Friday, May 31, 2019

Kaiser-Friedrich-Gedächtniskirche

Kaiser-Friedrich-Gedächtniskirche (Emperor Frederick Memorial Church) by Ludwig Lemmer, Händelallee, Berlin

Kaiser-Friedrich-Gedächtniskirche (Emperor Frederick Memorial Church) by Ludwig Lemmer, 1957
Händelallee
Berlin, September 2011

“The Kaiser-Friedrich-Gedächtniskirche (Emperor Frederick Memorial Church) is a German Protestant church owned and used by a congregation within the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia. The church building is situated in Händelallee in Hansaviertel (a locality of Berlin's Mitte borough) near Großer Tiergarten. Designed by architect Ludwig Lemmer, it was built in 1957, replacing a former nineteenth-century building designed by Johannes Vollmer which was destroyed during World War II.” (Kaiser-Friedrich-Gedächtniskirche, Wikipedia)

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Zeus

Zeus by Benvenuto Cellini, pedestal of Perseus with the Head of Medusa, Loggia dei Lanzi, Piazza della Signoria, Florence

“Zeus” by Benvenuto Cellini
Pedestal of “Perseus with the Head of Medusa”
Loggia dei Lanzi
Piazza della Signoria
Florence, December 2009

“Perseus added to the cast of Olympian gods protecting the Medici. Weil-Garris also focuses on the pedestal beneath the sculpture in the round. However, the present pedestal may not have been Cellini's original intent, as the relief was still being worked on and installed when the bronze sculpture above had already been revealed. The Medici still dominated the theme of the pedestal as Perseus in the pedestal is an allegory for Duke Francesco Medici.” (Perseus with the Head of Medusa, Wikipedia)

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Elevador de Santa Justa

Elevador de Santa Justa, Santa Justa Lift, Rua do Ouro, Lisbon

Elevador de Santa Justa (Santa Justa Lift)
Rua do Ouro
Lisbon, April 2019

“The Santa Justa Lift (Elevador de Santa Justa), also called Carmo Lift (Elevador do Carmo), is an elevator, or lift, in the civil parish of Santa Justa, in the historical city of Lisbon, Portugal. Situated at the end of Rua de Santa Justa, it connects the lower streets of the Baixa with the higher Largo do Carmo (Carmo Square). Since its construction the Lift has become a tourist attraction for Lisbon as, among the urban lifts in the city, Santa Justa is the only remaining vertical (conventional) one. Others, including Elevador da Glória and Elevador da Bica, are actually funicular railways, and the other lift constructed around the same time, the Elevator of São Julião, has since been demolished.” (Santa Justa Lift, Wikipedia)

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Léon Béclard

Grave of Léon Béclard, Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, Père Lachaise Cemetery, Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement, Paris

Grave of Léon Béclard (1820-1864)
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, (Père Lachaise Cemetery)
Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

Monday, May 27, 2019

Lions

Lions by Davide Rivalta, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, Viale delle Belle Arti, Rome

Lions by Davide Rivalta, 2017
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea
(National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art)
Viale delle Belle Arti
Rome, May 2019

“Davide Rivalta’s majestic bronze lions that have been surveying Villa Borghese from the museum steps will no doubt have struck anyone lucky enough to have already visited this gorgeous gallery. Well, this summer this regal pack have become five and accompanying Rivalta’s vast lion drawings in the hallway connecting the North-East and North-West wings. In another reference to Time is Out of Joint, these magnificent beasts are said to act as an acknowledgment to the Museum’s history whilst also being symbolic of art’s unchartered territories.” (Brand-New Exhibits, Romeing)

Sunday, May 26, 2019

Funkturm Wien-Arsenal

Funkturm Wien-Arsenal, Arsenal TV tower, Arsenalstraße, Vienna

Funkturm Wien-Arsenal (Arsenal TV tower), 1975
Arsenalstraße
Vienna, June 2018

“‘Alfred’ is the radio tower in our technical, innovation and -education site Arsenal in Vienna. And, since Actober 15th 1973 which was the day when the first sod it´s part of Vienna´s cityscape like the Stephans Dom. Actually, this is not entirely correct as it took 5 years to build Alfred and exactly on September 8th 1978 it was festively opened. One of the exiting stories behind the construction of Alfred is that each concrete platforms had to be build on the ground after which they were lifted with steelcables. By the way, the tower used to be Austria´s microwave radio relay hub. Until 2001 all TV and radio programs of the Austrian Broadcasting were distributed to the local broadcasting locations through the A1 radio tower in ‘Arsenal’. What´s Alfred´s current purpose? Today, we are transporting data packages and analogue transmissions centers were mainly replaced by digital once. Alfred is keeping up with time. More then ever, topics like environmental protection are important to him. This is why one time per year during World Earth Hour, Alfred stays in the dark.” (This is Alfred!, A1 Stories to Be Told)

Saturday, May 25, 2019

Moltke-Denkmal

Statue of Helmuth von Moltke the Elder by Joseph Uphues, Spreeweg, Tiergarten, Berlin

Statue of Helmuth von Moltke the Elder by Joseph Uphues, 1904
Spreeweg, Tiergarten
Berlin, September 2011

“The statue of Helmuth von Moltke the Elder by Joseph Uphues is located near the Berlin Victory Column in the Tiergarten, Berlin.” (Statue of Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Wikipedia)

Friday, May 24, 2019

Hercules and Nessus,

Hercules and Nessus by Giambologna, Loggia dei Lanzi, Piazza della Signoria, Florence

“Hercules and Nessus” by Giambologna, 1599
Loggia dei Lanzi
Piazza della Signoria
Florence, December 2009

“Nearby is Giambologna's less celebrated marble sculpture Hercules and Centaur (1599) and placed here in 1841 from the Canto de' Carnesecchi. It was sculpted from one solid block of white marble with the help of Pietro Francavilla.” (Loggia dei Lanzi, Wikipedia)

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Orientation table

Bnonze orientation table of More London, More London Place, Southwark, London

Bnonze orientation table of More London
More London Place
South Bank, Southwark
London, September 2014

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Marinheiro ao Leme

Marinheiro ao Leme, Sailor at the Rudder by Francisco dos Santos, Jardim Roque Gameiro, Cais do Sodré
Lisbon

Marinheiro ao Leme (Sailor at the Rudder) by Francisco dos Santos, 1915
Jardim Roque Gameiro
Cais do Sodré
Lisbon, April 2019

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Istituto Svizzero

Istituto Svizzero, Villa Maraini, Via Ludovisi, Roma

Istituto Svizzero, Villa Maraini
Via Ludovisi
Roma, May 2019

“Istituto Svizzero enjoys an exceptional location in the heart of the Italian capital, housed in an eclectic style villa built in 1905 by Emilio Maraini, an entrepreneur from Canton Ticino working in the sugar business. The villa and its grounds stand on an artificial hill, a former dump for waste materials, offering a panoramic view of the city from one Rome’s historic districts in the immediate proximity of the Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese. In 1947 Carolina Maraini-Sommaruga, the widow of Emilio Maraini (1853−1916), bequeathed her property to the Swiss Confederation. This generous donor wished to ensure the continuation and development of the hospitality that she and her husband already offered to young artists and researchers. Villa Maraini thus came to house a foundation at the service of the arts and sciences as well as fostering relations between Switzerland and Italy. The Villa Maraini has formed an integral part of Switzerland’s international network of academies and institutes of art and research located in Rome ever since 1948.” (The Institute, Istituto Svizzero)

Monday, May 20, 2019

Latarnia Morska Sopot

Latarnia Morska Sopot, Sopot Lighthouse, Plac Zdrojowy, Sopot

Latarnia Morska Sopot (Sopot Lighthouse)
Plac Zdrojowy
Sopot, September 2018

Sunday, May 19, 2019

Lagerhauses Süd-Ost

Lagerhauses Süd-Ost (Storage Warehouse South-East) by Kurt Berndt, Pfuelstrasse, Kreuzberg, Berlin

Lagerhauses Süd-Ost (Storage Warehouse South-East) by Kurt Berndt, 1907
Pfuelstrasse, Kreuzberg
Berlin, September 2011

“Spree side of the former Storage Warehouse South-East, now Wissinger-Höfe, at Pfuelstraße No. 5 in Berlin-Kreuzberg. The large complex with three courts was constructed from 1905 to 1907 to designs by Kurt Berndt. It has been designated as a cultural heritage monument.” (Lagerhaus Sued-Ost, Wikipedia)

Saturday, May 18, 2019

The Rape of Polyxena


The Rape of Polyxena by Pio Fedi, 1865
Loggia dei Lanzi
Piazza della Signoria
Florence, December 2009

“Fedi is best known for his sculpture of the Rape of Polyxena, or Pyrrhus and Polyxena (unveiled 1866), in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy. Fedi had a studio at 89 Via de Serragli. He also completed two of the statues of illustrious Tuscans, Niccola Pisano and Andrea Cesalpino, for the Loggiato degli Uffizi which is adjacent to the Loggia dei Lanzi. His other works included a sculptural group of the Fury of Atamante, King of Thebes, The Genius of Fishing, Hope Nourishing Love, Hyppolite and Dianora del Bardi, and Castalla persecuted by Apollon. He designed the Monument to General Manfredo Fanti, molded in bronze by Papi, which stands in the Piazza San Marco.” (Pio Fedi, Wikipedia)

Friday, May 17, 2019

World of Amber

World of Amber, Piwna, Stare Miasto, Old Town, Warsaw

World of Amber
Piwna
Stare Miasto (Old Town)
Warsaw, September 2018

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Louis Visconti

Grave of Louis Visconti, Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, Père Lachaise Cemetery, Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement, Paris

Grave of Louis Visconti (1791-1853)
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, (Père Lachaise Cemetery)
Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

“Louis Tullius Joachim Visconti (Rome February 11, 1791 – December 29, 1853) was an Italian-born French architect and designer. Son of the Italian archaeologist and art historian Ennio Quirino Visconti, Visconti designed many Parisian residences, public buildings and squares, including the Place Saint Sulpice and the overall design of the Fontaine Molière, and was briefly the official architect for the Louvre under Napoleon III. He is probably most famed for designing the 1842 tomb of Napoleon at Les Invalides. His students include Joseph Poelaert, designer of the Palais de justice de Bruxelles. Louis Visconti came from a famous family of archaeologists - his grandfather Giambattista Antonio Visconti (1722–1784) had founded the Vatican Museums and his father, Ennio Quirino Visconti (1751–1818), was a curator. Ennio and his family moved to Paris in 1798 and were naturalised as French citizens in 1799, with Ennio becoming a curator of antiquities and paintings at the Musée du Louvre.” (Louis Visconti, Wikipedia)

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Cycle rickshaws

Cycle rickshaws, Piazza Castello, Milan

Cycle rickshaws
Piazza Castello
Milan, November 2016

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Galeria Anna

Galeria Anna, Szpitalna, Stare Miasto, Old Town, Kraków

Galeria Anna
Szpitalna
Stare Miasto (Old Town)
Kraków, September 2018

Monday, May 13, 2019

U-Bahn-Linie U3

Line 3 train to Warschauer Straße, Between Gleisdreieck and Möckernbrücke, Deutsches Technikmuseum, BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe), Berlin

Line 3 train to Warschauer Straße
Between Gleisdreieck and Möckernbrücke
Deutsches Technikmuseum, Trebbiner Straße
BVG (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe), Tempelhofer Ufer
Berlin, September 2011

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Abduction of a Sabine Woman

The Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna, Loggia dei Lanzi, Piazza della Signoria, Florence

Abduction of a Sabine Woman by Giambologna, 1583
Loggia dei Lanzi
Piazza della Signoria
Florence, December 2009

“Abduction of a Sabine Woman (or Rape of the Sabine Women) is a large and complex marble statue by the Flemish sculptor and architect Giambologna (Johannes of Boulogne). It was completed between 1579 and 1583 when Giambologna was a student at the prestigious Accademia delle Arti del Disegno, Rome, under he patronage of Cosimo I de' Medici. Giambologna achieved widespread fame in his lifetime, and this work is widely considered his masterpiece. It has been in the Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence, since August 1582. The statue is composed in the figura serpentina style. It depicts three nude figures: a young man in the center who has seemingly taken a woman from an despairing older man below him. It is ostensibly based on the rape of the Sabine Women incident from the early history of Rome when the city contained relatively few women, leading to their men committing a raptio (large-scale abduction; the word is rendered as rape in archaic or literary English) of young women from nearby towns and cities. It was the first of Giambologna's statues for Francesco de’ Medici of Tuscany, and is produced in the Mannerist style associated with the Italian High Renaissance. It consists of three full figures and was carved from a single block of white marble. It was not given a title until after it was completed. Giambologna was typically non-committal about the subject matter of his work, and in this instance wanted to produce a large, monumental sculpture that would display his virtuosity. Around the time it was finished, and before Francesco had it installed at the Loggia dei Lanzi, Vincenzo Borghini suggest the title The Rape of the Sabines, and thus a bronze relief was added to the pedestal to link it with the Roman myth.” (Abduction of a Sabine Woman, Wikipedia)

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Ankeruhr

Ankeruhr, Anker Clock by Franz von Matsch, Hoher Markt, Vienna

Ankeruhr (Anker Clock) by Franz von Matsch, 1914
Hoher Markt
Vienna, June 2018

“This clock (built 1911-1914) was created by the painter and sculptor Franz von Matsch and is a typical Art Nouveau design. It forms a bridge between the two parts of the Anker Insurance Company‘s building. In the course of 12 hours, twelve historical figures or pairs of figures move across the bridge. Every day at noon, all of the figures parade, each accompanied by music from its era. During the Advent season daily at 5 and 6 p.m. Christmas Carols.” (Anker Clock, Vienna)

Friday, May 10, 2019

Whiteleys staircase

Grand staircase of Whiteley's shopping centre, Queensway, Bayswater, London

Grand staircase of Whiteley's shopping centre
Queensway, Bayswater
London, September 2014

“Whiteleys was a shopping centre in Bayswater, London, currently owned by Meyer Bergman and CC Land. It was built in the retail space of the former William Whiteley Limited department store, which opened in 1911 as London's first department store, and was one of the main department stores, alongside Selfridge's, Liberty's and Harrods. The centre's main entrance was located on Queensway. In December 2018, Whiteleys was closed for redevelopment. It is due to be converted into a Norman Foster-designed mixed-use asset comprising condominium apartments, a Six Senses hotel, and retail units on the ground floor.” (Whiteleys, Wikipedia)

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Piazza Cordusio

Sign on a corner of the Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali, Piazza Cordusio, Milan

Sign on a corner of the Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali
Piazza Cordusio
Milan, November 2016

“Piazza Cordusio (also informally referred to as Piazzale Cordusio)[1] is a square in central Milan, Italy. The piazza takes its name from the Cors Ducis (Ducal court) which was found in the square during Longobard times. It is well known for its several turn-of-the-19th-century Neoclassical, eclectic and Art Nouveau buildings, banks and post offices. Even though many of these have now relocated elsewhere, it is still an important commercial square in the city and hosts the Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali (Palace of the Assicurazioni Generali), the Palazzo del Credito Italiano (Palace of the Credito Italiano) and the Palazzo delle Poste (Palace of the Post Office), former Borsa di Milano (former Milan Stock Exchange). Piazzale Cordusio hosts the Cordusio metro station and is the starting point of the elegant pedestrian Via Dante which leads to the imposing medieval Castello Sforzesco, or Milan Castle. Opposite to Via Dante, Cordusio borders onto Piazza Mercanti, former city centre in the Middle Ages, which leads directly to Piazza del Duomo, today's city centre.” (Piazza Cordusio, Wikipedia)

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Wyspa Młyńska

Wyspa Młyńska, Mill Island, Kanał Raduni, Stare Miasto, Old Town, Gdańsk

Wyspa Młyńska (Mill Island)
Kanał Raduni
Stare Miasto (Old Town)
Gdańsk, September 2018

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Handtuchhaus

‘Handtuchhaus (Towel building) by Helmut Jahn, Kurfürstendamm 70, Charlottenburg, Berlin

‘Handtuchhaus’ (Towel building) by Helmut Jahn, 1994
Kurfürstendamm / Lewishamstraße
Berlin, September 2011

“Kudamm 70 – here, you find the widely known ‘Handtuchhaus’ (towel building), i.e. the narrowest office building of Berlin, which was built in 1992-94 by star architect Helmut Jahn on a lot no broader than 2.5 metres. In 2012, Volland Projekte modernised the entire building technology, and optimised the utilization concept of this seven-storey office building. In order to expand the floor area, the building now protrudes up to five metres into the room depth – an exceptional measure which was taken to ideally exploit the narrow lot of 25 x 2.5 metres. The office building, which is “as narrow as a towel”, not least impresses due to its imposing facade of glass and steel. The residential house with its seven office units comprises a floor area of 730 m².” (Kurfürstendamm 70, Volland Group)

Monday, May 6, 2019

Mother of Christ and Saints

Detail of the facade of Santa Maria del Fiore, Saint Mary of the Flower, Piazza del Duomo, Florence

Detail of the facade of Santa Maria del Fiore (Saint Mary of the Flower)
Piazza del Duomo
Florence, December 2009

“The competition for a new façade turned into a huge corruption scandal. The wooden model for the façade of Buontalenti is on display in the Museum Opera del Duomo. A few new designs had been proposed in later years, but the models (of Giovanni Antonio Dosio, Giovanni de' Medici with Alessandro Pieroni and Giambologna) were not accepted. The façade was then left bare until the 19th century. In 1864, a competition held to design a new façade was won by Emilio De Fabris (1808–1883) in 1871. Work began in 1876 and was completed in 1887. This neo-gothic façade in white, green and red marble forms a harmonious entity with the cathedral, Giotto's bell tower and the Baptistery, but some think it is excessively decorated. The whole façade is dedicated to the Mother of Christ.” (Florence Cathedral, Wikipedia)

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Józef Piłsudski Monument

Józef Piłsudski Monument by Tadeusz Łodziana, Piłsudski Square, Warsaw

Józef Piłsudski Monument by Tadeusz Łodziana, 1995
Piłsudski Square
Warsaw, September 2018

“The Józef Piłsudski Monument in Warsaw was erected to honor Józef Piłsudski, a military leader, Marshal of Poland and one of the main figures responsible for Poland's regaining its independence. This 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall, bronze and granite statue is located near Piłsudski's Square and the Hotel Europejski, at Tokarzewski-Karaszewicz Street. It bears the inscriptions ‘Józef Piłsudski’ and ‘Marshal of Poland’. Plans to raise the monument can be traced to 1990, when the president of Warsaw Stanisław Wyganowski endorsed the request of a group campaigning for the creation of a monument to Piłsudski. The monument, cast in the Polish Navy Shipyards, was unveiled on 14 August 1995, on the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw, which was commanded by Piłsudski. The unveiling was attended by the President of Poland, Lech Wałęsa, and Piłsudski's daughter, Jadwiga Piłsudska. The original plans called for the monument to be raised at Na Rozdrożu Square, but were later modified to site it near the Łazienki. This decision was protested by the supporters of the monument, who declared the new location too minor, and the monument was moved to the current location. The current location has been and still is seen as controversial; for example the statue's designer, Tadeusz Łodziana, expressed his opposition to it in a letter shortly before the monument was unveiled, pointing out that it would cause the monument to be isolated from most ceremonies that take place on the square. Others have specifically criticized the fact that the location of the monument causes Polish soldiers to often face away from it during the guard change ceremony at the nearby Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw, and during the observances for Polish Independence Day, which they regard as disrespectful.” (Józef Piłsudski Monument, Wikipedia)

Saturday, May 4, 2019

Alfred de Musset

Grave of Alfred de Musset, Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, Père Lachaise Cemetery, Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement, Paris

Grave of Alfred de Musset (1810-1857)
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, (Père Lachaise Cemetery)
Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

“Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay (11 December 1810 – 2 May 1857) was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist. Along with his poetry, he is known for writing the autobiographical novel La Confession d'un enfant du siècle (The Confession of a Child of the Century). Musset was born in Paris. His family was upper-class but poor and his father worked in various key government positions, but never gave his son any money. His mother came from similar circumstances, and her role as a society hostess – for example her drawing-room parties, luncheons and dinners held in the Musset residence – left a lasting impression on young Alfred. Early indications of Musset's boyhood talents were seen by his fondness for acting impromptu mini-plays based upon episodes from old romance stories he had read. Years later, elder brother Paul de Musset would preserve these, and many other details, for posterity, in a biography on his famous younger brother.” (Alfred de Musset, Wikipedia)

Friday, May 3, 2019

Church of San Sepolcro

Church of San Sepolcro, Piazza San Sepolcro, Milan

Church of San Sepolcro
Piazza San Sepolcro
Milan, November 2016

“Chiesa di San Sepolcro is a church in Milan, Italy. It was originally built in 1030, but has undergone multiple revisions. The church is located at Piazza San Sepolcro in the historic center of Milan. The latest interior restoration was in 1713–1719, while the present Neo-Romanesque facade was completed in 1894–1897, under the designs of Gaetano Moretti and Cesare Nava. The Bramantino frescoes were moved from the portal to the inside of the church. Other works inside are attributed to Francesco Maria Richini and Carlo Bellosio.” (Church of San Sepolcro, Wikipedia)

Thursday, May 2, 2019

ICE Kraków Congress Centre

ICE Kraków Congress Centre, ulica Marii Konopnickiej

ICE Kraków Congress Centre
ulica Marii Konopnickiej
Kraków, September 2018

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Säule in der Brandung

Säule in der Brandung (Column in the midst of Waves) by Brigitte und Martin Matschinski-Denninghoff, Adenauerplatz, Charlottenburg, Berlin

“Säule in der Brandung” (Column in the midst of Waves)
By Brigitte und Martin Matschinski-Denninghoff, 1975
Adenauerplatz, Charlottenburg
Berlin, September 2011