Graffiti Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I have written before about graffiti here in Italy before.  I just find it fascinating and beautiful.  I am speaking of the original meaning of graffiti, not so much the graffiti of today.

graf·fi·ti  [gruh-fee-tee] :

Origin:
1850–55;  < Italian,  plural of graffito  incised inscription or design, derivative with -ito -ite²  of graffiare  to scratch, perhaps influenced by presumed Latin *graphīre  to write; both probably derivative of Latin graphium  stylus < Greek grapheîon;  cf. graphic, grapho-, graft¹ 

Coming home recently in Florence, Italy, I turned down a short road on the Oltrarno side of the Arno River, not far from the Trinita bridge.   It was after dark and my lack of ability with Photoshop meant that I was not able to successfully lighten these images… but here goes.

You may see here that the cement was troweled onto the wall and then the designs were scratched into the still-wet mixture.  Just as in sculpting in 3-dimensions, note that the artistan keeps the line at 90 degrees and crisp when he wants a dark line [note the raised edges on the straight lines near the top of the image], while he opens up the incision a bit if he was a lighter effect [grey vs. black, curved lines in the bottom part of the image].  In something flatter than a proper bas relief sculpture, these subtleties are about the only control the artisan has to play with tone, other than using actual color later.

This third image shows how this material ages… the wall becomes highly textured (and in my view, gorgeous) in the process of erosion.  

This next series illustrates a couple of things.  I have noticed here in Italy (and maybe in other countries) that great art is one thing and decoration quite another.  However, it is amazing what a simple design (technically speaking) can do for a space.  Many times I have seen palaces and homes decorated to the point of feeling almost too much on the wall patterns.  But when you look at the design, it is simple and repeated… not difficult per se, but it certainly gives a wondrous effect!

These last three images confuse and amuse me a bit.  I cannot tell if the faces in the patterns are by the original artisan or if a different person came along and added something closer to what we call “graffiti” today… the faces.  I am amused because you will note that the simple shape drawn for each head and the very simple faces drawn still result in what seems to me to be unique personalities.

A man…

A woman…

A work of art by Edvard Munch (author of “The Scream”).  What do you see?

I hope that you enjoy my little examinations of traditional Italian graffiti:   More in the next post.

Past posts about Italian graffiti:

The sign of the Medici family (6 balls on the shield):  http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.it/2012/10/graffiti-florence-italy.html

Few things last forever, disappearing graffiti:  http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.it/2012/10/more-graffiti-florence-italy.html

Today’s form of graffiti:  http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.it/2007/09/italian-graffiti.html

Landscape Painting Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I will write more about the wonderful stone carving symposium in Castelvecchio di Pescia in northern Tuscany as I get my thousands of images organized.  (Should we still call digital images ‘photographs’?  hmmm, I have always had a problem with labels and categories.)  In the meantime, I am spending part of my day away from the computer and getting back to my adored charcoal drawings.  

Before I took off for my stone adventure, I went landscape painting with a couple of friends around Florence.  I have always been a bit intimated by landscapes… Nature offers us so much information that she can sometimes shut me down and I mentally wander off on some obscure path.  However, in my recent attempts with pastel in the gardens around Firenze, it became apparent to me that my first hurdle would be to get enough DARKS into the composition.  

Artists often hear about how the light of day is bouncing around and shadows are just not as dark as one might think.  (Perhaps this is more a conversation that emerged from painting from photographs since the human eye sees nuance more than a machine can decipher.)  But I need more dark.  So, I put away my pastels for the time being and decided to create tonal studies in charcoal.  I am a bit biased towards monochrome images anyway.

Isn’t my friend pretty, sitting there enticing all of the zanzare (mosquitos)?  I should have painted her in the grasses… In any event, this was during the time that I was not living in a home of my own, with most of my belongings packed up in boxes waiting for my new flat to become available.  Alas, I had no access to my tall easels.  I have a short torso and thus, once I sat down for the view I wanted, everything changed.  Haha.  

I decided that the light foreground grasses would become my subject instead of the obvious Florentine scene along the famous Arno River.  However, I first wanted to put in the darker background objects.  So, I sat up as straight as I could, wiggled around to get the information I needed, … and did I mention “going off on a tangent.”  ???  I got totally absorbed in drawing the land across the river!  Next thing I was aware of was the sun encroaching on our lovely patch of shade.  I have always liked the idea of sunshine, but not often the reality.  Or at least my being directly under her gaze.  

So, the grasses never got drawn.  However, I had a lovely nap.  It is what summers are for, right?

Happy birthday, Aunt Sue!

Castelvecchio Italy Stone Carving Symposium

I am writing to you from Castelvecchio di Pescia, in northern Tuscany.  This is my first real stone carving symposium.  Many exist around the world.   We have seven sculptors here from the following countries:  Bulgaria, Germany, Japan, The Slovak Republic, Spain, Thailand, and USA.  The symposium is a way for a place to gain a sculpture garden for perhaps less money than if they outright bought sculpture suitable for outdoors.  What happens is that an organizer works with his community.  They supply the stone, the transport of such, the carving sites, usually air compressors, with hoses, electricity, and tables, etc. for the creation of the art.  Artists are given their own working space, although usually they are together on one site.  Often it is a place in which tourists and locals alike can watch the progress of the sculptures being created. 

Artists are also given places to sleep and freshen up, as well as provided all meals.  When possible, the community also gives artists a stipend to cover travel expenses and money with which to live and pay bills.  In any event, during the event, artists are taken care of and allowed to do what we do best.  We are often happy because it is fun to work in proximity to other artists and art lovers.  And we get to travel to new places! 

You may remember my friend and street painting colleague Kumiko Suzuki from my book "My Life as a Street Painter in Florence, Italy."  She is also a sculptor of stone.  She and  I came by train from Florence to Pescia and were greeted by Rita and Maurizio, who drove us to Castelvecchio.  Yesterday, the sculptors were driven up into some nearby mountains in the same valley, near a town called Vellano.  There at the quarry, we chose our desired stones to carve.  We will be working with "Pietra Serena," a stone native to these parts.  It is grey, with a light brown closer to the surface, but is sometimes confused with concrete.  You may see it in most of the construction in Tuscany, including Firenze (Florence).

Well, the wonderful sons of some of our hosts set me up with this laptop so that I could work on this blog writing while my stone was being delivered from the cave (Italian for "quarry").  My stone is in place at my work site now... I must go.  The last day of the symposium is 3 August... come on over if you can! 

Carlo Dolci Uffizi Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

One of my Florentine friends asked me to join him as his guest to the Galleria degli Uffizi last Saturday morning.  One of his friends works at the famous museum here in Florence, Italy, and gave him a pass for two that he may use anytime he likes.  No queue!  And free!  

One of the perks for those who live here (and have the Uffizi Card) is that if it becomes easy to visit a museum, one does not feel the “pressure” to see or even try to see the entire collection on exhibit.  So, while we actually sat down in the Botticelli room for a bit and peeked our heads into a few favorite areas, in general we dodged the tourists in an attempt to visit some of the latter rooms.  My friend said that he is often visually exhausted by the time he gets close to the end and does not often spend much time there.

Well, as we wandered around, noting that several rooms we hoped would be open were not (renovations), we stumbled upon an exhibit of which neither of us had been aware!  The exhibit is titled, “Il Gran Principe Fernando de Medici (1663-1713)” and features some truly marvelous works of art in the private Medici collection.

In my book about my experiences street painting in Italy, I shared with you that my first street painting was “The Blue Madonna” by Carlo Dolci.  I had seen the original portrait years before in Florida and never forgot it.  So, perhaps you can imagine my joy when I saw Carlo Dolci’s portrait “St. Mary Magdalen.”

I do not really know how to explain my emotional response to Sig. Dolci’s paintings.  In general, I am not fond of portraits, religious ones or not (although in truth the religious topics often strike me as more dramatic and well done than secular subjects).  There is a quality to the painting that moves me.  The face is softly lit, softly modeled; the figure perfectly posed for her expression.   The jewelry on the dress, the round container that she is holding, the eyebrows, the delicate lips, the hands, the skin itself:  absolutely breath-taking!

Apparently the Grand Prince felt something similar.  Upon his death, the museum card read, twelve works by Carlo Dolci were found in his collection.  This Magdalen portrait was in his “private chamber” (and I do not think that refers to the bathroom - ha!).  I apologize for the glare on each of these snapshots.  I could not find a position without one.  Also, the book for this exhibition is wonderful (40 euro price tag).  However, the image of this Carlo Dolci painting in the book was too light and more than usual, lacked some emotional quality of the original. The darker background in my shots is more like the experience one had in the museum standing right in front of this work of art.  I hope you can find a painting that moves you and teaches you as well.  I was glad that I received this little gift of a trip to the Uffizi!

Ponte Santa Trinita Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

My father has often shared his belief that while a sunset may be beautiful, it cannot compare with a sunset shared.  While I appreciate this as true, I struggle with it as well.  So much of my life has been spent alone and far too many mystical and gorgeous experiences exist now only in my own memory.  When friends and family get together after a long time apart, they often relive shared times as a way to reinforce the bond between hearts.   One new to the group may recognize the warmth of those connected, but often feels left out a bit.

Until recently, I used to live very close to Piazza Santo Spirito in Florence, Italy.  I lived in an old palazzo with a lovely corridor featuring a Della Robbia-looking (I never verified), ceramic Madonna and Child relief sculpture balconies, arched doorways and a tiny staircase winding up the inside that led to a wonderful rooftop terrace.  One former flatmate told me that he had seen the ghost who frequented our building.  She has a good energy though, and was not intimidating at all.

Piazza Santo Spirito is named after the basilica that oversees all of the neighborhood’s activities… it is one of the liveliest squares in all of Florence, day and night.  A large fountain is the centerpiece for this square and there are trees and even flowers to be seen by all (an unusual sight since most greenery in Florence is contained within the city blocks in private courtyards and one can only have an idea of what Firenze is all about by peeking in through the occasional open door).  This neighborhood is on the Oltrarno side, which means the “other side” of the Arno River, the side with fewer tourists and more artisans at work.  It is not always pretty, but I have loved living there. 

For the past three or so months, my life has unexpectedly been altered with an Italian drama involving tax evasion, blackmail, and a few sordid characters.  Ultimately, my fellow foreigner flatmate and I were evicted from our home so that the war between our Florentine landladies and our Florentine flatmate could commence in full force.  I do not even want to know what that means anymore and only feel a great sadness at being evicted because “I was too nice.”  Anyway, for all of the negativity that cost me lots of work time and my health a bit, I am relatively happy in my new place and look forward to healthier living conditions and friendships.

All that said, I live on the opposite side of the city and I miss the green.  I miss the access to 5-euro aperitivo that includes a glass of wine and more food and in a greater healthy variety than a single person could enjoy at home for anything near that price – and with no dishwashing!  The people-watching in Santo Spirito is hard to beat.  But mostly, I miss the easy access to the Trinita bridge over the nearby Arno River.  It has become my favorite spot for watching sunsets.  Sure, I can ride my bike there anytime I want, but I have a lot of work to catch up on and somehow it just seems easier to stay in my own place and get something done.

So, I hope you enjoy this mixed media painting that I made.  Creating art is the best way I know how to share some of my cherished and often solitary joys with you.  Florentine Sunset is a 12” x 16” painting from a view from the Ponte Santa Trinita.  It is available through the Franklin Barry Gallery in Indianapolis, USA. 

Other “cityscapes” can be seen here:  http://www.borsheimarts.com/painting/cityscapes.htm>. 

Incidentally, for all of the negative things I experienced in this past housing situation, there were other people who helped me with information, advice, and even just listening.  Also, several offered and shared with me their homes while my life was in limbo.  Although I was sad to leave, I was also relieved to have it all overwith, and now feel a whole lot of gratitude to long-time and new friends (foreigners and Italians, even Florentines).  Thanks everyone who has been a part of making my life positive!    

~Kelly Borsheim, artist