Strolling on the Hills of Florence

As the Finnish nature offers no pretty views at the moment, I’ll take you for a walk on the steep hillsides of Arcetri / Oltramo in Florence. This is part of the historic centre of Florence and there are many notable sites. I have posted earlier about Santo Spirito and The Boboli Gardens. Actually I had no idea where I was, but later I found out that these fantastic hedges & arches belonged to Bardini Garden.

It was my first day in Florence, early Sunday morning. First I went to see Palazzo Pitti and The Boboli Gardens. High on the hills I started to walk on the steep hills & narrow roads. The views were magnificient towards the center. At the same time church bells were chiming and a male choir was singing in the distance, on Piazzale Michelangelo. The moment was magic, as if a travel in time back to the Renessaince ❤︎ I got lost too and had to ask my way back to the center! 

The stonewalls bordering the narrow roads were high inded.

Please, note a few persons at the foot of the photo!

I found the choir on Piazzale Michelangelo, it was crowded with people and cars.

Amazing views over Florence!

 ❤︎❤︎❤︎ 

  #all seasons   #der natur donnerstag   #digitalart    #foto-tunes   #gartenglück    

#image-in-ing   #makrotex   #mosaic monday   #my corner of the world   

#saturday’s critters   # t in die neue woche   #the weekend roundup   #tuesday’s treasures
#uudet värikollaasit   #wandering camera   #willy-nilly   #watw 

Bye, bye December - Welcome 2020!

In December we had snow for a few days, otherwise warm & very dark.

But Christmas decorations & lights lifted the spirits.

I also visited many museums and had a wonderful time with my husband.

But now the clock is ticking. It is time to forget the past and celebrate a new start
- and a new decennium. Happy New Year!

New year - a new chapter, new verse, or just the same old story? 
Ultimately we write it. The choice is ours. - Alex Morritt

The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. 
- Melody Beattie

Tonight’s December thirty-first,

Something is about to burst.

The clock is crouching, dark and small,

Like a time bomb in the hall.

Hark, it’s midnight, children dear. 

Duck! Here comes another year! 

- Ogden Nash

Life is about change, sometimes it’s painful, sometimes it’s beautiful, 

but most of the time it’s both. -Kristin Kreuk

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#all seasons   #der natur donnerstag   #digitalart dienstag   #foto-tunes   #gartenglück    

#image-in-ing   #makrotex   #mosaic monday   #my corner of the world   

#saturday’s critters   # t in die neue woche   #the weekend roundup   #tuesday’s treasures
#uudet värikollaasit   #wandering camera   #willy-nilly   #watw 

Renessaince Beauties by Lucas Cranach

Portrait of a young woman, 1525



Lucretia, 1530

Renaissance Beauties is the first solo exhibition in Finland on the oeuvre of the great German Renaissance master Lucas Cranach the Elder. The works on display include paintings and prints from the collections of European museums. The above two  works are the only works by Cranach in Finland, both in the collection of the Sinebrychoff Art Museum. They represent popular themes in the artist’s oeuvre: female portraits and beauties, both rendered in a personal and recognizable style.

Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) established a successful and lucrative studio in Wittenberg, known for some 5,000 paintings. In addition to numerous altarpieces and allegorical paintings, Cranach is known for his elaborate portraits, numerous versions of close friend Martin Luther. Lucas Cranach the Younger (1515-1586) continued the studio after his father’s death. His style of painting is so similar to that of his father that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish their work.

Cranach’s fascinating and enigmatic paintings have spoken to artists over the ages. Among the best-known examples are probably the interpretations by Picasso.  A present-day perspective on the handsome jewellery depicted in Cranach’s works is offered by a number of impressive items created by German jewellery artists. Jewellery photos in a later post!

This lady by Picasso has a lot of jewellery on. Too much perhaps,
because she seems a bit unhappy to me!

Portrait of a Young Woman (Princess Emilia of Saxony?), before 1537

Venus and Cupid the Honey Thief, 1530

So many nudes!

Dido, 1547

Ill-Matched Lovers,  c. 1530

I’ll add here still one portrait that I photographed at The Uffizi.

Portrait of a young woman, 1530, The Uffizi

Cranach was a German painter and printmaker, born in Germany and having studied in Vienna. He was active in the town of Wittenberg where he spent most of his career as a court painter to the Saxon electors. His work includes many fine religious examples and several portraits of Martin Luther, although he also painted secular subjects. Besides being one of the greatest German painters of his time, Cranach was also widely known for his woodcuts, some of which illustrated the first German printing of the New Testament.

Cranach learned the art of drawing from his father and would pass this on to his own son, Lucas Cranach the Younger (1515 – 1586). Cranach the Elder’s chief occupation was that of portrait painting, where he preserved the features of all the German Reformers and their princely adherents. - The Uffizi

In advance of the Strauss New Year’s Concert from Vienna...
Happy New Year!

❤︎❤︎❤︎

#all seasons   #der natur donnerstag   #digitalart dienstag   #foto-tunes   #gartenglück 

#image-in-ing   #makrotex   #mosaic monday   #my corner of the world 

#saturday’s critters   #t in die neue woche   #the weekend roundup   #tuesday’s treasures

#uudet värikollaasit   #wandering camera   #willy-nilly #watw

Color Collage

Thank you Aino for hosting and giving us challenging colors!
Thank you all group members as well for your great works - wishing Happy 2020!

Color Collage 53/2019