Monday, June 30, 2014

Big Painting Sculpture

Big Painting Sculpture by Patrick Heron, Stag Place, Westminster, London

“Big Painting Sculpture” by Patrick Heron, 1998
Stag Place, Westminster
London, January 2007

“It was commissioned by Land Securities back in 1998, and became one of the first examples of the company’s commitment to public art, as well as offering a creative and elegant solution to a practical problem of wind blowing through the passageway (given that Heron’s house was on a hilltop in Cornwall, he knew all about windbreaks!). The construction of the sculpture was a family affair, as it was his son-in-law, the architect Julian Feary, who was charged with realizing Heron’s concept in three dimensions and grand scale. ‘Big Painting Sculpture’ was unveiled in July 1998 and, although the artist sadly died a year later, his legacy lives on – not only in his own piece of public art, but in the policy that Land Securities has maintained ever since of including an element of public art in all its developments.” (Patrick Heron, Land Securities Group)

Sunday, June 29, 2014

The Lion of the Fountain

Bronze lion by Alfred Jacquemart, Fontaine aux Lions, Fountain of the Lions, Jardin des Plantes, Paris

Bronze lion by Alfred Jacquemart, 1857
Fontaine aux Lions (Fountain of the Lions)
Jardin des plantes
Quartier du Jardin-des-Plantes, 5th arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

See also: Le lion de la fontaine

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow plaque, piazza Santa Maria Novella, Florence

Plaque honoring Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Piazza Santa Maria Novella
Florence, April 2014

(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
1807 - 1882
American poet
master of the Neo-Latin languages
translator of The Divine Comedy
amid the Florentine dwellings
received this
in the Square that was called
“The Mecca of expatriates”
)

Friday, June 27, 2014

Statue of Mars

Statue of Mars by Jacopo Sansovino, Scala dei Giganti, Giants’ Staircase, Courtyard of the Doge's Palace, Venice

Statue of “Mars” by Jacopo Sansovino, 1567
Scala dei Giganti (Giants’ Staircase)
Courtyard of the Doge's Palace
Venice, September 2013

“Among the works showing his severe late style are the bronze portrait of Tommaso Rangone over the entrance to the Church of San Giuliano (1554), which Sansovino also designed; the colossal statues of Mars and Neptune (1554–56); and the monument to the doge Francesco Venier in the Church of San Salvatore (1556–61).” (Jacopo Sansovino, Encyclopædia Britannica)

See also: Scala dei Giganti - Statue of Neptune

Thursday, June 26, 2014

26 Astor Place

26 Astor Place by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, 445 Lafayette Street, New York

26 Astor Place by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates
445 Lafayette Street
New York, September 2007

“Astor Place provides an opportunity to own and experience the synergy of art, architecture and urban life. Located in the heart of one of downtown’s most dynamic and culturally enriched neighborhoods, amid landmarks including the Public Theater and the Cooper Union, the 270-foot, 21-story asymmetrical tower designed by Charles Gwathmey and Robert Siegel features a collection of 39 museum-quality architectural loft residences. Undulating walls of floor-to-ceiling glass reveal panoramic views while natural zinc and limestone enhance the reflectivity of the building’s façade.” (Astor Place, Luxury Condominiums)

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Cour du Dragon

Copy of the bas-relief of the Dragon by Paul-Ambroise Slodtz, rue de Rennes, Paris

Copy of the bas-relief of the Dragon by Paul-Ambroise Slodtz, 1732
Rue de Rennes 50
Quartier Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 6th arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

“This fabulous beast was the main ornament on the facade of a monumental gateway built in Paris by Pierre de Vigny (1728–32), leading into the Cour du Dragon (later destroyed) on the rue de l'Egout (today, the rue de Rennes). On the keystone of the arch, beneath a richly decorated wrought-iron balcony, Paul-Ambroise Slodtz carved the dragon of Saint Margaret, patron saint both of the street opposite and of the wife of the financier who commissioned the work, Antoine Crozat. This sculpture is one of the few surviving examples of rocaille decoration made for a building in Paris.” (Dragon, Paul-Ambroise Slodtz, Musée du Louvre)

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Manfredo Fanti

Monument to General Manfredo Fanti by Pio Fedi and Clemente Papi, piazza San Marco, Florence

Monument to General Manfredo Fanti by Pio Fedi and Clemente Papi
Piazza San Marco
Florence, April 2014

Monday, June 23, 2014

MS Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria cruise ship, IMO 9320556, Giudecca Canal, Venice

The 294-meter cruise ship “Queen Victoria”
Giudecca Canal
Venice, September 2013

“Large cruise ships will be banned from the canal between the mainland and the Giudecca island in the lagoon while a new access channel is developed with the main shipping terminal. The Venice port, which campaigned successfully to preserve the existing passenger terminal, estimates the project will take two years to complete. Over the past 15 years, Venice has become one of the world's most important cruise destinations, with up to nine cruise turnarounds a day in high season. The new measures would limit to five the number of cruise ships berthed at one time, and restrict passage to sunrise and sunset.” (Venice to ban giant cruise ships, The Guardian)

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Soviet War Memorial

Detail of the Soviet War Memorial, Großer Tiergarten, Berlin

Detail of the Soviet War Memorial by Mikhail Gorvits, 1945
Straße des 17. Juni, Großer Tiergarten
Berlin, September 2011

Вечная слава героям павшым
в боях с немецкомо фашистскими захватчиками за свободу и независимость Советского Союза
(Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in battle against the German fascist invaders for the freedom and independence of the Soviet Union)

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Grand Commandement blanc

Grand Commandement blanc, Big White Commandment by Alain Kirili, Tuileries Garden, Paris

“Grand Commandement blanc” (Big White Commandment) by Alain Kirili, 1986
Outside the Musée de l'Orangerie
Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Garden)
Quartier Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, 1st arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

Friday, June 20, 2014

Abraham

Abraham, copy of the original bronze panel of the Gates of Paradise by Lorenzo Ghiberti, Baptistry of Saint John, Florence

“Abraham”, copy of the original bronze panel of the
Porte del Paradiso (Gates of Paradise) by Lorenzo Ghiberti
Battistero di San Giovanni (Florence Baptistery)
Piazza del Duomo
Florence, October 2013

See also: Adam and Eve - Cain and Abel - Noah

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana

Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, National Library of St Mark's, piazzetta San Marco, Venice

Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana (National Library of St Mark's)
Piazzetta San Marco, San Marco
Venice, September 2013

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Francisco de Miranda

Copy of a statue of Francisco de Miranda by Rafael de la Cova, Fitzroy Street, Camden, London

Statue of Francisco de Miranda by Rafael de la Cova
(A 1990 copy of the 1895 original)
Fitzroy Street, Camden
London, January 2007

“The Venezualan patriot Francisco de Miranda lived at 58 Grafton Way from 1802 to 1810, during which time it became a hotbed of South American revolutionary fervour where all the famous names from Bolivar down met and plotted. In 1810 Miranda returned to Venezuala and became its first revolutionary leader, only to be deposed by a Spanish counter-attack. On his way to be evacuated by a British warship he was handed over to the Spanish authorities by, ironically, Bolivar. Miranda died in prison a few years later. The statue is a copy of one made in 1895 by the Venezualan sculptor Rafael de la Cova. It was put in position in 1990 after the restoration of the house as a cultural centre.” (58 Grafton Way W1, Ornamental Passions)

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Famous Parisians

Statues of famous Parisians, façade of the Hôtel de Ville, place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, Paris

Statues of famous Parisians on the façade
Hôtel de Ville
Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville
Quartier Saint-Merri, 4th arrondissement
Paris, July 2011

“The central ceremonial doors under the clock are flanked by allegorical figures of Art, by Laurent Marqueste, and Science, by Jules Blanchard. Some 230 other sculptors were commissioned to produce 338 individual figures of famous Parisians on each facade, along with lions and other sculptural features. The sculptors included prominent academicians like Ernest-Eugène Hiolle and Henri Chapu, but easily the most famous was Auguste Rodin. Rodin produced the figure of the 18th-century mathematician Jean le Rond d'Alembert, finished in 1882.” (Hôtel de Ville, Wikipedia)

Monday, June 16, 2014

Cenacolo of Sant'Apollonia

Last Supper by Andrea del Castagno, church of Sant'Apollonia, Florence

“Cenacolo” (Last Supper) by Andrea del Castagno, 1450
Church of Sant'Apollonia
Via 27 Aprile
Florence, April 2014

“The detail and naturalism of this fresco portray the ways in which del Castagno departed from earlier artistic styles. The highly detailed marble walls hearken back to Roman ‘First Style’ wall paintings, and that the pillars and statues recall Classical sculpture and preface trompe l'oeil painting. Furthermore, the color highlights in the hair of the figures, flowing robes, and a credible perspective in the halos foreshadow advancements to come.” (Last Supper, Wikipedia)

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Blue Moon Beach

Belvedere, Blue Moon beach, Lido di Venezia, Venice

Belvedere, Blue Moon beach
Lido di Venezia
Venice, September 2013

“There are a couple of exceptions with a few public beaches scattered in between, but if you are not staying at one of the hotels on Lido, it would be a lot easier to simply head to either the southern end or northeastern most end of the island where you can find two large public beaches. Coco Beach is a popular public beach that can get overrun with tourists in the summer. Blue Moon Beach is also popular amongst tourists visiting or staying on Lido Venice Beach.” (Venice Italy Beaches, Destination 360)

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Cat, Bird & Worm

Cat, Bird & Worm, The Real World by Tom Otterness, Battery Park City, New York

Detail of “The Real World” by Tom Otterness, 1992
Nelson Rockefeller State Park
Battery Park City
New York, September 2007

“Otterness demonstrates kinship with viewers of all stripes by using popular forms of address to express distance from commonly recognized modes of authority (including Modernist art conventions), acknowledging that in ‘the real world’ artist and audience inhabit the same unstable environment. However, the nature of his sculpture—the sheer expense of its construction, the maze of official channels that must be negotiated to bring it to fruition as a public work—requires self-effacement before the powers that be.” (Tom Otterness: Public Art and the Civic Ideal in the Postmodern Age, Sculpture Magazine Archives)

Friday, June 13, 2014

Le voyageur

Voyageur, Traveller by Bruno Catalano, Galerie Bartoux, avenue des Champs-Élysées, Paris

One of the “Voyageurs” (Travelers) by Bruno Catalano, Galerie Bartoux
Avenue des Champs-Élysées
Quartier des Champs-Élysées, 8th arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

“Bruno Catalano is a French artist born in 1960. His work reveal his desire to capture the viewers attention. Stamping his unique mark on the subject. Admiring art since his youth, it is only in 1990 that Catalano started a career as a remarkable sculptor. His talent lies in his ability to endow the inherently elusive material with a transcendent essence. As a romantic dreamer, his subject matter takes shape in the fantastic framework of the world where love, beauty and harmony reign. His passion for art will never lose its strength. ‘The universal theme of travel still inspires Bruno Catalano’. Since he started to knead clay, hundreds of ‘travelers’ have come out of his feverish hands, populating his studio while awaiting an unknown destination.” (Bruno Catalano, Galerie Bartoux)

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Caffè Megara

Model of Manfred von Richthofen's Fokker Dr.I, Caffè Megara, via della Spada, Florence

Model of the Red Baron's Fokker Dr.I
Caffè Megara
Via della Spada
Florence, April 2014

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Clothesline

Clothesline, calle Fianco de la Scuola, Dorsoduro, Venice

Clothesline
Calle Fianco de la Scuola, Dorsoduro
Venice, September 2013

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Nextbike Bicycles

Public sharing bikes, Potsdamer Platz, Berlin

Public sharing bicycles
Potsdamer Platz
Berlin, September 2011

nextbike bikes are available around the clock at our many rental stations. You can rent our bikes easily through an app, at the terminals or simply by calling the hotline number. Once registered, renting bikes can be done in every participating city and country. We provide bike sharing systems in more than 30 German cities and 14 countries worldwide. ” (Public Bike Sharing, nextbike)

Monday, June 9, 2014

Lion by Alfred Jacquemart

Bronze lion by Alfred Jacquemart, Hôtel de Ville, Paris

Bronze lion by Alfred Jacquemart, left gate of the Eastern façade
Hôtel de Ville
Rue de Lobau
Quartier Saint-Gervais, 4th arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

See also: Lion by Auguste Cain

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Chiostro degli Aranci

Chiostro degli Aranci, Cloister of the Oranges, Badia Fiorentina, Florence

Chiostro degli Aranci (Cloister of the Oranges)
Badia Fiorentina
Via del Proconsolo
Florence, April 2014

“Despite the alterations it has suffered in recent centuries, the Badia has managed to preserve the delightful Cloister of the Oranges, built between 1432 and 1438 with the assistance of Bernardo Rossellino. In the upper floor of the cloister there is a fresco cycle of Scenes from the life of St. Benedict by the anonymous Maestro del Chiostro degli Aranci (1436-39), who is perhaps to be identified with the Portuguese artist Giovanni di Consalvo.” (Badia Fiorentina, The Museums of Florence)

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Campiello di Ca' Angaran

Medallion of a Byzantine Emperor, Campiello di Ca' Angaran, Dorsoduro, Venice

Medallion of a Byzantine Emperor
Campiello di Ca' Angaran, Dorsoduro
Venice, September 2013

Friday, June 6, 2014

The Young Lovers

The Young Lovers by Georg Ehrlich, Festival Gardens, City of London, London

“The Young Lovers” by Georg Ehrlich, 1951
Festival Gardens, City of London
London, October 2009

“The formal layout consists of a sunken lawn with wall fountain water feature, a gift of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners in 1951, surrounded by raised paved terrace with stone parapets and seating, with planting in tubs and a number of trees including a lime hedge and a fine catalpa. The Information Pavilion now adjacent to Carter Lane Garden (q.v.) was originally positioned east of the Festival Gardens and was moved to the present site in 1955. In the west is a sculpture, ‘The Young Lovers’ by Georg Ehrlich (1897-1960), erected in 1973.” (Festival Gardens, London Gardens Online)

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Émile Levassor

Monument to Émile Levassor by Camille Lefèvre, square Alexandre-et-René-Parodi, boulevard de l'Amiral-Bruix, Paris

Monument to Émile Levassor by Camille Lefèvre
Square Alexandre-et-René-Parodi, boulevard de l'Amiral-Bruix
Quartier de la Porte-Dauphine, 16th arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

“By 1891 Levassor had designed a radically new motorcar to house Daimler’s engine. He broke with tradition by placing the engine in front of the driver rather than under him, thereby obtaining better traction for the steering (front) wheels. He replaced the typical belt drive with a shaft-and-gear transmission that could be selectively engaged with a clutch to give different speed ratios. These and other innovations and existing designs were brilliantly combined by Levassor in the automobiles that his firm started selling in 1892. His vehicles were the first true, if embryonic, automobiles, rather than being simply carriages that had been modified for self-propulsion.” (Émile Levassor, Encyclopædia Britannica)

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Mirror

Mirror by Simone D'Auria, Gallery Hotel Art, vicolo dell’Oro, Florence

“Mirror” by Simone D'Auria
Gallery Hotel Art
Vicolo dell’Oro
Florence, April 2014

“Specchio, specchio delle mie brame, chi ha la bicicletta più bella del reame?”
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is not whose the fairest bicycle of all?”

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Rio Malatin

Rio Malatin / rio del Santissimo, Venice

Rio Malatin / Rio del Santissimo passing under the
Convento di Santo Stefano (Saint Stephen's Convent)
Seen from Campo Sant'Angelo, San Marco
Venice, September 2013

Monday, June 2, 2014

Defender Class Boat

25-Foot Defender Class Boat, United States Coast Guard, Hudson River, New York

USCG 25-Foot Defender Class Boat
Hudson River
New York, September 2007

“Originally developed as a replacement for 300 shore based non-standard boats, the RB-S became the platform to increase the long term HLS capability at shore stations in the wake of September 11, 2001. The RB-S is very similar to the rapidly procured RB-HS boat, but with dozens of improvements to include a reinforced bow, full shock mitigating seating, larger cabin and LED navigation lights. Over 540 RB-S were produced between 2002 and 2009, and they are assigned all over the Coast Guard at sectors, stations, MSRT/MSSTs, MSUs, training centers, and some AUXFACs. As some RB-S near the end of their 10-year service life, they will be replaced with the RB-S II starting in 2012.” (25-Foot Defender Class Boat, United States Coast Guard)

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Lion by Auguste Cain

Bronze lion by Auguste Cain, Hôtel de Ville, Paris

Bronze lion by Auguste Cain, right gate of the Eastern façade
Hôtel de Ville
Rue de Lobau
Quartier Saint-Gervais, 4th arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

See also: Tigre terrassant un crocodile - Tigresse apportant un paon à ses petits - Le lion de Nubie - Lion by Alfred Jacquemart