Sunday, June 30, 2013

Magical Piazza San Marco in Venice


DSCN1281 _  Piazza di San Marco, Venezia, 13 October DSCN1284 _ view of Torre Dell'Orologio from Loggia of Piazza di San Marco, 13 October  DSCN0389 - View of Piazza San Marco from Giorgio Maggiore, Venezia, 11 October

The only place called Piazza in Venice is Piazza San Marco, which lies in the heart of the water city, and boasts many iconic buildings such as Basilica di San Marco, Campanile, Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace) and the fanciful Torre Dell'Orologio, and is perhaps one of the most photographed places on earth.  Naturally, I was not able to resist the temptation to capture and interpret with my personal lens when I returned to Venice in October 2012.

DSCN9937 _ Piazza San Marco, Venezia, 10 October DSCN0079 _ View of Campaneli from Palazzo Ducale, Venezia, 11 October DSCN9915 _ Ponte dei Sospiri, Venezia, 10 October
Left to right: Columns of St Marco and St Theodore, Campaneli from Palazzo Ducale, Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sign)

Though Basilica San Marco was the most important architecture on the square, the novelty of my second trip to Venice was the Doge's Palace, Palazzo Ducale.  I'd visited the Basilica in my previous day trip from Florence.

The Palazzo was elegant in the exterior and extravagant in the interior, and I was repeatedly astounded by the immense wealth that ancient republic had accumulated through trade and sea power.

DSCN1604 _ view of Palazzo Ducale from Basilica di San Marco, 13 October

DSCN9982 _ Palazzo Ducale, Venezia, 11 October

DSCN0176 _ view of Ponte dei Sospiri from the prison of Palazzo Ducale, Venezia, 11 October

DSCN0229 _ Palazzo Ducale, Venezia, 11 October DSCN0070 _ View of Basilica from Palazzo Ducale, Venezia, 11 October

DSCN0128 _ Palazzo Ducale, Venezia

DSCN0091 _ San Christopher, Titian, Palazzo Ducale, Venezia, 11 October
San Christopher by Titian

DSCN0057 _ Palazzo Ducale, Venezia, 11 October DSCN0194 _ view of Ponte dei Sospiri from the prison of Palazzo Ducale, Venezia, 11 October
Left to right: opulent Palazzo Ducale and the dismal view of Ponte dei Sospiri from the prison

From the Palazzo, the dominant view was naturally the Basilica.  I was very taken by the onion domes of the byzantine structure.

DSCN0146 _ view of Basilica from Palazzo Ducale, Venezia

The mosaics graced the exterior and interior of the Basilica were miracles, shimmered in the dark or light.

DSCN0244 _ Basilica di San Marco, Venezia, 11 October

DSCN0260 _ Basilica di San Marco, Venezia,
 11 October

DSCN0262 _ Basilica di San Marco, Venezia, 11 October DSCN1648 _ Atrium, Basilica di San Marco, 13 October

DSCN0268 _ Museum of Basilica di San Marco, Venezia, 11 October
Treasury in the Basilica

The most magical moment to see the Basilica was dawn or dusk, when the light insight the Basilica glowed light lantern.

DSCN1795 _ Basilica di San Marco, 14 October

Finally, there was that fanciful structure in the Piazza -Torre Dell'Orologio (Clock Tower), which had "two great bronze figures, hinged at the waist, strike the hours on a bell. One is old and the other young, to show the passing of time and, although said to represent shepherds (they are wearing sheepskins) or giants (they are huge figures of great mass, necessary so that their form can be recognized at a distance) they are always known as "the Moors" because of the dark patina acquired by the bronze. The bell is also original and is signed by one Simeone who cast it at the Arsenal in 1497." [source: wikipedia]

DSCN0311 _ Torre Dell'Orologio, Venezia, 11 October

DSCN0312 _ Torre Dell'Orologio, Venezia, 11 October

It was hard to capture the "Moors" in motion and after several attempts, below video was the best result I had:



Before I left Venice for Bologna, I returned to the Piazza for another look at night.  A most amazing Piazza, day or night!

DSCN9972 _ Piazza San Marco, Venezia, 10 October


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- Two Museums in Venice - Gallerie dell'Accademia & Collezione Peggy Guggenheim
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Label: Italy, Austria and Italy Trip 2012

Friday, June 28, 2013

Gondolas in Venice, Italy


DSCN9988 _ Palazzo Ducale, Venezia, 11 October

In Venice, Italy, Gondolas have ubiquitous presences and are the most recognizable symbols of this lovely emerald city surrounded by lagoon and laced with the canals grand and small.  Those shining black leaf-shaped row boats, set off the green water and the pale marbled palazzi along the canals brilliantly.

Last October, when I visited Venice, naturally, I snapped many pictures of those flat-bottom, sharp-tipped boats traveling in the canal, lagoon, or mooring in the cove.

DSCN0628 - Gondola in Venice, October 2012

DSCN0625 - Gondola in Venice, October 2012

DSCN0623 _ Gondolas near Rialto, Venezia, 12 October

DSCN1156 - Gondola in Piazza San Marco, Venice, October 2012

DSCN9951 _ Piazza San Marco, Venezia, 10 October

DSCN1132 _ view of Giorgio Maggiore from Piazza di San Marco, 13 October

DSCN1147 _ Gondolas at Piazza di San Marco, 13 October

DSCN1172 _ Gondolas at Piazza di San Marco, 13 October

One morning, one my way to the opera house, La Fenice, from Piazza San Marco, I stumbled upon a cove Agenzia Gondolieri Travel Bacino Orseolo, where gondolas parked overnight and it was quite a sight:

DSCN1310 _ Gondolas, Agenzia Gondolieri Travel Bacino Orseolo, 13 October

DSCN1326 _ Gondolas, Agenzia Gondolieri Travel Bacino Orseolo, 13 October

DSCN1315 _ Gondolas, Agenzia Gondolieri Travel Bacino Orseolo, 13 October DSCN1332 _ Gondolas, Agenzia Gondolieri Travel Bacino Orseolo, 13 October
 
DSCN1314 _ Gondolas, Agenzia Gondolieri Travel Bacino Orseolo, 13 October

DSCN1376 _ Gondolas, Agenzia Gondolieri Travel Bacino Orseolo, 13 October

DSCN1320 _ Gondolas, Agenzia Gondolieri Travel Bacino Orseolo, 13 October

DSCN1321 _ Gondolas, Agenzia Gondolieri Travel Bacino Orseolo, 13 October

I particularly loved seeing those gondolas in the tranquil small waterways, strangely familiar and comforting.

DSCN1377 _ Gondolas, Agenzia Gondolieri Travel Bacino Orseolo, 13 October

DSCN1382 _ gondolas near La Fenice, Venezia, 13 October DSCN1378 - Gondola in Venice, October 2012

DSCN1394 - Gondola in Venice, October 2012

DSCN1685 _ Gondolier, Venezia, 13 October

The locals and brave tourists would cross the Grand Canal via a commuter gondola, Traghetto, standing:

DSCN2155 - Traghetto Crossing the Grand Canal, Venezia, October 2012

Lastly, in front of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, I spotted in the Grand Canal a gondolier nonchalantly speaking on his cellular phone.  For us, gondolas were a thrilling novelty; for the locals, it was simply a way of life:

DSCN2288 _ Gondola in front of Collezione Peggy Guggenheim, Venezia, 14 October



Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst
- Magical Piazza San Marco in Venice
- Teatro La Fenice di Venezia (La Fenice Theatre in Venice)
- Boy With Frog Sculpture and Punta della Dogana, Venice
- Bus Ride From Graz, Austria to Venice, Italy
- Magnificent Churches in Vienna
- Theater Experiences in Wien (Vienna)

Label: Italy, Austria and Italy Trip 2012

Saturday, June 22, 2013

An Artist Portfolio Magazine Publication

One of my proudest paintings, Liberation Road, inspired by an old photo of my beautiful great grandmother, and our family history in the last century which had brought much suffering to Chinese people, rich and poor, was included in Artist Portfolio Magazine Publication's second anniversary issue.

I incorporated elements of destruction into the painting, with a large road sign "Liberation Road" occupying the center of the canvas:



Liberation Road / 解放路 / Befreiungstraße
Oil on Canvas 
18" x 24" 
Completed in 2010

This painting was just published by Artist Portfolio Magazine in their 11th issue, in June 2013:




Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst:
- "Diptych - Dawn" Won Another Award
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