Giambologna Gigante Pratolino

Dear Art Lover,

     The world is smaller than we ever imagine.  Or in this case at least, timing was coincidental.  My friend Ruth Glendining in Austin, Texas, recently posted to my Facebook page about hidden rooms underneath Giambologna’s famous giant sculpture of an old bearded man in Pratolino.  Check out the story here:
http://www.boredpanda.com/appennino-sculpture-colossus-giambologna-florence-italy/

     As luck would have it, artist Roberto Coccoloni had been invited me to his art opening at the Locanda, inside this same Parco Mediceo di Pratolino. Roberto is a stone and wood carver that I met many years ago at a dinner with Italians at Le Giubbe Rosse, the historical artists’ hangout in Firenze.  Roberto has many sculptures on exhibition at the Locanda with a group of painters and photographers called Artisti Fiesolani. 

      Thankfully, Roberto called me last night to tell me to take Bus 25 from Piazza San Marco in Florence.  I was visiting a friend in nearby Sesto Fiorentino and hopped on the train back to Florence in the drizzling rain and walked to the piazza.  I did not realize that there was a bus that would take one almost directly to this famous park.  Pratolino is at the end of the line for Bus 25.  Then one walks in the direction the bus goes when it leaves.  Make the first right; then right again a block away where the road Ts.  The park is a short walk downhill on the left.  It is very easy to find.  [But to warn you, I caught the 25L bus back and it only takes one to Piazza Libertà in Firenze.  The later and last bus [25A] last evening left at 8:45 p.m.  It may have returned me to Piazza San Marco.]

     I had hoped to arrive in time to see the changes since my first visit five years ago.  But between the drizzle and the fading light, I chose to just go see Giambologna’s Gigante again before heading over to the exhibition.  Giambologna created his giant old man sculpture titled Il Colosso dell'Appennino (“The Apennine Colossus”) in 1579-1580.  It is true that there are rooms underneath his art, but I have not been inside any of them.

     Can you imagine the surprise of people centuries ago who traversed this land and stumbled upon this enormous figure in the landscape?  Even today, Il Colosso slowly reveals himself behind a fence, tall grasses and large lily pads and other pond plants edging a small lake.  You may get an idea of his size by seeing the small doorway in front of the pond.

 

       A pretty cool dragon guards the backside of this seemingly gentle giant.  Two levels of grotto or rooms are below.  One may see inside the lit room a headless standing marble figure.

     I headed into the exhibition in La Locanda building.  Roberto greeted me warmly and I went inside to see his art on the ground floor, and then the upstairs for the 2-d art.  During the presentation, there was music and a sort of theatre musical performance of a woman dancing and singing in a soulful and mournful operatic voice. Here is an image of Robert’s sculpture Gesto [“Gesture”] in marble and Pietra vacica [the black stone on the head].  It is 30 h x 10 x 10 cm, created in 2006.

     Although I received an invitation to join Roberto and his friends for dinner, I was afraid that there was not enough time for me to catch the last bus back to Firenze and opted out.  However, before I said my goodbyes, I told them that I HAD to go see again Il Colosso in the dark!  I had an idea from the lighted pathways that he might also be lit.  I could not imagine when I might be back to Pratolino and if the sculpture were even accessible normally after the sun has set.  I snapped what photos I could, without a tripod sadly and in the light rain.  I was happy that the others had followed me out a little later and told me that I had had an ottima idée!

     The rain was starting to come down more and I was pretty cold.  I had no umbrella and was not dressed properly.  Sadly, I have not yet been able to retrieve the things I left in storage in Italia.  All I have with me is what I packed for the plane ride from the USA.  People who pay attention to such things might know that I carry far fewer personal items and clothes than I do computers and art materials, so I have had little to wear this first week in Italia and the weather is dramatically cooler than what I experienced during my time in the States.  Whoops… that was not fore-thinking of me!

     Here are my posts about this park back in 2010, my first visit.  The park has been closed for 3-4 years for restoration.  Entrance last evening was free, but they have put out a tip jar if you feel so inclined.  That is an amazing offer since it must have cost them a fair amount of money to close for several years to work on the place.  I am delighted that it is open again.
http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.it/2010/09/giambologna-sculpture-pratolino.html

http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.it/2010/09/pratolino-sculpture-italy.html

http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.it/2010/09/seashells-and-dragon.html


Thank you for reading and making it all possible.
Peace,
Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com

Giambologna Sculpture Pratolino

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Before I left Italy, I wanted to go see the huge sculpture by Giambologna in the Parco Mediceo di Pratolino. This free and mostly green space is about 12 km from Florence, along the road to Bologna.

I would have taken some images of the beautiful scenery up in the hills on the way there, but I was a passenger on the back of an Aprilia racing bike and really wanted to hold on. [At one point, I felt an instant and dramatic pain that made me wonder if somehow I had gotten an electric shock from the moto. After disembarking from the bike, I was told, “Oh, that was the sting of a wasp as his ass went through his head: What you might call ‘roadkill’.” True enough: About five minutes into the park, I had forgotten about the small red raised bump the size of a dime on my forearm.]


From 1568, the Park in Pratolino began as a private estate of the Medici family, Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (25 March 1541 – 17 October 1587) is reported to have built the space designed by architect Bernardino Buontalenti for his then mistress-later second wife Bianca Cappello. Giambologna created his giant figure titled Il Colosso dell'Appennino (“The Apennine Colossus”) in 1579-1580.




The figure is so cool, with the beard becoming a wonderful compositional device that also adds so much emotion to the sculpture. Signs say that the sculpture is made up of brick and stone, but I cannot quite figure that out. The bricks can be seen in a few places, where one can glimpse the underlying sculpture. The stone part, with its stalactite shapes and textures, strikes me as more like cement. In Roma six years ago, I heard a tour guide say that cement was actually invented by the Romans – and centuries before I ever thought it existed. Tour guides are not always accurate, but the thought does give me pause…

There is an artificial grotto underneath him (more about that in the next post) and in front is a large fish-stocked pond. This pond has the largest lilies and pads that I have ever seen: appropriately beautiful.


I love this view of the giant through the woods. Imagine approaching such a thing for the first time, not knowing it was there. You might wonder if that was truly a face that you could see in-between patches of green. This sculpture is truly fascinating.


I include here a few images by sculptor Simon Steele, including this last one, taken from a distance. It is a good composition, but also shows you how large this sculpture is in comparison to the land. And the centuries-old trees here are simply gorgeous!

The park is generally open from May through September and is free.

Giambologna’s most famous sculptures include the bronze “Fountain of Neptune” in Bologna, the first commission that made his famous; the marble “The Abduction of the Sabines” (incorrectly translated as “The Rape of the Sabines” and also given its title by someone else after his composition was completed); and the bronze Mercurio in the Bargello Museum in Florence, Italy.

Other links of interest:
Scientific Itineraries in Tuscany

Discover Tuscany: Includes link to more images

Gemito Sculpture Bargello Museum Florence, Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I have written a couple of times before about the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, especially the restoration of Donatello’s bronze “David.” It is the national sculpture museum and a favorite of mine in Florence, Italy. Formally a prison in which executions took place, its courtyard and three levels of rooms are filled with art and artifacts. She holds not only bronze and stone sculpture by greats such as Michelangelo, Donatello, and Giambologna, but also medallions, terra-cotta by Della Robbia, tapestries, musical instruments, and even Persian bowls and armor.

I have revisited the Bargello twice since I returned in April. And I was delighted that one of my favorite sculptures has been put back in place after restoration (and the restoration appears to have been a good one). In all honestly, I rarely like sculptures, especially bronze, of children: At least the ones that I have seen in the United States. They seem kitsch to me and too contrived, like Norman Rockwell had a sweetness overdose or something. (I like the art of Norman Rockwell, but one could argue, he is borderline on the “too much charm” edge.)

Maybe you will feel that way about my favorite here Il Pescatore (The Fisher Boy) by Vincenzo Gemito from 1874-1876. But I love the natural gesture of this bronze figure sculpture. I like that the patina is not what my foundry calls “cowboy brown” or worse – shiny. I love the way the boy’s toes are gripping the mound he is squatting on. I can remember this feeling of slowly sliding down the side of the muddy river bank, while trying not to.






I love how the fingers of the boy’s left hand radiate out from the palm, while he uses his right hand to get a better grip on the slippery fish. I adore his exaggerated downcast eyelashes that catch the light enough to showoff the boy’s concentrated face. The lips? I cannot decide if they are exhaling with the gripping effort of his hands or if he is inhaling with the thought of “I gotcha!”

Anyway, I include many photos here, unable to edit apparently. Such is my infatuation with this sculpture of a child. But I should do well to let you decide for yourself.




On a side note: My blog was just listed in the TOP 10 blog posts in Italy this week: http://italytutto.com/2010/05/02/top-10-posts-from-the-bloggers-in-italy-2-may-10/

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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Giambologna Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I mentioned sculptor Giambologna’s famous composition “Il Ratto delle Sabines” in my last post. It is one of my favorite sculptures. The final artwork is in stone and is one of the few original sculptures still on exhibit in the main piazza of Florence, Italy. Unfortunately, that public privilege keeps getting debated as more pollution makes it difficult to protect the marble.

Also, vandalism reared its ugly head recently when someone broke off a finger from Italian artist Pio Fedi’s marvelous stone carving of four figures, which is also one of the original artworks still on exhibit in this same space, the Loggia dei Lanzi. The discovery of the finger nearby is what clued in authorities about the damage. Horrible.

Back in 2004 during my first visit to Florence, I saw Giambologna’s original clay sculpture that was later translated into marble in the Academia. He was seeking to create a perfect composition in 3-dimensions. The spiral was the answer. The composition as seen from each viewing position would entice the audience to want to see what other views were offered.

As an artist it made sense to me that Giambologna did not start out with the famous (in his time) story of the abduction of the Sabines as his tema (theme). Someone suggested this titolo later and Giambologna had to design the bronze bas reliefs depicting more of the story for the tall stone base of his original sculpture.

Yes, sometimes the titles come first, but just as often, they come afterwards, or even during the creation of art. As visual artists, we communicate with a different language that consists of visual and tactile elements, such as line, shapes, tones, and texture.

The images you see here were taken at various times over the course of several years. The first one shows Giambologna’s “Il Ratto delle Sabines” in front of a projected image taken during the famous flood of 1966. I took this during the 40th anniversary event of the flood, November 4, 2006.



This last image is part of my giclée fundraising series to help the young man Rudy Sanchez that I have mentored since 1992. Rudy was born with Treacher Collins’ Syndrome. Years ago, the facial reconstruction doctors removed the last of Rudy’s teeth in order to reshape his jaw. However, through some Medicare law, teeth are considered cosmetic and therefore optional surgery (not paid for). So, Rudy needs $13,000 for a complete set of teeth. His family does not have that, nor do I.

If this image or any of my Italy images appeal to you, please consider purchasing a giclée or more (quantity savings apply) and know that your new artwork will enhance more than the lives that you share the art with. For more information about the art and about Rudy and Treacher Collins, please visit: Treacher Collins’ Art Project

Thank you so much!