Trieste Italy Fountain of the Tritons Sculpture Part 2 of 3

Dear Art-loving friend,

     While on a layover in Trieste, Italy, I found the Post Office on one side of a grande piazza.   As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog postabout the architecture of Trieste, the city looks more Austrian than Italian, at least in parts.  This is one of those parts.   

     Even though I knew that I would be waiting a long time inside the post office, I decided to get a good look at this beautiful sculpture of three figures holding up a shell in the well designed Piazza Vittorio Veneto.  La Fontana dei Tritoni (The Fountain of the Tritons) was not running, no doubt because of the colder season upon us, but still it is lovely.

     Two of the figures are male, the third is female and her legs EACH become tails [while theirs do not].  Did the artist make these choices for a reason other than varying composition?  Hmmm.. I could not tell you.  I tried to find information on the sculptor once I arrived to my new home in Umag, Croatia.  I found a name that could be the one inscribed in the stone:  Austrian sculptor Franz Schranz.  However, the dates given for this artist are (1747 - 1835) and say that he is a painter, not a sculptor.   While my photograph of the signed fountain makes it hard to read the artist name, the date seems much clearer to be:  1899.  I had found another blog or Web page in an image search for this fountain and that was how I came up with the Franz Schranz name in the first place.  That page said the fountain was DESIGNED by him.  Perhaps that is accurate and someone else executed the sculpture.  However, if he is listed as a painter and not both painter and sculptor, I think the search could continue. 

http://artist-finder.com/

     How could anyone make such a large work and in relatively recent history and have no one know the artist?  Hahah… maybe that is a silly question.  But perhaps the City of Trieste knows more and we silly travel bloggers do not stay in town long enough to ask or follow-up.

     I enjoy the chiseled fine features in the face, as you see in the first close-up image posted here.  At first I thought it was sweet that two of the figures were holding hands, but upon closer inspection, they are not really.  He is holding onto her, while she holds onto the structure.  Is he just THAT muscular or is his arm tensing muscle as he uses force upon her arm?  Is he helping or hurting?  He looks way more relaxed in the front shot of him.  And in general, all of the figures look as if the artist had recently studied anatomy and wanted to show off his knowledge of each and every sinew.

 

    I remember very clearly, my friend and mentor Vasily Fedorouk saying, “When you learn to play the piano, you learn each and every note.  But when you make music, you do NOT play them all at once!”

    

     The other male Triton at first seemed a bit disconnected from the couple.  I thought that he was looking down, lost in his own thoughts while under the burden of his shared task.  However, look at my close-up shot of the Nereid (and her grapefruit breasts!).  She seems to be looking towards him, as if wondering if she is catching his attention!  Is she lifting her hair so that he can get a better glimpse at the goods?  And he… he appears to be looking her way, unable to get a full gander because of his position.  Are they flirting with one another?  Hahah.. well, why not?  Life is hard enough when you have a load on your back!  And if morality is the problem, well, they are probably destined to live the life as Tantalus did… any movement affects the whole and they are kept in place by their mutual task of holding up the shell fountain.

Thoughts without action can be torture!  
 

Enjoy the Solstice and this longest night of the year!

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.

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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

Water Fountain in Florence, Italy

My friend Lisa heard from her friend Alice about a fountain in Florence, Italy, in which one can refill a water jug for free. She showed me where this was the other day in a park on Via dell’Agnolo, not too far from where I live on Via Ghibellina.

I must admit that I am spoiled. When in Texas, I drink distilled water. Yes, the beauty and purity of 3 –> H2 + O. I have yet to drink anything out of any city’s tap or out of a bought bottle that tastes any better to me. And I am totally guilty of thinking that bottled water is a big scam. As far as inventions go, I mean, at least Velcro was a CLEVER observation of nature’s design and not just some false claim to improve upon it!

Allora, I have yet to decide whether or not this fountain in Florence has tastier water than my tap here because it is quite possible that I am enchanted by the idea of hauling water home from a fountain. But then I also think it is sexy to hang laundry outside on a breezy spring day while wearing a dress. I am a bit bizarre that way, I suppose. In any case, this Florentine fountain is not nearly as beautiful as the fountain I painted in Lucca several years ago. That is still one of my favorite paintings.

Lisa took this image of me filling one of my jugs.

Click here to see my oil painting "Fontana di Lucca"




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Ok, I am about to commit a social faux pas (is that redundant – are there any other kind of faux pas-s?), so if you want to save me some embarrassment, please stop reading . . . I wonder if I am doing this since I am frustrated at not having finished the painting I stayed indoors all day to finish today?

Recently a friend sent me a link to a news story about US politics. Something about some Democratic leader asking one candidate to step down and out of the way for another. I do believe I am getting less tolerant of politicians (and the public too) the older I get. My response was:

Good God. Do the Democrats EVER learn?
It sounds quite possible that they could thoroughly disgust the American voting public so much more than President Bush and the Republicans have done that the vote may sway / stay towards a known (and organized) evil vs. ANY of the bickering, wavering, INDECISIVE, and just-as-righteous power-hungry, individually oriented Democrats.

And how backwards are we that we are still having conversations about penises and pigments in the context of job qualifications???
We are supposed to be the country that believes that all people are created equally (or at least are treated as such initially).

I do not want a PETTY President, no matter how right/justified/qualified/deserving/idealistic s/he thinks s/he might be.

Basta! Let us find someone with some kind of dignity to lead our country. And a view of the big picture of the world we live in would be wonderful as well.
When will we, the People, stop putting up with this theatrical crap?

Ok, I am done now.
Um, thanks for sharing, . . . I think.

XO,
Kelly

Painting - Pizza in Munich, Germany - Lovers

I would like to introduce you to a new small painting on wood. Her title is “Pizza in Munich.” Yes, perhaps this is a silly title, and I am open to suggestions. I visited München in September 2006, on my way from Prague to Florence. While I was only there for a 6-hour layover from the train, it was Oktoberfest time and I enjoyed my brief visit.

While sightseeing, I was struck by the image created by this young couple, obvious travelers with backpack in plain sight, taking a dinner break in front of a charming fountain that emphasized their beautiful forms.

Painted in sepia tones, this painting on a panel measures 24 x 18 cm (9.5 x 7 inches). She is available for (US) $180, with a $20 shipping fee (I will ship her directly from Florence, Italy. If interested, please just contact me (e-mail is best) and we will work it out.

And again – thank you so much for reading and for your interest in my work!
Ciao, ciao,
Kelly