Ponte Vecchio Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

In my last post, I wrote about the longest standing bridge in Florence, Italy, the Ponte Vecchio. This bridge was also built upon the most narrow point of the Arno River during its passage through Florence. I showed you some snapshots that I took during the day.

However, like most living entities, il Ponte Vecchio takes on a new life – and a new look – at night. In this first shot, I wanted to make a transition from my last posting. This is the middle part of the Ponte Vecchio as one of the more subtle sunsets I have witnessed from this bridge passes on and an Italian musician earns his wages sharing his music. You can see the silhouette of the bronze portrait of the Florentine Cellini in quite a prominent place.


It is believed that the bridge was originally built in Roman times, first being documented in the year 996. The lower section is stone, with the upper section utilizing wood and metal. During the day, the shops along the bridge are all opened up to show their wares, but at night … everything gets locked up behind wooden doors that drop down as protective awnings. This second image shows these awnings lowered over the door panels. You may see the long metal hooks that hang from above that are used to secure these tops out of the way while providing protection to customers in the event of rain. By the way, the Vasari Corridor passes along just above this area.


In these next images (including another reflected self-portrait), I wanted to share with you the beauty of the wood and metal doors. They are bathed in the golden light of the street lamps of Florence. Strangely enough, this city is fairly safe at night, even for a lone girl, and yet, one does not need to be out very late before noticing how deserted the city can be. It is quite lovely and one of my favorite attributes of Florence, Italy. Enjoy!








I am celebrating my birthday alone this year, if you do not count the many kind people sending regards electronically, including via Facebook. While I am currently staying out in the curvaceous hills near vineyards and olive groves outside of Florence, I am relishing the lack of convenient transportation close by and using it as an excuse to get back to my normal work schedule. Perhaps I will have more art to show you in the next few weeks.

Thank you so much for your interest in Italy and in my work. ti ringrazio.

Cellini Ponte Vecchio

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

When you visit Firenze, Italia (or Florence, Italy, if you prefer translated proper names), you will no doubt see the famous Ponte Vecchio (“old bridge” or, literally, “bridge old”). She was the only bridge over the River Arno in Florence that was not bombed during World War II.

And she has traditionally housed merchants and much later, the Vasari Corridor – the private passage built for the Medici family and designed by Giorgio Vasari in 1564-5. The corridor above all of the shops allowed the powerful rulers to move from one palace to the other across the river without actually mingling with the common folk. These days, for a not insignificant fee, you may pass through this corridor and see a portrait gallery along the walls with other artworks and feel what it might have been like for the Medici.

On the Ponte Vecchio herself, there is a very well done bronze portrait sculpture of Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571). The son of a musician and instrument maker, Florence-born Cellini was also a musician [a flute player, like myself only much better, I am sure], and goldsmith, sculptor, painter, and soldier. The most famous and seen sculpture by Cellini must surely be his bronze “Perseus with the Head of Medusa” that is featured in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria in Florence. I must say I especially love the backside of this standing figure!



Like another Italian artist Caravaggio, Cellini killed people, also for emotional reasons more than justice or self defense. And no doubt his autobiography would be a racy read.

Built of stone and wood, the Ponte Vecchio has shops built along it, as was once common. First there were butchers, but today, jewelers occupy most of the spaces. The butchers were apparently asked to leave to enhance the prestige of the Vasari Corridor above them. Gold merchants quickly took over.

More tomorrow…

Arno River Ponte Vecchio

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I knew that one day (or night, as this image depicts) I would draw this little boat parked on the far side of the famous Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy, over the Arno River. What a joy this project was! I am still fascinated with using black paper and have begun to apply colors (instead of my previous “white on black” series). I hope you love the look as well.

"Dark Arno"
pastel on black paper
64 x 23 cm
copyright 2010 Kelly Borsheim
SOLD - 11 August 2010 -- THANK YOU!

I feel honored each time someone here in Italy at my current exhibit compliments this pastel painting because it is very common to see paintings of the famous Ponte Vecchio. To have created a new take on the bridge over the Arno River is quite an accomplishment. Florence is definitely an artist’s town!

Happy Father’s Day to my own father, PJ, and to all those wonderful dads out there.

Ponte Vecchio Florence Italy Art

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

“Il Ponte Vecchio-Firenze, Italia” is the last of this series of Florence, Italy-inspired charcoal and pastel artworks that I will be able to complete before returning to la bella Italia soon.

Florence has enough eye candy that she has been teaching me to just sit and watch in a way that I rarely have allowed myself to do since I was a child. I like to walk around Florence at many different times of day. One day I found myself sitting on the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) behind the bust of Cellini. I had time that day to stay a while and watch the lives of various figures intermingling on this famous bridge in the Renaissance City. This is a beautiful view of a silhouetted Ponte Vecchio framing the next bridge upstream (the Ponte alle Grazie) with some Tuscan hills in the background. The reflections in the River Arno are quite peaceful and beautiful.


I tend to be a fan of backlighting, even if I am often blinded or even crying a bit as I draw. But seriously, what an effect the light has! And I try to tackle some new challenge with each artwork that I create. For example, this is the first drawing in which I have depicted a crowd of people. I like all of the abstract patterns. This drawing is completely in charcoal, except for black pastels to give me a darker tone than I can get with only charcoal. And, the old woman standing alone, wanting the attention of the others, has been colored with pastels. This may have been a subconscious flashback to my days in the image preservation field, in which I oil painted on photographs printed onto a fiber paper.

Even if you have never been to Florence or Italy, I hope you will enjoy the bright sunshine entering the shapes on the Ponte Vecchio.

As with many of my 2-dimensional artworks, giclée (smaller than the original drawing or painting) and notecards are available.

“Il Ponte Vecchio-Firenze, Italia”
17” x 23”
Pastel and Charcoal on Roma-brand paper
Copyright 2010 Kelly Borsheim
$1800 + $25 shipping and insurance

Flights Over Florence

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I was riding my bike home around noon today and when I got to the Ponte alle Grazie in Florence, Italy, I saw unusual crowds gathered on the bridge. Naturally curious, I pulled over to see what the big deal was. And there were men falling from the sky and landing in the Arno River. Not actually in the river (which is good since the river is disgusting). They were parachuting onto a platform. All four skydivers that I saw landed on the same spot in front of Florence’s famouse Ponte Vecchio.

The last diver let go a stream of colored smoke – red, white, and green, the colors of Italia. This next picture was taken one bridge upstream from the Ponte alle Grazie (ponte is the Italian word for ‘bridge’) shortly after a helicopter flew too close to my head for my taste. It is the Ponte San Niccolò and I ride my bike over this bridge almost once a day.

I apologize for the horrible spots on these images. My Sony digital snapshot has dirt inside the lens and I was told this summer that I would have to send the camera to Sony and pay about $200 to have it cleaned. Since this is not my favorite camera (it has suffered from artifacting ever since I flew to Paris 2 years ago) and new digitals are not much more expensive, I decided to keep this for a party camera until it dies a natural death before I invest in another one. I have it with me almost all the time now.

Ok, now I am out the door to try to find my Aunt Carole, who is visiting Florence for the first time with a group of tourists. Let me see what she thinks of the David and Michelangelo’s unfinished slaves!

Cascine Market Florence, Italy

Cari Amici,
I felt my cold break in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, although even today I am still feeling some lingering effects. I was happy, though, because I had made plans to meet my friend Anna (who shares a birthday with me) to go to the Tuesday market in the Parco delle Cascine. This park stretches along the famous Arno River, downstream from the Ponte Vecchio.

Although I have been told that Florentines love their gardens, a tourist is unlikely to see much of these in centro unless you can get invited inside the historic buildings to see the courtyards and rooftops. I have a tendency to experience withdrawal symptoms if I do not have contact with trees often, so I was looking forward to seeing more of this park.


The park is lovely (by day – by night, one can see prostitutes and it was not too long ago that the police cracked down on a substantial child prostitute business here) and the market was much larger than I expected. I love the food booths, the plants, and the inexpensive clothes. But they also sell sheets, linens, and other household items. Anna bought a pot for cooking.

We got a kick out of our lack of understanding the Italian language: One shoe booth promoted “Stock solo €1.50”. We were unclear on whether solo meant “only” or “each” since the shoes did not appear to be sold by the pairs. The weather was very spring-like and quite perfect, save for the flying seedlets snowing down on us. I know that I should have been able to name the guilty plant or tree, but labels seem to be escaping me. But enjoy the photo of the temporary groundcover!

And finally, I would like to include this image that I took on our return trip. We crossed the Arno and could see the beginning of the market on the left. And in front of the hills that surround Florence, the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio can be seen behind the bridges we must pass before arriving back where we started – Florence’s Ponte Vecchio.

Thank you for reading!
Kelly

Florence Italy Immigration Problems

During slow season (now) in Florence, Italy, the city is especially lovely. And my favorite time to walk the city center is at night. This image depicts the famous Ponte Vecchio (old bridge). The shops full of gold jewelry and such are closed up and I love their wooden doors with decorative iron hinges. This man on the left is often playing guitar and singing – and in Italian for once – and working for tips. The music is beautiful and while few people are about, those that are here are listening attentively. The Duomo can be seen in the distant center.

There is also an interesting interplay between the police and the illegal immigrants, mostly from Africa. While I do not know much about this issue, I get the impression that everything is a bit of a dance.

Everyone here knows that the men who sell fake Gucci bags and such on the street are illegally doing so. (I heard someone say that even tourists who do not know this will be charged a hefty fine for buying from these merchants.) The immigrants usually display their wares on top of a sheet that they spread out on the street so that as the police cruise by, they may quickly pick up all four corners and scoop their bag of goods up in Santa Claus fashion.

In these last two images, I photographed a police car making its run as two illegals pick up their goods and wait. Sometimes they walk a little bit away, sometimes they simply wait with their bundles. I think sometimes that everyone knows the police will not arrest these men, but nonetheless, the police wish to remind them that at any moment, they have the perfect right and ability to do so. It is an interesting game of tolerance.

Last year, one of my Italian friends who creates caricatures beside the Duomo told me to be careful with my camera. I started to take my camera out of my coat pocket once when I saw the Carabinieri chasing one man, as his cheap wooden toys left a Hansel-and-Gretel trail behind him. My friend asked me to stop. This makes trouble. The authorities do not know who is a tourist and who is a journalist. The last thing this situation needs is one very slanted image of a situation published. But then, he also admitted that the Italian merchants are often frustrated because they pay for selling permits and then must compete with those who sell illegally.

I wonder if these problems are the same everywhere.

Locks of Love – Florence, Italy

The Italians are quite the passionate bunch. It shows in many ways – from the care that is put into the preparing a meal to the pure enjoyment of every passeggiata, the evening walk throughout the city’s streets, usually arm in arm. One can see lovers, friends, siblings, and parent and child couples of all ages walking linked and involved in familiar conversations as they people-watch.

Of course, the passion extends to areas of romance. Pictured here are some of the proclamations of a lasting devotion – the locks of love. One can see them in various, sometimes random, places around Italia. Sometimes so many locks are placed in a spot that they are eventually cut off and the process may begin again. This image was taken at the end of the arched walkway that is near the famous Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy, along the Arno River.

Ponte Vecchio at Night-Florence, Italy

Does familiarity breed fondness or are some places simply beautiful? I find myself photographing several places around Florence over and over. So many ways for something – or someone – to look different. So many variables. Above, you will see an image of the famous Ponte Vecchio – the only bridge along the Arno River in Florence, Italy, that was not bombed during World War II.

The 6th of November was different even from my walk by tonight because there was a large spotlight coming from the direxion of the Uffizi Galleria that is not visible tonight. The light really shows off the shapes and sculpture on the bridge. My friend Simone speculated that perhaps a film was being shot there that night. But we did not walk that way to check it out. I hope you enjoy this view of the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge, literally “bridge old”).

Protecting Artwork During War - Florence, Italy

This past weekend (29-30 Settembre) was European Heritage Weekend. This meant, in Firenze anyway, that the state museums were free to enter. While I spent my Saturday morning at Steve Armes' landscape workshop in Fiesole and the afternoon painting in my room, I was up rather early on Sunday morning to stand in line at the famous Galleria d'Uffizi.

There was a photography exhibit on the first floor from World War II. On June 10, 1940, Italy entered the war and
immediately began to make plans to protect its artworks. The first step was to move all that could be moved out of the
city of Florence into the neighboring countryside areas that were considered to be less of a target. What was not able to be moved were artworks such as frescoes in churches, carved portals, fountains, tombs, and, of course, large sculptures, such as Michelangelo's 'David.'

The exhibit was titled "Protezione dell opere d'arte" (opera = work, singular; opere d'arte = works of art). There were originally more than 5000 black and white photographs taken from 1940 to 1945 by the personnel of the Gabinetto Fotografico. However, many of them were lost in the great flood of 1966. (Markers showing the water levels that November can be seen in various points around the Renaissance city.)

I was especially intrigued by a photograph labeled "Firenze Galleria dell' Accademia. Lavori di protezione antiaerea del David di Michelangelo 25 gennaio 1943" In January of 1943,'David' was first wrapped up in place at the Accademia and then enclosed in a tall brick cylinder with a continuous dome cap (almost shaped like a grain storage "bullet" you see on American farms). This same "false wall" system was used to fully surround frescoe paintings and other substantial works of art in Florence.

On 30 July 1944, an evacuation of the city of Firenze / Florence around the bridges over the Arno River was ordered. But on the morning (night) of 4 August, the Germans bombed and destroyed all bridges, except the Ponte Vecchio. Liberation came later that month. However, there were four sculptures on the Ponte di Santa Trinita, representing each of the seasons, that were destroyed in the bombings. While most of the sculpture parts were found relatively quickly and restored, it was not until 7 October 1961 that the head of "Spring" (primavera) was finally found at the bottom on the Arno during some river maintenance!

(ponte = bridge; vecchio = old)

If you would like to read about the flood of 1966, please visit:
4 November 2006 Newsletter