Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca

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Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca
Colle della Guardia
Bologna, June 2015

“The church standing today was built by Carlo Francesco Dotti between 1723 and 1757, as a replacement for the previous XVth century church. The two outside tribunes were completed by his son Giovanni Giacomo in 1774. In accordance with Bolognese tradition, the outside structure looks devoid of any emphatic or vigorous decorations and is characterised by the simplicity of the curved profile supporting the dome. The indoor elliptical structure broadens into a Greek cross ending with the main altar standing before the chapel of the Virgin.” (Route to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, Comune di Bologna)

“Floan” and “Paris Iena”

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“Floan” and “Paris Iena” boats
River Seine, 15th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

Apostles

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Statues of the apostles
Church of Santa Maria Assunta, known as “I Gesuiti”
Campo dei Gesuiti, Cannaregio
Venice, September 2013

“The façade is as overpopulated as you'd expect from a Baroque church in Venice. It is said to be the work of Giovanni Battista Fattoretto, probably to an original design by Rossi. On the first level there are statues of the apostles who witnessed the Assumption of the Virgin, by various sculptors. The Virgin passing into Heaven, with angels with robes billowing in the wind above the pediment, are by Giuseppe Torretti.” (Gesuiti, The Churches of Venice)

Covent Garden Market

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Covent Garden Market by Charles Fowler, 1833
Covent Garden Piazza
London, September 2014

“The Piazza was laid out in 1631 by Inigo Jones. Its layout owed much to his knowledge of the formally-designed piazzas of Italy, particularly the market square at Leghorn, and to the Place des Vosges in Paris; Summerson has described it as ‘the first great contribution to English urbanism.’ Some of the original street names have been retained: King Street, Charles Street, Henrietta Street were named in honour of Charles I and his Queen Henrietta Maria; Catherine Street, from the consort of Charles II. Bedford Street, Russell Street, Southampton Street and Tavistock Street derive their names from the titles of the Russell family.” (Brief History of Covent Garden, Covent Garden Area Trust)

Stadtrundfahrt Nostalgie

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Stadtrundfahrt Nostalgie (Sightseeing Nostalgia)
Unter den Linden
Berlin, September 2011

Mère et Enfant

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“Mère et Enfant” (Mother and Child) by Baltasar Lobo, 1947
Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré / Rue Berryer
Quartier du Faubourg-du-Roule, 8th arrondissement
Paris, July 2010

Calvary Niche

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Calvary Niche, Church of the Holy Sepulchre (5th century)
Basilica di Santo Stefano
Piazza Santo Stefano
Bologna, June 2015

“A low door on the left wall of this church leads into the next – the Holy Sepulchre. This cylindrical edifice, like a tall grain silo, is the site of a Roman temple of Isis that was the first sacred building on the site. One of the Roman columns still stands, a slim marble rod jammed up against a stouter brick-built neighbour. In the middle of the space stands a 1000-year-old mausoleum – a building within a building. It is an exact copy of the tomb of Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, or it would be exact if it had not been altered and amended down the centuries. This is the resting-place of Petronius, 5th-century bishop of Bologna and now the city’s patron saint. At the bottom of the structure, like the grate in a fireplace, is a barred window, through which you peer to see the grave of Petronius.” (A House of Many Mansions, Bologna for Connoisseurs)

The Conversion of St Paul

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The Conversion of St Paul by Bruce Denny, 2010
Churchyard of St Paul's, Covent Garden
London, September 2014

“The statue is by the artist Bruce Denny and although it takes a traditional form, it was created only in 2010 and unveiled by Judy Dench just last year. On the plinth are the words from Acts 26,13: ‘I saw a light from Heaven brighter than the sun.’ It is a very fine statue but it is particularly striking at night when excellent lighting becomes part of it and emphasises that the Saint is portrayed at the moment of his blinding.” (The Conversion of St Paul, Artelogical)

Palazzetto Zuccari

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Palazzo Zuccari by Federico Zuccari, 1590
Corner of Via Sistina with Via Gregoriana
Piazza Trinità dei Monti
Rome, September 2010

“Situated on the slope of the Pincian Hill, the Palazzo Zuccari was built from 1590 by the painter and art theorist Federico Zuccari. The ground floor still features the original frescoes executed by Zuccari who also designed the celebrated mascherone on Via Gregoriana which provided access to the artist’s garden. The Zuccari coat of arms, a sugarloaf (pan di zucchero), is still the emblem of the institute. In his will the artist stipulated that after his death his studio should serve as a meeting place for the painters, sculptors and architects of the academy and that the rest of the house provides accommodation for poor young artists, especially for artists coming from regions north of the Alps. Unfortunately, no struggling artist was to enjoy that privilege. When Zuccari died in 1609, heavily in debt, the building was still unfinished so that his provisions could not be fulfilled. After completing the palace, Zuccari’s heirs rented it out to prominent tenants.” (Palazzo Zuccari, Bibliotheca Hertziana)

Red & Blue

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Photo shoot on the steps
Church of the Val-de-Grâce
Place Alphonse-Laveran
Quartier du Val-de-Grâce, 5th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

Baptism of Christ

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Baptism of Christ by Cima da Conegliano, 1492
Church of San Giovanni in Bragora
Campo Bandiera e Moro, Castello
Venice, September 2013

See also: San Giovanni in Bragora

Gunpowder Square

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A King George III cannon mounted on a plinth
Gunpowder Square, City of London
London, September 2014

“Opened on
29th November 1989
by
Sir Hugh Bidwell GBE
Lord Mayor of London”

Via Santo Stefano

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Porticoes
Via Santo Stefano
Bologna, June 2015

“The streets were soon so crowded with porticos that the city council decided to lay down some official rules. While other cities had banned the portico, in Bologna it became compulsory as a public space. The 1288 Statutes established that all new houses should have a portico and set out the minimum measures, for example the height should be 7 feet (about 2.70 m) in order to allow the passage of a man riding his horse. This act left an imprint on the final appearance of the city.” (A stroll through Bologna and its 40 kilometres of porticos, Regione Emilia-Romagna)

Vauban

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Monument to Vauban by Henri Bouchard, 1962
Square Santiago-du-Chili
Quartier du Gros-Caillou, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

“Vauban’s talents were soon revealed. He distinguished himself by defending towns in the Argonne region and in the siege and capture of Sainte-Menehould for Condé. In 1653 he was taken prisoner by the government’s forces. Honourably treated, he was soon induced to change sides and to help the royalists to recapture Sainte-Menehould. During a siege in 1654 he was twice wounded. In 1655 he was admitted, as a ‘king’s ordinary engineer,’ into the corps of officers that was gradually being built up, outside the regular military hierarchy, for specialized work on fortification and siege craft. After taking part in operations against various fortresses and cities between 1655 and 1657, he was engineer in chief at the siege of Gravelines in 1658.” (Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, Encyclopædia Britannica)

Sea Monsters

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Fountain with sea monsters by Pietro Tacca, 1629
(With Bernardino Radi and Francesco Maria Bandini)
Piazza della Santissima Annunziata
Florence, April 2015

“Two bronze fountains originally destined for Livorno (c. 1629), still in a highly Mannerist style indebted to Flemish Mannerist goldsmith's work for their grotesque masks and shellwork textures, were set up instead in Piazza della SS. Annunziata, Florence.” (Pietro Tacca, Wikipedia)

External links: Sea Monsters (Livorno Daily Photo)

Nymph

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“Nymph” by Emilio Greco, 1973
Carlos Place, Mayfair
London, September 2014

“The statue is by Emilio Greco and dates to 1973. The inscription reminds us that the fountain and statue were ‘A gift to the City of Westminster from the President of the Italian Republic 20th November 1987. Sponsored by the Italian Banks in London’. The good people at London Remembers tell me that an identical statue is located in Padua.” (Nymph Returns to Carlos Place, Discovering London)

See also: Ninfa

Gogol

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Statue of Nikolai Gogol by Zurab Tsereteli, 2002
Piazzale Ferdowsi, Villa Borghese gardens
Rome, April 2013

Pariggi

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“Pariggi” brasserie italienne
Rue de la Grande-Truanderie
Quartier des Halles, 1st arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

Sorrow over Dead Christ

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“Compianto sul Cristo morto” (Sorrow over Dead Christ) by Niccolò dell'Arca, 1463
Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Vita
Via Clavature
Bologna, June 2015

“The sculptor Niccolò da Bari, born in 1435 came to Bologna from south of Italy. He became famous as ‘Niccolò dell'Arca’ after creating the famous arch for the tomb of St Dominique in Bologna. Some time between 1465 and 1490, he created a group of 7 terracotta statues, including the dead Jesus and a group of persons crying around him. The statues are larger than life size.” (Terracotta Sculptures in Bologna, Kalpana.it)

Paul Hamlyn Hall

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Paul Hamlyn Hall
Royal Opera House
Bow Street, Covent Garden
London, September 2014

“The Paul Hamlyn Hall is a large iron and glass structure adjacent to, and with direct access to, the main opera house building. Historically, it formed part of the old Covent Garden flower market, and is still commonly known as the 'floral hall', but it was absorbed into the Royal Opera House complex during the 1990s redevelopment. The hall now acts as the atrium and main public area of the opera house, with a champagne bar, restaurant and other hospitality services, and also providing access to the main auditorium at all levels.” (Paul Hamlyn Hall, Wikipedia)

Trabi-Safari

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Trabi-Safari / Trabi-World
Zimmerstraße
Berlin, September 2011

The Reconciliation

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“La Réconciliation” (The Reconciliation) by Élie-Jean Vézien, 1935
Square Saint-Laurent
Quartier de la Porte-Saint-Martin, 10th arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

The Cow's Head

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Sculpture representing a cow's head
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Saint Mary of the Flower)
Piazza del Duomo
Florence, April 2015

“During the building of the new cathedral, sometime at the end of the thirteenth century, a baker lived, worked and sold his goods not far from this spot. The baker's wife is said to have had a long-term affair with one of the master carpenters who was working on the cathedral. Eventually, the secret lovers were discovered, accused, condemned by the ecclesiastical court, and sentenced never to see each other again. For revenge and as a sign of victory, the carpenter is said to have placed this cow's head in good view from the baker's shop as a constant reminder of the deceit, as in Italian cornuto (horned), stands for cuckolded and is as unfavorable a stigma as you can imagine. On a historical note less shrouded in legend, the cow was placed there to honor all the animals that were used to build the cathedral.” (Cornuto, The Florentine)

Silence

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“Silence” sculptural water feature by Tadao Ando
Carlos Place, Mayfair
London, September 2014

“The water feature is lined with glass cylinders and is very shallow; the water is only 25mm deep. The shallow oval pool is filled from the perimeter channel and small projecting jets which produce anatomised moisture haze across the hard landscape form. The basin has a dimension of 20 m in the major axis and 10 m in the minor axis. The existing trees are protected through sculptured bunds. The glass cylinders lining the base of the water feature are laced with fibre optic lighting to illuminate the water feature at night and project light up to the existing trees. Tadao Ando has surrounded the water feature in materials matching the proposed pavement and road surfaces. The edge of the pool is formed from carved granite, very carefully leveled to permit the flow of water over the edge into a surrounding slot at the base of the wall, taking the water to the underground filtration plant to be re-circulated through the fountain.” (Tadao Ando sculptural water feature, The Connaught)

Urban Center Bologna

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Urban Center Bologna, Salaborsa
Piazza del Nettuno
Bologna, June 2015

Rue Charlemagne

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Multi-colored street poles
Rue Charlemagne, Le Marais
Quartier Saint-Gervais, 4th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

Ninfa

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“Ninfa” di Emilio Greco, 1973
Via Cesare Battisti
Padua, September 2013

See also: Nymph

Whole Foods Piccadilly

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Whole Foods Market Piccadilly Circus
Glasshouse Street
London, September 2014

Columbus on the Mall

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Christopher Columbus by Jeronimo Suñol, 1894
The Mall, Central Park
New York, September 2007

“Another statue of Columbus, by Spanish sculptor Jeronimo Sunol, was unveiled on May 12, 1894 on the Mall. The Russo monument shows Columbus looking outward with his hand on the tiller of his ship, while the Sunol monument portrays a more spiritual explorer with his outstretched arm and eyes looking upward to heaven in gratitude for his successful voyage. Sunol modified this sculpture from one he had done in 1885 in the Plaza de Colon in Madrid.” (Christopher Columbus, Central Park Conservancy)

Chaim Soutine

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Notes on the tomb of Chaim Soutine, 1943
Cimetière du Montparnasse, Montparnasse Cemetery
Quartier du Montparnasse, 14th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

“After years of poverty Soutine suddenly became famous in 1923 when Paul Barnes, a wealthy American collector, bought 60 of his paintings at once. He destroyed many more of his canvases in fits of depression and did not hold a major exhibition until 1927. As a Jew during the Nazi occupation of France Soutine was forced to go into hiding, and he died of a perforated ulcer because he could not get proper medical attention in time. His gentile mistress had him buried in a Christian grave at Montparnasse Cemetery to avoid suspicion. Today his paintings are worth millions.” (Chaim Soutine, Find a Grave)

Sogni d'estate

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“Sogni d'estate” (Summer Dreams) by Leonardo Lucchi, 2011
Via IV Novembre
Bologna, June 2015