Wednesday, July 31, 2019

João I de Portugal

Equestrian statue of King John I by Leopoldo de Almeida, Praça da Figueira, Lisbon

Equestrian statue of King John I, by Leopoldo de Almeida, 1971
Praça da Figueira
Lisbon, April 2019

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Rudolfinum

Rudolfinum, home of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Náměstí Jana Palacha, Staré Město, Prague

Rudolfinum, home of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Náměstí Jana Palacha (Jan Palach Square)
Staré Město (Old Town)
Prague, September 2017

Monday, July 29, 2019

Osteria Cocotrippone

Osteria Cocotrippone, Via Gioberti, Florence

Osteria Cocotrippone
Via Gioberti
Florence, October 2015

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Alexandre Falguière

Grave of Alexandre Falguière, Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris

Grave of Alexandre Falguière (1831-1900)
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, (Père Lachaise Cemetery)
Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

“Falguière was born in Toulouse. A pupil of the École des Beaux-Arts, he won the Prix de Rome in 1859; he was awarded the medal of honor at the Paris Salon in 1868 and was appointed Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1878. Falguière's first bronze statue of importance was Le Vainqueur au Combat de Coqs (Victor of the Cockfight) (1864), and Tarcisius the Christian Boy-Martyr followed in 1867; both were exhibited in the Luxembourg Museum and are now in the Musée d'Orsay. His more important monuments are those to Admiral Courbet (1890) at Abbeville and the famous Joan of Arc. Other works include Eve (1880), Diana (1882 and 1891), Woman and Peacock (Juno and The Peacock), and The Poet, astride his Pegasus spreading wings for flight. He sculpted The Dancer, based on Cléo de Mérode which today is also in the Musée d'Orsay. In 1870 he helped create the snow sculpture, La statue de la Résistance. To these works should be added his monuments to Cardinal Lavigerie and to Marquis de Lafayette (in Washington, DC), and his statues of Alphonse de Lamartine (1876) and St Vincent de Paul (1879), as well as the Honoré de Balzac, which he executed for the Société des gens de lettres on their rejection of that by Auguste Rodin; and the busts of Carolus-Duran and Ernest Alexandre Honoré Coquelin (1896).” (Alexandre Falguière, Wikipedia)

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Galéria Nova

Galéria Nova, Michalská, Staré Mesto, Bratislava

Galéria Nova
Baštová
Staré Mesto (Old Town)
Bratislava, September 2017

Friday, July 26, 2019

Moses by Michelangelo

Moses by Michelangelo, San Pietro in Vincoli, Piazza di San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome

Moses (Mosè) by Michelangelo, 1515
San Pietro in Vincoli
Piazza di San Pietro in Vincoli
Rome, May 2019

“Commissioned in 1505 by Pope Julius II for his tomb, it depicts the biblical figure Moses with horns on his head, based on a description in chapter 34 of Exodus in the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible used at that time. Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to build his tomb in 1505 and it was finally completed in 1545; Julius II died in 1513. The initial design by Michelangelo was massive and called for over 40 statues. The statue of Moses would have been placed on a tier about 3.74 meters high (12 ft 3 in), opposite a figure of St. Paul. Giorgio Vasari in the Life of Michelangelo wrote: ‘Michelangelo finished the Moses in marble, a statue of five braccia, unequaled by any modern or ancient work. Seated in a serious attitude, he rests with one arm on the tables, and with the other holds his long glossy beard, the hairs, so difficult to render in sculpture, being so soft and downy that it seems as if the iron chisel must have become a brush. The beautiful face, like that of a saint and mighty prince, seems as one regards it to need the veil to cover it, so splendid and shining does it appear, and so well has the artist presented in the marble the divinity with which God had endowed that holy countenance. The draperies fall in graceful folds, the muscles of the arms and bones of the hands are of such beauty and perfection, as are the legs and knees, the feet were adorned with excellent shoes, that Moses may now be called the friend of God more than ever, since God has permitted his body to be prepared for the resurrection before the others by the hand of Michelangelo.’” (Moses, Wikipedia)

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Ponte 25 de Abril

Ponte 25 de Abril, seen from Cais do Sodré, Lisbon

Ponte 25 de Abril (25 de Abril Bridge)
Seen from Cais do Sodré
Lisbon, April 2019

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Johann Strauss monument

Johann Strauss monument, Stadtpark, Parkring, Vienna

Johann Strauss monument, 1921
Stadtpark (City Park)
Parkring
Vienna, September 2017

“The locals call Johann Strauss Jr. (1825 – 1899) the Walzerkönig (King of the Waltz), which is a clue to some of his more famous works. This is the man who gave us the ‘Blue Danube’ waltz... perhaps the composition most closely associated with Vienna and also the music used to welcome in the Viennese New Year and end the New Year's Concert. Anyway, in 1903, a few years after Strauss's death, plans were in place to build a memorial to this Viennese great. Unfortunately, the financing turned out to be trickier than was hoped and the outbreak of the first World War didn't help matters either. The resulting delays meant the memorial first saw the light of day in 1921, based on a design by Edmund Hellmer. The ‘gold’ statue is actually gilded bronze, and early damage saw removal of the gold decoration in 1935. It returned in 1991 following restoration work.” (The golden Strauss memorial, Visiting Vienna)

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Alarm clocks

Alarm clocks, Easy&Co, Via Gioberti, Florence

Alarm clocks
Easy&Co
Via Gioberti
Florence, October 2015

Monday, July 22, 2019

Gray's Papaya

Gray's Papaya flagship restaurant, Broadway at 72nd Street, Upper West Side, New York

Gray's Papaya flagship restaurant
Broadway at 72nd Street
Upper West Side
New York, September 2007

“Gray's Papaya is a hot dog restaurant chain, open 24 hours a day year-round with its flagship restaurant located at 2090 Broadway at 72nd Street. The 402 Sixth Avenue at 8th Street and the 539 Eighth Avenue at 37th Street locations are no longer in operation. For several years, the flagship location was the only location left. In 2016, Gray's Papaya signed a 20-year lease for a new location at 612 Eighth Avenue, between West 39th and West 40th streets. The location opened in spring 2017. Gray's Papaya is famous for its inexpensive (once sold for 50 cents, now, as of 2019, sell for $1.25), high-quality hot dogs. The "papaya" in the name refers to the papaya fruit drink sold at the establishment. They also sell orange, grape, piña colada, coconut champagne (non-alcoholic), and banana daiquiri (non-alcoholic) fruit drinks. Gray's Papaya hot dogs are considered among the best in New York City.” (Gray's Papaya, Wikipedia)

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Patrona Hungariae

Patrona Hungariae mosaic, Szervita tér, Budapest

Patrona Hungariae mosaic, 1908
Szervita tér
Budapest, September 2017

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Casa dell'Architettura

Casa dell'Architettura, House of the Architecture, Acquario Romano, Roman Aquarium by Ettore Bernich, Piazza Manfredo Fanti, Rome

Casa dell'Architettura (House of the Architecture)
Acquario Romano (Roman Aquarium) by Ettore Bernich, 1887
Piazza Manfredo Fanti
Rome, May 2019

“Designed by Ettore Bernich and built between 1885 and 1887, the building hosted an aquarium just for few years; later it was used as a depot of the near teatro dell'Opera, and sometimes for fairs and exhibitions. A typical building of the age of king Umberto I, it has a circular plan and shows a pronaos with aediculas. Decorations with marine subject are inserted between the sculptures into the aediculas; between the caryatids are placed some medallions. The cylindrical body of the building is subdivided by lesenes and pilasters. After a period of abandon, it was restored and used as a museum and seat for performances and concerts. It presently hosts the Casa dell'Architettura.” (Acquario Romano, Wikipedia)

Friday, July 19, 2019

Ribeira das Naus

Ribeira das Naus, Cais do Sodré, Lisbon

Ribeira das Naus
Cais do Sodré
Lisbon, April 2019

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Paul Baudry

Grave of Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry, Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris

Grave of Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry (1828–1886)
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, (Père Lachaise Cemetery)
Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

“Baudry was born in 1828 in La Roche-sur-Yon in the Vendée. He studied art under Michel Martin Drolling and enrolled in the École des Beaux-Arts in 1845. He won the Prix de Rome in 1850 for his picture of Zenobia found on the banks of the Araxes. His talent from the first revealed itself as strictly academical, full of elegance and grace, but somewhat lacking originality. In the course of his residence in Italy Baudry derived strong inspiration from Italian art with the mannerism of Correggio, as was very evident in the two works he exhibited in the Salon of 1857, which were purchased for the Luxembourg: The Martyrdom of a Vestal Virgin and The Child. His Leda, St John the Baptist, and a Portrait of Beul, exhibited at the same time, took a first prize that year. Throughout this early period Baudry commonly selected mythological or fanciful subjects, one of the most noteworthy being The Pearl and the Wave (1862). Once only did he attempt an historical picture, Charlotte Corday after the assassination of Marat (1861); and returned by preference to the former class of subjects or to painting portraits of illustrious men of his day: Guizot, Charles Garnier, Edmond About. The works that crowned Baudry's reputation were his mural decorations, which show much imagination and a high artistic gift for color, as may be seen in the frescoes in the Paris Court of Cassation, at the château de Chantilly, and some private residences the Hôtel Fould and Hôtel Paivabut, above all, in the decorations of the foyer of the Opera Garnier. These, more than thirty paintings in all, and among them compositions figurative of dancing and music, occupied the painter for ten years. Baudry was a member of the Académie des beaux-arts, succeeding Jean-Victor Schnetz. Baudry died in Paris in 1886.” (Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry, Wikipedia)

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Torre dei Monaldi

Torre dei Monaldi, Palazzo Bartolini-Torrigiani, Via Porta Rossa, Florence

Torre dei Monaldi (La Rognosa)
Palazzo Bartolini-Torrigiani
Via Porta Rossa
Florence, October 2015

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

72nd Street station

72nd Street station, IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, 72nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue, New York

72nd Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)
72nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue
Upper West Side
New York, September 2007

“The 72nd Street station was constructed for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) as part of the city's first subway line, which was approved in 1900. Construction of the line segment that includes the 72nd Street station started on August 22 of the same year. The station opened on October 27, 1904, as one of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway. The 72nd Street station's platforms were lengthened in 1960 as part of an improvement project along the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. The station was built with a single head house south of 72nd Street, which provided the only exit and entrance to the complex. In 2002, the station was renovated and a second head house was built north of 72nd Street.” (72nd Street station, Wikipedia)

Monday, July 15, 2019

Fruit & veggie art

Fruit & veggie art, Arcimboldo-like works, seen from the Charles Bridge, Prague

Fruit & veggie art (Arcimboldo-like works)
Seen from the Karlův most (Charles Bridge)
Prague, September 2017

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Statue of Saint John Paul II

Statue of Saint John Paul II by Oliviero Rainaldi, Piazza dei Cinquecento, Rome

Statue of Saint John Paul II by Oliviero Rainaldi, 2011
Piazza dei Cinquecento
Rome, May 2019

Saturday, July 13, 2019

Fado

Sculpture symbolizing fado, Rossio railway station, Lisbon

Sculpture symbolizing fado
Estação Ferroviária do Rossio (Rossio railway station)
Rua 1º de Dezembro
Lisbon, April 2019

“Fado (destiny, fate) is a music genre that can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon, Portugal, but probably has much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar Rui Vieira Nery states that ‘the only reliable information on the history of Fado was orally transmitted and goes back to the 1820s and 1830s at best. But even that information was frequently modified within the generational transmission process that made it reach us today.’” (Fado, Wikipedia)

Friday, July 12, 2019

Funny bike

Funny bike, Michalská, Staré Mesto, Bratislava

Funny bike
Michalská
Staré Mesto (Old Town)
Bratislava, September 2017

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Agnus Dei

Agnus Dei, Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, Florence

Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)
Piazza del Mercato Nuovo
Florence, October 2015

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Verdi Square

Giuseppe Verdi by Pasquale Civiletti, Verdi Square, Upper West Side, New York

Giuseppe Verdi by Pasquale Civiletti, 1906
Verdi Square
Upper West Side
New York, September 2007

“In the center of Verdi Square stands a monument to the opera composer Giuseppe Verdi, erected in 1906. A statue of him by Pasquale Civiletti (1858–1952) stands at the top of it and statues of four characters from his operas are on the base below him: Falstaff on the west side of the statue; Leonora of La forza del destino on the south side; Aida on the north side; and Otello on the east side. In the landscaping devised by Lynden Miller in 2004, flowers around the statue bloom in the spring and summer months.” (Verdi Square, Wikipedia)

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Erato's horse

One of Erato’s two winged horses led by Harmony by Ernst Julius Hähnel, Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna State Opera, Opernring, Vienna

One of Erato's two winged horses led by Harmony, by Ernst Julius Hähnel, 1876
Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera)
Opernring
Vienna, September 2017

“The Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper) is an Austrian opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera (Wiener Hofoper). In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian Republic, it was renamed the Vienna State Opera. The members of the Vienna Philharmonic are recruited from its orchestra. The opera house was the first major building on the Vienna Ringstrasse commissioned by the Viennese ‘city expansion fund’. Work commenced on the house in 1861 and was completed in 1869, following plans drawn up by architects August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll. It was built in the Neo-Renaissance style by the renowned Czech architect and contractor Josef Hlávka.” (Vienna State Opera, Wikipedia)

Monday, July 8, 2019

Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Ecstasy of Saint Teresa by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Via Venti Settembre, Rome

Ecstasy of Saint Teresa by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1652
Santa Maria della Vittoria (Our Lady of Victory)
Via Venti Settembre
Rome, May 2019

Sunday, July 7, 2019

Café Nicola

Café Nicola, Praça Dom Pedro IV, Lisbon

Café Nicola
Praça Dom Pedro IV
Lisbon, April 2019

Saturday, July 6, 2019

Winged horse

Winged horse, Mercure Hotel, Váci utca, Budapest

Winged horse
Mercure Hotel
Váci utca
Budapest, September 2017

Friday, July 5, 2019

Via Calimaruzza

Floral watering can, Via Calimaruzza, Florence

Floral watering can
Via Calimaruzza
Florence, October 2015

Thursday, July 4, 2019

Mythic Creatures

Mythic Creatures exhibition, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West, New York

Mythic Creatures exhibition
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West
New York, September 2007

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Ledru-Rollin

Grave of Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin, Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris

Grave of Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin (1807-1874)
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, (Père Lachaise Cemetery)
Quartier du Père-Lachaise, 20th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014

“Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin (2 February 1807 in Paris – 31 December 1874) was a French politician, a champion of the working classes who was forced into exile after the failure of the French Revolution of 1848. The grandson of Nicolas Philippe Ledru, the celebrated quack doctor known as ‘Comus’ under Louis XV and Louis XVI, Ledru-Rollin was born in Paris. He had just begun to practise at the Parisian bar before the Revolution of July 1830 and was retained for the Republican defence in most of the great political trials of the next ten years. In 1838, he bought for 330,000 francs Désiré Dalloz's place in the Court of Cassation. He was elected deputy for Le Mans in 1841 with little opposition; but the violence of his electoral speeches led to his being tried at Angers and sentenced to four months' imprisonment and a fine, against which he appealed successfully on a technical point. Under Louis Philippe he made large contributions to French jurisprudence, editing the Journal du palais, 1791–1837 (27 you., 1837) and 1837–1847 (17 vols.), with a commentary Repertoire général de la jurisprudence française (8 vols., 1843–1848), the introduction to which was written by himself. His later writings were political in character. See Ledru-Rollin, ses discours et ses écrits politiques (2 vols., Paris, 1879), edited by his widow.” (Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin, Wikipedia)

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Head of Medusa

Head of Medusa as front door handle, Ministero della Difesa, Ministry of Defence, Palazzo Baracchini, Via XX Settembre, Rome

Head of Medusa as front door handle
Ministero della Difesa (Ministry of Defence)
Palazzo Baracchini
Via XX Settembre
Rome, May 2019

Monday, July 1, 2019

Allegory of Glory

Allegory of Glory rewarding Valor and Genius, by Célestin Anatole Calmels, Arco da Rua Augusta, Praça do Comércio, Lisbon

Allegory of Glory rewarding Valor and Genius, by Célestin Anatole Calmels
Arco da Rua Augusta (Augusta Street Arch)
Praça do Comércio
Lisbon, April 2019