tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24351951800436919102024-03-25T06:48:22.839-07:00art+worksSteve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-71186901015652474512015-07-10T07:53:00.000-07:002015-07-10T07:56:08.849-07:00Day 25 - London start<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As I sit here in a very frustrated state at an Airbnb that is not going so well, I'll reminisce about my first real day in London on this trip and how much better it was.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friends' house was a far cry better than the one I wrote this post from!</td></tr>
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I started out at Lori and Gideon's house, taking in a visit with their son Noah, who is a 15 year old I relate to. He's very direct, with a funny sense of humor, and I feel like I would have connected with him at school had I met him then. I took off that morning for the center of town, taking in a bit of their charming neighborhood, called Haggerston or De Beauvoir, which is park like and suburban. The first night there they put me up in a luxurious guest room with down comforter and a lovely garden view, but then a cousin came to town and I was put into a closet (seriously) on an inflatable mattress! And loved it! For one thing, the closet has windows on two sides and was big enough to put a queen size mattress in it, and then just being able to hang out with them was a treat. Plus it was an easy base of operations once I got the trains sussed, which didn't take long. London's public transport is phenomenal, even if it is a bit pricey. It can take you just about anywhere in the city, and it's generally comfortable. I never waited more than 5 minutes for trains during the whole trip. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the recent London building additions have some pretty questionable design!</td></tr>
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One of the first things that struck me was the number of construction cranes visible from anywhere in London. Seems like the building boom is going strong here. Wish I could say I loved all the additions to the city, but it is good to see the economy is alive and kicking. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soane Museum, on Lincoln's Inn Fields.</td></tr>
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I had a big list of things to see in London from all my online research, and I wasted no time to get in to the Soane museum, built around John Soane's house on Lincoln's Inn Fields in the middle of town. Soane was a classical architect who designed his own house, those for clients, and some major works such as the Bank of England headquarters. He also collected all kinds of Roman, Greek, and other bits of architectural and ornamental items for his teaching practice, much of which is on display as it was left in the house in the early 1800s. The house is a crazy rabbit den of passages filled with shelves and pedestals, innovative and unusual rooms with things like tinted skylights and a central heating system that rises up from the basement, and a very cool picture gallery with swinging doors that increase the hanging area by fourfold. Only bummer was a ban on photography, so I was sneaky Sam with my phone cam, which puts a damper on the experience. Nevertheless, it's a great spot I highly recommend, and it's FREE!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sneaky Pete photo of the interior of Soane Museum showing his packrat tendencies.</td></tr>
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After that I walked over to the nearby British Museum, also FREE, and spent several hours wandering the immense halls and snapping freely. The collections here leave the Met's collections far behind, with hall after hall of just the Greek things, including of course the hotly contested Elgin Marbles, taken off the Parthenon in the early 19th century and shipped to London for "safekeeping". </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"What did you bring home as a souvenir, my dear?"<br /> "Not much, a few statues and a temple or two."</span></span></td></tr>
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Wandered around a bit longer in the center of town, trying to see something I might recognize from 35 years ago, but things are so much more commercial today (just like in NYC) that I really couldn't get anything that felt at all familiar. Took the train back and enjoyed a bite with friends.</div>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-11013791648377155022015-07-09T08:36:00.002-07:002015-07-09T08:36:56.797-07:00Day whatever- it's all over!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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What an epic trip this has been! I've been on the road for over 7 weeks, and now am sitting on the plane back home, trying to make some sense of it all before we get home and the details of trying to catch up with everything overwhelm me. I never believed Marianne when she first said I should stay out until July 8th, and yet here it is and here I am, still alive and writing too. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marianne and our friend's daughter Xanthe on the first day of the trip in Rome.</td></tr>
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Beginning in Italy to stay with our friends in Rome, then down to Lecce for the Salon Conference of Decorative Painters, staying a week or so afterwards while Marianne went home to finish up the school year (she's the school nurse at our local junior high), meeting back up with her in London, going out to Bath area for a reunion of old friends, splitting up again while she and her friend Heather went off to explore ancient stone circles and wells while I had a good dose of London and a good dose of friends I stayed with, traveling up to Leeds to see a couple grand houses, then flying to Ireland to meet M. once again, staying in Dublin with her family connection, driving around the southwestern end of the country up to Galway area, then finally flying back to London for a wrap up week of museums, houses, and another great friend reunion. </div>
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So many new experiences and places; I hadn't been to London in 35 years, and Ireland in 42 years! Southern Italy was unexpectedly different, Caserta was jaw dropping, London was unrecognizable, same for Dublin, Leeds was unexpectedly pleasant (other than driving!) and rural Ireland was a whole new cup of fresh tea (ditto for driving there-- Yikes!!) </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stacks of peat drying in Western Ireland</td></tr>
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I could definitely keep going like this for a while if I had the budget, but responsibilities call, and of course I look forward to seeing the family, and dogs, and cats, and bike, and surfboard, and getting back into the studio to try to assemble and react to all the amazing input I've had over the past 52 days! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Superfast one day mural done with a couple of scenic painters in London. Each panel is 10'x10'!</td></tr>
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I can see from this how celebrities must need to take lots of photos and keep diaries- it does tend to blur and the distances of time seem immense- the Salon experience seems like a year ago already. Definitely had our trials on this trip, as probably always happens and will happen, especially when one is traveling on the cheap, But it makes for such a great time, and some of the most random moments end up being the most memorable. I will continue to post the chronological diary entries of the trip as I go back through the photos and remember the days, but I wanted to try to catch the moment while it is still fresh. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubbles in Trafalgar Square</td></tr>
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Hello "real life"!</div>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-84648747805824857842015-07-01T01:20:00.002-07:002015-07-01T01:21:09.304-07:00Day 24 - To London, to London, to buy a fat pig!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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[from two weeks ago- still playing catchup]</div>
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Finally got in touch with our friends Lori and Gideon, who had been down at the reunion in Frome, and they reiterated their invite to come stay with them in London, which I happily accepted. I uneventfully got myself to the Brighton station and took the train to London, which was mercifully less expensive than the cross country adventure I had taken a few days earlier. I arrived at the Victoria station and couldn't contact Lori for a while, so I went straight away to the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham, which I knew I wanted to see, and was only a short walk from the station. As a bonus, they had a coat check that could take my travel bags (a lot of them don't, as I learned later) The funny part was that they had to do a security check like you'd get at the airport, seeing as how close to the Palace they are, and the girl there was quite thorough in her inspection of my dirty socks etc, to the only slightly stifled annoyance of a couple of blue hairs waiting in the queue. Mostly I had come to see the architecture and the statues by Sandy Stoddart, who had been at the Classical Traditions Conference last year. I was not disappointed by those, though the collection was a bit thin, despite a nice Rembrandt biblical painting.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen's Gallery at Buckingham, architecture by John Simpson, sculptures by Alexander Stoddart.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">After that I went down the street and saw the bear hat guards out in front of the Palace, sat by the fountain, then walked down to try to see Apsley House, which would not allow my bags (or photography- so forget them!) Went to the Hyde Park rose garden, which was hitting its stride and had a number of unusually beautiful flowers and combos, then heard from Lori and got on the tube to follow her directions to their house, on a lovely little park called de Beauvoir in NE London. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowers in the rose garden at Hyde Park</td></tr>
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Next day got up and went in to see the Soane Museum, where Sir John Soane had assembled a packrat's collection of ancient architectural fragments and molds, paintings by Hogarth, a Canaletto, and amazing watercolor renderings of his projects by his compatriot Joseph Gandy. The house is a fun glimpse into the kind of accumulative mentality of the early 19th century, with items piled and hung one on top of the other in dusty profusion. The pictures gallery has giant swinging doors that allow pictures to be hung on both sides, thereby maximizing the amount of art that could be hung. Many of the rooms seem larger than they are by virtue of their designs, and the whole house has light channels that flood the interiors with amber light through tinted skylights all the way to the subterranean level. The library is of course very enviable, with notebooks of thousands of original Adam brothers drawings from their Grand Tour of Europe (what I'd give for a week or two to look through those!) I hear I just missed the reopening of some of his personal rooms by a day or two, so if I make it back to London, it might be worth another visit. Especially since they also ban photos (boooo!!) so i could take another shot on sneaking a few more.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Soane's museum, a packrat's delight!</td></tr>
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After a quick lunch I walked over to the nearby British Museum, where I was pleased to learn that it's FREE, and they do NOT prohibit photos. Featuring a cornucopia of artistic gleanings from around the world, including the Elgin Marbles taken from the Parthenon, the museum is an encyclopedic look at the world's physical cultures. Despite my four hours of intensive scrutiny there, I need to go back again, as I entirely missed the prints and drawings collection, and a bunch of other things I'm interested in. This is not a one day museum! It's all housed in a great building too, with polychrome neoclassical Greek ornaments, designed by Robert Smirke in the early 19th century. Hall after hall opens up, with bits you'll recognize and many you won't. And then there's the recently glassed over central court, by Norman Foster, which allows a nice amble in climate control, but appears to be aging rather badly after just 15 years.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceiling of the BM addition looks pretty cool- until you look closely at the pigeon debris!</td></tr>
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After they dragged me out of there (kicking and screaming "no!!") I walked about for a bit in central London, trying to get any semblance of familiarity from the last time I was here, in 1978. I couldn't. It all seems so much more commercial than my memories of it, with so much street level activity everywhere. Restaurants, shops, adverts, kiosks, walkstreets, and general crowds seem so much thicker than I remember. I'm sure the same thing would be true of New York or even LA if I hadn't been there in the intervening years, but it's strange to be somewhere you know you've been before and not recognize a single thing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not quite sure what they were thinking with this modern addition to town. Total disharmony.</td></tr>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-55320060706618103042015-06-19T07:36:00.001-07:002015-06-19T07:36:55.647-07:00Day 23- Brighton Beach Memoirs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Woke up with a knife in my throat, which is apparently an indicator of strep, but I needed to see the Royal Pavilion, so I had a bit of coffee (ouch! too hot!) and walked on down to the little park that fronts it and the old stables, which is now the Brighton Museum. I like the character of Brighton, which is kind of touristy, mostly British, with loads of food offerings and reasonable lodgings. My walkup single, on a nice square just a block from the beach, was only £30 ($45). There are all kinds of shops in the winding alleys known as The Lanes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local boys adding some atmosphere to the park in front of the Pavilion</td></tr>
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I entered the Royal Pavilion and was sad to find out that photography is not allowed there! It is a marvelous interior (exterior too), based on an amalgam of Indian and Chinese architectures. The exterior is mostly the work of John Nash, and was done around 1820, while the interiors are mostly the work of Frederick Crace. It was used by King George IV as a getaway from London, and it has a very festive party look, with an outrageously ornate banqueting room that features a one ton chandelier and very fine decorative work all over.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Model of the Pavilion shows the Indo-Saracenic influence of the exteriors. By John Nash, ca 1820</td></tr>
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As the rooms went on, it became easier to sneak a shot here and there, and I almost thought about going back into the banquet hall, but opted instead to do a small drawing of a piece of wall paper in the music room. I later found out that I have friends who know the chief of restoration there (now retired) and I might have gotten a more intimate tour, but as it was I was very impressed with the quality and extent.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceiling of the Music Room in the Pavilion gives a taste of the more Chinoise decor of the interiors<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">. </span></td></tr>
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After some Thai soup that helped my throat a bit, I crossed over the garden, which has been restored to its original configuration recently, and went to see the Brighton Museum, housed in the old stables building. It's a nice museum, with a mix of design, history, archeology, and science. There were some tasty bits of early 20th century furniture and art, the requisite Turners, a good clothing display, and some Egyptian mummies and crocodile skulls just to round things out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early 20th century bathing suits in the Brighton Museum</td></tr>
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All in all, a very good day, despite hacking fits and a throat that still feels like someone poured lye down it. Went back to the hotel, spent some web time in the lobby, and turned in early (only to find out that the cough syrup I'd bought had pseudoephedrine in it, which kept me up all night!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun vernacular style of architecture has brick surrounds with beach cobble infills</td></tr>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-60933347579850840852015-06-19T07:36:00.000-07:002015-06-19T07:36:45.935-07:00Day 21-22 Down to the Sea!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Goodness- I'm getting way behind! That's what happens when you stay with friends rather than in a boring old hotel where there's nothing better to do at night than write stuff about your day. Instead I'm having a great time meeting peoples' kids, spending time with spouses and generally enjoying life without electronics! Who knew? But I vow to carry on with my reports, if for no other reason than getting to look back at them some time in the future when I'm knee deep in details and need a reminder that this is what it's all for!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert in the garden at Stourhead</td></tr>
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So, back to my last day in Wiltshire, almost 10 days ago now. Said goodbye to Andrew and thanks for all the hospitality, then set off with Robert to go see Stourhead, another house with a Capability Brown landscape, just about a 20 minute drive away from their house. (I have a Home Depot and a Costco about 20 minutes from my house.) (OK, I also have the Pacific Ocean within a 20 minute walk, so there's that.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First glimpse of a couple of the follies in the garden, designed by Henry Flitcroft</td></tr>
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Got there just as they opened, and walked down the paths to the lake, on a brisk but sunny morning. The rhododendrons here were in their perfection, and some of them are huge- 30 feet tall - covered in pink or purple or white blossoms. We cruised the pathways around the lake, passing several architectural follies (not by Brown) that had nice interiors with statues and painting, and one particularly chatty guard. The guards and and security in most of the English museums I've been in on this trip have been talkative and enthusiastic, and (mostly) very well informed. Nice to see that they care and value their jobs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Temple of Apollo, also by Flitcroft.</td></tr>
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We were almost ready for lunch by then, but decided to first tackle the house, which is not as large as some, and was completely refurbished after a disastrous fire in 1902. It is still charming, and had another one of those libraries that I could spend quite a bit of time in, with large antique print books that really turn my wheels. The decoration was somewhat plainer than others, but it was still charming and really felt like a home you could live in. The exterior was designed by Colen Campbell, <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">(<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.3636360168457px;">1676 – 1729)</span> </span>who was instrumental in bringing Palladian style to England mostly through his book, <u><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Vitruvius_Britannicus_title_page_volume_I.jpg" target="_blank">Vitruvius Britannicus</a></u>, published in the early 1700s.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The portico at Stourhead was a later addition, but was done to Colen Campbell's design.</td></tr>
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Left the house and had a bit of lunch, then Robert drove me down to the train station at Gillingham, where I caught a train to Woking (£35 for a 1- 1/2, ouch!) and then rented a car to get down to a hamlet called Chiddingfold, where I'd stayed in an inn with my mother some 42 years ago! I'd located the inn online and booked a night there just for the memories, and (once I found it- without GPS!) I was not disappointed to find it looked unchanged. The low, dark entry was charming and reflected its long history as an inn. The Crown Inn was built around 1250, and is recorded as a place for traveling monks to stay in the mid 1300s. It is a half-timbered house with wonky floors and a beautiful old dining room. My only disappointment was learning that my room was in a recently built annex, though it was still nice and reflected a moderate price that is probably not the case with the old room where my mom and I stayed in the 70's. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crown Inn in Chiddingfold, Surrey, built in the mid 1200s</td></tr>
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The next day I got up and had my first proper English breakfast in the dining room, then drove down to Petworth, another fabulous house with gardens by Capability Brown again. For the past couple of days, I'd had a bad sore throat coming on, and as I walked the grounds before the house opened, I was feeling pretty light headed. The house was pretty fabulous, with a very nice kitchen and servants area, and an early example of a private gallery in the house that included numerous Turners and William Blakes, and carved wood ornaments by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grinling_Gibbons" target="_blank">Grinling Gibbons</a> in a great room that lived up to its name. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicate and intricate carvings by Grinling Gibbons at Petworth</td></tr>
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By this time the illness was coming on strong, and I barely made the drive down to Brighton, where I turned the car in and got dropped off at my little hotel on Regency Square. The place was fine, though I almost passed out from the effort of lugging my bags up to the 4th floor on the narrow stairs. After a short nap, I got up and out to find something for my throat, then I walked on a bit to take a look at where the Royal Pavilion was (for my visit the next day) and then went down to the beach to see what that was like.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Put on your boots and let's go down to the beach!"</td></tr>
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As a beach boy myself, this was hilarious! First of all, everyone is fully dressed. Maybe a few shirts off here and there, but loads of people (including me!) in jackets, shoes, and pants. It's a bit easier in that regard than it would be in LA, as the beach here is covered in cobbles, not sand, so you stay pretty clean on it. You are also free to smoke and drink alcohol on it, and the locals certainly do. There were no bathers in the water, and a few brave souls were on kayaks, and I saw one lonely paddler on a surfboard. Not quite as lonely as <u>Quadrophenia</u>, but certainly not Redondo Beach either!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing says "beach" quite like stretching out in your suit and talking on your phone as the gulls circle overhead, taking aim</td></tr>
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Straggled on back to the hotel, spent a few minutes on the WiFi in the "lobby", and then crashed.</div>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-9697668332316271322015-06-15T11:02:00.001-07:002015-06-15T11:09:23.227-07:00Day 18-19- 20 Off to the Bath and a Longleat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maynard and Marianne check out Robert's studio</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Our first day of reunion was a joy of old friends hanging out, laughing, making fun of each other and the world, exploring the house and the yard, and eventually piling onto a bus and making our way into the old town of Bath for a bit of meandering and exploration. It was blustery and cool, which was just fine, with sun bursts that felt great and gave good lighting on the buildings. The yellow Bath stone that many of the buildings are made of reminded me a lot of the Lecce stone we experienced a couple weeks ago in Italy. It was nice to be in a crowd of English speakers again, but still feeling like a foreigner.</span></div>
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Bath is pretty commercialized, but there are still corners where you can imagine the sound of horses hooves and carriage wheels, and there was a vegetable vendor whose spiel sounded like something from the 18th century. Took in the pretty Bath Abbey- the first gothic interior I've been into on this trip. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gothic revival chandelier in Bath Abbey</td></tr>
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Returned to the house for a fine round of croquet on the lawn, naps, and some drawing time. Very relaxing! Whipped up a delicious dinner between several of us, and went to bed entirely satisfied. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little tree hugging in the park</td></tr>
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Next day brought glorious weather, just lounging about the house, more croquet, visiting the tiny 13th century church next door to the house, stopping in to say hi to the cows (poor fellows- I think their days were numbered!) and doing a bit more drawing. Some of the group took off that afternoon, with hugs and vows of keeping in touch (we all know how that goes!) Repeat of dinner, and satisfaction for a day well done!</div>
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Next day I decided to visit Longleat House, which is just 5 miles away from the house, and I got dropped there by Marianne and Heather, who were splitting off to do their own mini tour of sacred sites, starting in Cornwall. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longleat from the front side</td></tr>
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Longleat is an Elizabethan country house, seat of the Marquess of Bath, set in a 1,000 acre park designed by famous landscape architect Lancelot "Capability" Brown. It also has a wild animal park on the premises since the 1960's, made to create some income for the upkeep of the place. </div>
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I am so glad I got there in time to take the tour of the private apartments, which have been extravagantly and eccentrically decorated by Alexander Thynn, the 7th Marquess of Bath, who took it upon himself to invent a colorful version of a naive figurative style that encompasses all kinds of thematic elements, from history and politics to erotica, all attached to the walls and ceilings of the paneled interiors of most of one side of the building. I'm sure there are many who object to the non-traditional style of the work, but I found it fascinating and deeply personal. I felt a great affinity for the Marquess, and had to resist the urge to call out to him, as he lives on the top floors still. From his pictures, he looks like he was quite a colorful character, though he is now getting on and is apparently infirm. His son has taken over running the house, and he has removed at least one room's decor (they are all done on panels, so the underneath is still intact, and the work can be preserved as well.) I suspect that in a short time the value of his work will be recognized as a very age appropriate and unique addition to the house. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The billiard room at Longleat, decorated by Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath. (not my photo- it comes from the souvenir book)</td></tr>
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After that introduction, the rest of the house was a pleasant tour of more traditional works, with a dense Renaissance Revival interior mostly done in the 19th century, but incorporating older bits of Italian paintings that were bought by the 4th Marquess and installed by John Crace, interior designer who worked on the Royal Pavilion at Bath and numerous other major projects around England.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Decor of the grand rooms incorporates bits of Italian Renaissance art, such as the frieze and the inset panels in the ceiling, with 19th century surroundings. Has a very Venetian feeling overall. </span></div>
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There were numerous bedrooms and parlors, each with very fine decorations, including a Chinese wallpapered bedroom, and there are over 40,000 books in the library, spread around the house, that included all kinds of droolinducing "elephant" folio (approx 22" x 28") books about architecture and art, which I had to use all my self control not to leap upon and peruse. </div>
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<span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">After satisfying myself that I had shot about as much as I could possibly shoot there, I made my way outside again and set off to explore part of the garden. "Capability" Brown (1716-1783) was known for designing sweeping gardens at country houses around England that are characterized by their pastoral, naturalistic look, despite being quite artificial. They often include man-made lakes and brooks, meadows, large specimen trees planted for their shape and color, and architectural follies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"> The part I chose to explore was called the "Pleasure Walk" and consisted of large trees, flowers and shrubs chosen for their exotic characteristics, color or scent. It took me up the side of the very large approach to the house, and also to the end of my camera's batteries. Thus I strolled back along several long lakes ringed by fishermen and populated by swans and geese, and was picked up from the animal park by Robert, who listened to me babble excitedly about the house on the way back to his.</span></div>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-79634107938133132982015-06-13T00:58:00.001-07:002015-06-13T00:59:12.551-07:00Day 17- Hallo England!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm getting way behind in my reportage, but rather than skip a bunch of days to where I am now, I think I'll just continue sequentially, since it helps me to remember what I did on each day. I've actually now been in England for a week, but this one's about getting here.<br />
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Awoke at dawn to catch a taxi to the train to the airport, where the usual confusion and stress of being in transit mode set in. For someone who loves traveling, i really don't much enjoy the in transit part. The watchfulness, stressing over time frames, and standing in lines are not my idea of fun. Once I'm in my seat and moving it's ok, but the preamble part, not so much. I also stress on finding myself in a new place where I have no orientation, looking at maps and trying to figure out where to go. The computer is great when you have WiFi, and the maps supposedly were going to work on my phone (but have not) so I sometimes get a good map from internet and leave the page open on the laptop, and will get it out for reference when needed. That's worked pretty well, with the exception of Venice, where the addresses are not always correctly entered in the database.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">In the Rome airport a noisy groom's party (with him in a bridal gown) looked like they'd been going all night1<br />
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Anyways, made it through all the airport hoopla and got on the plane, a cheapie hopper from Rome to London. There are now a whole bunch of smaller airlines competing for business ferrying people from point to point in Europe, which means there are really low fares (especially if you book in advance!) on planes that are bare bones, but who cares if it's only a two hour flight. Vueling, Easy Air, Ryanair, you can find a bunch of them online. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure what that's all about. Kinky Brits!</td></tr>
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As we were approaching Gatwick airport, I was struck by the difference between the rural landscape below and that of the U.S. From the East Coast to the Rockies, the landscape is a grid of roads and field divisions that is very regulated on a North East South West pattern, and you can easily see that it stretches for miles that way. In England (and most of Europe) that grid is nonexistent, with fields and roads that are built to accommodate for natural features, rather than the other way around. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">English countryside has none of the mechanical gridding that dominates the US</td></tr>
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Touched down at Gatwick and did the usual passport stuff, noticing how many closed circuit cameras there were everywhere. England is supposed to be the most monitored country in the world for video, and you do see it everywhere- little notices that tell you you're being watched by big brother. Somewhat reassuring, but somewhat disturbing too. Got on the bus to transfer to Heathrow, where Marianne was coming back to meet me after going home for a week to wrap up the school year at her job (she's a school nurse at a middle school.) Didn't have to wait too long before she came in, and we made our way to the car rental place, which is what we'd decided to use to get down to our friend Robert's place in Wiltshire, near Bath. We were rather put off by the rental price jump for insurance; Marianne thought she'd found a car for $20 a day, but then they hit you with "Oh, the insurance fee is $60!" We almost decided to blow it off and take a train, but after some foot stamping and negotiation, we got a decent car for a decent price (around $50/ day all told) and set out. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traffic jam on the A3- feels just like home!</td></tr>
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I was amazed at how shifting on the left side didn't really feel all that strange (we got a manual- they're cheaper) but the left side of the road thing is definitely a challenge, and more than once I found myself on the wrong side, especially when making a right turn. English roads are funny- they seem so rural everywhere- even the big motorways are surrounded by trees, and they don't have billboards, so it almost seems like you're in a green tunnel. Once you're on the smaller roads, they are very narrow and hemmed by greenery, and people park in places that make the road only one car's width, so you take turns coming through. Traffic accidents here must be real show stoppers, as there's frequently no alternative route, and if it's only one lane and that's blocked, well….</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stonehenge, taken from the window of the car as we passed by- it's that close!</td></tr>
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We were also really happy to have gotten a car with SatNav (GPS), since Marianne is not much of a map reader, and I was doing the driving. In England, the little postal codes in the address is actually a unique coordinate for any building, so the computer can tell you exactly where you need to go- including the tiny country lanes. On our way down to Robert's, we were surprised to see Stonehenge just off the road we were on, looking rather small (as in Spinal Tap!) We passed by and soon made it to Frome (rhymes with "broom"), squeezed through the streets there and found Robert's country hideaway out in the middle of fields, next to a dairy farm. Robert and Andrew (they're a couple) live there in very peaceful surroundings, much of which Andrew has built up over time. They just recently added a lake (we'd call it a pond, but it's his lake!) and the house is a delightful little farmhouse that's been made very cozy for the two of them. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The approach to Robert and Andrews house. Without the SatNav we never would have found it!</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The whole reunion thing was kind of a last minute idea, borne of us traveling to England, but bringing together some far flung pals who had a tight knit group that centered around the punk music scene in LA during the late 70's and early 80's. There were 10 of us altogether, most of whom had known each other for over 30 years. Two of us, Robert and Alan, had moved to the UK a number of years ago, and our reunions are few and far between, so it was a real joy to get together and share stories and memories. We all settled in and Andrew showed me some of his art collection around the house- very nice pieces that included watercolors of the area, and some really good portraits and landscapes by a great-aunt of his.</span></div>
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Ate a yummy dinner prepared by Robert (with help), and talked until one AM. </div>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-43636751877186954082015-06-12T02:09:00.000-07:002015-06-12T02:09:07.550-07:00Day 16- Arrivederci Roma!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After a good night's rest at Darius and Erica's place in Roma, I set out to see a couple of sites up in the Parco Borghese. It was a beautiful day, so I walked, pleased at how I'm beginning to know my way around Rome without a map. Since there is no grid to the city, the best navigation is from landmark to landmark, so I went from Sant'Ivo, past the Pantheon and the Palazzo Colonna up to the Piazza del Popolo, then up the hill to to the Museum of Modern Art, in the middle of the park. I had only learned last year that the museum actually contains work made from about the 18th century on, a considerably broader definition of "modern" than we would use in the U.S.A. The museum is housed in a grand Beaux-Arts style building designed by Cesare Bazzani, though the interior has mostly been unfortunately "modernized" into featureless white boxes that will not compete with some of the minimal contemporary art in the newer galleries. </div>
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There's loads to see in this often overlooked gem, with a few international big name artists like Van Gogh and Gustav Klimt, but also an eye-opening array of Italian work that was really nice to learn about and see. Works by Sartorio, Nino Costa, Gaetano Previati, De Carolis, and an amazing set of 18 paintings depicting putti in artistic toil that were created for the 1900 Exposition at Paris by Paolo Gaidano. Giorgio di Chirico is well represented in the collection, and I hadn't realized that he was such a prolific painter of self- portraits. There were also contemporary works there, and a good show of contemporary Italian ceramic work.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherubs making ceramics, from a set of 18 panels by Paolo Gaidano</td></tr>
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Did a few hours of looking and clicking there, then meandered up through the park to see the Borghese gallery for the second time. I know that they tell you that you need reservations to get in, but if you show up right before they let the next group in (visits are limited to two hours, and they enter on the odd hours- 9,11,1,3,5) you can find they ofter have available tickets. I was lucky and got there just at 3, bought my ticket and walked right in. And, (drum roll please!) they now allow photography!! Last time it was so hard to resist the temptation to sneak one or two (I think I did shoot a few in the stairwells) but now the only hard part is finding something to brace the camera against for the inevitably long exposures due to low light levels. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to choose what to look at in the Borghese, there's just so much!</td></tr>
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I usually go pretty slowly because of my camera obsession, added to by the numerous tour groups jostling and distracting, but eventually they pass on and I had many galleries almost to myself by the end. I figured out that a good strategy for future visits would be to make straight for the farthest away gallery first, then tour in reverse, with just a bit of crossing over in the middle part when they've already begun to thin out. It's hard to decide what's best in the gallery; it has equally phenomenal holdings in antique Roman statuary and mosaics, paintings and sculpture from the Renaissance, and then the walls with their decorative work. It is as dense a jewel box as one could look for anywhere, and I will definitely be back for more next time. Plus I ran out of battery towards the end!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of paint on marble panels of a new-classical table at the Borghese<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was still taking in the Bronzinos and Parmigianinos towards the end when they kicked everyone out, so I headed back leisurely to Darius and Erica's across town, had a very nice dinner with them, and hit the hay, dreading somewhat the early departure time to make my flight to England the next day.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last pic I caught before my camera quit. Guess I'll just have to go back again! Boohoo!</td></tr>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-44774249434916005822015-06-09T14:57:00.001-07:002015-06-12T02:10:06.925-07:00Day 15- Caserta for Dessert-a!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stairway up to the first floor of the Reggia</td></tr>
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Woke up in my mini-stateroom at the Tropicana B&B, brand new and totally anonymous, and went down to the coffee place to pay the bill and leave my bags while I went to see the Reggia. The Reggia Caserta was the royal palace built for the Bourbon king Charles VII (aka Carlos III of Spain) who was a descendent of the Farnese family. It was the largest palace of the time and is still the largest palace by volume in all of Europe, larger than Versailles. The tour of the interior that I took was a half of one of the floors, (of which there are 4) and it was 60 highly decorated state rooms. There are over 1,200 rooms in the Palace, though not all of them are decorated. The palace has never been abandoned, passing from the Bourbons to the Savoy family, and was used in WWII as the Italian Air Force Academy, later the Allied command HQ in Italy, and eventually served as the location where Germany officially gave up on its control of the country. Today it still houses the Air Force, another school, and the museum</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ground level hallways at the Palace are absolutely enormous!</td></tr>
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On entering, you come into these immense passages which served as carriage routes under the building. The scale is stunning- it's a bit like being under a modern bridge or a freeway. After a few passageways you come to the main staircase leading up to the piano noblile- the main floor- which is only one flight up, but what a flight! The stairs are set at a very regal pitch; somewhere around a 6" height with at least twice that in depth- a very relaxed climb so that you wouldn't break a sweat in your layers of crinoline and velvet. This was the stairway they used as a palace for Queen Amidala in Star Wars Episode One, and it is surreal- I'd say it's the biggest stairs I've ever been on- at least for one floor! Of course it's lined with marble carved with all sorts of ornamental trophies and statues.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main staircase coming from the ground up to the First floor- cue Natalie Portman!</td></tr>
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At the top of the stairs is a gigantic rotunda with triangular piers, followed by the entry to the first room of the tour: the Royal Chapel. Again lined with marble, it seems to be afflicted with some type of corrosive problem, with large chunks fallen out for inexplicable reasons. Then into the first of the decorated rooms, one of five reception rooms leading to the throne room, where one might hope for an audience with the powers that be. You can pretty easily imagine the bewigged and dressed up aristocrats making their way through these rooms along with the occasional bedazzled regular Giuseppe gawking (just like me) at the spectacular show of wealth and power. The whole palace is in the neoclassical style of ornament, with plaster, gilt, stone, murals, and unusual painted terra cotta floors that are in remarkable shape for their age. Although it is pretty consistent in style, it's actually decorated over a fairly long time frame- maybe 60 years or so, from the late 1700's to the middle of the 1800's. The rooms still contain quite a bit of furniture from the time, which adds to the time capsule effect.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egyptian Neo-Classical clock and table, with chairs covered in needlepoint</td></tr>
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There were some great models of the rooms that were done by architect Luigi Vanvitelli to show the King how the palace would look, and there are also models of what would be their equivalent of amusement park rides- some that would not look at all out of place in a modern park, other then being constructed out of wood! There was also an elevator, built in 1845, and a couple of drop-dead beautiful baby rockers that were tours de force of wood carving and inlay. As you round the sixth corner you catch sight of the full run of one side of the building, which seems to disappear into haze after about the 10th or 15th room. They must have needed livery just to get from one end of the house to another!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Model for an amusement park style ride with boats and towers that would probably have been built for a one-time spectacle and then dismantled. </td></tr>
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There are 3 rooms of library in sequence, and I was drooling at the giant elephant portfolios of 19th century prints of Pompeii and elsewhere, all of them beautifully bound in leather and languishing unadored by me! Poor things! After taking as many pics of the place as I could (832, to be precise) I got some lunch in the very decent basement cafe, then headed out the back door to explore the gardens. Modeled on the Palace at Versailles, the gardens are on the same scale as the palace- i.e., absolutely immense! A series of very long fountains stretches along a central axis up to the nearby hills, terminating in an artificial cascade.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top of the cascade looking back at the Reggia Caserta, way off in the haze. </td></tr>
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It was pretty hot out in the afternoon sun down the middle of the garden, so I quickly veered off to one side, where dense woods were penetrated by paths and clearings, with a few small fountains and some really lovely meadows of uncut hay that gave way onto long cross-cutting vistas that ended with a cypress tree or other feature. I paused for a bit to watch swallows swooping through the field, and I was the only person it that area. It was transcendent. I rejoined the main alleè at an English style fountain surrounded by roses, then walked up the first of several terraces that climb the hill, each one terminated by a variety of large fountains. There were sea gods, gods of wind, Venus and her coterie, and finally, two groups of statues portraying poor Acteon and the vengeful Diana, who, enraged at being spied (accidentally) at her bath, turned the hunter Acteon into a stag, whereupon he was ripped apart by his own hounds. Very sad!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diana and her maidens prepare to destroy poor old Acteon just for spotting her in the bath!</td></tr>
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Above that I climbed up to the top of the cascade, which gave a great view of the whole park and the surrounding area, including some other castles and stone quarries, and then I explored the English style garden, which had an awesome nymphaeum folly and all kinds of specimen trees. By the time I got back to the exit I figure I must have walked at least 3 or 4 miles, just in the park. Then I noticed the bikes I could have rented to explore the garden a bit quicker- oops! Got back to my room, retrieved my bags, hoofed on down to the station to find I'd missed the early train I'd hoped for and that my only real option was to backtrack to Naples and take a fast train from there, for twice as much money. I was a little irritated about that, but it turned out to be quite a ride on the bullet train, hitting 300 kph several times, and the trip that took us 3 hours plus on the regular train was just over and hour and a quarter. Got down to Darius and Erica's digs in Campo di Fiori again, and ended another fine day out in Italy.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artificial ruin of a nymphaeum in the English garden at Caserta</td></tr>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-74204771029988878572015-06-03T15:08:00.001-07:002015-06-03T15:08:58.245-07:00Day 14- Ciao Ercolano Ciao Caserta<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In Italian, ciao means both hello and goodbye, and is normally used in multiples of 3, especially when saying bye bye. </div>
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Spent my last morning in Ercolano (Herculaneum) by taking a walk to the university the two chemists had recommended I look at. I hadn't realized that it was in the former Palazzo Portici, which was the first stop for all the best bits of Pompeian and Herculanean treasures, before they were transferred to the museum in Naples. I've read that it's in pretty miserable shape, and the exterior would attest to that, though it looks like they're doing something about it now. I would have loved to take a look at it, but it was all locked up, I guess because of the holiday. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portici Palace getting a needed facelift.</td></tr>
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So I kept on walking down to the center of Portici, which is next to Ercolano, and made my way down to the seafront to see what I could see. Made my way past a little boat harbor to the public beach, which was very colorful and didn't look too awful, though who knows what is in the water this close to the port of Napoli. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The public beach at Portici didn't look too bad, though you might glow in the dark afterwards</td></tr>
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Decided I'd see if I could hike along the breakwater back to the hotel, and I hiked along the big boulders by the water, in front of a lot of dilapidated commercial buildings and a closed water park. Then I saw a Lido (a private beach club) up ahead and hoped I wouldn't have to hike back to the beach, since I'd already come a ways. A guy sunning himself on the rocks said I could go through on the rocks below, but when I got there, I saw I'd have to exit through the club or turn back. So I hopped a little fence and walked through the sea of orange umbrellas to the entrance, hoping nobody would ask me for my entry ticket. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The snooty private beach didn't look much better, just more exclusive.</td></tr>
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They didn't, and I exited the front, walked a bit more along the rocks, then turned and passed under the train tracks and up to a street I hoped would lead back to where I was staying. I paralleled the water for a bit then saw what I thought was the backside of the ruins park and turned up the hill. It was exactly that, and as a bonus I caught a glimpse of the excavated part of the Villa di Papiri, which really is directly below the place I've been staying. And I don't mean down the hill, I mean underneath it, as in, if you dug through the plumbing far enough you'd end up in the peristyle!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My one and only view of the Villa di Papiri, from a farm entry just outside it.</td></tr>
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Anyways, got back to the place paid up and said "Ciao, Ciao Ciao!" to my hosts, and the British couple, who were heading up to see Vesuvius up close, and then hit the train(s) to Caserta, arriving in the heat of the afternoon. Found the place without too much difficulty, and got the keys from the cafe cashier, while one of the baristas showed me up to a new, clean, commuter style room (for 40 Euros!) with private bath and wi-fi. Cleaned up and then to a walk after the heat calmed down, over to see the entry to the Reggia, which is the largest palace ever constructed in Europe. Then back into town for the passagiata; did some window shopping, got a gelato, sat in the park, walked all over looking for an open grocery store, didn't find one, so I bought a couple of fried croquettes from a street vendor and called it a night.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids enjoying a bit of music making on the lawn in front of the Reggia Caserta.</td></tr>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-19051869456652525292015-06-02T23:10:00.000-07:002015-06-02T23:16:53.949-07:00Day 13 - I love you MANN<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Having survived a rather disappointing visit to Herculaneum, with more closures than I had expected, I was crossing my fingers as I made my way to the National Archeological Museum in Naples (aka MANN), since I had run into inexplicable closures there in the past. I particularly wanted to see the Farnese collection of sculptures, which we missed last time. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entry to the museum (from last visit, with Marianne)</td></tr>
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I came into town on the Circumvesiana, the local train system for the Bay of Naples, which pretty closely resembles the Disneyland train, with open windows, rattly cars, and excitable youths hanging from the bars and out the windows. Arriving in Naples' main station, it was nice to see that they had finished the big (enormous) mall project out in front of the station, and they had also given the Metro line a total facelift, which really improved the feeling of not being in the Bronx. Hopped up to the museum without a snag, got my ticket, and was glad to hear that all the galleries were open today.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New subway station in Napoli- a vast improvement!</td></tr>
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Started out in the Farnese collection, passing through sections of architectural stonework that impressed me just as much as the meticulous painting I've seen all over this area. How they achieved such a high level of craftsmanship (and at times even why; explain that later) draws me deeper and deeper into the puzzle of the Roman Civilization. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Section of entablature from the Domus Flaviana on the Palatine. Incredible craftsmanship that goes way beyond "necessary"</td></tr>
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The Farnese were a rich and powerful family that reached the papacy with Alessandro (1468-1549) who became Pope Paul III and was partly responsible the Palazzo Farnese in Campo Dei Fiori, and the amazing Palazzo Farnese at Caprarola. They collected Roman statuary from a variety of places, including the Baths of Caracalla, and their garden on the Palatine Hill overlooking the Roman Forum. They acquired other pieces by purchase, marriage, and occasionally by pilfering. Most of the collection was originally displayed in Rome, at the Palazzo Farnese or in the Garden, but it was then moved to Napoli by the last of the Farnese line, who was King Charles III of the Bourbon dynasty, who ruled from there. I'm going to imagine there's still more than a few Romans who are kind of pissed off about that!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scooby Who? I'm a Leopard, you dummy!</td></tr>
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The collection included architectural fragments from the Domus Flavia on the Palatine, some amusing animals from different spots, and then a hall with numerous gigantic statues that came from the Baths of Caracalla, where they must have looked quite fitting in the enormous vaulted hallways that housed the baths, playing fields, libraries and social rooms. The largest is the so-called Farnese Bull, which tells the story of Dirce, tied to a bull for her mistreatment of Antiope. The scale of this piece is stunning, especially considering it was carved from a single block of marble. It's had numerous repairs and restorations over the years since it's unearthing, but it, like the Laöcoon statue at the Vatican, give some idea of the grand gesture sculptures at that time. In other words, it's really big!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Farnese Bull sculpture, carved from a single block of marble!</td></tr>
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After the sculpture hall I went up to the rooms that house the artifacts excavated from the Villa di Papiri in Herculaneum, which is directly below me in my hotel right now. It was the villa the Getty museum used as a model for their building in Pacific Palisades. The sheer bulk of things that came out of there is pretty mind blowing, especially considering that it's really only fractionally excavated, with tunnels dug in the 18th century and refilled (because it's under my hotel!) It always gets me how much is known but undug here- at least one quarter of Pompeii is still under the dirt- they just don't have enough funds to dig it out properly, and the conservation of what has already been uncovered is the highest priority right now, so things just have to wait.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of about 20 ranks of statues and busts that came from the Villa di Papiri. It must have been stunning!</td></tr>
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Had fun running into an Italian family that were staying at the place I'm staying in Herculaneum- they seemed very nice that morning when we talked, and it turned out the only American artist they knew is a guy I recently met after being aware of his work for quite some time- D. Jeffery Mims. Small world indeed. I've met a lot of nice people traveling on my own for a bit while Marianne finishes up at work. The couple in the flat are both chemists- she's Polish, he's Brazilian, both working with the university in Portici, next to Ercolano. They were heading to a conference in Korea, and then Japan. And a British couple here on holiday, who came sort of on a whim, and don't seem to know anything about it other than that it's warm. Spoke with a Mexican guy who was working in Germany and had taken a cheap room in Naples, only to find it was actually about 15 miles away and was spending a lot on taxis. And finally last night as I finished up the day in Naples, I saw a young woman lugging TWO of those enormous hard case suitcases down the stairs to the Circumvesiana, so I offered to help with one. She was from Chile, though she spoke very good English, and her friend was from Holland- they had both just returned from a food convention in Turkey, and were heading down to Sorrento for a weekend before returning home to work. I don't know how she was going to manage the two bags, and they had no reservation in Sorrento, but they seemed very undaunted. Fun to meet adventurous people!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Brit friends Simon and Liz were good company at the place in Herculaneum</td></tr>
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After the museum, I went to the Piazza Dante and walked down the "SpaccaNapoli", an alley that runs in a straight line right through the middle of the old section of Naples, with shops, vendors, pizzerias, scooters, and even the occasional car all weaving and ducking and yelling and waving their way up and down this chaotic but vibrant city. Back at the hotel, they finally had a real room for me, so I moved all my stuff across the street (after saying good bye to the chemists!) and went to bed. </div>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-3728417510776836112015-06-01T14:17:00.000-07:002015-06-02T11:59:47.616-07:00Day 12- Herc, you Jerk!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All I need is a bed, somewhere to rest my head!</td></tr>
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Well, you win some, and you lose some. After landing in this strange little place last night, I've gotten to kind of like my hosts. Neither one of them looks very Italian- more German or Austrian really, and they are not the loud brash types that seem to be the norm here. They have patience for my rudimentary Italian skills, and they didn't toss me out on the street when the reservation fell through, which would have been a real disaster. I'm also hoping they'll give me bit of a discount for not having wi-fi or a private bath in the flat across the street they gave me. I met one of my flat mates this morning, a nice Polish grad student working on a Phd in chemistry at the University here. She showed me how to work the washing machine, which is another distinct bonus of being over here, as I was just about out of clean socks and underwear. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This leaves my laundry in the shade!</td></tr>
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Went over to the hotel part to have breakfast on the terrace, which was lovely, then collected my things and went down to the Herculaneum Ruins. Several large tour groups had gotten there ahead of me, so I felt like a bit of a salmon as I tried to slip between them while avoiding the mostly overbearing and under-informed guides, who really grate on my nerves. At one point, in the Men's bathhouse, there were two of them going head to head over a very small opening between two of the rooms. Reminded me of the story by Dr. Seuss about the<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/15lKJAS4WgGqA58DjMWrglxiO5LNUIrUmWL_nbnHi3Ho/edit" target="_blank"> two Zax</a>'s, one who always went north and the other who always went south. "<span style="color: #401070; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Get out of my way, now, and let me go forth!"</span></div>
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Spent some time in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodales_Augustales" target="_blank">College of the Augustales</a>, a beautifully painted room that also has a lot of carbonized wood that has been preserved where it was found, under a roof that has been reconstructed from the remains. Herculaneum was encased in a pyroclastic flow of hot mud and gases, unlike Pompeii, which was hit with more ash, pumice and gases. The mud in Herculaneum is much harder to remove than the lightweight lapili found at Pompeii and Stabia, but it also preserved more of the organic materials, such as wooden beams, furniture, and even food. There are loaves of carbonized bread in the museum in Boscoreale that show exactly what it looked like, a round loaf with wagon-wheel indentations on top.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not all of that wood is original, but there are large sections of it that are the real thing, carbonized, but still in place. In the College of the Augustales</td></tr>
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This is where things started to go south. As I turned the corner of the top street, which was kind of a piazza like space, I started noticing barriers that had not been there before, and I got a bad feeling, like the previous visit to Pompeii in 2013. Sure enough, when I asked a guard if there was anything open now that hadn't been open two years ago, he sheepishly admitted that no, it was the opposite, that some things that had been open then were in fact closed now, including two that had been high on my list to revisit. The House of the Stags (Casa dei Cervi) was a very opulent house on the seafront (then) and it was also where my camera battery ran out last time. Very sad to hear that was now off limits. Also the Suburban Baths (see yesterday's post for explication of the name), which closed early last time we visited, was now completely out for repair work. The palaestra, where you can go inside some of the original tunnels that were how they explored</div>
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Herculaneum to begin with, is now closed, and none of the ones they were working on last time had been opened since then. Bummer!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hate this sign!</td></tr>
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Nevertheless, there were some nice moments: the House of the Wooden Partition, which has a free standing wooden screen preserved in the atrium, The House of the Grand Portal, which has one of my favorite murals, with theatrical curtains painted over an all blue background, The House of the Beautiful Courtyard (need I say more?) and the House of the Black Salon all stand out. One thing that struck me again was the height of many of the rooms here. The rooms at Pompeii were just as high in many cases, but Pompeii lost more of its height due to the higher heat of the ash and gas mix that blasted down on them, so you're not as aware of that height in most of its sites. The house of the Samnites is another nice one that was still open, thank goodness, and it has a two story atrium that must have been stunning, with molded plaster columns surrounding the upper floor, and traces of what looks to have been a majestic mural all the way around. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I never get tired of this theatrical frieze mural on the blue walls of the salon of the House of the Grand Portal. </td></tr>
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After finishing up there I found a lunch spot that looked promising but turned out to be rather average and pricey - should have gone further away from the park entrance- I returned to the hotel and found a spot on the terrace to sit and write. While I was sitting there, some kind of "discussion" began to erupt upstairs between about 6 or 7 people, all of whom were eventually shouting over each other at the top of their lungs, overlaid by the bambino, who was yelling "Mamma, Mamma, MAMMA!" the entire time, which must have been 15 minutes. You'd think Vesuvius was erupting and they were arguing about how many would fit in the boat, but it was likely nothing more than a political opinion, which are running high right now due to the elections that just happened. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Your Vote Counts!"<br />
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-60354627205317897912015-05-31T14:25:00.000-07:002015-05-31T14:25:53.560-07:00Day 11 - Pompeian Circumstance<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A new record for me today, with over 835 photos taken at Pompeii and environs! Got out of my plain little room on the noisy boulevard around 8:30 am, stashed my bag at the train station, and went in to the Scavi (Ruins) of the town of Pompeii on a beautiful morning with clear skies and moderate temps, although I did shed my jacket before too long, unlike the day before at Stabia, where I kept it on all day. As I walked in I could hear the chants of the politically inclined out in the street, as they last minute campaigned for their champion down to the wire.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juice stall with Sorrento lemons just outside the Pompeii gates</td></tr>
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When I first came here with my family in 2007, there were very few things that were closed- essentially the Casa Vettii was the only one, and certainly no streets. The next time i was here was two years ago, and I felt extremely frustrated and hindered by the number of closures around town. It was the same thing this time, with numerous streets and buildings inaccessible, but at least I knew what was coming. They have actually opened up a few more of them since the last time I was here, and everything looks like they're doing some good work. There's still a LOT of areas that are inaccessible, but at least they're doing something to preserve what's there. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Menu" of erotic options at the Suburban Baths. </td></tr>
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I decided to beeline for the Villa of the Mysteries before the big tour groups could get there, though I did stop off first at the Suburban Baths, which is right next to the entry ramp. They call them "suburban" because they were below the town walls, not out in the 'burbs. They feature some rather notorious sexual position murals that are thought to be a menu of possibilities for customers. "I'd like a number 7 please, with a little #4 for dessert." There's also a large cascading fountain and bath in the back that must have been quite something. After that I hiked over to the Villa, which is also outside the walls on the northwest side of town, and I was pleased to see that the crowd there was slim- just some French school kids in a bunch, and a few other people. I immediately went to the oecus- a big ocean-view social room- that has the famous mural of the mysterious rite for which the villa is named. I had plenty of time and space to attempt to get some good shots of it in the low light they keep it in for protection. Took twenty-five, only to then realize that my camera dial was set to "soft focus" accidentally! Urrrrghh! Why do they even include a setting like that? I was having a bit of camera envy for the big SLR rigs that some people had brought, since they let in so much more light than my pocket Nikon, but I love how portable mine is, and it actually takes pretty good photos and has a vey long zoom lens, so I'll stick with it.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Border detail from the Villa of the Mysteries. Precision work!</td></tr>
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Slowly wandered through the rest of the house after that, marveling at the incredibly fine work in several of the rooms. Impossibly delicate decorations in so many different styles; the variety of pattern and structure has really struck me on this trip. Even simple patterns have variations in them that keep the eye coming back, and structural elements are subtly changed from one panel to another, so that what looks like a regular repeat is actually a whole compendium of forms placed in serial format, meaning that eye has more to see over time. The effect might sometimes look like stencil, but it is a very different feeling with much more satisfying visual pleasure. They must have had scores of painters for places like this, because no matter how good you are, and how long you've been doing it, work like that takes a lot of time! Some things about the painting are becoming apparent to me on this trip- technical details about fresco that I won't bore you with, though they're very interesting to me. After the house I became an informal tour guide to a couple of Americans I met there, guiding them to the Forum baths and a couple other painted spots with commentary. They both said I should hire out as a guide, which I've heard more than once here, but I need to save it for blogging. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture of Narcissus from the House of the Ara Maxima, one of the ones that was closed last time. He is depicted in a pinake- an antique type of folding frame- sort of a picture in picture</td></tr>
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Broke away from them by going at my usual snail-like photography pace and found a few of the spots that were closed last time I was here - that was fun - but I was pretty shocked at how many large chunks of the town are still totally inaccessible. Snacked on some peanuts ("arachidi" in Italian -we call them "arachnids") and the cherries I bought from the farm stand in Stabia, then made my way towards the exit, pausing to contemplate that I don't know when I'll be back, maybe not until I know they've reopened significant areas. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Stabian Baths are amazing. The tourists, not so much!<br /></td></tr>
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On my way to Herculaneum, my next stop, I was accompanied on the train by a boisterous bunch of high school age kids who yelling, slapping, grabbing, fighting, and generally creating mayhem in a way that only Italian kids can do, especially the ones from Naples area. Absolute chaos, but harmless. Got off in Herculaneum and casually strolled down the main drag towards the hotel, glad to have visited here once before to get the general layout. I made the one turn on the route, and noticed how much funkier the neighborhood gets as soon as you get away from the center. Not scary, but definitely rougher looking. Found the rather anonymous looking place, rang the bell, and waited several minutes before a woman answered and told me to come in and up to the first floor, which is what we call the second floor. She greeted me warmly and brought me in, but after a few minutes it appeared that they hadn't received any kind of notice from the online reservation company, Venere.com. She told me they were totally sold out, it being the big national holiday time, but her husband came down and said they had a rental apartment across the street that I could stay in. He walked me over and I looked at it, then we went back to the hotel part because there isn't any wi-fi at the apartment and I wanted to check emails and Facebook. They said I could hang out on the terrace there as long as I wanted, and it was very nice, with a great view of Capri and the Bay. I sat there quite a while, met an young English couple that had just arrived and were visiting the area for the first time, drank my soda water and watched the sun go down. I was going to go out and get something at a market, but it got late so I just skipped it. Maybe I'll lose a few pounds on the trip, which I could use.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the coast near Sorrento, from the terrace of the hotel I was supposed to have a room in.</td></tr>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-15306048741008632562015-05-29T13:57:00.000-07:002015-05-29T13:57:02.447-07:00Day 9- 10 Getting into the garbage with a lurker<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Warning, this is a long one, so pull up a chair and I hope you have your reading glasses on!</div>
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Day 9 of the trip was mostly spent taking the train from Lecce to Castellammare di Stabia, a sleepy little seaside town at the southern end of the Bay of Naples, just before the Sorrentine Peninsula begins. I skipped over the Amalfi coast because Marianne wasn't with me to take in a romantic sunset, and because it's not a good area to save money, being mostly geared to higher end tourism, which leaves me out! Honestly, as much as I do love good cooking, I am just as easily satisfied with picking up the local stuff at the market and eating simply: tomatoes, some arugula, a smoked cheese or some fresh mozzarella, maybe a little marinated vegetables, and a bit of chocolate or a gelato. Done! For the equivalent price of an appetizer in a low end restaurant.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wandering in the streets of Castellammare di Stabia made me feel like I was in an old Fellini movie. Very normal people, and no tourists at all.</td></tr>
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Because we were mostly eating as a group for the conference in Lecce, I hadn't really stocked up on anything when I left town on the train at 7 am, and all the connections (I took 5 different trains to get to Stabia!) didn't have much layover time, so by the time I got there I was pretty hungry. I found my little B&B with a bit of luck and a friendly local who knew where it was exactly, and as soon as I was settled I took off to see the town, which I had visited two years ago with Marianne. The first thing that struck me was the piles of garbage everywhere! They must be having a strike there ( I never did learn the true story) because last time it was not at all like that. I made my way down to the seafront and was somewhat surprised to see that the entire beach area was cordoned off with construction barriers that hid everything! I say somewhat because the last time we came it seemed in serious need of a makeover, with a weedy trolley track that seemed unused, and a dirty beach devoid of all people (on a very hot day!) I walked along it for a bit until I saw some kids slipping through a chink in the fences, and I followed them down to the beach, where a few kids were playing soccer at the far end, but which was generally deserted.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of the places along the beach north of Stabia (going towards Pompeii) seem to completely ignore the waterfront. Imagine if they built like this in Hermosa Beach! As always, Vesuvius lurks in the background!</td></tr>
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The beach there has a very odd character, with much of the architecture ignoring it completely, unlike anything you'd find in the US. At the water's edge, I found bits of lapilli, the little balls of pumice that rained down unmercifully on Pompeii, and I tossed a handful into the water to see they'd float. Yup, they did. Even a chunk as big as a baseball sat on top of the waves! Vesuvius' shadow seems to lurk behind every corner, casting it's warning glare over the whole area, as if to say "enjoy it now, suckers, because it won't last forever!" It's truly frightening to think of another eruption on that scale at the present time, with buildings that go right up the flank of the volcano, and it's not a question of if, only of when. Vesuvius is in fact deemed to be close to another eruption in the next 100 years or so, though that's probably about as accurate as weather prediction.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids playing soccer on the edge of the forlorn beach. They'll have great memories of this after it all gets fixed up and nobody can use it.</td></tr>
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I got down to the other end of the beach, where you can clearly see two things- the 9th century castle from which the town takes its name, and the now defunct gondola, which closed some time ago, but left the structure going all the way up to the top of the hills south of town. Looks like it must have been an amazing view of the Bay from up top of the mountain. Speaking of mountains, I was pleasantly surprised by the journey from Lecce, which was far greener and hillier than I had expected to see. From Brindisi, on the Adriatic coast, the train had crossed the peninsula to Taranto, a busy port on the Ionian, then skirted the coast for a while through large stands of pine trees that reminded me of New Jersey's forests. Then it became hilly, green farmland that looked like Northern California…with castles. Slowly it became a mountainous area that was quite green and covered with dense forests like the Adirondacks, while we descended alongside a river for a long time before finally reaching the plain that led to Salerno, the city on the southern side of the Sorrento peninsula, where I changed trains again, finally crossing the last bit of hills and into the bay of Naples, where I found my last connection to take me back southward to Stabia.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere between Taranto and Salerno. Just like Central California....with castles!</td></tr>
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After checking out the beach I finally got a gelato. I have a weird thing when I get hungry- I kind of go into overdrive, and I'm not yearning for food, but I know that if I don't eat I'll conk out eventually. The gelato was holding me though, so I walked back towards the hotel and shopped for a belt and a jacket, which I needed because it has been surprisingly cool here. I had it on all day today, which is amazing considering last time we were here it was around 100 degrees a lot of the time! Makes it soooo much easier when it's not boiling! I grabbed a few things at a corner store, had an in room meal, and hit the bed by 10:30 for the first time in two weeks!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This beautiful little alley on the way to the ruins was completely lined with garbage, but it couldn't ruin the wonderful morning for me!</td></tr>
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The next day I got up and had the breakfast they offered, then headed out to see the two Roman villas that sit up on a bluff above the town. There are actually around eleven villas that were explored and mapped here in the 18th century, but most of them were reburied and the rest are not generally viewable. I knew the route from our former trip here, and the weather this morning was extraordinary- clear and refreshing- just about perfect weather for exploring. As I got to the entrance of the first villa, called the Villa Arianna, there was a small tour group just ahead of me with a mixed bunch of mostly Brits and Americans, and I sort of tagged along because I thought the guide was pretty good, and had very little accent (or attitude) to overcome. Me being me, I sort of opined on a couple of things about the paintings, and the very friendly guide invited me to join with them to walk around the place.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the advantages of being with this tour group is that they opened a couple of rooms I hadn't gone in last time here, including this gigantic atrium of the second complex villa at Arianna</td></tr>
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Both of these villas were seaside getaways for very wealthy families. They had large rooms that were very well decorated, private bath areas, large exercise fields, and one had an exquisite swimming pool down the middle of it. They sat on a bluff that was once directly over the waves, though they sit about a quarter mile inland now due to the fill left by the volcanic detritus. Nowadays they look out over a large sea of rooftops before you see the ocean.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think the rebuilt upper walls and roof of this atrium at Villa San Marco give you a better sense of the space- plus the protect the walls from moisture.</td></tr>
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They are also generally in better shape than the houses at Pompeii due to the fact that they have been extensively rebuilt with protective upper walls and roofs, which I personally like, as I think it gives a better impression of what the spaces were like then, especially the atria, where you first entered the house, and where much of its business centered. Of course these were pleasure places, so there wasn't a lot of business going on there, other than running the household, which must have been quite an undertaking, considering their size and all the features they had.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crazy faux marble room at the entry of the Villa Arianna second complex was closed last time too!</td></tr>
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The servants and slaves must have been an army, and I often think they were seen more or less the way we see our appliances today, which explains why it wouldn't have been strange to be naked around them or that they would be constantly at hand to offer any convenience needed. Of course some were educated and even rose to take a place in high society, either by promotion by their owners, or by saving enough money to buy themselves out of bondage. Others, like those who stoked the fires of the baths, did not have an easy life and probably had little hope to advance.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">One more detail of the trompe l'oeil work in that small vestibule</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The tour guide offered to give me a lift on their bus to the other villa, which I accepted and did not regret, as it was a tad longer than I had remembered. The little plateau the villas sit on is amazing farmland due to the volcanic soil, and the gardens up there are dense with all kinds of stuff; I saw citrus trees, stone fruit trees, olives, grapes, tomatoes, onions, lettuces, broccoli, zucchini, all looking absolutely perfect and much denser planting than anything you'd see in the States. I wish we could grow something like that at home! </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">A woman picking up cuttings on her farm next to the Villa San Marco. Everything was just about to start ripening now.</td></tr>
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We toured the second villa (San Marco) again with the guide, who was born in the US, but grew up in Italy and lives in Vicenza, up in the north. They offered me lunch with them, but I declined in order to spend a bit more time shooting photos and doing a recreation of the design of the walls of the peristyle there. I had brought some snacks with me and repeated the repast that Marianne and I had done here two years ago, sitting under the sycamore trees by the swimming pool, imagining the splashing and squealing of bathers that must have sounded a lot like today. I walked back into town past the farms and got some fresh picked cherries from a farm stand (I really wanted to climb the trees I saw there and pick them myself!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZDPP9ulZITKLCd56SdvspLqUrd33r0kb__AO1zaHcsRniy2IqYJkLhUN6Iw239cLymj67q_Y_eyRydEyQxNSkJAxsYYqelwxKkfn8TZJ5YPvI0NxAvTgrE2VkuoYw5_E0CsyTmpX9bw/s1600/DSCN0120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZDPP9ulZITKLCd56SdvspLqUrd33r0kb__AO1zaHcsRniy2IqYJkLhUN6Iw239cLymj67q_Y_eyRydEyQxNSkJAxsYYqelwxKkfn8TZJ5YPvI0NxAvTgrE2VkuoYw5_E0CsyTmpX9bw/s640/DSCN0120.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the peristyle of San Marco. Guess who's peeking!</td></tr>
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Grabbed my things from the B&B, got the train and took the short ride up to Pompeii, where I'm sitting in the hotel tapping this out as the sun goes down, looking forward to a third visit to the site, and hoping that it isn't as limited as the last time I came, when I was very frustrated by closures. I took about 325 pics today, which feels more like my norm for these trips, having been slacking in Lecce and while in transit. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuB8oMO7c2n3Up3khX0VOqlBChHt_UHFDj9UjpTZj5NNh3RRLblXd9J9F9amtnETPYcYEAhzbMuuez9n58DIj69WZscjWyeIDNBoQdskBfrJ69C3NkzOkg6Rz2FEPMJDx74yR-QtDL9d0/s1600/DSCN0237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuB8oMO7c2n3Up3khX0VOqlBChHt_UHFDj9UjpTZj5NNh3RRLblXd9J9F9amtnETPYcYEAhzbMuuez9n58DIj69WZscjWyeIDNBoQdskBfrJ69C3NkzOkg6Rz2FEPMJDx74yR-QtDL9d0/s640/DSCN0237.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vesuvius can be seen everywhere, even from Paris (aka Kiddie Park in Pompeii town) </td></tr>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-256259064417521062015-05-28T11:28:00.001-07:002015-05-28T11:46:26.237-07:00Day 8 - Post Post-Salon Post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Seeing as I have about eight hours of train travel ahead of me, I might as well try to get caught up to today. Somewhere along the line, I seem to have lost a day somehow (my photos say it's day 9), but well, that's Italy! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOITR6nnapbAXOAZzs8N1dZbvySOQClPknUEForkm-KXOVVvGtUk3KT8ZA-yyveBVfzpFlQsSBL1KoScrhpCAUZmgxQtoDzoKDzDDCXdtr_OEvR0zJ3g_HoVQNRsVKPRunYlbh7C987Q/s1600/DSCN9617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOITR6nnapbAXOAZzs8N1dZbvySOQClPknUEForkm-KXOVVvGtUk3KT8ZA-yyveBVfzpFlQsSBL1KoScrhpCAUZmgxQtoDzoKDzDDCXdtr_OEvR0zJ3g_HoVQNRsVKPRunYlbh7C987Q/s640/DSCN9617.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time flies, as they say, and you can see the symbols for it on the sides of the entry to the monumental cemetery in Lecce</td></tr>
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I'm leaving Lecce for Castellammare di Stabia (Roman ruins!) but I also feel like I'm leaving a new family behind, having met and really "Grokked" (a sci-fi term from Robert Heinlein meaning to understand thoroughly) these fellow travelers on the path of pattern, ornament, and art. It's so nice to be in a group where the word "acanthus" doesn't send them scrambling for a dictionary. It was also nice to be in such a multinational group; we had travelers from the US, Japan, Spain, Norway, England and Ireland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Latvia, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Ukraine, and of course, Italy. It feels as though I have just expanded my (art) family by about tenfold. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkKiYeyIISJ_N8PaUWiPZTg6wMrc2ggwjcVq0hJQvjNCkR1uWOi8fzPn9Q45hGaEBygzuAFsT1Fa2g5Ny6Vn3iltyg6yRjY5f1vh7GjeuopHsMryIxasF0R7bPsCxm9ftq085iXH1iuso/s1600/DSCN9267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkKiYeyIISJ_N8PaUWiPZTg6wMrc2ggwjcVq0hJQvjNCkR1uWOi8fzPn9Q45hGaEBygzuAFsT1Fa2g5Ny6Vn3iltyg6yRjY5f1vh7GjeuopHsMryIxasF0R7bPsCxm9ftq085iXH1iuso/s640/DSCN9267.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of our multilingual mass milling around before a group photo</td></tr>
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Back to travelogue- after a decent night's sleep (though I don't seem to be able to get more than about five hours on any night!) I had breakfast and said goodbye to some of the participants who were dispersing for various parts, did a bit of writing and travel planning for today, then got one of the free bikes from the hotel and set out. Lecce is a perfect town for a bike- flat as a pancake and generally smooth streets, though you do have to watch out for cars and buses and people walking along buried in their phones.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKnIVT_6lyCgc7llyf7eP9lMinhtgE8V6Eev-jAZL80Ll7edebx3z6ATEFVlrz8q9pAw-DgEBt5z9lVaaYDf1txt3M1rERiUaFWHjdtiSs4V86HAc5h7Ap-7RMxtjDcVjJ9twGO90mwM/s1600/DSCN9657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKnIVT_6lyCgc7llyf7eP9lMinhtgE8V6Eev-jAZL80Ll7edebx3z6ATEFVlrz8q9pAw-DgEBt5z9lVaaYDf1txt3M1rERiUaFWHjdtiSs4V86HAc5h7Ap-7RMxtjDcVjJ9twGO90mwM/s640/DSCN9657.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are dozens of "streets" like this in the cemetery in Lecce. Absolutely incredible!</td></tr>
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My first stop was the cemetery very close to the hotel, which we had seen before but not managed to find open. I was glad I had the bike, since the entrance allee of Italian cypress trees was long. There was a large piazza in front of one of the baroque churches that cover all of Lecce, and then the cemeteries branched off on both sides. They were immense, with large family monuments all made of the butter colored Lecce stone, planted liberally with cypress, pines, and oleanders. It was enchanting- I was the only one there save for a few cats, and the architecture and stone work were both excellent. It didn't seem extremely old- mostly 19th century in the parts I explored, but the contrast to the newer sections was stark. The modern monuments had no warmth at all- they generally didn't even use the local stone, opting instead for gray and white marbles, with tinted windows and metal accents, looking more like miniature office buildings than monuments to a family's history. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7vCn2tbU0kHyittrtnYyRqr5CmkaO_2y2l4fkwIXXkwYgJqa1LwgOOmWDkEJB6lYQQ0lB-t0fP249Yic0apwSyqSgfg7rYPAi-TxdxyvcPwrr2pG8IqptUMzFBY3ljam0vEksP72F6w/s1600/DSCN9692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7vCn2tbU0kHyittrtnYyRqr5CmkaO_2y2l4fkwIXXkwYgJqa1LwgOOmWDkEJB6lYQQ0lB-t0fP249Yic0apwSyqSgfg7rYPAi-TxdxyvcPwrr2pG8IqptUMzFBY3ljam0vEksP72F6w/s640/DSCN9692.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About as much charm as a refrigerator!</td></tr>
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I wandered around in there for quite a while, did a drawing of one of them, unsuccessfully tried to lure a kitten out for a picture, got some water, and then headed back over to town on the bike, where i just meandered through the old streets without a map, stopping to take a few pictures outside some churches and trying not to hit anything due to the crummy brakes on the bike. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3DpaUbiPgc7IgHkkOBE5ZqfQGJgW75S_zWoigAR8-gxHEyYFeKjkz8l0ynBRtsvgZ7xr6TwYEH4izi3k0-fQTQl7KgRrZTGBdgVWWgGneoi8Ig5Q31kSjniChqAVuRvyBRnXaGqr4PI/s1600/DSCN9695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3DpaUbiPgc7IgHkkOBE5ZqfQGJgW75S_zWoigAR8-gxHEyYFeKjkz8l0ynBRtsvgZ7xr6TwYEH4izi3k0-fQTQl7KgRrZTGBdgVWWgGneoi8Ig5Q31kSjniChqAVuRvyBRnXaGqr4PI/s640/DSCN9695.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Took a lot of accidental selfies on the bike as I was cruising</td></tr>
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Eventually I found myself down in the opposite corner from the hotel, where there is an art and archeology museum that was again completely empty except for me. I went in (free!) and a guard ushered me up to the third floor, where they had a very good display of ancient history of the area, with ceramics going back over 5,000 years! I was left alone in there with a collection that would make the Getty quite happy, with multiple examples of many classic styles displayed with good information, unostentatiously. In another corner of the museum I found the Pinacoteca (picture gallery), where again I was alone- the guard turned the lights on just for me! They had one gallery of art from the Renaissance to the 18th century, and another with 19th and 20th. Not many names I recognized, other than a piece by Giuseppe de Ribera, but there were some very nice pieces, including an awesome cabinet covered with little dwarf genre paintings, some very nice majolica, and a curious statue of a putto covered with netting. Not sure what that was about, but it looked cool! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPoIP46R5gjvrINCbEPxDos9TqQWVex9lJLlSg9PtZjCXoL578UmG-xPfqrZ_XR_6Vvf3cdihBm7ZVBSjp8_4_qAtThZjKsvhLEQACARYQD6UmXvERd9fzJu4ZUy0AQZzSmrWIIQ6lxI/s1600/DSCN9784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPoIP46R5gjvrINCbEPxDos9TqQWVex9lJLlSg9PtZjCXoL578UmG-xPfqrZ_XR_6Vvf3cdihBm7ZVBSjp8_4_qAtThZjKsvhLEQACARYQD6UmXvERd9fzJu4ZUy0AQZzSmrWIIQ6lxI/s640/DSCN9784.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19th c. ceramic sculpture. Ummmm?</td></tr>
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Hit the road again to find some food, stopping briefly by a couple of grand old houses that were for sale along one of the busy streets. I pictured how pleasant it must have been when the only traffic there was clip-clopping horses, and how now you would need to put in triple insulated glass to really make it hospitable. Too bad, because I bet you could get them for a good price, and some of them had very nice sgraffito and decorations. I would have loved to at least had a chance to see what the interiors look like. Found some food, returned to the hotel and did some scribbling and more trip planning, and finished the day in the hotel restaurant with the rapidly dwindling crew from the exhibition. Packed up my gear late and went to bed for a few hours. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddOIPIwNmnzxDDVxVdWBsYzVpf_-3HH5cjWnlu0N4nqXue1aaYexwPIEJVriYAigYtQIws4F0o22jPZSusavZiaYjtKJ5U1Mv6Hzl4XDeeXWdp0KvadxO3ucihAo3bagcnhIwDrVD4XM/s1600/DSCN9785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddOIPIwNmnzxDDVxVdWBsYzVpf_-3HH5cjWnlu0N4nqXue1aaYexwPIEJVriYAigYtQIws4F0o22jPZSusavZiaYjtKJ5U1Mv6Hzl4XDeeXWdp0KvadxO3ucihAo3bagcnhIwDrVD4XM/s640/DSCN9785.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sold! Can you wrap it up to go?</td></tr>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-18395052256982117412015-05-27T09:28:00.001-07:002015-05-27T09:35:24.464-07:00Day 7 Olives, Liberty, and Fish for all!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Ok, I need to get a bit caught up before I head out on my own tomorrow for the Bay of Naples.<br />
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Day two of the Post Salon event set up by our hosts saw Marianne leaving early, on the first train for Brindisi, where she has a series of flights and connections planned to get her back to LA to finish up the school year, after which she heads back over to London, where I will meet her in a week and a half. I do NOT envy her day!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHF8YKeHab_eFN0fuQ3lkuZDoU4Sv73h9OxdQ12BSKniuI8oDqeinoOj7qhrnJwJvYEuR9BwsUfR7FH5EKp_K0JGBC-Cqv1_PnttMU7XHkkd_AiIVXEjvddRZDday2BfQpUD2MTl5jHHs/s1600/DSCN9457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHF8YKeHab_eFN0fuQ3lkuZDoU4Sv73h9OxdQ12BSKniuI8oDqeinoOj7qhrnJwJvYEuR9BwsUfR7FH5EKp_K0JGBC-Cqv1_PnttMU7XHkkd_AiIVXEjvddRZDday2BfQpUD2MTl5jHHs/s640/DSCN9457.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baroque interior of the church at Galatone, where Caterina Manisco grew up.</td></tr>
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Again those that remained got on a bus to head en masse first to the town of Galatone, about 45 minutes southwest from here, which is where Caterina Manisco, our amazing hostess, grew up. When we got there, we quickly checked out the church, with some very nice Baroque decoration, before being ushered in to a museum across the street. Inside, we saw the preserved remains of a very large olive oil production plant that goes back to around the 9th century, with large carved niches in the stone walls that once held presses for the olives, and the characteristic ocher Lecce stone vaults that are built above the space.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCAnFcgePwMDCx7R8dl7OgaADhl3CvT7syQvJc_w3GHvlNyweUzNHvjK9LW58J68Jp5U6Xj5v6xnjZQ1lF14xJI3NMrFtrpUS7K_TpVpANr4Go3ZLpytfQBdLhkFJQvT81EPcofqoDD0/s1600/DSCN9476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCAnFcgePwMDCx7R8dl7OgaADhl3CvT7syQvJc_w3GHvlNyweUzNHvjK9LW58J68Jp5U6Xj5v6xnjZQ1lF14xJI3NMrFtrpUS7K_TpVpANr4Go3ZLpytfQBdLhkFJQvT81EPcofqoDD0/s640/DSCN9476.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Room filled with machines designed by Leonardo da Vinci, all constructed by Caterina's father. The niches in the stone walls once held olive presses for making oil. </td></tr>
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Then we entered the room that held the real reason we had gone there: a museum dedicated to the machines of Leonardo da Vinci, built from da Vinci's drawings by Caterina's father, who is a retired (ha!) engineer with an obvious fascination for things mechanical and an obsession (can I relate to that?) for figuring things out himself! The large space is filled with the various contraptions that da Vinci dreamed up, but rarely actually had constructed. Pulleys, screws, levers, mortars, guns, catapults, and all kinds of other bits fill the large hall, each of them hand made using tools of the period, including a lot of hand forged iron work and wood cut with hand tools. Very cool stuff, and all of it narrated by her father, who is an obvious dynamo, but friendly too!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3I4QQw2L3aErm8ARST8XxzzaA-hFgpy52pJ9-ZjtijQjqV5UF6B6Z_zyM2cfdCpR4TIrvxtCaJGDTji22872eGQbmtrgilgHKaplW2cSSppvwkPx57w9zX7rSY234mLRsqTIQY8y9OI/s1600/DSCN9509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3I4QQw2L3aErm8ARST8XxzzaA-hFgpy52pJ9-ZjtijQjqV5UF6B6Z_zyM2cfdCpR4TIrvxtCaJGDTji22872eGQbmtrgilgHKaplW2cSSppvwkPx57w9zX7rSY234mLRsqTIQY8y9OI/s640/DSCN9509.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signore Manisco telling the story of his museum and of da Vinci's inventions. </td></tr>
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After a somewhat interminable speech by the local magistrate, we went outside the museum where a group of 20 or so school kids had assembled to do a little dance for us, much to Stefano's chagrin, as it was not planned and he felt it was more to give the politician some face time one week before local elections take place. But you couldn't help smiling as these 6 year old boys and girls went through their routine with gusto, lots of waving arms and dancing feet. It was very cute, and not in a bad way!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlJ_wmuqKtQ1eoGUCy33zWe7iBth949SCyjqWYgnqLaTlr5MvpflCXb-axEVOoUnd0YlIL067KJXr_pKMM2cPpftJnmrlxsqhNhVgSaGsM0e7XnFjX4ZY94HbT3DmV2D7zJ9LBdYtInA/s1600/DSCN9531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="590" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlJ_wmuqKtQ1eoGUCy33zWe7iBth949SCyjqWYgnqLaTlr5MvpflCXb-axEVOoUnd0YlIL067KJXr_pKMM2cPpftJnmrlxsqhNhVgSaGsM0e7XnFjX4ZY94HbT3DmV2D7zJ9LBdYtInA/s640/DSCN9531.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lot of movement- not very much control, but it was totally charming to watch!</td></tr>
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Once more on the bus we made it out to the other coast, past the olive trees that are fighting a desperate battle with a recent bacterial infection that is devastating the area, a very tough struggle for the growers of the region. We also passed by a series of very nice Stile Liberty (Italian Art Nouveau) houses on the outskirts of Galatone. As Stefano explained, Liberty in the south takes a lot of influence from Moorish design, as seen in the photo below. These would be built in the early 1900s.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF45aJ8g0qluxT2tde3rASOLyEIoONU2k870vyIO7ljC7szwetnefr35Xz0PvuRt8LNbAFMWuxEp8t0U8caRRJk7J2fc8ptiHsOKGkshKcB5jE-eoSKooBiQ9sh5_n6KE_0jeXBSrYGSc/s1600/DSCN9551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF45aJ8g0qluxT2tde3rASOLyEIoONU2k870vyIO7ljC7szwetnefr35Xz0PvuRt8LNbAFMWuxEp8t0U8caRRJk7J2fc8ptiHsOKGkshKcB5jE-eoSKooBiQ9sh5_n6KE_0jeXBSrYGSc/s640/DSCN9551.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stile Liberty house outside of Galatone shows the regional influence of Moroccan architecture. Love to see the interior of this!</td></tr>
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Our final destination that day was Gallipoli, a quiet seaside town with a slow moving harbor, mostly fishing boats and a few small freighters. We went to another restaurant for lunch here, and I really should have taken pics of the food, because it was incredible! Started off with about 7 or 8 seafood appetizers- and I could easily have called that lunch! But no, that was followed by pasta (with seafood), risotto (with seafood), followed by the main course of (drum roll please!) seafood! It was definitely excessive, but definitely delicious too!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZXxFrOTumWpnlT16oJ7A3-R8ZhLpRu4ZQUzZyw3A3972VI6HtPpNAFd4WpcEjnURnGM7FNKO7KENSo3GMqQ8si1Wqrx6rZTHj375qES1v-6yS4yYr3uNcmGy-4_c5xX29jeNnMLhRME/s1600/DSCN9586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZXxFrOTumWpnlT16oJ7A3-R8ZhLpRu4ZQUzZyw3A3972VI6HtPpNAFd4WpcEjnURnGM7FNKO7KENSo3GMqQ8si1Wqrx6rZTHj375qES1v-6yS4yYr3uNcmGy-4_c5xX29jeNnMLhRME/s640/DSCN9586.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoping our fish did not come from the docks right here! I'd probably be glow-in-the-dark!<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">After several hours of eating and chatting, we walked over to see the town, and some of us went down to jump in the water in the small bay in front of town, which felt as if it were very unchanged from antique times. No signs, just a few umbrellas and an ice cream cart, and the water was clear and refreshing- about the same temperature as it is in Los Angeles. Beautiful clouds escorted us back to the hotel, and we ate dinner (eating again!?) at a local pizzeria that had a very nice garden in back where we could be silly and loud without bothering anyone. Very nice day. Again!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I found a ready made faux kit on the beach with brush, feather, and sponge. Let's marbleize something!</td></tr>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-73269930875964955782015-05-27T01:55:00.000-07:002015-05-27T06:32:55.869-07:00Day 5-6 Post Salon Post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Salon has officially ended as of yesterday (written two days ago- I have some catching up to do!), but today we are squeezing every last drop out of our hosts Stefano and Caterina by taking advantage of their planning to do some organized sightseeing to places I guarantee we never would have made it to on our own. Today about 60 of us piled into a bus (something I rarely do!) and we went down to the Adriatic coast, close enough to Armenia to see it across the water!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5JATJlfNH8F7bUivPJvlcPS4g6SSbtNaKYBAtjNmqIguRx_H3ak86CZ3msWO_XKzROgbeokiiiluuSZfgGLCgftJJkVz74Cv6kUVcz0kn3geh1tFcYCWmIYwd5sowaQDSrpZTJ7a0uw/s1600/DSCN9371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5JATJlfNH8F7bUivPJvlcPS4g6SSbtNaKYBAtjNmqIguRx_H3ak86CZ3msWO_XKzROgbeokiiiluuSZfgGLCgftJJkVz74Cv6kUVcz0kn3geh1tFcYCWmIYwd5sowaQDSrpZTJ7a0uw/s640/DSCN9371.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A final demonstration by Stefano Luca in the courtyard. I ended up being the model for it because I have glasses (and so did his design. Improvisation in action!</td></tr>
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But first I should wrap up the Salon. Reminds me of an old perspective drawing lesson. The student asks, "How do you draw an elephant in perspective?" To which the teacher responds, "Easy, just draw the box the elephant came in!" Thus I will attempt to give some perspective on this monumental event by describing a few of the details and organization that stand out to me. It will still only be the box the elephant came in, but at least it will be a start!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55bxBtwc5ThrbGypeyq7kMS0HTRdgTJoBKay2LmHtYNdVzZVE703rWkrVACdU9G6jafIUmvP4LCBe_PFpz1Rb5zD7RllzDiNlNTU3qCQnYoVWztc14wakFWrDKGoZFDy_WItMUoIp8WY/s1600/DSCN9416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55bxBtwc5ThrbGypeyq7kMS0HTRdgTJoBKay2LmHtYNdVzZVE703rWkrVACdU9G6jafIUmvP4LCBe_PFpz1Rb5zD7RllzDiNlNTU3qCQnYoVWztc14wakFWrDKGoZFDy_WItMUoIp8WY/s640/DSCN9416.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I did so much talking and visiting (and a bit of work on the collaborative mural) that I hardly did anything on my demo panel, which was supposed to be a design for a border on my exhibition panel. Oh well, I'll finish it at home, where I can concentrate.</td></tr>
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Despite it's being my first experience of the Salon, I have been aware of it for several years, and have made friends with a number of participants through seeing their work on Facebook and elsewhere. It felt like a homecoming to meet them in person, and I felt welcomed by all, especially our hosts, who put out an insane amount of energy and effort to make this a truly stupendous event. Despite a few bumps in the road (some stolen brushes, some dirty bathrooms- none of which was their fault) the venue was fantastic, the organization was amazingly good, and I think everyone involved felt truly grateful to have been a part. My wife Marianne came with me to Lecce thinking she would probably skip out on her own to do more sightseeing and touring, but ended up staying for every minute of every day to see the progress on individual panels, the group mural, and the incredible demos.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uLggLEZ1ZvVpK_zkJCK9xSoBnjCvWZvhU9LksGf4D7MBs5gx-340k3rsY7hWhAYJJ5DMglPCzfjURHxf2RIUD4UP47TX-XHzapr9TUHgPOXww9-PaPSprgs99716AHLbm65I60s8hU0/s1600/IMG_20150524_202113107_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uLggLEZ1ZvVpK_zkJCK9xSoBnjCvWZvhU9LksGf4D7MBs5gx-340k3rsY7hWhAYJJ5DMglPCzfjURHxf2RIUD4UP47TX-XHzapr9TUHgPOXww9-PaPSprgs99716AHLbm65I60s8hU0/s640/IMG_20150524_202113107_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Candlelit entry to the castle where we had the closing ceremony for the conference. Stefano and Caterina have set the bar much too high for anyone else to follow!!</td></tr>
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The closing dinner was held in a castle- not a Disney castle, but the real thing, with a romantic candle lit rooftop garden and a vaulted hall that held all of the 100 or so people that were involved. Fabulous food and drink were a part of every day here, and I think we sampled almost every Southern Italian dish that exists, much of which was seafood, which didn't bother me at all! Today on the second day of the post- Salon event we ate more seafood than I have ever encountered in one meal, in the lovely sleepy port town of Gallipoli, on the Ionian sea. More about that tomorrow.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjej6_NQrZOXd1oWAsUomBsatxSylIsADEjEmI08Dx_B2JkMeS9d6EbGPd02s0nOWty2SgCTERxl8zwc6QjBCSce68hAnMRh5rlbKorxw5ti333vuVUN0n6xc5jJrjPXANZVqYjNNRovGE/s1600/IMG_20150525_113654120_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjej6_NQrZOXd1oWAsUomBsatxSylIsADEjEmI08Dx_B2JkMeS9d6EbGPd02s0nOWty2SgCTERxl8zwc6QjBCSce68hAnMRh5rlbKorxw5ti333vuVUN0n6xc5jJrjPXANZVqYjNNRovGE/s640/IMG_20150525_113654120_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sea Cave of "Zinzulusa", or "Drying Laundry" in the local dialect. </td></tr>
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Back to our first day of post-salon activities; after riding in the bus for an hour or so to the south east tip of the heel of the boot, we were first treated to a boat ride into some sea caves- sort of a mini-version of the Blue Grotto at Capri, but maybe less touristy and therefore more fun. There was also a walking tour of another cave that had some pretty impressive stalactite and stalagmite formations. In a local dialect that reflects the Greek heritage of the area, they call it the "Cave of the Dirty Laundry" because the swallows' nests built on the hanging formations at the mouth of the cave reminded the sailors of drying clothes hanging out to dry.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_dnrLmERvTTZgkCsYxKjIa1KGZNdLS_6_uY_FyUsIx3Rwyunp32zdlCNmyBehCYr3J8mgXATaHkOOagywdsOUXS0va1XzGSwreBcv6YgHA0RDnq8Pb28IxO9UvzUOGDvOjxpmx-SMJw/s1600/IMG_20150525_130644304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_dnrLmERvTTZgkCsYxKjIa1KGZNdLS_6_uY_FyUsIx3Rwyunp32zdlCNmyBehCYr3J8mgXATaHkOOagywdsOUXS0va1XzGSwreBcv6YgHA0RDnq8Pb28IxO9UvzUOGDvOjxpmx-SMJw/s640/IMG_20150525_130644304.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the area of Santa Cesarea Terme is this amazing rockwork that is part natural, part manmade.</td></tr>
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Then we hopped back on the bus and drove past some really beautiful coastline areas, pausing for 5 minutes at an ancient Roman bridge that is right on the coast, near some thermal baths. At the town of Otranto we were treated to our first lunch spectacular- I don't know how on earth they kept the price of our day trips so low- $40- considering the food and drink on top of the bus ride. Had a nice post-prandial swim in the harbor there and toured a church that has one of the largest mosaic floors I've ever seen- a tree of life.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bridal party walking through the streets of Otranto</td></tr>
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Then it was back to the hotel and a simple dinner in town, collapsing so that Marianne could leave the next morning.<br />
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-86542961931021614042015-05-24T09:44:00.000-07:002015-05-24T09:44:21.265-07:00Day Four- Cafe con Lecce<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the city of Lecce, in the heel of the boot of Italy, they have a regional coffee drink called an "espressino", an expression that would get you a small (read: thimble full of) coffee anywhere else in the country, but here buys you a delicious cup of espresso with a bit of milk and a hit of chocolate, a perfect lunch ender.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJew-H1dg5mBvQ63TrM8pJRgtaHi5jJtB0J-CMhU7Hi0wDHlAW1h70nGh4i3WZHihOcANtZQ4It1VdWwvlZ4oX-FZ-Lyjtl6awj50HUsKR13PluTOD4Kc_E8nR3x-KabbeMnAmbitwwlk/s1600/DSCN9344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJew-H1dg5mBvQ63TrM8pJRgtaHi5jJtB0J-CMhU7Hi0wDHlAW1h70nGh4i3WZHihOcANtZQ4It1VdWwvlZ4oX-FZ-Lyjtl6awj50HUsKR13PluTOD4Kc_E8nR3x-KabbeMnAmbitwwlk/s640/DSCN9344.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Triumphal gate into Lecce was made in 1548 for the Habsburg emperor Charles V, and much of the other architecture comes from around this time.</td></tr>
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A lot of things are different about Lecce, a town that has a very distinct character derived from its unique history as a very old town supposedly founded by Cretans from before the time of the Trojan Wars (ie- more than 1,000 years BCE!) It was an important agricultural center from the middle ages onwards, reaching a peak in the Baroque 15-1600's, when much of the architecture of the old town was created using the local limestone (dubbed "Lecce Stone"), still an important export, along with olive oil and wine.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">The newer parts of town are filled with many architectural and business failures, such as this shuttered gas station that proves that "Googie" architecture wasn't limited to just Los Angeles </span></td></tr>
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Our hotel is just outside of the historical center, and the contrast, as in many European cities with intact historical cores, is pretty shocking. The outside looks gritty, semi-abandoned, with many boarded up houses, and architecturally confused. By contrast, the center is very uniform, cooler (despite the scarcity of trees), and inviting. The uniformity is due to two things: the yellow ocher color of the stone work that makes up almost every single building in the old town, and the profuse Baroque ornament that encrusts everything there. Besides its color, the other characteristic of Lecce stone is its softness; you can actually carve it using nothing stronger than a wire brush! It corrodes fairly quickly also, creating some fascinating patterns made by water and even wind.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lecce stone corrodes fairly quickly, but the ease of carving it means that the stone carvers here are never short of work</td></tr>
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Lecce has been nicknamed "the Florence of the South", but it is really very different. First of all, it is dead flat, and the old town streets are very narrow and lined with shops. Bikes, cars and even trucks still wind their way through, but it looks distinctly challenging to navigate. Secondly, that uniform character almost gives it an artificial feeling, somewhat akin to Disneyland, as if one shop had made all the buildings at once for a single audience, unlike the eclectic mix of Florence, with buildings from many different periods made of different materials and colors.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTOENQX9C54vPsR1aEKl94W_zXVKidu0zhPucx6vnZLVEKa_SuDHkMrQ6fxo68Z-j2e1SqlgX8vfiYlpvq0ACSG-neSAHAdha0QKTHM7sb3xupC6GayO0qkv_Qo7jxNp_upQlQtUPekE/s1600/DSCN9085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTOENQX9C54vPsR1aEKl94W_zXVKidu0zhPucx6vnZLVEKa_SuDHkMrQ6fxo68Z-j2e1SqlgX8vfiYlpvq0ACSG-neSAHAdha0QKTHM7sb3xupC6GayO0qkv_Qo7jxNp_upQlQtUPekE/s640/DSCN9085.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Animal and figure carvings can be a bit goofy at times</td></tr>
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In addition, the provincial nature of being far away from the major cultural centers, combined with the ease of carving the stone, means that a lot of the stone ornament is extremely ornate and somewhat naive, with figures and animals that are entertaining, but not totally correct. This also probably adds to the Disneyland impression, since some of those sculptures are quite funny. There are also many churches everywhere (hey, it's Italy!) though quite a few have been deconsecrated and are used as shops or even an art gallery. Inside the ones I've gone into the same ornate character continues, with more "Solomonic" columns (spiraling shafts named after their alleged history from the Temple of Solomon) than I've seen anywhere else.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iiLxxke75Enq5L9ZHLzd3JGDNjMQi8f_NdMarOZ0uhu25B2W4QsXLMHctulz0qJxuMDyMzBaRw8Q0E6bhdhqVCz0dgR2frZYNbUmFkdbDHezJu6e2CtsSwiXjDEY0M-pd7NM869d_To/s1600/DSCN9099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iiLxxke75Enq5L9ZHLzd3JGDNjMQi8f_NdMarOZ0uhu25B2W4QsXLMHctulz0qJxuMDyMzBaRw8Q0E6bhdhqVCz0dgR2frZYNbUmFkdbDHezJu6e2CtsSwiXjDEY0M-pd7NM869d_To/s640/DSCN9099.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Section of a Solomonic column, of which there are dozens around town.</td></tr>
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At night the streets are very well lit, with a yellow cast light that only increases the uniformity. I'll write some more about Lecce in the next few days, but I think I'll post this one now, so I can get ready for the closing event of the Salon tonight. Ciao!<div>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-91168596858738572982015-05-22T15:14:00.000-07:002015-05-22T15:14:38.787-07:00Day 3- What is a Salon anyways, and can I get my hair done there?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The motivator to come to Italy, to this very unusual town of Lecce in the heel of the boot, was to attend an event I've heard about for many years but never attended: The Salon. Basically, the Salon is a yearly traveling conference of painters who specialize in the traditional decorative skills of trompe l'oeil, wood graining, faux marble, gilding, ornamental design, and murals of many different kinds. It is an information and technique sharing get together of some of the best painters in the field, some of whom have studied it formally at schools like the Van der Kelen school in Brussels, which has been open since 1882, and others like me who are essentially self taught.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6NESXl9IG_hVPdZvuh5Yom1yU0nKx9kx74JJfGXBjtv_9fN19Oe-6OQo33G4lZ3xEhwoT_oIwogTDwDzBiDtJFiqmjEFgMWHgW19BSNbPigTxZY9_cnhmp3lPFw6bLqVyzZ30FR7NPo/s1600/DSCN9035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6NESXl9IG_hVPdZvuh5Yom1yU0nKx9kx74JJfGXBjtv_9fN19Oe-6OQo33G4lZ3xEhwoT_oIwogTDwDzBiDtJFiqmjEFgMWHgW19BSNbPigTxZY9_cnhmp3lPFw6bLqVyzZ30FR7NPo/s640/DSCN9035.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Entry to the Accademia where the event is being held<br />
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The Salon itself has been in existence for over twenty years now, beginning in Belgium in 1992, and has met in Paris, Tokyo, Seattle, Sweden, and elsewhere. Basically, each of the invitees (you must be invited by a member) brings a sample panel of their work, and many also create another panel while there so that others may watch their technique. It's also open to non- participants to come and observe, and there is a lot of socializing and of greeting those that one already knows (sometimes pretty well in fact) via Facebook or other social media. This year it looks like the field is quite large, maybe around 100 plus people, augmented by various spouses, children, assistants and students.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjq4nz3zVmJNjA7bD6HNmCWHvFO6ugfOgTBC2FpwSFIh-doVnGcy1mWvBFEtwSL73u6U_3JvKXHZkFSjUx0kY4loLd8ossT3adfi4yN_E8ygzjtaddU_D-CqPyxXKNz28wLYhy0kvum8c/s1600/DSCN9210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjq4nz3zVmJNjA7bD6HNmCWHvFO6ugfOgTBC2FpwSFIh-doVnGcy1mWvBFEtwSL73u6U_3JvKXHZkFSjUx0kY4loLd8ossT3adfi4yN_E8ygzjtaddU_D-CqPyxXKNz28wLYhy0kvum8c/s640/DSCN9210.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">An assortment of panels from all over the world surround the courtyard area.<br />
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As you enter the ornament encrusted Accademia di Belli Arti you come into the courtyard, where each participant's work is displayed on a board. The subjects and techniques are varied, but all of it is professional and several of the artists are pushing on the boundaries of the field. After passing through the registration hallway you can branch off into three hallways where painters are working on more panels, and watch fascinating demos that include all of the above mentioned techniques. The hardest part for me is not to be wandering around constantly watching, when I'm supposed to be working on the border for my panel. Actually, I got corralled early into helping out with the large collaborative mural at the end of the hall, and I have the feeling that is probably all I will do until we are done, and I'll do my border work at home.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7uJZcb8btG_qYhEPpa_GHCvpk8NZEajFx89Dtb0nhu1wY5NBrVRgJZ-qeO1yP2srEjHjvOJuBMl-t7fzZeLi0q7yv-gfHvek_DxMbVGzBRfLZZPLuioDZiImifSccy0QOmc8j7MsYgZI/s1600/DSCN9185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7uJZcb8btG_qYhEPpa_GHCvpk8NZEajFx89Dtb0nhu1wY5NBrVRgJZ-qeO1yP2srEjHjvOJuBMl-t7fzZeLi0q7yv-gfHvek_DxMbVGzBRfLZZPLuioDZiImifSccy0QOmc8j7MsYgZI/s640/DSCN9185.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Pierre Finkelstein demonstrating his incredible wood graining technique for the crowd while Stefano Luca translates into Italian for him. Stefano is one of the organizers of the event with his wife Caterina Manisco, and they are both incredible ornamental painters in their own right.<br />
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The are also more formal demos each day given in the cloister courtyard, where seasoned pros like Pierre Finkelstein, Jean Sablé, and Pascal Amblard show methods for wood graining, skies, and trees, quickly and definitively. Many of the students from the Accademia come to watch these too, and they fill the halls with questions and wonder. Really cool to see all of them get some exposure to the work we are all pursuing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ix8QoQiQ8T5ukVFq_QR-lX1CzEC2dHdnk3KRklHeI2LdSEbW1IwzuEVivJFAC4u4dkSX8zW0tSK66s5iSXnem8nDnZ8Of4r-yGRe5T2jyJpbBCF_TgZ7LwVEZYoERrB9f1etTXnn-pQ/s1600/DSCN9158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ix8QoQiQ8T5ukVFq_QR-lX1CzEC2dHdnk3KRklHeI2LdSEbW1IwzuEVivJFAC4u4dkSX8zW0tSK66s5iSXnem8nDnZ8Of4r-yGRe5T2jyJpbBCF_TgZ7LwVEZYoERrB9f1etTXnn-pQ/s640/DSCN9158.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty good crowd of artists, students, and curious onlookers for Jean Sablé's lecture on creating clouds with an oil based paint technique.</td></tr>
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There are also a small selection of manufacturers present, with specialized brushes, pigments, and a few books available, and Golden paints freely provides any and all materials needed for the demo work, which meant people didn't have to lug all their paints through customs and TSA. Nice!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5vnCtJ91BxxeCZB7O97DZo3CskLO37vMq_wuk3ucGb1uBsUDaCDPp1SA4MJHBNmEiULpkDRzQnrQHfn6BkUZr-pPKliDlobR7XLcH9Go6TK0CQOZxs-9WOsGOEUAdNhH5tVAXgCB1iY/s1600/DSCN9147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5vnCtJ91BxxeCZB7O97DZo3CskLO37vMq_wuk3ucGb1uBsUDaCDPp1SA4MJHBNmEiULpkDRzQnrQHfn6BkUZr-pPKliDlobR7XLcH9Go6TK0CQOZxs-9WOsGOEUAdNhH5tVAXgCB1iY/s640/DSCN9147.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brush lust runs high at this event!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Well, I'd better wrap this up now- I've been skimping on sleep because of all the great things to see, and meeting all these faces I've only ever seen on Facebook until now. It is very much a whirlwind, all of it pleasurable! A domani!</span></div>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-72994599032828074282015-05-20T15:13:00.000-07:002015-05-20T15:13:42.072-07:00Day two 2015- I could get used to this!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Spent our first real day in Italy trying to get back what the travel demons took away- a little bit of sleep, a fair amount of exercise, and an excessive amount of good things to eat.<br />
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Started out by sleeping in after a fairly toss and turning night. Must be all the adrenaline produced by having to meet all kinds of deadlines and keeping our stuff from disappearing. We took 6 different trips yesterday via different modes of transport, each one with its own set of possible failure points. I was very glad we had negotiated the Roman buses before, because that might have been a very challenging end to a long day of travel had we not done it already.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTen8_ZLBveMRQHcgb7hvxfUzdAHIZukuAenhtdPL6DqVhwMR6UMp8rOSgv59Dg0_-L9SKT2aQQIi87epI126hLLmlpMdq4n6UCq6GWYmwC_Hc4Ugbhxom4z0IFryqy0Pe_hOQQcaArVI/s1600/DSCN8929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTen8_ZLBveMRQHcgb7hvxfUzdAHIZukuAenhtdPL6DqVhwMR6UMp8rOSgv59Dg0_-L9SKT2aQQIi87epI126hLLmlpMdq4n6UCq6GWYmwC_Hc4Ugbhxom4z0IFryqy0Pe_hOQQcaArVI/s640/DSCN8929.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bus queue at Heathrow Airport. We had to transfer to Luton Airport, about an hour north, to catch our flight to Rome.</td></tr>
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As I said, we slept in a while, and were about to slip out around 11 when our friend Erica (whose place we are staying at) texted to say she was coming home soon and would we be there. So we hung around a bit longer to chat and finally hit the streets around 1:30 to stroll up and meet their six-year-old daughter Xanthe, who goes to a school above the Spanish Steps. First stop was a delicious bakery where we picked up some nutty cookies. Almonds and hazelnuts, to be precise. So much Italian food is simple: unrefined things, sugar, eggs, but put together so as to be as complex and compelling as anything Nabisco or Keebler could ever come up with. They just won't last 3 years in the package. Thank God!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxXM25iv6js-LTC4z39zCotxFsMpJMxC-dB9gVae9yysdHYaZShfBw5iyn4h0aaC3tOamlv8uKpjISzFvHZvs5zZCP1iywd7L-upVSRD_p4Nv7gQGOT9v4xrFCvkYHgkUzEi5uFMWg0Q/s1600/IMG_20150519_133947187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxXM25iv6js-LTC4z39zCotxFsMpJMxC-dB9gVae9yysdHYaZShfBw5iyn4h0aaC3tOamlv8uKpjISzFvHZvs5zZCP1iywd7L-upVSRD_p4Nv7gQGOT9v4xrFCvkYHgkUzEi5uFMWg0Q/s640/IMG_20150519_133947187.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama of the market at Campo di Fiori- here every day!</td></tr>
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We then crossed the busy Corso Vittorio Emanuele and entered onto the Piazza Navona in full afternoon sun, which won't be possible in a month, but wasn't too bad right now. Having been studying the table model of Antique Rome last week, I could see in my mind's eye the structure of the underlying stadium of Domitian, and the Egyptian obelisk still standing there, having been brought from the Circus of Maxentius to top Bernini's writhing Fountain of the Four Rivers, a masterwork of Baroque sculpture. Rome is like a giant onion of historical layers, each one revealing something distinctive about the next.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5w8kx6rGBeVUmD1bfwXbRddg6veDq04TqK_cTlSshYvgnrX_60_EDKgB8UA9EXYFlFoEejTAL3B1jDhnszPf7noDNFPXrALUbNttHXcvIkUMtPAOFQjSMiTzcXnZwezXzh0jeISnl1s/s1600/DSCN8931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5w8kx6rGBeVUmD1bfwXbRddg6veDq04TqK_cTlSshYvgnrX_60_EDKgB8UA9EXYFlFoEejTAL3B1jDhnszPf7noDNFPXrALUbNttHXcvIkUMtPAOFQjSMiTzcXnZwezXzh0jeISnl1s/s640/DSCN8931.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marianne in the Piazza Navona, built over the site of the Stadium of Domitian.</td></tr>
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As we munched our cookies and strolled the Piazza, I kept thinking of how much a space like this would work in a city like Los Angeles, if bottom line oriented developers could ever devote that much open space to a non- commercial endeavor, let alone allowing the water in the fountains to evaporate, at least this summer of drought.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BTo52WbA4n6OBdBv-sNIX2g5Lu3FtmruCSB_j4MazmNbs8suZulgd9aWpbIeBsBC88XnlJmRtQ_bY7IlGymqw1so8CN7L8HYLVMcVnSteZxzDH-6ixQHGw-d2fp7sctWhp91eHPHiF8/s1600/DSCN8934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BTo52WbA4n6OBdBv-sNIX2g5Lu3FtmruCSB_j4MazmNbs8suZulgd9aWpbIeBsBC88XnlJmRtQ_bY7IlGymqw1so8CN7L8HYLVMcVnSteZxzDH-6ixQHGw-d2fp7sctWhp91eHPHiF8/s640/DSCN8934.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water coming and going in the Piazza Navona.<br /></td></tr>
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We hugged the shade as we slipped over to the Pantheon, a favorite stop of Marianne's, though the tourist flow was so heavy we decided to postpone entry until later in the day, and instead went around the side to the ever cool and shadowy Santa Maria sopra Minerva, so-called for its construction atop a site formerly occupied by a temple to Minerva. The church has a beautiful melange of Renaissance and later decorations, including Philippino Lippi's wondrous Carafa chapel, with some of the earliest grottesca panels in Rome. Lippi, then in his 30's, interrupted his work on the Strozzi chapel in Florence, at the behest of Pope Alexander VI, the notorious Borgia ruler, to come to Rome for this commission, completed by 1493. (How could he say no?) The church also has some really elegant trompe l'oeil work decorating various chapels.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvnTeilpQKehGyXfr2wzqMbbvx5gc7m8jcl6y7TGqO0N7zaCOKy6dJX9P7h5jAXF4NXhyphenhyphen30gDAGJ7YJQgSF0z-t7vMc58z0ehzJy2sSqDPjB-KuGbb7Ky9OBgYQEGNKX5V9n8m5RsKRc/s1600/DSCN8968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvnTeilpQKehGyXfr2wzqMbbvx5gc7m8jcl6y7TGqO0N7zaCOKy6dJX9P7h5jAXF4NXhyphenhyphen30gDAGJ7YJQgSF0z-t7vMc58z0ehzJy2sSqDPjB-KuGbb7Ky9OBgYQEGNKX5V9n8m5RsKRc/s640/DSCN8968.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outrageously good trompe l'oeil work in the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.</td></tr>
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We also stopped in at the the church of Sant'Ignazio di , with Andrea Pozzo's stunning quadratura ceiling that seems to break down all normal laws of space, with figures that spiral upwards off trompe l'oeil architecture, and some that actually seem to enter the real space of the church (though they'd be mighty large if they did!) </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhr2LLrOLmFmKKRywhZb7rMCiyVo7y509Qm89hfUTkxVYr8QYcUgXIPOwBF3T13CEO9v9IzJ68aovlleb3mTpLMfMULvdnXnqDpjYRRhQ_BlPu5jWzsS4Parzi5CGRNHYiTRj9OUIXUqc/s1600/DSCN8985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhr2LLrOLmFmKKRywhZb7rMCiyVo7y509Qm89hfUTkxVYr8QYcUgXIPOwBF3T13CEO9v9IzJ68aovlleb3mTpLMfMULvdnXnqDpjYRRhQ_BlPu5jWzsS4Parzi5CGRNHYiTRj9OUIXUqc/s640/DSCN8985.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant feet from Andrea Pozzo in the church of Sant'Ignazio</td></tr>
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Then we walked up the hill to pick up our friends' daughter, Xanthe, from the French run school on top of the Spanish Steps. It was fun to tell the guard we were picking her up, making us feel like locals, and then walking down the steps with her to go find her dad at the Piazza Colonna, where he was filming a bit of a TV show. Darius is an archeologist of some renown, having appeared a number of times on shows about Roman history on the Discovery and History channels. As it turned out, we just missed his shoot, so we ambled towards their house, stopping briefly to go inside the Pantheon for a taste of the one intact Roman temple space that has never fallen into disrepair, having been adopted as a church early on in the Christian era.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking with Xanthe down the Spanish Steps</td></tr>
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Made it home and reunited the family (Erica was working on the web from home) and after a bit, we left (again with Xanthe) to meet up with Eli Baird, who is coordinating the Roman program for the Beaux-Arts Academy, which recently relocated to Salt Lake City from New York. The BAA is a multidisciplinary arts program (modeled on the French Ecole des Beaux Arts) that is deepening and broadening the education of (mostly) architectural students with an emphasis on knowledge of the history of architecture and art (including ornament) and drawing, painting and sculpture. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marianne and Xanthe waiting for Eli, who mysteriously avoided being in any of my photos!</td></tr>
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We met up with Eli and went to get a gelato (of course!) and then went to a park to let Xanthe run off some of her sugar induced energy. We saved a bit of it to hike up the hill and check out the Tempietto of Bramante, a touchstone classical building that sits in the courtyard of a church with a great view of Rome from the other side of the Tiber river on the Janiculum hill. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bramante's Tempietto, built at the beginning of the 16th century</td></tr>
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Descending as the swallows began to emerge for their dusk exercises, we said goodbye to Eli and went back to the house, turning around quickly to get a bite of Roman style food at a homey Campo di Fiori taverna called Lucifero. Eggs with white truffles, some fondue, roasted vegetables, and some tartare for our hosts, then heading back to the house to crash in time to be up to catch the train tomorrow for Lecce. </div>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-40141804103985501362015-05-19T01:31:00.000-07:002015-05-19T01:31:42.131-07:00Thus it begins- the Odyssey part four!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Uh oh! Has it really been six months since my last post?<br />
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Well, now's as good a time as any to get started again, I guess, having just arrived in the magic kingdom (Italy, NOT Disneyland!) for my fourth time. It's funny; my heritage is German and Scots Irish, and a little French tossed in on the side, but I feel like this is where I belong. The sights, the sounds, the smells (well, mostly) and the food all stir my blood. Just flying over it last night on the way in, catching a glimpse of the Colosseum and the Wedding Cake (the monument to Vittorio Emmanuele) gave me such a thrill, and not just because it was the end of another standby odyssey that began almost 48 hours earlier.<br />
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So, to begin at the beginning, which is where all good odysseys begin, we were flying standby, courtesy of Marianne's aunt, who used to be a United Airlines employee and scored these transferable flight privileges as part of her severance. All of our travel here (and elsewhere) has been predicated on this fact, for those who have wondered how a lowly artist and a school nurse can afford to take off for weeks on these journeys.<br />
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In the beginning, our passes were like vouchers, usable by anyone, which allowed us to do our first trip here with all four kids in 2007. After United merged with Continental Airlines, they changed the passes to two designated flyers who can use the passes unlimited for each year they are assigned. Fortunately for us (but not for our kids), we are the travelers of choice. Unfortunately, over the past few years, as anyone who travels a lot will confirm, computer booking of flights has become wayyyyy more efficient, with oversold flights becoming the norm, and making it more and more difficult for standby flyers to get on. When we took the kids with us in '07, we got bumped up to first class for about 75% of our vouchers! Sadly, I can tell you that does not happen anymore! Instead what we encounter has been longer queues, longer waits in airports (like our 30 hour stint last month trying to get to DC!) or getting creative with routing, as we did this time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bus queue at Heathrow to get to Luton Airport- an hour north.</td></tr>
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Having struck out on 3 consecutive flights to DC this time, (the hardest part is getting to the east coast, where the loads to Europe are easier) we decided to take an available flight to England and then pop for a short flight to Rome, which would keep us more or less on schedule. The flight from England to Rome was only $150, though the flight left from Luton Airport, which is an hour long bus ride from Heathrow, but the schedule worked out and we made the connections just fine. The flight down here on Easy Air is a true bus ride, on the most bare bones airplane I've ever encountered- no entertainment, no free drinks, the seats did not even recline! But hey, we got here, got to town and got to our friend's house in the Campo di Fiori neighborhood, and only lost one item (Marianne's scarf) in transit.<br />
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Today we are just hanging around and recovering, picking up our friends' daughter from school- I love being somewhere and doing normal things! Tomorrow we'll catch an early train down to Lecce, in the heel of the boot, for a conference I will be attending with fellow artists of the ornamental kind. Out the window we can hear the hubbub of the farmers market in the piazza, motos buzzing by, and the bits of conversation inevitably ending in "ciao! ciao ciao, ciao, ciao, ciao!"<br />
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Ahhhhh, Italia!<br />
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-48300820964758446272014-11-03T10:51:00.000-08:002014-11-03T10:51:43.198-08:00Recent article in Paint and Pattern magazine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A quick word of thanks to Regina Garay (she of <a href="http://fauxology.com/">Fauxology.com</a>) for putting together a little piece featuring my commentary on how to turn stencils into unique hand finished pieces. Here's the link to the <a href="http://www.paintandpattern.com/replicate-italian-ornamentation/" target="_blank">article</a> and here's a little preview of one the images.<br />
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-32184641382928964222014-10-08T16:13:00.000-07:002014-10-08T16:13:24.991-07:00Acanthus #5- Roll me over and do it again!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
All right! If you've been doing the homework, you have now drawn out a flat acanthus leaf with all of the necessary components of its design. Way to go! However, acanthus ornament is very rarely depicted as flat. ("You mean I did all this work and I'm not even going to use it?!") You will use it, but we will now modify the leaf shape to fit different purposes.<br />
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Probably the first thing most people will associate with the acanthus is the decorative foliage of a Corinthian style capital, as seen in this beautiful Beaux-Arts print from Camillo Boito's book, Gli Stili dell'Ornamento (1882). As you can see, the leaves of the capital lean out and bend over, which is the norm for a Corinthian capital. Look also at the stylization of the eyelets on this leaf; they look almost like the metal-ringed eyelets on a workboot. This is again a stylization: it would not occur in nature, but it looks clean, and it attracts the eye by creating a highlight around the dark of the eye, making a clear punctuation of the leaf's rhythm.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2WCvS626b78vcQ6uE3T4pQ4J3WmeUDKKSKRvqtip7FpEFUzyXpCPe_k6iT-TCRslPzkDCqsmzvmpEKcX8CyFoVdcw1oPtEmC21m5wso1yezkISTEadqAta0eUj5TtAbWIlmr9GGmZyKk/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2WCvS626b78vcQ6uE3T4pQ4J3WmeUDKKSKRvqtip7FpEFUzyXpCPe_k6iT-TCRslPzkDCqsmzvmpEKcX8CyFoVdcw1oPtEmC21m5wso1yezkISTEadqAta0eUj5TtAbWIlmr9GGmZyKk/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" height="640" width="406" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top capital is from the Temple of Apollo at Didyma (present day Turkey), the bottom acanthus leaf is from the Temple of the Winds in Athens.</td></tr>
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Below is an acanthus leaf applied to the bottom side of a modillion, or soffit bracket, from the Temple of Castor and Pollux in the Roman Forum. Again the top is bent forward. Also look at the eyelets on this one; cut very squarely with tiny leaflets hanging down, and the deep grooving of the leaflets, a characteristic that is seen in many examples from Greece and Asia Minor.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modillion from the Temple of Castor and Pollux in the Roman Forum. From Hector d'Espouy's <u>Fragments Antiques</u> (1905)</td></tr>
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So here's a quick run down on how to do this bending, taken from James Page's <u>Guide for Drawing the Acanthus</u>, (1840). I won't go into too much detail, as I think the drawings are pretty self-explanatory. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step one- fold over the general form of the leaf with the eyelets drawn in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step two- elaboration of the lobes and leaflets. Observe carefully the reversing of the curves of the lobes that are folded over. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step three- the leaf rendered</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvRWj9NHMH848DR8eTfCUtQ8IlLDBd8idBwRf4nYhN2V4ywiruJfTdG_9H_PgG57xxq6ykO1iLFs6dHA2T3h92wbHyoYDxMRCvCJBinj3urqMhEqO5rOC5t2TAdFf0A5CdnChVMtHOhk/s1600/DSCN8356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvRWj9NHMH848DR8eTfCUtQ8IlLDBd8idBwRf4nYhN2V4ywiruJfTdG_9H_PgG57xxq6ykO1iLFs6dHA2T3h92wbHyoYDxMRCvCJBinj3urqMhEqO5rOC5t2TAdFf0A5CdnChVMtHOhk/s1600/DSCN8356.JPG" height="610" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corinthian Capital from the Temple of Mars Ultor. From Hector d'Espouy's <u>Fragments Antiques</u> (1905)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corinthian Capital from the Temple of Castor and Pollux in the Roman Forum. From Hector d'Espouy's <u>Fragments Antiques</u> (1905)</td></tr>
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All of the examples of capitals that I have shown here are in the more "olivine" style (leaves that look like an olive tree's), another variant on the acanthus leaf which can be found in many places. Look at it carefully, and draw a section, so that you can recognize it and be ready to design with it, noting the cleaner, more linear, more geometric style by comparison to the frillier, more organic style that we have been using for the lessons. Each has its purpose, in accordance with the architecture it enhances.</div>
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Next up: Twisting the Night Away!</div>
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-46167609915078843052014-10-06T15:19:00.000-07:002014-10-06T15:20:00.937-07:00Acanthus Leaf #4- The Good Stuff<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Ok! Whew! Hopefully if you are reading this you have gotten as far as drawing the basic structure and outline of the acanthus leaf as I have outlined in the last three posts. Give yourself a pat on the back! This is NOT a simple form! In fact, it's quite a complex form, but it is very important to understand these basics before we move on to the next step, which is where the fun starts.<br />
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So far what we've been doing is the mechanics of the leaf- it's outline, structure, and form. Next up is filling in the details; the leaf tips, the eyelets, and the profile of the leaf, leading into the shading of the form to clarify its form. Even if you are planning to finalize this design in a three-dimensional output, it is very important that you understand all the aspects of that form via drawing before you start<br />
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The profile of the leaf we have been working on thus far is fairly simple, so that we may learn the shape without dealing with too many bends and twists. Seen in profile, the leaf, as rendered below (from Page's book), would be almost flat, with a slight curve under at the bottom. In a horizontal section it appears like a bird's wings, as in the top part of the illustration here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgDnn4PCITds03XXMGcjKYdFwHDqfXHx1daXeOfJEhaY8w08T_oAvf09deT7qzprwtrVMEzwOSt78NFw5VYz185YoVkEQJbzYoF8S5QMzHcOEV2ecerHolOlCkUIF1lEy3WqJEvUr6EM/s1600/IMG_20141006_134931572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgDnn4PCITds03XXMGcjKYdFwHDqfXHx1daXeOfJEhaY8w08T_oAvf09deT7qzprwtrVMEzwOSt78NFw5VYz185YoVkEQJbzYoF8S5QMzHcOEV2ecerHolOlCkUIF1lEy3WqJEvUr6EM/s1600/IMG_20141006_134931572.jpg" height="640" width="376" /></a></div>
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We had left off on the last post with an outlined leaf that had begun to be broken down into the smaller leaflet divisions. Here is a good example, again from Page, that shows the further division, which is based on the same method that was used for the larger divisions, though becoming more irregular and asymmetrical as it gets smaller and smaller. One important thing to notice is how the end of each leaflet flows into the main part of the leaf, which then flows down and into the stem channels to the base of the leaf. See how all those parallel lines converge as they descend the leaf?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HA1Oci7kaR4WqzNmF7hNb7iBsHHZQzgq30invqJzXq0enA5NXi2y187ZGYoWgeeasDT6AMPd-u7LTtQ2sXDQ86vLGLaAh_6Ssdy1rCNw_q4LiYYw_LSVZAMGc3qWSRJ7hNuWYeiE1U0/s1600/4512868960_0b616bd350_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HA1Oci7kaR4WqzNmF7hNb7iBsHHZQzgq30invqJzXq0enA5NXi2y187ZGYoWgeeasDT6AMPd-u7LTtQ2sXDQ86vLGLaAh_6Ssdy1rCNw_q4LiYYw_LSVZAMGc3qWSRJ7hNuWYeiE1U0/s1600/4512868960_0b616bd350_o.jpg" height="640" width="465" /></a></div>
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One last detail I will point out is in the eyelet and the ridge that it creates. In Page's example seen here, there is a stylized rhythmic notching of the ridge that can be found in many examples from historical models. There is also a "skirt" of leaves around the large eyelet on the left side of the leaf, again something that is seen quite often in ornamental work. The skirt protrudes from the rib, catching light and emphasizing the eyelet's darkness. I will show more examples of these stylizations later, but for now perhaps you can work on your drawing of the whole leaf (if you have actually started one!) and see if you can get it close to the example<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL84MQFVzhOr9y511kqSJ0e-tr9wfkjBDMiiEmpE9CDUPr4N3tX5DjEoqadblD6CxAIvEApXaRB_RAEMtcUihAK31iGkiDHatJVIdCGFhdHCQRXvUPQxW3JBuR7wImrqKo-tp8HAjbVEg/s1600/4512865072_6a76d6a1b9_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL84MQFVzhOr9y511kqSJ0e-tr9wfkjBDMiiEmpE9CDUPr4N3tX5DjEoqadblD6CxAIvEApXaRB_RAEMtcUihAK31iGkiDHatJVIdCGFhdHCQRXvUPQxW3JBuR7wImrqKo-tp8HAjbVEg/s1600/4512865072_6a76d6a1b9_o.jpg" /></a></div>
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Next up: Variations on a theme<br />
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2435195180043691910.post-28594467912186237262014-10-01T10:14:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:23:36.676-07:00Acanthus Leaf #3- Forming the leaf part II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Now that we've got the basic structure of the leaf and the position of the eyelets, it's time to form the lobes of the leaf. As I mentioned in the last post, the convention is for the lower lobes to overlap the one above. Here's how we do that.<br />
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Step Eight: Aligned with each of the eyelets that you drew in the last step make a circle that touches the edge of the leaf, and that has a center about parallel with the eyelet. As usual, these are only guides that will disappear in a few steps, so draw these lightly!<br />
As you can see, I only drew one side of the leaf. That's because from this step on I will be folding the paper in half to do the other side of it, to avoid having to erase quite as much. For now, just leave it as it is here- one half only drawn in with the circles.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxhvqKArA99TkjzTuM0Y9osWgzUrfOnLXkJF7AGYs1HPIfcMBmEVPIPRlgdr6qAyJqKLocUtMSLuJNqNSH8nPuQLqwz-k4Z6DJpoWntsI7qP6Vbh0FutfbouuXdcb8-tFVziHp4vzlus/s1600/Acanthus-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxhvqKArA99TkjzTuM0Y9osWgzUrfOnLXkJF7AGYs1HPIfcMBmEVPIPRlgdr6qAyJqKLocUtMSLuJNqNSH8nPuQLqwz-k4Z6DJpoWntsI7qP6Vbh0FutfbouuXdcb8-tFVziHp4vzlus/s1600/Acanthus-5.jpg" height="400" width="197" /></a></div>
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Step Nine: What we will be drawing here are the central veins of the lobes, which in ornamental language are usually represented by a crease in the leaf. The tip of each crease starts at the point on the perimeter of the leaf that is halfway between each of the eyes, represented here by where the horizontal dotted lines cross the outside profile. They then curve and taper downwards, where they will all flow into the gully that defines the side of the central rib of the leaf. Notice that each of the creases passes through the center point of each of the circles and passes just above the eyelet of the next lobe down.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo59vfVL8UgGRneoZzFsvwg-2gTeWoJYDDq2b8e6-s5Yf3EvZ_Hj9EAE8CTW9sfdyC7TxqIgAhVbiLAOJKNtvxvDlmOitSmK67h4ryY9sLOIgHJRA9MPHIFTSZ55SfOvwRBHAFBKw0cHQ/s1600/Acanthus-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo59vfVL8UgGRneoZzFsvwg-2gTeWoJYDDq2b8e6-s5Yf3EvZ_Hj9EAE8CTW9sfdyC7TxqIgAhVbiLAOJKNtvxvDlmOitSmK67h4ryY9sLOIgHJRA9MPHIFTSZ55SfOvwRBHAFBKw0cHQ/s1600/Acanthus-6.jpg" height="400" width="171" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Step Ten: We now begin to define the individual lobes of the leaf, starting at the bottom and progressing upwards. Each lobe begins at the eyelet (as we practiced on the last lesson), curves upward around the circumference of the circle, and comes to a point at the end of the crease. It then returns downwards around the outside of the circle to die under the top edge of the leaf below it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6LKCKQlqIX3mGiCh1mZMk7pUagzccU_7iu8nESwyvy_TBvwVGBF3TZ86-Uj4cmpWS_aHvolvAnH8pFhiKg-YFhXMF2C-RxleoPh1r-bZ0lwWSGkkd8FqzF1paEFvGBnWFL2hUqmVoKU/s1600/Acanthus-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6LKCKQlqIX3mGiCh1mZMk7pUagzccU_7iu8nESwyvy_TBvwVGBF3TZ86-Uj4cmpWS_aHvolvAnH8pFhiKg-YFhXMF2C-RxleoPh1r-bZ0lwWSGkkd8FqzF1paEFvGBnWFL2hUqmVoKU/s1600/Acanthus-7.jpg" height="400" width="171" /></a></div>
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Step Eleven: Here I have erased the circles used as guides so that you can see more clearly the shape of the lobes</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SNqlxWHS2-2-vizKRTvO9YROZpRT_wp1EbGty_W3H-4W9xYir9xC3Ujj05PdlcZ4YHdE6Bk2Bvwd_5Q3hCVWLJyYTny6zwSc0iGHql1MmHVdLGME4WUnz_gNcSbWGIK-q8VeDaUYgUY/s1600/Acanthus-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SNqlxWHS2-2-vizKRTvO9YROZpRT_wp1EbGty_W3H-4W9xYir9xC3Ujj05PdlcZ4YHdE6Bk2Bvwd_5Q3hCVWLJyYTny6zwSc0iGHql1MmHVdLGME4WUnz_gNcSbWGIK-q8VeDaUYgUY/s1600/Acanthus-8.jpg" height="320" width="137" /></a></div>
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Step Eleven: By folding the paper in half vertically and tracing the design, I have duplicated the lobes onto the other side of the leaf (without going through the whole process of circles and creases.) I also erased the last bit of the crease near the tip of the lobes, an aspect that will be further explored when we talk about styles and leaf types. You should still be drawing lightly, as even now we will be erasing much of this before we are done.<br />
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The other trick you can use in the sequence of these steps is to flip the paper and trace from the other side each time you make a new step, that way you can completely erase the step before without erasing the current drawing. This is easiest with vellum, but you can also hold regular paper up to a window or a light box so that you can see through it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6j70yqDtFEVdmvhcfWN1I4mrG5XzT04jpHb3KYNEt9Pbf9EVfVWutJLbgenHgGup-9vUcgqzA0F5KXY8LZZwHitTYq3A9TBFHBNLWualJpTtjqpfFtuwNOatUi0WC8eks-94p8VxYXc/s1600/Acanthus-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6j70yqDtFEVdmvhcfWN1I4mrG5XzT04jpHb3KYNEt9Pbf9EVfVWutJLbgenHgGup-9vUcgqzA0F5KXY8LZZwHitTYq3A9TBFHBNLWualJpTtjqpfFtuwNOatUi0WC8eks-94p8VxYXc/s1600/Acanthus-9.jpg" height="320" width="137" /></a></div>
Step Twelve: Subdividing the lobes gives the acanthus leaf its individual character, and also allows us to take guesses as to where and when an example might be found historically. There are many ways of doing this, but I've attempted here to distill what is common to most of them, so that we may use it in this lesson.<br />
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First up, a note on the particular style that I'm using in this example. The curve on the left side of this illustration is what might be called an ogival arch (especially if my Illustrator skills were better!) That is, it has two "s" curves meeting at a point in the middle. To me this is a nod to the natural form of the acanthus, which has sharp spines at the tips of its leaves, so I will use it for our lesson.<br />
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Secondly, as seen in the illustration at right, the lobes are roughly symmetrical over the axis of the central crease, so when subdividing we will arrange 3 circles to fit inside the lobe, using the perpendicular axis to the crease as the base of the triangle formed by the 3 circles (Just look at the illustration- don't try to make sense of it verbally!) As usual, these are only guides, so draw lightly!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxfZJHlSns7dYAjZW_p5hu-Wus0DpgL6tWuoozgT4VVw6grKwtFrR81gTqwfOBGib6nQ6cD-P7SzYCcJzbm5mzZhCkCrpia88SG8KeRwgRew-R7cnFHGLtBr4hH3tu5sMaNb_xsr4T9E/s1600/Acanthus-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxfZJHlSns7dYAjZW_p5hu-Wus0DpgL6tWuoozgT4VVw6grKwtFrR81gTqwfOBGib6nQ6cD-P7SzYCcJzbm5mzZhCkCrpia88SG8KeRwgRew-R7cnFHGLtBr4hH3tu5sMaNb_xsr4T9E/s1600/Acanthus-10.jpg" height="172" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is the method seen above as applied to the lobes of the right side (we can do the same method of advancing one side and tracing it to the other side again.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdD03Hn_TMqClMwRuTzMgvXlpHhjwgM0xG_U0wupOpPIXaeqZvXbGZgO9QQJy-OHoWf3D5OMOxH-AMRGF72TYj8TbJNft2ti5VeNJ7vYLirWkagY5MrekVQuFtC5QLRppdFB9dI6SQfnM/s1600/Acanthus-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdD03Hn_TMqClMwRuTzMgvXlpHhjwgM0xG_U0wupOpPIXaeqZvXbGZgO9QQJy-OHoWf3D5OMOxH-AMRGF72TYj8TbJNft2ti5VeNJ7vYLirWkagY5MrekVQuFtC5QLRppdFB9dI6SQfnM/s1600/Acanthus-11.jpg" height="400" width="170" /></a></div>
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Step Thirteen: Following the same method we used for the general lobe shape, we create leaflets that follow the outlines of the three enclosed circles, noting that the notches formed between the leaflets should make a more or less perpendicular line to the central crease (see illustration two below this one)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY46z1ZNrkJSEKolfXFd9ZzP0Zlu8TQhfUwd5AdiJCmCRmC4XlAsWvP1pO_oACy9do_NiQYptlb99Yj2ZsTslWsPDrZLmkprib-1J2HPEnj3BV5wDtEqW1OaZaNIgtucLcQN4cuDeFf0w/s1600/Acanthus-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY46z1ZNrkJSEKolfXFd9ZzP0Zlu8TQhfUwd5AdiJCmCRmC4XlAsWvP1pO_oACy9do_NiQYptlb99Yj2ZsTslWsPDrZLmkprib-1J2HPEnj3BV5wDtEqW1OaZaNIgtucLcQN4cuDeFf0w/s1600/Acanthus-12.jpg" height="400" width="200" /></a></div>
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Step Fourteen: Removed the guide circles (and replaced the center creases that I accidentally took out of the last illustration!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6p6A0btGRvcpcv39kUavFqd64la3CEDXku3CmgT_Lhx3TqiE2zlRJC2IrT1hog4kqSOz0Dzmr1sYaiaaU5Z_Bl46ZjF5b31fpilpkXCRaU73vT_N7yRIsSB_0mrQ8BbdLanX2GJd7WY0/s1600/Acanthus-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6p6A0btGRvcpcv39kUavFqd64la3CEDXku3CmgT_Lhx3TqiE2zlRJC2IrT1hog4kqSOz0Dzmr1sYaiaaU5Z_Bl46ZjF5b31fpilpkXCRaU73vT_N7yRIsSB_0mrQ8BbdLanX2GJd7WY0/s1600/Acanthus-13.jpg" height="400" width="202" /></a></div>
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Step Fifteen: Illustrating the small eyelets separating the leaflets and how they are perpendicular to the central crease of the lobe. Also notice how the central rib of the whole leaf has been added, and how the creases and folds of the eyelets all spring from the same channels on both sides.<br />
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The further subdivision of the lobes gets less orderly from this point on, with more asymmetry visible. Nevertheless, the tips of each leaflet and its divisions still follow an arrow-like form proceeding from the central rib and channels of the leaf. I will go deeper into style and variants on the form in the next post.<br />
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Steve Shriverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14387935616428917111noreply@blogger.com4