Artistic Globe.. Take Two .. And Action!

Not only because we are madly in love with Italy, but because Italy is considered one of the most importent, top Art destinations worldwide! From North to East Italy… Welcome to city of romance, passion & inspiration… Venice!

1. Venice, Italy

Venice is a city of canals and palaces where water and light combine to create their own special magic. This 1,500 year-old city was a major centre of art and developed a unique style known as the Venetian School, the city had the economy to support art and artists, and did so in a big way.

Thanks for its location, in 13th century Venice was able to find ready markets for whatever decorative arts Venetian craftsmen could produce. The whole republic was crawling with ceramists, glassworkers, woodworkers, lace makers and sculptors & painters, all of whom made entirely satisfactory livings.

The state and religious communities of Venice sponsored massive amounts of building and decorating, not to mention public statuary. Many private residences (palaces, really) had to have grand facades on at least two sides, since they can be seen from the water as well as land. To the present day, Venice is one of the most beautiful cities on earth because of this building campaign.

In the 16th century Venetian painting was developed through influences from the Paduan School and Antonella de Messina, who introduced the oil painting technique of the van Eyck brothers. Canavases (the common painting surface) originated in Venice during the early renaissance.

Venice Must Sees

The magic of Venice starts in the streets, mainly the centre of Piazza San Marco, that includes the Doge’s Palace, a gothic palace that once was the main court  & the prison of the city.

The Piazza also includes Basilica of San Marco (or the Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark) is the most famous city churches & very well-known for its Byzantine architecture. Completing the works of Basilica of San Marco took nearly 600 years, the exterior of the basilica is divided in three registers: lower, upper, and domes. The interior is based on a Greek cross, with each arm divided in three naves and emphasized by a dome of its own. The upper order of the interior is completely covered with bright mosaics containing gold, bronze, and the greatest variety of stones. The decorated surface is on the whole about 8000 m².

Venice’s beauty was an inspiration for artists for years, capturing in their paintings the most valuble & important benchmarks in the city.

 

 

 

A must visit in Venice is the La Fenice (The Phoenix) Opera House,  a standing masterpiece from the 18th century. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to “rise from the ashes” because  since opening and being named La Fenice, it has burned and been rebuilt twice more. The last fire was in January 1996 causing complete damage for the building, reconstruction began in earnest in 2001. In 650 days, a team of two hundred plasterers, artists, woodworkers, and other craftsman succeeded in recreating the ambience of the old theatre at a cost of some €90 million.

Frari Church This 13th- to 14th-century Gothic church, the Franciscan “Church of the Brothers,” features the work of some of the greatest Renaissance masters including Donatello (wood carving of St. John the Baptist, to the right of the high altar), Giovanni Bellini (Madonna and Child with Saints and Angels) and Titian (The Assumption of Mary and Virgin of the Pesaro Family). You can also see the tomb of the famous sculptor Canova and the grandiose tomb of Titian himself.

It is true that Venice is artistic in every corner of the city, making it the home of one of the most important Art galleries in Europe & the world… The Gallerie dell’ Accademia.

 

The Gallerie dell’ Accademia contains the most important collection of paintings of the Venetian school, with masterpieces by Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawing of Vitruvian Man, Giovanni Bellini’s  Four Allegories series and Madonna Enthroned , Titian’s Pietà, Giorgione’s The Tempest, Tintoretto’s Miracle of the Slave, Rosalba Carriera’s Young Lady of the Leblond Family, and Polo Veronese’s Feast in the House of Levi.

Da Vinci’s Drawing

 

Highlights of the Venice!

Venice is not only a historical artistic city, but also a city of celebration! It hosts yearly carnivals & festivals to honor art, history & traditions. It is like a flooding ongoing connection between the past & young generations.

Venice Carnival or (Carnevale di Venezia)is an annual festival starts 40 days before easter and ends on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday) the day before Easter. The celebration is a meltdown between social classes, as everyone wear masks to hid any form of classes identity.

One of the most important events is the contest for the best mask, placed at the last weekend of the Carnival. A jury of international costume and fashion designers votes for “La Maschera piu bella”.

 

Mark your calendar for Canival of Venice: 11 – 21 Feb 2012

The Venice Biennale   is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years, and an umberalla for two important festivals in Venice; the Venice Film Festival -oldest film festivals in the world since 1932-  theVenice Biennale of Architecture -established in 1980- and theInternational Festival of Contemporary Dance –established in 1999.

The formal Biennale is based at a park, the Giardini, that houses 30 permanent national pavilions The number of countries represented is still growing. In 2005 China was showing for the first time, followed by the African Pavilion and Mexico ( 2007), the United Arab Emirates (2009), and India (2011).

In 2011 there is over 100 countries participating in Venice Biennale, noting the markable participation of Arab and Islamic countries:  Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkey & United Arab Emirates.

Mark your calendar for Venice Biennale events!

•  54th International Art Exhibition: 4th June – 27th November 2011
• 68th Venice International Film Festival: 31st August – 10th September 2011
• 55th International Festival of Contemporary Music: 24th September – 1st October 2011
• 41st International Theatre Festival: 10th – 16th October 2011

Unlock your imaginations in Venice, where there is no limits for your creativity. It isn’t only a city of romance & love, it is a living vibrant city that appreciates culture & art, making it one of the mesmorizing cities on this globe.

We still have more cities, but they won’t be all in Italy or Europe… We will show you an artistic globe you never heard of! Stay tuned.

Cheers