Category Archives: Art history

Visiting Galleria Borghese

26 Sunday Aug 2018

Posted by in Art, Art history, Roma, Travel tips

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La Galleria Borghese was an opulent 17thCentury suburban home of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V.  It was also home to his amazing personal art collection.  In 1808, Prince Camillo Borghese was forced to sell the Roman sculpture and antiquities collection to his brother in law Napoleon, for below what it was worth. 340 or so pieces, including the Borghese Gladiator from Ephesus are now in the Borghese collection at the Musée du Louvre.  The Borghese estate in Roma was sold to the Italian government in 1902 and turned into a museum and urban park.

Even though I go to Roma every year, I had yet to visit la Galleria Borghese. It requires booking tickets in advance, which is something I really do not like doing.  Prebooking interferes with my spontaneity!  I tried to book online 2 and 3 years ago when I had a longer time in Roma, but kept getting forwarded to secondary resell sites charging double the price, which really annoyed me.  This year, I decided to try booking a few days before my departure for Roma.

The Galleria is not that easily accessible. It is at the far end of Villa Borghese, a large (200 acre) urban green space. Buses #92, 217, 360 and 919 from Stazione Termini stop at the Galleria. The other most direct route is to take the Metro A line (red) to Flaminio, just outside of Piazza del Popolo. Enter Villa Borghese by the unmistakeable big gates and walk about ½ hour to Galleria Borghese.  Keep right until the bike rentals then left.  It is an uphill walk.  An alternative ….to avoid being late and losing the reservation, is to take the Metro to Flaminio and then take bus #61, 160, 490, 491, or 495 to the Galleria, or even a taxi if you are running late.  It will not cost much, then walk back to Piazzale Flaminio, as it is downhill or take a bus down.  Do not follow the ‘Villa Borghese’ signs at the Spagna Metro station.  These lead to a long underground walk, and then up an escalator to a random forested area in Villa Borghese-the park, nowhere near the museum!

Piazza del Popolo

Tickets must to be reserved. The price of admission is €13 plus €2 for the reservation fee, and if booking online, another €2 for the online booking site-Ticket One.  If using the RomaPass for admission, a reservation is still required. Domenica al Museo, the first Sunday of every month, admission is free, but a reservation is required and the €2 fee.  This is the website for Galleria Borghese.  Reservations can be made by emailing info@tosc.it or calling 39 06 32810 (dial 011 before this number if calling from North America).  I booked online, but had to register for an account with Ticket One, and enter my codice fiscale, which most visitors will not have. Ticket One charges an extra €2 booking fee, so my total cost was €17. I think booking by email is easier! Tours can also be booked with the reservation, but I prefer to wander on my own.  There are also independent tour groups that you can book, which include admission.

Bookings are Tuesday to Sunday for 2 hours, from 9-11am, 11-1pm, 3-5pm and 5-7pm.  The ticket office is in the lower floor-the central lower door in my photo- and you need to arrive 30 minutes before the reservation time or risk losing the spot.  This is not a convenient location to just show up and see if there are any last minute cancellations.  Security is strict and all bags, backpacks, helmets and selfie sticks must be checked before entering.  This includes purses.  Cameras are ok, and photos are allowed.  To rent the 90 minute audioguide (€5), make sure to pay before checking bags or carry pocket cash.

There are 360 reservations per 2 hour time slot. To spread everyone out over the 22 rooms, half of the ticketholders are directed to the Pinacoteca (picture gallery) upstairs and half to the main floor sculpture gallery.  It does not feel too crowded unless you happen to be in a room with more than one tour group.  I was worried about being rushed with a 2 hour limit, but I found it was enough time to see all of the works  It is not enough time to sit and sketch though. Do not forget to look up and admire the ornate painted ceilings and tromp l’oeil painting in every room. 

Cardinal Borghese considered himself an amateur architect and had an eye for art.  He was an early patron of Bernini and collected Caravaggio works.  He also had a knack for unscrupulously swooping in and getting a bargain.  For example, he acquired the Madonna dei Palafrenieri from Caravaggio in 1606 for a pittance when the patrons, the Papal grooms, immediately rejected it.

Madonna dei Palafrenieri. Photo Wikimedia

The painting is also known as Madonna and Child with Serpent or Madonna and Child with St Anne. Why did the Palafrenieri reject this incredible painting?  They did not like that their patron, St Anne, appeared as a passive old woman, nor did they like the Madonna’s ample cleavage, or the fact that Jesus was a naked older boy. There are 5 Caravaggio paintings in Galleria Borghese, all in one room! Some of you may know that I am a huge Caravaggio fan!

Gianlorenzo Bernini is also well represented in the Galleria Borghese with 4 early sculptures.  His Baroque masterpiece David capture the intense moment just before hurling the stone from his slingshot, while his body is twisting and he has a look of fierce determination on his face. 

Bernini’s realism is incredible, he has the ability to turn marble into flesh, as with Hades grip on Proserpina/Persephone’s back and thigh.

Bernini’s sculptures are so lifelike, he is known for attention to detail, such as sculpting the inside of his figures mouths and their tongues! This is really apparent on the figure of Daphne in the sculpture Apollo & Daphne seen below.  I love the way he portrays her fingers growing leaves and branches, roots growing from her toes, and her hair becoming leaves as she turns into a laurel tree.  Stay tuned for a post about this work.

There are countless other fabulous pieces in the Borghese collection, such as Paolina Bonaparte as Venus by Antonio Canova.  The upper floor has paintings by Raphael, Titian, Rubens and Antonello da Messina, to name just a few. I left the Galleria Borghese in a Caravaggio/Bernini art coma!  What did I do before going to have a rest?  Well, I stopped in at Santa Maria del Popolo after my walk down from Villa Borghese to see the 2 Caravaggio paintings there! Then I walked to Piazza Navona to meet a friend. We went to Sant’Agostino to see the Madonna dei Pellegrini then stopped to have a caffè freddo and had an hour long discussion about Caravaggio!  By that time, I was really in a stupor-a happy one, and I did go and have a much needed rest!

Have you been to the Galleria Borghese? What did you think?  Let me know in the comments.  Ciao, Cristina

La Trinità di Masaccio

09 Friday Feb 2018

Posted by in Art history, Firenze, Italia

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La Trinità di Masaccio is one of the most important paintings in art history…..and it came very close to being destroyed!  The fresco is on the wall of the left aisle in Santa Maria Novella, opposite the entrance through the cloisters. La Santa Trinità is the Holy Trinity; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  It was commissioned by unknown donors, probably from the Lenzi or Berti families, since they had tombs close by.

La Trinità, completed in 1427, is the earliest known example of one point linear perspective.  It is painted on a flat wall, but gives the illusion of space, appearing to be a 3 dimensional chapel. This is the start of early 15th Century Humanism, when Italian painting moved from flat, idealized art to a more natural, realistic style.

To create a sense of depth and space, Masaccio uses linear perspective with a vanishing point, chiaroscuro, foreshortening and directional light. This was all new at the time. The figures are life-size, emotional, and so realistic they look sculpted. Jesus is especially realistic looking, with his body affected by gravity.  God is portrayed as a standing man holding up the cross, with foreshortened feet firmly planted on the ground.  He is usually portrayed by a hand or as an old man floating in the clouds.  Mary looks mournfully at the viewer, pointing up to Jesus as if to say ‘this is your answer to eternal salvation’. The praying witnesses are likely the unidentified donors, placed outside the ‘chapel’.

Inspired by Brunelleschi’s newly rediscovered classical principles, Masaccio creates a convincing architectural space, especially the barrel vaulted coffered ceiling. The composition is magnificent, with many triangles further emphasizing the theme of ‘trinity’.   The vanishing point is right at eye-level, guiding the viewer’s eye upwards and emphasizing the perspective of the ceiling.  Masaccio apparently inserted a nail at the vanishing point- the ledge below the cross. He tied strings to this nail which left imprints in the wet plaster.  He used these lines as a guide for the perspective.

My quick sketches of the vanishing point, perspective lines and triangular composition. The colour image is my entry ticket from 2004!

Masaccio was praised in Giorgio Vasari’s 1550 bestseller ‘The Lives of the Artists’.** Masaccio was born Tommaso Cassai. ‘Maso’ is short for Tommaso and with the superlative ‘accio’, it meant ‘big messy Maso’.  According to Vasari, this was ‘because of his complete lack of concern’ for worldly affairs or even how he dressed himself’. He was only concerned with his art.  Masaccio’s most famous work is the Cappella Brancacci in Santa Maria del Carmine.  In 1428, at the age of 27, he died suddenly of unknown causes.  Many, including Vasari believed he was poisoned by a jealous rival.  When informed of Masaccio’s death, Brunelleschi commented ‘Noi abbiamo fatto una gran perdita’-we have had a great loss. Masaccio did not live long enough to be well known in his lifetime, but his work inspired Fra Angelico, Fra Filippo Lippi, and Filippino Lippi.  The Cappella Brancacci was completed by Filippino after Masaccio’s death.

Back to La Trinità…In 1568, Vasari was commissioned by Cosimo I de Medici to ‘modernize’ Santa Maria Novella. Cosimo ordered all of the frescos to be plastered over and replaced with new ones!  Aaaaaahhhh!  Well-lucky for us, Vasari admired Masaccio and could not bear to destroy La Trinità.  He secretly built a false wall in front, effectively preserving the work for almost 300 years.  On the new wall Vasari installed an altar and painted the Madonna del Rosario.

In 1860 Santa Maria Novella was undergoing renovations and workers, noticing an irregularity in the wall, discovered La Trinità. Unfortunately, it was detached from the wall, transferred to canvas and moved to the another wall inside.  Detaching a fresco is done with the ‘strappo’ technique, which is complicated and fascinating. Italocanadese fresco artist Liana Tumino demonstrates the technique in this video.

The bottom part of the fresco was either not noticed or ignored. It is a cadaver/ skeleton on an open tomb.  Painted to look carved in the stone is written ‘Io fu già quel che voi siete, e quel chi son voi ancor sarete’ –I was what you are and you will be what I am.  This is a Memento Mori, a reminder of our eventual death, like poor Yorick’s skull.  The message can be interpreted as both ‘Do not take life for granted, live life to its fullest’ and ‘Prepare now for eternal salvation’.  The second interpretation was more likely in the 15th century.

Both parts of the fresco were reunited in the original location in 1952. Death below, and the hope of salvation above.  It suffered some damage from being transferred to canvas and then back to the wall.  I am not the biggest fan of Vasari’s work, but in this case…yeah Giorgio!  We can almost forgive him for the gaudy tomb he designed for Michelangelo… Almost.

Ciao, Cristina

**The full title is ‘The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects’, in italiano ‘Le Vite de’ più Eccellenti Pittori, Scultori e Architettore’ often simply called ‘Le Vite’, first published 1550, updated 1568. Read more about Vasari in this post.

La Grande Cacata

17 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by in Art history, Firenze, Italia

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As I entered Piazza della Signoria in November, I was surprised to see it occupied by a massive excremental aluminum sculpture. Big Clay #4 is the actual title of the 12 meter high work by Swiss artist Urs Fischer.

The sculpture is actually an enlargement of pieces of clay that the artist modeled with his hands.  He took 5 small pieces of clay and squished them around in his hands, then piled them up.  Then it was ‘supersized’ to 12 meters high.  The artist’s fingerprints and palm creases that were impressed onto the surface of the clay were also reproduced. An interesting idea…. too bad it came out looking like poo.

The installation of this sculpture is not a successful pairing of contemporary and Renaissance/Classic art. If I sound like a harsh art critic, let me say that I am not one of those people who just dislikes contemporary art.  In fact, one of my favourite musei in Firenze is the Museo Marino Marini, housed in the deconsecrated ancient church of San Pancrazio. Marini’s 20th Century sculptures are elegant and classic and his melding of the historical and the contemporary is extremely successful.

In my determined quest to find a positive angle on this work, I looked at the photo below and wondered if the artist was trying to (unsuccessfully) mimic the spiraling vortex of Giambologna’s Ratto delle Sabine.  This is not the case, since I found out the sculpture was not made for this site.  It was previously displayed outside of the Seagram Building in Manhattan, where it was known as the ‘Big Turd’.

The work is supposed to be thought provoking.  The only thought that came to me was ‘Now I know what it would it look like if a brontosaurus took a big dump in the middle of Piazza della Signoria!’ The sculpture is up until January 21st, so you only have  4 more days to see it here.  My title may sound a bit harsh, but many other colourful, scatologically oriented comments were heard in the piazza and around Firenze. I don’t think many Fiorentini will be sad to see it go!

Ciao, Cristina

Hairstyling in Ancient Roma

31 Tuesday Jan 2017

Posted by in Art history, Italia, Roma

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villa-of-the-mysteriesOn a recent visit to Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, I walked the corridors lined with ancient Roman busts and was struck by the variety and realism of sculpted hairstyles. Many of them are so detailed, the hair looks like it is moving. Roman women originally wore their hair in simple styles with a circular band around the head, a bun at the nape of the neck or on top of the head. In Imperial Roma (1st -3rd C AD), hairstyles were always changing. Archeologists are actually able to identify and date coins and busts based on the hairstyle, which was often worn by the empress of the time.vibiasabina3

During the reign of Emperor Augustus elaborate updos for married women became fashionable, and really got big and complex in the Flavian and Trajanic eras. Clothing styles for women were simple, and unlike men, whose status could be reflected in their clothes, there was no special dress code to distinguish status. Women could only display their status, wealth and age via their hairstyles and jewellery. A natural hairstyle was considered barbarian, and implied a lack of both wealth and taste.  For Roman noblewomen, complex, unnatural hairstyles requiring hours of daily attention showed wealth and culture to the max. It was the job of slave hairdressers called ornatrice and their assistants to put hair up and take it down. Scenes of hairdressing and mirror-gazing were popular subjects in portraiture and reliefs, such as the 50 BC fresco from the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii.

Reticula (hairnet) of finely woven gold, found on Via Tiburtina, Palazzo Massimo. In behind is the poet Sappho wearing a hairnet, from a Pompeiian fresco.

Reticula (hairnet) of finely woven gold, found on Via Tiburtina, Palazzo Massimo. In behind is the poet Sappho wearing a hairnet, from a Pompeiian fresco.

Ornatrice curled hair in ringlets by wrapping it around a tapered bronze rod called a Calamistrum, which was heated in hot ashes or open flame. Hair was twisted, braided, curled, teased, wrapped and tied with cords or ribbons to bind around the head. Carefully arranged styles, braids and buns were stitched up with blunt bone needle and wool thread, held with wire, painted bone, ivory or jeweled hairpins and combs, and hairnets called reticulae of finely woven gold wire. Beeswax pomade was the only styling product available-the closest thing to hairspray they had!

My similated 'Ornatrice Toolbox' containing blunt needle and wool thread. hair piece and hair bodkin, leaf spring scissors, camel bone comb, beeswax and a 'calamistrum' which is actually my ring mandrel, but it is the right shape!

My similated ‘Ornatrice Toolbox’ containing blunt needle and wool thread. hair piece and hair bodkin, leaf spring scissors, camel bone comb, beeswax and a ‘calamistrum’ which is actually my ring mandrel, but it is the right shape!

Fanciulla Dormiente, Palazzo Massimo

Fanciulla Dormiente, Palazzo Massimo

Romans dyed their hair with everything from herbs to yucky potions. Hair was lightened with lemons, chamomile, henna, saffron, turmeric, baking soda, ammonia, and even pigeon poop. Hair was reddened with henna from Egypt or animal fat mixed with wood ashes. According to Pliny the Elder, hair could be dyed black by applying leeches that had been rotting in red wine and vinegar for 40 days. Yuck! Hair was also darkened with lead oxide, copper filings, or burned walnut shells and leeks. A paste of herbs and crushed earthworms was applied at night to prevent gray. Che schifo!

Women kept their hair as long as it grew, so styles were done with very long hair. Over time, all of this pulling, pinning, colouring, and frequent curling at high temperature led to hair thinning and damage. The only ‘hair products’ available were olive oil, honey and eggs.  As they got older, women often had to use hairpieces, extensions and wool pads to make their hair look thicker or longer. These were braided into existing hair, pinned, or sewn in with wool thread, twine or wire and a blunt bone needle. In extreme cases, a capellamentum or full wig could be worn. Busts were sometimes even made with detachable marble hairpieces so the style could be updated without the expense of commissioning a new bust.

Lucilla wearing a palla, Palazzo Massimo

Lucilla wearing a palla, Palazzo Massimo

Most adult Roman women wore a palla when they left the house. This was a long cloth wrapped around the body and draped over the back of the head as a veil.  A woman wearing her hair uncovered and loose in the street could be mistaken for a prostitute!

Bust of Livia, Palazzo Massimo

Bust of Livia, Palazzo Massimo

The ancient Nodus hairstyle was worn by Livia Drusilla, wife of Augustus and also his sister Octavia. The hair was parted in 3 sections. The side hair was tied into a bun at the back and the middle section looped back on itself like a pompadour and then braided to join the bun.

Plotina Pompeia, wife of Trajan, Palazzo Massimo. Her nodus is a high cascading ponytail.

Plotina Pompeia, wife of Trajan, Palazzo Massimo. Her nodus is a high cascading ponytail.

Fanciulla Romana, young woman with Hercules knot, Palazzo Massimo

Fanciulla Romana, young woman with Hercules knot, Palazzo Massimo

Roman women even tied their hair in knots.  Above  is a Hercules Knot, also called a reef knot or square knot.  Left over right, right over left!   Roman brides often wore a belt with a Hercules knot, which is where the phrase ‘to tie the knot’ comes from, but the hairstyle was not associated with marriage. Vibia Sabina also wore this style.

Agrippina Minor, Palazzo Massimo

Agrippina Minor, Palazzo Massimo

This partial bust of Agrippina Minor (15-59 AD), mother of Nero, found in Ostia has tightly curled short front hair with a diadem (tiara). We have to imagine the rest of the hairstyle, with a bun and ringlets in the back, coming over her shoulders.

Poppaea Sabina, Palazzo Massimo

Poppaea Sabina, Palazzo Massimo

Poppea Sabina (31-65 AD) the wife of Nero had a talented, hardworking ornatrice!  Her bust features two rows of interesting looped tight curls under the diadem and ringlets down the back.  Look at those fine little curlicues around her face.  They were probably held in place with beeswax pomade.hadrianicturban-copy

The Hadrianic Turban or tower hairstyle was like a turban of parallel braids that were sewn together on top of the head. This style was often worn by Vibia Sabina (88-137 AD) wife of Emperor Hadrian and can also be seen on the Egyptian Mummy portrait at the end of this post.

Vibia Sabina, wife of Hadrian, Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum. Photo, Wikimedia commons

Vibia Sabina, wife of Hadrian, Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum. Photo, Wikimedia commons

This back view of one of Vibia Sabina’s hairstyles is an absolute masterpiece- un capolavoro.  This sculptor wins the best stone hairdressing prize.  You can feel the weight of that massive coil of knotted braids on her head. The details are amazing, like the tendrils on the back of the neck, and that little curl beside the ear.

Faustina Maggiore, Musei Capitolini. Photo Wikimedia Commons

Faustina Maggiore, Musei Capitolini. Photo Wikimedia Commons

The hairstyle of Faustina Maggiore (the Elder) is another work of art.  It is like a French roll made with braids, then rolled into a coiled bun at the top of her head like a Jackie-O pillbox hat.

During the Flavian and Trajanic eras (late 1st, early 2nd C AD) the ‘orbis comarum’ or circle of hair with really big, tall front hair was in fashion.  A shorter fringe of tall tight curls or ringlets was piled high in the front, and braids wound into a big wreath bun in back. The big front hair was often curled, teased, and then sewn in place and supported by wires and padded with a wool pad or hairpiece.fonsecabust

The Fonseca Bust in the Musei Capitolini is a portrait of an unknown Flavian woman with the Orbis Comarum.  The front ringlets are sculpted using a hand drill.  Can you imagine making a mistake drilling one of those fine deep holes!  The back view of the bust looks like a straw hat on the head. That big front hair looks mega-teased.  It is amazing this was possible without hairspray! The side view is my favourite.  I love how you can see the origin of all the braids.

Fonseca bust, side and back view (the back view is of a plaster cast ) Photos Wikimedia Commons

Fonseca bust, side and back view (the back view is of a plaster cast ) Photos Wikimedia Commons

Flavian Woman, Museo Nazionale Venezia. Photo Wikimedia Commons.

Flavian Woman, Museo Nazionale Venezia. Photo Wikimedia Commons.

On this bust of an unknown Flavian era woman (75-100 AD), the small tight ringlets are sculpted with a hand drill. They almost look like fusilli!  The big front hair looks like it is being propped up by the ropes of braids, wound high on her head.

Giulia Domna, Glyptothek, Munich. Photo Wikimedia Commons

Giulia Domna, Glyptothek, Munich. Photo Wikimedia Commons

Giulia Domna (170-218 AD) the Syrian wife of Emperor Septimus Severus had a very distinctive hairstyle-and a nose similar to Lorenzo di Medici.  Great sculpted eyebrows too!  Her hair was twisted loosely in strands and draped around her face, then brought up the back of her head and sewn into a long, flat bun, which you can see in the side view.  I guess she didn’t have to move around much! juliadomna2

Female portrait, Centrale Montemartini

Female portrait, Centrale Montemartini

This lovely late 2nd C, early 3rd C AD partial Roman woman’s head was discovered in 1933, while Mussolini was constructing Via dei Fori Imperiali. Her front hair is twisted in small strands almost like Rastafarian corn rows to frame the face, and the back is twisted in a large, loose bun. She now sits in Centrale Montemartini in front of a caldaia -a giant boiler.

Exquisite mummy portrait in encaustic wax on wood panel, Hawara, Middle Egypt, 120 AD. Photo National Museum of Scotland

Exquisite mummy portrait in encaustic wax on wood panel, Hawara, Middle Egypt, 120 AD. Photo National Museum of Scotland

I hope you enjoyed this tour of Ancient Roman hair.  To see some of these styles recreated by a modern hairdresser, visit the youTube channel of Janet Stephens.  Ciao, Cristina

L’Elefantino di Bernini

20 Sunday Nov 2016

Posted by in Art history, Italia, Roma

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berninielefantinoLast week, one of my favourite monuments in Roma was vandalized.  Gianlorenzo Bernini’s Elefantino had one of his zanne (tusks) broken off by unidentified vandals.  I think I called them ‘stronzi maleducati’ in my instagram post.  I was being polite.  A Spanish couple found the broken piece and reported it to the authorities.  The ‘stone surgeons’ have reattached the zanna (ZAHN·nah) and reinforced it with wooden splints.  A nice €2000 bit of plastic surgery. The process is shown in this video.  Along with everyone in Roma, I’m so glad my favourite little pachyderm is on the mend that I had to write a post about him.Elefantino

In 1665, the Dominican friars of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva found a 5.5 m Egyptian Obelisk while working in their garden.  It is one of 13 in Roma.  For some reason, Pope Alexander VII decided to install it in the Piazza outside the church, Piazza della Minerva. To design a base to support the obelisk, he had architects put in their proposals for the commission.  One of the Dominican friars, Domenico Paglia put in a horrendous proposal which involved mounting the obelisk on 6 small hills, with a dog at each corner.  The 6 hills are part of the Pope’s family coat of arms, and dogs the symbol of the Dominicans, referring to their fidelity.  The word Dominican comes from ‘Dominis canis’ meaning dogs of the Lord.piazzadellaminerva

Luckily, the Pope chose Bernini’s proposal to mount the obelisk on the back of an elephant, a symbol of strength.  Bernini was inspired by a woodcut in a 1499 book by Francesco Colonna.  Padre Paglia was very unhappy that his design was not chosen.  He convinced the Pope that Bernini’s design was flawed and would not be supportive unless a cube was sculpted under the elephant’s belly to support the obelisk.elefantino2

Bernini did not like this suggestion.  He wanted his elephant to stand on its four legs, but he had no choice in the matter.  He tried to hide the extra marble by adding an ornate, floor length gualdrappa or saddle blanket on the elephant’s back.  This had the effect of making him look pudgy and stout like a baby elephant rather than strong and fierce.  When the statue was installed in 1667, Romans referred to it as ‘Il Porcino della Minerva’ or ‘Minerva’s piglet’ because it had the dimensions of a maialetto more than an elephant.  This eventually morphed into ‘Pulcino’ or ‘Purcino’ which means chick in italiano and in dialetto Romano. Most monuments in Roma have a nickname.

Bernini did get revenge on Padre Paglia.  There is a reason Elefantino’s head is turned away from the church with a cute mischievous grin.  Bernini had the statue placed with its rear facing the Dominican monastery.  His muscles seem tensed and his tail is shifted to the left, exposing his bum as if he is about to drop a load!  Bernini was also protesting the way Galileo was treated here, where he was interrogated by the Inquisition in 1633. I don’t know if the second point is true or just Leggenda Metropolitana dell’ 700 – 17th Century urban legend!

View from the roof of Grande Hotel de la Minerve across the street. The black open door is the Dominican Headquarters.

View from the roof of Grande Hotel de la Minerve across the street. The black open door is the Dominican Headquarters.

elefantino3Piazza della Minerva is right behind the Pantheon.  L’Elefantino was also included in my post ‘Un giorno a Roma’. Ciao, Cristina

Madame Gautreau

18 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by in Art, Art history, Art projects

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Madame Gautreau Drinking a Toast. After John Singer Sargent. Cristina Pepe 2016Finalmente!  An unfinished painting after John Singer Sargent’s ‘Madame Gautreau Drinking a Toast’ was propped up on my bookshelf for 4 years.  She is finally finished!  I started it as part of an assignment for a painting course involving taking a drawing and turning it into a painting.  I got as far as the background and basic shape of the figure and glass.  My images tend to be landscapes, architecture or food.  Figures, especially ones in colour and with faces aren’t really my thing.  This was the first time I painted skintone. Scary! My painting was actually starting to look kind of like a human….. then I was afraid to work on it any more.  So it sat untouched for a few years.

Recently, with some coaching from the amazing Val Nelson, I completed the painting!  Below are the various stages. I didn’t think to photograph them all in the same place at the same time of day, so the lighting is not consistent.  You might notice she had a nose job, facelift, forehead enhancement, and ear repositioning.Madame Gautreau Drinking a Toast, Cristina Pepe 2016 www.unpodipepe.ca

John Singer Sargent is one of my favourite artists.  He was born in Firenze to expat American parents.  They lived off his mother’s small inheritance and he had a very Bohemian upbringing.  Sargent is mostly known as a formal portrait painter.  I love his acquerelli, the watercolours he painted of friends and family while on vacation.  They are so fluid, spontaneous, and bathed in light.  He could do so much with each brushstroke.  This painting was an oil sketch but has same spontaneity as his acquerelli.  It was a study in preparation for ‘Madame X’.

Madame Gautreau is the same subject of ‘Madame X’, a very famous, or shall we say ‘di cattiva fama’, a notorious Sargent painting. The subject, Virginie Avegno Gautreau was an expat American socialite married to an older Parisian banker.  Sargent thought a painting of her unusual features would bring him increased portrait commissions.  Madame Gautreau thought being painted by Sargent would elevate her social status and add a dash of celebrity.  Perhaps she is related to the Kardashians?She posed for the portrait wearing a slinky black velvet dress with an impossibly fitted bodice, her skin powdered in lavender.  While posing, the jeweled right strap of her dress slipped from her shoulder, and Sargent painted it that way.

When the painting premiered at the Paris Salon of 1884, it caused an outright scandal.  We could call it ‘Strap-Gate’.  ‘Madame X’ was considered sexually provocative and in extremely bad taste.  A humiliated Madame Gautreau retreated to the country and she refused to buy the painting.  Sargent was critically panned by the Salon.  He moved to London soon after the controversy and poor critical reception.

Sargent in his studio with Madame X. Image www.metmuseum.org

Sargent in his studio with Madame X. Image http://www.metmuseum.org

Sargent eventually repainted the strap back on the shoulder, and ‘Madame X’ was kept in his studio for 30 years. After the death of Madame Gautreau, he sold it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan for a pittance.  There is also an unfinished version with a single strap at the Tate Gallery in London.  I was lucky enough to see this one in person in 2001 at the Seattle Art Museum.  Madame Gautreau finally did get the fame and attention she craved.

'Madame X' Metropolitan Museum of Art and 'Unfinished Madame X' Tate Gallery. Images Wikimedia Commons

‘Madame X’ Metropolitan Museum of Art and ‘Unfinished Madame X’ Tate Gallery. Images Wikimedia Commons and jssgallery.org.

‘Madame X’ has been the subject of several books including ‘Strapless’ by Deborah Davis and ‘I am Madame X’ by Gioia Diliberto.  Just last month the one act ballet ‘Strapless’ premiered in London.

‘Madame Gautreau Drinking a Toast’ lives at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.  The Gardner Museum has a large Sargent Collection including many of his acquerelli di vacanze and the amazing gypsy dance ‘Il Jaleo’.

At the moment, I have no plans for a new career as una falsaria d’arte-an art forger.  Studying and reproducing a Master painting is a valuable learning experience. They don’t call them ‘i Maestri’ for nothing! I think I will tackle Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ next.  Or maybe my own scandalous full size version of Madame X? Che pensati?

©2016unpodipepe.ca

Il Pantheon

08 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by in Architecture, Art history, Italia, Photography, Roma

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Piazzadellarotonda500 years ago, Michelangelo entered the Pantheon and stated that it looked more like the work of angels than humans. The Pantheon is an architectural masterpiece and the most well-preserved building from Ancient Rome.  This is probably because it has been in continuous use since it was built.  The original use of the Pantheon is not known.  Many think it was a temple to all the gods, since ‘Pan-theos’ is Greek for ‘all gods’, although Ancient Roman temples were dedicated to single gods.  ‘Pan-theos’ might also refer to the heavens, the territory of the gods.  According to legend the site is where Romulus, the founder of Roma ascended to the heavens.  IlPantheonMarcus Agrippa, Augustus’ commander in chief built the original Pantheon on his own land, so it may have been a private building.  This building burned down in 80 AD and then was struck by lightning and burned again in 110 AD! The Pantheon standing today was completed around 126 AD by Emperor Hadrian.  He kept the original inscription under the pediment ‘M.Agrippa.L.F.Costertium.Fecit’ (Made by Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius in his third time as Consul) which caused confusion about the construction date.  The Pantheon was given to the Pope in 609, and it has been the Church of Santa Maria dei Martiri ever since, but it is usually still called the Pantheon.Pantheonfontana

From the outside, the Pantheon looks like a Greek temple. It is actually a round building (rotunda) with a portico of eight 12m (39 ft) high granite Corinthian columns up front and 8 more in behind. These columns are each a single 60 ton piece of stone quarried in Egypt.  Imagine the journey these huge stones made to get here….they were dragged through the desert, barged down the Nile to Alexandria, shipped across the Mediterranean to the port of Ostia, barged down the Tevere to Roma and then hauled overland to the site of the Pantheon!Pantheon oculus

Enter into the Pantheon and it is immediately clear what Michelangelo meant. Overhead is the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world-still after almost 2,000 years! The Romans invented concrete, using a mixture of volcanic ash and soil from Pozzuoli, lime and rocks, but they did not have rebar, so this is amazing! The 8 m wide hole in the roof is the oculus and the shaft of light coming in from the sun moves slowly throughout the day like a sun-dial.  When looking up, the dome feels like it could rotate. The oculus and front door are the Pantheon’s only sources of natural light.  Concrete walls 6m (20 ft) thick support the dome, which is 6m thick at its base but narrows to 1.2m (3.9 ft) around the oculus.  Lighter materials, such as tufa, pumice and even broken terra cotta pots were used towards the top to further lighten the load.  The oculus also lightens the load at the very top, acting as a compression ring where the roof would be its weakest. Rainwater coming in through the oculus is drained off through holes and a drainage system under the slanted marble floor.

Is it a mask for Carnevale? No, these are drainage holes in the floor right below the oculus!

Is it a mask for Carnevale? No, these are drainage holes in the floor right below the oculus!

The height of the oculus is 43.3m (150 Roman feet) and the diameter of the building is also 43.3m. A perfect 43.3m sphere would fit inside the building. For another visual, if the dome was flipped upside down, it would fit perfectly inside the rotunda.

The perfect mathematical proportions of the Pantheon invoke harmony and symbolize the earth and the heavens. The Pantheon has provided inspiration to architects including Brunelleschi and Michelangelo for almost 2,000 years.  Public buildings throughout the world are modelled on the Pantheon’s ‘portico and dome’ design.Pantheonchapel

In the 17 the Century, the Barberini Pope Urbano VII removed the bronze ceiling from the portico and melted it down to make cannons for Castel Sant’Angelo. The outrage prompted the saying ‘Quello che non hanno fatto i barberi hanno fatto i Barberini’ (What the barbarians didn’t do, the Barberini did), implying that the Pantheon had survived numerous barbarian invasions, only to be looted by the Barberini family. In addition to functioning as a Classical Masterpiece and a Church, many notable Italiani are buried in the Pantheon.  Some of these include Vittorio Emanuele II, Umberto II and his wife Margherita di Savoia, Rafaelle Sanzio da Urbino (Raphael) and his fiancée Maria Bibbiena.

Il Pantheon from Il Vittoriano

Il Pantheon from Il Vittoriano

‘La Pioggia delle Rose al Pantheon’ (the rain of roses) is on my list of things to see. This takes place on Pentecost Sunday, 50 days after Easter.  At noon, right after Mass, Roma’s Vigili del Fuoco (fire fighters) climb to the top of the dome and drop thousands of rose petals through the oculus as choirs sing.  The rose petals symbolize the Holy Spirit coming down to earth.  Even Michelangelo would be impressed!

The dome and oculus, viewed from the roof of Grande Hotel de la Minerve

The dome and oculus, viewed from the roof of Grande Hotel de la Minerve

Il Pantheon from Piazza de la Minerva

Il Pantheon from Piazza de la Minerva

Il Pantheon is also featured in my post ‘Un Giorno a Roma’.

©2016 http://www.unpodipepe.ca

 

Museo Diocesano, Orsara di Puglia

29 Saturday Aug 2015

Posted by in Art history, Italia, Italian life, Orsara di Puglia, Photography, Puglia

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museodiocesanoorsaraThe last time I was in the Museo Diocesano di Orsara di Puglia was about 1980. It looks as if hardly anyone else has been there either! The Museo is right around the corner from my casa, and it is not usually open. To visit, you need to ask for the person who has the key.  Last week I was walking by and noticed it was open as there was a photo exhibit in one of the rooms. As I walked up the stone staircase it was like stepping through time.

My accidental selfie

My accidental selfie

The Museo occupies part of the upper floor of the Palazzo Varo, a 16th Century building that was part of the Abbazia dell’Angelo. The famiglia Varo sold the palazzo and it became a convent for the ‘Monache Bianche’ or white nuns. When the sisters moved in the 1960’s it became the Scuola Media until a new school was built. In the 1970’s, some of the rooms became a depository for archeological relics and museum items. The bottom floor was recently remodelled into a very nice meeting/conference area.  The upper floor has a separate entrance and is in an elegant state of decay, to match the artifacts it is housing.museodiocesanocollage2

The collection is actually really impressive and reflects the history of the area.   Most of the artifacts, except the sacred items formerly used in the parish, have been donated, collected and collated by volunteers. The Museo encompasses a time span from Neolithic to mid 20th Century. That’s a really long time! The bronze and selce (flint) tools and utensils, earthenware vessels, lamps, tomb decorations and even fragments of a 10th Century pavimento (mosaic pavement) were dug up by contadini (farmers/peasants) while plowing their fields.

Roman lucerne -oil lamps

Roman lucerne -oil lamps

Ascia e lancie in Bronzo (bronze hatchet and spears)

Ascia e lancie in Bronzo (bronze hatchet and spears)

There are also farm implements, tools, utensils and household items used by local contadini in daily life. The lack of formal organization and cataloguing of the items makes the place so much more interesting. The crumbling, aging plaster walls of the formerly grand Palazzo provide a beautiful, yet ironic backdrop for the crumbling rusted work and field implements used by contadini Orsarese.

Museodiocesanocollage3 copymuseodiocesanosellaThe Museo is definitely worth a visit-you need to ask at the Parish or Comune (Town Hall) for someone to let you in.  Let me know if you need more info on this, and read Benvenuti ad Orsara di Puglia!

A piattaia, called a 'scudular' (scoo.doo.lahr) in Orsarese. I have one just like it, made by a friend of Papà's. My plates are quite a bit newer though!

A piattaia, called a ‘scudular’ (scoo.doo.lahr) in Orsarese. I have one just like it, made by a friend of Papà’s. My plates are quite a bit newer though!

museodiocesano3

Centrale Montemartini

15 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by in Architecture, Art, Art history, Culture, Italia, Photography, Roma

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Centrale Montemartini is an amazingly awesome, undervisited museum and a stunning example of 20th Century industrial archeology.  Built in 1912 in Art Nouveau style (Stile Liberty), it was the first public electric plant in Roma, providing power for the surrounding area until it was abandoned in 1963.  Luckily the amazing architecture and historical importance saved it from demolition!

Amazon warrior in front of a diesel engine

Amazon warrior in front of a diesel engine

In 1997 during the Capitoline Museum renovation, Centrale Montemartini was used for a temporary exhibition ‘Le Macchine e gli Dei’ (The Machines and the Gods).  In 2005 it became a permanent space for part of the Capitoline collection, with all of the original thermoelectric equipment left in place.  Now you can visit a unique display of classical sculpture against an industrial  backdrop of steam boilers, diesel engines, catwalks twisting pipes and gauges.  It’s a blend of ‘vecchio e più vecchio’ (old and older), a stark contrast of ancient and industrial, art and science.  Antique white marble appears translucent against the blackness of the machinery.  The space is immense and silent, with high ceilings and tall windows providing natural light. The works of art are carefully chosen and placed so there is space to appreciate their beauty while you walk among them and contemplate the passage of time.Centrale Montemartini Sala Macchine3

The 400 pieces include ancient Roman sculptures, rare Greek originals brought to Roma, and Roman copies of Greek originals. They date from the 5th Century BC to the 4th Century AD and were found in the late 19th and early 20th Century. Most of the works are on the upper floor in 2 massive rooms.

Partial female head, discovered in the garden of Villa Rivaldi in 1933 during construction of Via dei Fori Imperiali

Partial female head, discovered in the garden of Villa Rivaldi in 1933 during construction of Via dei Fori Imperiali

In Sala Macchine (Machine Room or Hall of the Machines) 2 hulking diesel engines are surrounded by Roman replicas of Greek statues.  At one end, a reconstruction of the pediment of the Temple of Apollo Sosiano depicts a battle between Greeks and Amazons.  These pieces are Greek originals found in the 1930’s near the Theater of Marcellus.  Above this installation hangs the old ‘carroponte‘ (Gantry crane).

Centrale Montemartini, Sala Macchine

Centrale Montemartini, Sala Macchine

Centrale Montemartini Apollo Sosiano

Other ‘meraviglie’ (wonders) include a bust of Cleopatra and the giant head, right arm and feet of an 8m high statue of the Goddess Fortuna found near Largo Argentina.  Her feet look very modern with their ‘infraditi’-thong style sandals!piedidifortuna

Sala Macchine. Bust of Cleopatra (to the right of the large statue)

Sala Macchine. Bust of Cleopatra (to the right of the large statue)

cleopatraSala Caldaie (Boiler Room) is named for its 15m steam boiler and features a large mosaic of a hunting scene found near Santa Bibiana.  The mosaic is surrounded by sculptures once adorning lavish Roman homes.Centrale Montemartini Sala Caldaie

PolimniaI especially like the statue of Polimnia, muse of poetry and dance.  She has her elbows resting on a pillar and her shawl casually wrapped around her.  My other favourite in Sala Caldaie is the Sphinx Frieze, which seems to glow against the red brick wall.

Sala Caldaie. Sphinx Frieze with Acanthus Spirals. This was part of the Gardens of Sallust and likely represents the victory over Antony and Cleopatra.

Sala Caldaie. Sphinx Frieze with Acanthus Spirals. This was part of the Gardens of Sallust and likely represents the victory over Antony and Cleopatra.

There were only 4 or 5 other people in the museum both times I visited.  One of the staff told me that from October to May they have a lot of school groups visiting through their educational program, but June to September is not very busy.  This is opposite to most other museums!  I definitely recommend this amazing place, especially if you want to get away from crowds and lineups and see something truly unique. Even people who don’t like museums will appreciate this one-or at least find it oddly fascinating!Centrale Montemartini WarriorTorso

Centrale Montemartini is in the Ostiense area on the left bank of the Tevere.  It is south of Roma’s historic center but very accessible by Metro B line Garbatella stop.  When leaving the metro stop, you will cross a pedestrian bridge and then reach Via Ostiense.  Bus 23 goes along Via Ostiense and Stazione Ostiense is also nearby.

The view on exiting Garbatella Metro Stop. Via Ostiense is in front, where the yellow building is. Il Gasometro is behind it. Centrale Montemartini is just to the left.

The view on exiting Garbatella Metro Stop. Via Ostiense is in front, where the yellow building is. Il Gasometro is behind it. Centrale Montemartini is just to the left.

The Basilica of San Paolo Fuori le Mura is walking distance, one metro stop away.  In between the Basilica and Centrale Montemartini is one of the oldest restaurants in Roma, Al Biondo Tevere at Via Ostiense 178 www.albiondotevere.it  serving Roman cuisine overlooking the Tevere.

Centrale Montemartini

Centrale Montemartini

www.centralemontemartini.org  Via Ostiense 106, open Tues-Sun from 09-19.  Admission is € 7.50 for adults or €16 for the Capitolini Card (valid 7 days).  The Romapass can also be used.  Don’t forget your sketchbook!

Ciao, Cristina

‘Ratto delle Sabine’

13 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Art, Art history, Culture, Firenze, Italia

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOne of my favourite works of art is moving!  After 432 years in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria Firenze, Giambologna’s ‘Ratto delle Sabine’  (Abduction of the Sabine Women) is being moved to the Galleria degli Uffizi.  In November 2014 the Ministero dei beni e delle attività culturali e turismo (Ministry of cultural works and tourism) announced that the sculpture would be moving once a reproduction is made for the Loggia and funds are secured for the move.  If needs to be moved indoors to protect it from damage caused by pollution, rain, wind and even snow.

The sculpture was carved from a single block of flawed marble.  Does that sound familiar?  Remember the ‘Il Gigante-Michelangelo’s David’ post?.  It features 3 figures intertwined in a ‘figura serpentina’- a serpentine composition.  A man is lifting a woman into the air while another man crouches, and what they are doing is not really clear.  There is no dominant viewpoint or ‘good side’ to this sculpture. It has multiple viewpoints and makes the viewer want to move around and observe it from every angle.  This was probably the first work of art with more than one point of view.

There are 2 interesting things to note about the sculpture’s misleading title.  First of all, it is usually incorrectly translated into English as ‘Rape of the Sabine Women’.  ‘Ratto’ comes from the latin ‘raptio’ meaning abduction.  The second thing is that the subject matter was entirely made up-it was not the artist who gave this work its title!  Giambologna had no subject in mind when he sculpted this piece.  This was very unusual, but he was trying to demonstrate his ability to create a perfect upward spiralling vortex.  He was the official sculptor of the Medici family and you could say he was showing off.  When the work was completed in 1583, Francesco I de’Medici decided to put it on public display at the Loggia dei Lanzi.  The Loggia is like a large covered porch in the Piazza della Signoria, with 2 walls and 2 open sides.  Some guy named Vincenzo Borghini suggested the title and apparently no one could come up with a better one.  Am I the only one who finds this annoying?

I’ve had the opportunity to view this masterpiece many times and have even sketched it from different viewpoints.  I’m sure a lot of people don’t realize this is still the original sculpture and not a copy! I can totally understand that it needs to be protected from the elements, but once it is moved, you will have to book tickets online, wait in lineups……and you won’t be able to admire it for free on a midnight walk in the Piazza. If you have not seen ‘Ratto delle Sabine’ in the Loggia dei Lanzi yet, there is still time to get to Firenze before ‘il trasloco’-moving day!