Friday, August 31, 2018

Church of Saint-Ambroise

Church of Saint-Ambroise by Théodore Ballu, Boulevard Voltaire, Quartier Saint-Ambroise, 11th arrondissement, Paris

Church of Saint-Ambroise by Théodore Ballu, 1863
Boulevard Voltaire
Quartier Saint-Ambroise, 11th arrondissement
Paris, July 2005

“Located at 71 Boulevard Voltaire, Saint-Ambroise was built between 1863 and 1868, shortly after the construction of the new Boulevard du Prince-Eugène, which was later renamed Boulevard Voltaire. It replaced a church called Notre-Dame de la Procession which was located close to the path of the new street at about the location of the public garden. The church was designed by architect Théodore Ballu.” (Saint-Ambroise, Wikipedia)

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Casa degli Omenoni

Casa degli Omenoni, House of the Big Men by Leone Leoni, Via degli Omenoni, Milan

Casa degli Omenoni (House of the Big Men) by Leone Leoni
Via degli Omenoni
Milan, May 2018

“Casa degli Omenoni is a historic palace of Milan, northern Italy, located in the eponymous street of Via degli Omenoni (number 3). It was designed by sculptor Leone Leoni for himself; he both lived and worked there. It owes its name to the eight atlantes decorating its facade, termed ‘omenoni’ (‘big men’ in Milanese), which were sculpted by Antonio Abondio, most probably on a design by Leoni. Lions (a reference to the ‘Leoni’ family) are a recurring theme of its decorations; in particular, a large relief placed under the cornice depicts two lions tearing a satyr into pieces. The overall style of the palace and the decorations have been noted to include several references to the art of Michelangelo. The internal courtyard, modified in 1929 by Piero Portaluppi, has a colonnade with metopes and triglyphs.” (Casa degli Omenoni, Wikipedia)

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Art for Children

Bibiana Medzinárodný dom umenie pre deti,International House of Art for Children, Rybné námestie, Staré Mesto, Old Town, Bratislava

Bibiana Medzinárodný dom umenie pre deti (International House of Art for Children)
Rybné námestie
Staré Mesto (Old Town)
Bratislava, September 2017

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Jungfernbrücke

Jungfernbrücke

Jungfernbrücke (Jungfern Bridge)
Seen from Friedrichsgracht
Berlin, September 2011

“The Jungfern Bridge (German: Jungfernbrücke) is a bridge in Berlin.[1] It is the oldest bridge in Berlin.[2] There have been nine predecessors on its site in Berlin-Mitte,[2] spanning the Spree arm Kupfergraben and linking Friedrichsgracht to Oberwasserstraße.” (Jungfern Bridge, Wikipedia)

Monday, August 27, 2018

Palazzo Sansedoni

Palazzo Sansedoni, Piazza del Campo, Siena

Palazzo Sansedoni
Piazza del Campo
Siena, April 2017

“Palazzo Sansedoni is a Gothic style urban palace and tower, whose concave facade is situated facing the Palazzo Pubblico across the Piazza del Campo in the political center of the city of Siena, region of Tuscany, Italy. The palace was erected after the mid-13th century fusing nearly five private homes, and closing one of the access points to the Piazza. There exists a 1340 design by Agostino di Giovanni. Completion of the palace took nearly a century. In 1466, the owner, Tofo di Cecco Sansedoni, was requested to complete the Piazza facade, and fill in many of the window arches. The street side was satisfactorily completed. Some sources report the tower was truncated in order to not have it taller than the Torre del Mangia. The ground floor would have had many shops lining the street and campo. The palace underwent numerous alterations, and the palace as we see it in 2014 is due to a refurbishment in pure original gothic style by the architect Ferdinando Ruggieri. The trifore mullioned windows now appear to be partially blocked by a lower brick wall. The interior has decorations (1645-1760) completed by Gian Domenico Ferretti and Anton Domenico Gabbiani. Gabbiani painted a Glory of the Blessed Ambrogio Sansedoni for the private chapel.” (Palazzo Sansedoni, Wikipedia)

Sunday, August 26, 2018

Maria-Theresien-Denkmal

Maria-Theresien-Denkmal, Maria Theresia Monument by Caspar von Zumbusch & Anton Břenek, Maria-Theresien-Platz, Vienna

Maria-Theresien-Denkmal (Maria Theresia Monument) by Caspar von Zumbusch & Anton Břenek, 1888
Maria-Theresien-Platz
Vienna, September 2017

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Fontaine de la Roquette

Fontaine de la Roquette, Rue de la Roquette, Quartier de la Roquette, 11th arrondissement, Paris

Fontaine de la Roquette, 1846
Rue de la Roquette
Quartier de la Roquette, 11th arrondissement
Paris, July 2006

Friday, August 24, 2018

Grattacielo Pirelli

Grattacielo Pirelli,Pirelli Tower, Via Fabio Filzi, Milan

Grattacielo Pirelli (Pirelli Tower)
Via Fabio Filzi
Milan, May 2018

“Pirelli Tower (Grattacielo Pirelli – also called ‘Pirellone’, literally ‘Big Pirelli’), is a 32-storey, 124.1 m (407 ft) skyscraper in Milan, Italy. The base of the building is 1,900 m2 (20,000 sq ft), with a length of 75.5 m (248 ft) and a width of 20.5 m (67 ft). The construction used approximately 30,000 m3 (1,100,000 cu ft) of concrete. The building weighs close to 70,000 t (69,000 long tons; 77,000 short tons) with a volume of 125,324 m3 (4,425,800 cu ft). Characterized by a structural skeleton, curtain wall façades and tapered sides, it was among the first skyscrapers to abandon the customary block form. After its completion it was the tallest building in Italy but in 1961 Mole Antonelliana recovered priority after rebuilding of its pinnacle. The architectural historian Hasan-Uddin Khan praised it as ‘one of the most elegant tall buildings in the world’ and as one of the ‘few tall European buildings [that made] statements that added to the vocabulary of the skyscraper’. The building inspired the Pan Am Building (now MetLife Building) in New York and the National Mutual West Plaza in Auckland.” (Pirelli Tower, Wikipedia)

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Danube Fountain & Budapest Eye

Danubius kút, Danube Fountain by Ybl Miklós and Fessler Leo, with the Budapest Eye in background, Erzsébet tér, Budapest

Danubius kút (Danube Fountain) by Ybl Miklós and Fessler Leo, 1880-83
With the Budapest Eye in background
Erzsébet tér
Budapest, September 2017

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Hallesches Ufer

Fountain by Gottfried Gruner, Hallesches Ufer, Kreuzberg, Berlin

Fountain by Gottfried Gruner, 1972
Hallesches Ufer, Kreuzberg
Berlin, September 2011

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Fonte Gaia

Fonte Gaia, Joyous Fountain, Piazza del Campo, Siena

Fonte Gaia (Joyous Fountain)
Piazza del Campo
Siena, April 2017

“The Fonte Gaia (Joyous Fountain) was built in 1419 as an endpoint of the system of conduits bringing water to the city's centre, replacing an earlier fountain completed about 1342 when the water conduits were completed. Under the direction of the Committee of Nine, many miles of tunnels were constructed to bring water in aqueducts to fountains and thence to drain to the surrounding fields. The present fountain, a center of attraction for the many tourists, is in the shape of a rectangular basin that is adorned on three sides with many bas-reliefs with the Madonna surrounded by the Classical and the Christian Virtues, emblematic of Good Government under the patronage of the Madonna. The white marble Fonte Gaia was originally designed and built by Jacopo della Quercia, whose bas-reliefs from the basin's sides are conserved in the Ospedale di St. Maria della Scala in Piazza Duomo. The former sculptures were replaced in 1866 by free copies by Tito Sarrocchi, who omitted Jacopo della Quercia's two nude statues of Rhea Silvia and Acca Larentia, which the nineteenth-century city fathers found too pagan or too nude. When they were set up in 1419, Jacopo della Quercia's nude figures were the first two female nudes, who were neither Eve nor a repentant saint, to stand in a public place since Antiquity.” (Piazza del Campo, Wikipedia)

Monday, August 20, 2018

Fenchurch Street Station

Fenchurch Street railway station, Fenchurch Place, City of London, London

Fenchurch Street railway station
Fenchurch Place
City of London
London, September 2015

“Fenchurch Street railway station, also known as London Fenchurch Street, is a central London railway terminus in the southeastern corner of the City of London. It takes its name from its proximity to Fenchurch Street, a key thoroughfare in the City. The station and all trains are operated by c2c. Services run on lines built by the London and Blackwall Railway (L&BR) and the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LTSR) to destinations in east London and south Essex, including Upminster, Grays, Basildon, Southend and Shoeburyness. The station opened in 1841 to serve the L&BR and was rebuilt in 1854 when the LTSR, a joint venture between the L&BR and the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR), began operating. The ECR also operated trains out of Fenchurch Street to relieve congestion at its other London terminus at Bishopsgate. In 1862 the Great Eastern Railway was created by amalgamating various East Anglian railway companies (including the ECR) and it shared the station with the LTSR until 1912, when the latter was bought by the Midland Railway. The station came under ownership of the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) following the Railways Act 1921, and was shared by LNER and London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) services until nationalisation in 1948. The line from the station was electrified in 1961, and closed for seven weeks in 1994.” (Fenchurch Street railway station, Wikipedia)

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Le Commerce

Le Commerce, The Commerce by Augustin Dumont, Palais Brongniart or Palais de la Bourse, Place de la Bourse, Quartier Vivienne, 2nd arrondissement, Paris

“Le Commerce” (The Commerce) by Augustin Dumont, 1851
Palais Brongniart or Palais de la Bourse
Place de la Bourse
Quartier Vivienne, 2nd arrondissement
Paris, July 2012

Saturday, August 18, 2018

The Tomb of the Campari Family

The tomb of the Campari family, Cimitero Monumentale, Monumental Cemetery, Milan

The tomb of the Campari family
Cimitero Monumentale (Monumental Cemetery)
Milan, May 2018

“The Cimitero Monumentale (Monumental Cemetery) is one of the two largest cemeteries in Milan, Italy, the other one being the Cimitero Maggiore. It is noted for the abundance of artistic tombs and monuments. Designed by the architect Carlo Maciachini (1818–1899), it was planned to consolidate a number of small cemeteries that used to be scattered around the city into a single location. Officially opened in 1866, it has since then been filled with a wide range of contemporary and classical Italian sculptures as well as Greek temples, elaborate obelisks, and other original works such as a scaled-down version of the Trajan's Column. Many of the tombs belong to noted industrialist dynasties, and were designed by artists such as Adolfo Wildt, Giò Ponti, Arturo Martini, Dante Parini, Lucio Fontana, Medardo Rosso, Giacomo Manzù, Floriano Bodini, and Giò Pomodoro." (Cimitero Monumentale di Milano, Wikipedia)

Friday, August 17, 2018

Čertovka

Čertovka, Devil's Stream, seen from the Karlův most, Charles Bridge, Prague

Čertovka (Devil's Stream) seen from the
Karlův most (Charles Bridge)
Prague, September 2017

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Jüdische Opfer des Faschismus

Jüdische Opfer des Faschismus (Jewish Victims of Fascism) by Will Lammert, Große Hamburger Straße, Berlin

Jüdische Opfer des Faschismus (Jewish Victims of Fascism) by Will Lammert, 1957
Große Hamburger Straße
Berlin, September 2011

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Terracotta Madonna

Terracotta Madonna, Via delle Terme, Siena

Terracotta Madonna
Via delle Terme
Siena, April 2017

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Kostol kresťanskej reformovanej cirkvi

Kostol kresťanskej reformovanej cirkvi, Church of the Christian Reformed Church, Námestie SNP, Staré Mesto , Old Town, Bratislava

Kostol kresťanskej reformovanej cirkvi (Church of the Christian Reformed Church)
Námestie SNP
Staré Mesto (Old Town)
Bratislava, September 2017

Monday, August 13, 2018

L’Agriculture

“L'Agriculture, The Agriculture by Charles Seurre, Palais Brongniart or Palais de la Bourse, Place de la Bourse, Quartier Vivienne, 2nd arrondissement, Paris

“L'Agriculture” (The Agriculture) by Charles Seurre, 1851
Palais Brongniart or Palais de la Bourse
Place de la Bourse
Quartier Vivienne, 2nd arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

“Charles Marie Émile Seurre or Seurre the Younger (1798–1858) was a French sculptor. Seurre was born and died in Paris. A student of the sculptor Pierre Cartellier, in 1824 Émile Seurre won the Prix de Rome for sculpture with a relief on the subject Joseph's tunic brought back to Jacob. Like his elder brother Bernard Seurre, he took part in spreading the Napoleonic legend and is best known for his series of statues of ‘great men’.” (Charles Émile Seurre, Wikipedia)

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Generali Tower

Generali Tower by Zaha Hadid Architects, aka Lo Storto or The Twisted One, Piazza Tre Torri, Milan,

Generali Tower by Zaha Hadid Architects, 2017
(aka Lo Storto or The Twisted One)
Piazza Tre Torri
Milan, May 2018

“Generali Tower (Lo Storto or The Twisted One in English) is a skyscraper completed in 2017 in Milan, Italy that will reach a height of 185 m (607 ft) with 44 floors (+ 3 floors basement), and a total floor area of about 67,000 square kilometres (26,000 sq mi). Its designer is the Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. The geometry of the building is that of a warping shape, where both the floors dimension and their orientation vary along the tower axis.” (Generali Tower, Wikipedia)

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Votivkirche Window

Stained glass window, Votivkirche, Votive Church, Rooseveltplatz, Vienna

Stained glass window
Votivkirche (Votive Church)
Rooseveltplatz
Vienna, September 2017

Friday, August 10, 2018

St Botolph Building

St Botolph Building by Grimshaw Architects, Houndsditch, Aldgate, City of London, London

St Botolph Building by Grimshaw Architects, 2011
Houndsditch
Aldgate, City of London
London, September 2015

“The St Botolph Building is a commercial office in Houndsditch, central London, opened in 2011 and designed by Grimshaw Architects. It is one of a number of landmark buildings recently delivered or in development to the East of the Gherkin in the City of London ward of Aldgate, which together with the wards of Langbourn, Cornhill and Lime Street forms the centre of the UK insurance industry. Two of the three main tenants, Jardine Lloyd Thompson and Lockton, are businesses with a substantial insurance broking component, which are therefore reliant on close proximity to the Lloyd's building and the globally-significant London market in insurance contracts that focuses on Lloyd's of London.[3] The third main tenant, Clyde & Co, also has insurance ties as one of the largest insurance and reinsurance law firms in the world.” (St Botolph Building, Wikipedia)

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Teatro dei Rozzi

Teatro dei Rozzi, Piazza Indipendenza, Siena

Teatro dei Rozzi
Piazza Indipendenza
Siena, April 2017

“The Teatro dei Rozzi is a live-performance theater located on Piazza Indipendenza #15, in the city of Siena, region of Tuscany, Italy; while this structure was inaugurated in 1817, the sponsoring organization dated to 1531. In 1531, a group of artisans created the Congregation of Rozzi dedicated to mainly oral performances of secular poetry, often during festivals. At this ‘academy’, intellectuals and literati of the town attempted to refine the more popular forms of theater into more sophisticated art. By some it was called the Academy of the Uncouth for its avoidance of Latin texts. The group took on an emblem and symbol, the cork tree which draws from the ground. It is said among those attending performances were Pope Leo X and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.” (Teatro dei Rozzi, Wikipedia)

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Rendőr

Rendőr (Police Officer) by Illyés András, Zrínyi utca, Október 6 utca, Budapest

Rendőr (Police Officer) by Illyés András, 2008
Zrínyi utca / Október 6. utca
Budapest, September 2017

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

L'Industrie

L'Industrie by James Pradier, Palais Brongniart or Palais de la Bourse, Place de la Bourse, Quartier Vivienne, 2nd arrondissement, Paris

“L'Industrie” (The Industry) by James Pradier, 1851
Palais Brongniart or Palais de la Bourse
Place de la Bourse
Quartier Vivienne, 2nd arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

Monday, August 6, 2018

Cloisters of Sant'Ambrogio

Cloisters of Sant'Ambrogio, designed by Bramante in 1497, Università Cattolica, Catholic University, Milan

Cloisters of Sant'Ambrogio, designed by Bramante in 1497
Università Cattolica (Catholic University)
Milan, May 2018

“When it became the seat of Cattolica, Father Gemelli entrusted the restoration Giovanni Muzio (who also designed the Triennale di Milano), who worked for about twenty years, from 1928 to late forties, also passing through the destruction caused by the bombing of August 1943 and the subsequent reconstruction. Notable is the restoration of the cloisters by Bramante; century refectory of the former became Great Hall, where he wanted to, on the Brera, the wall fresco by Callisto Piazza (1545) inspired by the Wedding at Cana, the library and chapel, with modulated by high walls sculptures Manzù.” (Cloisters of Sant'Ambrogio, Wikipedia)

Sunday, August 5, 2018

WSP 24 “Kormoran”

WSP (Wasserschutzpolizei) 24 Kormoran, Marschallbrücke, Berlin

WSP (Wasserschutzpolizei) 24 “Kormoran”
Marschallbrücke
Berlin, September 2011

Saturday, August 4, 2018

The Knight of the Cnihtengild

The Knight of the Cnihtengild by Denys Mitchell, Cutlers Gardens, Devonshire Square, City of London, London

The Knight of the Cnihtengild by Denys Mitchell, 1990
Cutlers Gardens, Devonshire Square
City of London
London, September 2015

“The artist, Denys Mitchell (1939-2015), had previously made some railings for the Edinburgh office of the Standard Life Insurance Company and he was asked to do something with the space in Cutlers Gardens. The Cnihtengild knight in shiny armour is his interpretation of the site’s history. The knight is made entirely from beaten bronze and not from a mould as most other sculptures are. The horse’s caparison – blanket to you and me – is covered in stylized birds with a blue crystal in their tail. When I took the photographs, the horse was looking towards the central piazza, but apparently it stands on a turntable that revolves one degree per day, so the horse and knight turn full circle in a year. The New View journal interviewed Denys Mitchell and the Cnihtengild knight stands proudly on the magazine’s cover. The sculpture was unveiled on 21 November 1990.” (The Knight of the Cnihtengild, London Details)

A Corner in Siena

A pictoresque corner, Via del Paradiso and Via della Sapienza, Siena

A pictoresque corner
Via del Paradiso and Via della Sapienza
Siena, April 2017

Thursday, August 2, 2018

Milan Rastislav Štefánik

Statue of Milan Rastislav Štefánik by Bohumil Kafka, Štefánikova hvězdárna, Štefánik's Observatory, Petřín, Prague

Statue of Milan Rastislav Štefánik by Bohumil Kafka
Štefánikova hvězdárna (Štefánik's Observatory)
Petřín
Prague, September 2017

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Tulips

Tulips by Taïne Gras, rue Montmartre, Quarter du Mail, 2nd arrondissement, Paris

“Tulips” (a bit faded) by Taïne Gras, 1994
85 rue Montmartre
Quarter du Mail, 2nd arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

“Decor on two gable walls combining monumental sculptures and painting. A bunch of brightly coloured tulips offered to the residents of this densely populated and intensely active neighbourhood, a flowered space where flowers are so lacking, a haven of peace and calm.” (Author's website)