View allAll Photos Tagged Stanza
Thy Thrumming SeaWall.
Indomitable waves tramblyng on thy stanza of thee ill-match'd wall,
storm'd feast 'tis a disaster in wake,
pillars of depths stronger than thy pins of man,
curling enormous columns rain ov'r varnish'd all,
melodies dive under thee radiance of entanglements endure,
blustering farewell O'whither'd wall 'tis a pitying brink,
trammell'd lost,waityng for thee new dawn,
a new breathless sea wall shalle rise to new heights o'er foam'd squalls of brawn.
Steve.D.Hammond.
In this Old Testament story, God commands Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice.
At the last moment, when Isaac is on the sacrificial altar, a messenger from God stops Abraham, saying "Now I know you fear God." An Angel provides a lamb to sacrifice instead.
Raphael had replaced the previous ceiling paintings with four stories from the Old Testament: Noah Leaving the Ark, The Sacrifice of Isaac, Moses before the Burning Bush, and Jacob's Dream (of a ladder/staircase to heaven).
Stanza di Eliodoro, Musei Vaticani; July 2019
Okay, this might be my favourite spot that I get this year, I really do not know how a Stanza in less than perfect condition (bit of an understatement) can survive 30 years on the road, there was so much overspray that it was actually quite difficult to guess what the original colour was. Those rear lights are just awesome too, as are the alloy wheels. Tax doesn't expire for a few months, but we can be hopeful that it stays on the road...
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This was the very first fresco painted (1509 - 1510) by Raphael (when he was 27 years old) in the rooms that are now known as the Stanze di Raffaello. The frescoes in the Raphael Rooms, together with Michelangelo's frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel marked the High Renaissance in Rome.
"The Disputation over the Most Holy Sacrament" is actually more than a depiction of the discussions ('disputation') surrounding the celebration of the Holy Sacrament. The Musei Vaticani site suggest that 'The Triumph of Religion' may be a more appropriate title.
The "Disputa" fresco represents Spiritual Truth/Theology and is directly across from the other large fresco in the room, "The School of Athens" which represents Rational Truth/Philosophy.
Raphael has created a scene that spans both heaven and earth. In the top half of the fresco is a scene in Heaven. From top down in a vertical axis down the middle is the Holy Trinity: God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. God is in front of a golden background with cherubs and flanked by six Angels. Jesus is flanked by the Virgin Mary and St John the Baptist. Winged cherubs (putti) holding up the four Books of Gospels flank the dove representing the Holy Spirit as it descends towards the Eucharist/Holy Sacrament on the altar below.
Seated just below them is a pantheon of Saints, Patriarchs and Prophets. On the left are: St Peter, Adam, St John the Evangelist, King David, St Laurence, and Jeremiah, On the right are: Judas Maccabaeus, St Stephen, Moses, St James the Elder, Abraham, and St. Paul.
The lower half depicts the scene on Earth. At centre are the four 'Fathers of the Church': Saints Gregory (the Great) and Jerome (on the left of the altar); Saints Ambrose and Augustine (on the right of the altar). They are in deep discussion on Transubstantiation, the nature of the host upon the altar, and the Holy Sacraments.
Other figures include Donato Bramante (leaning against the balustrade) at far left, and towards the right, the easily recognizable 'trademark' profile of Dante Alighieri (wearing a wreath).
The vigorous discussion of the great Christian thinkers gathered below, contrasts with the vision of harmony in Heaven.
Raphael use both perspectives and the gestures of various figures to draw the viewers attention to the Holy sacrament/Eucharist on the altar.
Stanza della Segnatura, Musei Vaticani; July 2019
The figures at the centre of the 'School of Athens' include Plato and Aristotle.
Plato is depicted in old age (with Leonardo da Vinci's face). Beside him is Aristotle, depicted here as a younger man.
Plato's right hand points upwards and he holds ‘Timaeus’, his book on the formation of the universe and an explanation of its order and beauty. Plato believed that the 'real' world around us changes and is not permanent. He said that there was a higher reality that is unchanging and permanent and that this was the ultimate reality; within it was truth, beauty, justice, and wisdom.
Aristotle's right hand is reaching forward, perhaps gesturing downwards. His teaching emphasized the tangible; he said that reality was what we can touch, see and feel. Aristotle also has a book in hand, 'Ethics'. In this book, he focused on ethical theory, justice, good governance, as well as human relationships, and living a good life.
This is perhaps Raphael's most famous fresco. It was the third fresco completed by Raphael in the room; between 1509 and 1511.
Stanza della Segnatura, Musei Vaticani; July 2019
... is represented by this winged female figure on the ceiling directly over the fresco of "Parnasus, Apollo and the Muses" in the Room of the Segnatura. I believe she represents culture and the arts rather than just poetry..
The inscriptions here, "NVMI NE AFFLA TVR", is a quote from Virgil's 'Aeneid". It roughly means 'Inspired by the Spirit'. Here, 'Spirit" is likely intended to be reference to the Holy Spirit of Christianity.
The gold background here and elsewhere on the ceiling are of mosaic tiles.
Stanza della Segnatura, Musei Vaticani; July 2019
This fresco is believed to have been designed by Raphael, but was likely painted by his assistant Giulio Romano and others in Raphael's workshop between 1514 and 1517 during the pontificate of Leo X..
On the left, residents of the Borgo are shown fleeing the fire in 847 AD. On the right, others work to try put out the fires. In the centre, many of the figures look up to the Pope at Old St Peters Basilica for help. Pope Leo IV is shown standing on a balcony, his hand raised in benediction to the frightened people. His prayers are said to have stopped the fire. The room is named after this fresco.
In the round medallion on the ceiling above this fresco is “Christ between Mercy and Justice”.
The fresco on the wall to the right is the "Crowning of Charlemagne".
Stanza dell'incendio del Borgo, Musei Vaticani; July 2019
As I've said before, the west coast is not well acquainted with rust (it still happens, just not as much of it) - so you sometimes see things thrown away that almost anywhere else would have been snapped up and preserved. This rare specimen is one of those vehicles.
The Datsun - it was still Datsun then - Stanza was introduced to Americans in late 1981 as a 1982 model. It replaced the conventional rear-drive 510 (1977-1981), a car with a legendary name but one which had largely failed to excite compared to it's illustrious 1960s predecessor of the same designation.
In the early eighties, Japanese and American manufacturers were following the European lead and migrating their smaller cars to front wheel drive - a trend that had started in the 1960s with the Mini and especially the Fiat 127/128 and Lancia Beta, cars which arguably set the template for modern small-to-midsize front drivers.
Datsun was no exception and moved their small midsize Auster/Violet to front drive with the new T11 series and positioned it to compete with the Honda Accord and similar established front-drive cars. The more conventional and larger Bluebird, the first car to get Maxima badging in the U.S., continued with rear-drive for another two years.
The T11 series at first had several names globally - Auster, Violet, Stanza, and was available in Japan in a variety of forms. But in the U.S. it was only available as the Stanza, and only with a 2-liter four-cylinder engine (global versions had several displacements to choose from) fed by a single 2-barrel carburetor.
The American Stanza was less powerful than the 2-liter JDM Auster by a good measure - 88 hp to 110, despite slightly larger displacement, but it was still a respectable performer for what it was.
What it was not, however, was a sports car. The three door was an attractive car, but it was not fast - and reviews of the Stanza at the time largely praised its neutral if soft handling and quiet, smooth operation.
An upright looking Stanza sedan bowed in 1983 and quickly eclipsed the original two 1982 models - the three- and five-door hatchbacks, both of which were dropped at the end of 1984. Despite the increased appeal of the sedan, this generation of Stanza was not a strong seller.
It did not help that this was a time of relative confusion about Datsun - which formally switched its name to Nissan at the end of 1983, or that the Stanza was boxed in between the cheaper and more popular Sentra and more opulent Maxima.
This is the only Stanza "Sport" I've ever seen - it's a dealer-installed package, but likely included no actual performance enhancements other than tires and stripes.
The Stanza Sport was also offered in Europe where it seems to have been only moderately more popular. At least in Europe it got to keep the aerodynamic headlights of the Japanese version. The clean looks of this car were somewhat sullied by the standardized square lamps set into gigantic bezels, as mandated by the U.S. DOT. "Aero look" lamps did eventually arrive for U.S. models, but only after the hatchbacks were gone.
Rare cars usually don't get picked over at the junkyard, and that was certainly true here. This car had sat in this spot for many weeks without any parts being taken other than the grill and headlight bezels. The interior was similarly in perfect (though slightly dusty) shape with nothing missing. There was not a spec of rust on it, and had the gas tank not been punctured when it was processed into in the yard (from which it cannot return without legal hurdles), it looked like it could probably have driven away with a fresh battery. Should've been saved.
©2015 A. Kwanten.
Dipingere non è un'operazione estetica: è una forma di magia intesa a compiere un'opera di mediazione tra questo mondo estraneo e ostile e noi.
Overview of the centre of the ceiling in the Room of Heliodorus.
Raphael replaced the previous ceiling paintings with four stories from the Old Testament: Noah Leaving the Ark (upper right), The Sacrifice of Isaac, Moses before the Burning Bush, and Jacob's Dream (of a ladder/staircase to heaven).
Like the frescoes below, they look to be in magnificent condition, vibrant and colourful despite being nearly 500 years old.
Stanza di Eliodoro, Musei Vaticani; July 2019
A closer look at this Old Testament scene at the centre of the ceiling in the Room of Heliodorus.
As told in a bible story from the Book of Genesis, Jacob's Ladder is a "stairway to heaven" that he saw in a dream. In this fresco, Jacob is shown asleep while Angels ascend and descend along a ladder to God in Heaven.
Raphael replaced the previous ceiling paintings with four stories from the Old Testament: Noah Leaving the Ark, The Sacrifice of Isaac, Moses before the Burning Bush, and Jacob's Dream.
Stanza di Eliodoro, Musei Vaticani; July 2019
From a hotel room in South Bank, London, UK.
Olympus OM 10 - Zuiko 50mm f1.8 - Kodak TRI-X @ISO 1600
Scansione da negativo. (Epson Perfection 3490)
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Seven Stanzas at Easter
By John Updike
Make no mistake: if He rose at all
it was as His body;
if the cells' dissolution did not reverse, the molecules
reknit, the amino acids rekindle,
the Church will fall.
It was not as the flowers,
each soft Spring recurrent;
it was not as His Spirit in the mouths and fuddled
eyes of the eleven apostles;
it was as His flesh: ours.
The same hinged thumbs and toes,
the same valved heart
that-pierced-died, withered, paused, and then
regathered out of enduring Might
new strength to enclose.
Let us not mock God with metaphor,
analogy, sidestepping, transcendence;
making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the
faded credulity of earlier ages:
let us walk through the door.
The stone is rolled back, not papier-mâché,
not a stone in a story,
but the vast rock of materiality that in the slow
grinding of time will eclipse for each of us
the wide light of day.
And if we will have an angel at the tomb,
make it a real angel,
weighty with Max Planck's quanta, vivid with hair,
opaque in the dawn light, robed in real linen
spun on a definite loom.
Let us not seek to make it less monstrous,
for our own convenience, our own sense of beauty,
lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are
embarrassed by the miracle,
and crushed by remonstrance.
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Pigeons on Union Street. Seeing birds sitting on telephone wires always remind me of ever-changing musical stanzas.
A wider view of the 'School of Athens' and the ceiling above in the Stanza della Segnatura. The room is named after the highest court of the Vatican, the "Segnatura Gratiae et Iustitiae", which met here during the mid-16th century.
The fresco reflects the revival of interest in Greek and Roman art and society during the Renaissance. Raphael's frescoes in the Apostolic Palace, together with Michelangelo's on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel marked the High Renaissance in Rome.
The "The School of Athens" is intended to represent Philosophy; 'Rational Truth'. It is a counterpoint to, and balances, the other huge fresco directly across room, the "Disputation of the Most Holy Sacrament" which represents 'Spiritual Truth'.
On the ceiling directly above, in a round medallion, it is the female figure (a sort of non-pagan muse) representing Philosophy. Flanking this, inside rectangular medallions are “First Movement" (or Astronomy”) and the “Judgment of Solomon”
The frescoes in this room were the first completed by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (Raphael) in the Vatican. They are the artist's most famous and most admired frescoes.
Stanza della Segnatura, Musei Vaticani; July 2019
"Casa Cuseni is a house-garden-museum, with countless delightful works of art of all shapes and types: here a table lamp with the features of a beautiful girl, in Art Nouveau style."
“Casa Cuseni è una casa-giardino-museo, con innumerevoli deliziose opere d'arte di ogni foggia e tipo: qui una lampada da tavolo con le fattezze di una bella fanciulla, in stile liberty.”
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A history of Taormina: chronicles of a forbidden love and its great secret (not only Paolo and Francesca) with an unexpected "scoop".
This story is an integral part of the story previously told, the historical period is the same, the place is the same, the various characters often meet each other because they know each other; Taormina, between the end of the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s, in an ever increasing growth, became the place of residence of elite tourism, thanks to the international interest aroused by writers and artists, such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe , or great personalities like Lady Florence Trevelyan: Taormina becomes so famous, thanks to the paintings of the painter Otto Geleng and the photographs of the young Sicilian models by Wilhelm von Gloeden; in the air of Taormina there is a sense of libertine, its famous and histrionic visitors never fail to create scandal, even surpassing the famous Capri, in which, to cite just one example, the German gunsmith Krupp, trying to recreate the he environment of Arcadia that one breathed in Taormina (thanks to the photos of von Gloeden) was overwhelmed by the scandal for homosexuality, and took his own life. Taormina thus becomes a heavenly-like place, far from industrial civilizations, where you can freely live your life and sexuality; this is the socio-cultural environment in which the two protagonists of this story move, the British painter Robert Hawthorn Kitson (1873 - 1947) and the painter Carlo Siligato (born in Taormina in 1875, and died there in 1959). Robert H. Kitson, born in Leeds in England, belonged to a more than wealthy family, as a young engineer he had begun to replace his father in the family locomotive construction company (Kitson & Co.), on the death of his father in 1899 sells everything and decides to move very rich in Sicily to Taormina (he had been there the previous year with a trip made with his parents, here he had met, in addition to Baron von Gloeden, also the writer and poet Oscar Wilde who came to Italy, immediately after having served two years in prison in forced labor, on charges of sodomy); Kitson settled there because he was suffering from a severe form of rheumatic fever (like von Gloeden was advised to treat himself in the Mediterranean climate milder), and because as a homosexual, he leaves England because the Labouchere amendment considered homosexuality a crime. The other protagonist of this story is Carlo Siligato, he was from Taormina, he had attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, a very gifted painter, he was very good at oil painting (he exhibited his paintings in an art workshop, even now existing, in via Teatro Greco in Taormina), the meeting with the painter Robert Kitson, led him to adopt the watercolor technique: almost to relive Dante's verses on Paolo and Francesca "Galeotto was the book and who wrote it" the common passion for painting led the two artists to live an intense love story. Kitson built his home in the "Cuseni" district of Taormina, called for this "Casa Cuseni", the house was built between 1900 and 1905, its decorations were entrusted to the artists Alfred East (realist landscape painter, president of the Royal Society ), and Frank Brangwyn (painter, decorator, designer), he was a pupil of William Morris, leader of the English movement "Arts and Crafts" which spread to England in the second half of the nineteenth century (the Arts and Crafts was a response to the industrialization of Europe, of mass production operated by factories, all this at the expense of traditional craftsmanship, from this movement originated the Art Nouveau, in Italy also known as Liberty Style or Floral Style, which distinguished itself for having been a artistic and philosophical movement, which developed between the end of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, whose style spread in such a way as to be present everywhere). Casa Cuseni has kept a secret for 100 years that goes far beyond the forbidden love lived by Robert and Carlo, a secret hidden inside the "secret room", that dinning room that was reopened in 2012; entering the dining room, you can witness a series of murals painted on the four walls by Frank Brangwyn, in Art Nouveau style, which portray the life and love story between the painter Robert Kitson, and his life partner, the Carlo Siligato from Taormina, but the thing that makes these murals even more special, full of tenderness and sweetness, is that "their secret" (!) is represented in them, it is described visually, as in an "episodic" story that really happened in their lives: Messina (and Reggio Calabria) are destroyed by the terrible earthquake with a tsunami on December 28, 1908, Carlo Siligato, Robert Kitson, Wilhelm von Gloeden and Anatole France leave for Messina, to see and document in person the tragedy, the city was a pile of rubble, many dead, Robert and Carlo see a baby, Francesco, he is alone in the world, without parents who died in the earthquake, abandoned to a certain and sad destiny, a deep desire for protection is born in the two of them, a maternal and paternal desire is born, they decide to takes that little child with them even knowing that they are risking a lot ... (!), what they want to do is something absolutely unthinkable in that historical period, they are a homosexual couple, what they are about to do is absolutely forbidden ..(!) but now there is Francesco in their life, thus becoming, in fact, the first homogenitorial family (with a more generic term, rainbow family) in world history: hence the need to keep the whole story absolutely hidden, both from an artistic point of view , represented by the murals (for more than 100 years, the "dinning room" will be kept hidden), both of what happens in real life, with little Francesco cared for lovingly, but with great risk or. I have allegorically inserted, in the photographic story, some photographs of the artists of the company "Casa del Musical", who came to Taormina to perform during the Christmas period: today as yesterday, Taormina has always been (starting from the last 20 years of the 19th century) center of a crossroads of artists and great personalities, Casa Cuseni also in this has an enormous palmares of illustrious guests, too long to state. The young boys painted on the murals of Casa Cuseni, wear white, this is a sign of purity, they wanted to represent their ideal homosexual world, fighting against the figure dressed in black, short in stature, disturbing, which acquires a negative value, an allegorical figure of the English society of the time, indicating the Victorian morality that did not hesitate to condemn Oscar Wilde, depriving him of all his assets and rights, even preventing him from giving the surname to his children. The boys are inspired by the young Sicilian models photographed by Wilhelm von Gloeden, dressed in white tunics, with their heads surrounded by local flowers. The only female figure present has given rise to various interpretations, one could be Kitson's detachment from his motherland, or his detachment from his mother. On the third wall we witness the birth of the homogenitorial family, both (allegorically Carlo and Kitson with the child in their arms) are in profile, they are walking, the younger man has a long, Greek-style robe, placed on the front, next to him behind him, the sturdier companion holds and gently protects the little child in his arms, as if to spare the companion the effort of a long and uncertain journey, there is in the representation of the family the idea of a long journey, in fact the man holding the child wears heavy shoes, their faces are full of apprehension and concern: in front of them an empty wall, so deliberately left by Frank Brangwin, since their future is unknown, in front of them they have a destiny full of unknowns (at the same time, their path points east, they go towards the rising sun: opening the large window the sun floods everything in the room). In the "secret room" there is the picture painted in 1912 by Alfred E. East, an oil on canvas, representing Lake Bourget. Carlo Siligato later married Costanza, she was my father's grandmother's sister, they had a son, Nino, who for many years lived and worked as a merchant in his father's art workshop. I sincerely thank my colleague Dr. Francesco Spadaro, doctor and esteemed surgeon, owner and director of the "Casa Cuseni" House-Garden-Museum, who, affectionately acting as a guide, gave me the precious opportunity to create "this photographic tour" inside the house- museum and in the "metaphysical garden" of Casa Cuseni. … And the scoop that I announced in the title ..? After photographing the tomb of Carlo Siligato, in the Catholic cemetery of Taormina, I started looking for that of Robert Kitson, in the non-Catholic cemetery of Taormina: when I finally found it (with him lies his niece Daphne Phelps, buried later in 2005) ... I felt a very strong emotion, first of all I was expecting a mausoleum, instead I found a small, very modest tomb on this is not a photo of him, not an epitaph, not a Cross, not a praying Angel to point it out, but ... unexpectedly for a funerary tombstone ... a small bas-relief carved on marble (or stone) depicting ... the Birth ... (!), obviously , having chosen her could have a very specific meaning: a desire to transmit a message, something very profound about him, his tomb thus testified that in his soul, what was really important in life was having a family, with Carlo and baby Francesco, certainly beloved, saved from a certain and sad fate, in the terrible Messina earthquake-tsunami of 28 December 1908 ... almost recalling in an absolute synthesis, at the end of his life, what had already been told in the "secret murals" of Casa Cuseni.
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Una storia di Taormina: cronache di un amore proibito e del suo grande segreto (non solo Paolo e Francesca) con inaspettato “scoop”.
Questa storia fa parte integrante della storia precedentemente raccontata, il periodo storico è lo stesso, il luogo è lo stesso, i vari personaggi spesso si frequentano tra loro poiché si conoscono; Taormina, tra la fine dell’800 e l’inizio del’900, in un sempre maggiore crescendo, diventa luogo di residenza del turismo d’élite, grazie all’interesse internazionale suscitato ad opera di scrittori ed artisti, come Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, o grandi personalità come Lady Florence Trevelyan: Taormina diventa così famosa, complici i quadri del pittore Otto Geleng e le fotografie dei giovani modelli siciliani di Wilhelm von Gloeden; nell’aria di Taormina si respira un che di libertino, i suoi famosi ed istrionici frequentatori non mancano mai di creare scandalo, superando persino la famosa Capri, nella quale, per citare solo un esempio, l’armiere tedesco Krupp, cercando di ricreare l’ambiente dell’Arcadia che si respirava a Taormina (grazie alle foto di von Gloeden) viene travolto dallo scandalo per omosessualità, e si toglie la vita. Taormina diviene quindi un luogo simil-paradisiaco, lontana dalle civiltà industriali, nella quale poter vivere liberamente la propria vita e la propria sessualità; questo è l’ambiente socio-culturale nel quale si muovono i due protagonisti di questa vicenda, il pittore britannico Robert Hawthorn Kitson (1873 – 1947) ed il pittore Carlo Siligato (nato a Taormina nel 1875, ed ivi morto nel 1959). Robert H. Kitson, nacque a Leeds in Inghilterra, apparteneva ad una famiglia più che benestante, da giovane ingegnere aveva cominciato a sostituire il padre nell’impresa familiare di costruzioni di locomotive (la Kitson & Co.), alla morte del padre nel 1899 vende tutto e decide di trasferirsi ricchissimo in Sicilia a Taormina (vi era stato l’anno precedente con un viaggio fatto coi suoi genitori, qui aveva conosciuto, oltre al barone von Gloeden, anche lo scrittore e poeta Oscar Wilde venuto in Italia, subito dopo aver scontato due anni di prigione ai lavori forzati, con l’accusa di sodomia); Kitson vi si stabilisce perché affetto da una grave forma di febbre reumatica (come von Gloeden gli fu consigliato di curarsi nel clima mediterraneo più mite), sia perché in quanto omosessuale, lascia l’Inghilterra perché l’emendamento Labouchere considerava l’omosessualità un crimine. L’altro protagonista di questa storia è Carlo Siligato, egli era taorminese, aveva frequentato l’Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia, pittore molto dotato, era bravissimo nel dipingere ad olio (esponeva i suoi quadri in una bottega d’arte, ancora adesso esistente, in via Teatro Greco a Taormina), l’incontro col pittore Robert Kitson, lo portò ad adottare la tecnica dell’acquarello: quasi a rivivere i versi di Dante su Paolo e Francesca “Galeotto fu ‘l libro e chi lo scrisse” la comune passione per la pittura condusse i due artisti a vivere una intensa storia d’amore. Kitson costruì nel quartiere “Cuseni” di Taormina la sua abitazione, detta per questo “Casa Cuseni”, la casa fu costruita tra il 1900 ed il 1905, le sue decorazioni furono affidate agli artisti Alfred East (pittore verista paesaggista, presidente della Royal Society), e Frank Brangwyn (pittore, decoratore, designer, progettista), egli era allievo di William Morris, leader del movimento inglese “Arts and Crafts” (Arti e Mestieri) che si diffuse in Inghilterra nella seconda metà del XIX secolo (l’Arts and Crafts era una risposta alla industrializzazione dell’Europa, della produzione in massa operata dalle fabbriche, tutto ciò a scapito dell’artigianato tradizionale, da questo movimento ebbe origine l’Art Nouveau, in Italia conosciuta anche come Stile Liberty o Stile Floreale, che si distinse per essere stata un movimento artistico e filosofico, che si sviluppò tra la fine dell’800 ed il primo decennio del ‘900, il cui stile si diffuse in tal modo da essere presente dappertutto). Casa Cuseni ha custodito per 100 anni un segreto che va ben oltre quell’amore proibito vissuto da Robert e Carlo, segreto celato all’interno della “stanza segreta”, quella dinning room che è stata riaperta nel 2012; entrando nella sala da pranzo, si assiste ad una serie di murales realizzati sulle quattro pareti da Frank Brangwyn, in stile Art Nouveau, che ritraggono la vita e la storia d’amore tra il pittore Robert Kitson, ed il suo compagno di vita, il pittore taorminese Carlo Siligato, ma la cosa che rende questi murales ancora più particolari, carichi di tenerezza e dolcezza, è che in essi viene rappresentato “il loro segreto” (!), viene descritto visivamente, come in un racconto “ad episodi” quello che è realmente avvenuto nella loro vita: Messina (e Reggio Calabria) vengono distrutte dal terribile sisma con maremoto il 28 dicembre del 1908, partono per Messina, Carlo Siligato, Robert Kitson, Wilhelm von Gloeden ed Anatole France, per vedere e documentare di persona la tragedia, la città era un cumulo di macerie, moltissimi i morti, Robert e Carlo vedono un piccolo bimbo, Francesco, egli è solo al mondo, privo dei genitori periti nel terremoto, abbandonato ad un certo e triste destino, nasce in loro due un profondo desiderio di protezione, nasce un desiderio materno e paterno, decidono di prende quel piccolo bimbo con loro pur sapendo che stanno rischiando moltissimo…(!) , quello che vogliono fare è una cosa assolutamente impensabile in quel periodo storico, loro sono una coppia omosessuale, quello che stanno per fare è assolutamente proibito..(!) ma oramai c’è Francesco nella loro vita, divenendo così, di fatto, la prima famiglia omogenitoriale (con termine più generico, famiglia arcobaleno) nella storia mondiale: da qui la necessità di tenere assolutamente nascosta tutta la vicenda, sia dal punto di vista artistico, rappresentata dai murales (per più di 100 anni, la “dinning room” verrà tenuta nascosta), sia di quanto accade nella vita reale, col piccolo Francesco accudito amorevolmente, ma con grandissimo rischio. Ho inserito allegoricamente, nel racconto fotografico, alcune fotografie degli artisti della compagnia “Casa del Musical”, giunti a Taormina per esibirsi durante il periodo natalizio: oggi come ieri, Taormina è sempre stata (a partire dagli ultimi 20 anni dell’800) al centro di un crocevia di artisti e grandi personalità, Casa Cuseni anche in questo ha un enorme palmares di ospiti illustri, troppo lungo da enunciare. I giovani ragazzi dipinti sui murales di Casa Cuseni, vestono di bianco, questo è segno di purezza, si è voluto in tal modo rappresentare il loro mondo ideale omosessuale, in lotta contro la figura vestita di nero, bassa di statura, inquietante, che acquista un valore negativo, figura allegorica della società inglese dell’epoca, indicante la morale Vittoriana che non ha esitato a condannare Oscar Wilde, privandolo di tutti i suoi beni e diritti, impedendogli persino di dare il cognome ai suoi figli. I ragazzi sono ispirati ai giovani modelli siciliani fotografati da Wilhelm von Gloeden, vestiti con tuniche bianche, col capo cinto dei fiori locali. L’unica figura femminile presente, ha dato spunto a varie interpretazioni, una potrebbe essere il distacco da parte di Kitson dalla sua madre patria, oppure il distacco da sua madre. Sulla terza parete si assiste alla nascita della famiglia omogenitoriale, entrambi (allegoricamente Carlo e Kitson col bimbo in braccio) sono di profilo, sono in cammino, l’uomo più giovane ha una veste lunga, alla greca, posto sul davanti, accanto a lui, alle sue spalle, il compagno più robusto sostiene in braccio e protegge con dolcezza il piccolo bimbo, quasi a voler risparmiare al compagno la fatica di un lungo ed incerto percorso, vi è nella rappresentazione della famiglia l’idea di un lungo percorso, infatti l’uomo che regge il bimbo indossa delle calzature pesanti, i loro volti sono carichi di apprensione e preoccupazione: davanti a loro una parete vuota, così volutamente lasciata da Frank Brangwin, poiché il loro futuro è ignoto, davanti hanno un destino pieno di incognite (al tempo stesso, il loro cammino indica l’est, vanno verso il sole nascente: aprendo la grande finestra il sole inonda ogni cosa nella stanza).
Nella “stanza segreta” c’è il quadro dipinto nel 1912 da Alfred E. East, un olio su tela, rappresentante il lago Bourget.
Carlo Siligato, successivamente si sposò con Costanza, una sorella della nonna di mio padre, da lei ebbe un figlio, Nino, il quale per tantissimi anni ha vissuto e lavorato come commerciante nella bottega d’arte del padre. Ringrazio di cuore il mio collega dott. Francesco Spadaro, medico e stimato chirurgo, proprietario e direttore della Casa-Giardino-Museo “Casa Cuseni”, il quale, facendomi affettuosamente da cicerone, mi ha dato la preziosa opportunità di realizzare “questo tour fotografico” all’interno dell’abitazione-museo e nel “giardino-metafisico” di Casa Cuseni.
…E lo scoop che ho annunciato nel titolo..? Dopo aver fotografato la tomba di Carlo Siligato, nel cimitero cattolico di Taormina, mi sono messo alla ricerca di quella di Robert Kitson, nel cimitero acattolico di Taormina: quando finalmente l’ho trovata (insieme a lui giace sua nipote Daphne Phelps, seppellita successivamente nel 2005)…ho provato una fortissima commozione, innanzitutto mi aspettavo un mausoleo, invece ho trovato una tomba piccola, molto modesta, su questa non una sua foto, non un epitaffio, non una Croce, non un Angelo pregante ad indicarla, ma … inaspettatamente per una lapide funeraria…un piccolo bassorilievo scolpito su marmo (o su pietra) raffigurante…la Natalità…(!), evidentemente, l’averla scelta potrebbe avere un significato ben preciso: un desiderio di trasmettere un messaggio, qualcosa di molto profondo di lui, la sua tomba testimoniava così che nel suo animo, ciò che in vita fu davvero importante fu l’aver avuto una famiglia, con Carlo e col piccolo Francesco, certamente amatissimo, salvato da un molto probabile triste destino, nel terribile terremoto-maremoto di Messina del 28 dicembre del 1908…quasi rievocando in una sintesi assoluta, al termine della sua vita, ciò che era già stato raccontato nei “murales segreti” di Casa Cuseni.
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Questa stanza fa parte di un casolare una volta adibito a mulino.
Si possono ancora vedere le decorazioni e, la colorazione tipica delle case marchigiane di una volta.
This room is part of an old house once used as a mill.
You can see the decorations and color typical of the houses Marche than once.
A closer look at the figures of Saints Peter and Paul. St Peter is easily identified from the key he holds in his left hand. Both saints hold swords, and symbolically allude to God and the Church protecting believers and humanity in general against physical harm; one of the themes of the frescoes in the Room of Heliodorus.
The story here is that King Attila of the Huns was persuaded not to invade Italy by Pope Leo I (the Great). During this encounter, divine assistance was provided in the form of Saints Peter and Paul miraculously appearing in the sky armed with swords.
Stanza di Eliodoro, Musei Vaticani; July 2019