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Posts from the ‘Art History’ Category

Sep 11

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The Florence Baptistry, or How I Happened to Earn a Indulgence

Procession at the Cathedral and the Baptistry ...

Procession around the Florence Cathedral and Baptistry during the 18th century

Apparently circling the Duomo in Florence as part of the Feast of Corpus Christi procession earns you a plenary indulgence.  I didn’t so much choose to participate as I was swept up into the crowd.  If anything, our triumphant entrance underneath the gleaming mosaics of the Baptistry was reward enough.  But the nuns at the convent where I was renting a room insisted I had earned some spiritual extra credit by taking this walk, so it must be true.  Looks like travel really is good for the soul!  Here’s how it happened.

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Aug 28

Urn display, Bodrum

Underwater Archaeology Museum

Urn display, Bodrum

Amphora display showing how containers were set upright into the ship’s hull and lashed together

Over the last 4000 years, small ships have darted throughout the Eastern Mediterranean with oil, olives, wine, raw metals and other trading goods.  Since most of these early vessels were not particularly sophisticated, the waters around Turkey are littered with shipwrecks.  After a tip from local sponge divers in the 1960s, the first underwater archaeology excavations were begun along the Bodrum coast.  A lot of these findings can be seen today in the Museum of Underwater Archaeology housed in the 14th century Bodrum Castle.

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Aug 22

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The Painting Under the Painting – Picasso’s Old Guitarist

Partial grazing light image of Picasso’s “The Old Guitarist” as it hangs at The Art Institute of Chicago

It is not uncommon for artists to rework or even reuse canvases.  Careful examination with scientific techniques can offer glimpses of pasts images buried beneath the surface.  But sometimes you don’t need sophisticated instruments; sometimes the underlying image is very obvious looking at the final piece.  This was my experience with Pablo Picasso’s “The Old Guitarist” and the ghostly woman’s face in the top center of the painting.  Looking at it from the side and letting the light graze the image, you can see the depth of her face very clearly.

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Aug 17

Rothko at Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago Art Institute Modern Art Wing

Art institute of chicago modern wing hallway

I spent most of the last week in Chicago including a full day at the Art Institute.  It was my first visit since the opening of the new Modern Art Wing in 2009.  Designed by Renzo Piano, the structure is glass with rib-like vertical and horizontal white elements resulting in an airy and light-filled space (even on a drizzly day) with incredible views of the city.  It is a lovely, blank container for a good collection with some hidden green building construction.

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Aug 3

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus model
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A Mausoleum – A Wonder of the Ancient World

Map of 7 Wonders of the Ancient World

Map of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Image: crystalinks.com)

While I am keeping a count of UNESCO World Heritage sites I have visited, I realized that I am quickly racking up the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.  I saw 2 alone in Turkey!  I should use the verb “saw” loosely as both sites are essentially destroyed but definitely a notable stop along the way.

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