Another Look At Florence

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One visit to Florence was not enough, we had to come back for a second round. A third and a fourth would have been good, this place is inexhaustible, but sadly we didn’t have time so we needed to be selective. Top of the list was the Uffizi but not until we’d had an extremely indulgent breakfast at Rivoire in Piazza della Signoria, a great place to watch our fellow tourists. Continue reading “Another Look At Florence”

Frames of reference

Barga & Beyond

Fosso

I’d read of a huge tree, a monumental cedar of Lebanon, that grows just outside the walls of the town of Barga in northern Italy. It was born in 1814 and transplanted here in 1836 where it became adopted as a symbol of Giovine Italia (Young Italy) and Italian unification. Continue reading “Barga & Beyond”

Frames of reference

In Venice

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Palazzo Dona

In Venice I revisit views that I have drawn or painted before and feel more free to take liberties with, like Palazzo Dona in Campo S. Maria Formosa or the big palaces across from San Vio near Accademia. But there is nothing quite like a first ‘go’ at a newly discovered subject – last summer it was a view across the Grand Canal from Calle Giustinian, discovered near a sumptuous Sean Scully exhibition, and the little Oratorio in Campo Sant Angelo which I must have by-passed countless times but which I suddenly saw in a new light as I made my hot way home for lunch.

What a seductress – La Serenissima – I just can’t stay away! Continue reading “In Venice”

Frames of reference

The World Of Charles And Ray Eames

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We finally got to see the wonderful Charles & Ray Eames exhibition at the Barbican, but there were No Photography signs everywhere, which was a shame because it’s all so photogenic. It can’t be that it’s protected by copyright because there are lots of images on the internet. I guess the reasoning must be that if you can’t go home with a few souvenir photos then you’re more likely to buy the catalogue. Continue reading “The World Of Charles And Ray Eames”

Frames of reference

La Pedrera

pedrera

This photo appeared recently on Twitter and it took me straight back to our visit there last year. It was a reminder to rediscover a few of our photos of this extraordinary building. La Pedrera (the Quarry) is the popular name of Casa Milà, commissioned by the Milà family and created by Antoni Gaudí, it now stands as the most beautiful building on Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona. Continue reading “La Pedrera”

Frames of reference

Florence At First Sight

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Last summer, on the 10th of August, we made our first visit to Florence. We drove there without satnav and without a hitch, the roads were clear, no hold-ups and we left the car with a parking attendant in a super-efficient underground car park. It was all going surprisingly smoothly, until we hit the streets and joined the procession of pilgrims to the birthplace of the Renaissance. Continue reading “Florence At First Sight”

Frames of reference

No.0844

 

The Tower of Babel was an art installation by Barnaby Barford at the Victoria & Albert Museum from September to November 2015. The tower was built of 3000 miniature ceramic London shops, and ours was number 844. When the exhibition ended the tower was dismantled and the shops were delivered to their new homes. Continue reading “No.0844”

Frames of reference

Another Look At Lucca

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Lucca was our nearest and most favourite city this summer. We visited many other places but often ended up here and we got to know it better each time. This was my first photo in Lucca, in Piazza Anfiteatro – a ramshackle circuit of medieval buildings, it incorporates elements of the Roman amphitheatre that once stood here – and there’s always another photographer in the middle. Continue reading “Another Look At Lucca”

Frames of reference

Manningtree (Slight Return)

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We came back to the North House Gallery in Manningtree to see Fin · River · Swift, a new exhibition by Julian Meredith. This piece is called Elmigration, a large woodcut measuring 3 metres by 1 metre, printed from a single plank of elm wood. Continue reading “Manningtree (Slight Return)”

Frames of reference

A Short Diversion

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Driving to work the other day I was diverted from my normal course and led to discover the Isokon building. I’d never seen it before but instantly it seemed familiar and true, as if it were an archetype, elegant and beautiful, the epitome of 1930s utopian modernism. Continue reading “A Short Diversion”

Frames of reference