off the leash

Tuscany Farm and Castle

Posted on October 15, 2019 by Ken Dowell

The Castello di Olivetto was built in 1424 by the Pucci family, an off and on ally of the Medici’s.

During the wars with the Florentine Republic there was a battle at the castle during which all the adult members of the Pucci family were killed. A servant hid a male child in an underground tunnel. She was credited with saving the family line and her image later would grace the Pucci coat of arms as shown on the doorway above.

Posted in Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged Castello di Oliveto, castle, farm, Fattoria Poggio Alloro, Italy, San Gimignano, travel, Tuscany, wine making | 3 Comments

Orvieto

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Ken Dowell

Orvieto is a small town in Umbria, Italy. It lies between Rome and Florence.

Orvieto’s history dates back to the 9th Century BC. It was the political and religious center of the Etruscan civilization until the 3rd Century BC when the Etruscans were conquered by the Romans.

During the Middle Ages, Orvieto was a thriving city/state. During the 13th century five different popes lived in Orvieto. It was during this time that the Duomo shown below was commissioned. Construction began in 1292. Orvieto’s prosperity as a city/state came to an end a century later after the plague.

Today Orvieto is a tourist destination, housing a number of historic churches and palaces. It is known for its wine, in particular “Orvieto Classico,” a white wine, and “Orvietoware” a tin-glazed earthenware.

Torre del Moro. The tower dates back to the 13th century. The clock was added in 1866.

Musei Archeologici Civico e Faina, an Etruscan museum.

Church of San Francesco. believed to have been built in 1227.

Palazzo del Popolo, built in the 14th century.

Bust of Adolfo Cozza — This bust of Adolfo Cozza stands outside the Palazzo del Popolo. Cozza was an archaeologist, sculptor and inventor born in Orvieto in 1848.

Posted in History, Travel | Tagged churches, Duomo, Etruscans, history, Italy, medieval, Orvieto, palaces, travel, Umbria | 8 Comments

Michelangelo

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Ken Dowell

David

at Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence

Sistine Chapel

Pieta

in the Pantheon, Rome

The Genius of Victory

in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence

Unfinished Works at the Galleria dell’Accademia

Garage Michelangelo — And if you want to see Michelangelo’s works at the Accademia, you can park here.

Posted in Art | Tagged art, David, Florence, michelangelo, Palazzo Vecchio, Pantheon, Pieta, Rome, sculpture, Sistine Chapel, statues, Vatican | 8 Comments

Venetian Time

Posted on September 28, 2019 by Ken Dowell

The Clocks of Venice

San Marco clock tower — Venice Clock Tower in Piazza San Marco

Clock for IIII numeral — This clock is in the Doge’s Palace. (The Doge was the head of the Venetian Republic.) If you look closely you’ll notice that four is written as IIII rather than IV. Apparently one of the Doge’s had a problem with math.

Six-hour clock — This six-hour clock is also in the Doge’s Palace. This is in the room for lawyers. These guys, who were the Venetian equivalent of pubic defenders, seemingly worked a six-hour day.

Posted in Travel | Tagged clocks, Doge's Palace, Italy, Piazza San Marco, Venice | 12 Comments

Back in the Sculpture Park

Posted on September 24, 2019 by Ken Dowell

I have already published a few photo posts about the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, N.J., and its founder Seward Johnson. But every time I go there I see new and interesting things. Here are some photos from my most recent visit. And, oh yah, the boat shown above is a Seward Johnson sculpture not a working vessel.

Nature's Laugh, Gunnar Theel — Nature’s Laugh, Gunnar Theel

Schatz's Spaceship, E. Caldor Powel — Schatz’s Spaceship, E. Caldor Powel

Tallur L.N.

Pathway
Threshold
Tongue Twister

Double Check, Seward Johnson — Double Check is a 1982 Seward Johnson sculpture that was installed at Liberty Plaza Park in Lower Manhattan. During 9/11 it was covered with ash and debris. It became an informal memorial as mourners left candles and flowers. This replica is in the Grounds for Sculpture

Posted in Art | Tagged art, Grounds for Sculpture, sculpture, sculpture park, Seward Johnson | 11 Comments

Seeing America from the Second Floor in Newark

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Ken Dowell

Mimi Smith at the Newark Museum — TV and Easy Chair, Mimi Smith

The Newark Museum recently renovated its second floor galleries that house the musuem’s collection of ;modern and contemporary art. Seeing America: 20th and 21st Century is the first exhibit in the reopened gallery.

Henri painting of paperboy — Portrait of Willie Gee, Robert Henri. Henri painted this portrait of his paperboy in 1904. Gee was the son of a previously enslaved woman from Virginia.

H.F. Bell painting at Newark Museum — Untitled, H.F. Bell

Duane Hanson sculpture — Man on a Mower, Duane Hanson

Coyote Tales, No. 1, Cara Romero
Man Unloading a Truck, James Carlin
Art Metal Casters, George Tarr
Side Show at Coney Island, Abraham Walkowitz
Elevated Station, Bernard Gussow

Pine Barrons, Mathew Brandt
Factories at Night, Joseph Stella
From Brooklyn Heights, George Copeland

Beside the Sea with Bulkhead, Robert Motherwell
Umtitled, Norman Lewis

Man Ray at Newark Museum — Object Indestructible, Man Ray

O'Keeffe at Newark Museum — Purple Petunias, Georgia O’Keeffe

Posted in Art | Tagged 20th century art, art, Frank Stella, Georgia O'Keeffe, Man Ray, Modern Art, museums, Newark Museum, painting, Robert Motherwell, Seeing America | 13 Comments

Latin American Modern

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Ken Dowell

Painting by artists from North and Centrl America and the Caribbean on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Newark Museum

Seeing America, Newark Museum

Millenial Guardian Angel, Jo-el Lopez, Puerto Rico

Interlaced Shapes in Red Background, Joaquïn Torres-Garcia, Uruguay
Composition, Joaquïn Torres-Garcia, Uruguay

Condor with Still Life, Alejandro Obregôn, Colombia

Constructive New York, Francisco Matto, Uruguay

LIncoln Kirstein’s Modern, Museum of Modern Art, New York

(Kirstein was MOMA’s consultant on Latin American Art in the 1940’s)

The Port, Joaquïn Torres-Garcia, Uruguay

Self Portrait, Luis Herrara Guevara, Chile
Self Portrait, Jose Pancetti, Brazil

Threshers, Diôgenes Paredes, Ecuador
Stevedores Resting, Alfredo Guido, Argentina

New Chicago Athletic Club, Antonio Berni, Argentina

Posted in Art | Tagged art, Latin American, Museum of Modern Art, museums, Newark Museum, painting | 5 Comments

Museum of Art and Design-Miramar

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Ken Dowell

The Museum of Art and Design-Miramar in San Juan, Puerto Rico is located in “The Pink House” at Cuevillas 607. The house was originally built as the home for Judge Luis Mendez-Vaz and his wife Maria Bagur. It was later purchased by their son Eduardo Mendez-Bagur. He bequeathed it to the Miramar community.

All of the works on display are by Puerto Rican artists.

Studebaker, platanos y machete, Miguel Luciano

Tourist Series, Aaron Salabarrias Valle

Designing Utopias, Nathan Budoff

Dreams
The Symmetry of Predators
The Ghost and the Pain
Friends Walking
Invention of Love

Acrobat of Design, Lorenzo Homar

607 Cuevillas Street
Preparatory Drawings for VIII Pan American Games, 1977

Posted in Art | Tagged art, design, MADMi, Miramar, Museum of Art and Design-Miramar, museums, painting, Puerto Rico, San Juan | 5 Comments

Nightfall in San Juan

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Ken Dowell

Photos from a ebike tour of San Juan, Puerto Rico, courtesy of Night Kayak. The tour starts at dusk in Condado and ends at night is Old San Juan.

John the Baptista — San Juan is named after John the Baptist

La Rogativa commemorates an incident in 1797 during a British naval blockade. Puerto Ricans took to the streets to plead with God for help. The British mistook them for reinforcements, feared they were outnumbered, and abandoned the city.

The governor's mansion — La Fortaleza, the governor’s mansion, Old San Juan

Fortaleza Street, aka Umbrella Street. This is where the protests that led to the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rossello started.

Raices Fountain commemorates Puerto Rico’s mixed African, Spanish and Taino/Amerindian heritage.

Posted in Travel | Tagged El Morro, La Fortaleza, murals, Old San Juan, pina colada, Puerto Rico, San Juan, statues, travel, unbrella street | 8 Comments

El Yunque Reborn

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Ken Dowell

El Yunque National Forest is a 29,000 acre tropical rain forest in the northeast part of Puerto Rico. It is part of the national forest system.

In September of 2017, when Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, it stripped the leaves off of the trees in El Yunque. One of every ten trees died. The landscape was left brown and barrren.

No longer. Less then two years later, El Yunque is once again lush and green. While some parts of the rain forest are still off limits to the public while they regenerate, many of El Yunque’s most popular sections are once again open to visitors. It is a living testament to nature’s resiliency.