Drawing Stone and Eating Lard

   

The courses here at USAC are varied and designed as ‘field studies.’  So most every course uses Viterbo or other cities as a resource for artwork, architecture, historical context, folk studies and anthropological studies.  There are times when we are in the classroom, of course, but the instructors really look for creative ways to get us out into the city for lessons and activities. 

My drawing and painting class has actually only met ONCE in a classroom and that was for a quick lesson on linear perspective.  So we are always out exploring and finding interesting drawing challenges.  AND in many ways, learning so much about the wealth of art in this city.

Today we went to Santa Maria della Verita.  This church and its adjacent monastic complex are actually outside the walls of the city.  They are next to the Porta della Verita (Gate of Truth) which was once known as the Gate of Saint Matthew or the Gate of the Abbott.  The monastery was founded in the second half of the 12^th century.  It is believed that the church was built around the same time as it has the same sort of Cistercian groove to it.  Very staid interiors with thick walls and few decorative elements. 

But the pride of the church IS actually the decorative element of frescoes done in 1469 by Lorenzo di Viterbo.  Their impressive renaissance style, glowing pigments, tender handling of figures (especially scene in the Marriage of the Virgin) and sly self-portrait make this series of paintings, seen within the Mazzatosta Chapel, truly a breathtaking delight.

Our class then went to the monastery next door which was appropriated in 1912 to use as a Civic Museum.  The cloister walk is where an impressive series of Etruscan sarcophagi are placed.  This is our lesson of the day.  Quick sketches of stone.  Work on shading and line.

After class…. Well, I simply had to join the Food Journalism class having lunch at Il Gargolo.  This small restaurant features regional specialties and is, yes, molto buono.  I had a steak, medium-rare, topped with shavings of white truffle and lard.  Yes, lard.  It was fabulous J

And so, the field trips continue!  Tomorrow my Medieval History/Dante class is going to Siena for the day.  I expect marvelous adventures and inspiration... as usual.  Ciao ragazzi!

Drawing challenge: The Papal Palace Loggia

When I got the syllabus for my drawing class I saw that the Papal Palace was going to be on our drawing agenda.  Today was the day.  I have to say, I was pretty intimidated.  What would YOU do if someone handed you and paper and pencil and said, 'Draw this':

Ugh.  Do I have to?

Alas.  'Fortune favors the man who keeps his nerve' so onward I went.  This lacy Gothic loggia is beautiful and in many ways has become the symbol of the city of Viterbo.  It is certainly on a lot of postcards.  The palace and plaza were built by order of the Capitano del Popolo, Raniero Gatti.  This section with the loggia was built in 1267 by Andrea di Berardo Gatti, who was the nephew of Raniero.  The first pope to live in these beautiful surroundings was Clement IV.  He arrived in Viterbo in 1266.  He died two years later and it took almost three years of negotiations before another Pope was elected.  Ah, committee work.  It's dreadful.  Nothing EVER gets done in a prompt fashion.  Anyway, Gregory X then became pope.

All that aside, here is my sketch:

Back to things as usual ... gorgeousness

I ADORE Venice for its luxury!  And what a story!  What an amazing history.  To go from a little outpost that got its start in the salt business to a major trading center and place where fortunes were made, absolute power was held and people in positions of authority and wealth threw everything they had into a sort of artistic/architectural one-upmanship.  Beauty, exoticism… it’s everything I aspire to J… baroque pearl necklaces, wine with lunch, eating fish with the head still on… !!!

However.   I miss my sweet little Viterbo and I was very happy to leave yesterday with a sort of YEARNING for this little medieval hobbit village.  So now I’m back.  Sigh.  Back to the twisted medieval streets, the abundance of blooming jasmine and magnolia, the swishing and screeching of swallows, the movement of storms through here, so quick and furious, my little home.

Today is Monday and it’s back into the swing of being a student.  I had Dante class this morning and then went to the grocery store.  I had to replenish my kitchen with fresh vegetables, some interesting breads, wine, pasta and cleaning supplies.  I made a simple lunch of beets, tomatoes and olives, and some dark grain bread that I spread with a kind of soft cheese (not sure what it is) and topped it with asparagus.  Divine.

After completing some cleaning tasks I headed out to see if I could do a few sketches.  I am really trying to do these minute long sketching drills that our teacher has us do in class.  Here are some that I came up with.  It is an exercise in just getting the essence of shapes without getting too fussy or thinking about it. 

It started to rain a bit so I tucked into a church and did this.

Then I walked to the papal palace (built between 1255 and 1266) and walked around… another storm came through.

This is the church of San Lorenzo (12^th and 13^th centuries) and it’s important for many reasons.  One, it houses this work that is attributed to Gerolamo da Cremona.  Its ethereal look is due to the genius of its perspective and the lush, cadmium colors that explode off the surface.

San Polo and Santa Croce

Today I plotted out an itinerary in San Polo and Santa Croce, two neighborhoods that are side by side but have their own unique characteristics.  I set out early because I wanted to check out the pescaria, the big Saturday fish market that is held in a dockside piazza right next to the grand canal. 

Getting to San Polo meant crossing over the Grand Canal via the Rialto bridge.  The Ponte di Rialto was the work of Antonio da Ponte, who designed and oversaw its construction in 1592.  It is made of Istrian stone, took 3 years to construct, and connects the two neighborhoods of San Marco and San Polo at the narrowest point in the Grand Canal.

Just on the other side is a large piazza that features a strange sculpture called Il Gobbo (The Hunchback).  As you can see it’s an unfortunate man who has committed some crime and is therefore holding the ‘weight’ of it on his shoulders.  This dates to 1541 and it was the place where official proclamations where made and small punishments given out for those guilty of petty crimes.  Today people rub it for luck, I’m told.

Just past this is the open air produce market and the fish market.  This is where, early in the morning so they can get the good stuff, all the restaurants come to pick out what looks marvelous and pack it out on their motor boats. 

My intention was from here to head over to the Pallazzo Mocenigo.  But I got lost lost lost… in fact, SOMEHOW I ended up way south and at I Frari.  But Fortune is always on my side because it was right when a huge storm hit and I could take cover and be surrounded by BEAUTY.

I Frari is the Chiesa di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.  Built in the 14^th century, it is an Italian-brick Gothic cathedral with massive marble columns inside that support it, a stunning choir with stalls made of seemingly-microscopic marquetry, a somewhat creepy and mesmerizing Longhena funeral monument featuring two grotesque, emaciated human cadavers carved of some very dark marble and not only A Titian, but THE Titian…. The Assumption of Mary, which the pamphlet you get calls ‘the most beautiful picture in the world and ever since it was installed has been lit by the Light of God.’

But this isn't the only masterpiece at I Frari.  There are so many... so many.  Bellini's Madonna and Child (1488) and Canova's magnificent funereal tomb that was intended for Titian but ended up being his own, Veneziano's Madonna and Child (1339).... it's overwhelming.

My next stop was up north in Santa Croce.  The Palazzo Mocenigo is the Mocenigo family's 17th century waterfront palace that was actually bequeathed to the city in 1945.  It is a museum in itself and one is allowed to roam through the palace to see what surrounded a wealthy family in the 17th and 18th centuries.  Rooms are set up as they were, a drawing room, dining room, dressing room, and filled with items that belonged to the family (paintings and furniture) along with prize fabrics and fashions from the Venice archives. 

And to make things even MORE fabulous, they have an exhibit all about Venice's history with perfume... the procuring of ingredients from the far reaches of the world and the creation of fragrances that Venetian ladies dabbed on their décolletages

In short.... fabulous.

Venice and its Splendor

My hotel in Venice is just wonderful and I would recommend it to anyone heading to Venice.  It’s just the kind of retreat one needs after a day of crowds, noise, confusion and expense that has been slathered with a thick and fluffy buttercream frosting of beauty, history, inspiration and glory.  Venice is a very special place.  It is easy to understand how it became a center for wealth and debauchery (those go together often… you don’t even need to read a history book to discover that).  What an ingenious notion… make a center for oceanic trade and commerce right smack dab IN the ocean.  THAT was brilliant.  And after the centuries pass we are still receiving the benefits.  Honestly, Venetian design, architecture and visual arts are very specific.  And for me, with my penchant for velvet, pearls, jewels and …. anchovies, well, I would have fit in perfectly back in the 17^th/18^th centuries.

Just so you know that travel is not all wine and roses, though: 

I began my day very strategically thinking, okay, I’ll just go to the old Jewish Ghetto and look at the synagogues and the Hebrew museum.  THAT will keep me from shopping in the morning.  Well THAT didn’t happen …. Because you see, it’s loaded with glorious antique stores and I was in heaven getting some antique jewelry, a yard of very old Fortuny fabric, and a hand-colored print.

But aside from shopping, the Campo del Ghetto Nuovo has a fascinating history.  There has been a Jewish population in Venice since the 12^th century and when the Spanish Inquisition forced many Jewish communities out of Spain, many of them came to Venice because of its tolerance of a variety of religious practice in the city.  However, in the early 16^th century they were segregated into this area of the city and given a strict sunset curfew.  Beautiful synagogues were built and a Hebrew school and the area is essentially its own little island.

From there I walked to the Chiesa di Santa Maria del Miracoli.  This church was built out of marble and other building materials that locals procured from San Marco ‘slag heaps.’  It was a truly inspired act that had as its sole intention to build a church worthy to house a miraculous image of the Madonna.  The artist Nicolo di Pietro painted this work and also built a little outdoor shrine to hold it.  One day the painting miraculously began weeping.  Surely this was a sign that Our Lady wanted better digs.  And thus the church was born.  And…. It is splendid, divine, inspired.

From there I began the walk south toward Piazza San Marco where you exit the tight and crowded confines of the medieval maze and it opens up to an enormous space full of light and marble, shining against the backdrop of the sea.  It’s also full of tourists, so be warned. 

And then so many churches... Chiesa di San Moise which features a spectacular sculpture behind the altar of Moses receiving the 10 commandments in high Baroque magnificence, the Chiesa di San Zulian and the Chiesa di Santa Maria del Giglio and the Chiesa de SS Apostoli... full of Tintorettos, Rubens, Veronese, Tiepolo...

Let's just end on that note:

This is in the Chiesa SS Apostoli (If I remember correctly :)  It is Tiepolo's Santa Lucia Receiving First Communion.  1747.

Venezia!!

Today, June 2, is a national holiday in Italy so there are no classes today and tomorrow.  This is the perfect excuse to head out of town to romantic and beautiful Venice.  I am considering this my birthday present to myself J

I left Viterbo at 7:07 this morning from Porta Roma and took the train to Roma St Pietro.  Got off and caught the train to Roma Tiburtina.  Got off and caught the train to Venezia St Lucia.  I got here at 1:35.  Ugh.  Again, you have the bizarre contrast of gorgeousness and hideousness that only tourist-laden cities can give you.   You are let out right on the Grand Canal and right in the middle of a feeding frenzy of vendors and water taxi drivers and various hooligans trying to get your attention.  It’s just TOO horrid.  I looked around… tried to suss out the vaporetto, asked the water taxi guys (60 euro… are you out of your mind?) and then just grabbed my map and started walking.  Forget it, man.  Just walk.  My Lonely Planet map was right on, with just enough detail, and I landed at my hotel, the hotel San Giorgione in Canareggio, in about 30 minutes.  A presto!

I am splurging a bit with this hotel, I will admit.  I wanted the full throttle, 17th century Venetian prostitute look in my room and this is what I got.  It’s fabuloso and makes me feel like one of Titian’s beauties.

(I'm feeling very much like this portrait of Veronica Franco by Veronese......)

I began to walk around, looking for a place to have a grand lunch and I wound up at the Osteria al Vecio Bragosso (something like that) where I continued my study of pasta carbonara.  For my secondi I ordered sea bass.  Venice is all about sea food.  Watch how my waiter expertly debones the bass.  What a delicate touch!

Then I just walked around, had a gelato (strachiatto and vanilla con panno)and caught sight of the typical views within this beautiful city.  I know it’s a cliché, but really.  It’s too lovely.

Day in Tuscania

Yesterday was a full day beginning with my primo Italian exam that included an oral presentation.  Well, let’s just say I took a loaves and fishes approach to the presentation…. Meaning, I did as much as I possibly could do with 5 nouns and 2 verbs.  I won’t say I was magnifico but I did my best. Later this afternoon I will get the results.  Oh dear.  To prepare for the deluge, it’s just best to have lunch.  Here is my gorgeous salad and a pizza I picked up from my favorite bakery. 

The highlight of yesterday was a trip to Tuscania, a medieval town that is about 30 minutes drive from Viterbo.  I met my drawing class at the Porta Fiorentino in Viterbo and from there our instructor drove us to Tuscania.  We stopped just outside the town to view it from a hill and do a quick sketch.  Using pencil and/or pen we were invited to do very quick sketches of the city.  The point of the exercise is to identify specific forms and shapes and then via close observation (and minimalism) complete the drawing with a few details like rocks, sections of old walls and vegetation.  Here is my sketch:

In Tuscania we wandered around the town, doing very quick exercise sketches of portions of fountains, sculpture, doorways and passages.  It’s kind of like an exercise in drawing caricatures because you are trying to capture that one element that ‘defines’ the essence of the thing.  Here are some of us doing quick sketches of the landscape:

After about two hours we met up with my Dante class and the Medieval Hill Cities class for a tour of two important churches: the San Pietro and the Mary Maggiore.  They are both undergoing some ‘fixing’ and stabilizing and contain the most glorious frescoes.  Seriously gorgeous and old, old, old.   We went down into the crypt of M Maggiore to see these graceful gothic arches made of marble that is not local but rather ‘procured’ from ancient Roman and Etruscan sites.  In fact, Tuscania is built on top of Etruscan ruins and they are constantly uncovering walls, dwellings and sarcophagi.  (Forgive the crazy confusion of the photo layout.  I can't seem to get this thing to do what I want.... ugh.  And after wine with lunch, who cares?  Geez.)