Sculpture Museum Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Continuing my report of the small town of Caprese Michelangelo
in the province of Arezzo, I wanted to share with you a few more of the sculptures on exhibit in the Museo Michelangiolesco.

This first one just caught me off guard and made me laugh. This museum celebrates the birth of Michelangelo. His works strike me as dark and serious most of the time, and this bronze titled “Il Pollo Innamorato” (“The Chicken In Love”) by Giulio Galgani in the year 2000 is hardly that. I thought it was an idea well depicted.



This next sculpture in wood, “Scultura Multiforme” by Mauro di Scovola, was a bit confusing for me and I am not sure even now what I think of it. I can see obviously at least one female torso, but there are so many elements of Escher-like qualities and other symbols, perhaps, that I had a difficult time relating to this work. Basically, regardless of how curious I felt, the overall effect for me was not beautiful and for this, I think it has failed (for me). And yet, I included it here, so . . .


Another room exhibited the following sculpture and struck me as a moment that I had not previously seen sculpted. Decimo Passani, a Florence-based sculptor created this colored plaster piece titled ”Bambino che cade dalla sedia” (“The baby (boy) that fell from his chair”). I like the energy, the texture, and the naturalness of this artwork in sculpture. Not kitsch at all.


Although there are many more works of sculpture and even a few drawings on exhibit in the museum (some more of which I will be sharing with you tomorrow), my main complaint is that the exhibit is set up in such a way as to make viewing the art really difficult. I understand the need to protect the art from theft and dust, but the plastic enclosures were full of glare and frankly, horrible. It was lovely to be able to see outside into the surrounding green areas, but I wonder if it would have been better to place some light curtains over the openings and install lights overhead. They could be placed in positions to minimize reflection on the Plexiglas. My images are horrible largely due to the fact that I could not find a good viewing position.

Still, the museum is worth a visit in a charming location in central Italy. When I was there, the Michelangiolesco Museum and its lovely grounds on the hilltop were open Monday through Friday 10:30 am to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday, and holidays from 10 am to 7 p.m. Tickets are four euros each, with discounts for groups and children.

Museum Caprese Michelangelo

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

In my last post, I spoke about my visit to the birthplace of Michelangelo Buonarroti.

In this post, I wanted to share with you some of the scenery of the museum in the small town of Caprese Michelangelo, north and east of Arezzo, Italy. Inside the buildings are copies of many of the great works of Michelangelo, but there are a lot of other artworks on exhibit as well.

I love the omaggio to classical storytelling in art in this bronze sculpture and bas relief combination that you see in the first image. The young Michelangelo rests in a twisted pose (cleverly predicting his dynamic figure poses that changed the art world) as he gazes up into his future. Although my image does not show it well, each of the boy’s future sculptures is envisioned in varying levels of dimensionality, moving from high relief close to the young artist, to extremely low relief (upper left).



Unfortunately, I could not find the artist’s names on several of these outdoor pieces, although they are assuredly more contemporary works. I think what I am trying to show here also is that just because you have seen the original works of Michelangelo, do not think that this museum is only full of copies of the great artist. It is worth a trip and quite a beautiful area.



And I can highly recommend the food at the nearby Pensione e Ristorante Buca di Michelangelo. And if you find yourself there during the week, please stop into La Pecora Nera [The Black Sheep] shop and say hello to Simona and perhaps even her husband Andrea.

Birthplace of Michelangelo

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Recently I returned to the birthplace of Michelangelo Buonarroti for a party that one of my collectors held in their home there. The morning after the party, I revisited the renovated Museo Michelangiolesco that celebrates the life and work of the famous artist and architect.

One of my first and most important teachers, Michelangelo was probably born in the Palazzo del Podestà, the home of his parents Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti di Simoni and Francesca di Neri del Miniato di Siena. At the time of his birth (6 March 1475), babies were born at home and not in a hospital.

Podestà is the title for a delegate from the Florentine government who worked this area. Michelangelo’s father held this political post for six months during this time. Palazzo is the Italian word for “palace” but this stone house looks quite simple by today’s standards. I included a detail shot of the stairs leading to the upper floor where the living quarters were, but you may see a better image of the (left) building on the museum’s site.




Some of the furniture in the home is contemporary with Michelangelo’s time, but are not original to this space. Other furniture, such as the bed, is a reproduction in a Renaissance style from the 1900s. Also in the home are reproductions of works of art in which Michelangelo was a subject, including my two favorites: monochromatic sketches by Francescho Furini titled “Michelangelo sul letto di Morte / Michelangelo on his death bed” 1627-28 and “La Madre di Michelangelo incinta cade da cavallo / The pregnant mother of Michelangelo falls from her horse” created in 1628.

The name “Michelangelo” was added to “Caprese” in 1911 and this charming little town is north and east of Arezzo. When I was there, the Michelangiolesco Museum and its lovely grounds on the hilltop were open Monday through Friday 10:30 am to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday, and holidays from 10 am to 7 p.m. Tickets are four euros each, with discounts for groups and children.

P.S. I hope that you enjoy my little self-portrait with Michelangelo! Ha.

Milano Centrale Train Station

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I recently tried to fly to Madrid on EasyJet Airline to meet my brother Paul for a few days before returning to America. However, after taking the train to Milano, Italia, from Firenze, and then the bus from the train stazione to the Malpensa airport, I learned that the flight had been canceled shortly before I arrived.

The man behind the counter told me that it was a staffing problem and that it was not uncommon to have the later flights canceled because early flights had been delayed. The delays meant that the crew would not work after a certain point, I guess. This was especially true on a Saturday night. A Spanish traveler told me that he discovered that there was currently a strike by air-traffic controllers in Spain after the government cut their pay by 80%. That changed all the dynamics for my trip.

EasyJet arranged for all of us now-stranded clients to stay in a hotel with a simple dinner and a nice breakfast buffet. I was told to find an Internet connection at the hotel and decide whether I wanted to reschedule or get a refund. Some of my fellow travelers were re-booked to Spain – the following Tuesday (tomorrow). After a long night of researching my options, I decided to head back to home (Firenze) and try another day.

Unfortunately, I ended up needing to wait over five hours in the train station in Milano. The day was hot, as was my tolerance for spending more money than I had already wasted on travel to and from the airport, which I knew would never be reimbursed. Milano Centrale is actually one of the more attractive train stations that I have seen and I was happy that I had packed a small set of pastels and paper in my small suitcase.

So, instead of exploring Milano, I decided to stay put and just wait. After a nap on a marble bench, I took out my drawing supplies and began a couple of sketches. There was an interesting clock on opposing walls with bas-relief sculptures of the zodiac signs. I have been fascinated with fantastical creatures all of my life and began to draw one whose shape appealed to me.

Here is the view from where I sat. The relief of Capricorn is in the center of the image, just to the right of the light posts. Sure, it was far off, but I was not worried about making a masterpiece, I just wanted to amuse myself and maybe learn something.


Always there are men lurking around the stations, waiting to chat you up. One of them began speaking to me cautiously and then more boldly. His name was Mohamed and he was from Egypt. Like always, these guys always start with the small talk – where are you from, where do you live now, what is your name, when is your train and which one? I only answer what I feel like at that moment, and as vaguely as possible.

During the course of my sketching, a policeman approached and gave me compliments on my drawing. I was not sure if he was just personally curious about what I was doing, or if he wondered if I was OK with Mohamed hanging around. If the latter, he never mentioned it.

Mohamed eventually picked up a brown pastel and then I offered him some paper. At first he was shy, but I insisted that he try it. Then I asked for his permission to take and post the photo that you see here. Afterwards, he asked if he could take my foto.



At some point later on, Mohamed got bored and said his goodbyes. He was quite polite. I finished up my little sepia sketch before starting another. And then it was time to board the train again.

Pastel Life Drawing

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Although I move slowly, I have little patience for waiting. Today I want to share with you two brief sketches I did to help pass some time. These days I try to keep with me a small pastel kit and some black paper. It is a contrasty look that perhaps lends itself to more drama and less softness than lighter papers and more subtle techniques encourage.

This first one is titled “Beach Talk” I took about a week holiday in June to visit one of my models (and friend) on the island of Palma de Mallorca, Spain, flying in and out of Ibiza in the process. During the one really sunny day in Palma, we headed off for a small, but charming beach.

I find sunbathing boring and the water was too cold to swim in just yet ... so I tried to sketch these women chatting with each other on the beach. It looked to me as if they had known each other for a long time. I was hoping that I could capture some of their naturalness with each other.

Unfortunately, once they noticed me drawing them, they turned their chairs to face the water! Still, it was a good challenge to draw people who were moving about and not trying to pose. And in general, I like the idea of sunshine, but not the reality. Shortly after I did what I could with this sketch, I headed into the ocean for a refreshing swim.


"Beach Talk" Palma de Mallorca, Spain
20 x 28 cm June 2010
pastel on black paper
Private Collection, Caprese Michelangelo, Italia

---

This second sketch happened because of a recent trip to Lucca, Italia. The logistics of carrying five people in a vehicle equipped for three left my model Nathan and me opting to wait for the second run. This young man was quite a charming first-time portrait model and we both enjoyed the process, fitting in a nap along the top of the tree-shaded wall surrounding Lucca before our ride arrived again.


“Nathan” Lucca, Italia
6 July 2010
pastel on black paper
Private collection, United Kingdom

Lucca Italy Torre Guinigi

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I recently revisited Lucca, Italy, with some friends. Lucca is a small city in which the old town still features the original wall circling and protecting the city. They have made the top of the wall into a lovely walking and bike path, lined with trees and often, breezes.

During lunch, I got to see my favorite fountain there, of which I made a painting in 2004.

This time around I got to take in the views from the Torre Guinigi, a tower with lovely trees on the top. It is an easy climb up the stairs to a shady loft overlooking the city. I hope you enjoy the views. At this writing, the tower is open from 9:30 am to 7:30 p.m., with the last entrance time just after 7 p.m. The price is 3,50 € per person, with reduced prices for kids, students, those with more than 65 years, and groups.

Lucca also sports a great concert series in the summer, with big names in a variety of music styles. Lucca, Italy, in the heart of Tuscany, makes a great day trip from either the Tuscan coast (think cruise line drop-off points) or Florence.

Negative Shapes Palazzo Vecchio

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Sometimes I like it that the camera does not see in the same way as the human eye. I am including here several shots I snapped inside the courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio in central Florence, Italy. The palazzo is open some nights during the summer and it truly puts a whole new light on things.

For example, even at night the eye can distinguish the details of the bronze sculpture of the Cupid shown in this central fountain. The camera cannot. Or it would do so at the expense of making all of the other areas too light. But I wanted to show you how lovely this sculpture composition is. In shadow against the lighter walls, one can see that each view presents a very different abstract shape. Without being able to make out the details of the figure and if you only look at the dark shapes, you can see more clearly the design of the artist.


If they thought about it at all, people might think that sculptors only think in terms of form and possibly function (technical aspects regarding the material and how it can be used to best advantage, for example). However, composition for a sculptor also means that he will design from many vantage points, trying to create interest in an ever-changing audience position. This sculpture is quite lovely and dynamic.

And just think: this is just the courtyard of the former palace!