A fun fact (or possibly a tall tale) about Michelangelo and his famous statue of David.
Category: Italian
The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr
While stocking up on books for an impending snow storm, I found Jonathan Harr's The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece (Random House, 2006) on the library shelf and picked it up on a whim. During the actual storm the following day, I devoured the entire book in a few hours and only wished it were longer (the… Continue reading The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr
A Guide to Classical Roman Architecture
Understand the major ideas and components of classical Roman architecture. What was its context, and what later monuments did it influence?
A Guide to Renaissance Architecture
A guide to recognizing and appreciating Renaissance architecture. Includes background, key ideas, important architects, and examples.
Gargoyle of the Day: Casa della Vittoria, Turin, Italy
This dragon grotesque and his twin live on the Casa della Vittoria in Turin, Italy. The building is also sometimes called Casa dei Draghi, presumably because of decorations like this one. ("Drago" is the Italian work for "dragon".) I'm having trouble finding out more about the building, on account of the fact that my Italian is currently a bit rusty,… Continue reading Gargoyle of the Day: Casa della Vittoria, Turin, Italy
Gargoyle of the Day: Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence
Today's grotesque came to my attention via Atlas Obscura, a fantastic place to find fun, quirky facts and interesting locations to visit. This little bull figure lives on one side of the cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy. The church is heavily-laden with sculptural decorations of many styles and subjects, but this bull has a story separate… Continue reading Gargoyle of the Day: Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence
Gargoyle of the Day: Duomo, Milan
In 2012, Milan's Duomo came up with a pretty cool fundraising idea. In order to come up with the necessary funds to support restorations efforts, this massive Gothic cathedral decided to put its 135 gargoyles up for adoption. Donors could pick a gargoyle to contribute to, receiving a little name plaque underneath "their" gargoyle. This article on swide.com… Continue reading Gargoyle of the Day: Duomo, Milan
December 18th: Madonna d’Orleans by Raphael
For the 18th day of a fine art Advent calendar, one of Raphael's famous Madonna and Child paintings - the Orleans Madonna of 1506.
December 8th: Annunciation by Fra Angelico
Fra Angelico, The Annunciation, 1450, fresco. Chiesi di San Marco, Florence, Italy. Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, so it seems appropriate to feature this Annunciation by Fra Angelico for the Advent Calendar. I have known that I wanted to use this painting since the beginning of the month, it was just a question… Continue reading December 8th: Annunciation by Fra Angelico
December 6th: Saint Nicholas of Bari by Carlo Crivelli
December 5th's Advent Calendar post is a painting of Saint Nicolas (the forefather of Santa Claus) by Italian Renaissance painter Carlo Crivelli.