Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Michelangelo by Antonio Novelli

Sculpture of Michelangelo by Antonio Novelli, Casa Buonarroti, Via Ghibellina, Florence

Sculpture of Michelangelo by Antonio Novelli, 1635
Casa Buonarroti
Via Ghibellina
Florence, December 2018

“Casa Buonarroti is a museum in Florence, Italy. The building was a property owned by the sculptor Michelangelo, which he left to his nephew, Leonardo Buonarroti. The house was converted into a museum dedicated to the artist by his great nephew, Michelangelo Buonarroti the Younger. Its collections include two of Michelangelo's earliest sculptures, the Madonna of the Stairs and the Battle of the Centaurs. A ten-thousand book library includes the family's archive and some of Michaelangelo's letters and drawings. The Galleria is decorated with paintings commissioned by Buonarroti the Younger and created by Artemisia Gentileschi and other early seventeenth-century Italian artists.” (Casa Buonarroti, Wikipedia)

Monday, April 29, 2019

Cais das Colunas

Cais das Colunas, Columns Pier, Praça do Comércio, Lisbon

Cais das Colunas (Columns Pier)
Praça do Comércio
Lisbon, April 2019

“Cais das Colunas is located at Praça do Comércio, in the historical center of Lisbon; its marble steps used to be the noble entrance into the city, through which heads of state and other prominent figures have arrived. It used to give access to ferry boats and other vessels connecting Praça do Comércio to the Tagus' south bank. The pier was named after the two columns (colunas) that can be seen on the side of the main steps. These simple yet elegant pillars were designed by architect Eugénio dos Santos and were part of the city reconstruction plan after the 1755 earthquake nearly destroyed it. The two columns are replicas of those thought to have been in Solomon's temple. They're representative of wisdom and devotion. There is no documentation stating exactly when the quay was built. It is only known that it was finished in the late 1700s. The columns were taken down in the late nineteenth century and were then replaced in 1929. Because of the necessary works to build the blue metro line, the columns were taken down again in 1997 and weren't put back until 2008. They are not likely to go anywhere else in the future so that you can enjoy one of the most stunning views over the river Tagus in one of Europe's most beautiful squares. Cais das Colunas quay was also used to welcome some prestigious figures that have visited the country. That was the case of Queen Elizabeth II, who in 1957 arrived in Portugal and made her way into Lisbon through these two columns. Her Majesty's arrival was documented by the British Pathé and you can watch it below.” (Cais das Colunas Pier, Lisbonne Idée)

Sunday, April 28, 2019

Joséphine Verazzi

Grave of  Joséphine Verazzi, Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, Père Lachaise Cemetery, Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement, Paris

Grave of Joséphine Verazzi
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, (Père Lachaise Cemetery)
Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement
Paris, July 2010

Saturday, April 27, 2019

Autogrill Olive Tree

Autogrill Olive Tree, Il Mercato del Duomo, Piazza del Duomo, Milan

Autogrill Olive Tree
Il Mercato del Duomo
Piazza del Duomo
Milan, November 2016

“Michele de Lucchi is the architect of the entrance space and has created a vertical market next to the spectacular galleria designed by Giuseppe Mengoni in 1865. The building was completed on the 30th April in time for the the opening of Expo Milan 2015 but formally opens on 26th May.Four 500 year old olive trees that were due to be cut down were purchased and carefully excavated in a project of archeological precision. They were unearthed gradually in order to keep most of the extensive root structure intact. Olives can be successfully transplanted as long as all the roots that are covered by the trees shadow are retained. Three of these trees have been replanted. The roots of the weakest tree were carefully cleaned and prepared for casting. The upper parts of the other trees were moulded to produce one ‘archetypal olive tree'. The casting process followed a complex strategy - some was cast using lost wax casting techniques other parts were encased, burnt out and cast in a centrifugal casting system. Additional branches and leaves were obtained from a local farmer who was pruning his trees while roots were gathered from the local ‘environmental’ depot. The focus of the work is on the symbiotic relationship between man and his environment - the emphasis is on nurture through careful gardening based on an intimate understanding on our relationship with the physical world. After extensive research a special brass alloy was used when casting the tree. It was clear from early tests that a truly natural appearence could only be achieved with a flexibile material. The production of the tree started with the removal of the tree in Mid January and ended on the 20th April when the tree, packed in sections for transport was transported to Milan. The success of the project is due to the extraordinary work of Esfinge Foundry and a team from Factum who worked long hours, six days a week. In Milan the top hald of the tree was suspended from cables and lifted so the bottom half could be joined and secured. The final roots and leaves were then welded in situ and chased to remove all evidence of human intervention. From top to bottom the tree measures over 6 meters, weighs about 2 tons and hangs level with the 3rd floor of the building. Despite its weight the finished tree appears weightless - as if the tree is in the process of metamorphosing into something ethereal as it transformed from a living structure into an ideal representation of itself.” (The Autogrill Olive Tree, Factum Arte)

Friday, April 26, 2019

Vienna Airport control tower

Vienna Airport control tower, Wien-Flughafen, Towerstraße, Schwechat, Vienna

Vienna Airport control tower, 2005
Wien-Flughafen, Towerstraße, Schwechat
Vienna, June 2018

“The 109m tower is situated at the main entrance to the airport, providing the surrounding area with a distinctive landmark. Its 6 storey base houses an air traffic control centre and its orientation follows the orthogonal layout of the surrounding streets. The control tower at the top is rotated approx. 45° in order to afford a better view of the runways. The mid section is covered with a PTFE membrane which can be used for multimedia projections (information, advertising, artwork) and whose profile warps continuously from the base to the control tower.” (Vienna Airport control tower, Architizer)

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Jungschwanenbrunnen

Jungschwanenbrunnen (Young Swans Fountain) by August Gaul, Kurfürstendamm - Leibnizstraße, Berlin

Jungschwanenbrunnen (Young Swans Fountain) by August Gaul, 1908
Kurfürstendamm / Leibnizstraße
Berlin, September 2011

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Ruspoli Chapel

Ruspoli Chapel by Giovanni Paciarelli, Cimitero delle Porte Sante, The Sacred Doors Cemetery, Via delle Porte Sante, Florence

Ruspoli Chapel by Giovanni Paciarelli
Cimitero delle Porte Sante (The Sacred Doors Cemetery)
Via delle Porte Sante
Florence, December 2018

“The Porte Sante cemetery surprised visitors with its comingling of styles: it was important to appear, to show the dignity of their own social class. This eclectic mix reveals interesting monuments for the style, for materials and construction methods. One of this examples is the Ruspoli chapel, designed in 1891 by Giovanni Paciarelli, architect sensitive to modernism and designer of Paggi Palace in Florence. The chapel, commissioned by Valsè-Pontellini family, stands out in the landscape for the precious texture of exotic carvings and inlays of polychrome marble, mosaics and historiated glass.” (Ruspoli Chapel, University of Florence)

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Diana of the Treetops

Statue of Diana by Estcourt J. Clack, Diana Fountain, Green Park, London

Statue of Diana by Estcourt J. Clack, 1952
Diana Fountain, Green Park
London, September 2015

“The Diana Fountain, also known as Diana of the Treetops, is a fountain and statue of Diana by Estcourt J Clack that stands in Green Park. The park and statue are in the City of Westminster in central London. The statue was a gift of the Constance Fund, which had been established by artist Sigismund Goetze to gift sculptures to London parks in memory of his wife. Sigismund pre-deceased his wife in 1939 and she administered the Constance Fund until her death in 1951, commissioning a number of sculptures in his memory. Constance Goetze was approached by the Ministry of Works in April 1950 with a view to securing financial support from the Fund to replace a fountain in Green Park by Sydney Smirke that was deemed beyond repair. Following an exchange of letters the Fund in June 1950 the fund agreed their support and a competition was organised with Sir William Reed Dick assisting the Fund in selecting a successful winner. Six sculptors took part in the competition: Maurice Lambert, Harold Dow, Siegfried Charoux, Geoffrey Hampton Deeley, Estcourt J.Clack and Hamish Macpherson. In October 1951 it was announced that Clack, a teacher at Blundell's School in Devon, had won. The statue was presented to Sir David Eccles, the Minister of Works, by Constance's niece, Countess May Cippico, on behalf of the Fund on 30 June 1952. From 1952 until 2011, the statue stood in the centre of the park, on the site of the earlier fountain it had replaced. In 2011, Clack's statue was removed from that site, restored with the addition of some gilding and was then placed to form the centrepiece of a new entrance that gives direct access to the park from Green Park Underground station.” (Diana Fountain, Wikipedia)

Monday, April 22, 2019

Sailing on the Tagus

Sailing on the Tagus, Seen from Praça do Comércio, Lisbon

Sailing on the Tagus
Seen from Praça do Comércio
Lisbon, April 2019

“After forming the border it enters Portugal, passing Vila Velha de Ródão, Abrantes, Constância, Entroncamento, Santarém and Vila Franca de Xira at the head of the long narrow estuary, which has Lisbon at its mouth. The estuary is protected by the Tagus Estuary Natural Reserve.” (Tagus, Wikipedia)

Sunday, April 21, 2019

Biblioteca Ambrosiana

Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Piazza Pio XI, Milan

Biblioteca Ambrosiana
Piazza Pio XI
Milan, November 2016

“The Biblioteca Ambrosiana is a historic library in Milan, Italy, also housing the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the Ambrosian art gallery. Named after Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan, it was founded in 1609 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, whose agents scoured Western Europe and even Greece and Syria for books and manuscripts. Some major acquisitions of complete libraries were the manuscripts of the Benedictine monastery of Bobbio (1606) and the library of the Paduan Vincenzo Pinelli, whose more than 800 manuscripts filled 70 cases when they were sent to Milan and included the famous Iliad, the Ilias Picta.” (Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Wikipedia)

Saturday, April 20, 2019

Galeria Handlowa Madison

Galeria Handlowa Madison, Madison Shopping Gallery, ulica Rajska, Gdańsk

Galeria Handlowa Madison (Madison Shopping Gallery)
ulica Rajska
Gdańsk, September 2018

“The Madison Shopping Gallery is found close to the main train station in the heart of Gdańsk and is the most centrally-located of all of Gdańsk's malls. Shoppers have a choice of over one hundred shops and service outlets, restaurants, cafes, ice-cream parlours, laundromats as well as currency exchange and underground parking. Brands present include CCC, Douglas, Ecco, Festus, Intersport, MOLTON, New Yorker, Mohito, Orsay, Ryłko, Unisono, Venezia, Pepco, Monari, Żuławskie Smaki and Bobby Burger and Wojas. In addition, they have 2 laundry services on site - chemical and self-service. There's also the Calypso gym upstairs, an opticians and a laundry and a new food court.” (Galeria Handlowa Madison, In Your Pocket)

Friday, April 19, 2019

Black & White

“Black & White Buddy Bears designed by Ricky Racoon, Kurfürstendam 59, Berlin

“Black & White” Buddy Bears designed by Ricky Racoon
Kurfürstendamm
Berlin, September 2011

“Buddy Bears are painted, life-size fiberglass bear sculptures developed by German businesspeople Klaus and Eva Herlitz, in cooperation with sculptor Roman Strobl. They have become a landmark of Berlin and are considered unofficial ambassadors of Germany. The outstretched arms of the standing Buddy Bear symbolise friendliness and optimism. The first bears were displayed at an artistic event in Berlin in 2001.” (United Buddy Bears, Wikipedia)

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Hooded crow

Hooded crow, San Miniato al Monte, Via delle Porte Sante, Florence

Hooded crow
San Miniato al Monte
Via delle Porte Sante
Florence, December 2018

“The hooded crow (Corvus cornix) (also called hoodie) is a Eurasian bird species in the genus Corvus. Widely distributed, it is also known locally as Scotch crow and Danish crow. In Ireland, it is called ‘caróg liath’ or grey crow, as it is in the Slavic languages and in Danish. In German, it is called ‘mist crow’ (Nebelkrähe). Found across Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as parts of the Middle East, it is an ashy grey bird with black head, throat, wings, tail, and thigh feathers, as well as a black bill, eyes, and feet. Like other corvids, it is an omnivorous and opportunistic forager and feeder.” (Hooded crow, Wikipedia)

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Warsaw Spire

Warsaw Spire by Jaspers-Eyers Architects, plac Europejski, Warsaw

Warsaw Spire by Jaspers-Eyers Architects, 2016
plac Europejski
Warsaw, September 2018

“The Warsaw Spire is a complex of Neomodern office buildings in Warsaw, Poland constructed by the Belgian real estate developer Ghelamco. It consists of a 220-metre main tower with a hyperboloid glass facade, Warsaw Spire A, and two 55-metre auxiliary buildings, Warsaw Spire B and C. The main tower is the second tallest building in Warsaw and also the second tallest in Poland. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) has been headquartered in the 6th to 13th floors of the building since 2012. In December 2014, a large neon sign with the words ‘Kocham Warszawę’ (I love Warsaw) was installed by Belgian creative lighting and visual design practice Painting with Light and placed on the upper floors of the partially constructed main tower. The building was topped out in April 2015. The neon sign was removed in early July 2015 due to progress in façade assembly. A more advanced version of the sign returned permanently to the top of the tower in May 2016, for the opening of the building.” (Warsaw Spire, Wikipedia)

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Grave of Zénobe Gramme

Grave of Zénobe Gramme, Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, Père Lachaise Cemetery, Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement, Paris

Grave of Zénobe Gramme (1826-1901)
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, (Père Lachaise Cemetery)
Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement
Paris, July 2010

“Zénobe Théophile Gramme (4 April 1826 – 20 January 1901) was a Belgian electrical engineer. He was born at Jehay-Bodegnée on 4 April 1826, the sixth child of Mathieu-Joseph Gramme, and died at Bois-Colombes on 20 January 1901. He invented the Gramme machine, a type of direct current dynamo capable of generating smoother (less AC) and much higher voltages than the dynamos known to that point.” (Zénobe Gramme, Wikipedia)

Monday, April 15, 2019

Palazzo dell'Arte

Palazzo dell'Arte by Giovanni Muzio, Viale Alemagna, Milan

Palazzo dell'Arte by Giovanni Muzio, 1933
Viale Alemagna
Milan, November 2016

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Dom Turecki

Dom Turecki, Turkish House, Długa and Pędzichów, Kraków,

Dom Turecki (Turkish House)
Długa and Pędzichów
Kraków, September 2018

“On the corner of Długa and Pędzichów streets stands a town house called the Turkish House. It was erected in the late 19th century. It features three minarets, one of which ends with a moon crescent. The voice of the muezzin is nowhere to be heard, no one uses the minarets for prayer. All that remains are the slender towers. Its Turkish architectural features are the work of its owners of the beginning of the 20th century. Veteran of the 1863 Uprising against the Russian Empire and officer of the Ottoman Army, the then owner Artur Teodor Rayski returned to Poland in 1890.” (culture.pl)

Saturday, April 13, 2019

Ludwig-Erhard-Haus

Ludwig-Erhard-Haus by Nicholas Grimshaw, Fasanenstraße, Charlottenburg, Berlin

Ludwig-Erhard-Haus by Nicholas Grimshaw, 1997
Fasanenstraße, Charlottenburg
Berlin, September 2011

“Börse Berlin today has its headquarters in Ludwig-Erhard-Haus designed by Nicholas Grimshaw at the Fasanenstraße 85 in the district Charlottenburg. Managing Director is Jörg Walter. Members of the Executive Board are Artur Fischer and Jörg Walter.” (Börse Berlin, Wikipedia)

Friday, April 12, 2019

Camera degli Angioli

Camera degli Angioli, Chamber of the Angels, Casa Buonarroti, Via Ghibellina, Florence

Camera degli Angioli (Chamber of the Angels)
Casa Buonarroti
Via Ghibellina
Florence, December 2018

“This room was used as a chapel from 1677 onward. The frescoes on the walls, painted by Jacopo Vignali between 1622 and 1623, represent the saints and the blessed of the city and territory of Florence advancing in procession, with John the Baptist at their head, from the church militant to the church triumphant. The inside of the cupola and the ceiling are decorated with frescoes by Michelangelo Cinganelli (circa 1558-1635) depicting St. Michael Archangel with angels playing music and singing hosannas, from, which the room takes its name (Chamber of the Angels).” (Casa Buonarroti)

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Statue of King José I

Statue of King José I by Machado de Castro, Praça do Comércio, Lisbon

Statue of King José I by Machado de Castro, 1775
Praça do Comércio
Lisbon, April 2019

“The square was named Praça do Comércio, the Square of Commerce, to indicate its new function in the economy of Lisbon. The symmetrical buildings of the square were filled with government bureaux regulating customs and port activities. The centrepiece of the ensemble was the equestrian statue of King José I, inaugurated in 1775 in the centre of the square. This bronze statue, the first monumental statue dedicated to a king in Lisbon, was designed by Joaquim Machado de Castro, Portugal's foremost sculptor of the time.” (Praça do Comércio, Wikipedia)

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Better Bankside

Better Bankside decorated litter bin, Bankside, Southwark, London

Better Bankside decorated litter bin
Bankside, Southwark
London, September 2016

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker

Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker by Antonio Canova, Courtyard of the Palazzo di Brera, Via Brera, Milan

Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker by Antonio Canova, 1811
Courtyard of the Palazzo di Brera
Via Brera
Milan, November 2016

“Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker is a bronze cast of the marble sculpture of the same name by Antonio Canova. It was commissioned from Canova in spring 1807 by Charles-Jean-Marie Alquier, French ambassador to Rome, commissioned it from Canova for 5,000 Louis as a gift to Eugene de Beauharnais, viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy. It was cast in 1811 and De Beauharnais sent it to Milan in May 1812, but the city found it difficult to find a site for it. It was finally moved to its present site in the main courtyard of the Palazzo di Brera (now the Pinacoteca di Brera and inaugurated there on 14 August 1859 during Napoleon III's visit.” (Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker, Wikipedia)

Monday, April 8, 2019

Ołowianka Footbridge

Ołowianka footbridge, ulica Rycerska, Gdańsk

Ołowianka footbridge, 2017
Motława River
ulica Rycerska
Gdańsk, September 2018

“As part of the regeneration of the old centre of Gdansk a series of bridges are being built to reconnect the Granary Island and Olowianka to the main city. In centuries past the Olowianka island would have been connected to the main town by a series of small ferries with records showing that at least one was operating as far back as the 1390s on a route between the island and what was then a Teutonic fort on today’s ul. Grodzka. That ferry ran up until the 1880s. Both sides of the river would have been thriving centres of industry and commerce but despite the islands proximity to the centre they have recovered slowly from the destruction of WWII. While new development of Granary Island will see a bridge appear close to the Crane, another is already in place. The island will now have a permanent connection with the main town linking the island with the bank at ul. Rycerska and allowing pedestrians from ul. Szafarnia to reach the part of the city next to the Museum of the Second World War much more quickly and simply. Measuring 70.5 metres in length and varying in width from 6.76 to 10.56 metres and costing PLN 10 million, the new bridge connects the river bank next to the Prologue and Kubicki restaurants near the Hilton with the Polish Baltic Philharmonic building opposite on Olowianka. The bridge is designed to be able to swing upwards to open to allow shipping to pass through and this process takes as little as 2 minutes. The official opening took place on June 17, 2017 and has already markedly improved the flow of people through the island and opened up a part of the city which had felt cut off for many years.” (Reconnecting Olowianka, In Your Pocket)

Sunday, April 7, 2019

Großbeerenstraße 94

Building entrance, Großbeerenstraße 94, Berlin

Building entrance
Großbeerenstraße 94
Berlin, September 2011

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Generali & Cosimo I

Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali, Equestrian Monument of Cosimo I by Giambologna, Piazza della Signoria, Florence

Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali
Equestrian Monument of Cosimo I by Giambologna, 1594
Piazza della Signoria
Florence, December 2018

“The Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali is a building in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy. Originally the Palazzo Fenzi, built for the Fenzi banking family and designed in the Neo-Renaissance style by Giuseppe Martelli and is one of the very few purpose built commercial buildings in the centre of the city though it housed on the upper floors reception rooms for the Fenzi family. The site was formerly occupied by the ‘Pisan Loggia’ and the ‘Chiese de Santa Cecilia’. While the architecture of the palazzo is undoubtedly inspired by that of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, also in Florence, the Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali was never intended to be a private house but the local headquarters of the General Insurance Company which was founded in Trieste in 1831. There are other Palazzi delle Assicurazioni Generali in other Italian cities most notably Rome and Milan. During the latter half of the 19th century the Assicurazioni Generali (commonly known as ‘Generali’) were expanding not only in Italy but also throughout Europe. The Assicurazioni Generali generally employed retrospective architectural style to reflect the surroundings of their offices in Rome the palazzo imitates the Palazzo Venezia which it faces, while in Milan the Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali is in a form of 19th century Baroque Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali, Milano known as Beaux Arts.” (Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali, Wikipedia)

Friday, April 5, 2019

Pomnik Fryderyka Chopina

Pomnik Fryderyka Chopina, Frederic Chopin monument by Wacław Szymanowski, Royal Baths Park aka Łazienki Park, al. Ujazdowskie, Warsaw

Pomnik Fryderyka Chopina (Frederic Chopin monument) by Wacław Szymanowski, 1926
Royal Baths Park aka Łazienki Park
Aleje Ujazdowskie
Warsaw, September 2018

“The Frederic Chopin Monument in Warsaw (Pomnik Fryderyka Chopina w Warszawie) is a large bronze statue of Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) that now stands in the upper part of Warsaw's Royal Baths Park (also known as Łazienki Park), adjacent to Aleje Ujazdowskie (Ujazdów Avenue). It was designed in 1907 by Wacław Szymanowski for its planned erection on the centenary of Chopin's birth in 1810 but its execution was delayed by controversy about the design, then by the outbreak of World War I. The statue was finally cast and erected in 1926. The members of the jury who selected the winning project included such figures as Antoine Bourdelle, Józef Pius Dziekoński and Leopold Méyet. The statue was blown up on May 31, 1940, during World War II, on the order of Governor-General Hans Frank and was the first monument destroyed by the occupying Germans in Warsaw. According to local legend, the next day a handwritten sign was found at the site which read: ‘I don’t know who destroyed me, but I know why: so that I won’t play the funeral march for your leader.’ After the end of the war, the monument was rebuilt. Architect Oskar Sosnowski designed the pedestal and basin, which are made of red Wąchock sandstone. The inscription on the pedestal reads: The Statue of Fryderyk Chopin, destroyed and plundered by the Germans on 31 May 1940, rebuilt by the Nation. 17 October 1946. Another inscription engraved on the monument is a quote from Adam Mickiewicz's narrative poem Konrad Wallenrod: Flames will consume our painted history, sword-wielding thieves will plunder our treasures, the song will be saved... The original mould for the statue, which had survived the war, made it possible to cast a replica, which was placed at the original site in 1958. Since 1959, free piano recitals of Chopin's compositions have been performed at the statue's base on summer Sunday afternoons. The stylized willow over Chopin's seated figure echoes a pianist's hand and fingers, and the Polish eagle's head on the right end.” (Frederic Chopin Monument, Wikipedia)

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Gilbert Bécaud

Grave of Gilbert Bécaud, Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, Père Lachaise Cemetery, Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement, Paris

Grave of Gilbert Bécaud (1927-2001)
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, (Père Lachaise Cemetery)
Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement
Paris, July 2010

“Gilbert Bécaud (French pronunciation: ​[ʒil.bɛːʁ be.ko], 24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001) was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as ‘Monsieur 100,000 Volts’ for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are ‘Nathalie’ and ‘Et maintenant’, a 1961 release that became an English language hit as ‘What Now My Love’. He remained a popular artist for nearly fifty years, identifiable in his dark blue suits, with a white shirt and ‘lucky tie’; blue with white polka dots. When asked to explain his gift he said, ‘A flower doesn't understand botany.’ His favourite venue was the Paris Olympia under the management of Bruno Coquatrix. He debuted there in 1954 and headlined in 1955, attracting 6,000 on his first night, three times the capacity. On 13 November 1997, Bécaud was present for the re-opening of the venue after its reconstruction.” (Gilbert Bécaud, Wikipedia)

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Palazzo dei Giureconsulti

Tower of the Palazzo dei Giureconsulti, Piazza Mercanti, Milan

Tower of the Palazzo dei Giureconsulti
Piazza Mercanti
Milan, November 2016

“The Giureconsulti Palace (Palazzo dei Giureconsulti), also known as Palazzo Affari ai Giureconsulti or simply Palazzo Affari, is a 16th-century building of Milan, Italy. It is located in Piazza Mercanti, former city centre in the Middle Ages. The construction of the palace began in 1562 on a design by architect Vincenzo Seregni. The palace replaced an older one (dating back to the 13th century), which was demolished. The overall style of the building and its decoration is Manneristic. A pre-existing tower by Napo Torriani was preserved and adapted to the new architecture as a bell tower; the bell, which was nicknamed ‘Zavataria’ after Zavatario della Strada who donated it, rang to announce such events as public executions. The bell was later replaced by a clock. The building originally served as the seat of the Collegio dei Nobili Dottori (College of the Noble Doctors), a school for aspiring politicians and lawyers. After the 18th century it was used for other functions, including as a stock exchange, as the seat of the telegraph company, as the seat of the Popolare di Milano bank, and finally as the seat of the Chamber of Commerce (from 1911). Today, the building is still the property of the Chamber of Commerce. The palace was severely damaged by the bombings of World War II but was thoroughly restored in the 1980s by Gianni Mezzanotte. During this restoration, the palace was enhanced with hi-tech equipment, such as modern communication lines and multimedia appliances, to create a prestigious multi-functional venue to accommodate events, conferences, and such. It was at this time that the new denomination of ‘Palazzo Affari’ was adopted, although the Palace is still largely known by its former name.” (Palazzo dei Giureconsulti, Wikipedia)

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Line 1 Konstal 105Na tram

Line 1 Konstal 105Na tram, Aleja Pokoju, Kraków

Line 1 Konstal 105Na tram
Aleja Pokoju
Kraków, September 2018

“After the war, Kraków tram network suffered from the lack of tram cars. Furthermore, due to destruction of bridges on Vistula river, the network was split in two parts between 1945 and 1946. In 1950 and 1952 the tram tracks reached Borek Fałęcki and the new city district, Nowa Huta, founded four years later together with a steel mill to the east from the city centre. In 1953, a tram ring around the Old Town was finished. It allowed to close down the old, narrow gauge network on 1 January 1954 and remove tracks from the Marketsquare. In the next years, the new tracks were opened mostly in Nowa Huta and Podgórze. In 1969, a new tram depot in Nowa Huta was finished, after four years of construction. The old depot in Kazimierz was abandoned and adapted for other purposes.” (Trams in Kraków, Wikipedia)

Monday, April 1, 2019

Miracolo

Miracolo - L'idea di un'immagine by Marino Marini, Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus, Adele-Schreiber-Krieger-Straße, Berlin

“Miracolo” (Miracle) by Marino Marini, 1970
Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus
Adele-Schreiber-Krieger-Straße
Berlin, September 2011