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.
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!
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:
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,
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way you may help is to forward this blog to someone you think may appreciate
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online, and wallah… lovers of art and Italy [and Croatia] unite.
Thank
you for your interest and enthusiasm,
Kelly
~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor,
painter, writer, teacher
