Art in Florence

I went to Firenze, Florence, a while ago. Lots of art there, mostly very old. I was happy to find this, a witness of striving art scene.

More b&w right... here.

And more weekend reflections... HERE

 

I'm watching you!

A 3 meters tall bear, made of resin, on one of the main streets. Made by a painter and a sculptor during a renovation project in 2015.
 

Dreams

Not sure what the boots are for... Yesterday's and today's posts are about an exhibit at this year's Foire Européenne de Strasbourg, our yearly European fair. Author unknown.

 The same in b&w, for the weekend in black and white (oops, once again I forgot what day it is... The perks of being retired, lol)

And I thought the moon was bigger...

It was called "the museum of the moon', central piece of an art exhibition last June in Strasbourg. A 7 meters inflatable moon inside our cathedral, based on NASA photos... Well, why not; after all.

More black and white art here. Click now.
 

Rivière de verre

Or glass river, from the Industrie Magnifique exhibition, which ends tomorrow. By Philippe Berthomé and students of the Strasbourg school of theatre. More weekend reflections here.
 

The moon in the cathedral

7 meters large inflatable moon, made with thousands of NASA photos. Unique. By Luke Jerram; click.
 

Yes: no, perhaps

Another exhibit during this year's Industrie Magnifique exhibition, by the German Hager Group. Why this title??? I have no idea... More weekend reflections HERE.
 

Hortus conclusus, the enclosed garden

Mimmo Paladino is the author of this... strange beast at the museum of contemporary art in Strasbourg.

"Without ears, mane or tail, this primitive equine evokes the Trojan horse and the cunning of the Greeks to enter the city. But made of precious materials, hieratic and hoisted on a terrace, this horse is not a wooden horse or a decoy. Recurring in the artist's work, it evokes more the passage from the world of the dead to that of the living, like a psychopump god, who in mythology leads and guides the souls of the dead. Other works by the artist bear the same title and refer to this same symbolism which escapes that of the medieval representation of the Hortus conclusus, that is to say of the Virgin and Child in the garden of Paradise."
 

A monday mural, ay caramba!

A mexican-themed restaurant in Olhao, Algarve, Portugal. Well, not sure about storks in Mexico (probably) but there are thoudands in the Algarve, thousands! So, I guess the artist wanted to add some local color to his mural.
As usual on monday, you can see many more Monday Murals here.
Good dentist, btw.

Holy cow!

One of the statues stored inside the old Vauban fortification. Leftovers from the (catholic!!!)
cathedral, I believe.

The perpetual daydream of the three madmen from the mountain

A painting by German painter Daniel Richter, to be seen at the Museum of modern art. More about him here.
As for the original title... It is: der ewige Tagtraum der drei Irren vom Berg

The CIA chateau

Well, we even have our very own castle here, the chateau de Pourtales! With a rich history.
Built in 1784, called after Mélanie, countess of Pourtales, a favorite of Napoleon the 3rd. When she was in town, she had many hosts: King Ludwig the 2nd of Bavaria, the German emperor, the Prince of Wales, many kings and queens, Albert Schweitzer, Franz Liszt, and so on.
Melanie died in 1914, and her castle closed in 1939.
After the war, the castle housed the Free Europe University in Exile founded by the CIA in 1951 to form cadres for the reconquest of Eastern Europe. I wasn't aware of this when I played in the park and used the chateau's toilets in the 60es...
In 1972, it became a campus of Schiller International University.
A fancy hotel occupies now the former stables, see below

The fish market

I am cooking right now, so this seems the perfect post... Well, no fish tonight, I'm doing a fish-less Moroccan couscous.
This was painted by Joachim Beuckelaer in 1568, and can ce seen at the Palais des Rohan. More about the painter here.

The palace of the princes-bishops-cardinals de Rohan

That's right, they were princes, bishops and cardinals, all together, all at the same time. And well, seems they didn't like Ikea forniture...

The bedroom, far bigger than our flat:

They were short people.
Wonder what the toilet looks like...

A day at the museums

This weekend was European Heritage weekend. Many places were opened for free. So, I went to three museums, and one palace. Perfect  rainy day for this! I've seen many wonderful sights! I will show you, follow the guide!

Wall jumpers

Hyperrealist  art, by Malcolm Morley, at the museum of modern art

St Odile, a chapel

There is a big convent on top of Mount St Odile, the Hohenburg. St Odile, holy patroness of Alsace and of the blind or partially sighted, created it a while ago, around 680 AD. One of the later built chapels. I dont know who Eugenia was, but Leo (the 9th) was the only ever alsatian pope,

How do you like your mushrooms? Bottled?

 Well, an artistic take on... anything, really, is always welcome!!!

Sax

A little color for this grey and rainy week. Or month.
And music.

Nipper???

Do you remember Nipper? No? Maybe now...

Well, my photo shows a newer version... I am sure the gramophone worked better, musically speaking!