Saturday, May 31, 2014

Chapel of Eleanor of Toledo

Fresco decoration by Bronzino, chapel of Eleanor of Toledo, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence

Fresco decoration by Bronzino, c. 1540
“Deposition of Christ” (1553 replica of the 1545 original by Bronzino)
Chapel of Eleanor of Toledo
Palazzo Vecchio
Piazza della Signoria
Florence, October 2013

“The dialogue between the altarpiece with its Deposition and the three walls with their stories of Moses presaging Christ's sacrifice and the mystery of the Eucharist, points to the link between the Old and New Testaments. Bronzino himself changed the three oil-on-panel paintings on the back wall over time (1545-1564). The present Deposition replaced an earlier, almost identical version which Cosimo gave to Emperor Charles V's secretary (Besançon, Musée des Beaux-Arts); the panels with the Annunciation replaced a St John the Baptist (Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum) and a St Cosmas (fragment in a private collection).” (Chapel of Eleonora, Civic Museums of Florence)

Friday, May 30, 2014

Corte del Forno Vecchio

Corte del Forno Vecchio, San Marco, Venice

Corte del Forno Vecchio
San Marco
Venice, September 2013

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Sophienkirche

Sophienkirche, Sophia Church, Große Hamburger Straße, Spandauer Vorstadt, Berlin

Sophienkirche (Sophia Church)
Große Hamburger Straße
Spandauer Vorstadt, Berlin-Mitte
Berlin, September 2011

“Designed by Philipp Gerlach, its foundation stone was laid by Frederick I of Prussia. After the death of her husband Frederick's third wife Sophie Luise von Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1685-1735), did not (as originally intended) have the church named after her at the consecration ceremony presided over by Frederick's successor Frederick William I on 25 February 1713. On 18 June 1713 the church was dedicated as the Spandauische Kirche. It was first named after Sophie Luise under his successor Frederick II, and has been called the Sophienkirche ever since. A baroque tower was added in 1732-34 by Johann Friedrich Grael.” (Sophienkirche, Wikipedia)

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

La Géode

La Géode Omnimax theatre, Parc de la Villette, Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, Paris

La Géode Omnimax theatre
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
Parc de la Villette
Avenue Corentin-Cariou
Quartier du Pont-de-Flandre, 19th arrondissement
Paris, July 2011

“One of the most striking buildings in Paris, La Géode is a giant mirror ball 36 meters in diameter. La Géode is equivalent in height to a 12-storey building. It is covered with 6,433 stainless steel triangles, each with sides 1.20 meters long, which reflect the surrounding environment. This design was an absolute technological challenge for architect Adrien Fainsilber and engineer Félix Chamayou. It took them two years to complete the construction. La Géode is a classified monument. Inside, La Géode’s 1,000 square meter screen is made up of perforated aluminum panels and stretches over a hemisphere of 26 meters in diameter.” (La Géode, La Géode)

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

The Meeting at Teano

Monument featuring the Meeting at Teano by Oreste Calzolari, piazza Mino da Fiesole, Fiesole

Monument featuring the “Meeting at Teano” by Oreste Calzolari, 1906
(The meeting at Teano between Garibaldi and Victor Emmanuel II)
Piazza Mino da Fiesole, Fiesole
Florence, April 2014

“Teano was the site of the famous meeting of October 26, 1860, between Italian nationalist fighter Giuseppe Garibaldi and Victor Emanuel II, the King of Sardinia. Having wrested the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies from the Neapolitan Bourbons, Garibaldi shook Victor Emanuel's hand and hailed him as King of Italy. Thus, Garibaldi sacrificed republican hopes for the sake of Italian unity under a monarchy. The event is a popular subject for Italian patriotic statues and paintings.” (The Handshake of Teano, Wikipedia)

Monday, May 26, 2014

Bicycle Racks

Bicycle racks at the vaporetto (water bus) stop, Lido di Venezia, Venice

Bicycle racks at the “vaporetto” (water bus) stop
Lido di Venezia
Venice, September 2013

Sunday, May 25, 2014

White Swans

White swans around the, Round Pond, Kensington Gardens, London

White swans
Round Pond, Kensington Gardens
London, October 2009

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Apollon, la Poésie et la Musique

Palais Garnier, Paris

“Apollon, la Poésie et la Musique” (Apollo, Poetry, and Music) by Aimé Millet, 1869
Palais Garnier
Place de l'Opéra
Quartier de la Chaussée-d'Antin, 9th arrondissement
Paris July, 2012

See also: La Prudence

Friday, May 23, 2014

Room of Cybele

Seal of Cosimo I de' Medici, room of Cybele or Opis, Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, Florence

The original floor with the seal of Cosimo I de' Medici, 1556
Camera di Cibele o di Opi (Room of Cybele or Opis)
Palazzo Vecchio
Piazza della Signoria
Florence, October 2013

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti

Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti seen from the Canal Grande, Venice

Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti seen from the Canal Grande (Grand Canal)
Campo Santo Stefano, San Marco
Venice, September 2013

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Taxi!

Taxi by John Seward Johnson Jr, East 48th Street, New York

“Taxi” by John Seward Johnson II, 1983
East 48th Street and Park Avenue
New York, September 2008

“Unlike much public art, his work is not heroic. No larger-than-life forebears on pedestals or pigeon-decorated generals on horses for him. Instead, he brings sculpture down to ground level, where it celebrates the simplest human acts and attitudes. His figures nap on park benches, ride skateboards, bop to boom boxes, eat lunch, neck and scratch their noses. One girl seated on a park bench reads a love letter from a boyfriend. But when a viewer looks carefully, he sees the name of a different boy on her ID bracelet. Another figure is unaware that his fly is unzipped, and one brazen fellow cheats at cards.” (Seward's Follies, The New York Times)

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

AS 555 Fennec

AS 555 Fennec helicopter on Bastille Day, Paris

AS 555 Fennec helicopter on Bastille Day
Avenue des Champs-Élysées
Quartier des Champs-Élysées, 8th arrondissement
Paris, July 2011

Monday, May 19, 2014

Noah

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

“Noah”, 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

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Ponte di Ca' Rezzonico

Ponte di Ca' Rezzonico, Rio di San Barnaba, Dorsoduro, Venice

Ponte di Ca' Rezzonico
Rio di San Barnaba, Dorsoduro
Venice, September 2013

See also: Ca' Rezzonico

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Max Planck

Monument to Max Planck by Bernhard Heiliger, Humboldt University, Unter den Linden, Berlin

Monument to Max Planck by Bernhard Heiliger, 1949
Humboldt University
Unter den Linden
Berlin, September 2011

Friday, May 16, 2014

La Poésie

Palais Garnier, Paris

“La Poésie” (Poetry) by Charles Gumery, 1869
Palais Garnier
Place de l'Opéra
Quartier de la Chaussée-d'Antin, 9th arrondissement
Paris July, 2012

See also: L'Harmonie

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Erboristeria Gremoni

Erboristeria Gremoni, via Faenze, Florence

Erboristeria Gremoni (Gremoni Herbalist's Shop)
Via Faenza
Florence, October 2013

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Statues on the Roof

Statues on the roof of Jacopo Sansovino's building which holds the
Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana (National Library of St Mark's), Venice

Statues on the roof of Jacopo Sansovino's building which holds the
Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana (National Library of St Mark's)
Piazzetta San Marco, San Marco
Venice, September 2013

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Robert Stephenson

Robert Stephenson by Carlo Marochetti, Euston Station, London

Robert Stephenson by Carlo Marochetti, 1871
Euston station
Euston Road, Camden
London, October 2009

See also: Richard the Lionheart

Monday, May 12, 2014

Galeries Lafayette Haussmann

Glass dome, Galeries Lafayette, boulevard Haussmann, Paris

The glass dome of the Galeries Lafayette flagship store
Boulevard Haussmann / Rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin
Quartier de la Chaussée-d’Antin, 9th arrondissement
Paris, July 2011

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Cenacolo di Ognissanti

Ultima Cena, Last Supper by Domenico Ghirlandaio, Cenacolo di Ognissanti, Refectory of All-Saints, Florence

Ultima Cena (Last Supper) by Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1480
Cenacolo di Ognissanti (Refectory of All-Saints)
Borgo Ognissanti
Florence, April 2014

“The large refectory of the church of Ognissanti is located between the first and second cloister of the old convent. The room on the opposite wall gives access to a splendid stone door in pietra serena, with two basins, built in 1480, on each side. The niches are decorated with two frescoes referring to water: Sarah at Jacob's pit and Moses who makes water gush from the rock, two 17th century works by Giuseppe Romei. The central fresco, which entirely Downs the wall (8.10 x 4 m), is the work of Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449-1494), who produced with this work one of the best examples of his art, representing a serene yet dramatic episode of the Last Supper. The apostles are painted in the moment in which Jesus announces that one of them will betray him. Following the requests of the monks who commissioned the painting, Ghirlandaio picked out a large number of apparently decorative details, which are in reality a precise symbolic reference to the drama of the Passion and Redemption of Christ, as for instance the evergreen plants, the flight of quails, the oranges, the cherries, the dove and the peacock. By being a separate fresco, it can be compared to the style of the sinopite on the left wall.” (Last Supper of Ognissanti, The Museums of Florence)

See also: Ultima Cena

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Church of San Marcuola

Church of San Marcuola, Cannaregio, Venice

Church of San Marcuola (Saints Hermagoras and Fortunatus)
Campo San Marcuola, Cannaregio
Venice, September 2013

“Founded in the 9th or 10th Century and dedicated to St Ermagora and St Fortunato, which became, by the mysterious workings of Venetian dialect, San Marcuola. This church was famous for housing the right hand of John the Baptist - the one with which he'd baptised Christ. Rebuilt after a fire, which was caused by an earthquake, and reconsecrated in 1343. Barbari's map of 1500 shows the church perpendicular to the Grand Canal with the apse to the north (see detail below). This church also had a hermit's cell over the door in which three (and later six) women were walled up. They moved to the church of the Eremite when San Marcuola became unstable and needed to be rebuilt. This work began in 1663 with the chancel, and then the rest of the church, orientated parallel to the Grand Canal this time, with its apse to the east. The architect was Giorgio Gaspari, who died in 1730, after which the work was completed by Giorgio Massari.” (San Marcuola, The Churches of Venice)

Friday, May 9, 2014

Nikola Tesla

Bust of Nikola Tesla by Marina Zivic, Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava, New York

Detail of the bust of Nikola Tesla by Marina Zivic, 2007
Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava
West 25th Street
New York, September 2008

Thursday, May 8, 2014

L'Harmonie

L'Harmonie (Harmony) by Charles Gumery, Palais Garnier, place de l'Opéra, Paris

“L'Harmonie” (Harmony) by Charles Gumery, 1869
Palais Garnier
Place de l'Opéra
Quartier de la Chaussée-d'Antin, 9th arrondissement
Paris July, 2012

See also: La Poésie

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Cain and Abel

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

“Cain and Abel”, 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 - Noah

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Secondo Chiostro


Secondo chiostro, second cloister, church of San Salvador, Venice

Secondo Chiostro (Second Cloister)
Church of San Salvador (Holy Savior)
Campo San Salvador, San Marco
Venice, September 2013

See also: Primo Chiostro

Monday, May 5, 2014

Kronprinzenpalais

Ironwork, Kronprinzenpalais, Crown Prince's Palace, Unter den Linden, Berlin

Ironwork, Kronprinzenpalais (Crown Prince's Palace)
Unter den Linden
Berlin, September 2011

Sunday, May 4, 2014

HSBC France Clock

Clock, HSBC's headquarters, avenue des Champs Elysees, Paris

Clock, façade of the HSBC France headquarters
Avenue des Champs-Élysées
Quartier des Champs-Élysées, 8th arrondissement
Paris, July 2010

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Allegory of Architecture

Architettura, Architecture by Giambologna, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence

“Architettura” (Architecture) by Giambologna, 1580
Museo nazionale del Bargello (Bargello National Museum)
Via del Proconsolo
Florence, October 2013

“This is a creation from Jean de Boulogne's early period in Florence, which can be dated back to around 1565 and which was made from a single block of marble, including the base. Early mentions of the work date back to the 18th century, when Architettura is recorded as being in the Boboli gardens and being placed outside has allowed the elements to cause surface damage. This work most certainly came from the collection belonging to Francesco de' Medici, in which it stood as a sumptuous symbol of Geometry or Architettura: as can be seen by the sextant, compass and square that the young woman holds in her hand.
This is one of the seated virginal female figures that the sculptor created in response to the allegories of the artistic disciplines which became the centre of an academic discussion following the completion of the Arts for Michelangelo's Tomb in Santa Croce. The low level of finish on the back of the statue leads us to think that it was originally placed inside a niche. The work in marble, although spotted with cracks and integrations, shows us how the artist mixed his modern attention to nature (the girl´s pointed nipples, rounded stomach and supple legs) with a lucid construction, which can be seen here in the especially particularly gentle, flattened and coolly rounded forms.” (Architecture, Il Giambologna a Firenze)

Friday, May 2, 2014

Orecchioni

Venice

Detail of Santa Maria della Salute (Saint Mary of Health)
(Seen from the Ponte dell'Accademia)
Venice, September 2013

“An extravagant display, made up of eight Palladian façades, with the grandest facing onto the Grand Canal. Huge buttresses with orecchioni (big ears) support the drum of the dome and lots of statues of saints and angels. The lantern on top of the dome supports a statue of the Virgin blessing the city. Behind there's the smaller dome over the sanctuary and two delicate campanili.” (Salute, The Churches of Venice)

See also: Santa Maria della Salute

Thursday, May 1, 2014

CityJet BAe Avro RJ85

BAE Systems Avro 146-RJ85 EI-RJN, London

CityJet BAE Avro 146-RJ85
Seen from Canary Wharf
London, October 2009

“Launched in 1992, the Avro RJ85 regional jet has been an influential player in the development of regional air transport. Powered by Honeywell LF 507 turbofan engines, it is specifically designed to perform on shorter runways, essential for CityJet's operation into airports like London City Airport. CityJet Avro RJ85 aircraft are equipped with the most up-to-date flight deck and navigation systems, and all-weather landing capability. Passengers enjoy sculpted leather seating improved standard seat pitch and enhanced baggage stowage space in the cabin.” (Avro RJ85, CityJet)