Chapel Hill – Durham is Happening!
After an enchanting 2 weeks in Italy, where sites and history from centuries past, filled our every minute, I worried that re-entry to Chapel Hill might be difficult. But my fears were quickly abated.
First, we are anxiously awaiting the birth of our premier GrandBaby. He is due any day and clearly the anticipation of his appearance is keeping the entire family excited with prospects of this new treasure. While this excited Grandma is certain she is about to have her own grand artistic masterpiece in swaddling clothes, I really do also want to recount some recent noteworthy events in our local art scene.
Both UNC and Duke museums offered unusual and thought provoking programs this week. At the Ackland, Diane Davis, the resident photographer and archivist, presented her work. Diane is digitally archiving the entire Ackland Art collection. Her presentation began in the scanning laboratory where Diane explained how the sophisticated camera lens, lighting systems, scanning computer and integrations systems are operated. After the technical demonstration, Diane shared a slide show of some of her favorite items that she has unearthed from the thousands of prints she is methodically recording. The end result is that once scanned and labeled, students, art historians and art lovers will have digital access to these images. Museums all over the world are slowly following this path. With the union of computer, cloud, technology this opens “pandora’s box” of art image access to ALL!
Thursday night the Nasher Museum at Duke offered a dynamic program entitled “The Guerrilla Girls: Conscience of the Art World “. Just as their name denotes, guerilla girls are feminists, who in a radical style of protest, have taken on a guerilla warfare approach to bringing attention to the inequalities in representation of woman artists and artists of color. Their approach is a unique merge of humour, drama, satire and rebellion. They combine their guerilla philosophy of protest with gorilla mask attire and remain anonymous behind their frightful gorilla masks. With this novel angle, they deliver shocking and depressing statistics about the lack of female artist representation and respect through out the modern world. For example: They pose the question : “Do woman have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?” Their statistical answer: “Less than 5% of all the artists in the Modern Art sections are women, but 85% of the nudes are female.”
Their delivery offers suggestions of how we as a society can change this unfortunate bias. One of my personal favorite suggestions is : “Be Crazy”. Of course the point of revolution is to go over the edge to bring about change – as change will not happen in a static laissez-faire world. The Guerilla Girls are inspirational – their real message can be distilled down to a desire for Simple, Equal Human Rights for ALL,. This seems so basic, so obvious, so correct, and so important, but still in our modern age is a goal we have not achieved.
So readers: It is fun to be home and even though our continent does not carry the history of the Renaissance in its back pocket….We do give the world fresh insights and valuable contributions.
Ciao,
Anahid in Chapel Hill
Roma – Day 14
Today was the final day of our Italian Tour.
We ended the visit with another visual and historical tour of great opulence: the Borghese Gallery.
The assemblage of artworks in this museum was collected by the powerful and wealthy Cardinal Scipione (in the early 1600′s) who was a fanatic about adding masterpieces to his collection. History recounts that he often used very ” unholy” and illegal means in his attempt to amass this art collection. As a result, some of the world’s greatest treasures are housed here. Among my favorites are the sculptures of Bernini : Apollo & Dafne, Pluto & Proserpina; and the paintings of Caravaggio : Madonna de Palafrenieri & Boy with Basket of Fruit. These works are all breathtaking. The Gallery is surrounded by beautiful gardens which afforded us a pleasant stroll as we said our good-byes to Italy.
We decided to console ourselves with one last gelato……….
We thank you for following our journey………Un Abbraccio, a hug, e Ciao Ciao,
Anahid and Maleka
September 23, 2011
Roma – Day 13
Another beautiful day in Rome filled with never ending magnificent churches, plenty of walking, plenty of cappuccinos, plenty of vino and plenty of fun. Ciao Ciao
Roma – Day 12
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM !!!! BUON COMPLEANNO KIM !!!!!! LOVE HUGS And UN ABBRACCIO : Anahid and Maleka
Today we visited the Vatican. I do not think I can put into words the kind of artistic Splendor we witnessed in this sacred place. We visited the Vatican Museum where we saw Raffaello fresco’s in the Borgia appartamento which then lead us into the Sistine Chapel where Michelangelo’s ceiling masterpiece startled our senses, leaving us in an awestruck state. We left the Chapel and proceeded to St Peter’s Basilica in the core of the Vatican. Catholics who wish to attend Mass are allowed to proceed to the front altar of the Basilica while other visitors are kept in the back of church until Mass is completed. Being a Catholic while visiting Rome does make one feel like a privileged first class citizen. We attended the mass which included a male vocalist who had the beautiful voice of an opera singer. Experiencing the Mass in the world’s most Magnificent Church triggered strong emotions. I reflected on my Parents who would love knowing that we were visiting the Vatican. The reverberating spirituality of my surrounds made me certain that they know. With a warm heart I sign off today…….Ciao, Pace and Peace. Anahid
Roma – Day 11
There are fountains and there are other fountains……but there is nothing like Rome’s Trevi Fountain. The Trevi sits in a tiny piazza and commands an enormous presence. The base of the fountain is natural stone forms and then in a convergence of water and stone, enormous horses and figures jettison out of the rock with incredible strength power and beauty!!!!! Bellissimo!!!!! It is a visual masterpiece in every dimension.
We crossed the Tivere River and had lunch at a charming Trattoria called Gli Amici. The restaurant is part of the Community of Sant Egidio which is a group that has pledged to spread peace in this world thru friendship. Many of the restaurant staff have handicaps and thus are paired with a ” friend” who helps them manage their work. Our meal was delicious, the service excellent, and it warmed our hearts seeing Christ’s message of peace which is artistically expressed in the thousands of artistic images everywhere in Roma, here in this little piazza, being practiced in real life. If you are interested in learning more about this community their web site is www.santegidio.org Ciao i miei amici, Anahid
Roma/ Ostia Antica/ Tyrrhenian Sea – Day 10 (Addendum)
This is the train we took to Ostia Antica…..no joke!!! It broke down 1/2 way along the route so we needed to return to the station and waited for another one that looked just like this one but it did seem to get us there. Traveling in Italy is an adventure!!!!! ciao ciao, Anahid
Roma/ Ostia Antica/ Tyrrhenian Sea – Day 10
Yesterday our first day in Roma involved touring the usual tourist spectacular sites including the Colosseum, The Roman Forum, Monument to Victor Emmanuel, Church of Santa Marie Maggiore etc.etc. So, today we needed a break from city life and we took an excursion outside of Rome to the city of Ostia Antica where ruins from 500 BC stand. The ruins of this ancient port city can be walked thru and the sophistication of this civilization can be observed and respected. The community had beautiful theaters, baths with hot and cold water all decorated in intricate mosaics which remain today and we as tourists were able to stroll across. Truly amazing that this has all survived….the photos tell the story.
After Ostia we continued on the to the tiny sea side town of Stella Polare where we walked the beach and enjoyed a few hours on the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Firenze/ Roma – Day 8
We are enjoying being Catholics in Italy. We started the day hoping to see the inside of the Duomo- Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, but the imposing line to enter the church scared us away. Instead we chose the Baptistery, where Catholic Mass was being held and thus the church was only open to those attending Mass. What a perfect opportunity to attend mass…in we went with a tiny handful of attendees. It was a beautiful experience. Of course the mass was all said in Italian, but catholic liturgy is same all over the globe so Maleka and I felt right at home. Receiving communion in such a structure was profound. The Baptistery is well know of the outside doors done by Ghiberti telling the stories of the old testament..”the gates of paradise”. The inside structure is equally inspiring. The interior dome is decorated with a 13th century gold mosaic of a giant figure of Christ with images of death and resurrection…..the meaning of a Christian baptism. After this we crossed the Arno to visit the Pitti Palace and the Boboli gardens. The gardens are a beautiful maze of paths, ponds, views, fountains and fruit trees all blended into an aggressive hillside hike. We were offered vistas on one side of the entire city of Firenze from a birds eye view and on the opposite side of Tuscan hills with Villas and olive groves. It was the perfect way to say good bye to Firenze. Now off to Roma. Buona Notte. Anahid
Firenze – Day 7
Another beautiful day in Firenze. We began our day at the Basilica of Santa Croce, a Franciscan Church. The allegorical frescoes by Giotto, glorious Gothic style architecture, paintings, chapels and sculptures in this structure delivered the messages of the Franciscan friars from 1294 when church was first built to today. The basilica was modified many times over the centuries reflecting a balance of power among rulers of the land, power of the church and the Franciscan’s message as followers of Christ. The church was built with the patronage of Florentine families, who’s large financial donations earned them the privilege of being buried under the church floor. As a result the floor is covered with flat tombstone style markings. In addition all of Firenze’s most famous citizens have sarcophagi in this structure including : Dante, Michelangelo, Galileo, Rossini etc.etc. Hard to belleve so much genius can all come out of one small place. Must be in the water here (I am trying to drink tons, but so far it is not working). The Basilica also included the Pazzi chapel designed by Brunellesci and a Convent with long expanses of loggia. The Basilica’s organ includes 7,000 pipes, one of the largest in all of Europe. I could go on and on but best to sum up and say this church was another perfect example of Florentine’s love for the beauty of Art and Worship over the centuries. Next major location of the day was the Uffici gallery, a one time home of the Medici family. The mesmerizing and etherial paintings of Botticelli and serenity of Filippo Lippi’s Madonna’s make me want to sport wings and float away. But alas, no time for floating as we still need to view the Duomo, Baptistery, and the Boboli gardens. A domain, Anahid
Firenze – Day 6
We began our time in Firenze with a fortuitous stumble on the recitation of the rosary in the Chiesa of San Salvatore di Ognassanti. As we entered the beautiful structure just expecting to observe the art, we heard the melodic voices of the Nuns chanting the rosary. We stayed for a few minutes of reflection. This religious note set the tempo for our first day tour. Visiting the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella we listened to the audio tour and received the most amazing crash course on the Renaissance. After a casual lunch in the Mercato Central, we battled the lines to see Italy’s most favorite son……Michelangelo’s statue of David…an awe inspiring celebration of humanity. The day included a Tour of the Basilica di San Lorenzo and a nice respite for cappuccino, wine and sweets at Gilli’s on the Piazza Della Repubblica. Life is sweet……Ciao, Anahid
Bologna/ Firenze – Day 5
With full bellies we sadly left Bologna, as the city immediately won our admiration. But our dismay was short lived. We arrived in Firenze ready to be serenaded by another Italian charming city. Ready for a good night’s sleep and we will have more to report tomorrow.
Buona Notte
Bologna – Day 4
The city of Bologna is charming us at every corner. After viewing the cluster of churches of San Stefano which was begun in the XI century and still actively holds masses today, I had to reflect on the power of worship. Here we viewed priests leading a congregation of believers just like was done some 1000 years ago. Today we throw away computers that we bought five years ago as obsolete instruments. I wonder what will be the signs from our century that will endure for the next 1000 years. Well dear readers I can answer the aforementioned question. After walking around the cheese and cured meats stores of Bologna, after sampling the sweets and chocolates of the fine confectioners, after a dinner of tagliatelli ragu and tortellini stuffed with pumpkin and sage…..the answer is the foods of Bologna will endure another 10 century ( and my guess is the Catholic church will endure as well ) . God bless and Buon appetito.
Venezia/ Bologna – Day 3
Bologna, a city miles of covered terra-cotta arcades is a walkers dream. We began day one by strolling to the Piazza Maggiore. Our destination was the Morandi Museum. My passion for still life paintings gets reenergized when I see this artist’s work. Giorgio Morandi was born and raised in Bologna and is one of the city’s favorite sons. His still lifes and landscapes offer a purity of form and a distillation of colors that evoke a powerful image. The current exhibit is paired with the works of American artist Wayne Thiebaud. Thiebaud’s understanding or shape, form, shadows bring a modern juxtaposition to the exhibit. When entering museum…..take the stairs…amazing structure! See photo.
Venezia – Day 1 & 2
Venice has lived up to it’s reputation of being a magical city, like non other in the world. With the Venice Biennial exhibiting modern artists from all over the world set in magnificent Renaissance piazza’s, the contrast of the art of many ages was profound and exciting. Water, water everywhere. An entire culture based on boat transportation and walking makes touring this crowded city a fun activity. Favorite locations included the Friari with magnificent Titian altar of the Assumption of Mary and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Every strada offered multiple churches of beauty and every corner was surrounded by cafe after cafe for sipping cappuccino and wine. The jaunts on the vapporetto all day long made each small excursion to anew neighborhood an adventure!
