Silver and Gold Florence Italy

Dear Art Lover,

     Rudolph is one of my favorite Christmas programs on TV.  When I was at university, I even bought the videotape and sang along loudly [alone, since my flatmates thought that I was nuts].  The arrangement and soothing voice of Burl Ives singing “Silver and Gold” always made me cry, as I inevitably thought of loves lost and the sweetness of loves retained over the years.  Here it is if you wanna listen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY-XDQN6ipE

    Artwise, I am still in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo in Florence, Italy.  To be honest, most of the time, I can out-museum most of my friends.  However, in this period in which I have not been very productive in my own art creating, I find my mind wandering no matter how interesting the museum contents and presentation.  This next work of art at first got the “Boh!” response from me, as I peeked around the corner to gaze upon it.  However, the Italian tour guide caught my attention.  He was very expressive and enthusiastic about this piece, so I meandered over and started to photograph him as his whole body told stories.

    So much of this art is TOO silver and gold . . . it just seems “over the top” and one sees the shine or glare, if you will, more than the forms.  However, upon closer look, it is amazing the sheer skill and ideas put into this altar that was created in the years from 1367 to 1483.  It features twelve scenes from the life of John the Baptist.

     Again, I must quote the museum display:

      “This room contains an altar front and a monumental cross of pure silver, restored between 2006 and 2012, with a combined weight of 250 kilograms in metal parts alone.  Commissioned by the Arte di Calimala – the cloth merchants’ guild – and realised beginning in 1367 by artists spanning several generations, these intricate assemblages of thousand of components were at the center of the principal religious celebration of the Florentine Republic, the feast of the city’s patron saint, John the Baptist, on June 24, when altar and cross were installed in the church dedicated to Saint John, the Baptistery.”

     On a side note, I am touched that my new community is already involving me in the life here.  I have been asked to dress the part of a medieval sculptor [they provide the clothes] for the town’s “Living Nativity” on Christmas Eve.  It will feel great to have a hammer in my hand again, even if I am unlikely to be using it on this occasion.  Also, yesterday, I was asked to speak to the local mayor’s assistant [in Italian he is called the Assessore, which looks like two funny English words put together for a public servant’s title].  My local friends seem to think that my new-to-the-community voice, especially as a sculptor, will help them give some life to a seemingly forgotten decade-old project.

     

Peace,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

To the right is a video on the far wall that tells more of the story.

Stone Sculpture Museo dell’Opera Florence Italy

Dear Art Lover,

     I hope you are not tired of these posts from my visit to the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo in Florence, Italy.  Today, I thought I would share with you some more of the stone carvings.  I really would like to know more about how so much carving of stone was done before the days of electricity.  Some of this stone is not that soft!

      For example, look at this large tub.  I apologize for not reading the label (or in this case, even photographing it for review later).  I might have understood what the tub was used for:  Is it a fountain basin for the local water supply?  Was it a marble bathtub?  Was it a coffin for a child?  That latter does not seem likely since the bas relief designs on the front do not seem consistent.  In any event, notice how much decoration there is!  Lots of architecture houses the human figures and aids in the feeling of symmetry.  Note that the figures are purposely out of proportion to one another, all for the sake of design and decoration.  I love the figure emerging from the slightly opened door.  It adds some action to the otherwise static composition.

     These others just made me smile.  The grouping with the Madonna and Child seems normal, but then, look at the gesture and expression of the figure on the right.  How funny is that?  While the others are interested in what’s up, this guy is looking down on us little people and appears to be aware of us and waving hello.

  And this other, rather dissolved looking couple struck me as smooching and was unexpected among religious themes (is that not sad?).  Anyway, see what you think.

Peace,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

Niccolò Barabino Painter Florence Italy

 Dear Art Lover,

     In the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo in Florence, Italy, I discovered an artist to admire.  I had never before heard of Niccolò Barabino (1831–1891), but I think his painting in the museum is fantastic.  I share it with you here.  It is titled, Christ Enthroned with Mary and Florentine Saints and was created from 1882 to 1883.

    The composition is brilliant and I admired so many things that I see as definitely intentional.  The composition is set up as symmetrical, but then the variations create a situation that hardly leaves one with a feeling of repetition.  Christ at the center, with the largest area of white or light colors is no doubt the subject of the painting.  The lilies in their vase serve as an obvious pointer, in case our eyes could forget.  The vertical columns on either side of him lend a strength and stability, and even a calming effect (assurance of a sense of well-being?) to the painting.

     The figures on the left are all aligned mostly horizontally in their halos, yet there is enough of a change that there is no stiffness in the postures of the figures or their relationships to one another, while the diagonally line of the figures are right (and continued by the raised arm of Christ) serve to point to our subject. 

     I enjoyed the perspective in the scene, as well as the 3-dimensionally painted dark niche behind Christ’s figure that really helps to again, put the focus on him.  I like how he plays the lights and darks against one another to emphasize (or play down) each of the personalities of the saints while never losing sight of compositional interest.

     One might think that red is such a strong color that an artist would be a fool to paint the only really large red shape off to one side. But if you look, you will see that he has spread around the staircase and the right background enough of this same muted red serves as a sculptural base or even a frame (if you count the darker, cooler reds in the niche behind Christ’s head).  The artist has done the same thing with the whites or light shapes in the composition.  Christ receives the largest and most eye-catching white shape in his robes.  However, the worshiping figures each contain a figure in “white,” but they do not take up as much real estate and are beautifully designed to strengthen the composition.

     I love it that the faces are individuals and beautiful.  I also love it that the artist snuck in a half-dressed man next to the nun.  Each character’s head is different, in hair style or hat or veil… lovely variety! 

     Anyway, I truly admire this work of art and I am glad that the next time I walk past the Duomo, I will look more closely at the painting under the same-shaped arches and hope to see more of Niccolò Barabino’s paintings. 

     If you would like to learn more of this artist, this may be a decent start: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicol%C3%B2_Barabino

Peace,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com

Florence Museo dell’Opera Stone Fragments Mosaic

Dear Art Lover,

     Fragments tend to interest me sometimes more than “perfect compositions.”  Maybe it is the idea of “less is more,” but I tend to think it has more to do with the simultaneous feeling of mystery (what did it look like originally when complete?) with education.  With fragments, one can often understand more about the process used… in a sense:  removing a mystery, albeit a different one.

  

     Here, I am still in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo in Florence, Italy.  Here is what the museum wrote for the display titled, “Fragments of Magnificence.” 

“During demolition of the unfinished medieval Cathedral façade in 1587, most of the surface decoration was lost; the few surviving fragments are shown in this room.  Among these are pieces found while excavation beneath the nave of the Santa Maria del Fiore to uncover the remains of the old cathedral, Santa Reparata.  In the course of those excavations in 1965-1973, the pavement of the new Cathedral had to be removed, and on the underside of some white marble slabs 14^th-century decoration came to light, confirming that the Opera del Duomo had recycled its costly stone to suit the needs of an evolving project.
     The carves slabs and those with colored and gold mosaic inserts made the Duomo façade an image of the heavenly Jerusalem described in the New Testament, whose walls are made of precious stones (Revelation 21, 18-21).  Especially at sunset, when the Cathedral front glows in the waning light, the allusion to that future city must have been clear.”

   Enjoy.

What might look like popcorn under the mosaic is actually marble.

     I am not above taking a donation.  Even five bucks is a help, if you enjoy what you read about and see in my images here on this blog.  Thank you.  [You may make a donation via the PayPal links on the side bar on the blog site:  http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.com ]

Peace,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

Florence Museo dell’Opera Donatello Christ

Dear Art Lover,

  In Florence, Italy, the Museo dell’Opera, which houses the treasures of the famous Florence Cathedral (or Duomo in Italian), recently received a facelift.  You may now view more of the art and in a better context with how it was all intended to be viewed in the first place.  In some cases, you are viewing the original sculptures since pollution was causing too much harm to it in its original position on the Duomo or the nearby Baptistry. 

     I am often struck by how the quality of the figurative art changed back and forth over the centuries, as well as how much was accomplished only with hand-powered tools.  But then, they likely had other technical abilities of which I am simply unaware.  Still, did we lose the skills after Greek art or did artists just make a point to change styles?  I have heard that the current beliefs of the church often affected how representational artists were allowed to portray the human figure.  And churches tended to be the only ones wealthy enough to pay for difficult-to-create art. 

    I was surprised to see this marvelous piece of stone carving among some fragments on exhibit from the Porta della Mandorla (the Almond Door).  It turns out that this relief figure of the Man of Sorrows Christ that decorates an arch border is by Donatello!  It is funny seeing his work paired with obviously less stunning carved figures.  Here is a part of the museum’s own description:

     “The most richly decorated side-door of the Cathedral, that to the northeast call the Porta della Mandorla (Almond Door), was realised [sic] by various sculptors in the years 1391-1422.  The components shown here, from the archivolt and lateral pilasters, belong to the years 1404-1409 and illustrate the range of styles used in the early 15^th-century Florence, with some of the figures still gothic while others proclaim a reborn interest in Greco-Roman sculpture.  The Suffering Christ from the door’s keystone, a work by the young Donatello, appears to be an early study for that artist’s wood crucifix in the Basilica of Santa Croce.”

Note that the Italians, as I suspect most Europeans, used British English more than American [hence the “sic” above.]

Note also that another sign under the arranged fragments titles the work by Donatello as “Rilievo con Cristo Vir dolorum” (Relief with Christ Man of Sorrows).  1404-1409.  Perhaps the two titles is simply a matter of different translations.

     In the image of the architectural drawing, the blue section of the pointed arch above the doorway, labeled F, is where the Donatello and gothic fragments originally resided.

     Enjoy!  I am happy to report that I am back to painting and drawing daily in my new temporary home.  Most of my things are still in storage until my real home is ready, but I have taken what I need from there and am working away with lovely views and birds singing daily.  Sanity is starting to return.

Happy birthday to my first brother, Paul! 

Peace,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com

Cancer Fighting Kitchen

Dear Art Lover,

     JudyWitts Francini is a friend of mine here in Italy.  She has always been a great resource for all sorts of things that I have needed guidance on over the years that I have known her.  Given her high energy levels and optimism, I can only surmise that she feeds off of doing good deeds!  Judy teaches classes and gives tours about Tuscan cooking.  She loves to show people Sicily as well.  Check out her site:

http://www.divinacucina.com/

     Most all of us know someone, even a family member or two, who have, are, or will suffer through the fear of a cancer diagnosis.  I have a lot of caretakers in my family, as well.  And perhaps this is a stupid thing to say, but often caretaking is like suing someone:  You may not be on the scariest side of the fence, but your life is still not gonna be fun for a while. 

     I began hearing about nutrition ~ EXTREME nutrition ~ being a strong antidote to cancer back in the early 1980s.  Since that time, I began to pay attention to a lot of foods and what they do.  However, I am not really into cooking or food prep, so my actions have been more towards trying to avoid the not-so-good stuff to hedge my health bets.  Sadly, the “not-so-good” is often a typical American diet.  And since most countries and people watch what the US does and US Corporations have a way of sneaking into everyone’s lives, nutrition has seen the slippery slope for decades now.

     I was chatting with Judy recently about my grave concerns over someone in my family with cancer.  Judy immediately told me about her friend Rebecca Katz and her book, The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery  Written in English and available on Amazon,   Rebecca’s book gives recipes for nutrient-rich foods of all sorts of colors and textures, geared towards a variety of tastes and levels of eating. 

    What I also enjoy about the book is how she explains that the different stages of chemotherapy affect appetite.  For example, if chemo makes stuff taste funny [often metallic], one loses the desire to eat.  However, the last thing one should ever do is to starve oneself of life-giving nutrients!  It is horrible enough what chemo is doing to our bodies!  Rebecca has solutions for most everything.

     Judy also reiterated that it is not just the nourishment.  The simple acts of the cooking and smelling the flavors in the preparation help both caretaker and cancer-fighter heal and also feel as if they are not helpless.

 

     Anyway, Judy does not live in Florence, Italy, any longer, but she does come up here for private clients and tours.  So, I was thrilled to meet her at the Savoy hotel in one corner of Piazza della Repubblica the other day.  She loaned me her signed copy of Rebecca’s book.  I then shopped at the Vivimarket that sells foods that Italians consider ethnic.  The images I include in this post are from an autumn flower arrangement within the Savoy that I photographed since I had arrived early and was amusing myself, as I do.

      I have a favor to ask now:  I recently found out that I lost my Amazon affiliate status.  It was my fault since I procrastinated on responding to their e-mails about updating my status.  They have some new child protection clauses I was apparently supposed to sign off on.  I just saw e-mails to update my ad links.  Boh.   So, I started a new account and Amazon told me that they will verify it once I make my first sale. 

    If this book interests you or could interest someone you know, please click on my new affiliate link below.  You pay the same, but Amazon helps support my art career just a little.  Thank you!  Seriously, the recipes in this book look so good, I would not limit it to cancer patients.  It might even prevent cancer by keeping you strong and less polluted inside by processed foods.  Where is the downside to that?

Peace,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com

How long did it take you to make THAT?

Dear Art Lover,

Perhaps one of the most common questions artists get asked is, “How long did it take you to make that?” Discussions among artists usually result in the ultimate response, “My entire life: Each thing I ever learned became the foundation of each new work.”      This is hardly fulfilling to the onlooker, though, is it? He just wanted a simple answer to satisfy a curiosity, not really the whole truth.      I hate this question because I have no easy answer. Most of the problem lies in that I rarely work on one piece at a time. And, no, I do not punch a time clock with each changing task or project. The other problem is that there is a difference between how long it REALLY takes to create a work of art and how long it takes just to EXECUTE the idea. For me, it happens in the brain for some indefinite amount of time, often longer than it takes to paint or even sculpt the baby.      However, I decided to take a stab at some time frames and hope to satisfy some curiosity. As smarts would have it, these works are still available at the time of this writing. Just contact me if you would like to make one or more yours (or give as a gift). Subtle, huh?      And please do not forget to visit the galleries who exhibit my work: See Don Elliott and Chuck at The Franklin Barry Gallery in Indianapolis and Mark Palmerton in Norman, Oklahoma, at The Crucible Bronze Foundry and Gallery. Thank you for your interest!

Pelican Lips: Started carving in March 2006, after I had already begun the Lips Series of stone carvings. Finished: August 2006 Available: $3000. ++++++++++++++++++++

The Lookout started out in the Spring of 1999 as “Jennifer,” a full-standing 3-d figure half-life-size, modeled from life. In those days, in order to jumpstart my career, I was casting two bronzes at once in each edition: one for a gallery and the other for my own exhibitions. However, the foundry in Bastrop, Texas, did a terrible job on the mold and wax work. When I called to make an appointment to proof the wax, I was told that they had already begun the ceramic slurry mold and it was too late! The result was that one bronze had a much-distorted thumb and a few other things that made me unhappy. I was so new to the sculpting business that I did not know I could refuse such work. It was not until 2007 that I decided to cut her up and keep what I liked about her. I created a new composition, casting swirly fabric designs and then had them welding onto the existing figure. My new foundry needed a couple of months for this and John and I did the finishing work for this one-of-a-kind bronze. “Jennifer” became a wall-hanging as The :Lookout. So… eight years in the making? She is available for only $5,200. Here is a convenient price list for all the available sculptures: http://www.borsheimarts.com/pricelist.htm#sculpture

Stairway to Heaven, in Texas awaiting a new home

Then you have Stairway to Heaven, an angel (and a stairway!) carved out of a PINK limestone from Texas. I started March 8, 2011 and finished in October 2011. During that same summer, I also finished the marble “Gymnast” and the writing and editing of my book, “My Life as a Street Painter in Florence, Italy” when I spent about two months living with my pregnant sister while her husband was in Afghanistan. Do you see the problem about “how long did that take you?” Stairway to Heaven, is available for $900, if you do not mind the natural patina she has developed. Message me for more information, please. Here is a convenient price list for all the available sculptures: http://www.borsheimarts.com/pricelist.htm#sculpture

Comfort is a sculpture I made in clay [terra-cotta] that took about 2-3 days. I did not use models for this work. And while the Web page says that I made a mold of this for a future bronze edition, I do not think that I ever did it, as life got in the way. So this is a unique piece. $1,200. Here is a convenient price list for all the available sculptures: http://www.borsheimarts.com/pricelist.htm#sculpture

2008 fall: "Niccolò da Uzzano":

Here I am with my charcoal drawing of a gesso (plaster) portrait sculpture. The gesso is a copy of the famous Italian sculptor Donatello's portrait of the banker of the Medici family, Niccolò da Uzzano. The original terra-cotta portrait sculpture is in the collection of the Bargello Museum in Florence, Italy.

For this project, I used the sight-size method of drawing [which means that all observations and judgements are made from about 2 meters from the art and LOTS of pacing the floor]. If you would like to learn more about sight-size, as well as see the finished artwork, click on the link below.

This work took me on average five hours, six days per week for about ten weeks. Niccolò is available for only $2600, or giclée reproductions are available for less than $500.

See the drawing process for Niccolò here:
http://www.borsheimarts.com/charcoal-drawing/2008/niccolodauzzano.htm

and check out the sizes and prices for the high quality reproductions here:
http://www.borsheimarts.com/giclee.htm

     Birds of Paradise probably took me two-to-three afternoons, between stone carving times: $575 for the pair 12 x 12 inch thick-gallery-wrapped canvas with metallic paint.

Happy, happy birthday(s) to my Aunt Nancy and my beautiful friend Kumiko Suzuki!

Thank you.

Peace,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com