The Vatican in Pictures

Good Day! I think I have the picture thing figured out... We shall see. Enjoy!

Swiss Guard

St. Peter's head and hand on Augustus' body.

Crypt of the popes, The latest crypt (JP2) of the last pope wasn't photo-able.

Yeah. It's big.

One of the Ninja Turtles made this. The orange one, Michelangelo.

The last thing the previous pope did was refill the doorway of the holy year in the Vatican. It is only opened during holy years and then closed immediately again. 

This is over St. Peter's grave. 10 stories tall inside of this place, and it still does not get close to the top.

The alter piece by Bernini

Tis another ninja turtle!!! This time it was Raphael, the red one.

The Vatican

Gorgeous, huge and out of this world... Everything was super sized and steeped in history.

No images though... I have run out of data space for photos on the blog. Don't fret faithful readers! I will find a way around this.

Florence this weekend! Be prepared for great stories come Monday.

David Brockshus

Tuesday is For Lovers... Of Fascist Architecture!!!

Yesterday we went to the EUR for a conference on the future building projects and planning in Rome. Keynote speakers for the day were Renzo Piano (architect), Calatrava (architect and engineer) and the coordinator of Italy's 2020 Olympic bid. It was all in Italian but with the visual aides they had behind them, I got the general idea of their talks and presentations. As I type this PM Silvio Berlusconi is speaking at the closing ceremony of the conference. (There will be people there protesting him and his embezzlement and mismanagement of funds. Security yesterday was super intrusive so I can only imagine what today will bring...) It was a lot like the AIA convention in Iowa, but way smaller and with significantly more foreign language. The council was held in an old Fascist building that now serves as a congressional meeting place and convention center originally designed by one of my favorite architects, Adabalto Libera. The whole building has a 1920's almost art deco material feel to it, but just looks more classical and serene in its construction. The Italian fascist style has a lot in common with the art deco of NYC, it is just moving in a different direction.

Brent just leaning on an exhibition hall...

Mies Vander Rohe?

Looks very classical, but at the same time it is distinctly modern.

The athlete statue of Nike, with a leaf codpiece added by the fascists.

Another Egyptian obelisk! Rome just jacked all of them when they "Came, saw and conquered."

Libera's building and home of the convention. 

Model for the new Olympic bid. Also home to Rome's basketball team and an new swimming complex. 

I love modernism!!!

They also had nice frescoes made in the building.

That is a lot of Italian architects and politicians and this is just part of the crowd!

Just Messing Around... At the Pantheon!!!

"Drawing exercises" for our drawing class... You gotta compete somehow or you get weak from doing everything uncontested. Right now they are having a "hits" contest on Youtube. Please watch both and then watch your favorite again to give him the edge over the competition! (Note: This is just messing around with the idea of gesture drawings. If you want an explanation for what gesture drawings are just let me know via email.)

Walking About on a Saturday Afternoon

Buongiorno Tutti!!! Come stai?

Saturday was a very eventful day here in the eternal city. Adam, John and I went adventuring to several site throughout the city that we had never visited before. Our list of places we went was as follows: The Cappuccina Tomba (Cappuccian Tomb), the Trevi Fountain, The Basilica of All Saints, the Victor Emmanuel War Museum, Santa Maria Aracoeli and the Theater of Marcellus. What a beautiful bright and sun-shiny day it was here in Rome. The pigeons were cooing, traffic was bustling and we lived the life of tourists for a few short hours. Truly awesome! Pictures of the Trevi Fountain are pending and the tomb did not allow photos... The tomb was the most exciting and the reason for our trip across the city. It is a church/monastery for the Cappuccian monks (origin of the word cappuccino) that is renowned for their gruesome art in the crypt of the church. They have decorated the interior of their crypt with the bones of previous monks of the order. Roman, Greek and Renaissance motifs have all been fabricated from the bones and skulls of the monks in the order. Fascia, loggia, cornicing, alters and decoration of arches were all fabricated from human bone. It was terrifyingly beautiful and awe inspiring. Some of the more important figures of the order were mummified in the exhibit and displayed upon crypt niches created from the bones of their deceased brethren. Truly a haunting experience that I shall remember for the remainder of my life. The rest of the day was also exciting! 

Paintings behind the walls at the Basilica of all saints

Dome in the side aisles above one of the churches, this one dedicated to a family that had paid for construction of part of the church.

Just your ordinary ceiling...

Tomb of the unknown Italian soldier.

Art within the Victor Emmanuel Monument.

Surprised to see me?

Gotta get me one of those...

Bambini statue made from wood from the garden of Gethsemane. 

Adam on a tall staircase next to St. Mary's

Marcellus Apartments/Theater of Marcellus. Gotta use this space somehow...

Remains of a temple next to the Theater