Category Archives: Commentary

The Pantheon

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The Pantheon is a former Roman temple which is now a Catholic church, in Rome, Italy. It was originally commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus. It was completed by the emperor Hadrian and probably dedicated about 126 AD. The oculus in the ceiling is open to the sky so sometimes it rains inside like it did the day we visited. It was built as a sundial to illuminate the emperor as he entered on important occasions.

It is also a basilica since Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, known as Raphael is buried there, He died April 6th, 1520, and had asked to be buried in the Pantheon. His request was granted, making him the first artist to be accorded such an honor.

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The Pantheon

Pantheon Interior

Pantheon Interior

The Pantheon

The Tomb of Raffaello Sanzio da Urbin

The Pantheon

The Pantheon

The Pantheon

The Pantheon

Beauty at The Picasso Museum

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Sometimes when you visit a museum you are overwhelmed by the beauty of the art. That was certainly the case at The Picasso Museum in Barcelona. While admiring the pottery of Picasso i was also struck with the beauty of this young woman. She struck me as a vision of Catalonian Feminism.

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Catalonian Beauty

The Ancient Synagogue of Barcelona

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The Ancient Synagogue of Barcelona was built in the sixth century and is the oldest saving synagogue in Spain and one of five medieval synagogues in the world. It was built underground because because no house of worship was allowed to be taller than the smallest Catholic church. Of course then came The Spanish Inquisition 1391 and the Jewish quarter was sacked and over 300 were killed. Jews were forced to turnover all their possessions to the King and permitted to leave the country. The alternative was death of conversion to Catholicism. The Nazi’s didn’t invent this stuff they were just more efficient at it.

Today the synagogue is a museum. Barcelona has two working synagogues and a pollution of around 15,000 jewish people with about 45,000 in Spain. Of course like jewish people all over the world they face anti semitism but in Spain like the United States they are now free to practice their faith.

The Ancient Synagogue of Barcelona

The Ancient Synagogue of Barcelona

The Ancient Synagogue of Barcelona

Aboard The Azamara Pursuit

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We had never taken an ocean cruise before but after taking a river cruise we decided to try it. We selected the Mediterranean because we figured it would be calmer than the Atlantic or Pacific. Research was discouraging because either the ships were too big or if smaller than real expensive. We selected Azamara because they seemed to offer the same sort of luxury that Regent,Viking and the other small ships but at a better price point. The Azamara Pursuit was their newest ship and completely refurbished.

Azamara is a brand of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines aimed to compete in the small ship luxury market. The ship had 770 passengers and 450 crew. We were upgraded to a small suite and the service was exceptional. The ship had everything you could want want and because of the small size able to go to smaller ports like Elba and Port Vendre in France. We were always one of the smaller ships in the harbor. One of our guides pointed to an MSC Cruise Ship and told us it had 7000 plus passengers. We I sw that ship I knew we had chosen wisely and now we are thinking about our next adventure.

Aboard The Azamara Pursuit

Aboard The Azamara Pursuit

Aboard The Azamara Pursuit

Aboard The Azamara Pursuit

Holocaust Stumbling Stones (Stolpersteine ) in Rome

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In each city they are called something different. In Munich and Prague they are called Stolperstein. In Rome they are called stumbling stones. You see them in what was the old Jewish ghetto outside the houses in which they lived. Each plaque is detailed with the victim’s first and last name, date of birth, date and place of deportation, and date of death in a Nazi Death Camp. We make sure we visit these sites as we travel.

We visit the synagogue, walk in the streets of the old ghetto and have lunch. The ghettos are quite nice now and in some, Prague and Rome they have Museums and working synagogues and a growing Jewish population. We make sure we visit these sites NOT only because we were raised as Jews but because we live as human beings and must assure that the world does not forget the long history of violence against the Jewish people. We honor the gentle people that were led to slaughter and pray it never happens again.

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Holocaust Stolpersteine

The Sagrada Família

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La Sagradia Famila is regarded as Gaudi’s Masterpiece. Yet he did not start the project and it still remains unfinished, In 19 March 1882, construction of the Sagrada Família began under architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. In 1883, when Villar resigned,Gaudí took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his architectural style. The church combines Gothic and Art Nouveau styles.

The Catholic Church does not support or fund this Cathedral and many consider it to be almost obscene. Unfortunately we did not get reservations and could not gain access to the structure. Still the exterior itself is magnificent and these photos give some idea of the detail that is persistent within the structure. It is massive and impossible to photograph in its entirety. The Church will have three grand façades: the Nativity façade to the East, the Passion façade to the West, and the Glory façade to the South which is still under construction.

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Sagrada Família

Sagrada Família

Sagrada Família

https://sagradafamilia.org

The Pipe Organ at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Rome

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This church, Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, was fascinating for a number of reasons. It was built in the ruins of the Diocletian Baths of Ancient Rome. There are fenced off ruins right next to the basilica but visitors are not permitted. In addition to the beauty of the Basilica which I will share in another post, stuck in the corner is this magnificent pipe organ.

I was so busy looking at the glass, artworks and ceiling I didn’t notice the organ until the organist began to practice. The sound was amazing and we sat and listened for a while.

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Basilica of Santa Maria Pipe Organ

Name Poll for New Work for Associated Artist of Pittsburgh

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For the second year I will try to rejoin the Association I belonged to in the 1970″s and avoid paying back dues. Just a gluten for punishment I guess. My artistic goal is always to capture the decisive moment for each image. This is one of my newly framed images I plan to submit this year. I think the image is a perfect moment of this young lady jumping off the shoulders of her boyfriend in to the waiting arms of friends. Fortunately they didn’t drop her. The image was photographed at Chicago’s Cloudscape Sculpture in Millennial Park commonly known as The Bean,

I am having trouble with picking the perfect name though and once again must ask for your help. Please take a moment to answer my poll.

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Outside The MACRO

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The Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome or MACRO is an amuse bouche from the ruins, churches,monuments and obelisks that dominate the city. It is also FREE! It is not large but very interesting. The roof top gives you an opportunity for a view of a couple of great murals. These two are artists that had a workshop they were running. In between sessions they seemed to be struggling to set up a camera to photograph this mural. It was entertaining.

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Outside The MACRO

Outside The MACRO

The Windows of La Pedrera

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Casa Milà is one of Gaudi’s last works. The courtyard of this residence is in itself a work of art. If you look closely you can see the roof sculptures in one of the windows. The green and blue colors are for the sea which was the inspiration for this construction.

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Casa Milà

Casa Milà