christmas gift – more unusual and personal than many other choices.  Check out my site for options:  http://BorsheimArts.com

If you are enjoying this blog, the writing and/or the images, you may help keep it coming by supporting the blog… make a donation on the blog itself (in euro or dollars, via PayPal links on this blog site.  Or click on my affiliate link to Amazon.com and as you buy for yourself, Amazon will thank me a wee bit.  A third way you may help is to forward this blog to someone you think may appreciate it.  The more readers, the more comments online, and wallah… lovers of art and Italy [and Croatia] unite.

http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.com

Thank you for your interest and enthusiasm,

Kelly 

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com

What a cool clock!  The way I see time:  spiraling out of control.

RAI TV rooftop

New technologies overrun the older space designs. 

Cascading Clouds Austria Pastel

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Austria is a lovely country. I had a chance to visit it the summer of 2009 as a guest of a woman I met while living in Florence, Italy. Sylvia took me hiking during several of the days I stayed with her in her charming village south of Salzburg.

I tend to move slower than most people. This is because I stop a lot and look at all kinds of things. Paths in the mountains do not always involve retracing one’s steps in order to return. And even if they did, the light will most definitely be different. So, I tend to pause to glance back often. One day in Austria the afternoon light began to change fast. You could smell the impending rain in the air. I turned to look behind me and was completely blown away by the loveliness of the sky.

Clouds seemed to be gushing towards us over the mountains like a river bursting from a dam. I saw pinks and purples in the light and dark parts of the changing sky. It was a moment to stop and drink in. Sylvia and I did just that. I felt mesmerized and at peace. I wanted to stay longer, but my friend was concerned about the approaching darkness and rain.

I wish that I could paint smells. But maybe the pastel painting I created of this Austrian landscape will remind you sometime of the peace, drama, and beauty of the Natural world. Maybe you can recall the scent of approaching rain. I hope that you enjoy “Cascading Clouds – Austria”. She is a pastel on board and measures 16” x 20”

Seashells and a Dragon

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

In my last post, I told you about Giambologna’s gentle giant sculpture in Pratolino, Italy. If you were to follow the path in front of the pond to the right, circling the brick and stone figure of Il Colosso dell'Appennino (“The Apennine Colossus”), you would discover … a dragon!


In the mid-1500s, Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (25 March 1541 – 17 October 1587) hired architect Bernardo Buontalenti to create a holiday house of sorts for his amore, the Venetian Bianca Cappello. Buontalenti was also a stage and theatrical designer (and even has a flavor of gelato named after him!), which perhaps made him the perfect choice to design this fantasyland, blending technology with nature. It is said that he created “The Garden of Wonders” because of its “artificial grottoes, water tricks, and statues.” Most signs of this fun architecture are gone now.

However, behind the sculpture of the giant and under the dragon lies one of the artificial grottoes, inside of the gate you see in the image. The highly textured walls are decorated with sea shells and colored patterns, in a very different sort of mosaic. You may see the dark entryway of a tunnel or cave just south of the center of the second image



I was reminded of my visit to Hellbrunn Palace, just south of Salzburg, Austria. The backdrops for the Wasserspiele trick fountains had a similar textural effect. And of course, a mosaic of seashells makes sense when it come to fountains and water tricks.

I find this recollection interesting considering that Francesco is reported to have started this villa and gardens for his future wife Bianca Cappello, while he was still married to his first wife Johanna of Austria. Reportedly, Francesco’s father Cosimo I de' Medici decorated significant parts of Florence with a more Austrian taste to make Johanna feel more welcome. I wonder what Francesco’s thoughts were . . .

Johanna of Austria does not appear to have had a happy life in Tuscany and her untimely accidental death resulted in plenty of rumors, especially after the wedding of Francesco and Bianca. Oddly enough, Francesco and Bianca died on the same day and the villa was abandoned for some time. If you would like to read more about the circumstances of these deaths, just click on the names in this blog post.

Scientific Itineraries in Tuscany

Discover Tuscany: Includes link to more images

Mirabell Gardens Salzburg

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Wow. My 300th blog entry! When I started this blog in September 2007, I was not sure if I would have enough things that I wanted to write about or share with others. Hmmm. I guess I really did learn how to speak (thanks Toastmasters International, and Mom, who made me go . . . )

This is my last post this year about Salzburg, Austria. Pictured here are the Mirabell Gardens. They are a good example of symmetrical landscaping. I was fortunate enough to walk through these gardens on two different days.


The Lady of the Roses was the first sculpture I saw in Mirabell and perhaps the only bronze. I liked her gesture and the brilliant red roses surrounding her. Her style, especially in the face, as well as her long torso gave her a more modern look. Unfortunately, I did not get to spend enough time in the gardens to learn more about the art or the artists.


I probably should not say this, but hmmmm… I was never good at tap dancing and I am still trying to figure out how to discern quality in art. Ok, so here goes: most of the public statuary that I saw in Salzburg area was not exceptional. As a sculptor, I am fully aware of how complicated creating 3-dimensional art is, and almost hate to pick apart someone’s heartfelt efforts.

I do like these next two sculptures that I photographed – the male figure to the left of the vehicle and the woman surrounded by greenery who looks as though she was surprised in the woods. For me, however, the male figures behind the vehicle in the first image seem less than elegant in their gestures.




Critics love to point out how Michelangelo’s figures are out of proportion, yet somehow, his art works. My friend and mentor Vasily Fedorouk sometimes creates, absolutely on purpose, figures with unrealistically small and sometimes strangely shaped skulls. However, it works. But I saw a lot of sculptures in Austria whose proportions looked “wrong” not because of an artistic vision or choice, but as if from a lack of skill. Not all the time and not all sculptures, but I saw enough art to have thought that the sculpture, in general, was not from the best artists of the time.

However, to contradict myself a wee bit, regardless of the quality of each individual sculpture, the overall EFFECT was always lovely. And I must admit feeling sad that in America, we do not live with so much art in our public or perhaps even private lives.

In this aerial shot I took from a gallery window, you may see a sculptural composition of multiple figures shown in the middle of this next image. She was instantly recognizable to me, having lived in Florence, Italy, off and on over the last three years. Again, I do not have any information on the Salzburg stone sculpture, but I doubt that it is the predecessor to Giambologna’s “Il Ratto della Sabines” (The Abduction of the Sabine Women”) in Florence, Italy’s famous Loggia dei Lanzi.


I think if you click on the image of the two sculptures sidebyside, you may see a slightly larger image. Besides the small heads in Salzburg, Giambologna’s sculpture features the more elegant composition and line. For example, see how the top figure’s legs are positioned differently in Salzburg than the Italian version. Which do you think has more flow?

Ok, I am done now.




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Shapes of Salzburg

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Enjoy these shapes and textures from Salzburg, Austria. The stone texture is a small section of road in front of one of the horse fountains in the town. I took these photos in July.

Salzburg Austria

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I will soon be wrapping up my writings about Salzburg, but since I am not a landscape artist, I just want to share some of these images in one way or another.

There are so many things to do in this area and I confess I did not cross much off of the list. However, I did enjoy some really good chocolate from several of the many confectioneries.





In closing, remember that salz means ‘salt’ and I took this image of a store that sold all kinds of salt products, including these salts for the bath. And no, just because this graffiti shown in the last image says “Texas,” I am not responsible. Sylvia asked me to explain the other line sprayed onto this wall. She liked this idea: “Neither of us can go to heaven unless the other gets in . . .”

Happy Birthday, my friend Vasily Fedorouk!

Church in Salzburg

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Not much time today for writing, but if you can stand to see ONE more church, here goes . . .
This one is near the cemetery and mountain homes I have been writing about recently in Salzburg, Austria. This church is quite ornate. As I walked past the outer courtyard, I saw this skull with bat wings. What a way to enter a sacred place that is suppose to uplift one’s spirits!


On the other side of the entrance was a round stone hung on a wall (shown here). If anyone has any idea of what this is for, please enlighten me. I doubt it is a bed warmer!


The other two image show you how decorated this church is. I believe this is considered Baroque (or maybe Gothic – eheh), but I am not that familiar with the art history labels. Yeah, yeah, I know that I should be, but I rather like thinking of shapes and composition more than categorizing things.

Is that a justification for bad artist behaviour?

Mountain Escape Salzburg

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

As my friend and hostess Sylvia and I cruised around Salzburg, we ended up in a large cluster of buildings, churches and the like, with the tombstones that were covered with the colorful live plants. I was beginning to wonder if all of Austria treated their dead in this way, never forgetting. I think the church was St. Peter’s. I know I am a terrible tour guide because I was content to look and not think of labels (names, locations, etc.). It was overcast that day, raining a bit. Sylvia was not happy with the large amount of unusual rain they had there during my visit, but I rather enjoyed it and felt like laughing a lot when we got caught in it.


Along the cliffside in this cemetery, one could view some mausoleums, presumably used by the wealthier families in Salzburg. And then above those one can make out windows embedded in the cliffs. Sylvia told me that these spaces were used to protect people during the war. I did not think there looked like there was much space in which to hide many people, but then I did not go up inside.



I remember that in the Carrara area of Italy, I was told similar stories about the mountains hiding locals from foreign attack. In fact, Lardo di Colonnata is a specialty dish of this Tuscan region, served even today. It is a “food” that is basically pig fat with pepper. It was all that people had to eat when they retreated up into the mountains to escape capture during wars. And it kept them alive. Perhaps that is why they cherish this dish so, but I have never had the desire to eat it.