View allAll Photos Tagged Solidity
A house in the newly founded Eslandolan settlement of Ceniza Bajo on Luther Islands. The volcanic nature of the islands is reflected in the materials used to pave the streets and build the houses. The architecture displays a mixture of colonial style, wealth, but also solidity and practicality - because life in a trading town is not about displaying luxury, but about getting the work done, and living a good life. The city is new, less than a year of age, and the houses show little to no signs of erosion yet.
Ceniza Bajo is built on the ruins of an ancient native civilization, that once used to live where the Eslandolans have now settled. The remainders of the natives have been recycled and integrated into the town - that's why quite a few gardens are home to a totem or some other random weird sculpture.
Said the Spider to the Fly. Bwahahahah! Come to the Halloween Party! People are just DYING to get in....
Olyvia is wearing:
DEAD DOLL - Lace Bat Wings
DEAD DOLL - Lenora Dress - Black (Maitreya)
Gloves Carol - Black [CAROL G]
VANNIES /BoM/ Panties Emma (black lace) 20
VANNIES Bonus Pantyhose Black 40 DEN
-Narcisse- Bella Donna Headpiece - unrigged
.AiShA. Neck Corset Web M Chrome
/ HEAD / lel EvoX LILLY 3.1
Chop Zuey Deception Earrings
DOUX - Ara Hairstyle [L/Big Bun]
FAKEICON / mary gems collar
KUNGLERS - Hannah ring - L - Maitreya
KUNGLERS - Peyton ring R
Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara V5.3
Rosary. Solidity __ Maitreya Medium
[MAITREYA] -KC- NELLIE WEDGES / PAIR
Props:
BellePoses - Crows
:::ChicChica::: Gena Skull R
Tentacio Voodoo knife
Portland UK
in order, least first.
low light reflected off the sea dispersing across the horizon whilst the sky appears to repeat this creating a juxtaposition, The hint of solidity false.
Francesco Francia born Raibolini but known as il Francia (Zola Predosa or Bologna, c. 1447-1449 - Bologna, January 5, 1517) - Vision of Saint Augustine (c. 1508)- oil on panel 52 x 168.8cm. - National Gallery of Bologna.
Pervenuto dalla chiesa agostiniana di Santa Maria della Misericordia, rappresenta a destra Sant'Agostino che ha la visione della Madonna che allatta e di Gesù sulla croce.
Si tratta di un piccolo gioiello di perfezione formale per il sapiente ritmo compositivo con cui sono uniti i due episodi, per bellezza del limpido paesaggio, per lo smalto dei colori e la saldezza volumetrica delle figure, ognuna caratterizzata da un gesto vivace.
Came from the Augustinian church of Santa Maria della Misericordia, represents the right St. Augustine who has a vision of the Madonna breastfeeding and Jesus on the cross.
It is a small jewel of formal perfection for the wise rhythm of composition with which the two episodes are united, for the beauty of the clear landscape, for the glaze of the colors and the volumetric solidity of the figures, each characterized by a lively gesture.
In the 1880s, the population of Oamaru (New Zealand) was the same as that of Los Angeles.
Streets of elegant whitestone buildings sprouted, fueled by a boom in agriculture and gold.*
When the bubble popped, the town readjusted to its lot as a small, stagnant, provincial town for a hundred years until tourists and artists began to appreciate the beauty of the old buildings - which somehow had survived being demolished and replaced by the architectural travesties of the 1960s onward as happened in more wealthy towns.
The graceful solidity of the Lawson and the Forrester & Lemon designed buildings on the main street temporarily resonates with a baritone duet, as EMD 645 powered DFT 7036 and DC 4761 restart a long train 925 across the creek towards the 1 in 50 Waireka bank.
7:30pm, Dec 13, 2016
* Oamaru had one of the first concrete harbour breakwaters, was one of the first ports with refrigeration facilities, and was a leading exporter of barbed wire, grain and meat. Most of this industry was powered by water (not steam!) engines fed from a high-pressure supply topped up by a 50 km long water race from the Waitaki River (with 7 tunnels and many aqueducts). Now it is a town of 13,000 people while LA has 3.8 million. Go figure!
Details: "Romance 2" (shown on Freya) by WERX Creations
Outfit Includes: Shorts (Top Worn is "Becky - Comics" available at Marketplace )
Sizes: Freya, Slink & Maitreya
Colors: HUD Driven with 3 FUNPACK Textures
MAINSTORE: Taxi
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Additional Details:
Hair: Yonce (Cap Included) by Unorthodox
Lips: Lipstick Natural (Genus) by Sintiklia
Nails: Solidity by Rosary Nail Shop
Earrings: Double Diamond Studs by Yummy
Body: Belleza Freya
Head: Classic Face by GENUS
The Scene:
Backdrop - No Fake Sh*t by Focus Poses
Pose - Why The Hell Not Vol2 by Focus Poses
Cloud car based on a model found a rebrickable with structural modifications to improve its solidity.
And a first pilot attempt.
I could still improve the canopy part.
© All Rights Reserved. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my prior permission.
This interesting building - very much a symbol of the secular power and pride of the town of Bologna as opposed to the spiritual might and wealth of the Roman Catholic Church - remains unfinished. This explains the striking difference between the top and bottom of the facade. The very simple reason is that the project ran out of money. The townspeople had intended San Petronio to be the largest church in the world, but Rome had other ideas. Pope Pius IV, for example, funded the construction of university buildings right next to San Petronio to prevent any further expansion of the building. Despite all this, the building charms with its solidity and sense of interior space.
Here is my Grendizer (Goldrake/Goldorak)! Being a real legend in many countries, this guy truly deserves a proper treatment, so i've made the biggest creation i've ever made so far: 320 mm is a good help while recreating the typical curved surfaces of 80ies Super Robots, but it has been also a challenge, trying to reach a good compromise between aesthetic, solidity and poseability.
Église majeure de la ville basse au Moyen-Âge, la collégiale Saint-André fait partie comme les églises Saint-Aignan et Saint-Pierre, des édifices religieux remarquables à Chartres. La construction de ce lieu a probablement débuté vers l'an 960 sur le site d’un ancien amphithéâtre gallo-romain. Même si on cite déjà deux abbés entre 1050 et 1100, l’église est promue collégiale par l'évêque Saint Yves en 1108.
La façade occidentale du 12e siècle est en pur style roman. Dépourvu de tympan, le portail s'apparente par sa structure à ceux de Saintonge (dans le sud-ouest de la France). Il comprend une porte en plein cintre encadrée par deux fausses arcades. Les colonnettes sont coiffées de chapiteaux d’où surgissent des têtes humaines très expressives et au dessus une frise de feuilles d'acanthe. Entre le portail et les baies vitrées, de style gothique, une corniche est soutenue par des mascarons grimaçants de toute évidence de la même facture que ceux qui ornent le clocher vieux de la cathédrale. Au-dessus des baies vitrées s'élève le pignon qui comportait autrefois une rose de style gothique flamboyant.
L'église Saint-André fut désaffectée et fermée en 1791. Pendant la révolution, la collégiale avait été transformée en magasin à fourrages. Le 22 février 1805, la chapelle absidiale s'écroula. Il est probable que cette chute compromit la solidité du grand chœur qui fut démoli en 1827. Le 11 mars 1861, un incendie la ravage de nouveau. À la suite de ce sinistre, probablement pour des raisons de sécurité, le pignon de la façade et la belle rose du 15e siècle furent démolis.
Pendant la seconde guerre mondiale, les occupants s'emparèrent de l'édifice pour stocker des vivres et du matériel. Ils détruisirent le tout en y mettant le feu le 16 août 1944. Depuis, la collégiale Saint-André appartient à la ville de Chartres. Régulièrement, des expositions y sont organisées dans le cadre du Chemin des Arts. Ici, l’art contemporain s’intègre parfaitement dans l’architecture sobre de cet édifice médiéval à l’histoire très riche.
A major church in the lower town in the Middle Ages, the Saint-André collegiate church, like the Saint-Aignan and Saint-Pierre churches, is one of the remarkable religious buildings in Chartres. The construction of this place probably began around the year 960 on the site of an ancient Gallo-Roman amphitheater. Even if two abbots are already cited between 1050 and 1100, the church was promoted to collegiate status by Bishop Saint Yves in 1108.
The 12th century western facade is in pure Romanesque style. Without a tympanum, the portal is similar in structure to those of Saintonge (in the south-west of France). It includes a semi-circular door framed by two false arches. The columns are topped with capitals from which very expressive human heads emerge and above them a frieze of acanthus leaves. Between the portal and the bay windows, in Gothic style, a cornice is supported by grimacing mascarons obviously of the same style as those which adorn the old bell tower of the cathedral. Above the bay windows rises the gable which once featured a flamboyant Gothic style rose.
The Saint-André church was decommissioned and closed in 1791. During the revolution, the collegiate church was transformed into a fodder store. On February 22, 1805, the apse chapel collapsed. It is probable that this fall compromised the solidity of the large choir which was demolished in 1827. On March 11, 1861, a fire ravaged it again. Following this disaster, probably for safety reasons, the gable of the facade and the beautiful 15th century rose were demolished.
During the Second World War, the occupants took over the building to store food and equipment. They destroyed everything by setting it on fire on August 16, 1944. Since then, the Saint-André collegiate church has belonged to the city of Chartres. Exhibitions are regularly organized there as part of the Chemin des Arts. Here, contemporary art fits perfectly into the sober architecture of this medieval building with a very rich history.
The human world runs on a whole set of tacit agreements that things are not what they are.
Like this myth of solidity. Nothing is solid. We're all just collections of molecules in motion.
Oh, sure, some of those molecules are packed really tightly. Like the ones in steel. And yes, as per those tacit agreements, we perceive one another... and everything around us... as a disparate collection of unique individuals.
We're not. We're all just clumps of molecules, floating around in a vast soupy stew, shedding bits of ourselves along the way... ingesting bits of others... setting off various chemical reactions and swimming in the consequences.
Or... as the case may be... drowning in them. Suffocating... as the lumps break down and the broth becomes, day by day, more and more homogenous.
Destaca la torre de «La Emparedada». Torre defensiva del siglo X, considerada como obra mozárabe, que enlazaría con la muralla que rodeaba la población. El recinto amurallado que rodea la torre albergó el Palacio del Abad de Covarrubias, que hoy es una propiedad privada. Su forma es piramidal truncada y su planta rectangular. Sus medidas son: 10 x 14 m de lado el rectángulo de la base y 7,5 x 11 m en su parte superior. La sensación de solidez que nos transmite no es sólo apariencia ya que se sustenta sobre muros de hasta cuatro metros de grosor en su base.
Por sus pequeñas saeteras los arqueros hacían blanco sobre el enemigo, mientras que desde los matacanes se arrojaba agua o aceite hirviendo. Si recorremos toda su altura, nos encontramos con una cubierta de teja roja, que no corresponde a su estructura original de almenas.
Se accede a la torre por medio de una escalera móvil, a través de una puerta a media altura, que forma un arco de herradura de dovelas desiguales. De este modo, en caso de ataque la escalera se retiraba y la fortaleza era inexpugnable. La torre presenta cuatro plantas y a cada una de ellas se accede desde la planta superior. A la inferior, se entra desde la primera planta a través de una trampilla de madera. Por lo que quizá fuera utilizada como prisión o como almacén. Cuenta la leyenda que la infanta Urraca fue emparedada aquí por su propio padre Fernán González, como castigo por sus amoríos con un pastor.
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covarrubias
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torre_de_Covarrubias
The tower of «La Emparedada» stands out. Defensive tower from the 10th century, considered a Mozarabic work, which would connect with the wall that surrounded the town. The walled enclosure that surrounds the tower housed the Palace of the Abbot of Covarrubias, which today is a private property. Its shape is truncated pyramidal and its ground plan is rectangular. Its measurements are: 10 x 14 m on the side of the base rectangle and 7.5 x 11 m at the top. The sensation of solidity that it transmits is not only appearance since it is supported on walls up to four meters thick at its base.
Through their small arrow slits the archers targeted the enemy, while boiling water or oil was thrown from the machicolations. If we go along its entire height, we find a red tile roof, which does not correspond to its original structure of battlements.
The tower is accessed by means of a mobile staircase, through a door at mid-height, which forms a horseshoe arch with uneven voussoirs. In this way, in case of attack, the staircase was withdrawn and the fortress was impregnable. The tower has four floors and each of them is accessed from the upper floor. The lower one is entered from the first floor through a wooden hatch. So maybe it was used as a prison or as a warehouse. Legend has it that the Infanta Urraca was walled in here by her own father Fernán González, as punishment for her love affairs with a shepherd.
George Thompson Pritchard (California/U.K./New Zealand, 1878 - 1962)
OIL ON CANVAS
Desert landscape with wildflowers.
25" x 30" (image), 31" x 36" (frame).
Signed lower right.
O'Gallerie auction house
August 18, 2025.
Provenance: includes sales receipt from Frank Panter, Los Angeles, dated 1950 and a photograph of the buyer (Elizabeth Hopper) with the painting.
Assessment
This is a very fine example of George Thompson Pritchard’s work—both compositionally and atmospherically. Here’s an assessment by artistic criteria:
Composition & Structure
The painting is organized along a classic recession into depth: a wide sandy foreground track leads the eye into a flower-strewn mid-ground, which then narrows into a valley framed by imposing mountains.
Pritchard balances solidity (the mountains) against delicacy (the blooms and scattered trees). The diagonal recession and framing slopes give a dynamic pull into the scene without crowding the space.
The overall effect is both expansive and inviting—typical of painters working in California and the desert Southwest who wanted to convey grandeur without harshness.
Color & Light
The dominant palette is warm earth tones—golden sand, rose-pinks, and mauves of the mountains, tempered by cool violets in shadow. This interplay is essential for desert scenes: it communicates both heat and distance.
The wildflowers are not treated as botanical specimens but as passages of color, a ground-level counterpoint to the monumental rock forms above. Their purples and pinks also unify foreground and distance.
Light is handled with subtlety: there is no single dazzling sun-source, but rather an enveloping luminosity that suggests late afternoon. This soft light modulates the ruggedness of the mountains, lending them a glowing serenity.
Technique & Brushwork
The brush handling is sure but not flashy. In the foreground flowers and scrub, one can see broken touches and flicks of color—impressionistic in method—while the mountains are modeled with smoother, broader planes, giving them mass.
Pritchard’s training and career across New Zealand, the U.K., and California gave him an international impressionist vocabulary, here put to service of American western landscape idioms.
Mood & Artistic Value
This is not a “heroic” or sublime desert but a tender, habitable one. The atmosphere is suffused with peace, perhaps nostalgia—qualities much in demand from collectors of California plein-air painting.
Provenance (a 1950 Frank Panter receipt, photo with Elizabeth Hopper) enhances its historic charm; such documentation often adds value in today’s art market.
Market Context
Pritchard is less famous than the top-tier California impressionists (like Guy Rose, Edgar Payne, William Wendt), but his work sits comfortably within that tradition. His desert wildflower scenes in particular resonate with collectors because they balance rarity (not many painters made flowers central in desert scenes) with accessibility (a harmonious, uplifting view).
A 25" x 30" canvas is a good size—not small, not monumental. With provenance, this would have been a desirable mid-market piece likely in the low five figures today, depending on condition.
✅ Assessment in brief:
This painting succeeds both technically and emotionally—it is a superbly composed desert landscape where solidity and delicacy balance, and color harmonies elevate the scene beyond mere topography. Its provenance and scale strengthen its desirability.
For the lover of old stones and anyone interested in their rich, multi-secular history, wonderful discoveries sometimes come under the most mundane appearances...
This is the Carolingian crypt of Saint-Andoche. It is not a place open to the public, as it is enclosed within the confines of a catholic teaching institution, but I managed to get access through my contacts. Even through the place is quite dirty and used as a repository for old school furniture and similar junk, the pillars and vaults from the 800s are splendid in their purity, lightness and immovable solidity. They have been standing and supporting the hundred of tons above since the 800s.
Admire the beauty and simplicity of those four stones on which everything else rests, sitting there through the centuries under their unadorned impost...!
The coastal city of Fréjus is part of the French Riviera, in the département of Var. It lies by the Mediterranean at the eastern end of the gulf of Saint-Tropez. Historically, it was the place of a bishopric, today Fréjus shares it with the much larger city of Toulon, where the bishop’s seat has been moved.
In Fréjus there remains an episcopal group attesting to the very early presence of Christians: first a paleo-Christian baptistry built during the 400s and the second oldest in France after the Saint-Jean baptistry of Poitiers (which I photographed as part of the “Grand Tour 2022” and uploaded pictures to Flickr). Unfortunately, when I visited in June 2022, that baptistry was closed for restoration and thus out of bounds. Second, a very interesting cathedral with two parallel naves, one paleo-Christian as well, the other Romanesque. And third, a Romanesque cloister for the regular canons of the cathedral, built during the 12th century.
We will visit the cloister first, then the cathedral.
Let’s step into the cathedral right next to the cloister to admire the impressive Romanesque nave (what was once the pre-Romanesque nave, on the left of it, was so heavily remodeled during Gothic times that it is no very interesting anymore).
Measuring a good 12 meters in width, this nave built around 1150 gives a powerful impression of strength and solidity —without breaking the record set by the astounding church in Saint-Paulien in Auvergne (see below).
These old medieval buildings have a solidity too them that is visual as well as structural. They have stood for centuries and you just know they will stand for centuries to come assuming we don't self destruct in the mean time!
Puente del Kursaal, Donostia, Guipúzcoa, España.
Puente de tramos rectos de hormigón armado, recubierto por piedra de Motrico y mármol rosa, con elementos decorativos de estilo modernista. Construido sobre grandes pilares, de donde arrancan las seis características farolas que contienen a esta obra su marcada personalidad.
A comienzos del siglo XX. El ayuntamiento apoya la construcción de un tercer puente sobre el Urumea "en el que se armonicen la solidez y la resistencia con la monumentalidad y belleza del conjunto".
El ingeniero Ribera presentó al Ayuntamiento una importante modificación: el puente de la Zurriola, proyecto inicialmente con arcos, será construido con tramos rectos.
El 14 de Agosto de 1921 numerosísimo público acudió a la inauguración.
El barandado metálico y los obeliscos que hacen de farolas son obra de Victor Arana. Las cuatro esfinges de bronce pertenecen a la reforma de 1993. Tienen 120 metros de largo como el puente de Santa catalina con el que mantiene cierta armonía de líneas y es algo mayor que el Puente de María Cristina, de 100 metros.
Años de realización: 1918-1921
Autor: J.E.RIBERA
Bridge of straight sections of reinforced concrete, covered by motric stone and pink marble, with decorative elements of modernist style. Built on large pillars, from which the six characteristic lanterns that contain this work its marked personality.
At the beginning of the 20th century. The city council supports the construction of a third bridge over the Urumea "in which solidity and resistance are harmonized with the monumentality and beauty of the whole".
Engineer Ribera presented the City Council with an important modification: the Zurriola bridge, initially with arches, will be built with straight sections.
On August 14, 1921, a large audience attended the inauguration.
The metal balustrade and the obelisks that act as lampposts are the work of Victor Arana. The four bronze sphinxes belong to the 1993 reform. They are 120 meters long, like the Santa Catalina bridge, with which it maintains a certain harmony of lines and is somewhat larger than the María Cristina Bridge, which is 100 meters long.
Years of realization: 1918-1921
Author: J.E.RIBERA
Este puente sustituyó al puente de barcas que desde el año 1171, bajo gobierno del califa almohade Abu Yacub Yusuf, se había construido y que constaba de trece barcas amarradas con cadenas sobre las que se apoyaban fuertes tablones de madera. Su emplazamiento coincidía con el del actual, a la altura del castillo que había en el lado de Triana y a la altura de la puerta de la muralla en el lado de la ciudad.
En marzo de 1844 Bernadet y Steinacher presentaron al Ayuntamiento sevillano tres propuestas de puentes: de piedra, colgado de alambres y de hierro colado con dos pilastras centrales. Explicaron las características y ventajas de cada modelo a la Comisión de Puente del Municipio y mencionaron también la experiencia adquirida por los franceses con el Puente de Austerlitz de París y el Puente del Carrousel de la misma ciudad. En abril de 1844 la Comisión dio su aprobación a la edificación del puente con arcos de hierro y dos pilares en el río, por su solidez y belleza. El puente costaría 12 millones de reales, que se pagarían durante 25 años.
El diseño escogido era análogo al del Puente de los Santos Padres o Puente del Carrusel sobre el río Sena, que había sido ejecutado en 1834 por el ingeniero francés Polonceau. El puente parisino fue demolido a comienzos del siglo XX y sustituido por uno de hormigón. El Puente de Triana sería más grande que el francés, ya que la anchura del Sena en aquel lugar era solamente dos tercios de la del Guadalquivir a su paso por Sevilla.
La construcción terminó en 1852.El 29 de enero de 1852 se llevaron a cabo las pruebas de carga. La inauguración se realizó el 23 de febrero de 1852. La inauguración tuvo lugar con una procesión que empezó en la parroquia trianera de Santa Ana. En la procesión iban el arzobispo, el gobernador civil Francisco Iribarren, maceros, la banda municipal y un desfile militar presidido por el capitán general de Sevilla.El arzobispo bendijo el puente en su mitad con el nombre de Isabel II. Ese mismo día hubo fiestas municipales, como cucañas, concursos de natación y conciertos de bandas de música. Para su apertura al público se esperó a una ordenanza que regulase el tráfico. La apertura al público tuvo lugar el 30 de junio de 1852. El 9 de mayo de 1852 el Capitán del Puerto dio normas para la navegación en los alrededores del puente.
El puente fue declarado Monumento Histórico Nacional el 13 de abril de 1976.
This bridge replaced the bridge of boats that since the year 1171, under the government of the Almohad caliph Abu Yacub Yusuf, had been built and that consisted of thirteen boats tied with chains on which strong wooden planks rested. Its location coincided with the current one, at the height of the castle on the Triana side and at the height of the wall gate on the city side.
In March 1844 Bernadet and Steinacher presented the Seville City Council with three proposals for bridges: stone, suspended from wires and cast iron with two central pilasters. They explained the characteristics and advantages of each model to the Municipal Bridge Commission and also mentioned the experience acquired by the French with the Austerlitz Bridge in Paris and the Carrousel Bridge in the same city. In April 1844, the Commission gave its approval to the construction of the bridge with iron arches and two pillars in the river, due to its solidity and beauty. The bridge would cost 12 million reais, to be paid over 25 years.
The design chosen was analogous to that of the Bridge of the Holy Fathers or Carousel Bridge over the Seine River, which had been executed in 1834 by the French engineer Polonceau. The Parisian bridge was demolished at the beginning of the 20th century and replaced by a concrete one. The Triana Bridge would be larger than the French one, since the width of the Seine in that place was only two thirds of that of the Guadalquivir as it passed through Seville.
Construction ended in 1852. On January 29, 1852, load tests were carried out. The inauguration took place on February 23, 1852. The inauguration took place with a procession that began in the Santa Ana parish of Triana. In the procession were the archbishop, the civil governor Francisco Iribarren, maceros, the municipal band and a military parade. presided over by the captain general of Seville. The archbishop blessed the bridge in its middle with the name of Isabel II. That same day there were municipal festivals, such as cucañas, swimming contests and music band concerts. For its opening to the public, an ordinance was expected to regulate traffic. The opening to the public took place on June 30, 1852. On May 9, 1852, the Captain of the Port issued regulations for navigation around the bridge.
The bridge was declared a National Historic Landmark on April 13, 1976.
On the Brooklyn Bridge
The river here is laden
with the commerce of the seas
irridescent with oil
moving as ever to the ocean
caught in a temporal groove
from beginning to end
of a downhill journey.
I see it below through gaps in walkway boards
that wear the weather of their lives
in grained and dense solidity -
ridges and valleys cut
from a concentric record of wet years and dry.
Layered above this older history
cigar-scar boot-dent stain and scratch preserve
the tracks of walkers who have passed this way,
paused, and for a moment rested here.
Suspended in a web of steel
between sky and the reflection of sky
I raise my arms in emulation of
the cables' parabolic grace -
Tensile meridians cascade to me
and we capture in timeless genuflection
a stillness beyond the river's teeming flow,
the soar and dive of raucous gulls.
Angel wings on either side of me
ascend to gothic arches and down again
to Brooklyn and Manhattan shores.
The moment stretches out
like a cable strand spun taut and singing
the perfect one unwavering note.
- by Shep -
this is pretty much the first shot of the day the other day...quite liked the mixture of the ethereal waves and the solidity of the rocks...which ironically are only there because of the waves...
if you compare this to my previous shots you may pick up how i crept forward...as each shot progressed...funny...
You could argue that this kind of photograph merely papers over some considerably large cracks in Scotland's landscape. Quite frankly, Loch Quoich & its environs bear all the hallmarks of typical wholescale exploitation of landscape for 'Man's' needs, with the result being a hideous mess of reservoir 'tide marks', pylons, jarring sitka plantations & topography stripped almost entirely of native woodland. It typifies all the worst aspects of our prevalent & domineering attitude of 'milking it dry', with thoughts for nature & aesthetics less than a priority. It would be entirely justified to say that this landscape is actually a very poor one; a land ravaged. With that in mind, it could be said that my photography may divert the mind from dwelling on these realities by actually suggesting all is well with the Highlands & its ecology. Nothing could be further from the truth. These are troubling thoughts I have from time to time & make me question what I'm doing.
Upon reaching Gleouraich's summit ridge-line, the revelation of Sgurr na Ciche & all the rugged western hills produced a flood of memories that spanned many years. Traversing that iconic peak ten years ago, on a multi-night backpacking trip, my stove decided to die on me. Using freeze-dried food for meals, I was thus in a perilous situation of conceivably dying of hunger in a decidedly remote location! Pondering my predicament on Sgurr na Ciche's exposed summit, I was joined by two Aberdonians on a similar outing, one of whom started moaning about being overburdened by packing too much food! He proffered a large beef & tomato sandwich (the best I've ever tasted), which I did my best not to grab too eagerly. He had no idea of my problem! Talk about serendipity. . .
As a descent route, I used the old stalkers' path on Gleouraich's Sròn na Chuillin ridge. Quite simply, this feature is a breathtaking work of art. You could liken it to a scaled-down version of the legendary Passo dello Stelvio, in the Italian Alps, with meticulous attention to keeping a manageable gradient, using numerous switch-backs, at even the most testing obstacles. And yet at no point whatsoever is this construction anything less than complimentary to the surrounding landscape. Given the path's great age, its current state of virtual flawlessness & solidity is a wonder in itself. It was the most delightful descent off a Highland hill I can ever remember, with me even considering turning around & climbing it again!
Just a thought: Sgurr na Ciche possibly possesses the most 'imaginative' & appropriate name of any Highland hill. Honestly, tilt your head to the right & you'll see what I mean. Just saying!!!
I took this shot because of its stillness. The pier stretches out across calm water, framed by the vast sky. The clean lines and repetitive structure create a rhythm, while the small details, like the red lifebuoy and the lone poles rising above the deck, punctuate the simplicity. What makes it special is its balance: a minimal composition feels both peaceful and strong, with the pier acting as a bridge between solidity and openness, human design and natural expanse.
Destaca la torre de «La Emparedada». Torre defensiva del siglo X, considerada como obra mozárabe, que enlazaría con la muralla que rodeaba la población. El recinto amurallado que rodea la torre albergó el Palacio del Abad de Covarrubias, que hoy es una propiedad privada. Su forma es piramidal truncada y su planta rectangular. Sus medidas son: 10 x 14 m de lado el rectángulo de la base y 7,5 x 11 m en su parte superior. La sensación de solidez que nos transmite no es sólo apariencia ya que se sustenta sobre muros de hasta cuatro metros de grosor en su base.
Por sus pequeñas saeteras los arqueros hacían blanco sobre el enemigo, mientras que desde los matacanes se arrojaba agua o aceite hirviendo. Si recorremos toda su altura, nos encontramos con una cubierta de teja roja, que no corresponde a su estructura original de almenas.
Se accede a la torre por medio de una escalera móvil, a través de una puerta a media altura, que forma un arco de herradura de dovelas desiguales. De este modo, en caso de ataque la escalera se retiraba y la fortaleza era inexpugnable. La torre presenta cuatro plantas y a cada una de ellas se accede desde la planta superior. A la inferior, se entra desde la primera planta a través de una trampilla de madera. Por lo que quizá fuera utilizada como prisión o como almacén. Cuenta la leyenda que la infanta Urraca fue emparedada aquí por su propio padre Fernán González, como castigo por sus amoríos con un pastor.
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covarrubias
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torre_de_Covarrubias
The tower of «La Emparedada» stands out. Defensive tower from the 10th century, considered a Mozarabic work, which would connect with the wall that surrounded the town. The walled enclosure that surrounds the tower housed the Palace of the Abbot of Covarrubias, which today is a private property. Its shape is truncated pyramidal and its ground plan is rectangular. Its measurements are: 10 x 14 m on the side of the base rectangle and 7.5 x 11 m at the top. The sensation of solidity that it transmits is not only appearance since it is supported on walls up to four meters thick at its base.
Through their small arrow slits the archers targeted the enemy, while boiling water or oil was thrown from the machicolations. If we go along its entire height, we find a red tile roof, which does not correspond to its original structure of battlements.
The tower is accessed by means of a mobile staircase, through a door at mid-height, which forms a horseshoe arch with uneven voussoirs. In this way, in case of attack, the staircase was withdrawn and the fortress was impregnable. The tower has four floors and each of them is accessed from the upper floor. The lower one is entered from the first floor through a wooden hatch. So maybe it was used as a prison or as a warehouse. Legend has it that the Infanta Urraca was walled in here by her own father Fernán González, as punishment for her love affairs with a shepherd.
Tower of London
From the 1200s to 1835, the Tower housed a menagerie of exotic wild animals, never before seen in London, including lions and a polar bear given as royal gifts.
In 1235, Henry III (1216-72) was delighted to be presented with three 'leopards' (probably lions but referred to as leopards in the heraldry on the king's shield) by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. These inspired the King to start a zoo at the Tower. Over time the collection of animals grew: the lions were joined by a polar bear in 1252 and an African elephant in 1255. Source: www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/the-to...
Working only with layers of painted galvanized wire atop steel armature, UK artist Kendra Haste creates faithful reproductions of creatures large and small for both public installations and private collections around the world. A graduate of the from the Royal College of Art, Haste says she is fascinated by how such a seemingly ordinary medium, chicken wire, is capable of suggesting “the sense of movement and life, of contour and volume, the contrasts of weight and lightness, of solidity and transparency—values that I find in my natural subjects.” She continues about her work with animals: Source: www.thisiscolossal.com/2015/02/lifelike-galvanized-wire-a...
"The atoms are in a continual state of motion. Among the atoms, some are separated by great distances, others come very near to each other in the formation of composite bodies, or at times are enveloped by others which are combining. But in this latter case they, nevertheless, preserve their own unique motion, thanks to the nature of the vacuum, which separates the one from the other, and yet offers them no resistance. The solidity which they possess causes them, while knocking against each other, to react the one upon the other, Finally, the repeated impacts bring on the dissolution of the composite body. For all this there is no external cause, the atoms and the vacuum being the only causes". Epicurus. Letter To Herodotus
For the lover of old stones and anyone interested in their rich, multi-secular history, wonderful discoveries sometimes come under the most mundane appearances...
This is the Carolingian crypt of Saint-Andoche. It is not a place open to the public, as it is enclosed within the confines of a catholic teaching institution, but I managed to get access through my contacts. Even through the place is quite dirty and used as a repository for old school furniture and similar junk, the pillars and vaults from the 800s are splendid in their purity, lightness and immovable solidity. They have been standing and supporting the hundred of tons above since the 800s.
Ironbridge, River Severn, Telford, Shropshire
This has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. I’ve often regarded it as the twin to Worsley, both influential in the Industrial Revolution and the driving force that put ‘Great’ in Great Britain. However, it’s a real bugger to photograph because of the bend in the river and the overgrown trees that overhang both sides of the river bank.
This was taken, with much patience I might add, whilst sat at a park bench watching the world go by. So many tourists milling about eating fish and chips and rapidly melting ice creams in the late afternoon sun.
Now the history bit…
The Iron Bridge is a cast iron arch bridge that crosses the River Severn. Opened in 1781, it was the first major bridge in the world to be made of cast iron. Its success inspired the widespread use of cast iron as a structural material, and today the bridge is celebrated as a symbol of the Industrial Revolution.
The geography of the deep Ironbridge Gorge, formed by glacial action during the last ice age, meant that there are industrially useful deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone and fire clay present near the surface where they are readily mined, but also that it was difficult to build a bridge across the river at this location. To cope with the instability of the banks and the need to maintain a navigable channel in the river, a single span iron bridge was proposed by Thomas Farnolls Pritchard. After initial uncertainty about the use of iron, construction took place over 2 years, with Abraham Darby III responsible for the ironworks. The bridge crosses the Ironbridge Gorge with a main span of 100 ft 6 in (30.63 m), allowing sufficient clearance for boats to pass underneath.
In 1934 it was designated a scheduled monument and closed to vehicular traffic. Tolls for pedestrians were collected until 1950, when the bridge was transferred into public ownership. After being in a poor state of repair for much of its life, extensive restoration works in the latter half of the 20th century have protected the bridge. The bridge, the adjacent settlement of Ironbridge and the Ironbridge Gorge form the UNESCO Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.
Background
The Ironbridge Gorge was formed at the end of the last ice age by the overflowing of Lake Lapworth, which resulted in the exposure of useful deposits of resources such as coal, iron ore, fire clay and limestone near the surface where they were readily mined. With the river providing a means of transport, the local area was an important centre of the emerging Industrial Revolution.
Abraham Darby I first smelted local iron ore with coke made from Coalbrookdale coal in 1709, and in the coming decades Shropshire became a centre for industry due to the low price of fuel from local mines. The River Severn was used as a key trading route, but it was also a barrier to travel around the deep Ironbridge Gorge, especially between the then important industrial parishes of Broseley and Madeley, the nearest bridge being at Buildwas 2 miles (3.2 km) away. The Iron Bridge was therefore proposed to link the industrial town of Broseley with the smaller mining town of Madeley and the industrial centre of Coalbrookdale. The use of the river by boat traffic and the steep sides of the gorge meant that any bridge should ideally be of a single span, and sufficiently high to allow tall ships to pass underneath. The steepness and instability of the banks was problematic for building a bridge, and there was no point where roads on opposite sides of the river converged.
The Iron Bridge was the first of its kind to be constructed, although not the first to be considered nor the first iron bridge of any kind. An iron bridge was partly constructed at Lyons in 1755, but was abandoned for reasons of cost, and a 72-foot-10-inch (22.2 m) span wrought iron footbridge over an ornamental waterway was erected in Kirklees, Yorkshire, in 1769.
Proposal
In 1773, architect Thomas Farnolls Pritchard wrote to his 'iron mad' friend and local ironmaster, John Wilkinson of Broseley, to suggest building a bridge out of cast iron. Although he specialised in the design of chimneypieces and other items of interior decoration, and in funerary monuments, he had also previously designed both wooden and stone bridges.
During the winter of 1773–74, local newspapers advertised a proposal to petition Parliament for leave to construct an iron bridge with a single 120-foot (37 m) span. In 1775, a subscription raised funds of between £3000 to £4000 (equivalent to £361,000 to £482,000 in 2016), and Abraham Darby III, the grandson of Abraham Darby I and an ironmaster working at Coalbrookdale, was appointed treasurer to the project.
In March 1776, the Act to build a bridge received Royal assent. It had been drafted by Thomas Addenbrooke, secretary of the trustees, and John Harries, a London barrister, then presented to the House of Commons by Charles Baldwyn, MP for Shropshire. Abraham Darby III was commissioned to cast and build the bridge. In May 1776, the trustees withdrew Darby's commission, and instead advertised for plans for a single arch bridge to be built in "stone, brick or timber". No satisfactory proposal was made, and the trustees agreed to proceed with Pritchard's design, but there was continued uncertainty about the use of iron, and conditions were set on the cost and duration of the construction. In July 1777 the span of the bridge was decreased to 90 feet (27 m), and then increased again to 100 feet 6 inches (30.6 m), possibly in order to accommodate a towpath.
Construction
The site, adjacent to where a ferry had run between Madeley and Benthall, was chosen for its high approaches on each side and the relative solidity of the ground. The Act of Parliament described how the bridge was to be built from a point in Benthall parish near the house of Samuel Barnett to a point on the opposite shore near the house of Thomas Crumpton. Pritchard died on 21 December 1777 in his towerhouse at Eyton on Severn, only a month after work had begun, having been ill for over a year.
The bridge is built from five sectional cast-iron ribs that give a span of 100 feet 6 inches (30.6 m). The construction of the bridge used 378 long tons 10 cwt (847,800 lb or 384.6 t) of iron, and there are almost 1,700 individual components, the heaviest weighing 5 long tons 5 cwt (11,800 lb or 5.3 t). Components were cast individually to fit with each other, rather than being of standard sizes, with discrepancies of up to several centimetres between 'identical' components in different locations.
The masonry and abutments were constructed between 1777 and 1778, and the ribs were lifted into place in the summer of 1779. The bridge first spanned the river on 2 July 1779, and it was opened to traffic on 1 January 1781.
In 1997, a watercolour by Elias Martin was discovered in a Stockholm museum, which showed the bridge under construction in 1779. The painting shows a moveable wooden scaffold consisting of derrick poles standing in the river bed being used as a crane to position the half-ribs of the bridge, which had been taken to the site by boat from Darby's foundry 500 metres (1,600 ft) downstream. Using the approach depicted in the painting, a half-size replica of the main section of the bridge was built in 2001 as part of the research for the BBC's Timewatch programme, which was shown the following year.
Design
Decorative rings and ogees between the structural ribs of the bridge suggest that the final design was Pritchard's, as the same elements appear in a gazebo he rebuilt. A foreman at the foundry, Thomas Gregory, drew the detailed designs for the members, resulting in the use of carpentry jointing details such as mortise and tenon joints and dovetails.
The two outer ribs are engraved with the words: "This bridge was cast at Coalbrook-Dale and erected in the year MDCCLXXIX".
Two supplemental arches, of similar cast iron construction, carry a towpath on the southern bank and also act as flood arches. A stone arch with a brick vault carries a small path on the northern (town side) bank.
I figured only too late that I should've gotten rid of that wooden stump in the foreground. Interesting thing though is that the obtrusive wooden column gives solidity to the depth of view.
"The atoms are in a continual state of motion. Among the atoms, some are separated by great distances, others come very near to each other in the formation of composite bodies, or at times are enveloped by others which are combining. But in this latter case they, nevertheless, preserve their own unique motion, thanks to the nature of the vacuum, which separates the one from the other, and yet offers them no resistance. The solidity which they possess causes them, while knocking against each other, to react the one upon the other, Finally, the repeated impacts bring on the dissolution of the composite body. For all this there is no external cause, the atoms and the vacuum being the only causes". Epicurus. Letter To Herodotus
Post #055
ilCoColi Outfit
Head: Genus - Classic Face W001 @Mainstore
Body: Legacy Mesh Body @Mainstore
Outfit:
Dress - ilCoColi - Ellie Dress @Mainstore for the Saturday Sale
Hair:
Bob - Tram - J0513b @Mainstore
Accessories:
Nails - Rosary - Solidity Nails @Mainstore
Flower Crown - Zenith - Summer Flower Crown (Pink) @Marketplace
Necklace - NOVEMBER - Diamond Butterfly Necklace @Mainstore
Rings - FLAUNT - Generation Rings @Mainstore
I love shooting the south end of Stanny Beach because the form and colours of the headland really add some interest beyond the wave - a reminder of the solidity of land in contrast to the fluidity of the blue ocean!
Cloud car based on a model found a rebrickable with structural modifications to improve its solidity.
I could still improve the canopy part.
There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter — the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something. Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness; natives give it solidity and continuity; but the settlers give it passion. - E.B. White, Here is New York
My memories of this car were from 1970's TV newsreels of diplomats and cabinet ministers coming and going for meetings. I don't suppose that this was the case at the recent gathering of historic vehicles at thrones Park in Wakefield.
In my opinion, the P5 exuded statesmanlike appearance and represented solidity.
View from the top of Monte Brè
Lugano, Switzerland
December 2024
"Here is the dream: I see that I am lying in bed. Feeling neither good nor bad, I am lying on my back. But I begin to wonder whether it is a good thing for me to be lying there; and it seems to me that there is something wrong with my legs; whether they are too short or uneven, I do not know, but there is something awkward about them. As I start to move my legs, I begin to wonder how and on what I am lying, something that up till now had not entered my mind. Looking about my bed, I see that I am lying on some cords woven together and attached to the sides of the bed. My heels are resting on one of the cords and my lower legs on another in an uncomfortable way.
Somehow I know that these cords can be shifted. Moving one leg, I push away the furthest cord. It seems to me that it will be more comfortable that way. But I have pushed it too far away; I try to catch it, but this movement causes another cord to slip out from under my legs, leaving them hanging down. I rearrange my whole body, quite certain I will be settled now; but this movement causes still other cords to shift and slip out from under me, and I see that the whole situation is getting worse: the whole lower part of my body is sinking and hanging down, and my feet are not touching the ground. I am supported only along the upper part of my back, and for some reason I begin to feel not only uncomfortable but terrified. Only now do I ask myself what had not yet occurred to me: where am I and what am I lying on? I begin to look around, and the first place I look is down toward where my body is dangling, in the direction where I feel I must soon fall. I look below, and I cannot believe my eyes. I am resting on a height such as I could never have imagined, a height altogether unlike that of the highest tower or mountain.
I cannot even tell whether I can see anything down below in the bottomless depths of the abyss over which I am hanging and into which I am drawn. My heart stops, and I am overcome with horror. It is horrible to look down there. I feel that if I look down, I will immediately slip from the last cord and perish. I do not look, yet not looking is worse, for now I am thinking about what will happen to me as soon as the last cord breaks. I feel that I am losing the last ounce of my strength from sheer terror and that my back is slowly sinking lower and lower. Another instant and I shall break away. And then a thought occurs to me: this cannot be real. It is just a dream. I will wake up. I try to wake up, but I cannot. ‘What am I to do, what am I to do?’ I ask myself, looking up.
Above me there is also an abyss. I gaze into this abyss of sky and try to forget about the one below, and I actually do forget. The infinity below repels and horrifies me; the infinity above attracts me and gives me strength. Thus I am hanging over the abyss suspended by the last of the cords that have not yet slipped out from under me. I know I am hanging there, but I am only looking upward, and my terror passes. As it happens in a dream, a voice is saying, ‘Mark this, this is it!’ I gaze deeper and deeper into the infinity above me, and I seem to grow calm. I recall everything that has happened, and I remember how it all came about: how I moved my legs, how I was dangling there, the horror that came over me, and how I was saved from the horror by looking up. And I ask myself, ‘Well, am I still hanging here?’
And as soon as I glance around, I feel with my whole body a support that is holding me up. I can see that I am no longer dangling or falling but am firmly supported. I ask myself how I am being supported; I touch myself, look around, and see that there is a single cord underneath the centre of my body, that when I look up I am lying on it firmly balanced, and that it alone has supported me all along. As it happens in a dream, the mechanism by which I am supported seems quite natural, understandable, and beyond doubt, in spite of the fact that when I am awake the mechanism is completely incomprehensible. In my sleep I am even astonished that I had not understood this before. It seems that there is a pillar beside me and that there is no doubt of the solidity of the pillar, even though it has nothing to stand on. The cord is somehow very cleverly yet very simply attached to the pillar, leading out from it, and if you place the middle of your body on the cord and look up, there cannot even be a question of falling. All this was clear to me, and I was glad and at peace. Then it is as if someone is saying to me, ‘See that you remember.’
And I awoke."
Leo Tolstoy, Confession
Copyright Rebecca Ang 2025. All Rights Reserved.
Do not copy, reproduce, download or use in any way without permission.
The second in the series of self portraits taken at the tree where we spread my mother's ashes.
Probably counterintuitively to many of you I had long planned to to make the previous image from a crop. I'd previously noticed how close up these multiple exposures were reduced to a few simple, brush strokes. But what I hadn't expected was that the whole tree would emerge from the mists and ice in this way - a way that also works within the metaphor of the concept. So I'm releasing this version too. I guess I'll have to print it enormous! I've uploaded a nice big 1600x1600 version if you wish to view larger as I would recommend -
www.flickr.com/photos/robspages/8520015137/sizes/o/in/pho...
Image copyright www.robhudsonland.co.uk/
A deleted Cartier-Bresson picture. Could anyone believe that?
Note: This picture was submitted to the deleteme pool without any mention to the original author. After a dozen or so "great" comments its was revealed.
This whole experience shows several things. You are welcome to take your own conclusions. After all, art is some kind of mirror.
We never look deeply into the quality of a tree; we never really touch it, feel its solidity, its rough bark, and hear the sound that is part of the tree. Not the sound of wind through the leaves, not the breeze of a morning that flutters the leaves, but its own sound, the sound of the trunk and the silent sound of the roots.
- Jiddu Krishnamurti
A painter best-known for peasant genre scenes rendered in a Neoclassical style, Emile Auguste Hublin was born and raised in Angers, the historic capital of the northwestern French province of Anjou. In the late 1840s or early 1850s, he moved to Paris, where he trained with François Edouard Picot, a student of Jacques-Louis David. (Picot also taught Alexandre Cabanel, Jean-Jacques Henner, and Isidore Pils.)
Hublin depicted his rural subjects in regional attire often revealing signs of wear. He thus demonstrated his accord with the Realism of Courbet and Millet. At the same time, he gave his figures the solidity of Classical sculpture, ennobling and preserving them for posterity before their world became obsolete.
Francesco Francia born Raibolini but known as il Francia (Zola Predosa or Bologna, c. 1447-1449 - Bologna, January 5, 1517) - Vision of Saint Augustine (c. 1508)- oil on panel 52 x 168.8cm. - National Gallery of Bologna.
Pervenuto dalla chiesa agostiniana di Santa Maria della Misericordia, rappresenta a destra Sant'Agostino che ha la visione della Madonna che allatta e di Gesù sulla croce.
Si tratta di un piccolo gioiello di perfezione formale per il sapiente ritmo compositivo con cui sono uniti i due episodi, per bellezza del limpido paesaggio, per lo smalto dei colori e la saldezza volumetrica delle figure, ognuna caratterizzata da un gesto vivace.
Came from the Augustinian church of Santa Maria della Misericordia, represents the right St. Augustine who has a vision of the Madonna breastfeeding and Jesus on the cross.
It is a small jewel of formal perfection for the wise rhythm of composition with which the two episodes are united, for the beauty of the clear landscape, for the glaze of the colors and the volumetric solidity of the figures, each characterized by a lively gesture.
In my series “Golden Rocks”, I invite you to explore the subtle, intimate beauty of nature, where the raw material of the rocks rises majestically in contrast to the softness of the sky, light and sea.
Through my images, I've sought to capture the delicate harmony between the solidity of the golden rocks and the lightness of the nuances that surround them. Each shot reveals a dialogue between rough textures and peaceful reflections, a silent dance between earth and sky.
“Golden Rocks” offers a soothing contemplation, inviting us to appreciate the richness of detail and the serenity of these landscapes shaped by time.
Leh Palace, Ladakh
This was built around the 17th century and is a a stone structure in 7 layers modeled on the Potala of Lhasa, Tibet.
This was the seat of the royal family of Ladakh. Today it stands mute testimony to its solidity while the square houses around the area were inundated by flash floods in 2009-2010.
This image is a BNW with a sepia tonality and made to resemble a Kodak ISO 32 film
_DSC6733 nef bnw silex sepia tone stru high
There's a stunning nativity scene currently on display at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and I was determined to get over and see it for myself before Christmas arrived. It's worth the effort.
Traditionally called a "presepe," it was created by Francesco Artese, the first Italian artisan to have a presepe displayed in St. Peter's Square, Rome in 2012, during the pontificate of Benedict XVI, as an expression of artistic excellence of both religious and Italian cultural tradition.
The presepe portrays the landscape of Basilicata, Italy as part of the universe where Jesus was born.
The figurines are a little over 10" high, made of terracotta and dressed in the typical costumes of the Basilicata region of the 1930's.
The architecture is made of polystyrene covered by a layer of resin stucco with elements of metal, wood and terracotta.
If you're interested, here's some more about this beautiful handcrafted scene from the brochure I picked up while visiting...
"The portrayal of the Nativity concentrates on the tenderness that the Madonna has toward her child as she gently caresses his face, while an equally tender St. Joseph watches over his family. These three characters are carved in one block to symbolize the solidity of their family and at the same time the common destiny that awaits them. This is not an image of royalty but of the profound simplicity and humility that are the expression of the typical rural life.
In this Presepe, the presence of an emigrants’ family is particularly important as it brings to mind the many Italians who decided to emigrate to the United States in the last century. It also symbolizes the suffering of living abroad, far from the motherland, and the hopes and dreams of many men and women worldwide who are forced to leave their native countries.
The background of the Nativity is the Crypt of the Original Sin, the oldest example of rupestrian art in Southern Italy. Because of its theological and artistic importance, as well as its mural paintings, it has been defined as the "Sistine Chapel" of rock-hewn churches. Maestro Artese has reproduced some of the extraordinary frescoes of the Crypt showing the Creation and the Original Sin, as well as those in the three apses with the triarchies of the Apostles, the Archangels and the veneration of the Virgin Mary.
The farming world of Southern Italy opens its doors to the Holy Family of Nazareth so that the entire town seems to become a dwelling for them. The scenery is of unique beauty, light effects show the starry night and the sunny day. The visitor is invited to live a day in the enchanted atmosphere of long ago and discover the ongoing Mystery."
Summer Painting Project 2021.
Acrylic on Canvas. 12" x 12".
The very best thing that came out of Lockdown for me was returning to painting after a 15 year hiatus. I started back at it in the Summer of 2020 and continued on with it in '21. I can only paint outdoors for a variety of reasons so this work is my "summer project". With a lot more time on my hands it was easy to jump outside on my balcony "studio", fitted with a giant drop sheet, some newspaper and plastic covered patio tables, and get right to it.
Most of the paintings shown here were done with at least one form of metallic paint - gold, silver and copper. Metallic greens, blues and purples also made their presences felt as well. These paints are ridiculously difficult to photograph. Silver goes white, gold just looks like flat yellow and copper comes out on camera as either orange or brown, depending what colour it's next to on the canvas. So these photographs are proxies, at best, representatives of the original source. They're close, but not the same as seeing the pieces in person.
Using metallic paints give the paintings an extra jolt and delight that sends them out of the realm of 'paint' in a sense - a definite goal I have in mind for these pieces. Another way of undermining 'safe' readings is to fashion them all on either perfect circles or on squares tilted "on the diamond", as I call it. Both undermine the traditional sense of solidity, gravity and earth-bound familiarity of rectilinear formats. While being unavoidable 'windows' into an imaginary world, they are also distinct objects existing in 3 dimensions as well. So the mind can toggle between object and metaphor, hopefully sometimes so quickly that they take on both aspects simultaneously.
This is another way of achieving my underlying artistic intent to provide each piece with more than one way of viewing it. Literally as you move around these pieces, because of the metallic paint sometimes reflecting fully and other times 'falling back' into the rest of the paints, you get different views appearing and disappearing. Hanging on a wall, as the daylight and evening lights change, slowly, so do the paintings. This gives voice, again, to my conviction that there is no single way to view anything. Nothing is singularly aspected.
So these paintings are morphing organisms that respond to what's happening in their light-universe and to how they're viewed by human eyes.
It's too bad none of these can be relayed in photographic form. Some come close. But these photographs, then, are petrified representatives of the living variations of their 'in-person' nature.
***** I want to thank Paul Ewing, Bramdass, Miranda Murray and Bill Smith for their continuous support and encouragement to get these things posted to Flickr.
- RSW
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© 2021, Richard S Warner. All Rights Reserved. This image may not be used or copied or posted to another website in any form whatsoever without express permission of the creator of this work.
A UNESCO site.
From Wikipedia:
The Cathedral of Cusco or Cathedral Basilica of the Virgin of the Assumption is the main temple of the city of Cusco, in Peru and houses the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Cusco. The Cathedral Basilica of Cusco, together with the Triunfo temple make up the Cathedral Complex, it is located in the northeast sector of the current Plaza de Armas of Cusco. In the place that, during the Inca period, was occupied by both the Suntor Wassi (lit. "Government House") and the Kisoarkancha or Palace of the Inca Viracocha. The complex occupies an area of 3,920 square meters and is the most important religious monument in the Historic Center of Cusco.
Since 1972 the temple has been part of the Monumental Zone of Cusco declared as a Historical Monument of Peru. Also, in 1983, being part of the historic center of the city of Cusco, it is part of the central zone declared by UNESCO as World Heritage Site.
Between the years 1560 and 1664 the Cathedral Basilica of this city was built. Its construction was entrusted to Juan Miguel de Veramendi in 1560, who was replaced one year later by Juan Correa who worked until 1564. This was followed by Juan Rodríguez de Rivera, Juan Cárdenas, Juan Toledano and Bartolomé Carrión. However, when Viceroy Francisco de Toledo arrived in Cusco between 1570 and 1572, the construction of the cathedral was stopped. In 1615, Miguel Gutiérrez Sencio, an architect who followed Vitruvius and Giacomo Barozzi, and an admirer of the sober and pure style (Herrerian style) established by Juan de Herrera in El Escorial Monastery, took over the direction of the work, along with Francisco Becerra. Under their direction, the Cathedral of Cuzco was completed in 1654.
The 1650 earthquake caused little damage to the cathedral except for the collapse of the ribbed vault. This earthquake motivated the change of the planes of the facade in its upper part and the suppression of the third body in the towers, which is why there is too much volume in the body, leaving the towers short, giving the appearance of solidity to the building.
The premiere mass of the cathedral was on August 15, 1654 and its definitive consecration was on August 19, 1668 by the thirteenth bishop of Cusco Bernardo de Isaguirre Reyes.
The construction material was stone from nearby areas and red granite blocks were also reused from the fortress known as Sacsayhuamán.
It was recognized as a Basilica of the Catholic Church on February 8, 1928. The construction, with three naves, stands on a hall-type floor plan. A surprising detail is the fusion between the order of the capitals and friezes and the type of roof used: the ribbed vault, characteristic of the Gothic. This gives rise to a surprising amalgamation of styles, frequent in the Baroque style of Latin America. The famous image of the Lord of the Earthquakes is venerated in the cathedral.
This cathedral, with a Renaissance façade and Baroque, late-Gothic and Plateresque interiors, has one of the most outstanding examples of colonial gold work. Equally important are its carved wooden altars.