Thursday 25 July 2013

Foot-loose in Rome

I was in Rome for a meeting that was supposed to finish around 4 PM. Since these days the sun sets around 5.15 PM, it meant that I was going to have about one hour of daylight for visiting some places after finishing my work and before taking the train back home.

Rome is one of my favourite cities. Almost every stone that you bump against in Rome, has usually a history of at least thousand years. So every time that I can, usually I try to visit some new place in the city.

There are certain parts of the city centre in Rome that go from Piazza del Popolo through Spanish steps and fountain of Trevi to Piazza Navona and Fatherland's Alter, that I can visit every day without getting tired.

I am also a bit quirky, in the sense that I usually set myself some rules when I visit a city. Sometimes, these rules are linked to photography - like when I decide to focus on a particular colour, and wherever I see that colour, I click its pictures. On this visit, my rule was - No transport, only walking.

So, come and join me on this tour to some parts of Rome, the eternal city.

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The map below shows my tour-route in Rome. The part in blue is my walk in the morning for going to the meeting. The part in red is my visit to the city after the meeting. I think that altogether, in this tour I walked for about 10 km.

Walking tour in Rome - S. Deepak, 2013

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The high speed train from Bologna to Rome took a little more 2 hours. When I arrived in Rome, it was 9.15 AM. My meeting was going to start at 9.30, so I walked briskly, turning right from the station and then taking Via Goito.

Though it is a relatively new residential area, without many historical buildings, still I like to keep my eyes open to look for any interesting places that may be hidden on the way. Like the statues and old church in via Cernaia. I could not resist the temptation to look at those statues. It made my walk a little longer.

Walking tour in Rome - S. Deepak, 2013


On Via XX settembre, a busy street, I was surprised to find orange trees full of fruits. In Europe, often people don't pluck fruit from trees along the roads, preferring to leave them to rot. However, with all the beggars and immigrants in Rome, it was surprising that those trees had so much fruit!

Walking tour in Rome - S. Deepak, 2013

In Fiume square, I saw an interesting looking old building. It seemed to be from 15th or 16th century. However, there was no time to stand and look at it properly as I was running a little late for my meeting.

Walking tour in Rome - S. Deepak, 2013

After the meeting, I quickly walked to Villa Borghese museum, determined to take advantage of every remaining minute of daylight. Villa Borghese is a 16th century building from noble Roman family. It is surrounded by acres of beautiful parks, full of things to see including some lakes and many statues.

Walking tour in Rome - S. Deepak, 2013

The splendour of Borghese family led to the use of the word "borghese" (bourgeois) as a synonym decadent life-styles of the rich, used frequently by communist ideologues all over the world.

There was no time to visit the art museum or the zoo that are located in the gardens of Villa Borghese. It was nice to walk in the middle of grassy meadows where children were playing and dog owners were out for their evening walks. I looked around for any statues, fountains and interesting buildings.

Walking tour in Rome - S. Deepak, 2013

Walking tour in Rome - S. Deepak, 2013

The evening darkness was not very helpful, but still I clicked a lot of pictures, that will be useful for my photoblog in the coming days!

By the time I arrived at the Pincio terrace (pronounced Pinchio), overlooking the Popolo square, sun was almost down and lights had come on. There was a beautiful sculpture exhibition by Mexican artist Javier Marìn on the terrace. It included giant sculptures of terracotta heads and wonderful statues of horsemen on top of columns. The view of the dome of St. Peter's church, seen through the sculptures of Marìn was incredibly beautiful.

Walking tour in Rome - S. Deepak, 2013

I was mesmerized by those sculptures and the views from the terrace. So I spent a lot of time gazing around and clicking pictures. Finally I climbed down the hill to the Popolo square. The Egyptian obelisk with fountains and the statues on the sides of the Popolo square, glowing in the evening lights, looked like a set from Benhur or Ten Commandments.

Walking tour in Rome - S. Deepak, 2013

After spending some time admiring the Popolo square, I finally took Via del Corso to S. Silvestro square. Via del Corso was full of people, which surprised me. It is true that it was a Saturday evening and Via del Corso is a traffic-free street, so crowds were bound to be there. Still I was not expecting it to be so packed with people.

Outside a church on Via del Corso I saw a young woman asking money to people. Though she was begging, she had her dignity. She had her own folding chair on which she sat primly with a bottle of mineral water, to ask for money. It made me smile.

I had already been walking for almost three hours and my feet were starting to hurt. So I sat down in S. Silvestro square and rested for a few minutes.

Walking tour in Rome - S. Deepak, 2013

A short walk from S. Silvestro square brought me to Trevi fountain, my favourite place in Rome. The only time, I manage to find this place without too many tourists is very early in the morning. This time it was evening and it was full of people.

Walking tour in Rome - S. Deepak, 2013

By now my feet were hurting seriously and I was tempted to take the metro to finish the last part of my Rome walk. Somehow I resisted the temptation and took Via Barberini. When I reached Repubblica square, I was glad that I had not taken the metro, because with lights, the central fountain was absolutely wonderful.

Walking tour in Rome - S. Deepak, 2013

I reached the Termini railway station just in time for my train. My feet were almost numb with pain, so it was a relief to sit down in the train and put up my feet on the foot rest. It had been a long day, but I was very satisfied with my Rome walk.

I have another meeting later this month in Rome, and I am already making plans for other places to see during my next visit.

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My best images of horses

As the title says, this post is about the best images of horses in my picture archives.

The idea of this post came a few days ago, when I was in Rome. It was evening and I had walked through the gardens of Villa Borghese, and reached the Pincio terrace. There was an exhibition of the sculptures by the Mexican artist Javier Marìn, including some sculptures of horses. The evening light, the view of Rome skyline and the horses lined up as a medieval army marching on to Rome, they had all combined to make it an incredible emotional experience.

Thinking about that experience, came the idea of putting together my favourite images of horses from my picture archives. Thus, here are 25 of my favourite images of horses that I have selected for this post.

(1) The first image is of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of Cech republic, from Prague. Warriers on their horses have been a popular theme for cities to show off their glorious pasts. Most images of horses reflect this very male way of celebration of national pride. Usually women are missing from such sculptures, or they are sometimes shown standing close, looking with admiration towards the great warriors.

Best images of horses from different countries
(2) The next two images are from Cape Town in South Africa. The first one has two naked young men with a horse in the middle. Once again, here horse is a symbol of male power and strength. Again this is a common way of expressing power of youth by putting together a horse with a nude male figure, as you will see from many images below.

Best images of horses from different countries

The second image from Cape Town is that of an old style merry go round for children. I like the three horses with 3 different expressions of this image.

Best images of horses from different countries

(4) The next two images are from Geneva in Switzerland. Both are from the garden on the left bank of Le Man lake. It is a beautiful stretch for a walk that brings together lake and gently rolling hills on one side, verdant grass, beautiful flowers and art pieces on the other. If you are ever in Geneva, remember to keep at least half a day to explore it.

The first image has once again a horse with a nude young man.
Best images of horses from different countries

(5) I love the artististic horse of the next image from the lakeside in Geneva. The two ridges on its snout, expressing man's control and domination of the animal, touch a deep emotional chord in me. In the beauty of its art, I feel the anguish of the animal.

Best images of horses from different countries

(6) The next image is from India and is the only female figure sitting on a horse like a warrior. I saw this statue in Agra. It has Jhalkari Bai, the soldier in the army of Rani Jhansi in the fight against the British in 1857. She had dressed as the Queen of Jhansi to create confusion among the British soldiers.

Best images of horses from different countries

(7) The next two images from Lisbon in Portugal and are supposed to glorify Portuguese warrior-kings. I like the background of the castle behind the horse.

Best images of horses from different countries

(8) The warrior king on his horse from Lisbon, Portugal. In front of the sea, this is one of the most beautiful squares in Portugal and rich details of the staute express the colonial power.

Best images of horses from different countries

(9) The next six images are from London (UK), a city rich in equestrian statues. The first one is a Roman statue, with a nude man sitting on the horse. I love the way the light from the transparent dome of British museum, gives this marble statue a distinct greenish tinge.

Best images of horses from different countries

(10) The stylized horse and the nude man sitting on him from Kensington gardens in London is another favourite.

Best images of horses from different countries

(11) The head of the horse in Marble Arch in London is both horrifying and magnetic. It reminds me of a scene from Mario Puzo's famous book Godfather.

Best images of horses from different countries
(12) New parts of London around Greenwich are full of glass and steel skyscrappers all around the river Thames. This image has the half man and half horse figure from the Greek mythology.

Best images of horses from different countries

(13) The next image is from a road near Piccadilly in central London. I like the way the General sitting on his horse seems to be admiring the Greek looking paintings on the house.

Best images of horses from different countries
(14) The next image has once again a children's merry-go-round, this time it is from Covent Garden in central London.

Best images of horses from different countries

(15) Next image has the Mongolian hero Changis Khan, not far from the national capital Ulaan Baator in Mongolia. This statue is huge and there is a lift inside it, just like the statue of Liberty in New York. So you can go up the statue and take a walk along the man's crown and along the back of the horse.

Best images of horses from different countries

(16) Next image, once again from Mongolia, is the only image of a living horse in this collection. I often take picture of horses in the countries I visit, but somehow I have never managed to take a picture that I really like. The only exception to this was in Mongolia, where I took many pictures of Mongolian pastors going around on horses, that I had liked. From those images I have chosen this one as it gives an idea of vast open spaces, where lives of animals and people are closely intertwined.

Best images of horses from different countries

(17) The next 4 images are from Vienna in Austria. Like London, Vienna is also very rich in equestrian statues, expressing the power of its kings. I like the green colour of Bronze statues very much.

Best images of horses from different countries

(18) The image below is a close up of the image above, the patterns created by the green of oxidized bronze are easier to see here.

Best images of horses from different countries
(19) The next image from Vienna is the only one where the man sitting on the horse is expressing wealth rather than warrior's power and courage. In a way those noble men with their wigs and fineries were the precurosrs of metrosexual men of today.

Best images of horses from different countries

(20) The last image from Vienna is a variation on the horse with the youthful nude. Somehow this nude figure gives me an impression of being a woman, but I am not sure about it.

Best images of horses from different countries
(21) The next image is from a Buddhist temple in Hanoi, Vietnam that shows a paper horse made as an offering at the temple. Such paper animals are burnt as part of prayers.

Best images of horses from different countries

(22) The next four images are from Italy. The first one is from Assisi and has St Francis as a child from a noble family sitting on his richly decorated horse. Both the man's and the animal's posture reflect introspection, the desire to leave the world's possessions and to devote their lives to spirituality.

Best images of horses from different countries

(23) The next image is from Capitol hill in Rome, and it has the mythological figure of Castor, one of the twins of Gemini constellation, guarding the entrance to the building.

Best images of horses from different countries
(24) A detail from the beautiful Trevi fountain in Rome that has a man with the conch and his horse. This figure also looks mythological, though I am not sure if it represents a specific figure.

Best images of horses from different countries
(25) The last image of this collection is that of sculptures by Javier Marìn on Pincio terrace in Rome, that had triggered off this reflection and this post about horses.

Just looking at this image gives me goose pumps as it reminds me of my experience from that evening in Rome.

Best images of horses from different countries

So I hope that you have enjoyed this trip through images of horses from different countries, as much as I have enjoyed putting it together.

If you want to read my diary of the Rome visit that stimulated this post, you can read it here.

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Terracotta dreams

Clay is a wonderful medium to create extremely natural looking and humanistic sculptures. The art of baking clay to create terracotta sculptures goes back to prehistoric times. My first introduction to terracotta art was in Xian in China, when I had visited the famous two thousand years old, buried terracotta army. This art of making terracotta continues to be alive and significant even today. (Image below: a medieval terracotta on the façade of a small church in Bologna).

Terracotta statues in Bologna, Italy - images by S. Deepak

In this article, I focus on development of terracotta sculptures in Emilia part of Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy (shown in the map below in yellow colour) , especially in the regional capital city of Bologna (BO), over the past nine hundred years.

Bologna and Emilia region, Italy - images by S. Deepak

Introduction

The practice of making terracotta sculptures goes back to prehistoric times. Prehistoric terracotta female figurines were uncovered by archaeologists in areas of Europe around Black sea. Similar female figurines and phallus like objects were found in excavations of Mohenjo-daro (3000-1500 BC) in what is now Pakistan. The army of terracotta soldiers buried in the tomb of emperor Qin in Xi'an (China) is from 210 BC.

The word "terracotta" comes from Italian and means "earth baked" and is used for clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic. Emilia region in northern Italy has a well developed tradition of making terracotta sculptures that goes back to the early Gothic period, that is, from around 1200 AD.

A brief history of development of different sculpture styles in Italy

Roman empire took inspiration from the earlier Greek traditions and created a Roman style of arts and architecture. In terms of sculptures, the Roman period saw the creation of monumental sculptures made of stone. Around 500 AD, with the decline of Roman empire, different parts of the empire developed their own art and architecture styles. Thus Carolingian style developed in 8th and 9th centuries, followed by Ottonian style in 9th and 10th century Germany and by Romanesque style in the 11th century.

In these pre-Romanesque and Romanesque periods, separate individual sculptures were not very common. The sculptures usually appeared as part of capitals of the columns or as bass-relief on the walls, especially above the doors. These sculptures were made in a stylized forms, such as those inspired from Byzantine icons and represented idealised notions of beauty rather than attempting a faithful representation of the reality.

Early Gothic style in 12th century finally saw greater attention towards sculptures, that developed from bass-relief to a gradual separation from the walls. By 14th and 15th century, individual sculptures, both religious and secular, appeared in different parts of Italy. Another important change in this period was the shift from the stylized forms of sculptures based on ideals of classical beauty to more natural looking sculptures that resembled actual persons. This transition became complete during the renaissance period.

While in the big cities of medieval Italy, like Naples, Rome and Florence, the sculptures were made from stones such as marble, in the Emilia region to the north of Florence, marble was not easy to find, while different kinds of clay was abundant and was thus used frequently in the urban architecture. For this reason, the traditions of terracotta sculptures took roots in different parts of Emilia.

Traditions of terracotta sculptures in Emilia

Valeria Massano, a teacher of history of art explains that depending upon the composition of the clay, after firing, the dried terracotta statues change colours. Thus, in Emilia there was a tradition of covering the terracotta statues with some paint such as a marble coloured paint.

From bass-relief to individual sculptures, terracotta allowed Emilian sculptors to create art work of great originality and expressivity. Niccolò dell'Arca (1435-1494), Guido Mazzoni (1450-1518), Alfonzo Lombardi (1497-1537), Antonio Begarelli (1499-1565) and Cesare Tiazzi (1743-1809) are some of the better known artists who worked with terracotta sculptures in Emilia region.

Evolution of terracotta sculptures in Bologna, the capital of Emilia region, are presented here through some examples to illustrate the development of this art form over a period of over seven hundred years.

Students at the medieval university in the St Francis church of Bologna

The St Francis church built in 1236 is the first example of Gothic architecture in Bologna. This church was also the site where students of arts and rights at the Bologna university set-up in the 11th century, used to meet. From those days, the church has tombs of many illustrous university teachers.

St Francis church Bologna, Italy - images by S. Deepak

The church has many bass relief sculptures on the tombs of the teachers, showing the university life in medieval Bologna.

Terracotta bass relief at st Francis church in Bologna, Italy - images by S. Deepak

One of my favourite bass-relief sculptures from St Francis basilica church is on the south-west wall of its inner courtyard surrounded by a simple portico. It shows a teacher explaining in the class, while a few students are studying, a couple are talking and one is playing. The 14th century bass-relief brings alive a class room of seven hundred years ago and it is remarkably similar to some present day classrooms.

Another distinctive feature of this church are "glossatori tombs", of the professors of language (literally "glossatori"means those who work with words, and is the origin of words like glossary). These brick and terracotta tombs have conical constructions on the top covered by smooth, green coloured ceramics.

Glossatori tomb, St Francis church in Bologna, Italy - images by S. Deepak

Inside, this church has the tomb of the pope Alexander V from 1482 made in terracotta. During the reign of Napolean in Bologna around 1796, the church was turned into a custom house. So if you are visiting Bologna, do not forget to visit this unassuming looking church.

The death of Jesus by Niccolò dell'Arca at Santa Maria della Vita church of Bologna

Over the next two hundred years, as the artists started experimenting with individual statues, one very interesting group of terracotta sculptures were made by a sculptor called Niccolò.

The sculptor Niccolò da Bari, born in 1435 came to Bologna from south of Italy. He became famous as "Niccolò dell'Arca" after creating the famous arch for the tomb of St Dominique in Bologna. Some time between 1465 and 1490, he created a group of 7 terracotta statues, including the dead Jesus and a group of persons crying around him. The statues are larger than life size.

The sculptures of Niccolò dell'Arca are masterpieces of human expression, especially the statues of the two women, Mary and Mary Magdalene. The two women are shown with their mouths open in an eternal shriek, their faces screwed up in sorrow, their clothes flying behind. It seems difficult to believe that these two statues are made of terracotta, they look as if actual persons were turned into clay suddenly, their bodies frozen in eternity.

Compianto of Niccolò dell'Arca in Bologna, Italy - images by S. Deepak

These extremely drammatic statues of the two women expressing their grief are very uncommon in the Italian art from that period. Usually, the grief around the dead body of Jesus is shown throgh sad but composed faces,as you can see from another group of terracotta statues showing the same scene, at St Peter's church of Bologna. Compare the expressions of the women in this second group of terracotta statues with those of the Niccolò dell'Arca's statues above and you will understand why Niccolò is considered special.

Compianto from St Peter church in Bologna, Italy - images by S. Deepak

The "crazy mother" by Arturo Martini

Arturo Martini (1889-1947) was born in Treviso and made some interesting sculptures with terracotta during 1928-32 such as the "Crazy mother". He studied in Munich and Paris, and was influenced by the futuristic movement.

Crazy mother by Arturo Martini, Italy - images by S. Deepak

His terracotta work shows the evolution from the drammatic realism of Niccolò dell'Arca to a more abstract rappresentation of human emotions.

"The twelve months" by Nicola Zamboni at Villa Spada in Bologna

Villa Spada is a noble family house from fifteenth century in Bologna, that has some wonderful Italian gardens, with plants cut into geometric shapes. The villa was renovated in 1980s and was converted into a textile museum. Nicola Zamboni , a contemporary sculptor from Bologna, was asked to create a set of statues for its gardens.

Zamboni born in 1943, worked with famous British sculptor Henry Moore in the 1970s. Since then he has evolved his own distinctive style of art. He works with different materials including wood and bronze. However, the group of terracotta statues that he has created for the gardens of Villa Spada, are my personal favourite.

Zamboni explained to me, "After I came back from my stay with Henry Moore, I was very much influenced by his way of sculpture. For many decades I worked with contemporary sculptures. However over the past couple of decades, I have rediscovered a connection to more classical sculptures."

The terracotta statues of Villa Spada are called "Twelve months" and show women of different ages. These terracotta sculptures are in classicial style. The twelve women standing in a row in the geometrical gardens with the background of gently rolling hills, evoke feelings of tenderness and beauty.

Terracotta statues of Nicola Zamboni at Vuilla Spada in Bologna, Italy - images by S. Deepak

Terracotta statues of Nicola Zamboni at Villa Spada in Bologna, Italy - images by S. Deepak

Terracotta statues of Nicola Zamboni at Villa Spada in Bologna, Italy - images by S. Deepak

For example, the ninth month, September, is represented by a pregnant woman, holding her hand on her tummy, lost in day-dreams of her unborn baby. Though these sculptures were made in 1997, their style is in line with the fifteenth century building of Villa Spada.

Terracotta statues of Nicola Zamboni at Villa Spada in Bologna, Italy - images by S. Deepak

These statues are a testimony to the continuing tradition of terracotta sculptures in Emilia region of Italy.

Some more examples of terracotta work from Bologna

Bologna is full of terracotta sculptures. A useful starting place to see some of the most beautiful sculptures from different periods is at the certosa cemetery in the south of the city.

Terracotta statues Certosa cemetry in Bologna, Italy - images by S. Deepak

Terracotta statues Certosa cemetry in Bologna, Italy - images by S. Deepak

Bologna also has frequent exhibitions and presentations of terracotta statues. Here are some examples from the central square of Piazza Maggiore in the city centre.

Terracotta statues in Bologna, Italy - images by S. Deepak

Terracotta statues in Bologna, Italy - images by S. Deepak

Terracotta statues in Bologna, Italy - images by S. Deepak

Conclusions

Terracotta sculptures go back to prehistoric times. The availability of clay suitable for making terracotta sculptures led to the development of a tradition of making terracotta sculptures in Emilia region of Italy especially since the arrival of Gothic style of architecture around 1200s.

This tradition saw achievement of great excellence in expressing human emotions through sculptures such as the works of master artists like Niccolò dell'Arca in fifteenth century. Six centuries later, contemporary artists like Nicola Zamboni continue that tradition of excellence in terracotta sculptures.

I love the terracotta sculptures. I hope that through this article, you will share some of my love for this art form.

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