Tuesday 25 November 2008
Oh Florence, how i love thee.
Photo from the Uffizi Gallery.
The bloody people shut the drawing cabinet with Michelangelo and Da Vinci's drawings in, and to add insult to injury, they only bloody closed the Rembrandt room too. Saw lots of Titian, Botticelli and Raphael though.
This is where Hannibal Lecter hangs the italian police man from.
The Florentine Duomo and bell tower.
Donatello painted part of this fresco.
The view from Piazzale Michelangelo
The bloody people shut the drawing cabinet with Michelangelo and Da Vinci's drawings in, and to add insult to injury, they only bloody closed the Rembrandt room too. Saw lots of Titian, Botticelli and Raphael though.
This is where Hannibal Lecter hangs the italian police man from.
The Florentine Duomo and bell tower.
Donatello painted part of this fresco.
The view from Piazzale Michelangelo
Wednesday 19 November 2008
Christo & Jeanne-Claude
Today Joe and I went to padiglione d'arte contemporanea, which coincidentally had many of Christo's drawings, coincidentally, because if you look down two post i made reference to Christo in a photo of Arco Delle Pace.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, if you are not familiar did this sort of thing
An example of a drawing by Christo:
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, if you are not familiar did this sort of thing
An example of a drawing by Christo:
Tuesday 18 November 2008
Wednesday 12 November 2008
The Last Supper
Went to see Da Vinci's last supper today.
It was pretty amazing, although you only get 15 minutes in with the actual painting, its plenty of time to take it in.
I was unaware that so much restoration had taken place and that they'd had changed so much of the original.
Here are a few drawings i did.
The hands of Judas and Jesus.
The complete line-up
It was pretty amazing, although you only get 15 minutes in with the actual painting, its plenty of time to take it in.
I was unaware that so much restoration had taken place and that they'd had changed so much of the original.
Here are a few drawings i did.
The hands of Judas and Jesus.
The complete line-up
Tuesday 11 November 2008
Day 36 in Milan
The beginning of another slow week... or not.
Started a small painting today, influenced mainly by several points i've been considering,
No.1
The beautiful, but somewhat ridiculous depictions of the Virgin Mary with child that adorn every single wall in every gallery, museum and church, were all but eclipsed by one painting byNiccolò of Cremona, inventively titled 'Virgin Mary with Child' (1520) which, despite being severely damaged, still Luca Pignatelli titled Madonna del Neve (2007), stands tall at the apex of one of Chieza Santa Maria Delle Grazie's many alters. The painting itself is extraordinary, it has faded to such an extent that only the creamy pink blobs that once held usually hold the same, perfect, idealistic (Italian) features of Mary and Child are left surrounded by a gold floral patterning, the piece actually made me think of Klimt, Dumas and Tuymans among others.
[edit. I'm an idiot]
An example of Luca Pignatelli's work
No.2
Mark Rothko.
With the tate retrospective coming up/already on. I've been re-thinking my opinions on Rothko, who i once thought of as merely decorative. How wrong i was. I am still a great believer of Art as an experience, like in the way people describe the experience of viewing Guernica, they are moved by it, some brought to tears, i want my work to influence emotion. Not just intellect.
(Incase you didn't know)
No.3
Francis Bacon (tate again). Need i say more? Fantastic portraits...
No.4
The Black Paintings of various different artists.
I will post some photos shortly.
Joe and I are going to see Il Cenacolo tomorrow, for those who don't speak italian, that means 'The Last Supper' quite excited, especially as its free to accademia students.
Started a small painting today, influenced mainly by several points i've been considering,
No.1
The beautiful, but somewhat ridiculous depictions of the Virgin Mary with child that adorn every single wall in every gallery, museum and church, were all but eclipsed by one painting by
[edit. I'm an idiot]
An example of Luca Pignatelli's work
No.2
Mark Rothko.
With the tate retrospective coming up/already on. I've been re-thinking my opinions on Rothko, who i once thought of as merely decorative. How wrong i was. I am still a great believer of Art as an experience, like in the way people describe the experience of viewing Guernica, they are moved by it, some brought to tears, i want my work to influence emotion. Not just intellect.
(Incase you didn't know)
No.3
Francis Bacon (tate again). Need i say more? Fantastic portraits...
No.4
The Black Paintings of various different artists.
I will post some photos shortly.
Joe and I are going to see Il Cenacolo tomorrow, for those who don't speak italian, that means 'The Last Supper' quite excited, especially as its free to accademia students.
Friday 7 November 2008
Parla Italiano?
no.
Simple answer.
Today was the day of our first italian lesson, or should i say...
"Oggi noi abbiamo avuto nostro primo classe italiano" (this sentence is brought to you by Thomas Burton, in assosiation with Penguin Italian Phrase Book.)
It was dire.
The whole lesson was conducted in Italian, fair enough, but it was conducted in italian-for-people-who-speak-some-italian-already-and-laugh-at-those-who-don't-know-very-much-italian's speed.
Meaning that nothing was explained, things were left out and i was picked on. Nice.
The next italian lesson is on Monday, i'll be sitting at the back next time.
Simple answer.
Today was the day of our first italian lesson, or should i say...
"Oggi noi abbiamo avuto nostro primo classe italiano" (this sentence is brought to you by Thomas Burton, in assosiation with Penguin Italian Phrase Book.)
It was dire.
The whole lesson was conducted in Italian, fair enough, but it was conducted in italian-for-people-who-speak-some-italian-already-and-laugh-at-those-who-don't-know-very-much-italian's speed.
Meaning that nothing was explained, things were left out and i was picked on. Nice.
The next italian lesson is on Monday, i'll be sitting at the back next time.
Wednesday 5 November 2008
Darwin
Videos are intended to sit side by side on the same screen, unfortunately i don't have the correct software to do that in Milan!
Tuesday 4 November 2008
2 extra days??
Today we were told that we might have to come back to Milan after christmas to spend two days in the accademia to make our stay exactly 3 months. Which is utterly ridiculous.
I am looking forward to getting back to Camberwell and back into a studio!
Obviously this wont go ahead, as we have told many people in the application process that we would be coming home in december and not returning.
However, Toby is a completely different matter, he seems to have taken to italian art school like a duck to water! has made friends in high places (the dictato... i mean director of the accademia, none the less) and is trying his hardest to win a scholarship here!
On a positive note, i completed the filming of a piece of work i've been contemplating for about a week. i'll upload this tomorrow.
I am looking forward to getting back to Camberwell and back into a studio!
Obviously this wont go ahead, as we have told many people in the application process that we would be coming home in december and not returning.
However, Toby is a completely different matter, he seems to have taken to italian art school like a duck to water! has made friends in high places (the dictato... i mean director of the accademia, none the less) and is trying his hardest to win a scholarship here!
On a positive note, i completed the filming of a piece of work i've been contemplating for about a week. i'll upload this tomorrow.
Monday 3 November 2008
A new part of town...
Down by the Canals,
Its a beautiful area with a funky jazzy quintet playing funky jazzy songs to you, Second hand book shops, book shops selling cheap Moleskine's and beautiful creperies, and yes, Choccolate and mascarpone before you ask. MMMMMMMMMmmmmm!
Work is becoming somewhat of a null factor at the moment. I have ideas, and then from said ideas i want to make paintings, which as i explained before, i cant! Which sends me into a spiraling depression and hence i make no work. Pah!
I promised my self i'd make some work this week. We've been filming little things that intrest us since we got here, so as soon as we get a firewire cable, i can start getting those uploaded to here.
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