The Coppa Barovier, a masterpiece of Venetian glass art

Thursday May 4th, 2023 , Artists and Works

If you want to learn about the art of Venetian glassmaking, you have to start with its masterpiece: the Coppa Barovier.
It is in fact a work made in the 15th century and in this post I want to tell you about the historical and cultural importance of this cup, which is the highest example of the technical and artistic excellence of the craftsmen of the island of Murano and their ability to create works of art that have stood the test of time.

The Coppa Barovier is the symbol of Venetian culture in the world and is exhibited at the Murano Glass Museum in Venice. Knowing and admiring it means appreciating and preserving the culture and history of Murano glass art.

The Barovier Cup

The Enigma of Giorgione’s Tempest

Wednesday April 12th, 2023 , Artists and Works

Giorgione’s The Tempest is a painting famous for its many mysteries.
It is a mystery who commissioned the work and the exact year it was painted, we do not know what message the painting conceals and what meaning the many symbolic elements scattered across the canvas have. The place for which the painting was intended is also mysterious.

The only certainty is that it is a truly extraordinary work of art that represents one of the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance. Painted at the beginning of the 16th century, Giorgione’s Tempest is characterised by a perfect composition and is today exhibited at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice.

The enigma of Giorgione’s Tempest

Paolo Veronese’s Last Supper at Levi’s House

Monday April 10th, 2023 , Artists and Works

The Last Supper by Paolo Veronese is one of the most famous works of the Venetian Renaissance. This painting, completed in 1573, is housed in the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice and is famous for a trial that Veronese had to undergo, who was forced to change the work’s name to Supper in the Levi House.

Paolo Veronese’s Last Supper that became the Supper at Levi’s House

Who was Mariano Fortuny: artist, stylist and designer

Friday April 7th, 2023 , Artists and Works

Fortuny Venezia @Fotografie di Massimo Listri

Who was Mariano Fortuny, the artist who was an accomplished stylist but also a renowned designer? He was decidedly multifaceted, this Spanish artist who decided to live in Venice and who went on to conquer the world from his amazing house-museum.

Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo was born in Granada, at the foot of the Alhambra, on 11 May 1871, the second son of Mariano Fortuny y Marsal (1838-1874), acclaimed Spanish painter, and Cecilia de Madrazo y Garreta (1846-1932), daughter of Federico de Madrazo y Kuntz (1815- 1894), director of the Prado Museum.

Who was Mariano Fortuny: artist, stylist and designer

The legendary photographs of Eve Arnold. The work, 1950-1980

Saturday April 1st, 2023 , Artists and Works

Eve Arnold on the set of ‘Becket’, England, 1963. Photo by Robert Penn

Eve Arnold’s photos were able to tell the story of the world with a personal approach, the only tool the American photographer considered indispensable.
To understand her importance in the history of photography, it is enough to remember that Eve Arnold was the first woman, together with Inge Morath, to join the prestigious Magnum Photos agency in 1951.

Determination, curiosity and, above all, the desire to escape from any stereotype or easy categorisation have enabled her to produce an eclectic body of work: from portraits of the great stars of the cinema and show business to investigative reportages where she has tackled themes and issues absolutely central to the public debate of yesterday and today.