Orvieto Cathedral Duomo Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Here are some of my images from the Duomo (Cathedral) of Orvieto, in the region of Umbria, Italy. The building was started in late 1290. The church is designed with stripes of stone, alternating green and white similar to the Duomo in Siena that earns the nickname of “the zebra castle” with one of my friends back in Texas

While many hands are sometimes involved in the designs of Italy’s landmark buildings, Sienese architect and sculptor Lorenzo Maitani gets the credit for designing the façade. It does not feel like it when you are there, but the position of the church is such that one may see the full face of the church from a great distance from the city. It rises above the other architecture and Caroline told me that on a sunny day, that gold is gloriously broadcast about!

I also enjoy the addition of the pink stone on the façade. As in the famous Duomo of Florence, Italy, the white, pink, and green combinations serve to simply and sooth the eye when framing the more complicated compositions of the mosaic designs. The dark green bronze sculpted doors and sculpture also do this. I was amused that this piece of architecture featured so many statues of animals seeming to “take a leap” off of the face of the church.

Oh, the stories these carvings in marble tell! It is a shame that the lower part must be covered by a semi-transparent protective barrier. I often wonder what is the protection from – vandals or the extremely high numbers of adoring fans and maybe believers who just want to rub on the artwork. Enjoy!

Click here for more information about the workshop: http://www.borsheimarts.com/art-workshops/2013ArtPortraitWorkshopFlorida.htm

Orvieto Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Once the site of an Etruscan acropolis, Orvieto, Italia, is one of those places that you see in a lot of postcards. While my friend Caroline and I did not have much time on our way back to Florence from southern Tuscany recently, she wanted to show me the impressive Duomo (cathedral) in Orvieto, so we drove on up the hill and into the parking garage. Very few vehicles are allowed into this walled city and it was fun to ride up into it in an elevator with a dog! [Dogs are pretty much allowed everywhere in Italia.]

Even on the overcast day when we were there, you may get a sense of history and beauty of this town that I will definitely revisit! This little outdoor bar/ristorante shown here is right next to the Duomo of Orvieto, but I will keep those Duomo images for the next post.

Also, I had hoped to publish this post on Easter Sunday because I was really struck by the gentle face of Jesus in this fresco, also not far from the Duomo. But time slipped away from me and timing has rarely been my strong point. I have written about the Tabernacoli fiorentini, which got my attention by their sheer abundance and my friend Simone’s explanation about these shrines having been created outside in order to slow down the spreading of the plague. The protective Plexiglas makes most of these tabernacles very difficult to see, much less photograph. Peccato!

There is a simple composition in this fresco that felt comfortable in my brain the way many others have never done. In art, vertical lines often portray an emotion of security, the way that tall buildings and trees give us a sense of strength and solidity. [Horizontal lines are peaceful; diagonals are where the action is.] The slight lean of Christ’s body and his parallel cross break up the normalcy of ordinary vertical lines and it feels to me as if there is a sense of movement or life in this image.

And while it has obviously worn away, the fresco-making process shows us the outline of what once was a huge sweep of drapery on the figure that leads the eye up to the Cross. I suspect most people would not think of such a thing, but I like it that the diagonal lines are looking down from the right. We in the Western world read from top left to lower right. I flipped this image in my mind’s eye and decided it had more grace and surprise for me, maybe even a more contemplative feel, by having this diagonal energy moving “back into” the composition (ie from upper right to lower left). So, I am now curious to know how a person who reads in another direction would response to the shapes in this figure composition.

I also think it is cool that you do not see the figure’s lower legs or feet. A good design is a good design, even as it is eroding before our eyes. I hope you enjoy my snapshots of Orvieto, Italy.

Because time got away from me and I have been very busy dealing with my taxes and a new housing contract and other such head-twisting tasks, I decided to extend the early bird savings deadline for my portrait workshop in Florida… the new deadline will be April 17, 2013 – two days after the IRS tax filing day. Just in case you are as side-tracked from art as I have been lately. Click here for more information about the workshop: http://www.borsheimarts.com/art-workshops/2013ArtPortraitWorkshopFlorida.htm

Little Jerusalem Pitigliano Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I found myself exploring the town of Pitigliano, Italy, recently thanks to my friend Caroline. Pitigliano lies south and east of the more famous Grosseto and is very close to the southern Tuscan border. Pitigliano has a history dating back to the Etruscan times, but in 1293 the Orsini family gained control and began its history warring with Siena.

The city emerges above the tufa rock, rising from organic to geometrical forms, with caves visible in which I was told that hermits used to occupy. Those spaces closer to the paved road that leads into the city were once used to keep donkeys. Now they are simply storage rooms.

I thought it was funny that the map of this city perched on an elongated peak looks a bit like a slug from above, since my traveling companion and tour guide described this city as beautiful, but a bit claustrophobic. She said she could not life there because of the closeness of everything, namely the narrow streets. I knew that I wanted to come back to explore this place longer than the two hours or so that we had there.

While there are few if any Jewish people living in Pitigliano today, it was historically a town quite friendly to the Jewish population. My friend Caroline and I visited the former ghetto in the historic district, now a small museum. We learned that in 1556, a Jewish cemetery was created by the nobleman Niccolò Orsini IV, who had always been supportive of the Jewish population in his territory. He gave the land for this purpose to his personal physician, David de Pomis, a Jew. You may see this cemetery in the last image of this post, below the cypress trees on the left and above the bridge of arches.

The Ghetto was officially begun in 1622 by the ruling Medici family. In the 1800s one-fourth of the population of Pitigliano was Jewish and the community became known as “Little Jerusalem” (a name given by the Jews in Livorno, a city to the north). The brochure says that after the Unification of Italy in 1861 and the emancipation of the Jews, many Jewish people left Pitigliano for larger cities. It is also reported that the remaining Jews were helped out of the city by their supportive neighbors as the racial laws and dangers of World War II came about. Today the city is reported to have so few Jews that they cannot gather enough for a minyan, the minimum number of ten adults required for specific religious gatherings.

The thick stone walls of “Little Jerusalem” give one the impression of being in a cave. In truth, the Jewish people simply adapted the existing spaces when they settled in this part of Pitigliano. And people for centuries have understood the value of going underground for consistently cooler temperatures to store wine and other goods. A couple of the upper rooms near the entrance housed Jewish items, many of which I found quite beautiful, such as this woven Havdalla Candle for use on a Saturday evening. I also found the scroll and the Hebrew writing lovely.

The image of the room with the black bars in front of it is the butcher’s area. It was here that animals were slaughtered in accordance with the Jewish laws. After death, the blood is drained from the animals so that the people will not consume it since “blood is life.” [I do not quite understand this idea (do we not eat to live?), but then it may be that the brochure has simplified a lot and I did not intend to do an in-depth study of cultural rites, however interesting.]

The Synagogue of Pitigliano was built in 1598, but collapsed gradually in the 1960s. It was restored in 1995 and contains furnishings from the 17th and 18th centuries. One cannot enter the prayer room; however we followed the stairs to a balcony. A beautiful wooden rail in a lace-like pattern protected us from falling. It was quite high, but I did manage to stick my arm out above the top rail to show you the downstairs, as well as the ceiling.

You might wonder why I am writing about ruins and such when this blog is usually about art. In my mind, everything is connected. And as my late friend Vasily Fedorouk liked to say, “The artist is the best kind of scientist because he studies everything.” I think the word “best” is something lost in translation for my Ukrainian-born friend, but I think you can grasp his sentiment for artists.

Still Life Tenebrous Painting

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Here is a sneak peak at my current project in a Tenebrous still-life painting (Tenebrism). One of the objectives in this project is to create a painting that has text in it. One wants an idea of the quality of the text, but not necessarily be able to read it. I think it is better if one cannot read it since I usually find words in art distracting from the visual experience. While this is still a work-in-progress (WIP), you can already (I hope) get an idea of what is printed material vs. what is handwriting.

I must apologize for the quality of the images taken during this project. There is so much glare in this studio here in Italy that it makes it more difficult than usual to photograph an oil painting. The colors that I am painting are richer that what you see here.

Now, on the other side of that Atlantic Ocean, I will be teaching a Portrait Painting Workshop in central Florida. I will focus on how to create a likeness and go for a three-dimensional look. You will see some of the techniques and concepts that I have learned over the many years of creating, from sculpture to painting to street painting! The dates are May 17-19, 2013, and there is an EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION low price of $220 if you register by the first of April. [After 1 April 2013, the price is $290 for the 14-hour weekend workshop.] To learn more, please visit: www.borsheimarts.com/art-workshops/2013ArtPortraitWorkshopFlorida.htm Thank you for your interest!

I hope you will be a-wearin’ o’ the green today! Share the Irish love.

St. Patrick’s Day, Irish, art workshop, portrait workshop, tenebrous, still life painting

Basilica di Santo Spirito Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

One of the most interesting and certainly lively squares in Florence, Italy, is Piazza Santo Spirito. She thrives on the Oltrarno “other side” of the Arno River from Florence’s famous Duomo (in the background right of my first image). There is a market every morning and a different one all day on Sundays. I ended up randomly meeting several friends here recently as we shopped all of the eye candy and also bought some local organically grown foods (a bit of a redundant phrase for these parts).

The Basilica di Santo Spirito is a distinctive church that resides on the end of the piazza that is closest to the River Arno. It is not often that it is open to visitors, but today I wanted to share some of the art and architecture of the inside of this amazing place. Of special note is that two of the first sculptures that you will see (one on each side of the doors) are very good copies of Michelangelo’s compositions, the “Pietà” and “St. John the Baptist.” I believe the artist was Giovanni Lippi, an architect who worked under the name Nanni di Baccio Bigio (1510-1568) and a contemporary of the great Michelangelo. I hope you get the chance to visit the Basilica di Santo Spirito and the piazza with the same name. So much art is INSIDE the churches in Italy!

Now, on the other side of that Atlantic Ocean, I will be teaching a Portrait Painting Workshop in central Florida. I will focus on how to create a likeness and go for a three-dimensional look. You will see some of the techniques and concepts that I have learned over the many years of creating, from sculpture to painting to street painting! The dates are May 17-19, 2013, and there is an EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION low price of $220 if you register by the first of April. [After 1 April 2013, the price is $290 for the 14-hour weekend workshop.] To learn more, please visit: www.borsheimarts.com/art-workshops/2013ArtPortraitWorkshopFlorida.htm Thank you for your interest!

Portrait Workshop Florida

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Well, newsflash! I have just firmed up a workshop that I will be teaching in central Florida this May. I hope you may join me and let us make some art!

"Portrait Painting with Artist Kelly Borsheim"

2013 Art Workshop Dates:
Friday, May 17 from 6-9 pm;
Saturday, May 18, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (lunch is from 1 to 2 p.m.) and
Sunday, May 19 from noon to 5 p.m., 2013
(14 hours in total)

Location: Private historic Victorian estate in Sanford, Florida (central Florida). Paid attendees will be given the address before the workshop begins, but the location is near Country Club Road on Highway 46A.

In this hands-on introductory weekend portrait workshop, you will learn how to improve your drawing and observation skills for creating a portrait and how to achieve a more 3-dimensional effect in your art using pastels and charcoal. Or you may prefer to work with oil paint.

Instructor Kelly Borsheim will demonstrate for the class, as well as assist students on an individual basis on their project(s). Emphasis will be on the designing of a portrait and not so much making something look photographic. For this reason, we will create a copy of a master artwork (please choose one shown on the information page on Kelly’s site, borsheimarts.com. On the last day, if you like, you may bring in a photograph of a person's face and we can work with designing a portrait from it. [Or you may bring in a current project you wish to improve.] If you would like to do this, please contact the instructor for more information on the kinds of images you will need to take of your subject.

This workshop is intended for beginners, intermediate, and any professional artists who would like to work on design and technique for portrait painting. However, many of the concepts demonstrated and discussed will apply to many subjects in art. You will receive much personal instruction in a peaceful environment.

Participants do not need to have had prior art experience, although some drawing skills will be helpful. Class size is limited, so please enroll early. More details, as well as the supply list and prices, are listed on the information page on Kelly’s site, borsheimarts.com.

Thank you and by all means contact the studio with any questions!

The above portraits you see here are ones that I created. This last image is a portrait by Pietro Annigoni and is one of the choices you will have to copy in this workshop. Annigoni was a very good designer of portraits!