Saturday, December 31, 2016
Friday, December 30, 2016
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Fontana dei Dioscuri
Fontana dei Dioscuri by by Raffaele Stern, 1818
Piazza del Quirinale
Rome, April 2013
“The Fontana dei Dioscuri is the fountain set opposite the Palazzo del Quirinale, the official residence of the President of the Italian Republic in the Piazza del Quirinale. The original fountain, which no longer exists, commissioned by Pope Sixtus V in 1588, had the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux statues, from Constantine I of Rome's Baths, moved to the piazza, from the site, thought to have been nearby, flanking it. In the late 1780s by Antinori, was commissioned by Pope Pius VI, to make a better layout for the piazza and had the fountain and the Dioscuri moved, and included the large Obelisk which had been moved from the Campus Martius in the design. Some time between, that original fountain was lost, and, in 1818 a new one, which can be seen today, was commissioned by Pope Pius VII and was designed by Raffaele Stern using an ancient granite Roman shell that had been found in the 16th century supported on top of a large basin. It was sited in front of the two statues with the obelisk between them.” (Fontana dei Dioscuri, Wikipedia)
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Building Battersea
Works at the Battersea Power Station
Seen from Battersea Park Road
Nine Elms, Battersea, Wandsworth
London, September 2016
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
The Flame
Monumento ai Carabinieri (Monument to the Carabineers) by Luciano Minguzzi, 1980
Piazza Armando Diaz
Milan, November 2016
Monday, December 26, 2016
Office National des Forets
Headquarter of the Office national des forêts (National Forests Office)
Avenue de Saint-Mandé / Rue de Picpus
Quartier de Picpus, 12th arrondissement
Paris, July 2005
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Saturday, December 24, 2016
South Transept
Detail of the South transept
St Paul's Cathedral by Christopher Wren, 1711
Ludgate Hill, City of London
London, September 2016
Friday, December 23, 2016
Bust of Dante
Bust of Dante Alighieri> by Augusto Rivalta
Dante's House Museum
Via Santa Margherita
Florence, April 2015
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Marine One
Marine One
Downtown Manhattan Heliport
Pier 6, East River
New York, September 2008
“Much of the heliport's traffic is generated by Wall Street and the lower Manhattan financial district; top business executives and time-sensitive document deliveries often use the heliport. The heliport is also the normal landing spot for the President of the United States on visits to New York.” (Downtown Manhattan Heliport, Wikipedia)
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Dog and Pot
Dog and Pot sculpture by Mike Painter, 2013
Union Street / Blackfriars Road, Southwark
London, September 2016
“A new sculpture was officially unveiled yesterday at the corner of Union Street and Blackfriars Road, on the last day of the Charles Dickens bicentenary. As a 12 year old boy, Dickens used to walk past a statue of a dog and pot over a shop as he went to work (yes, work), vowing to one day go back to school and make something of himself.” (Charles Dickens Dog and Pot Sculpture Unveiled in Southwark, Londonist)
Monday, December 19, 2016
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Mau Mau Bar
Mau Mau Bar
Portobello Road, Notting Hill
London, January 2005
“London club Mau Mau Bar has closed its doors. Located in Notting Hill on Portobello Road, the venue was a vital force within the city’s independent music scene, largely thanks to jazz:refreshed and its weekly Thursday night events. Hundreds of bands and musicians graced the jazz:refreshed stage, including Dele Sosimi, Kokoroko and Nubya Garcia. jazz:refreshed will continue its residency elsewhere, though a brief hiatus will occur whilst it finds a new home. Label activities and special events will proceed as normal.” (London club Mau Mau Bar has closed, The Vinyl Factory)
Saturday, December 17, 2016
San Nicola da Tolentino
San Nicola da Tolentino agli Orti Sallustiani
(Saint Nicholas of Tolentino in the Gardens of Sallust)
Via di San Nicola da Tolentino,
Rome, April 2013
“San Nicola da Tolentino agli Orti Sallustiani (Saint Nicholas of Tolentino in the Gardens of Sallust) is a church in Rome. It is one of the two national churches of Armenia. The church was built for the Discalced Augustinians in 1599, and originally dedicated to the 13th century Augustinian monk, St. Nicholas of Tolentino (also called San Niccolò or Nicolò da Tolentino). The interior was rebuilt 1614–1620 by Carlo Buti and Martino Longhi, supported by patronage by the Pamphilj family. The Milanese architect Francesco Buzio was also involved in the redesign. Starting in 1654, it was rebuilt by Giovanni Maria Baratta, one of the main pupils of Alessandro Algardi. In 1883, the church was given to the Pontifical Armenian College by Pope Leo XIII. The Armenian Catholic Church is in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.” (San Nicola da Tolentino, Wikipedia)
Friday, December 16, 2016
Floating Dreams
“Floating Dreams” by Ik-Joong Kang, 2016
River Thames by Millennium Bridge
London, September 2016
“A major installation by Ik-Joong Kang, one of South Korea’s most renowned and celebrated multimedia artists, Floating Dreams is a compelling, large-scale installation situated in the centre of the River Thames by Millennium Bridge. Constructed from 500 drawings and illuminated from within, the three-storey-high lantern structure acts as a memorial to the millions displaced and divided during the Korean War (1950-53), and a poignant symbol of hope for the reunification of North and South Korea.” (Floating Dreams by Ik-Joong Kang, Totally Thames)
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Torre Velasca
Torre Velasca (Velasca Tower) by BBPR, 1958
Piazza Velasca
Milan, November 2016
“The Velasca Tower is part of the first generation of Italian modern architecture, while still being part of the Milanese context in which it was born, to which also belongs the Milan Cathedral and the Sforza Castle. The tower, approximately 100 metres tall, has a peculiar and characteristic mushroom-like shape. It stands out in the city skyline, made of domes, buildings and other towers. Its structure recalls the Lombard tradition, made of medieval fortresses and towers, each having a massive profile. In such fortresses, the lower parts were always narrower, while the higher parts propped up by wooden boards or stone beams. As a consequence, the shape of this building is the result of a modern interpretation of the typical Italian medieval castle.[citation needed] At the same time, BBPR in this building satisfied the functional needs of space: narrower surfaces on the ground, wider and more spacious ones on the top floors. The town planning laws, then, imposed specific volumes (depending on the buildings' purpose); in this tower, the latter being the mixed functions of residential and commercial use.” (Torre Velasca, Wikipedia)
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Place des Grès
Fontaine de la place des Grès by Daniel Milhaud, 1983
Rue Vitruve / square des Grès, place des Grès
Quartier de Charonne, 20th arrondissement
Paris, July 2006
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Boccadasse
The narrow bay and the cape of Santa Chiara
Boccadasse
Genoa, April 2016
“Boccadasse (Bocadâze in Genoese) is an old mariners' neighbourhood of the Italian city of Genoa. It lies at the eastern side of the Corso Italia stroll, the main sea front stroll of the city of Genoa, at the feet of Via Aurora, a typical Ligurian narrow street (‘crêuza’).” (Boccadasse, Wikipedia)
Monday, December 12, 2016
Tortoise
Detail of “Tortoises with Triangle and Time” by Wendy Taylor, 2000
Holland Park, Abbotsbury Road side
London, September 2016
“‘Tortoises with Triangle and Time’ by Wendy Taylor, which is on loan to Holland Park and still to be seen on the D lawn: The gnomon is designed for the latitude of Holland Park, but due to the elliptical passage of the earth round the sun, the real time shadowed on the sundial does not correspond exactly with Big Ben! Of the millennium sculptures, this is perhaps my favourite. The ridged shells of the tortoises invite you to touch them and their shape encourages children to climb over them.”. (The Friends of Holland Park)
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Palazzo Gondi
Palazzo Gondi by Giuliano da Sangallo, 1490
Piazza San Firenze
Florence, April 2015
“The construction dragged on, and the building remained incomplete for several centuries. At the end of the 17th century Antonio Maria Ferri worked on the architecture and Matteo Bonechi on the paintings. The building was flanked by an old family house belonging to the Asini family, demolished around 1870 to widen the road along Palazzo Vecchio. On that occasion the building was also expanded with the creation of the third door (the left) and the construction of a new ‘slice’ of the building that increased the number of windows on the facade, creating a similar perspective on Via de' Gondi. Accommodation on the south side had been designed by Giuseppe Poggi, the architect of Piazzale Michelangelo, but was demolished in 1874. Leonardo da Vinci had lived in one of the destroyed houses and is said to have painted the Mona Lisa there. Today the building still belongs to descendants of the family, but on the ground floor are a bar and other businesses.” (Palazzo Gondi, Wikipedia)
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Burnett Memorial Fountain
Burnett Memorial Fountain designed by Aymar Embury II
Statues by Bessie Potter Vonnoh, 1936
Conservatory Garden, Central Park
New York, September 2008
“This fountain honors children’s book author Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett. Friends of Burnett wanted to memorialize her after her death in 1924 with a storytelling area in Central Park. The Conservatory Garden, which reopened to the public in 1937, was chosen as the perfect site for the memorial. Some refer to the two figures, a reclining boy playing the flute and a young girl holding the bowl, as effigies of Mary and Dickon, the main characters in The Secret Garden. The bowl is a functioning birdbath where small birds drink during three seasons of the year. The sculpture stands on the edge of a small concrete pool that features a variety of water lilies. It was one of the earliest statues restored by Central Park Conservancy in the 1980s.” (Burnett Fountain, Central Park Conservancy)
Friday, December 9, 2016
Porta Castiglione
Porta Castiglione, 13th century
Seen from Viale Enrico Panzacchi
Bologna, June 2015
“Porta Castiglione was a portal of the former outer medieval walls of the city of Bologna, Italy. First erected in the second half of the 13th century, and rebuilt in the 15th century. The now isolated tower once was a machiocolated rampart in the city walls. The gate once stood beside the Savena Canal, which crossed the city and whose current fed hydraulic power to the city’s cloth factories.” (Porta Castiglione, Wikipedia)
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Campo San Polo
A water fountain with the church of San Polo in background
Campo San Polo, San Polo
Venice, September 2013
“The Campo San Polo is the largest campo in Venice, Italy, the second largest Venetian public square after the Piazza San Marco. It is located in the Sestiere San Polo. Originally dedicated to grazing and agriculture, in 1493 it was entirely paved, a well (one of the few fountains to be found in Venice) being placed in the middle. It was subsequently used as the scene of many a bullfight, mass sermons and masked balls. After the 17th century the poor's market was moved here from Piazza San Marco. It remains to this day one of the most popular Carnival venues and is also used for open-air concerts and screenings during the Venice Film Festival.” (Campo San Polo, Wikipedia)
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Saint-Luc
Saint-Luc by Pierre-Henri Montel and Christian Basset, 1999
Rue de l'Ourcq
Quartier de la Villette, 19th arrondissement
Paris, July 2006
Monday, December 5, 2016
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Friday, December 2, 2016
Two Knights
The two riders on top the Knights Templar pillar
Church Court, Inner Temple
London, September 2016
“The Templar Seal showing two knights (perhaps Hugues de Payens and Godfrey de Saint-Omer) on one horse. There are many interpretations of the symbolism of this seal. Contemporary legend held that the symbol represented the initial poverty of the order; that they could afford only a single horse for every two men. Still, the Rule of the Order from the outset permitted three horses and no more for each knight, as well as no Templars sharing the same horse.” (Knights Templar Seal, Wikipedia)
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Padre Santo
Francesco Maria da Camporosso “Padre Santo” by Guido Galletti, 1962
Santuario di Nostra Signora delle Grazie al Molo
Piazza delle Grazie
Genoa, April 2016
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Vélib' Station
Vélib' station
Cours de Vincennes
Quartier du Bel-Air, 12th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014
“Vélib' is a large-scale public bicycle sharing system in Paris, France. Launched on 15 July 2007, the system encompasses around 14,500 bicycles and 1,230 bicycle stations, located across Paris and in some surrounding municipalities, with an average daily ridership of 85,811 in 2011. The name Vélib' is a portmanteau of the French words vélo (bicycle) and liberté (freedom). Vélib' is operated as a concession by the French advertising corporation JCDecaux. As of 2014, Vélib' is the world's 12th-largest bikesharing program by the number of bicycles in circulation; the rest of the top 18 are in Chinese cities.” (Vélib', Wikipedia)
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Monday, November 28, 2016
Sphere Within Sphere
Sphere Within Sphere (Sfera con sfera) by Arnaldo Pomodoro, 1996
Headquarters of the United Nations
United Nations Plaza
New York, September 2008
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Tate Modern & Switch House
The Tate Modern and the new Switch House by Herzog & de Meuron
Seen from the Sky Garden at the 35th floor of Rafael Viñoly's “Walkie Talkie”
London, September 2016
“A ten-storey tower, 65 metres high from ground level, was built above the oil tanks. The original western half of the Switch House was demolished to make room for the tower and then rebuilt around it with large gallery spaces and access routes between the main building and the new tower on level 1 (ground level) and level 4. The new galleries on level 4 have natural top lighting. A bridge built across the turbine hall on level 4 to provides an upper access route. The new building opened to the public on 17 June 2016. The design, again by Herzog & de Meuron, has been controversial. It was originally designed with a glass stepped pyramid, but this was amended to incorporate a sloping façade in brick latticework (to match the original power-station building) despite planning consent to the original design having been previously granted by the supervising authority. The extension provides 22,492 square metres of additional gross internal area for display and exhibition spaces, performance spaces, education facilities, offices, catering and retail facilities as well as a car parking and a new external public space.” (Tate Modern, Wikipedia)
Friday, November 25, 2016
Scala Contarini del Bovolo
External spiral staircase by Giorgio Spavento
Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo
Calle Contarini del Bovolo, San Marco
Venezia, September 2013
“On the wall of the alley on the south side of Campo Manin, a sign directs you to the staircase known as the Scala del Bovolo – bovolo is the word for snail shell in Venetian dialect. External staircases, developed originally as a way of saving space inside the building, were a common feature of Venetian houses into the sixteenth century, but this specimen, dating from around 1500, is the most flamboyant variation on the theme.” (Jonathan Buckley, The Rough Guide to Venice & the Veneto)
Thursday, November 24, 2016
The Clock & the Tower
Urania-Weltzeituhr (Urania Worldtime Clock) by Erich John
Fernsehturm (Television tower) by Hermann Henselmann
Alexanderplatz
Berlin, September 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
London Eye Capsule
A London Eye capsule with passengers
The Queen's Walk
South Bank, Lambeth
London, September 2016
“The wheel's 32 sealed and air-conditioned ovoidal passenger capsules, designed and supplied by Poma, are attached to the external circumference of the wheel and rotated by electric motors. Each of the 10-tonne (11-short-ton) capsules represents one of the London Boroughs, and holds up to 25 people, who are free to walk around inside the capsule, though seating is provided. The wheel rotates at 26 cm (10 in) per second (about 0.9 kph or 0.6 mph) so that one revolution takes about 30 minutes. It does not usually stop to take on passengers; the rotation rate is slow enough to allow passengers to walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level. It is, however, stopped to allow disabled or elderly passengers time to embark and disembark safely.” (London Eye, Wikipedia)
Monday, November 21, 2016
UniCredit Pavilion
UniCredit Pavilion by Michele De Lucchi, 2015
Piazza Gae Aulenti
Milan, November 2016
“The Unicredit Pavilion, created by Italian architect Michele de Lucchi, is a modular structure which aims to promote social functions and experimental activities, hosting cultural events, conferences, exhibitions and concerts. The structure, which can accommodate up to 700 people, is build adjacent to the Uni Credit’s headquarters in the Porta Nouva district in Milan.” (UniCredit Pavilion, Arch20)
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Viaduc d'Austerlitz
Viaduc d'Austerlitz (Austerlitz Viaduct), 1904
Quai de la Rapée / Quai d'Austerlitz
Quartier de la Salpêtrière, 13th arrondissement
Paris, July 2006
“Due to restrictions posed by navigational traffic, it was implausible to place a pier in the middle of the river. Therefore, in 1903, engineer Louis Biette, with the help of Fulgence Bienvenüe, conceptualized a metallic bridge that crossed the river in a single span. It was designed by the architect Jean-Camille Formigé, who also designed the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, the greenhouses of Auteiul, and the park below the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur, and restored the Roman amphitheater in Arles and the Roman theater in Orange. .[1] Formigé decorated the steel arcs with marine-themed reliefs, including dolphins, seashells and seaweeds. Parts of the steel footings are etched with figures of the Parisian Coat of Arms, which symbolizes steadfastness.” (Viaduc d'Austerlitz, Wikipedia)
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Palazzo Rosso
Palazzo Rosso (Red Palace)
Seen from the garden of Palazzo Doria-Tursi
Via Garibaldi
Genoa, April 2016
“Palazzo Rosso is a historical palace of Genoa, northern Italy. Situated in Via Garibaldi, it is one of the most important picture galleries of the city, along with the galleries of Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Doria Tursi. Palazzo Rosso was designed by the architect Pietro Antonio Corradi and was built between 1671 and 1677. The Brignole Sale family owned the palace until 1874, when Maria Brignole Sale, duchess of Galliera, bequeathed it to the city of Genoa, in order to "increase its artistic splendor and practical resources". The palace then became municipal property and it was destined to become a public gallery.” (Palazzo Rosso, Wikipedia)
Friday, November 18, 2016
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Santo Spirito
Basilica di Santo Spirito (Basilica of the Holy Spirit)
Piazza Santo Spirito
Florence, April 2015
“Filippo Brunelleschi began designs for the new building as early as 1428. The first pillars to the building were delivered in1446, ten days before his death.[14] After his death in the works were carried on by his followers Antonio Manetti, Giovanni da Gaiole, and Salvi d'Andrea; the latter was also responsible for the construction of the cupola. Unlike S. Lorenzo, where Brunelleschi’s ideas were thwarted, here, his ideas were carried through with some degree of fidelity, at least in the ground plan and up to the level of the arcades.[15] The Latin cross plan is so designed to maximize the legibility of the grid. The contrast between nave and transept that caused such difficulty at S. Lorenzo was here also avoided. The side chapels, in the form of niches all the same size (forty in all), run along the entire perimeter of the space. Brunelleschi's facade was never built and left blank. In 1489, a columned vestibule and octagonal sacristy, designed by Simone del Pollaiolo, known as Il Cronaca, and Giuliano da Sangallo respectively, were built to the left of the building. A door was opened up in a chapel to make the connection to the church.” (Santo Spirito, Florence, Wikipedia)
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Head
“Head” by Jun Kaneko, 2007
Park Avenue at 53rd Street
New York, September 2008
“Monumental heads by Nebraska-based Jun Kaneko delight passersbys from the traffic medians at 52nd, 53rd and 54th Streets on Park Avenue. The three heads depict an Asian man with a calm expression—the artist, or perhaps the face of Buddha. Kaneko created these richly glazed ceramic works in one of his signature walk-in ‘beehive kilns.’ The project was recommended by the Fund for Park Avenue Sculpture Committee, with support from Gebert Contemporary and the Grand Central Partnership.” (Jun Kaneko on Park Avenue, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation)
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Heaven and Hell
“Heaven and Hell” fresco by Giovanni da Modena, 1410
Chapel of the Magi (once Bolognini Chapel)
Basilica of San Petronio
Piazza Maggiore
Bologna, June 2015
“In 2002, five men who it was believed were connected to Al Qaeda and were planning to blow up the building, were arrested. Again in 2006, plans by Muslim terrorists to destroy the Basilica were thwarted by Italian police. The terrorists claimed that a 15th-century fresco inside was insulting to Islam. The fresco, painted by Giovanni da Modena, depicts Muhammad in Hell being devoured by demons.” (San Petronio Basilica, Wikipedia)