News from Rialto - Gondoliers of Venice Go Global

Emilio Ceccato - Gondolier Headquarters at the Rialto Bridge

(Venice, Italy) In this rapidly spinning world, it is difficult to maintain a presence when your business has existed for more than a 1,000 years. Really, it gets exhausting, trying to keep up with contemporary trends when your origins began more than a millennium ago! But the gondoliers of Venice are giving it a shot.

Thanks to Emilio Ceccato, a Venetian clothing brand that has been around since 1902, the gondoliers of Venice now have their own official line of clothing -- which you can buy, too. A percentage of all the proceeds is invested in supporting the ancient gondolier tradition, ensuring that one of Venice's most-beloved symbols remains alive and well.

Although Venice's gondoliers have been around for more than 1,000 years, they never before had their own official line of clothing. Now, each gondolier will receive one full uniform each year for free from Emilio Ceccato.

The logo incorporates the symbols of Venice in one unique design: the winged Lion of San Marco holds an open book, which symbolizes peace. On either side is the ferro, the metal design found on the prow of the gondola that represents the six different sestieri, or districts, of Venice. .

On Thursday, February 25, the Emilio Ceccato Group presented the Gondoliers Association, which represents Venice's 433 gondoliers, with a check for €1,500, a deposit towards the first project they are undertaking together -- they will build two new "Gondolone" to transport people across the Grand Canal. Not only will the Comune of Venice get a couple of much-needed boats, it will also provide work for the squero, the shipyard where one gondola is already under construction.

Traghetto at the Rialto Vegetable Market

The Gondolone, or barchetta da parada, is broader and flatter than a traditional gondola, so that up to 14 people can ride across the Grand Canal at the same time. The public service is extremely convenient, especially when you simply do not have the time or energy to go all the way to one of Venice's four bridges to cross the Grand Canal. Instead, you hop into the traghetto, and let the gondoliers whisk you across the canal. The boat is steered by two gondoliers, one in the front, and one in the back. Most people ride standing up, but you can perch along the edges if your sea legs are wobbly.

Even the Americans are showing their support. This is from Kathleen Kennedy Townsend:

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend on Emilio Ceccato Facebook page

"The Gondoliers are the symbol of #Venice -- heroic, able to master the winds, the tides, the tiny canals, and the masses of tourists --all with skill, talent and grace. Each Gondolier -- handsome in his striped shirt -- makes each visitor feel that they could have been part of the magnificent Venetian past which brought treasures from across the globe on fast ships, created a culture which stood up to Rome, and made science and art its mark.

Now the Gondoliers Association will continue to contribute to the city of Venice through this first of its kind bond with the Emilio Ceccato group. These special Venetians will help their magical city not only through their trade but by directing the brand royalties toward projects which safeguard their trade and those artisan trades which surround the gondola and the Venetian rowing style, traditions which keep Venice vibrant."

Gondola Greg at Emilio Ceccato on Facebook

Greg Mohr, President of the Gondola Society of America (did you know there was such a thing?) and author of The Gondola Blog, has draped his staff in official Emilio Ceccato striped shirts:

Ciao Alberto!
As President of the Gondola Society of America,
and host of the 2015 US Gondola Nationals,
I support the Associazione Gondolieri of Venezia.

During the awards ceremony of the US Gondola Nationals, I had the opportunity to tell all fifty competitors about your association.
In addition, I presented an Associazione Gondolieri patch to the owner or representative of each of the twelve gondola companies participating.
Thank you for producing high quality clothing for gondoliers – all my staff in Newport Beach and Texas wear Emilio Ceccato striped shirts.
Saluti from California,
Greg Mohr

EmilioCeccato.com

The Emilio Ceccato shop is located at the foot of the Rialto Bridge on the San Polo side, and has been completely restored, with original brick and piles. There is even a column inside that seems to be holding up the Rialto Bridge(!) They sell official, high-quality gondolier-wear -- T-shirts, sweatshirts, the famous straw hats, wool caps, baseball caps, winter vests, sweaters, pants and more, and the royalties from each item will be invested in projects that safeguard the gondoliers, as well all the artisan trades that that support the gondola and Venetian rowing, like the people who make the oars, the ferro, and the forcola, or oarlock, as well as investing in apprenticeship programs.

If you can't make it to Venice, you can always shop online at Emilio Ceccato. Not only will you have your own unique piece of Venice, you will be helping to keep one of Venice's oldest traditions alive. 

Ciao from Venezia, 
Cat 
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog

Reporting from the Front - Biennale Architecture 2016

G. Marini, Rolex; Paolo Baratta, Pres. Biennale; Alejandro Aravena - Photo: Cat Bauer

(Venice, Italy) Alejandro Aravena, the curator of Biennale's 15th International Architecture Exhibition, is on a roll. In addition to directing one of the world's most prestigious get-togethers in the world of architecture, the 48-year-old Chilean won the Pritzker Prize last month, architecture's highest award.

The image that has inspired Aravena for REPORTING FROM THE FRONT is that of an old woman standing on an aluminum ladder in the middle of the desert. Aravena related: "In his trip to South America [the English writer] Bruce Chatwin encountered an old lady walking through the desert carrying an aluminum ladder on her shoulder. It was German archaeologist Maria Reiche studying the Nazca Lines. Standing on the ground, the stones did not make any sense; they were just random gravel. But from the height of the stair, those stones became a bird, a jaguar, a tree or a flower."

Phoenix - Nazca Lines

We've all seen Discovery programs about mysterious designs and patterns that can only be recognized from the air. The Nazca Lines are large geoglyphs, or designs, in southern Peru, created by the Nazca culture between 500 BC and 500 AD. Hundreds of etchings were created by making shallow furrows in the ground, removing rust-colored pebbles and exposing the whitish ground beneath. Because the climate in the desert is relatively stable, the Nazca Lines have been naturally preserved for centuries.

Maria Reiche (1903-1998), a German mathematician and archaeologist, dedicated her life to the Nazca Lines. She would go out with a broom and sweep off the small dark pebbles to make the designs more accessible for viewing while the local population laughed at the woman who was "cleaning the desert." For 50 years, the "Lady of the Lines" fought with a passion to preserve the Nazca Lines, living in a small house near the desert so she could keep reckless visitors at bay.

Today, nobody is certain what the Nazca Lines signify, although, of course, there is an alien theory. Reiche herself believed the ancient people used the alignment of the drawings with the sun as a calendar for agricultural purposes, among other reasons. "This would explain the fact that drawing activity was done to preserve knowledge, the knowledge that humanity has garnered over hundreds and thousands of years for the practical purpose of survival."

Alejandro Averena - Photo: Giorgio Zuchiatti - courtesy Biennale

Alejandro Averena stated: "We would like the Biennale Architettura 2016 to offer a new point of view like the one Maria Reiche has on the ladder. Given the complexity and variety of challenges that architecture has to respond to, REPORTING FROM THE FRONT will be about listening to those that were able to gain some perspective, and, consequently, are in the position to share some knowledge and experiences with those of us standing on the ground.

...REPORTING FROM THE FRONT will be about sharing with a broader audience the work of people that are scrutinizing the horizon looking for new fields of action, facing issues like segregation, inequalities, peripheries, access to sanitation, natural disasters, housing shortage, migration, informality, crime, traffic, waste, pollution and participation of communities. ..."

This year's Architecture Biennale is going to be one enormous show, stretching from the Central Pavilion in Giardini over to the Arsenale, and will include 88 participants from 37 different countries, 50 of them participating for the first time, with 33 architects under the age of 40.

REPORTING FROM THE FRONT opens to the public on May 28, and runs through November 27, 2016. Go to Biennale for more information.

Ciao from Venezia,
Cat
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog

Venice Carnival 2016 - The Conclusion... with Photos!

End of Venice Carnival 2016 - Photo: Cat Bauer

(Venice, Italy) The Carnival of Venice closed yesterday as an enormous Venetian flag soared its way to the top of the Campanile, a purple sky dramatic in the background.

Masked revelers in front of the Florian Caffè . Venice Carnival 2016 - Photo: Cat Bauer

This year, the carnival theme was "Creatum," with new artistic director, Marco Maccapani, at the helm. Maccapani has a wealth of experience directing events in the fashion industry -- he was once married to Angela Missoni -- and aimed to create a carnival that both residents and tourists could enjoy.

Mask Making - Venice Carnival 2016 - Photo: Cat Bauer

Instead of an imposing stage that separated visitors from performers, smaller sets were scattered throughout Piazza San Marco, highlighting the traditions that Venice does best: glass blowing, mask making, costumes, fabrics -- even a gondola was in the square.

Gondola in Piazza San Marco - Photo: Cat Bauer

Venice is a strange enough place to live under ordinary conditions. During Carnival, it becomes surreal, trying to do everyday activities with all sorts of colorful creatures moving through the streets.

Venice Carnival 2016 - Photo Cat Bauer

The liberation that grown adults get by dressing up in costumes and striking poses never seems to lose its appeal.

Plague doctor - Venice Carnival - Photo: Cat Bauer

A favorite costume is that of the Plague Doctor, which was an outfit that doctors actually wore to treat victims of the plague. The beak-like mask was stuffed with scented materials like myrrh, mint, cloves and camphor to protect them against a poisonous vapor or "miasma" believed to spread disease through the air. Straw was used as a filter.

Live Commedia dell'arte in Piazza San Marco - Photo: Cat Bauer

Stivalaccio Teatro performed L'Arlecchino Furioso in the square, riveting the audience with their wild antics, and giving them a taste of some good old-fashioned Commedia dell'arte.

BrassOperà - Photo: Cat Bauer

La Fenice Opera Theatre presented BrassOperà, serenading the square with La Traviata and more.

Cocktails from Harry's Bar - Photo: Cat Bauer

Harry's Bar served cocktails to the crowd.

Venice Carnival 2016 - Photo: Cat Bauer

Throughout the carnival, the mood was light and festive, well-organized and secure. It was nice to know in these days when the international community seems permeated with fear, that folks can still come out and play in the most beautiful drawing room in the world.

Through the window of the Florian - Reflection or Reality? Photo: Cat Bauer

During Venice Carnival, the curtain dividing the past from the present, the real from the imagined becomes more transparent. And anyone can use their imagination to become whatever they dream they can be.

Ciao from Venezia,
Cat
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog

 

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Venice Carnival - Through the Window of the Florian...

Through the window of the Florian - Photo: Cat Bauer

(Venice, Italy) Caffè Florian in Piazza San Marco is the oldest coffeehouse in all of Italy. Depending on how you define "coffeehouse," it can also claim to be one of the oldest in all the world. Established on December 29, 1720, for nearly 300 years the Florian has always attracted an international crowd.

Through the window of the Florian - Photo: Cat Bauer

Notable Venetians like Carlo Goldoni and Casanova were early patrons -- it was the only cafe that served women. As time went on, artsy notables like Lord Byron, Goethe, Marcel Proust and Charles Dickens dropped by, as well as Richard Wagner and D'Annunzio.

Through the window of the Florian - Photo: Cat Bauer

Caffè Florian's original name was "Venezia Trionfante," or "Triumphant Venice," and was a place where history was written. Inside its rooms, plots were hatched to overthrow French and Austrian rule.

Through the Window of the Florian - Photo: Cat Bauer

It was at the Florian that plans to create the first Venice Art Biennale were dreamed up. In 1893, Riccardo Selvatico, the mayor of Venice, together with a group of artists and intellectuals, decided to hold an illustrious art exhibition in honor of the silver anniversary of King Umberto and Margherita of Savoy.

Beneath the paintings of The Age of Enlightenment and Civilization Educating the Nations in the Senate Room, the idea for the first international art festival in the world was born.

Through the Window of the Florian - Photo: Cat Bauer

These days, during Carnival, all sorts of colorful creatures dress the part and sit down at the tables of the Florian to take their place with the phantoms of history.

With portraits of giants like Titian, Palladio and Marco Polo on the wall, Caffè Florian brings the glories of Venice's past into Venetian life today. And during Carnival, the veil that separates space and time seems to fade away...

Ciao from Venezia,
Cat
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog

Why is the Venice Carnival so Early this Year? + Four Concurrent Press Conferences

Venice Carnival 2016 Opens - Photo: Cat Bauer

(Venice, Italy) The 2016 Carnival of Venice is early this year, starting today, January 23, the Eve of the Full Moon, and running through February 7, Mardi Gras -- French for "Fat Tuesday," the day before Lent begins. Why is it so early?

The date depends on Easter, which is a moveable feast, celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the March Equinox. This year, that full moon is on March 23, so it means Easter will be on Sunday, March 27. Ash Wednesday occurs exactly 46 days before Easter -- 40 fasting days not counting Sundays -- which will be February 10th this year.  Which means that Mardi Gras, the last night to get crazy before the fasting begins, is on February 9th. Got all that?

Journalists were flying all around Venice yesterday on their magic carpets, since there were four press conferences scheduled at the same time:

1. VENICE BIENNALE 7TH INTERNATIONAL KID'S CARNIVAL

Venice Biennale 7th International Kid's Carnival

GIRO GIRO TONDO - Around the World is the theme of La Biennale's 7th International Kid's Carnival, which runs from January 30 to February 7th. Giro Giro Tondo is the Italian version of Ring Around the Rosie, a puzzling children's song that is found in many different cultures throughout the centuries. This year the Kid's Carnival moves back down to the Giardini, packed with fun-filled, educational activities for children and their grownups. Music, workshops, costume-making and much, much more are on the program, which you can see here. And it's all free!

2. MURANO GLASS MUSEUM

A Light for Emilia-Romagna - Photo: Consorzio Promovetro Murano

A Light for Emilia-Romagna - The Sant'Agostino Chandeliers is an exhibition at the Murano Glass Museum that runs from January 23 to February 28. In May, 2012, Emilia-Romagna, a region of Northern Italy whose capital is Bologna, was hit by an earthquake that caused death and destruction. Four magnificent chandeliers in the small town of Sant'Agostino survived the quake; the largest one was over 16 feet tall, magnificent in crystal gold and amber.

The Consorzio Promovetro of Murano decided to use their expertise to help their friends in the neighboring region, and transferred the chandeliers from Ferrara to Murano (with a lot of help from all sorts of Italian powers), where they have been lovingly restored over the last three years. Luciano Gambaro, President of the Murano Glass Promotion Consortium Promoverto said, "It is a great joy for us to use our professionalism to help the population of Emilia-Romagna that has suffered so much. These chandeliers have become a symbol to them because they survived the earthquake despite their fragility." Teatro La Fenice curated the design, and Venetian author Alberto Toso Fei curated the book that accompanies the exhibition.

3. CASA DEI TRE OCI

Alice's Looking Glass - Maurizio Trifilidis

Tre Oci Tre Mostre is three different photo exhibitions running from January 23 to March 28 at the Casa dei Tre Oci on Giudecca, a venue devoted to photography. La Gondola photographic club rules the ground floor, and divides its own exhibition into three: photos inspired by the title of Lewis Carroll's Alice Through the  Looking Glass; NeroSuBianco (Black on White) curated by Manfredo Manfroi, Italian photography in the decade from 1950-60; and the winners of the 2015 Sguadi Femminili portfolio.

Next, on the first floor, are 75 images of Venice by Roberto Polillo, and on the second floor is Giulio Obici's Il Flâneur Detective. A flâneur is someone who walks the streets, observing the life around him. Giulio Obici (1934-2011) was a columnist and special correspondent who investigated terrorism in Italy, whose short novels were published posthumously in 2015. The photos on display are sort of like an author's notes which were photographed instead of written. 

4. PEGGY GUGGENHEIM COLLECTION

Portrait of Zoe Sharkey by Jack Tworkov (1948)

Postwar Era. A Recent History - Homages to Jack Tworkov and Claire Falkenstein is running at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection from January 23 to April 4. Curated by Luca Massimo Barbero, a bunch of loot from Peggy's collection and donations to the Foundation is "assembled in clusters and arranged according to theme, style, affinity, and an unconventional chronology."

I fell in love with Claire Falkenstein (1908-1997), an American artist who created esoteric structures that seemed to be born in outer space. Anyone who has entered the Peggy Guggenheim Collection from the side gate already knows her work, The New Gates of Paradise, made from welded iron rods and colorful chunks of Venetian glass.

The New Gates of Paradise by Claire Falkenstein (1980-97) Photo: Cat Bauer

Stay tuned for more on the 2016 Venice Carnevale.

Ciao from Venezia,
Cat
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog

A Menagerie of Wonders Closes in Venice - The Ancient Roman Lod Mosaic: Next Stop, Miami

The Lod Mosaic

(Venice, Italy) Almost 2000 years ago, the finest in ancient Rome home decoration included mosaic floors. Here in Venice, we were fortunate enough to get a gander at the marvelous Ancient Roman Lod Mosaic during A Menagerie of Wonders at the Giorgio Cini Foundation on the Island of San Giorgio, which closed today.

The Lod Mosaic - Photo: Cat Bauer

When the city of Lod in Israel was doing road work back in 1996, they stumbled upon a large, colorful mosaic floor decorated with lions and fish, elephants and birds, Roman ships and plants. The ancient floor, dating back to the late 3rd/early 4th centuries, was in beautiful condition, and it was decided to give it a permanent home. Thanks to the Leon Levy Foundation and Shelby White, president of the Friends of the Israel Antiquities Authority, the creation of the Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center is now underway, due to open in 2017.

The Lod Mosaic - Photo: Cat Bauer

The current Israeli town of Lod is on the site of the ancient city of Lydda, St. George's hometown, and was an important trade route. A center of culture and craft production, Lydda was destroyed by the Romans in AD 66 during the First Jewish-Roman War, and rebuilt as Diospolis, the City of Zeus.

They are still trying to figure out why exotic animals, probably unknown to the region, are on the mosaic. One theory is they were imported from Africa on merchant ships, possibly for combat in the amphitheaters.

The Lod Mosaic - Photo: Cat Bauer

While the Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center is being constructed, the superstar floor set off on an international tour and was displayed in some major venues: the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Louvre in Paris, the Altes Museum in Berlin, Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, UK and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, as well as here in Venice at the Cini Foundation.

Next the fabulous floor is traveling to The Patricia & Philip Frost Art Museum in Miami, Florida from February 11 to March 15, 2016, after which it will make its way back to its new home in Lod.

For more information, go to The Lod Mosaic.

Ciao from Venezia,
Cat
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog

Happy New Year 2016 from Venice!

Archangel Gabriel Photo: Valix

(Venice, Italy) The Archangel Gabriel is glorious atop the pyramid of St. Mark's Campanile, a golden weather vane that transmits messages from the heavens to the townspeople below.

If you listen closely, you can hear the heavens sing:

PEACE ON EARTH

GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN

 

Campanile di San Marco Photo: Valix

Wishing everyone on the planet a prosperous, positive, productive New Year. Onward!

Happy New Year from Venezia,

Cat  

Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog  

Christmas in Venice 2015 - Cat Bauer's Favorite Jesus Christ Quotes

Basilica of San Marco - Photo: Cat Bauer

(Venice, Italy) Year after year, Christmas in Venice continues to be magical. The few weeks leading up to the holiday are void of tourists, and residents can actually see each other on the street, like a cozy village. In Venice, Christmas feels simple and pure, a holiday celebrated with friends and family. It is a time to remember what life was like before the tidal wave of commercial tourism hit the town.

While much of the planet is experiencing extreme weather for the holidays, Venice has been cloaked in a mystical mist, setting the scene for enchantment.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ was flogged and crucified for his dangerous message -- for preaching that the old ""eye for an eye" was out, and the new "love thy neighbor as thyself" was in. Since the point of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of this radical Jew who founded Christianity, here are some of my Jesus Christ favorite quotes:

Midnight Mass Basilica of San Marco - Photo: Cat Bauer

"If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you."

"All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbor as yourself."

Basilica of San Marco Dome - Photo: Cat Bauer

"I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

"So when you give to someone in need, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others."

"Don't be afraid; just believe."

"A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family."

Madonna Nicopeia - Photo: Cat Bauer

"Let him who is without sin cast the first stone."

"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today has enough trouble of its own."

"And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?"

Happy Holidays from Venezia,
Cat
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog

Four Women Who Dared to Be Different - Winter 2015 at Palazzo Fortuny in Venice

Henriette and the Delphos gown - Photo: Elisa Gagliardi Mangilli

(Venice, Italy) The 13th century Gothic palace, Palazzo Pesaro degli Orfei, which Mariano and Henriette Fortuny transformed into their own fantastic stage set, is the perfect backdrop for the stories of four women who dared to be different:

Henriette Fortuny, the inspirational wife of Mariano Fortuny;  

Romaine Brooks, the bold American artist;  

Sarah Moon, the groundbreaking French photographer;

Ida Barbarigo, the compelling Venetian artist.
.

Portrait of Henriette by Mariano Fortuny (1915)

HENRIETTE FORTUNY - Portrait of a Muse

Adèle Henriette Nigrin, born in Fontainebleau in 1877, was Mariano Fortuny's wife, lover, muse, partner and co-creator. Fortuny was already a well-known artist when they met in Paris at the beginning of the 20th century. Mariano and Henriette spent 47 years together, living and working inside Palazzo Pesaro degli Orfei, their home and atelier, filled with those fabulous Fortuny lamps and chandeliers, fabrics, photography and paintings. Today, Palazzo Fortuny is one of the most intriguing palaces in Venice.


Henriette thought up the idea for the iconic Delphos silk gown, a must-have for fashionable women at the turn of the last century. In 1896, the 478 BC statue of a chariot driver was found at the Sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi, clad in a pleated robe. About 10 years later, that statue inspired the Fortunys to create the Delphos gown, which has become a work of art in its own right.

After the death of Mariano in 1949, Henriette dedicated her life to keeping the memory of the great artist alive. She donated Palazzo Fortuny to the city of Venice in 1956.

The Weeping Venus by Romain Brooks (1916-17) - Courtesy Museo Fortuny

ROMAINE BROOKS - Paintings, drawing, photographs

Romaine Brooks was born Beatrice Romaine Goddard in Rome in 1874 to wealthy American parents, whose father deserted the family. After an early life in a foster home in New York City as a "child martyr," and near-starvation as a struggling artist in Paris, Rome and Capri, Romaine inherited a fortune in 1902 after her emotionally abusive mother and mentally ill brother died.

Romaine married the pianist John Ellington Brooks, a gay man who had fled England after the trial of Oscar Wilde. She became part of the non-conformist, cosmopolitan community that jumped from the Belle Epoque in Paris, to the island of Capri, and to Venice, challenging the established order.

Romaine had a simultaneous love affair with two heavy-duty women -- the dancer, Ida Rubinstein and the writer, Natalie Clifford Barney -- as well as a romantic affair with Gabriele D'Annunzio that evolved into a strong friendship.

Influenced by Whistler, Romaine was drawn to the color gray, and was the go-to portrait painter for celebrities and aristocrats.

A Tribute to Mariano Fortuny by Sara Moon - Courtesy Museo Fortuny

SARAH MOON - A Tribute to Mariano Fortuny

Sarah Moon started life as Marielle Warin, born into to a Jewish family in occupied France in 1941. Initially a model in the swinging sixties under the name "Marielle Hadengue," Marielle Warin next changed her name to Sarah Moon and transformed into one of the major fashion photographers of all time -- in 1972 she was the first female photographer for the legendary Pirelli calendar.

In 1985, she morphed into a fine art photographer, concentrating on gallery and film work, winning awards like the Grand Prix National del Photographie in 1995, and the Prix Nadar in 2008.

Inspired by the soft light of the Venetian lagoon in the winter, and the swirls and patterns of Fortuny fabrics, Sara Moon's photos capture the mystical grandeur that permeates Palazzo Fortuny.

Erme e Saturni - Ida Barbarigo - Courtesy Museo Fortuny

 IDA BARBARIGO - Herms and Saturns

The Venetian artist, Ida Barbarigo, was born in Venice in 1920. Her husband was the artist, Zoran Music; her mother was the painter and poet, Livia Tivoli; her father was the painter, Guido Cadorin. Erme e Saturni is the result of the last two decades of a lifetime of labor and love. 

An herm is an ancient Greek sculpture for warding off evil, composed of a head, some kind of torso, and strategically-placed male genitals. Herms were often found at crossroads, inscribed with distances-- sort of like well-endowed signposts with magical powers that protected merchants and travelers.

Hermes was an Olympian god in Greek mythology, who morphed into the Roman god Mercury. Hermes was a phallic god who could move freely between the worlds of the mortals and the divine. The impish Hermes was the messenger of the gods, who liked to play practical jokes on god and man alike.

Saturn was an ancient Roman god, supposedly morphed from the Greek god, Cronus. Saturn and Cronus are both associated with time and the harvest, along with other more gruesome things, but one thing they both had in common is that during their "Golden Age" rule, humans enjoyed the beauty of the earth without labor. Imagine!

Saturnalia, the festival in honor of Saturn, was held from December 17 of the Julian calendar until December 23, which is about the end of December, beginning of January these days -- in other words, just about now. Saturnalia was a time to celebrate free speech, role reversals, gift-giving and lots of partying.

It was also the time of the Winter Solstice, which is on Tuesday, December 22, 2015 at 5:49 Rome time this year. Get your candles ready!

WINTER AT PALAZZO FORTUNY
December 19. 2015 to March 13, 2016

Click for more information.

Happy holidays from Venezia,
Cat
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog