scaled
A BUTCHER'S #38
A BUTCHER’S hook/look (Cockney rhyming slang)
sizing
It’s hard to describe how overwhelming walking into the Pantheon can feel - it really is awesome! Until recently this was always my Day 1 objective when arriving in Rome, to acknowledge where I was. Because the building survives as complete as when it was built, you begin to get a real sense of the monumental scale of Roman structures.
generation gap
A meeting of the younger, larger Fiat 500 with its smaller original namesake.
assumption of scale
A postcard of an artwork was always interesting to me in that the scale of the original is reduced to the same uniform size. Consequently, it’s often surprising to discover that the actual piece is way bigger, or smaller than imagined.
In my own work, scale has been a central theme in several series that started in Rome.
The idea here….. I’ve intentionally chosen a not-so-obvious detail from a reproduction of a Giotto painting in Assisi. I then repainted it as close as I can (without ever seeing the original) and included a white border as part of the piece, to contain it. These paintings are now the original work – the postcard of which would be the faithful reproduction of the whole, no longer a detail.
The one above is in Rome, and I still have some in New York - you can see them on my site: Assumptions of scale - and they can be yours! (they’re available - enquire if you’re interested)
…..and they’re probably bigger than you imagined!
i pini
If there’s one tree that reflects the character of this part of Italy, it’s the Mediterranean stone pine. These pini offer cool shade in the heat, a soft carpet of fallen needles, and of course, pine nuts (pinoli). These nuts (the ones used in pesto), have been cultivated since prehistory and were traded extensively by the Romans. With its scaly bark glowing in the sun - all in all, an impressive tree.
al dente
Another market find - who can resist this fabulous giant pasta dress?
Another wonderful post! Lordy how I wish I was there…. Fresh pine nuts are something I’ve never tasted - and the landfill statuary is hilarious: finally a Rome you can not only see in a day but take home and annoy your entire family with!
I remember visiting the pantheon when I was 11. It was in some disrepair and full of cats (all of Italy was full of cats). They were crippled and starving so all the photos from that day feature me weeping copiously. That was a common thing with me then, I was a trying child.
Can you bring me a little white Fiat when you come home? It would really cheer me up!
Love to y’all - I cannot wait to hear all about this odyssey or yours.